69novels Chapter 231 Chen 6 Articles
Chapter 231 Chen 6 Articles
Shen Li took it and glanced at it.
"The Iwami and the two light cruisers have entered low-level combat readiness."
"The fleet retreated five nautical miles as a whole, but did not turn away."
The atmosphere in the staff room became tense again.
The advance ship was driven back.
But the real, large ship is still there.
Chen Zijun looked at the nautical chart and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
"It doesn't retreat because it wants to find the next question."
Shen Li has not yet replied.
A second telegraph operator entered from outside.
He was holding another telegram in his hand.
It is not a coastal defense telegram.
It was a confidential government telegram forwarded from Shanghai.
"Young Marshal, urgent news from Shanghai."
"The representative of the Northern Expeditionary Army of the Southern National Government has arrived in Shanghai and requests a meeting with the Young Marshal."
"We hope that Chen's army will make a statement as soon as possible regarding the Northern Expeditionary Army's northward march."
Shen Li frowned.
A letter from the sea.
A letter from inland China.
One letter indicates that the main naval guns of the Japanese navy are in low-level combat readiness.
One letter was from a representative of the Southern Expedition to the North requesting an audience.
Hans looked at the two telegrams without saying a word.
He is German.
But he could tell too.
On Chen Zijun's desk, there were no longer just nautical charts.
People were knocking on doors all over the southeast.
Chen Zijun placed the two telegrams side by side next to the nautical chart.
He stared at it for a while, then a cold smile appeared on his lips.
"Someone on the east side is going to break down the door."
"Someone from the south wants to pass through."
Shen Li asked, "Young Marshal, which side should we go back to first?"
Chen Zijun picked up a red pencil and added another stroke to the red line on the sea off Xiamen.
"Everyone, line up."
"Let the guy who's banging on the door know first that the door frame is made of iron."
"Tell him who is passing through."
"The Chen family's way of doing things is something we can lend, but it depends on who we lend it to..."
Two telegrams were pressed side by side next to the nautical chart.
A letter was written at sea.
The Iwami's main guns were in low-position combat readiness, accompanied by two light cruisers, and its course remained unchanged.
A letter was written on land.
After being dealt with by Chen Yuhe, the Southern Expeditionary Representatives arrived in Hangzhou, they led a negotiation team to Shanghai, urging Marshal Chen to make a statement as soon as possible.
Shen Li stood by the table, his fingers pressing on the corner of the telegram.
"Young Marshal, the Japanese main force has moved another two hundred yards to the outer edge of the red line."
"No line was crossed."
"But the gun cover has been removed, and the muzzle is lowered."
Chen Zijun hummed in agreement.
"Report every half hour."
"Send out the Iwami's bearing, range, gun positions, and speed in plain text."
Shen Li looked up.
"Should we also copy the merchant ships, customs, newspapers, and the British and American consulates?"
"right."
Chen Zijun looked at the nautical chart, his voice calm.
"They're not backing down, not because they want to fight."
"They want us to get anxious first."
Hans stood to the side and nodded.
"The young marshal's judgment is correct."
"What the Iwami wants most right now is for us to send out all the Zhen Dong ships and shore guns."
"If we make any big moves, they can say that the Chinese are escalating the conflict."
Chen Zijun smiled.
"They want to find the next question."
"Then let them copy the wrong answer from the previous question into their notebook first."
Shen Li's expression was somewhat grave. After a moment, he said, "But Young Marshal, the cost of sending a telegram is quite high..."
Chen Zijun was taken aback. He had mistaken the Republic of China for a later era and thought that the telegram was just a statement, like a lawyer's letter, which was sent out occasionally.
It was only at this moment that I remembered that in the Republic of China era, the sending party had to pay for sending telegrams, and the receiving party had to pay for each telegram as long as there was one recipient.
It's fair to say that trending topics during the Republic of China era were entirely generated by spending money.
It was much more realistic than in later generations.
but……
Chen Zijun simply smiled and said calmly, "It's alright, we're in Shanghai, money's no object!"
