Republic of China: German-equipped divisions massacred as warlords guarded the nation's borders

Chapter 247 Southeast United Provinces Self-Preservation Version: Obeying Orders, Not Proclamations

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The following equipment can be deployed this time: a batch of radio stations, a batch of coastal defense ranging equipment, and a batch of supplementary coastal observation equipment.

Fuzhou, temporary coastal defense command center.

The night was dark, and the sound of the tide lapping against the window was like someone knocking on the door across the Black Sea.

Chen Zijun stood in front of the long table, his gaze sweeping over the system panel, and then lightly tapped his finger.

The numbers on the books jumped down in the next instant.

Shen Li took the newly copied list, glanced at it without even raising his eyelids: "Twenty-six new-style radios, eight sets of coastal defense rangefinders, and three boxes of supplementary equipment for coastal observation. Young Marshal, is this batch also leaving for Mawei tonight?"

"Um."

Chen Zijun withdrew his hand, his tone flat.

"By the way, we can talk about formalities later. But not coastal defense. The Japanese cannons won't wait for anyone to stamp the official documents."

Shen Li understood, and casually pressed the list onto another stack of telegrams, saying in a low voice, "Guangzhou certainly knows how to pick its timing. They just finished labeling us as having an independent central government, and now they're rushing to ask if we're willing to accept a higher-level name of unification."

Chen Zijun smiled.

"That's not asking. That's probing for a price."

He had barely finished speaking when the footsteps outside the door stopped.

The adjutant on duty stood at attention by the door: "Young Marshal, Representative Zhou has arrived."

"please."

A moment later, Zhou Qiheng walked in.

He was dressed even more formally tonight than the previous two times, wearing a gray woolen long gown with a black mandarin jacket over it, the cuffs neatly trimmed. But even his impeccable appearance couldn't hide the weariness on his face. It wasn't from staying up all night; it was the weariness that came from being caught between two difficult times, worn down by life itself.

He entered and bowed, saying, "Young Marshal Chen."

Chen Zijun raised his chin: "Sit."

As soon as Zhou Qiheng sat down, his gaze fell on the table.

Four ledgers were already set up there: one showing the tax revenue of the five southeastern provinces, one showing the special account for public debt for coastal defense construction, one showing the monthly allocation of military funds, and another showing the details of military loans and shipyard expansion.

Each book was thin, yet they were arranged very neatly, like four weights on a table.

Zhou Qiheng glanced at it, and his heart sank a little.

He had originally planned to start the conversation tonight with the anonymous letter, the "misunderstanding from the outside world," and the "unification of names." But Chen Zijun clearly had no intention of letting him take a detour.

As expected, Chen Zijun skipped all the pleasantries.

"Representative Zhou, have you read that anonymous letter from Wangping Street?"

Zhou Qiheng paused for a moment: "I've seen it."

"How do you think it's written?"

Zhou Qiheng gave a wry smile: "The writing is indeed sharp. But it's a bit too sharp."

"Oh?"

Chen Zijun leaned back in his chair, his gaze indifferent.

"So, did you come tonight to smooth things over for it, or to scout out a path for it?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the air in the room seemed to tighten a little.

Zhou Qiheng's throat bobbed, but he still managed to keep his voice steady: "Young Marshal Chen, I'm not here tonight to argue. While the way things are written outside certainly has an element of using this as an excuse, there's one point that can't be ignored."

He raised his eyes and looked directly at Chen Zijun.

"The Southeast has now established regulations to manage tax routes, banks, coastal defense, and newspapers. If it takes another step forward, people will naturally ask whether it is defending the territory or establishing a separate military and political system."

Shen Li listened from the side, but there wasn't a single smile on his lips.

Chen Zijun laughed.

"Good question."

He tilted his head to the side.

"Shen Li."

"exist."

"Turn it over."

Shen Li stepped forward and opened the first tax book.

"The actual tax revenue collected by the five southeastern provinces this quarter, including salt tax, customs duties, shipping levies, and fixed-rate taxes, is all here."

Then I opened the second book.

"The special account for public bonds for coastal defense construction. Subscription, allocation, in transit, record keeping, and chamber of commerce supervision and signing are all done here."

The third book.

"Military funds are allocated monthly. This includes security for each division and brigade, port security, shore artillery maintenance, submarine resupply, and radio station expansion."

The fourth book.

"Military industry loans. Ma'anshan, Jiangnan Shipyard, Wusongkou Shipyard, Mawei parts repair."

He laid the four booklets flat, his voice cold and direct.

