Chapter 104: Central Plains War (Complete)

In September 1930, Shenyang, the autumn air grew thicker. Inside the Grand Marshal's Mansion, the council hall's atmosphere was as heavy as the lead‑gray sky outside the window. Zhang Xueliang sat upright on the Grand Tutor chair once occupied by his father Zhang Zuolin, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the rosewood armrest, producing a steady knocking sound. This 29‑year‑old young marshal was now facing the most pivotal decision of his life.

On the left sat the Chairman's Special Envoy Zhang Qun, dressed in a proper Zhongshan suit, his tone gentle yet edged with sharpness: "Brother Hanqing, the Chairman has specifically asked me to convey his sincerity. As long as the Northeast Army enters the passes and supports the Central Government, the territories of Pingjin and Hebei will fall under Northeast jurisdiction. Then you will truly be the Lord of North China."

On the right, the Anti‑Jiang United Army representative, Zhao Pilián, a close confidant of Yan Xisan, immediately replied, his voice loud and urgent: "Young Marshal! Do not trust those words! The Chairman has always been all talk and no trust. If we win, Commander‑in‑Chief Yan and Deputy Commander‑in‑Chief Feng are willing to nominate you as Deputy Commander‑in‑Chief of the land, sea and air forces, to command the nation's military affairs!"

Zhang Xueliang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two interlocutors. He recalled his father's oft‑repeated words: "The Northeast is our foundation, but the interior passes are the stage for realizing ambitions." At this moment, the decision concerned not only his own future but also the fate of three hundred thousand Northeast troops and the overall political trajectory of Huaxia.

That night, the study in the east wing of the Grand Marshal's Mansion was brightly lit. Zhang Xueliang summoned trusted commanders such as Yu Xuezhong and Wang Shuchang for a secret conference.

"Gentlemen," Zhang Xueliang surveyed the commanders present, "you have all heard the terms each side offered today. Share your opinions."

Yu Xuezong spoke first: "Young Marshal, although the Chairman's terms are not as generous as those of the Anti‑Jiang United Army, the Central Army is powerful, and we have heard that Li Yuxuan has returned to the battlefield, backed by the Jiangzhe financiers. In contrast, the Yan and Feng coalition, though they claim six hundred thousand troops, each harbors divergent ambitions."

Wang Shuchang added: "The most crucial point is that if we side with the Anti‑Jiang United Army and the war turns unfavourable, the main body of the Northeast Army entering the passes will invite the Japanese to stab us in the back. With our home base unstable, how can we aspire to rule the world?"

The words struck a chord with Zhang Xueliang. He rose, walked to the massive map on the wall, and lightly traced Shan Hai Pass with his finger: "Father fell at this very juncture years ago. We must not repeat the same mistake."

On the morning of September 18, Zhang Xueliang finally made his decision. In the Grand Marshal's Mansion's secret office, he broadcast a nationwide telegram, ordering the troops to enter the passes, and declared: "Since childhood I have upheld the court's teachings and deeply understand the importance of national unity. Now, seeing the flames of war spreading and the people suffering, how can my heart bear it? I hereby lead the entire Northeast army to support the Central Government and bring about unification…"

Appeal to all sides to lay down arms today to ease the people's suffering. To resolve the national affairs, there is a legitimate way; how to remedy the present, the plan is everlasting, therefore the grand scheme is fixed…

As the broadcast went out, one hundred thousand Northeast troops had already begun moving into the interior. Elite infantry, cavalry and artillery units advanced along the Beining Railway toward Shan Hai Pass. The first to arrive were Yu Xuezhong's units, well‑equipped and high‑spirited.

When the vanguard's iron hooves crossed the city gate of Shan Hai Pass, an old soldier couldn't help but glance back toward the outside, whispering to his comrade: "Once we go, who knows when we'll return."

When the news reached the Anti‑Jiang United Army headquarters in Zhengzhou, Yan Xisan was discussing battle plans with Feng Yuxiang. The secretariat's clerk, clutching a telegram, rushed in in a panic, forgetting even to knock on the door.

"It's over!" Yan Xisan, after reading the telegram, collapsed despondently onto the Grand Tutor chair, his face ashen, "The Northeast Army has entered the passes; we are now beset on all sides!"

