Updated: 2012-07-07

The 16th Mixed Brigade of the Beiyang Army was a unit that Feng Yuxiang started. Although Lao Feng was from Baoding, his ancestral home was Anhui and he was never a direct descendant of Beiyang. During the Luanzhou Uprising, which he kept talking about all day, three battalion commanders and two heroic deaths were killed. Only Lao Feng escaped the murder of his life because he was a classmate of Wang Huaiqing, who suppressed the uprising. He was detained and sent to Beijing for military prison.

Fortunately, this guy was very lucky. After arriving in Beijing, he was rescued and promoted by Lu Jianzhang, director of the Military and Political Law Enforcement Department, and became the battalion commander of the Beijing Guard Army. He then worked hard all the way. Starting from the left wing preparations for the army in April 1913, he continued to be promoted and made his fortune from the 1st Regiment of the Beijing Guard Army, the 1st Left Wing Brigade of the Beijing Guard Army, and the 14th Brigade of the 7th Division of the CSR.

Of course, except that Lao Feng is indeed a talent, everything is inseparable from the in-laws relationship between Lao Feng and Lu Jianzhang.

He served as the director of the Military Law Department, the commander of the 7th Army Division and the governor of Shaanxi, Lu Jianzhang, was the uncle of Lao Feng's original wife Liu Dezhen.

It was not until September 1914 that the 16th Mixed Brigade of the CSKA was formed in Xi'an. In just one and a half years, Feng Yuxiang became a Mixed Brigade Commander from the battalion commander, and his success was a rocket. Of course, Old Feng had a good training and strict discipline in the team, but the feudal patriarchal style was also quite powerful.

In Feng Yuxiang's eyes, senior generals of Feng's troops were all dolls and children. The style of punishing people to kneel down on the phone and asking people to slap themselves. In the future, Ji Hongchang became the commander of the division. Feng Yuxiang called him by a phone call and still told him to kneel down and then kneel down honestly.

If you want to say that Lao Feng didn’t know what happened, he was a soldier during the Republic of China, but he was determined to be a typical representative of politicians, and he kept shouting all day long, "I worry about national affairs and swear to serve the country to the death!"

The 16th Mixed Brigade was in his hands for less than three years, and he was like an iron barrel that could not be inserted into the needle and could not be wet. This guy also has some specialties in recruiting soldiers. He only recruits peasants and students. He does not want any unemployed vagrants or other troops. Every time he captures prisoners, he or she disarms the other party, he or she basically dismisses him or her.

Later, all the direct generals of the 16th Mixed Brigade came from his guards and the academic barracks. The generals who surrendered to the side could not bring soldiers at all in Feng's army, and Lao Feng would never give military power.

Of course, Lao Feng’s most awesome thing is his tantrum. Not to mention that the Luanzhou Uprising was considered a revolution in the Qing Dynasty. When Yuan Shikai was sent to Sichuan to suppress the southwest protection, this little mixed brigade commander in Beiyang actually shook hands with Cai E on the front line and made peace. He also issued a telegram in Luzhou to demand that Lao Yuan’s Beijing government cease war and negotiate peace!

As a result, he was dismissed from office and was retained. Although the 16th Mixed Brigade was still in hand, it became a large owed salary in the Army Department. Cao Wu's Beiyang Third Division had enough troops and enough salary, and Lao Feng's 16th Mixed Brigade had at least three months of food and salary, and at most half a year it could not be paid!

So the 16th Mixed Brigade, who was transferred from Sichuan to Langfang, was so hungry that he screamed. Feng Yuxiang was even more incompatible with Xu Shuzheng, the deputy commander of the Army. At the end of March, Old Feng broke his face and sued Xu Shuzheng in front of Duan Qirui, saying that he withheld his corruption in military spending and that Japan's loan was filled with his personal pockets!

He also threatened to sue the Presidential Palace! Xu Shuzheng's ears were blown, and Lao Duan was furious for a moment and ordered Feng Yuxiang to be removed from his position as brigade commander and appointed him as the short commander of the Zhili South Road. How could Lao Feng be willing to be a free servant and only get a salary? He refused to do it!

The army is Lao Feng's life - the root of the 16th Mixed Brigade. The middle and senior generals of the 16th Mixed Brigade sent a telegram to the Army Department, demanding that Cheng Ming be withdrawn, otherwise he would rather disband. Lao Duan and Xu Shuzheng were willing to bow their heads when they came to this point. While threatening to mobilize troops to quell the chaos, they also found Lu Jianzhang to be a peacemaker to persuade the 16th Mixed Brigade that they accepted Cheng Ming and did not fight against the central government!

As the old commander, Lu Jianzhang was temporarily suppressed. Old Feng went to Tiantai Mountain and found a temple to live in it. He claimed that he would farm and not eat food given by himself. The Sixteenth Mixed Trip who stayed in Langfang was like a child who had lost his soul and had no father.

Langfang is actually a place that must be fought for by military strategists. It is just between Beijing and Tianjin. It is about 100 miles away from Beijing to the northwest, and it is about this distance from Tianjin to the southeast. It connects the Beijing-Tianjin section of the Jingshan Railway between Beijing and Tianjin and passes through the city.

