Take Ulan Province for Me

Lu Xiaoya's heart gave a sudden leap.

A diplomat?

Following this man who had created a legend?

The proposal was like a pebble tossed into a lake, stirring a thousand ripples in her heart.

She looked into Zhang Xueming's bright, confident eyes and, for a moment, forgot to answer.

Northern Prefecture, Cabinet Presidential Palace.

Behind his carved rosewood desk, President Duan slowly blew out a ring of smoke, the rich aroma of his cigar filling the air.

He was in a very good mood.

"Shuzheng."

He glanced at Xu Shuzheng, who stood before him with a ramrod-straight posture.

"Tell me, do you think that young fellow named Zhang Xueming is being chased all over the place by White Bear's Cossack cavalry right now?"

Xu Shuzheng bowed slightly, a knowing smile on his face.

"The President is wise."

"Zhang Xueming has no more than a brigade, with just over ten thousand men. White Bear has sent the vanguard of its entire Far East Army, all elite troops. If it comes to a head-on clash, what does he have to fight them with?"

"It would be like an egg smashing into a rock."

President Duan nodded with satisfaction and pressed his cigar into the crystal ashtray.

"Those old fools in Fengtian have really lost their wits. They've actually let some hotheaded young upstart run wild."

"If Zhang Xueming can hold Ulan, I'll gladly give him my seat as President."

His words were full of scorn and mockery.

As far as he was concerned, Zhang Xueming and the Feng Army's operation was nothing short of courting death.

And all he had to do was wait patiently.

"Are our men ready?"

President Duan changed the subject, his gaze turning sharp.

"Everything is ready, Mr. President."

Xu Shuzheng answered at once.

"As soon as news comes that the Feng Army's Eighth Brigade has been defeated, we'll immediately declare war on the Feng Army in the name of 'safeguarding national unity and preventing the loss of our territory.'"

"When the time comes, our army will march north. That stretch of black earth in the northeast will naturally fly the flag of our Northern Prefecture."

President Duan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, a look of intoxicated confidence settling over his face.

What a fine game of chess.

Let the Feng Army and White Bear fight it out until both sides were battered and bruised.

Then he could make his entrance as a savior and take over everything with perfect legitimacy.

He would reap the benefits without shedding a drop of blood.

As for whether the people and land in the northeast would be ravaged by war?

That wasn't something he needed to think about.

All he wanted was the result.

"Good. Very good."

"Keep a close eye on things down below. Report to me the moment there's any news."

"Yes!"

But just as he finished speaking, the office door was suddenly flung open.

A secretary rushed in, his face deathly pale, the document in his hand trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.

"M-Mr. President!"

"What are you panicking for? Have you no sense of decorum?"

Xu Shuzheng rebuked him sharply.

President Duan frowned as well, deeply displeased by the sudden interruption.

"Has the sky fallen?"

The secretary panted heavily, barely able to get out a complete sentence.

"Ch-Chaha... an urgent telegram from the Governor-General!"

He summoned all his strength and handed over the telegram.

Xu Shuzheng snatched it from him and glanced at it. He froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.

Seeing his expression, President Duan's heart gave a lurch. He took the telegram, too.

There weren't many words on it, but each one was painfully glaring.

"The Feng Army's Eighth Brigade annihilated White Bear's Far East Army vanguard beneath Wulan City, killing more than twelve thousand enemy troops and capturing three thousand. A great victory."

"Zhang Xueming... a great victory?"

President Duan murmured to himself. He read it over and over, making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

Annihilated?

More than ten thousand men?

What kind of international joke was this?

Was Zhang Xueming some kind of Immortal sent down from heaven?

A surge of blood rushed to his head.

The world spun around him, and his vision went black.

"Mr. President!"

Amid Xu Shuzheng's cry, President Duan's body went limp. He toppled straight backward, fell from his chair, and passed out.

The entire Presidential Palace instantly descended into chaos.

Half an hour later, President Duan slowly came to.

Doctors and aides crowded around him, while Xu Shuzheng anxiously kept watch by his bedside.

"I... I'm fine..."

President Duan struggled to sit up. His face was still pale, but a trace of clarity had returned to his eyes.

The despondence of defeat lasted only a brief moment before a warlord's instincts quickly took over.

He grabbed Xu Shuzheng by the arm. His voice was hoarse, but urgent.

"Langfang!"

"Get the troops in Langfang moving north, right now! Immediately!"

"Seize it! No matter the cost, get there before Zhang Xueming and take Ulan Province for me!"

He had lost the first move, but he absolutely could not lose the whole game.

So what if Zhang Xueming had won?

As long as his troops could occupy Ulan Province first and create a fait accompli, the Northern Prefecture could claim at least half the credit for that victory!

Xu Shuzheng nodded emphatically.

"Understood!"

He immediately turned and strode out of the room, going to issue the order himself.

"Suppress the news!"

"Keep every newspaper office and telegraph station under close watch! Not a single word about the Battle of Ulan is to get out!"

"Also, send our men north at once to take over the administration of Ulan Province!"

Xu Shuzheng issued his orders one after another, brisk and decisive.

He thought that if they acted quickly enough, they could keep this earth-shattering news under wraps for a little while.