Black Flag Army

Chapter 191 Inspection of Vladivostok

At six in the morning, Dong Xuechun said to Zhu Zhuyuan: "You should take me back. I have to pack my things and go to the airport."

When night fell last night, Zhu Zhuyuan drove a luxury car to the gate of the Intelligence Officer School to wait for Dong Xuechun who had just got off work. Not long after, Dong Xuechun walked out of the school gate and climbed into the car lightly. Then Zhu Zhuyuan drove back to the dormitory building.

When he walked into the dormitory building with Dong Xuechun in his arms, his colleagues looked at him with envy and jealousy. Zhu Zhuyuan was secretly proud of himself, but at this moment he had to send her off with a sad heart.

Zhu Zhuyuan let go of Dong Xuechun and asked with concern: "Will you take a plane directly to your destination?"

Dong Xuechun shook her head slightly and replied: "No, we need to take a plane to Beijing first, and then take a train to Fengtian as Japanese refugees."

She did not reveal that the final destination was Lushun, because it was a secret, and Zhu Zhuyuan did not ask. After getting in the car, Dong Xuechun noticed his sad expression, and the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a smile and said: "If I can successfully complete the mission this time and come back alive, you can live in a big villa, and there will be a full 50,000 yuan for you to spend at will. Please, don't put on such a sad look, okay, I am still alive and well now!"

Zhu Zhuyuan responded: "If I really have the opportunity to choose, I would rather give up all my money and villas, and just hope to have you as my own."

Dong Xuechun smiled again and said softly, "In your mind, my importance actually surpasses fifty thousand dollars and a luxurious villa? I am very happy to hear you say that, but it's a pity that we have no other choice."

At noon on November 20, 1919, Di Xiong appeared at the Pearl Hotel in Vladivostok, Beiling Province. Although the Pearl Hotel sounds very famous, it can only be regarded as a second-rate mid-range hotel in Vladivostok. The mayor of Vladivostok, Lan Zhongjun, strictly implemented Di Xiong's policy of not showing off his wealth. The welcoming banquet for Di Xiong was very low-key, and the food and wine were also simple. In addition to the two submarine captains Deng Haoxiong and Lin Haojie, the guests at the table also included Liu Tainan, the head of the Second Army Special Forces Regiment who returned from Shanghai. He and dozens of action team members of the Special Forces Regiment stayed in Shanghai for several months. After the submarine transported weapons and ammunition to Yingzhou Island, the airship returned and picked them up by the way. Wang Jiuguang's envoy Yu Yanong also accompanied the boat and appeared among the guests this time. Jiang Hongyu, the governor of Beiling Province, also arrived before the banquet began. Lan Zhongjun quickly adjusted the seats and arranged Jiang Hongyu to sit in the second seat of VIP.

Long time no see Jiang Hongyu! Di Xiong looked at this familiar yet strange man in front of him, and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion. His face was obviously much older than before, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were also much deeper, and the whole person looked exhausted.

Jiang Hongyu is now the chief of staff of the Black Flag Army and the governor of Beiling Province. As you can imagine, this job must have put him under tremendous pressure and responsibility. After all, it is not easy to manage a province, not to mention facing various complex political, economic and social issues? Thinking of this, Di Xiong was full of admiration for him.

Di Xiong smiled at Jiang Hongyu with ease: "Seeing that you can come and drink with me, the stone hanging in my heart has finally fallen. I think the fierce battle with Kolchak has come to an end."

Jiang Hongyu also smiled and responded: "You are the supreme leader of the Justice Party. You have come to Beiling Province to inspect and guide the work. As the host of this place, if I fail to come to greet you, wouldn't it be extremely rude? Besides, the battle over the Iron Gate Pass in the Greater Khingan Range has indeed been settled, and the remaining forces of the White Guards have also collapsed. All of this is due to the death of Kolchak!"

Di Xiong and Jiang Hongyu smiled at each other, as if everything was self-explanatory. They knew that the victory of this war was hard-won, but now they can finally breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a moment of peace. However, they also understand that the road ahead is still full of challenges and tests, and they must always remain vigilant and continue to work hard for the safety of the three northern provinces.

Although the Outer Khingan Range was renamed Beiling after the establishment of Beiling Province, Jiang Hongyu still habitually called it the Outer Khingan Range.

Di Xiong exclaimed, "It's incredible! You fought such a beautiful battle and even succeeded in killing Kolchak."