When Wang Geng and Xia Shan drove to the brigade headquarters of the 16th Mixed Brigade in Langfang, it was already 3 pm. Feng Yuxiang left the troops in the morning. In the afternoon, Wang Geng, the new brigade commander who had arrived from the airborne, appeared in front of the generals of the 16th Mixed Brigade. The speed was beyond everyone's expectations.

Unlike in Beijing, who was humble and low-key in front of Duan Qirui and Xu Shuzheng, Wang Geng, who was wearing a military uniform in a major general, appeared in the conference room of the brigade department, the guy's face was cool and unrestrained, full of majesty and solemnity for the general.

"Brigit Commander Wang is here! Stand at attention and salute!" Following the order of the Brigade Chief of Staff Qiu Bin.

The officers of the 16th Mixed Brigade, who were originally hilarious in the conference room, felt a sudden slap in their hearts. The officers involuntarily stood attentively and saluted, which shows that the well-trained 16th Mixed Brigade was not a false reputation.

After Wang Geng took office, he met with the generals for the first time. He only summoned 16 officers above the mixed brigade battalion. The youngest rank of the generals present was also a major.

"All officers above the battalion of the 16th Mixed Brigade have arrived. Please ask the brigade commander to give me advice!" Chief of Staff Qiu Bin is a classmate of Feng Yuxiang at the Northeast Martial Arts School. He is very qualified and knows how to observe his words and expressions.

This unheard of pastry graduate in front of me was actually airborne as the brigade commander of the 16th mixed brigade as soon as he returned to China. This surprised everyone. Most generals thought that if the new brigade commander was just an ignorant baby, then our future affairs would be easier!

"Slow down, please sit down!" Wang Geng glanced at the generals in front of him, pressed his hands down, and signaled to sit down.

"Brother Lan Jiang, you are in charge of the 16th Mixed Brigade Officer and Children's School in Beijing. Why has this new brigade commander never heard you say?" Jiang Hongyu, who was tall and strong in the back row but was called Zhiduoxing, lowered his voice and asked Liu Yufen, who had a square face and small eyes beside him.

Jiang Hong graduated from the Baoding Army Quick Entrance Academy. When the 16th Brigade was established on September 1914, he served as the chief of staff of the brigade. In the past three years, he made countless contributions to Feng Yuxiang.

Liu Yufen is a classmate of Jiang Hongyu in the Baoding Army Quicken School. Jiang Hongyu and Liu Yufen were both instructors of the Model Company of the 16th Brigade. They are one of the few military academy students in Feng’s army who have experienced higher education in the army. The relationship between the two is very good.

"I haven't heard of it, I don't know where it comes from, I only know that I am a top student at the American West Point Military Academy! Premier Duan is afraid he is taking a dangerous move!" Liu Yufen, who has a pig waist, face and small eyes, whispered.

Liu Yufen, who was later called one of Feng Yuxiang's Five Tiger Generals, was not yet at the time to make a fortune. Because of his experience as a Baoding Quick School and his familiarity with many classmates from the Beijing Army Department, he was appointed by Feng Yuxiang as the director of the Beijing Office and the principal of the 16th Brigade's Children's School, which is also the eyes and ears of the old Feng stayed in Beijing.

Xia Shan stood upright behind Wang Geng, and the two ingenious guards were left outside the conference room by Wang Geng to keep the door. Without his orders, no one was allowed to enter and exit without authorization!

"For the first time I met, I will introduce myself first. Starting from me, my surname is Wang Geng, Wang, Wang Ye, Geng, is the seventh in the Heavenly Stem. I also catered to my return from studying in the West. My ancestral home is Wuxi, Jiangsu. I graduated from Tsinghua Academy in 1911 and was admitted to the United States to study. In 1915, I received a bachelor's degree in arts at Princeton University. In the same year, I transferred to the American West Point Military Academy and graduated this summer!"

"Report to the brigade commander. If you have any questions, please give me advice!" A tall and thin captain in his thirties stood up and said.

"First report your name and position, then what's the matter?" Wang Geng asked as usual!

"Zhang Zhijiang, the commander of the 2nd Infantry Regiment! Brigade Commander, didn't the American military academy say that he would go to school for four years? How could the brigade commander graduate in two years?"

Zhang Zhijiang was naked, grew up and thin, with his eyes restrained, and looked a bit similar to the youth of the bald principal in his previous life.

"Western Point Military Academy should indeed graduate in four years, but weather is mainly for high school students, so I, a Princeton graduate, skipped the second grade when I entered the school. Because of the European War, the third and fourth grades of the pasta will graduate together this year!"

"Captain Zhang doesn't have to worry about the homework of this brigade commander. I am the first Chinese student in the history of pasta to have a total of two consecutive comprehensive results, and the first Chinese student in history to serve as the captain of the student!"

"Is there any other problem with Captain Zhang?!" Wang Geng's voice was cold and expressionless.

"Not for the time being!" Zhang Zhijiang saluted and sat down.
Chapter completed!