Little is known about Zhang Zuolin's youth, and I, Luan Guitian, were in Zhang's household affairs as early as his youth, and gradually, I took up positions such as quartermaster and division chief in Zhang's family. Before and after liberation, I was the main person in charge of cleaning up the private property of the Zhang family. My father-in-law is Zhang Zuolin's enlightenment teacher, so he knows a lot about the Zhang family.
In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, Yang Jingzhen was teaching in the private school of Zhangjiapu, and Zhang Zuolin often eavesdropped on the courses, and Mr. Yang discovered his potential, gave him paper and pencils, and waived the tuition fee, so that he could participate in the courses. Under Mr. Yang's care, Zhang Zuolin was able to receive a period of private school education, which laid his limited cultural foundation.
Zhang Zuolin's family was in difficulty, and later moved to Luan's fort, and Luan Jingkuan often helped them at Zhang's house. After becoming the overseer of Fengtian, Zhang Zuolin took special care of Luan Jingkuan's family. But Zhang's father was killed by the Wang surname of the Luan family shop and buried in a mass grave, and his mother was buried in a stagecoach.
When Zhang Zuolin was young, he wandered in Dagaokan Town and lived a very difficult life. A cook named Chang Yu Nong often came to his aid, providing him with leftover meals. Zhang developed a deep affection for him, and after returning to his hometown to become an overseer, he specially found him, bought a large inn and pawnshop, and let Chang Yunong's son manage it.
When Zhang Zuolin was in the green forest, he encountered obstacles to enter Jiangjiatun, but with the help of Zhong En and the horse dealers, he successfully entered and obtained many horses, which laid the foundation for his future career. He has always been grateful to Jiang Jiatun, where he bought land, set up Chengdang, and reused Zhong En.
In addition, during his tenure in Xinminfu, Zhang Zuolin borrowed money from the Chamber of Commerce many times due to insufficient military supplies, and when he left, Jiang Yutian, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, came to the door to collect debts, and finally Zhang Zuolin appointed Jiang Yutian as the prime minister of the private bank.
These untold stories have witnessed the hardships experienced by Zhang Zuolin in his early years and many key moments in his life. These bits and pieces may have been part of what he later became as an important historical figure.