In the last month of 1927, Feng Yuxiang was like a god of war, winning consecutive battles without any defeat, besieging Sun Chuanfang, Zhang Zongchang and Chu Yupu in Xuzhou City.
He Yingqin also followed Principal Chang's order to go north along the Jinpu Line and joined forces with Feng Yuxiang to attack the city. After two days and two nights of fierce fighting, Xuzhou City was captured on December 16. Sun Chuanfang, Zhang Zongchang and Chu Yupu led the remnants to flee north in a hurry.
The war situation in the south collapsed!
Zhang Zuolin was in dire straits, but he had nothing to do. In fact, two months ago, in order to gain the support of the Japanese, he signed a traitorous treaty called the "New Five-Road Agreement between Manchuria and Mongolia."
The Japanese were afraid that Zhang Zuolin would turn his back on him again and force him to sign the secret agreement. Zhang Zuolin had no choice but to reluctantly write the word "read" as evidence of his agreement to betray the country.
However, the Japanese had suffered too much in this matter and still refused to trust Zhang Zuolin. Therefore, Zhang Zuolin was forced to exchange letters with the Japanese minister, hoping to change the previous personal secret agreement into a formal agreement between China and Japan.
Zhang Zuolin is not a bad person. Once such a treaty is signed, he will really be unable to stand up. Yu Gong is a traitor and will bear eternal infamy; Yu Private is a seller, and his interests in his hometown in the Northeast will be seriously damaged.
While the two parties were negotiating, Zhang Zuolin deliberately leaked the news. Public opinion was in an uproar for a while, and the southern government scolded Zhang Zuolin bloody.
Zhang Zuolin took the opportunity to ask Yang Yuting to issue a statement, claiming that it was fake news and that Marshal Zhang had never signed a secret agreement with Japan.
The Japanese side was furious and sent many letters questioning Zhang Zuolin.
Zhang Zuolin turned around and pretended to be a grandson again, saying that he had no choice but to refuse to turn the private secret agreement into a formal contract between the two countries.
The Japanese were disgusted by Zhang Zuolin's rogue behavior, but they were afraid that he would not fulfill the agreement they signed before, so they had to hold their noses and admit it.
Although Zhang Zuolin's trick succeeded, it completely angered the Japanese. Many radicals in Japan clamored to kill Zhang Zuolin in order to solve the Northeast issue once and for all.
When Sun Chuanfang, Zhang Zongchang and Chu Yupu were defeated at the end of the year and the war in the south collapsed, Zhang Zuolin was harassed by the Japanese all day long, forcing him to quickly fulfill the private treasonous agreement he had just signed.
Facing the crisis, Zhang Zuolin was truly traitorous this time.
Unexpectedly, after betraying their country, the Japanese actually went back on their word. Instead of helping Zhang Zuolin deal with the Northern Expeditionary Army, they persuaded him to abandon his territory in the pass and return to the Northeast.
It is conceivable that our Zhang Zuolin and Marshal Zhang would scold the Japanese many times a day, "What a shame!"
But the battle still had to be fought. Zhang Zuolin no longer took care of Yan Xishan, who was a coward, and transferred the main force of the army to the Beijing-Hankong line to fight against Feng Yuxiang. He sent Zhang Zongchang and Chu Yupu to guard the Jinpu line, and placed Sun Chuanfang in the eastern part of Shandong to jointly deal with Principal Chang.
Northern Expeditionary Army.
In this way, the battle situation stabilized slightly.
…
Just as the warring parties were licking their wounds in preparation for another fight, Tianjin grew taller.
The 61.6-meter-high Tianjin Department Store was finally completed and opened for business. Old Tianjin people called it Zhongyuan Company.
The Zhongyuan Company originally planned to open a department store in the French Concession, but was forced to choose another location due to the high land prices imposed by the British Farm Company. Due to China's boycott of Japanese goods, the market in the Japanese Concession was deserted. In order to prosper the economy, the Japanese Consul in Tianjin
Promising various preferential conditions, we hit it off with Zhongyuan Company.
As a result, the tallest building in Tianjin was built in the Japanese Concession.
On the opening day, all the leading figures in Tianjin received invitations, and Zhou Hexuan was no exception.
Huang Wenqian, deputy manager of the department store, even paid a visit in person. Zhou Hexuan couldn't shirk it, so he reluctantly agreed to attend the opening reception.
Early that morning, the door of the department store was crowded with people.
Many Tianjin citizens who don’t buy anything at all came here to watch the excitement. This is the tallest building in Tianjin, and it is also a Chinese property. Do you deserve to be a Tianjin person if you don’t come to take a look?
Department stores took the opportunity to hold promotions. Imported goods from Germany, Japan, Britain, the United States and other countries, which were already in demand, were now discounted at 10% or 20% off, which made Tianjin people with some spare money very happy. People rushed into the mall and waved silver dollars crazily.
