Text/Fu Huaxuan
In the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, we had a lot of people in the Hebei area of Shandong Province, so there were many people coming and going from the northeast. Listening to the stories of the grandfather's generation talking about the northeast, many of them are about Zhang Zuolin. Zhang Zuolin said in those "modern and modern history" books that he started his family as a bandit and robber, in fact, the northeasterners said that he started as a "silk" and "beard", which means similar, but when the bandits and robbers listen to the ears. When people talk about Zhang Zuolin's stories, they all call him "Zhang Dashuai", and their language expressions are full of admiration. Also, at the beginning, the Beiyang warlords split into three lineages, the direct lineage of the Anhui clan, the direct line Feng Guozhang was one of the three masters of beiyang "beiyang dog", and the Anhui clan Duan Qirui was one of the three masters of beiyang, the "tiger of beiyang", all of which were cultivated by Yuan Shikai, but Zhang Zuolin's feng clan started independently by his own ability.
Zhang Zuolin grew stronger step by step in the northeast, and finally claimed the title of king, from the little famous "Zhang Xiaozi" to "Zhang Dashuai" and "Northeast King", there are many thrilling stories.
One of them is the thrilling story of Zhang Zuolin's duel with "Haishazi" and "one shot is sure to be done".
The Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War broke out. In order to defend the northeast, the Qing government, which had been defeated repeatedly, began to recruit a large number of troops outside the Guanxi in order to defend the northeast. Zhang Zuolin, who was in his twenties, had a very difficult life, so he joined the Qing army to eat mixed food. He joined the veteran general Song Qing's Yi army and became an ordinary cavalryman. Because of Zhang Zuolin's bravery in battle, he was quickly promoted to squad leader, and then promoted to platoon leader, becoming a petty officer who led soldiers to fight. However, as the Qing army collapsed in Lushun and the recruits scattered, Zhang Zuolin also quietly fled back to his hometown of Majiafang Village in Haicheng with a few months of military pay.
After returning to his hometown, Zhang Zuolin married Zhao Chungui, the second daughter of Zhao Zhanyuan, the landlord of the Zhao Family Temple. Zhang Zuolin began to live his own small life in peace. However, before he, the groom official, had finished his honeymoon, the Wang family, who had an old vendetta against the Zhang family, reported Zhang Zuolin to the official palace on the grounds of capturing deserters, and Zhang Zuolin was wanted. In desperation, Zhang Zuolin had to take his family and start fleeing, and he fled to the Zhao Family Temple where his father-in-law Zhao Zhanyuan's family was located. At that time, the northeast region had just experienced the poison of war, scattered soldiers and brave soldiers, bandit beards were rampant, and it was common for ordinary people to be harassed, in order to live a stable life, the villages set up vigilante groups in order to protect themselves, and Zhao Jiamiao also set up a vigilante group of more than twenty people. Due to the lack of military commanders, this vigilante group has always lacked a leader, Zhang Zuolin's arrival gave this small militia group a backbone, and Zhang Zuolin, who had been a platoon leader in the regular army, soon became the leader of the militia.
Although Zhang Zuolin had a violent personality, he had considerable military talent, and under his careful training, this small vigilante group repeatedly defeated the small group of bandits who came to harass him, and soon became a well-known local team. The surrounding villages saw that the vigilante groups of the Zhao Family Temple were so powerful, and they sent people to join in order to be protected, and Zhang Zuolin's men soon expanded to more than a hundred people. At this time, Zhang Zuolin caused great trouble again, and he led the vigilante group to a fierce battle with the famous local Jinshoushan bandit gang, killing several backbones of the other side. This Jinshoushan was an old subordinate of a local bandit, and in order to avenge Jinshoushan, this bandit sent hundreds of bandits to secretly attack Zhang Zuolin's vigilante group.
Due to the disparity between the people and widows, the Zhao Family Temple militia group suffered a crushing defeat, and Zhang Zuolin led the crowd to break through with his wife. On the way to escape, Mrs. Zhao Shi, who was pregnant with Liujia, gave birth to a boy in the carriage, the later young marshal Zhang Xueliang, on June 3, 1901. After the siege was highlighted, Zhang Zuolin decided to go to Tai'an County, hoping to defect to the local bandit leader Feng Delin, and then bring his troops back to the Zhao Family Temple to take revenge. Unexpectedly, when passing by a place called Octagonal Terrace in a market town, Zhang Jinghui, the local bandit leader, admired Zhang Zuolin's human and military talents and was willing to hand over all his men and horses to Zhang Zuolin's command, so that Zhang Zuolin unexpectedly gained a foothold in Octagonal Terrace.
In 1902, just after the defeat of the Boxer Rebellion, the Russian army occupied a large area of territory in northeast China in the name of suppressing the Boxer Rebellion, and various local armed forces rose up to divide one side, and Zhang Zuolin's team was no exception. At this time, Zhang Zuolin had been stationed in the Octagonal Terrace for two years, and there were more than five hundred people under his command, which was considered a force on one side. At this time, Zhang Zuolin called his team an "insurance team", the so-called "insurance" is to provide protection for the surrounding villages, and each village pays regular fees.
During this period, the "bearded" who dared to invade the Octagon Terrace mainly came from Rehe, the most fierce of which was a giant bandit nicknamed "Haishazi", with more than a hundred people under his command, half of whom were Mongols. They all rode fast horses, and they could reach Liaoxi in one night, roaring and whistling away, which was very frightening. The vigilante groups in various villages only have the strength to fight back, as long as they hear the "sea sand" arrive, they are all frightened.
