Young Marshal: Many children bring more blessings, marry a wife who is as powerful as the world - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Father! I’m a peaceful person and don’t like fighting!

Nowadays, it was not only Yu Fengzhi who found it difficult to bear. In the study of the Fengtian Mansion, 45-year-old Zhang Zuolin touched his crew-cut and felt incredibly troubled.

“Damn it, I’m going to be a grandfather!”

“By the way! That old rascal Zhang Xueming is going to Songjiang Prefecture!”

Since he found out his daughter-in-law was pregnant, Zhang Zuolin was both overjoyed and anxious. What made him happy was that the Zhang family in Fengtian would expand, and he was about to become a grandfather.

What made him anxious was that he had lost a bet, and now his son was going to Songjiang Prefecture!

As the Fifth Concubine had said, there were many bandits in Northeast China, but Songjiang Prefecture was the most notorious!

If it were just bandits, Zhang Zuolin wouldn’t worry so much. After all, he himself came from a bandit background, and if you trace it back, he was the biggest bandit in Northeast China!

But the issue was that the capital of Songjiang Prefecture—Harbin—was the intersection of the Chinese Eastern Railway (constructed by the Russian Empire) and the South Manchuria Railway (built by the Japanese).

In that place, the Russian and Japanese powers were interwoven. Since 1905, after the Russo-Japanese War, Russian influence in Northeast China had greatly diminished, and the Japanese had been steadily expanding their control over the region, bringing in large numbers of immigrants and preparing to settle in the area. But Russia, after all, was an old empire.

The Japanese, despite their ambitions, dared not push them too hard. Thus, Harbin became a strange sight. People from many countries gathered there, and it housed large populations of Russian and Japanese immigrants!

There were also Germans, French, Jews, and Koreans who had fled their homeland. At one point, over 40 nationalities were represented in Harbin. It was like a “mini Shanghai” in the Northeast!

When people from various backgrounds mixed, the situation became chaotic. All these foreign powers had to increase their military presence to “protect their citizens.”

Among them, the Russian military stationed a Northern Plains division to protect the Chinese Eastern Railway, and the Japanese were even more ruthless, deploying a combined brigade with a cavalry regiment, totaling 15,000 troops.

They controlled the entire route from Harbin to Dalian. In fact, even the administration of Harbin was handled through negotiations between the Russians and Japanese!

As the King of Northeast China, Zhang Zuolin had only nominal authority. In reality, he had no control over the situation. Furthermore, the self-declared emperor Yuan Shikai was terrified of foreign powers. He had just assumed office as the governor of the Nine Provinces in Northeast China, and several of his “brothers-in-arms” were envious of his position.

It was one thing to offend local bandits, but if he offended foreigners and had one of his subordinates report him to the cabinet, accusing him of “instigating border troubles,” it could mean his downfall. Then, even if he had great abilities, he would likely have to resign!

…

“Xueming, can you not go to Songjiang Prefecture? I heard that Fuxing Zhendan University is opening in the Magic City. If you really don’t want to join the army, how about I send you to university instead?”

“If that’s not good enough, I can send you to the Japanese Army Academy! I heard Japanese women are quite entertaining!”

The night he learned that Yu Fengzhi was pregnant, Zhang Zuolin called his son Zhang Xueming into the study. For once, he spoke gently. He was genuinely worried that his young and impulsive son might end up in trouble with the foreigners.

But Zhang Xueming had already seen through it all. His father, this cheap old man, had already backed down!

Although Zhang Zuolin was known for his “ruthless” character, he had experienced the 1905 Russo-Japanese War.

When he saw in the newspaper that the Japanese Navy had defeated the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Battle of Tsushima and signed the Treaty of Portsmouth, Zhang Zuolin wasn’t the only one shocked. At the time, the whole of the Great Summer was shaken!

This was the first time in modern history that a yellow race had defeated a white race and forced them to sign an “unequal treaty.” This victory had a profound impact on many people in the country. Many aspiring young men saw hope in this and went to Japan to learn the methods to save their nation!

Among them was Sun Yat-sen, one of the founders of the Kuomintang, as well as Huang Xing, the co-founder of the Kuomintang, the female hero Qiu Jin, and others. Even Zhang Liuzi, who later became the “Young Marshal,” had studied in Japan.

Later on, Zhang Liuzi was criticized for his “non-resistance policy” and for abandoning the land when the Japanese invaded in 1931. Zhang Xueming looked down on Zhang Liuzi for this reason. His father let the Japanese kill him, and yet he didn’t fire a single shot in return!

In 1931, on September 18, the Japanese entered Shenyang. A soldier who didn’t fire a shot and fled—this wasn’t just disgraceful, it was a betrayal to the nation. Now, with the most powerful family system, Zhang Xueming was determined to expel the invaders and restore the Great Summer!

No matter whether it was the Japanese or the Russians, he planned to push them all into the sea. The land of the Great Summer would always flow with the blood of the descendants of Yan and Huang!

However, if he were to say this aloud now, Zhang Zuolin would probably immediately tie him up on the spot. In his eyes, the Japanese were invincible, and the best way to deal with them was to make temporary concessions!

Therefore, in order to persuade his father, Zhang Xueming turned his eyes and said, “Father! I’m naturally a peaceful person, I don’t like fighting, and I believe peace brings prosperity!”

…

Don’t worry, I’ll definitely fight the Japanese! Just in a different way—I’ll make sure they’re wiped out!