Zhu Shiqing was not surprised by this cold reception. A guest had to defer to his host, and Beiping was not Nanjing—here, everyone belonged to the local faction.
Conducting business in Beiping truly required utmost caution.
The jeep sped across the plains of North China. Desolate, darkened villages receded into the distance before Zhu Shiqing's gaze. Running parallel to their route was the Pinghan Railway, renowned as the nation's lifeline. After driving for who knew how long, the vehicle suddenly veered onto a turn, continuing forward along the Fengtai branch line.
The exhaustion of days on the road had worn Zhu Shiqing down. The moderate jolts along the road rocked him like a cradle, coaxing him toward sleep, and his eyes fluttered open and shut again and again.
The army headquarters signalman dispatched by Song Zheyuan remained vigilant in the darkness, his small head turning every so often to scan all directions.
He explained cheerfully to Zhu Shiqing, "Officer Zhu, the army commander has an urgent military conference today and truly couldn't get away. So he had me take you two officers ahead to report to your unit. As soon as the army commander frees himself up, he will definitely come see you both."
Zhu Shiqing murmured a soft "Understood" and stared blankly out at the open plains of North China. The journey to Fengtai was not short; they had to pass through military outposts like Dalicun and Wulidian, and along this road, the 29th Army had already set up checkpoint after checkpoint.
Around ten in the evening, Zhu Shiqing traveled along the highway and reached Zhaojiazhuang, the regimental headquarters stationed in the southern suburbs of the station.
The headquarters of the 219th Regiment was set up in the Zhaojiazhuang township office, while the headquarters of the 37th Division was located within Wanping, the two positions echoing each other from afar.
Because the village roads were narrow and visibility was poor at night, the jeep moved slowly. Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian chatted idly. What was plainly visible was that there were few residents in the village; to some extent, Zhaojiazhuang had practically become a bona fide military fortress.
This was undoubtedly due to the precarious situation in North China. Most civilians had either fled south or sought refuge within Beiping. Villages and towns like Zhaojiazhuang could become the front line in the contest between China and Japan at any moment, leaving the local people living in constant fear and trembling.
In the square before the township office, blazing torches lit up the night as officers from the platoon level and above of the 219th Regiment, led by Feng Zhian and Sun Yi, stood assembled in formation to welcome them.
The jeep pulled slowly up to the entrance of the township office. Looking at the imposing lineup before him, Zhu Shiqing felt his first sense of solace since arriving in North China, and a poetic frontier sentiment welled up within him—tumbleweeds rolling past the Han frontier, returning geese entering northern skies.
Before the vehicle had even come to a full stop, Feng Zhian and Sun Yi stepped forward from either side to greet them. Feng Zhian had already read the telegram detailing Zhu Shiqing's background until he knew it by heart.
"Feng Zhian, commander of the 37th Division, 29th Army of the National Revolutionary Army." Feng Zhian had a burly, imposing frame typical of the north. His broken eyebrows were particularly striking, and between his brows lingered a hint of martial severity, though his tone was quite gentle. "Zhu Shiqing, welcome to the 29th Army."
Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian stepped out of the vehicle and saluted, immediately introducing themselves:
"Zhu Shiqing, cadet of the first class of the Staff Corps, reporting for duty!"
"Fang Wenjian, cadet of the first class of the Staff Corps, reporting for duty!"
"Sun Yi, commander of the 219th Regiment, 37th Division." After returning their salute, Sun Yi ushered the two inside the township office. "My sincere apologies—only one battalion of the regiment is stationed here in Zhaojiazhuang, so we couldn't put on much of a grand show, haha!"
Zhu Shiqing voiced his thanks repeatedly, sensing from Sun Yi's easy manner that the man possessed the forthright character of a northerner, blunt yet laced with a touch of humor.
With Division Commander Feng Zhian personally hosting the welcoming dinner, Zhu Shiqing felt somewhat overwhelmed by the honor. Officers of the 219th Regiment filled the table to capacity.
"Shiqing, at this moment of national peril and turmoil in North China, that you braved hardship and resolutely came north makes you a model for Chinese soldiers," Feng Zhian praised warmly, raising his teacup. "Pressed by the situation in North China, military matters are ever urgent, so today we substitute tea for wine to welcome you."
Raising his cup in return, Zhu Shiqing replied, "Division Commander Feng is far too generous. The situation in North China weighs constantly on the heart of every conscientious Chinese. I have come only hoping to contribute my modest bit."
"Army Commander Song was also greatly heartened by your arrival, and several days ago he instructed me to take good care of you." Feng Zhian was a formidable commander on the battlefield, but his social pleasantries were equally polished. "Army Commander Song's intention is to assign you two provisionally to the 219th Regiment as regimental staff officers."
