Chapter 1010
Zhang Anping's advice to retreat south and resist is tantamount to abandoning the
Following the telegram from Nanjing, no one from the Central Army came to pressure Zhang Anping anymore—the telegram from above was so clear that what they needed to do now was to find a way to get Fu Huabei to retreat south.
The Sui army, on the other hand, originally did not intend to give up.
The men of the Central Army were all incredibly wealthy, but they were the Sui Army, who had spent most of their lives wandering. They had finally made it to Beiping, where they were living a good life and had made some money. How could they just give up?
But with the "military budget" being jointly managed, their "never give up" had to become a retreat - since it was all under joint management, what was the point of pressuring Zhang Anping?
But should we just give up like this?
Who would accept that?
Fortunately, news arrived at this time:
The message from Nanjing was that as long as the money was withdrawn to the south, it would be returned to its rightful owner!
After observing for two days, these high-ranking Sui Army officials discovered that someone was secretly investigating them. They arrested a few people and questioned them, only to find out that it was Zhang Anping who did it. Previously, their damned Central Army teammates had deserted halfway, and they had also lashed out because of the difficulty in jointly managing "military expenses." Unexpectedly, Zhang Anping delivered himself to their doorstep!
It's time to settle all scores, old and new!
As a result, a group of Sui army generals led their troops directly to the Yandu Hotel.
The Yandu Hotel was no longer an obscure place; it was now not only the central hub of Beiping's intelligence network but also the core of Beiping's armed intelligence forces, with extremely strong security. Faced with the intrusion of the Sui Army, the hotel was not to be outdone and directly revealed its strength:
Come on, let's have a showdown!
Fortunately, Zhang Anping personally intervened at this moment, defusing the conflict and inviting all the Sui Army generals to the conference room—there was no smell of blood in the conference room, but everyone knew that three days ago, the heads of two intelligence agencies had fallen here.
They're even from the Suiyuan Army!
If it weren't for Commander Fu's strict orders, the Sui Army would probably have retaliated.
One of the Sui Army generals slammed his fist on the table and said, "Zhang, are you trying to stage another 'Feast at Hongmen' here?"
"Come on, my head is right here, try and see if you can take it off!"
When the other Sui Army generals saw this formation, they instinctively reached for their pistols—they mustn't let this dog spy get provoked!
Zhang Anping remained calm: "You've all misunderstood—you've all heard the rumors circulating these past few days, haven't you?"
The sound of the wind?
What's going on?
Zhang Anping glanced at the Sui army general who was feigning ignorance, and then slowly said:
"Retreat south, return the property to its rightful owner."
"You released it?!"
Zhang Anping neither admitted nor denied it, but continued:
"Ladies and gentlemen, I once heard someone say that some people have money only if they have guns, and some people have money but no guns, so that money... is not your money."
What do you all think?
Realizing there was a hidden meaning in Zhang Anping's words, one of the generals looked directly at him:
"What do you mean?!"
Zhang Anping smiled, but did not answer the question. Instead, he said:
“The Sui-Cha region cannot support an army of hundreds of thousands.”
"Your troops are strong and well-equipped now, but once you arrive in Suiyuan and Chahar, I fear you'll be reduced from division commanders to regimental commanders—"
"But if we retreat south, the territory is vast. Are you still worried that the division commander will become the regimental commander?"
"With soldiers and guns, the money will naturally follow—what do you all think?"
"Please consider this carefully—this place is ultimately unfit for public display, so please leave!"
After saying this, he got up and left. Seeing this, the Sui army generals did not continue to pester him.
In this meeting, although Zhang Anping only said a few simple words, he was actually making assurances to them:
If they retreat south, they'll have soldiers and guns, and naturally, money!
Their goal was naturally achieved—at this point, the clever person immediately realized something:
The reason they realized that Zhang Anping was investigating them, and even when they caught someone, the person directly implicated Zhang Anping, was that Zhang Anping wanted to see them and say these things to them!
His reluctance to meet in private was to avoid suspicion.
To avoid Commander Fu always feeling that the Central Army was about to annex him.
The balance was struck very well.
They naturally had no reason to continue the entanglement.
After leaving the Yandu Hotel, they gathered privately to discuss the matter.
It must be said that Zhang Anping's words hit their weak spot—the Sui-Cha region was really too poor to support hundreds of thousands of troops, and it was truly a harsh and cold place.
They've fought half their lives, from the warlord era to risking their lives against the Japanese. Now they've finally achieved what they have: status, power, soldiers, and guns. And now they want to go back to that harsh, cold land...
The women of Beiping are more radiant than those of Suiyuan and Chahar—and what about the more nourishing south?
Although they have strong ties to their homeland, who would be willing to be demoted and go back?