After he finished speaking, he picked up another telegram.
"What about Shanghai?"
Shen Li said, "The Southern representatives have entered the reception area of the Songhu Garrison Command. They are very polite, but their tone is very urgent. They immediately started talking about the righteous cause of the Northern Expedition, and immediately raised the issue of passage, supplies, munitions, and railway arrangements. Furthermore, they said that eliminating the old warlords is of utmost urgency, and the people of the whole country are eagerly awaiting it..."
Chen Zijun scoffed.
"Good grief. Is it not the time for him, Baldy Chang, to fight me with five divisions anymore? If he can't win, he's resorting to this kind of talk to fool me?"
"At sea, some people test me with cannons; on land, some people test me with righteousness."
"This table is quite lively today."
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
The telegraph operator hurried in.
"Young Marshal, a secret telegram from the Southeast Central Bank!"
Shen Li took a look and immediately handed it over.
"Sent by Miss Mo."
Chen Zijun glanced at it twice and then pursed his lips.
The telegram was very long, consisting entirely of numbers.
There is railway traffic flowing northward, bridges along the line carrying capacity, potential hospital beds, military grain reserves in the five southeastern provinces, and special accounts for coastal defense bonds.
There was another line that Mo Huixin had specially circled.
If the Northern Expeditionary Army were to cross the border in a force of 10,000, the daily losses in food, horse feed, medicine, and railway logistics would be far more than a matter of alliance and righteousness could make up for.
Chen Zijun placed the telegram on the table.
"Sister Huixin has already settled the accounts."
"very good."
Shen Li asked, "Young Marshal, should we delay things in Shanghai for now?"
"No delay."
Chen Zijun said, "If we drag this out, we'll be in an even more passive position when we're forced to choose sides!"
"If we're going to reply, we should reply now. But it's not about replying to our attitude, it's about replying to the rules..."
At that moment, the second telegraph operator entered even faster.
"Young Marshal, urgent report from Shanghai Military Intelligence Bureau!"
Moranzhi's name was written on the telegram.
Shen Li opened the package, and after reading only two lines, his expression turned cold.
"There were undercover agents from the Chang faction among the delegation's entourage. They were recording information on the special account for Haiphong government bonds, railway dispatch maps, and the southeastern warehouse nodes."
Chen Zijun reached out and snatched the telegram from him.
They came to borrow a route, but also to probe the truth.
They really treated the Southeast like a warehouse without bolts.
He looked up at Shen Li.
"My Chief of the General Staff..."
"exist."
"remember."
Shen Li immediately laid out the paper.
Chen Zijun's voice was steady.
"Sixth point in the notice to the National Revolutionary Army and the Northern Expeditionary Army regarding the passage northward—"
"First, troops transiting the border must report their unit number, troop strength, route, and date in advance."
"Second, military discipline must be strictly enforced. Military personnel must not disturb civilians, seize grain, or trespass into stations, hospitals, docks, or warehouses."
"Third, we will raise our own grain and fodder. If we need to purchase from the southeast, we will pay according to the price, either in cash or by draft."
"Fourth, it is forbidden to enter key coastal defense areas, or to approach shore artillery positions, port fire control points, and military industrial bases."
"Fifth, no private radio stations shall be set up, no private military orders shall be issued, and no personnel in the five southeastern provinces shall be transferred or promoted."
"Sixth, it is forbidden to levy taxes, conscript soldiers, force laborers, or impose levies in the five southeastern provinces."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Shen Li wrote very quickly, and by the time he got to the last line, his pen tip was heavy.
Hans raised an eyebrow.
"Young Marshal, your Six Articles aren't just passage clauses. They're blatant sovereignty clauses..."
Chen Zijun nodded.
"Mr. Hans, you don't understand. The National Revolutionary Army itself is a mixture of various warlords. Why can they all be the King of Guangxi and the King of Yunnan, but my Chen family can't be the King of the Southeast?"