allonlinenovel Chapter 189: South Country President Huang Guangtai Receives a Sky-High Ransom Again
Chapter 189: South Country President Huang Guangtai Receives a Sky-High Ransom Again
After being busy for a while and finishing the work at hand, Su Zhengyang prepared to go to the Northwest Officers Training College in Zhenyuan City in person to visit and comfort the teachers and students there. After all, this is the source of fresh blood for officers of all levels of the Northwest Revolutionary Army and is of top priority.
Moreover, Linzhou’s Northwest Police College, as well as a series of important public colleges and universities such as the Military Industry Research College and the Public Administration College are all located in Zhenyuan City.
To build Zhenyuan City into a talent breeding ground for Linzhou, continuously injecting new seeds into the entire Northwest Revolutionary Army system, to build Hanbei City into the largest industrial city in the entire Northwest and even in the entire China, and to build Yong'an City into the economic center of the Northwest, these are Su Zhengyang's future ambitions and plans.
Yang Jiakai was also planning to return to Beilong City after following Su Zhengyang to Zhenyuan City to visit the so-called Linzhou University. As the top leader of the Northern Frontier Government, Yang Jiakai was also busy with government affairs and it was impossible for him to stay in Linzhou for a long time.
At this time, in Jianhai City, Taizhou, in the presidential office of the Southern Government's government building, Huzhou Governor Bai Qigang and Song Faction Governor Song Yuanfeng were standing in front of President Huang Guangtai. Bai Qigang looked angry and kept talking, "President, this little bastard Su Zhengyang is simply too much! Not only did he arrest our Mingyu and Young Master Song, but he also dared to ask for such an excessive demand. He simply doesn't take our Southern Government seriously!"
Although Song Yuanfeng didn't say anything, the expression on his face was very gloomy.
After Bai Qigang stopped talking, Song Yuanfeng said, "President, Ziqiang fell into Su Zhengyang's hands in order to win over Zhang Liye. Secondly, he is your nephew, so you have to make the decision for him."
Huang Guangtai narrowed his eyes and slapped the desk hard with such force that the teapot on the desk was knocked over.
The sudden loud noise startled the two people who were about to speak again.
"You two, one is the chief councilor of the Southern Government, in charge of three provinces, and the other is from a century-old family that dominates the rich land of Huzhou. You are quarreling in my office. You don't have any dignity at all. You are just like women in the market, arguing with vegetable vendors for a few copper coins. Shut up! Calm down!"
Seeing that Huang Guangtai was angry, the two men looked at each other unwillingly and lowered their heads at the same time.
The previous president of the Southern Government was Liu Zhishan.
After Liu Zhishan's death, Huang Guangtai, as the chairman of the Military Control Commission, took power into his own hands. He eliminated dissidents and implemented drastic reforms. Unlike the major warlords of the Northern Xinjiang government who established their own factions and only followed orders, after Huang Guangtai became the president of the Southern Government, he still served as the chairman of the Military Control Commission and held the military and political power in his hands.
Although the Southern Government also had governors of various provinces scattered across the country, who were far away from the emperor, there were a large number of Southern Central Army troops in their territories. Most of the generals of these troops were disciples promoted by Huang Guangtai. This made Huang Guangtai a powerful figure in the entire Southern Government, with centralized power. Basically, no governor dared to disobey him.
From this point of view, Huang Guangtai undoubtedly did a better job than Yang Jiakai, which was also the reason why Huang Guangtai dared to launch the Northern Expedition with the intention of unifying the country.
On the other hand, in the northern border, apart from the presidential faction that sticks together, the rest of the country can be said to be a mess. Once the war breaks out, all parties will have their own ulterior motives, and the southern government will undoubtedly have a greater chance of winning.
"Since Su Zhengyang has already put forward the conditions, we should just follow his conditions. There is no need to bargain, and there is no need to complain to me like a shrew. If you are wrong, you must admit it. If you are beaten, you must stand at attention. If a son is not well educated, it is the fault of his father. Ziqiang and Mingyu are two children. One thinks highly of himself and does not take anyone seriously. The other is spoiled and arrogant. Sooner or later, they will suffer a great loss. It is better to let them fall now than to suffer a great loss later."
"But the conditions proposed by Su Zhengyang are too outrageous. The ransoms from the two families add up to more than 100 million yuan in cash. Even if Su Zhengyang's head is placed here, it is not worth so much money!"
"Yes, President, I think that little bastard Su Zhengyang has become completely arrogant after his great victory in Shanghai. He doesn't take our Southern Government seriously at all. In my opinion, we should directly mobilize the army, take over Shanghai, and give Su Zhengyang and the Northern Frontier Government a good slap in the face."
Huang Guangtai sneered, "You make it sound so simple. Our 50,000-strong army in Shanghai, together with the ace German-equipped division in Huzhou and the local snake Songhu Army that has been entrenched in Shanghai for more than a decade, was beaten to a pulp by Su Zhengyang's 20,000-strong army in less than two days. They had no choice but to hand over Shanghai. How can you be so sure that you can capture Shanghai?"
"Besides, your offspring is still in their hands. Once they start to make a move, they will definitely be afraid to act rashly. Instead of continuing to pester them, it is better to pay the ransom decisively, cut it off immediately, eliminate the worries, and wait for the right time to regain your lost face."
"After all, they were imprisoned for the sake of our Southern Government's great cause. I will have the Ministry of Finance allocate 60% of the ransom to you, and the rest will be borne by you. If anyone dares to act on his own and cause more trouble, and undermine the great plan of our Southern Government, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"
Although Song Yuanfeng and Bai Qigang were quite dissatisfied, they could only agree reluctantly.
From Huang Guangtai's style of doing things, we can tell that he is a man of decisive actions, clear mind and no procrastination.
Three days later, fifty trucks filled with cash drove into Shanghai and completed the transaction with Ike of the Skeleton Division. Su Zhengyang also kept his promise and immediately ordered the release of the two second-generation rich kids of the Southern Government after receiving the ransom.
All the detailed information about Su Zhengyang's life was placed on the desk in Huang Guangtai's office by the Military Intelligence Bureau, which was known as the first intelligence organization of the Southern Government.
Late at night, Huang Guangtai, who had spent a whole day carefully checking all the detailed information of Su Zhengyang without missing anything, put down his glasses, rubbed his glasses which were a little sore, put his hands behind his back, walked to the window, looked at the bright moon in the sky, and muttered to himself: "Yang Jiakai, Yang Jiakai, you old fox, you used your own daughter as a price to tie Su Zhengyang firmly to your chariot, which was a wise move."
Huang Guangtai had a strong premonition in his heart that Su Zhengyang might become the biggest stumbling block for the Southern Government to unify the North and the South.