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Volume 2 Beijing Story Chapter 152 The Unarmed Presidential Guard Division

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    Update time: 2012-08-10

    Everything that happened in the two months of April and May 1917 was dazzling. As far as Wang Geng was concerned, because of the improvement of China's conditions for participating in the war and the smooth conclusion of these conditions with the great powers, the reputation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Duan's cabinet was as high as the sky.  , Li Yuanhong even resigned and resigned directly because of China's first student movement. Of course, Zhang Xun's braided soldiers had no place to use, let alone the so-called restoration that had no chance at all.

    As far as the South is concerned, because it was President Li Yuanhong who was dismissed instead of the disbanded Congress in his previous life, the "law-protection movement" that split the north and the south in history had no chance of appearing at all.  With Vice President Feng Guozhang going north to take office as Acting President, and the continuous arrival of U.S. aid to Japan, the continuous growth and arming of the participating armies, and the smooth introduction of the new banknote Zhongyuan, the great powers have made peace with China.  Support, for a time the Chinese government and the public were in an unprecedented stage of unity and prosperity.

    Not only does Beiyang seem to be in harmony, but the local warlords and Kuomintang governors in the south have also responded positively to the easing of the situation. Foreign war is indeed the only magic weapon to divert domestic conflicts and the attention of the government and the opposition.

    The generous treatment and brand-new equipment of the participating troops made these warlords in Beiyang salivate at first. Feng Guozhang, the acting president, was even more jealous. After the first batch of US aid arms arrived in Nanyuan, especially after Wang Geng asked the troops to drive 700 vehicles  After the brand-new military vehicles made a grand appearance around the four cities of Beijing.

    Acting President Feng finally couldn't sit still and invited Wang Shizhen, Chief of Staff and Commander of the Gyeonggi Garrison, and Duan Qirui, Prime Minister and Chief of the Army, into his presidential palace. They called them the Three Heroes of Beiyang and joined hands again to put aside their past grudges and regain their former glory.  There is hope for the reunification of China and the hope for national rejuvenation.

    Wang Shizhen was noncommittal and just kept saying haha. Since Yuan Shikai's death, this guy has gradually faded out of the center of power. The so-called Gyeonggi Garrison Headquarters only has a brigade with less than 5,000 troops and only a few cannons.  In front of the big boss, this guy kept his guard up, didn't express any opinions at all, and was just obedient.

    Although Feng Guozhang brought two divisions, the 15th Army Division and the 16th Army Division, with more than 20,000 troops to take office in Beijing, the real combat power was the 16th Army Division adapted from the Imperial Guards. Wang Tingzhen's division only had 15,000 troops.  Six men and horses, the standard square formation of the Beiyang Two Brigades and four regiments.

    As for the 15th Division, it had just been expanded from the 5th Mixed Brigade before going north. The division commander was Liu Xun. The 15th Division only had nearly 10,000 troops at full strength. The personnel were not uniform, and they did not even have full rifles and equipment. Feng Guozhang originally assigned the 5th Division to  The firearms of the mixed brigade were all left to Li Chun in Nanjing. He originally thought that the 15th Division would go north empty-handed. As the acting president, he could get a division's equipment from the warehouse of the War Department. Unexpectedly, the Deputy Secretary of the Army  Xu Shuzheng didn't buy it at all.

    Xu Shuzheng's reason is also very simple. Since China has officially participated in the war, Wang Geng's model army participating in the war is naturally the priority equipment and priority target of the Ministry of War. Now the 50,000 new recruits participating in the war have not even burned fire sticks and waved the cross on both sides of the Yongding River.  If you are digging river mud with pickaxes and shovels, how can the Ministry of War get the extra guns and ammunition to equip your new 15th Division!

    Feng Guozhang was so angry that Xu Shuzheng threw a plate at the Presidential Palace and cursed, but there was nothing he could do. When the first batch of US military aid arrived in Hong Kong, he couldn't hold it in anymore. He obviously invited Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui to talk about old times.  In fact, he wanted Duan Qirui to relent, take a share of the newly arrived American equipment, and arm the 15th Division, which was crowded together with the garrison headquarters troops in the Xishan Barracks!

    As for the more capable Sixteenth Division, because of the strength of Nanyuan's participating troops, and because Feng Guozhang didn't want to let his direct troops suffer by going head-to-head, he simply transferred them to Tongzhou to garrison.