Once, the "sea sand" entered the octagonal terrace again, and kidnapped the old lady of the gentry Chang family as a meat ticket. Zhang Zuolin engaged in a fierce battle with him, Zhang Jinghui took the lead in freeing the meat ticket, and then Zhang Zuolin personally commanded the horse team to surround it.
In the case of the confrontation between the two armies, the leaders of the two sides began to shout, and Zhang Zuolin said to the "sea sand": "You can't collect money from the road here, this place belongs to me." "HaiShazi" has also heard the name of "Zhang Xiaozi" for a long time, knowing that he has encountered a fierce enemy, and he knows that he can't run out today, so he shouts hard around his neck: "Don't give money? Then I'm going to fight! "
Zhang Zuolin said: "I am responsible for the safety of the ground on this side, I rely on the old and young masters in the village to raise, once we fight, won't the village suffer?" You can't fight! Let's solve our business! "
"Hai Shazi" saw that Zhang Zuolin was thinking about the safety of the people in the village at this time, and felt that he was an interesting person, so he was silent.
After a while, Zhang Zuolin made a suggestion to "Haishazi": "Well, are we going to fight each other well?" You stand on the other side, I stand on this side, we shoot each other, if you kill me, this place will belong to you. If I beat you to death, your men will belong to me, okay? "
Zhang Zuolin is Zhang Zuolin! This pride, this chivalry, this courage, ordinary people can't do it. Zhang Zuolin's soldiers not only pinched a handful of sweat for their leader, but also admired it.
The so-called no diamond diamonds, no porcelain work, Zhang Zuolin's proposal to duel is not completely intentional. At that time, the northeast "beards" were all known for their good marksmanship, not only the big and small leaders, but also the "cubs" at the bottom, who first required "hard pipe" and "straight pipe" (black words, meaning quasi-marksmanship). One of the main entertainments after they have eaten and drunk enough is to play with guns, that is, to practice marksmanship. Usually everyone sits on the kang in the house, opens the window, and the wall outside the window is lined with artemisia or sauce rods (sorghum stalks), while drinking wine and comparing marksmanship, when everyone shoots, they throw their hands and do not aim, than who uses the gun to "pinch together" (black words, meaning to hit more and more accurately). Shooting guns from the house is the best combat exercise to prevent accidents.
Many of the "big bosses" are famous for playing with guns, and they make "double guys" (that is, double guns) able to "open bows left and right, shoot on horseback, shoot flying objects in the air, hit incense heads at night, and say that the nose will never hit the eyes." Zhang Zuolin charged into the battle with two guns many times and practiced a good marksmanship. He and the "sea sand" singled out, and his heart was still a little emboldened.
The indispensable sea sand, qiangqiang said that he could get used to it, and his face could not be lost, and he happily agreed to Zhang Zuolin's request.
The duel began, and the two sides pulled apart, with teams on both sides lined up neatly. Zhang Zuolin and HaiShazi walked out at the same time, standing on the drawn line, and with an order from an outsider, the two fired at the same time, resulting in Zhang Zuolin being shot in the arm, and Haishazi was hit in the head and killed on the spot.
Haishazi's subordinates all belonged to Zhang Zuolin, and Haishazi's second pole (deputy), later Chairman of Rehe Province, Tang Yulin, also joined Zhang Zuolin. After killing Haishazi, Zhang Zuolin's reputation was greatly shaken, and he became the well-known "Northern Hegemon" (the banner of Zhang Zuolin's team) in Western Liaoning.
After the strength grew, Zhang Zuolin did not want to live the life of the insurance team anymore, and he was bent on "bleaching" and becoming a legitimate regular army. He often said to his subordinates: "The barrel of the gun does not recognize the officials and the people, and the bandits are bigger, that is, the emperor." Seeing that the northeast region was mixed with fish and dragons, bandits were rampant, and the Qing government, which was powerless to suppress bandits, was impatient, the then Shengjing (Shenyang) general Zengqi made a "wonderful move" - to recruit bandits to fight bandits. Soon, the Qing government began to recruit troops in the northeast region, which gave Zhang Zuolin, who was willing to accept the recruitment, an opportunity. In 1902, Zhang Zuolin led hundreds of his men, under the recommendation of the local gentry of Bajiaotai, and the Xinmin prefect submitted to General Shengjing for approval, and Zengqi appointed him as the commander of the patrol horse infantry guerrilla regiment (battalion commander), beginning his career as a regular army.
The early experience of wandering in the rivers and lakes and the short experience of serving in the army made Zhang Zuolin feel very good in the official arena, and he always flattered his superiors, secretly bribing a large amount of property (all copied during the suppression of bandits), such as giving 20,000 taels of silver to the Fengtian Patrol Police General Office at one time, which startled the Patrol Police General Office to shake his head and spit his tongue. As for the force in his hands, he grasped it stubbornly, not only expanding his troops everywhere, but also conducting strict military training, trying to build a military force loyal to himself. Because of his meritorious efforts in suppressing bandits, Zhang Zuolin rose all the way up and was appointed as the commander (brigade commander) of the Fengtian Patrol Battalion.
In 1912, Yuan Shikai, the head of the Beiyang warlords, was inaugurated as the provisional president of the Republic of China, and Zhang Zuolin immediately defected to Yuan Shikai. In September of the same year, he was appointed commander of the Army's Twenty-seventh Division, becoming an important warlord force in the northeast.