"Representative Zhou, everything is here. There's no need for you to calculate it, I've already seen the final ledger. It shows a deficit of about four million per month, which adds up to over fifty million a year. Now, on behalf of the young marshal, I have a question for you."

"If these things aren't in the hands of the Southeast, then who can guarantee that things won't descend into chaos?"

Zhou Qiheng was stumped by the question.

He had prepared a whole host of platitudes about "revolutionary unification" and "military and political orders being unified," but Chen Zijun didn't bother with formalities. Instead, he went straight to who would support the army, who would repair the forts, who would settle the shipyard accounts, and who would bear the rice prices for the five provinces.

This type of question is the hardest to answer.

Because anyone can call for unification.

But who would actually take on these four accounts? Who would dare to make such a promise?

Zhou Qiheng remained silent for two breaths before slowly speaking: "If the world is to be unified, there must be a common name. If each region only adheres to its own taxes, its own soldiers, and its own regulations, how will the government's orders be unified after the Northern Expedition?"

That's not wrong.

Chen Zijun nodded, admitting it first.

Zhou Qiheng's eyes flickered.

But the next moment, Chen Zijun stopped talking.

"That's why I never said that names can't be discussed."

"Can we talk?"

Zhou Qiheng subconsciously added a comment.

"able."

Chen Zijun spoke in a very indifferent tone.

"How to negotiate, and to what extent, is up to me. Because these accounts didn't grow from paper; they were dug out from under the forts, in the docks, from the hands of the workers, and from the blood and flesh of the trade routes."

He raised his hand and tapped his fingertip on the cover of the tax book.

"You want to talk about reputation. Fine, I'll give you a clear answer."

"The tax authority of the five southeastern provinces will not be paid."

He then checked the military expenditure booklet.

"Command of the Chen family army will not be handed over."

Finally, I focused on the two books about military loans and coastal defense bonds.

"We will not hand over the coastal defense military industry."

The three sentences fell like three nails.

Zhou Qiheng's expression finally changed.

He knew before he came that this time it wouldn't be easy to negotiate.

But he still underestimated Chen Zijun.

This person didn't even bother with any pretense; he simply laid his cards on the table, leaving no room for imagination whatsoever.

Zhou Qiheng said in a deep voice, "If we don't hand over any of the three, then the word 'unification' will just be an empty promise."

"The signboard also depends on where it's hung."

Chen Zijun looked up at him, his eyes showing no anger, but rather an even more intimidating presence.

"Do you want a brand name, or do you want me to first cultivate and fatten up your coastal defenses, tax routes, military industries, and trade routes, and then hand them over to others?"

Zhou Qiheng was speechless for a moment.

Chen Zijun didn't give him a chance to catch his breath and continued speaking.

"I've already said I can't pay it."

"Whatever we can discuss, I'll give it to you."

He held up one finger.

"We can discuss working together against external threats. Who fights the Japanese, who fights the foreign devils, and who fights the traitors? We can stand shoulder to shoulder in the Southeast; we won't undermine each other."

The second one.

"We can talk if we don't levy taxes on each other. If you launch a northern expedition, you won't levy taxes, grain, soldiers, laborers, boats, or carts from my five southeastern provinces. If I march north from the southeast, I won't interfere in your rear."

The third one.

"Nominal coordination is also negotiable. How to write official documents, how to fly the flag, how to issue diplomatic notes—all of these can be discussed."

He paused for a moment at this point.

"But anyone who interprets the so-called coordination as transferring my troops, taking my taxes, and dismantling my coastal defenses is just pretending to be confused."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Shen Li, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke.

"Representative Zhou, there's something I should add as well."

Zhou Qiheng turned to look at him.

Shen Li's voice wasn't loud, but every word was harsh.

"If someone interprets 'nominal coordination' as a future order that can transfer the main force of Chen's army away from coastal defense, divert funds from the Southeast Central Bank to fill other holes, and turn the cannons at Mawei and Wusongkou to stand guard for others, that is not coordination."

"That's treating the charter like a piece of waste paper."

Zhou Qiheng was choked by this sentence, his chest tightened. Of course he understood. This was a clear statement: the flag could be changed, the official documents could be rewritten, but the knife handle could not be changed hands, the tax bag could not be carried by another person, and the fort key could not be handed over.

At this moment, he finally understood that the negotiation in front of him was no longer as simple as "borrowing a passage or not".

This is laying the groundwork for a future change of flag and number.

Zhou Qiheng slowly exhaled and said with a wry smile, "Young Marshal Chen has gone this far, leaving me with no way to maneuver."

"Then don't share it!"