    "Brother Huafu, I understand what you mean, but we have an agreement with the great powers of Britain, France, the United States and Japan. Whether it is loans or aid from the United States and Japan, especially arms and equipment, the Yankees' own 600,000 new soldiers are still here with bare hands.  The recruit camp was struggling. Wang Geng found a way to get these 50,000 rifles from the United States. It took the boss's energy and face. We promised the Americans to use the funds exclusively. The US aid arms can only be used to arm the participating troops. I want to give them to you.  I'm afraid it won't work if you fire a Springfield rifle!"

    Duan Qirui took a sip of tea calmly, and explained slowly and methodically but earnestly why not even one brigade of firearms equipment could be allocated to the President's 15th Garrison Division from the US aid munitions of the participating armies. Of course,  The Prime Minister, who looked down on Feng Guozhang from the bottom of his heart, would never say the words "President" even to death.

    "Zhiquan Zhiquan, you see what you are saying, aren't there just tens of thousands of guns? Okay, we don't need the Springfield style. How about you ask Wang Geng to mix the original 16th into the German Mauser in the hands of the brigade?"  Just give it to me! It's unreasonable for me, the great president, to have my guardsmen fight with their bare hands!" Feng Guozhang said with a grin.

    "Hua Fu, let me tell you that you want two divisions to serve as the presidential guard."It has always been a joke. They say that with China's participation in the war, whether it is Beiyang or the north and the south, they are united and united to handle the matter of participating in the war. Have you ever heard of any president who needs two people?  A division as a guard?  President Yuan Da only has a Guards Brigade, and I, the Prime Minister and Army Chief, have less than 3,000 Guards Brigades. Why do you need more than 20,000 Guards?  "Old Duan said with a frown, which pot he didn't open.

    "Hehe Father and son go into battle, brothers fight tigers. It is true that these two divisions have been with me for a long time and have never left me. If I leave them in Nanjing and I go north alone, I am afraid that the morale of the army will be unstable.  It turned into a mutiny, so even though I knew there were rumors, I reluctantly brought them here!"

    Feng Guozhang blushed. This guy was two years older than Wang Shizhen and six years older than Duan Qirui, but he was the least courageous, worst-mannered and greediest of the three heroes of Beiyang.

    When Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui entered the Presidential Palace together just now, they actually saw the Secretary-General of the Presidential Palace directing a group of people to use nets to fish for the big fish that had been raised in Zhongnanhai for generations. When they asked, they said that President Feng had an order to bring Zhongnanhai to Zhongnanhai.  They caught all the fish in one catch, totaling hundreds of thousands of kilograms. When they were sold to support the president's family, Duan Qirui and Wang Shizhen looked at each other in shock. They couldn't believe their ears, and their impression of Feng Guozhang, who was so greedy for money and amassed money, became even worse.

    "The designation of the 16th mixed brigade has been cancelled. The country does not maintain so many idle soldiers. The firearms you mentioned are now the equipment of the first brigade of the first division of the participating army. This brigade is fully equipped with German equipment. Wang Geng said that it will participate in the military exercises in the future.  At that time, the Blue Army was manned by German weapons and equipment brigades, so since these guns and equipment cannot be replaced, it is impossible to replace them for you!" Duan Qirui said coldly.

    "Zhiquan! This is for official business. If the Fifteenth Division's military morale is unstable and leads to a mutiny, no one will be able to step down!" Feng Guozhang threw the tea cup in his hand, obviously very angry!

    "Leading to a mutiny? How is it possible? Lao Feng, aren't the soldiers you brought from Nanjing a soldier of your own? How about rebelling without firing a gun? All soldiers participating in the war will sing and abide by the three major disciplines and nine points of attention. Do you want to  I asked Wang Geng to send a military police battalion to Xishan to help you improve military discipline? First teach them to sing this song!" The Prime Minister was not moved at all, and his high-sounding words could kill flies.

    "Okay, okay, President and Prime Minister, the three of us are here today to reminisce about the past, not to argue. According to me, there is a good way to solve the problem of the 15th Division's bare hands! I wonder if you two are willing to listen?  "

    Wang Shizhen, the leader of the Three Beiyang Heroes, who had been holding his goatee while watching the show and said nothing, finally spoke up.

    Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang looked at each other after hearing this. The Prime Minister had a sullen face and said nothing, but Feng Guozhang couldn't help but said, "Oh! Guanru, your idea must be good, Feng is willing to hear the details!"

    "It's very simple. The Prime Minister is right. The President doesn't need two divisions of guards. One Sixteenth Division is enough. With these 10,000 men and no guns, how about the Fifteenth Division being directly assigned to the participating army?" Wang Shizhen  Shaking his beard and shaking his head, he came up with this idea.
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