Even if one's position is not demoted, what's the difference between having fewer soldiers and being demoted?
"Commander Fu is unwilling to retreat south because he is worried that the Central Army will devour us—look at this Zhang Shih-hao, he is so prudent in his actions, afraid of misunderstandings, he doesn't even dare to meet with us directly in private! Besides, there are so many forces within the National Government, and the Chief of Staff hasn't swallowed them all up. Our Suiyuan Army can be considered strong and well-equipped. Does the Chief of Staff really dare to defy the world and annex us?"
“That makes perfect sense! With the land route cut off, we must retreat south as soon as possible—we really should talk to Commander Fu about this!”
Thus, a group of Sui Army generals easily reached a tacit understanding.
……
Some in the Sui Army were willing to make changes for the sake of accumulating wealth, but others remained loyal to Fu Huabei—therefore, Fu Huabei received the news not long after they made their decision.
Fu Huabei was so angry he laughed.
What a great sense of propriety!
What a Zhang Anping!
As expected of Dai Chunfeng's successor—this move was truly ruthless and vicious.
"Retreating south... is absolutely impossible!"
Fu Huabei gritted his teeth: "I would rather go back to Suiyuan than retreat south!"
At this moment, Fu Huabei felt an intense hatred for Zhang Anping.
"Pass down the notice: a meeting at 4 PM!"
"The meeting agenda included discussions on the withdrawal to the south—"
After giving the order, Fu Huabei muttered to himself:
You all want to retreat south, don't you? I'll show you whether retreating south is even feasible!
……
Yandu Hotel.
Zheng Yi hesitated several times before speaking, and Zhang Anping, having observed this, kept her behind alone.
"Any questions?"
Zheng Yi carefully closed the office door before speaking cautiously:
“Chief Qu, I think they’re tempted.”
"They" refers to the generals of the Sui Army.
In these three days, Zheng Yi confirmed one thing:
From the perspective of the underground party, the best option was to contain the Nationalist army in North China—to swallow them all whole, which was the outcome the underground party most desired.
But what is Zhang Anping doing now?
He was actually inciting the Sui army generals to force Fu Huabei to retreat south!
She felt that this decision seriously conflicted with Zhang Anping's original intentions.
Although she enjoyed the feeling of completely seeing through Zhang Anping's scheme from scratch, from Zhang Anping's perspective, she couldn't understand the meaning behind his actions at all.
That's why I specifically reminded you—you seem to have gone too far!
Zhang Anping said matter-of-factly, "Of course we were tempted. If I were them, we would be tempted too."
Seeing that Zhang Anping knew what was going on, Zheng Yi decided not to press the matter further, but Zhang Anping offered to explain:
"Just because they're interested doesn't mean he is!"
"He" is naturally Fu Huabei.
Zheng Yi was stunned, not expecting Zhang Anping to speak so frankly. She then said, "But if he doesn't take care of it, the Sui Army might become disunited."
"Of course we have to manage it—he must make the Sui army see one thing: retreating south is impossible!"
"Huh?" Zheng Yi was stunned. Then why didn't "he" choose to retreat south?
Zhang Anping smiled and asked in return, "Didn't I rack my brains and be particularly tactful in order to meet with these generals of the Sui Army?"
Zheng Yi nodded.
After three days of investigation, Zhang Anping obtained information that largely overlapped with the data he had on hand. He then had someone deliberately expose a flaw. When the Sui Army generals discovered that Zhang Anping was investigating them, they came in a rage, all because of Zhang Anping's scheme.
"So what if they have a strong sense of propriety?" Zhang Anping chuckled and said leisurely, "Their own loyal followers were easily swayed by me just because of money that rightfully belonged to them. If you were him, do you think your own loyal followers would still be loyal to you after the retreat to the south?"
These words made Zheng Yi's eyes widen in surprise. Was that really true?!
That's exactly the case—his carefully cultivated inner circle simply changed its stance and wanted to retreat south. Anyone in Fu Huabei's shoes would be even more afraid of one thing at this moment:
After I retreat south, will my soldiers still be my soldiers?
This was something Fu Huabei had always been worried about, which is why he hadn't retreated south—Zhang Anping's seemingly "restrained" behavior had the opposite effect!
Fu Huabei was even more worried about their situation after retreating south!
"He probably hates me to death now." Zhang Anping almost laughed, because a picture flashed through his mind:
At the time of the peaceful liberation of Beiping, and with central army generals being sent to Nanjing, Fu Huabei spoke out with a powerful voice:
"Anyone can leave, but Zhang Anping cannot!"
