Did he trick the young marshal into becoming sworn brothers and then go south to Huangpu Military Ac

"And what about the French?"

Chang couldn't help but interject with a question.

"French?"

Lin Qi sneered, "The French's core interests lie solely in the concessions. Everyone knows better than I what kind of people Zhang Zongchang's soldiers are, or what kind of quality the White Russian mercenaries are! They burn, kill, loot, and have no discipline whatsoever. The French fear this unruly army will disrupt the order and property of the concessions. Sun Chuanfang, on the other hand, is different. He comes from the Zhili clique and has long promised the foreign powers to abide by all treaties and protect foreign merchants' property!"

Lin Qi turned around and unleashed the most crucial and deadly move in this grand scheme:

"You think Sun Chuanfang is now at his wit's end? Let me tell you! Because that traitor Feng Huanzhang has returned to Chahar, the Fengtian Army has been freed from its constraints in the north, and its strength has expanded unprecedentedly! The stronger the Fengtian Army becomes, the more the British and French powers fear the growing power of Japan!"

A light that seemed to pierce through the fog of history flashed in Lin Qi's eyes. He knew that due to the butterfly effect, the intervention of the British and French powers in this time and space would be far greater than ever before.

"Britain and France will certainly not remain neutral as before! In order to counterbalance Japan and protect their interests in the Yangtze River basin, Britain and France have probably already knocked on Sun Chuanfang's door!"

"They will provide Sun Chuanfang with massive interest-free loans! They will send warships to secretly transport the most advanced weaponry and artillery from the sea! They will exert diplomatic pressure on Zhang Zuolin, and even tacitly allow Sun Chuanfang's army to use the concession's transportation lines for troop deployment!"

Lin Qi slammed his hands heavily on the table, making a final decision:

"With the backing of British and French money and arms, Sun Chuanfang is no longer powerless to fight, but a wolf armed to the teeth! Those tens of thousands of isolated Fengtian troops, deep in the waterways of Jiangnan, are bound to be defeated by the continuous stream of allied forces from five provinces!"

Dead silence.

The entire meeting room fell into a deathly silence for two minutes.

Wang and Hu stared wide-eyed, their mocking expressions completely frozen, replaced by extreme shock and embarrassment.

Their proud analysis pales in comparison to Lin Qi's macro-geopolitical analysis, which strips away the superficial layers and exposes the true nature of the great powers. It's like a three-year-old playing house.

Chang let out a long breath and looked at Lin Qi, her fear deepening, but at the same time, she was completely relieved.

"Taku, I admire your judgment."

Chang stood up and surveyed the room: "Since Britain and France are going to step in and support Sun Chuanfang, and the Fengtian Army can't defeat the Yangtze River, then we shouldn't risk our lives for Sun Chuanfang!"

"I propose that we immediately reject Sun Chuanfang's secret letter seeking an alliance. We should continue with Tuozhi's plan to expand our military and prepare for war!"

No one raised any objection.

Faced with the logic of artillery range and capital interests, the top brass at headquarters reached a consensus.

……

In Fuzhou, the continuous spring rain has shrouded the entire city in a somber and cold atmosphere.

The atmosphere at the Southeast Allied Army Commander-in-Chief's residence was so bleak that it felt like the end of the world had arrived.

Sun Chuanfang's once slicked-back hair was now a mess.

Like a trapped beast cornered in a desperate situation, he paced anxiously back and forth in the study.

"It's over...it's all over..."

Sun Chuanfang muttered to himself, his voice filled with undisguised despair.

Just now, the communications adjutant delivered three telegrams that were enough to plunge him into the abyss.

The first letter was a report of defeat from the front lines.

Zhang Zongchang's armored train has broken through the Changzhou defense line. The group of White Russian mercenaries, who are as fierce as wolves and tigers, are completely unreasonable. They are burning, killing, and looting all the way, and their speed of advance is simply terrifying.

The second letter was a personal reply from Feng Huanzhang.

Feng Huanzhang played his card openly, saying that he was not in China, but in the Soviet Union.

Currently, the Northwest Army is leaderless and cannot be of any help for the time being.

The Northwest Army was completely holed up in Chahar and could no longer be counted on!

What made him feel most hopeless was the third telegram from the Guangzhou headquarters.

The headquarters used high-sounding diplomatic language to reject his request to divide Shanghai in exchange for an alliance and military intervention without hesitation!

"xxx is gone, those short-sighted idiots from the South!"

Sun Chuanfang grabbed a teacup from the table and smashed it on the ground, sending shards of porcelain flying.

"Do they think Zhang Zuolin will let them go after he devours me?! Don't they understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'?"

Without the Northwest Army to hold them back, and without support from headquarters, they were left without any support.

With just himself and Wu Peifu, what could they possibly use to stop Zhang Zongchang's iron torrent?

"General, if it really doesn't work out... let's retreat."

A trusted advisor stood aside, his voice trembling as he suggested, "Retreat to Jiangxi, or... or send a telegram to Commander Zhang, apologize, relinquish military power, and live a life of seclusion in Tianjin. At least that way you can save your life."

Sun Chuanfang's legs went weak, and he collapsed into the armchair, covering his face in anguish with his hands.

It wasn't that he was cowardly, but rather that Lin Qi's appearance had brought about a dramatic change in the national situation, completely different from Sun Chuanfang's situation in another timeline.

surrender?

He, the commander-in-chief of the allied forces of the five southeastern provinces and the last remaining figurehead of the Zhili clique, actually bowed down and admitted defeat to a bandit leader from beyond the Great Wall.

This is more humiliating than killing him!

But if he didn't surrender, would he really have to wait for the Fengtian Army to break through the city and end up with his head separated from his body?

Just as Sun Chuanfang's mental defenses were about to collapse and he was preparing to order a desperate last stand,

"Reporting, Commander!"

The adjutant rushed into the study.

"General! Two foreigners have arrived! They say they are the British and French consuls, and they came in through the back door! They say they have extremely urgent business and must see you immediately!"

"Foreigners? What are they doing here at this time?!"

Sun Chuanfang instinctively became irritated, but then paused in surprise.

Came in secret? Went through the back door?

Sun Chuanfang's breathing became rapid. He stood up, his eyes flashing with the frenzy of a drowning man grasping at a straw.

"Quickly! Invite them into the study! No one is to come near!"

Ten minutes later, the British Consul Bardon and the French Consul Méliès, both wearing black trench coats, refused the tea served by the waiters.

Suppressing his excitement, Sun Chuanfang cut to the chase: "What brings you two consuls on this secret visit?"

British Consul Barton didn't waste any words. He looked at Sun Chuanfang and, in heavily accented London Mandarin, cut straight to the chase, revealing his trump card:

"General Sun, the British Empire and the French Republic are outraged and disturbed by Zhang Zongchang's barbaric acts in Shanghai and the surrounding areas. Their utter lack of military discipline has seriously threatened the security of the International Settlement and the French Concession, and has further undermined the sacred order of free trade in the Yangtze River basin!"

Sun Chuanfang's heart skipped a beat. He was all too familiar with the subtext behind diplomatic language!

French Consul Méliès then stepped forward, his tone revealing condescension, arrogance, and condescension:

"We have heard that General Sun's current situation is somewhat unfavorable. However, we believe that as a civilized soldier who abides by international treaties and knows how to protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign businesses, you have the ability to restore order to Shanghai."

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