dhibooks Chapter 248 They're all just in disguise
Chapter 248 They're all just in disguise
Don't share!
Chen Zijun's words were harsh and cold, but one had to admit that he had the ability!
Chen Zijun looked at him.
"Representative Zhou, you're not the kind of person Lu Shaoting is. I'm telling you the truth to save face for you."
"Go back and tell those who should hear it. I will not stop the Northern Expedition for the sake of righteousness. But if anyone uses the banner of the Northern Expedition to take my territory in the five southeastern provinces, to take my Chen family army troops, or to take my coastal defenses and tax routes as a ready-made dowry, then don't blame me for saying something even harsher."
Zhou Qiheng remained silent for a long time before finally saying in a low voice, "If we only talk about joint external forces, no requisitioning from each other, and nominal coordination, this matter may not be entirely unsolvable. But I'm afraid Guangzhou won't be satisfied."
That's their business.
Chen Zijun said calmly.
"I don't eat food from their pot."
This was so blunt that even Zhou Qiheng couldn't help but twitch his lips.
After a long while, he stood up and cupped his hands in greeting.
"I will take these words back to me truthfully tonight."
Chen Zijun also got up.
"Please pass on one more message."
"Young Marshal, please speak."
"The Southeast is not seeking to establish a separate central government."
Chen Zijun looked at him, his voice not loud, but very steady.
"Southeast Asia simply refuses to tie its own life to someone else's belt."
Zhou Qiheng was startled.
He didn't say anything more and turned to leave. Just then, he suddenly heard Chen Zijun's voice coming from behind him:
"To give Representative Zhou some face, I, Chen Zijun, can guarantee that I will hand over the entire city of Jiangning to the National Revolutionary Government. After all, Jiangning is the birthplace of the Republic of China, and it is also a place that the late Premier cherished in his heart."
"Moreover, I've heard that those who truly want to establish a separate central government seem to be planning to set up a government in Wuhan..."
After the door closed, the room was quiet for a moment.
Shen Li finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Young Marshal, once this news gets back to Guangzhou, those people in the Chang'an clique will probably bleed from the words 'obey orders but not orders.'"
Chen Zijun closed the four account books on the table again and chuckled softly.
"Let them chew it. People with bad teeth will always break a couple of teeth when gnawing on hard bones."
"Moreover, if he wants to bite me, he'll have to see if he can win against that group of people in Wuhan first."
Guangzhou, Chang's confidential office. Smoke swirls under the lamplight.
The secretary finished reading the telegram from Fuzhou, his face alternating between pale and flushed. None of the confidential staff in the room dared to utter a sound. After a long while, he finally slammed the telegram onto the table.
"What a Chen Zijun!"
"That sounds nice. Jointly facing external threats, no requisitioning from each other, nominal coordination. Tsk, every word sounds like a reasonable argument."
A person nearby asked in a low voice, "Is there any opening over there?"
The secretary sneered.
"Why should we loosen our grip? They've already bolted the door shut. They won't pay taxes, they won't hand over military power, they won't hand over coastal defense and military industry. All that's left is nominal coordination, just a sign to show off!"
At this point, he suddenly picked up a pen and quickly wrote six characters on the paper.
Obey orders, but not proclamations.
After writing it down, he stared at the six characters for a few moments, and a sinister smile slowly crept onto his face.
"it is good."
"Since he refuses to acknowledge independence, then we'll do it for him. Send these six words up. Add one more sentence: 'The southeast is ostensibly for coordination, but in reality, it's for dividing up territory. It's ostensibly for passage, but in reality, it's for bargaining. If this person isn't dealt with early, he'll surely become a major problem in the future.'"
The clerk cautiously asked, "Should we add another entry, saying he's using coastal defense as a pretext to maintain a private army?"
"add."
The secretary squinted.