Listening to this, Fang Wenjian felt a chill in his heart. When it came to throwing punches, he was second to none, but when it came to exchanging toasts and pleasantries around a banquet table, he could hardly match Zhu Shiqing, who had spent three years navigating bureaucratic circles.
If Army Commander Song were truly welcoming, why shut his door and refuse to see them? If there were an urgent military conference, how could a prime division commander be left here to receive them? Who did they think they were fooling?
At this thought, Fang Wenjian could not muster a smile. Throughout the meal he merely ate and drank tea, not uttering a single wasted word. Fortunately, no one found his silence unusual.
"I have only just arrived at the front, and there is still much I need to learn. Army Commander Song has provided me with an excellent opportunity to do so."
"Excellent. The 219th Regiment is the fiercest fighting regiment under my command. Having you serve as a staff officer here is like adding wings to a tiger. I trust you will work together in good faith."
"My sincere thanks, Division Commander Feng." Zhu Shiqing then looked to Sun Yi and added courteously, "I will be relying on your guidance from now on, Regiment Commander Sun."
Sun Yi responded in a hearty, uninhibited manner, "Once you're in Sun Yi's regiment, you're one of our own. No one will treat you like an outsider. We'll join forces and give those little Japanese bastards a thrashing!"
The lively atmosphere in the township office lasted until the third watch of the night. By then, the table was strewn with empty plates and cups, and the officers departed one after another for their camps. Feng Zhian showed great respect to Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian, remaining with them the entire time. His adjutant waited outside the door, a leather greatcoat draped over his arm, standing ready at any moment for Feng Zhian's return to division headquarters.
"Shiqing, I hear you delved deeply into operational art and strategy in Nanjing?" Feng Zhian recalled that Zhu Shiqing had received modern military training and decided to test him.
"I merely scratched the surface," Zhu Shiqing replied modestly.
"I wonder how the General Staff in Nanjing evaluates the situation in North China?" Feng Zhian asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Zhu Shiqing had been feeling drowsy, but the question jolted him alert. It seemed the 29th Army was also paying close attention to Nanjing's stance.
Zhu Shiqing did not actually know how the high command in Nanjing judged North China. Still, drawing on hints gleaned from Ming Quan's spoken and unspoken remarks, as well as the materials on North China that Ming Quan had shown him, he offered his reply:
"How the Nanjing command views it is not something I am privy to, but I have a few humble observations, which I hope Division Commander Feng will critique.
"The situation in North China is intricate and perilous, with our forces and the enemy's locked in an interlocking, jagged posture. From a strategic perspective, Beiping-Tianjin is the gateway to the Central Plains. Should Beiping-Tianjin fall, the Japanese army will be able to drive straight in unimpeded.
"Once the Japanese occupy Beiping-Tianjin, they will hold the strategic initiative entirely. Along the upper corridor, they can drive south along the Pinghan Railway to seize Zhengzhou, Wuhan, and beyond; along the central corridor, they can sweep down the Tianjin-Pukou Railway through Shandong and Jiangsu to link up with coastal Japanese forces; and along the lower corridor, they can push along the Pingsui Railway to advance into Shanxi and Inner Mongolia..."
Feng Zhian nodded repeatedly as he listened, his right hand unconsciously clenching into a fist. What Zhu Shiqing said about the strategic importance of Beiping-Tianjin was spot-on.
"As you say, the Japanese have provoked us repeatedly of late, clearly harboring intentions of a major offensive." Feng Zhian let out a low sigh, resting his right hand back on his thigh. "The 29th Army stands alone defending Beiping-Tianjin, beset by enemies on three sides. You chose the right phrase—interlocking like dog's teeth."
At this juncture, anyone with eyes could see that Beiping-Tianjin was a massive powder keg; all it needed was a single spark to ignite all of North China. Earlier, Zhu Shiqing had marveled at the formidable strength of the 29th Army, unaware of how dramatically the numbers of Japanese and puppet forces in the Beiping-Tianjin region had swelled.
Along the Great Wall and Shanhaiguan, the Japanese had deployed a full-strength infantry brigade supplemented by an independent artillery regiment. Within the city of Tianjin, by virtue of the Boxer Protocol signed by the Qing court, the Japanese were permitted to maintain the China Garrison Army of nearly eight thousand men. In the northwest, the Japanese also controlled nearly forty thousand puppet Mongolian troops organized into eight divisions...
Under such circumstances, the 29th Army and the opposing Japanese forces were virtually living cheek by jowl, rubbing shoulders all along the line from Beiping to Tianjin.
This also put Zhu Shiqing on high alert. In so tangled a situation, if war broke out, the entire Beiping-Tianjin area would possess no strategic depth whatsoever; tactical initiatives and sequencing would be lost, and units could very easily be cut off and encircled.
A sense of foreboding weighed on Zhu Shiqing. He feared that Beiping-Tianjin would ultimately devolve into sheer chaos.
Chapter 30