However, Jiang Hongyu quickly waved his hands and denied it, saying, "We dare not take credit for other people's work! Kolchak was not killed by us, but was betrayed by his subordinates, tied up and handed over to the Bolshevik army. At that time, the Bolshevik commander in Yakutsk asked Moscow for instructions on how to deal with him, and finally received an order for immediate execution from the Bolshevik leader Su Gangtie."

Di Xiong asked, "Isn't Yakutsk Kolchak's lair? Was it taken down by the Bulgarian army in a surprise attack?"

Jiang Hongyu said: "The northern part of Tsarist Russia encountered a once-in-a-century extreme cold, with the temperature dropping to minus 70 degrees Celsius overnight. Most of the tens of thousands of White Russian troops in Yakutsk were frozen to death. After the cold disaster ended, the Bolshevik army easily occupied Yakutsk. Kolchak escaped with only a few trusted guards including Keda. Kolchak wanted to escape to the north of Tiemenguan Pass and mobilize the 50,000 White Russian troops there to retake Yakutsk, but Keda saw that Kolchak was doomed, so he discussed with several other guards and surrendered to the Bolshevik army. Kolchak was also tied up as a token of their surrender."

Di Xiong sighed deeply and said with deep emotion: "I never expected that Kolchak, a once powerful hero, would end up in such a miserable end. His death is really too miserable."

Jiang Hongyu couldn't help but sigh. He continued, "Since the news of Kolchak's death came out, the White Guards, which originally had more than 50,000 people left outside the Iron Gate, completely collapsed overnight. Some of them chose to surrender to the Bolshevik army, but more of them joined our side."

After listening to Jiang Hongyu's words, Di Xiong thought to himself: Although these White Guards have lost their leader, they are still a force that cannot be underestimated. If they can be used properly, they may become a great help to us. So he agreed with Jiang Hongyu's acceptance of the White Guards' surrender and promised to give them fair treatment and proper resettlement.

At the same time, Di Xiong also realized that with the death of Kolchak, the situation in Russia would become more complicated and turbulent. All forces were ready to move, trying to fight for more power and interests. The troops he led must always be vigilant and ready to deal with various challenges and crises that may arise. Only in this way can they survive in this chaotic war and achieve the final victory.

Deng Haoxiong could not help but say: "Kolchak is a banner of the White Army. As long as he is alive, the leaders of the Bolshevik Party will not be able to sleep. If he falls into the hands of the Bolshevik Party, he will definitely not survive. But in this way, the White Army will quickly go to extinction, and the Bolshevik Party army will unify Russia, which is definitely not a good thing for us."

Di Xiong said: "Commander Deng is very perceptive about the current situation and speaks to the point. When the Burundi Party becomes strong, it will definitely compete for the territory of the three northern provinces, especially Beiling Province. Although I don't want to fight the Burundi Party, we have to be prepared for war. Once this battle starts, it will be very long and bloody, because the Burundi Party's propaganda ability is much stronger than ours. There will be batches of Russian people who will join the Burundi Party army and attack us under their instigation. Beiling Province will become a huge meat grinder like the Somme and Verdun in the World War, and our casualties will be unimaginable."

Di Xiong thought of the Second World War. After the German army attacking the Soviet Union wiped out more than seven million Soviet troops, it still failed to capture Moscow. Su Gangtie recruited more Soviet troops and finally defeated the German army after suffering tens of millions of casualties.

Deng Haoxiong now holds two important positions: Commander of the First Fleet of the Navy and Captain of the Beiling Submarine. He said with a serious expression: "Since Su Gangtie dares to use those insidious and cunning tricks and secretly support Shakshahu's rebellion, why can't we adopt the same strategy to support the White Guards?" His eyes were full of determination and resolution, as if he had made up his mind to start a fierce battle with the enemy.

Di Xiong showed a helpless smile on his face and said bitterly: "The current situation does not allow us to support the White Army anymore. In Beiling Province, we have just had a fierce battle with the White Army at Tiemenguan. Both sides paid a huge price, and we have suffered thousands of casualties. If we provide them with money, food and weapons at this time, the soldiers and people of Beiling Province will definitely curse us and think that we have betrayed them. Moreover, the soldiers of the First Army who are fighting fiercely with the White Army in Beiting Province will never let us go easily. I really can't explain to these soldiers who fought bloody battles, not to mention that there is no trace of the White Army around Beiling Province now." His voice revealed a deep sense of powerlessness, as if facing an unsolvable problem.