"To add another point, it says that he uses banks to collect taxes, newspapers to establish his reputation, regulations to control the military, and coastal defense to strengthen his position. Today he refuses to pay taxes, but tomorrow he dares to challenge the legitimacy of the dynasty."
As he spoke, he found himself speaking fluently, like an opera singer finally finding the right rhythm.
"Send it."
"This time, don't just send it to Guangzhou. Send a copy to Nanjing, Hankou, several major newspapers, and chambers of commerce related to shipping insurance as well. I want to see if Chen Zijun's account can withstand the scrutiny of the world."
A light night fog floats on the sea off Xiamen.
Outside the minefield warning line, a medium-sized cargo ship flying the Nanyang flag was slowly inching northward. Its lights were on high alert, as if it wanted to be seen. But anyone with expertise could tell at a glance that this method of illumination was too deliberate.
The cruiser Zhen Dong did not approach, but maintained its distance in the outermost layer of dark sea. The two gunboats, one on each side, pressed against the flanks of the warning line.
Shinichi Terauchi put down his binoculars, and his lips twitched.
"Chen's army is now watching merchant shipping routes more closely than gun emplacements."
Lieutenant Colonel Kobayashi whispered, "Sir, we've already tried the minehunter route. Using warships to close in would be too costly."
"I personally think that reskinning would be more effective."
Terauchi Shinichi tilted his head to look at him: "What do you mean?"
"If a warship crosses the line, that's the warship's problem. If a merchant ship accidentally enters, it's because the waterway is unclear, the buoys are unidentified, or the warning line is too wide. It's something that compradors, insurance companies, and agents will all argue about."
Lieutenant Colonel Kobayashi gazed at the Nanyang-flagged cargo ship, his voice low.
"If it moves any further forward, Chen Jiajun will be caught in a dilemma: whether to stop it or not. If they stop it, people outside will say that the Chinese are using coastal defense as a pretext to restrict navigation. If they let it go, we can follow its course and find out how the buoys, minefields, gunboats, and even newspapers and insurance companies will react."
Shinichi Terauchi nodded slowly.
Ultimately, it all comes down to whether their rules can withstand a change of appearance.
As they were talking, a white light suddenly appeared on the sea. Then, a second, and a third. The three lights lined up in a row, precisely positioned in front of the Nanyang-flagged cargo ship in the black water. It was as if someone had drawn a threshold in the sea.
The next moment, the sound of loudspeakers from the gunboat came from afar.
"Attention, merchant ships ahead!"
"Your vessel has approached the temporary warning waters off the coast of Fujian. Please immediately reduce speed and turn southwest according to the coded guidance lines!"
"Take another step forward, and it will be treated as a dangerous approach!"
There was a moment of chaos on the cargo ship's deck. People were running. People were waving lights. But the bow didn't turn immediately. Instead, it slid forward another half of its hull.
Shinichi's gaze sharpened.
"It's testing."
Lieutenant Colonel Kobayashi also kept his eyes fixed on the sea: "They're testing whether they dare to nail the merchant ships shut as well."
Fuzhou, temporary coastal defense command center. The telegraph machine suddenly went off.
Da da da!
The duty officer rushed to the front of the plane, copied the telegram, and his expression immediately changed.
"Young Marshal!"
Shen Li took the telegram and frowned after just a couple of glances.
"Xiamen Outer Sea News. The minehunter has just been decommissioned and replaced by a cargo ship flying the Nanyang flag. It's currently skimming along the minefield warning line, and its speed and turning are both incorrect."
Chen Zijun took the telegram, glanced at it, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.
"it is good."
"Finally, I've learned how to change the skin."
Shen Li said in a low voice, "Young Marshal, this time it's not the Rising Sun Flag."
Chen Zijun raised his head, his eyes gleaming coldly.
"They're all just putting on a show."
"It's just changing the flag!"
"It's still the same foot."
"Does he really think only Japan is studying Sun Tzu's Art of War?"
"If we're really talking about military strategy, then Japan is the grandson of our great Chinese nation!"