Zheng Yi didn't know why Zhang Anping wanted to laugh, but now she couldn't help but look at Zhang Anping with admiration—the district chief's plans were always like this, and his actions always seemed to be for the sake of the party and the country, sometimes even to the point of painstaking effort.
But all the results secretly aligned with the interests of the underground party!
If Zhang Anping hadn't revealed the truth about this matter, I would never have imagined, no matter how hard I racked my brains, that it was for this purpose and outcome.
Jingle Bell
The phone rang, and Zhang Anping waved his hand before answering: "It's me—I know."
After hanging up the phone, he said quietly to Zheng Yi:
"Look, his counterattack is here—4 PM, let's discuss the retreat to the south!"
Zheng Yi was very curious as to how Fu Huabei would use the discussion of the southward withdrawal as a counterattack.
At this moment, Zhang Anping looked at the time on the calendar, a deep look on his face.
On the 22th.
11 Month 22 Day!
Today is a good day.
……
North China Suppression Headquarters.
The division commanders of the Beiping garrison appeared one after another in the conference room.
As with the previous meetings, Zhang Anping sat in an inconspicuous corner. But this time, no matter how well he hid, he was like a bright pearl, attracting one gaze after another.
And these gazes are extremely complex.
Many people looked at him with admiration mixed with awe.
After Commander Yuan entered the arena, he did not immediately take a seat, but went straight to Zhang Anping. Facing Zhang Anping, who stood up to show respect, he patted Zhang Anping on the shoulder:
"Well done!"
"Submachine gun company, stay by your side."
Zhang Anping bowed and said, "Thank you, Commander Yuan."
"The younger generation surpasses the older generation!" Commander Yuan exclaimed before walking to his seat.
At this moment, the way others looked at Zhang Anping became even more complicated.
They were perfectly aware of why Commander Yuan reacted this way:
Regarding the southward retreat, Nanjing and the General Headquarters for the Suppression of Enemy Personnel exchanged hundreds of telegrams, but Fu Huabei consistently refused to retreat south.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Anping's move of seizing money in Tanggu ultimately shifted the situation—now, Fu Huabei is actually discussing the matter of retreating south!
This is simply... amazing!
The division-level officers present were all still shaken by the thought of almost falling out with this person. A corps-level commander was a big shot, and it wouldn't be easy for Zhang Anping to scheme against him. But if Zhang Anping really wanted to scheme against these division-level officers, he could definitely do it with ease.
That was close! That was close!
Faced with these gazes, Zhang Anping remained calm and composed, continuing to flip through the notebook in his hands with little expression, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
"Commander Fu has arrived!"
As soon as the announcement was made, everyone stood up to welcome Fu Huabei's arrival.
Fu Huabei entered the conference room, walked to his seat, and glanced intentionally or unintentionally at Zhang Anping in the "corner" before slowly saying:
"sit!"
After sitting down, Fu Huabei directly stated the topic:
"Nanjing intends to appoint Fu as the military and political leader of the Southeast—provided that Fu leads the North China army to retreat south."
"What are your thoughts on the retreat to the south?"
Two senior figures in the Central Army have successively set the tone:
"Commander Fu, retreating south is imperative!"
"North China is now isolated, so retreating to the south is the only logical course of action."
Fu Huabei nodded:
"That makes sense. So, how do we retreat south?"
Fu Huabei's attitude was so straightforward that the officers of the Central Army couldn't help but have some doubts:
Why did he decide to retreat south so easily?
Could it be because of the title of Southeast Military and Political Commander?
If we had known this would happen, we would have given him the title much earlier!
"Theoretically, there are land and sea routes for retreating south, but the land route is not an option as it is a dead end. Therefore, the only option is sea, just like the relief force in Xuzhou."
Faced with this answer, Fu Huabei nodded in agreement: "Indeed, there is only one way to go: sea transport. I remember when the relief troops set off for Xuzhou, it was Deputy Director Zhang who was busy with everything. Deputy Director Zhang, tell me, if we are to retreat south, how many ships do we need?"
Faced with Fu Huabei's call to arms, Zhang Anping had no choice but to stand up:
"Commander Fu, the ports that are still under our control are Qinhuangdao, Tanggu, Qingdao and Huludao."
Huludao is under blockade, Qingdao is too far away, and Qinhuangdao is currently in a bad situation and at risk of falling, so the only option is to evacuate through Tanggu Port.
The relief force of over 50,000 men took six days to complete loading and evacuation. If all our troops in North China were to evacuate, I could mobilize ships from the southeast coast to ensure that ships arrive every day.
However, Tanggu Port has limited capacity. Considering the need to carry equipment, the daily number of people allowed to leave the port should be around 20,000.
According to Zhang Anping's explanation, an army of hundreds of thousands would only last a month at most!