Jiang Hong saw that everyone at the table was his own people, so he said in a serious tone: "If we don't give the White Guard a certain degree of support, then Beiling Province will inevitably become a cruel and bloody meat grinder. However, there is still a way to solve the problem. First of all, absolute confidentiality is of vital importance, and the outside world must not be informed of this matter, so as not to damage the image of the Justice Party. Secondly, the command of this White Guard must be in the hands of our own people to prevent backlash. The number of White Guards who surrendered to us this time is as high as more than 30,000, plus the prisoners of war captured in the battle to recapture Beiling Province, the total number is almost 100,000. We can organize them into a White Guard Corps of eight divisions and appoint Liu Ruming as the commander of the corps. At the same time, the division commanders and brigade commanders should also be our people. Then, let them go deep into the territory of Tsarist Russia to launch guerrilla warfare."

Di Xiong looked at everyone solemnly and said in a deep voice: "This matter is of vital importance. It is related to our future development and survival. We must handle it with caution. I have decided to hand it over to the Chief of General Staff to take full responsibility for the arrangement."

His eyes fell on Jiang Hongyu, revealing trust and expectation.

Jiang Hongyu felt Di Xiong's gaze, and immediately stood up and said respectfully: "Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief Di! I will do my best to live up to your expectations. I will follow your instructions and keep it strictly confidential. There will be no leakage. At the same time, there will be no publicity in any form to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Di Xiong nodded with satisfaction, expressing his trust in Jiang Hongyu. He knew Jiang Hongyu's ability and loyalty very well, and believed that he could handle this matter properly.

Di Xiong went to the table where Liu Tainan was and toasted him. He said to Liu Tainan, "I heard that you helped Wang Jiuguang fight a few battles in Shanghai and became famous. It was even reported in the newspapers in the north. What's the situation in Shanghai now?"

Liu Tainan said: "The Shanghai gangs only know how to ambush and assassinate. They are no match for us in an open and aboveboard fight. We have fought the Green Gang and the Hongmen several times and beat them badly. Half of Shanghai's territory has become the Anxiang Society. The Sanxin Society suffered the most losses and was so anxious that they even paid a large sum of money to invite a regiment of Qi Xieyuan, the governor of Jiangsu. When we were worried that Shanghai was going to be bad, Lu Yongxiang, the governor of Zhejiang, was even more anxious than us. Originally, Shanghai was his home base. He was worried that it would be occupied by the Jiangsu army, so he sent the Zhejiang army to join forces with the army of He Fenglin, the Shanghai military governor, to drive away that regiment of Jiangsu troops."

Di Xiong asked, "I heard that you negotiated later?"

At this time, Wang Jiuguang's envoy Yu Yanong spoke up: "He Fenglin, the Shanghai military envoy, is Lu Yongxiang's confidant. He was ordered by Lu Yongxiang to be a peacemaker and asked us to have a truce and negotiations with the Qing Gang and the Hongmen. My eldest brother didn't want to keep fighting, so he negotiated with them and gave up part of the territory, but retained the territory that occupied one-third of Shanghai. The Qing Gang and the Hongmen were forced to admit that these territories belonged to the Anhui Association from then on. This is all thanks to the help of Commander-in-Chief Di! Those poor Anhui folks finally have a place to live. My eldest brother asked me to bring a box of jewelry and jade. It's just a small gift. I hope Commander-in-Chief Di will accept it."

Di Xiong said, "I support Wang Jiuguang because he is a hero who fights against the Qing Dynasty and Yuan Shikai, and he is chivalrous and upright, which is very similar to the behavior of our Justice Party. It is not for the jewelry. Please take it back."

Yu Yanong got anxious when he heard this: "If Commander-in-Chief Di doesn't accept it, I won't be able to report to my brother when I go back!"

Jiang Hongyu smiled and said, "Commander-in-Chief, please don't make things difficult for Brother Yu. It's just a box of jewelry, isn't it? It's for the Justice Party, not for you personally. What's wrong with accepting it? Anyway, they will need to buy weapons and ammunition frequently in the future, so just give them more weapons and ammunition."

Yu Yanong said quickly: "Yes, yes, yes! We are really short of that weapon and ammunition, especially the rocket launcher. It is too powerful, but it is consumed too quickly. I hope we can get some more."