Young Marshal: Many children bring more blessings, marry a wife who is as powerful as the world - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Taking Over the Old General’s Guard Cavalry Regiment

“Hey! He refuses to send the telegram! This old fool has no idea about my efforts to revitalize the Zhang family!”

Zhang Xueming was about to lose his mind after almost being driven mad by Zhang Zuolin. Without wasting any time, he rushed out of the General’s mansion, grabbing Yu Fengzhi and heading straight for the northern military camp of the city. There were too many obstacles within Fengtian City!

He didn’t want to stay a minute longer.

“Xueming, what are we doing?”

“We’re leaving! We’re heading to Songjiang Prefecture!”

Songjiang Prefecture?

Didn’t we agree to go back to your family’s home?

Yu Fengzhi was confused. She had just entered the Zhang family home, locked in the wedding chamber amidst constant battles and confusion, day and night blending together!

Now, she was pregnant, and didn’t even know which direction the General’s mansion was facing. And now they were leaving?

Damn, so she was married into the General’s mansion just to stay in the wedding chamber all alone. But things quickly became even more confusing for her.

As soon as they arrived at the northern military camp, Yu Fengzhi saw the camp in full swing, soldiers bustling around, and horses neighing. The entire camp was busy preparing to leave.

As she was about to ask her husband what was going on, a strong man riding a reddish-brown horse galloped up to her, leapt off his horse, and gave her a formal military salute.

“Report, young General. I am Ma Maoxun, the commander of the First Division of the Guard Cavalry Regiment of the Fengtian Army!”

“The entire regiment of 1,103 officers and soldiers is assembled and ready for orders!”

“Please give your instructions!”

Ma Maoxun looked to be in his forties, with a slightly bow-legged stance from years of horse riding. His square face was lined with deep wrinkles, and his hands were calloused, indicating he was a battle-hardened veteran.

It was clear that the cavalry regiment had already received the Old General’s orders in advance to “monitor” his return to his father-in-law’s house for a visit. This cavalry regiment was Zhang Zuo Lin’s elite force.

They were well-funded, with high morale. Not only did every soldier have a horse, but there were also four Maxim machine guns and two mountain cannons. The regiment was heavily armed.

Especially Ma Maoxun, who wore an equipment belt and had two Belgian-made Browning M1900 pistols, 7.65mm caliber, hanging at his sides. This pistol, which featured a handgun logo on the grip, was commonly known as the “gun-logo pistol” in China.

However, Zhang Xueming noticed that although every soldier had a firearm, the weapons were a hodgepodge of different models. Some carried the domestically made Hanyang rifles, while others had Japanese-made Type 38 rifles!

There were even Romanian-made Manlicher MD.1892 rifles. These were rifles from 1892, nearly 30 years old. It was hard to know where his father had managed to acquire these. Indeed, it was a collection of international arms!

This wasn’t surprising, though. Due to the international arms embargo, weapons in China during the Republic era were primarily smuggled. At least everyone had a gun.

Other warlords in inland areas were much worse off—sometimes three or five men would share a single gun, and those guns were often old and ineffective.

“This is not acceptable!”

Zhang Xueming’s excitement quickly cooled by a third. The country’s military industry was in decline. The steel production capacity, which best reflected heavy industry, showed the disparity: the United States had 43.46 million tons, the British Empire 9.13 million tons, and even Japan had 600,000 tons!

But what was the total steel output in China in 1916?

Just 45,000 tons!

It was nowhere near enough to meet even a fraction of the demand!

When brave warriors faced foreign invaders, they were truly fighting with flesh and blood against steel. Against such odds, they stood like mortals facing gods!

Zhang Xueming’s resolve to establish his own family business grew stronger.

He waved his hand.

“Everyone, let’s go to the armory!”

As Zhang Xueming gave the order, Ma Maoxun was momentarily stunned, then immediately gestured to the officers around him. One of the officers rushed to make a call.

Afterward, the officer whispered something in Ma Maoxun’s ear. Ma Maoxun nodded, then instructed the troops to move out. Zhang Xueming watched all of this intently. He knew that Ma Maoxun had likely gone to consult with Zhang Zuo Lin. But he said nothing.

After all, everything would be dealt with once they left the city. He had his own plans.