Feng Yuxiang snatched the telegram, glanced at it, then erupted in fury, hurling the document onto the floor: "That little rascal, ungrateful! When his father was alive, how I treated the Zhang family!"

The headquarters erupted into chaos. Staff officers stared at each other, each understanding what it meant: the Northeast Army's entry not only meant the Allied Forces would lose the crucial rear area of Pingjin, but also that they were being squeezed into a deadly north‑south pincer.

Yu Xuezhong's vanguard of the Northeast Army moved with lightning speed. On September 22, they stood before Yanjing City. To the surprise of the defending Jin Army, the Northeast forces did not launch an immediate attack.

Yu Xuezhong sent a messenger to the Jin commander inside the city: "We are both soldiers of Huaxia; why must we slaughter each other? If you are willing to open the city, we guarantee the safe withdrawal of all your troops."

By then the Jin Army's morale was already shattered. Upon learning of the Northeast Army's entry, they realized the tide had turned. After brief negotiations, the Jin forces agreed to withdraw from Yanjing.

The next morning, the Northeast Army marched in formation into the city. Soldiers stepped in perfect cadence through Zhengyang Gate, their appearance immaculate, not a single misstep. Yanjing's citizens were astonished to find that the ancient capital's regime change occurred without a single gunshot.

Standing atop Yanjing's walls, Yu Xuezhong gazed toward the northeast, a hint of unease rising within him. He knew that the young marshal's decision would inevitably alter the course of Huaxia's history.

In October, in Jinnan, autumn had deepened.

At the Xinkou Position, the remnants of the Jin Army made their final stand. Soldiers wore tattered clothes, their faces gaunt, yet their eyes still shone with defiance.

"Brothers, this is Shanxi's last line of defense!" a Jin regiment commander shouted while inspecting the trench, "If we must die, we'll die at our own doorstep!"

The Central Army launched a general assault under the cover of aircraft and artillery, and the battlefield was instantly engulfed in flames.

A fresh recruit trembled all over with fear; an older soldier patted his shoulder: "Kid, remember this day. We Shanxi folk would rather die standing than live on our knees!"

On October 4, the defeated Yan Xisan and Feng Yuxiang announced their resignation. Yan fled to Dalian by private jet, while Feng retreated into seclusion on Mount Tai.

The Central Plains War ended with a total victory for the Jinling Government. The conflict lasted seven months, with casualties exceeding three hundred thousand, and the flames of war spread across more than ten provinces.

Inside the Jinling Presidential Office, the Chairman held a banquet to celebrate. Amid the clinking cups, he deliberately raised a glass to Li Yuxuan: "Jingxing, your contributions in this war are unparalleled. Without your front‑line supervision, the outcome would still have been uncertain."

Li Yuxuan lifted his cup, his gaze turning northward. He recalled the young lives on the battlefield and the blood that had been shed.

"Young Master, the arms factory still needs expansion. In the next war, we must have better equipment."

Meanwhile, in Gannan, the autumn wind was bleak. After the Central Plains War concluded, the Chairman immediately mobilized a hundred thousand troops, appointing Lu Diping, Chairman of Jiangxi Province, as commander‑in‑chief to launch the first large‑scale 'encirclement' against the Central Suqu.

At the Jinling (Nanchang) camp, the Chairman pointed at the map and told his subordinates: "The Red Army is nothing but a ragtag mob; this time we must annihilate them in one stroke."

At that moment, in Luofang Town, Xinyu, Jiangxi, a conference determining the Red Army's fate was underway. Li Desheng stood in the modest meeting room, pointing to the mountainous region of Gannan on the map, his tone resolute: "The enemy's momentum is fierce, but we need not panic. The Suqu's troops and civilians are united, and the terrain is familiar—this is our advantage. I propose we open both hands, lure the enemy deep, draw them into our stronghold, and then seize the opportunity to annihilate them."

The kitchen chief nodded in agreement: "The political commissar is right. We are like Zhuge Liang at Red Cliffs; to let the weak defeat the strong we must make good use of timing and terrain."

Smoke curled in the conference room as the Red Army General Officers debated fiercely. In the end, Li Desheng's strategic ideas were adopted, becoming the guiding policy for the first anti‑encirclement campaign.