The rush to buy even overturned a counter.
In the evening, the opening reception went smoothly.
The Consul General of Japan in Tianjin came to congratulate him in person, as well as some bureaucrats and capitalists, and the rest were cultural celebrities like Zhou Hexuan.
Zhang Leyi came to visit her aunt today, so she did not accompany Zhou Hexuan to the reception. After saying goodbye to the Sun brothers, he stepped into the banquet hall alone and saw Puyi surrounded by people at a glance. There was also a beautiful woman with short hair and dressed up beside Puyi.
Be in full bloom.
Zhou Hexuan's eyes froze, and his heart beat faster. He was not fascinated by that woman, but he recognized her identity as Kawashima Yoshiko!
Kawashima Yoshiko left too many photos in later generations, including photos of girls, photos of palace clothes, photos of military uniforms, photos of suits... everything. How could Zhou Hexuan recognize the wrong person?
According to the original history, Kawashima Yoshiko had already lost her ambition, dressed as a man all day long, and had just married into the Mongolian royal family. Now that she actually came to Tianjin, and she was still wearing women's clothes, she must have an ulterior motive.
Zhou Hexuan walked over as if nothing had happened, took a glass of red wine from the waiter's tray, and raised his glass to signal to Puyi from afar.
Puyi lost his temper when he saw Zhou Hexuan. He had already heard about the scandal between Zhou Hexuan and Wanrong, and immediately turned his back and ignored it.
Yoshiko Kawashima asked: "Who is that person?"
"Zhou Hexuan." Puyi said.
"Oh, I've heard of his name." Yoshiko Kawashima glanced at Zhou Hexuan with interest, but that was all. She came to Tianjin from Dalian this time to help the Mongolian royal family and the Japanese to have secret talks with Puyi.
.
As for what to talk about? All fools know.
The Japanese have made up their mind to eradicate Zhang Zuolin, so they naturally have to support new puppets in order to send troops to occupy the Northeast in a legitimate name. Moreover, they have many puppet targets, including Zhang Xueliang and Yang Yuting, and Puyi is just one of the backup candidates.
"Mr. Zhou, rare visitors, rare visitors!" Several Chinese businessmen said goodbye to Pu Yi and walked quickly towards Zhou Hexuan.
After self-introduction, Zhou Hexuan learned that these people were: Premier Lan Xiangzan of Zhongyuan Company, General Manager Lin Ziyuan, Deputy Manager Lin Shoutian, Shareholder Chen Guangyuan and Architect Yang Tingbao.
The shareholder structure of Zhongyuan Department Store is very complicated, mainly including national capital (compradors), overseas Chinese in Japan (fund-raising) and bureaucratic capital. The background is very powerful, with support from all aspects, and there may be Japanese spies among the shareholders.
Zhou Hexuan was not interested in those managers and shareholders, but he took a few more glances at Yang Tingbao, the architect of the department store.
Speaking of Yang Tingbao, it is estimated that many people have never even heard of this name. But the buildings he has participated in the design of throughout his life are famous: Purple Mountain Observatory, Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People...
This is a great figure in modern Chinese architecture!
"Hello, Mr. Yang." Zhou Hexuan took the initiative to toast.
Yang Tingbao was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Zhou."
Zhou Hexuan complimented: "Mr. Yang is a great talent and has designed the department store so beautifully and elegantly."
Yang Tingbao said modestly: "Wherever you go, do your best."
"Don't be too modest," Zhou Hexuan said with a smile, "Mr. Yang is very famous in the American architectural community."
"It's just a nickname." Yang Tingbao became more and more modest. Before he graduated from college, his work won the first prize in the National Architecture Student Design Competition and was included in the book "Architectural Design Exercises". Decades later, this book was still published in Europe and the United States.
An important reference book for university architecture majors.
Zhou Hexuan didn't see many friends at the reception, so he chatted with Yang Tingbao. Yang Tingbao was reserved and didn't like to talk. Zhou Hexuan was talking most of the time. He listened attentively and occasionally added a word or two.
Not long after, Chu Yufeng suddenly came in with Liao Yaquan. She clasped her fists from afar and laughed: "Boss Lan, Boss Lin, congratulations!"
"Commander Chu, welcome! It's rare for you to come and support me."
Lan Xiangzan and Lin Ziyuan hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, but before they said a few words, their expressions turned ugly.
Chu Yufeng actually came to share the public debt on the day of the opening of the business, and the lion asked for 10,000 yuan. It was simply not giving him face.
Chu Yufeng is guaranteed to be defeated this time, because the background of Zhongyuan Company is too big, Chinese compradors, bureaucrats, and Japanese all have shares in it, and he can be given a few hundred yuan at most to work as a beggar.