But as soon as he finished speaking, Fu Huabei sneered:
"So, you think it only takes a month?"
Zhang Anping paused for a moment: "It's very difficult."
North China was home not only to the Nationalist Army, but also to the People's Liberation Army!
The People's Liberation Army cannot simply stand by and watch!
Fu Huabei did not directly reject it, but said:
"Gentlemen, for the next period of time, your main focus will be on discussing and arranging the withdrawal with the staff—the withdrawal to the south. We cannot withdraw all at once. The front-line troops need to be consolidated, and we need to consider how and where to build the defensive line!"
"Is everything alright?"
No one responded immediately, because they all realized a core issue they had previously overlooked:
Evacuate! How do we evacuate?
Who will provide cover?
Who goes first?
Can the PLA's forces withstand the onslaught? If they can't, reserves will be needed. But what if, in the end, both the reserves and the forces engaged in the blocking action are bogged down and surrounded?
If it's someone else who's surrounded, that's easy to say. Better to die for your fellow Daoists than for me!
But what if you were the one surrounded? Faced with the choice to stay or leave, you didn't think about saving your allies. What if your allies faced the same choice and did the same thing as you?
The question, "Is everything alright?", was thrown at them, which only made them feel worse.
How could the Central Army possibly cover the rear for the Sui Army?
How could the Sui Army possibly cover the rear for the Central Army?
At this moment, Zhang Anping stood up abruptly and said without hesitation:
"The Pacification Corps, the 19th Gendarmerie Regiment, and all special forces are willing to be the last to withdraw!"
Previously, many people looked at Zhang Anping with admiration—secretly admiring Zhang Anping's skillful methods.
But now, those who once admired Zhang Anping have instantly turned into disgust.
You're so noble, so loyal, so fearless—but can you please stop leading the way?!
Seeing Zhang Anping's statement, a Sui Army general agreed and praised him, saying:
"The Central Army has always been the best equipped and the strongest in combat. Its withdrawal is a matter of life and death for hundreds of thousands of troops, and it should indeed take the lead."
A central general glared at Zhang Anping before standing up:
"I think it should be the Sui Army—our army has constructed the current North China defense line in a long, straight line, while the Sui Army is currently on the western front. It would be most appropriate for them to consolidate their forces, deploy for defense, and build a blocking line."
The Sui army commander immediately retorted: "Our army is at a disadvantage in terms of artillery and weaponry. If we cannot hold the blocking position, wouldn't that jeopardize our mission?"
"If you mess things up, then execute them—are you suggesting we keep them around as freeloaders?"
Before formal discussions on the southward withdrawal plan even began, the generals of the Central Army and the Suiyuan Army started arguing amongst themselves.
Fu Huabei sat silently, but inwardly he scoffed:
Retreat to the south, this is what retreating to the south is all about. Didn't you want to retreat to the south?
Let's have a proper "discussion"!
Do you really think the Central Army considers you comrades?
Did they go to the southeast where there are soldiers, guns, and money?
Zhang Anping watched this scene with a gloomy expression, seemingly not expecting such an outcome. He couldn't help but stand up again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please hear me out first..."
Before he could finish speaking, a staff officer burst through the conference room door in a panic:
"problem occurs!"
"A telegram has just arrived: Huang Yi Corps failed to break out at Nianzhuangwei, Commander Huang committed suicide, and Huang Yi Corps... has been completely annihilated!"
The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone stared blankly at the staff officer giving the report, their minds completely blank.
Zhang Anping said with a shocked expression:
"impossible!"
"Commander Huang commanded over 100,000 elite troops, all equipped with American weapons! How could they possibly have been completely wiped out?"
"Xuzhou City is so close, are all the hundreds of thousands of soldiers inside dead?!"
It would have been better if he hadn't said that, but when he said "Xuzhou City is just a stone's throw away," the Sui Army officers and Central Army officers who had been arguing fiercely before all shuddered.
The reason is simple: Huang Yi Corps was trapped in Nianzhuangwei, which was indeed very close to Xuzhou City. However, even after Huang Yi Corps was wiped out and Commander Huang committed suicide, no reinforcements from Xuzhou arrived at Nianzhuangwei!
The same was true of Menglianggu back then.
So, now that they are withdrawing from Tanggu Port, and the troops responsible for blocking the enemy are surrounded, will there be reinforcements coming from the Tanggu Port direction?
Even if they did, could they get here in time?
Menglianggu is just a stone's throw away;
The current Nianzhuangwei is still very close!
In the future, if they are surrounded while fighting a defensive battle, it won't be a matter of nearby enemy forces, but rather a matter of being far away at the ends of the earth. Can they really rely on reinforcements from those distant lands? (End of Chapter)