In 1918, the 37-year-old Zhang Zongchang took his sixth mixed brigade, went to Xiang with Zhang Huaizhi, and went to war with the southern army, only to be beaten by the Jiangxi overseer Chen Guangyuan and abandoned his armor, and fled in a big defeat, 3 years later, Zhang Zongchang was appointed as the commander of the provisional first division, came back, and started a war with Chen Guangyuan again, the result was still beaten and rolled, the troops were also disbanded by Chen Guangyuan, Zhang Zongchang was extremely humiliated, and he could not continue in Jiangsu, so he planned to carry it on his back and go to Zhilu Yu to patrol Cao Kun!
In order to please Cao Kun, Zhang Zongchang took advantage of Cao Kun's birthday and hit 8 shou peaches with 200,000 silver dollars, and as a result, Wu Peifu and others looked down on this big old man who was born of bandits, and under the obstruction of Wu Peifu and others, Cao Kun did not give Zhang Zongchang a soldier, Zhang Zongchang left in anger and went to the northeast to join Zhang Zuolin!
Because almost all of his savings were for Cao Kun to beat Shou Tao, when he defected to Zhang Zuolin, the 40-year-old Zhang Zongchang was very shabby, but Zhang Zongchang was a wise man, knowing that Zhang Zuolin was a kind of person, for money, he didn't care at all, he cared about whether his generals could open up territory for him, so he took on a load of soil and went to Zhang Zuolin, Zhang Zuolin, he understood Zhang Zongchang's meaning, and he couldn't help but take a look at Zhang Zongchang, but Zhang Zongchang was the general of the defeated army, and Zhang Zuolin didn't understand Zhang Zongchang's ability, and only gave a battalion commander!
For Zhang Zuolin's arrangement, Zhang Zongchang was very dismissive, but thinking about Cao Kun's approach, Zhang Zongchang was also relieved, 200,000 silver dollars could not be exchanged for a soldier and a pawn, a load of soil changed a battalion commander, what else was not satisfied? Zhang Zongchang was conscientious and waiting for the opportunity to come out in Fengjun, and it wasn't long before the opportunity came!
In 1922, in the Zhifeng War, Zhang Zuolin was defeated, the territory in the northeast was not stable, the jilin army brigade commander brigade commander Gao Shiyi, the joint bandit Lu Yonggui, planned to claim the king's hegemony in Jilin at that time, at that time, Zhang Zuolin's veterans were tired, and they really could not send troops, so they thought of Zhang Zongchang, gave 200 lead bullet guns, and let Zhang Zongchang go to suppress the rebellion, and said to Zhang Zongchang with a heavy heart: "If you can't win, you won't be able to gain a foothold in the Feng army in the future!" ”。
200 guns, to deal with the warlord bandits in Jilin Province, is this not difficult for strongmen? But Zhang Zongchang really did it!
Although Zhang Zongchang had always defeated the battle, his mind was extremely flexible, and when he heard that gao Shiqi and Lu Yonggui's army had many Shandong compatriots who had broken into the Kwantung together, he had a plan in his heart!
When Zhang Zongchang was a bandit in his early years, the bandit name was "Zhang Long Legs", and among the bandits, his reputation was extremely famous, and later, he was a railway worker on the Border between China and Russia, and he was a hero and a righteous man, and his reputation was excellent, Zhang Zongchang was confident that he could convince many Shandong compatriots in the "rebel army" and the big and small leaders born of bandits!
Zhang Zongchang first found a regimental commander named Cheng Yushan on the other side, this person was Zhang Zongchang's Shandong compatriot, born of horse bandits, he knew Zhang Zongchang well in the early years, as soon as they met, Zhang Zongchang opened the door and said to Chen Yushan: "Shandong people do not fight Shandong people, I come to discuss who surrenders to whom, Gao Shiyi and Lu Yonggui are not decent people, I don't think they can beat Zhang Zuolin, if you think I am right, you will follow me, if not, I will follow you!" ”。
In a few words, the analysis of the forms of the two sides was orderly, Cheng Yushan was not useless, Zhang Zongchang's words were right or wrong, he could still distinguish, immediately expressed his position, was willing to surrender Zhang Zongchang, and then he ambushed the "rebels" and waited for the enemy to turn against him!
Under zhang Zongchang's strategy, the "rebels" secretly surrendered to the big and small leaders, and as soon as the war began, Gao Shiqi and Lu Yonggui were attacked on their backs, and they were quickly eliminated, Zhang Zongchang took 200 guns, and helped Zhang Zuolin take Jilin Province, his reputation was greatly enhanced, and Zhang Zuolin also began to face this "dog-headed general"!
In 1924, the Second Zhifeng War broke out, zhang Zongchang was a pioneer and was appointed deputy commander of the 2nd Army of the Zhenwei Army, becoming one of Zhang Zuolin's five tiger generals!