One hundred kilometers away from Liujiakou, Yucheng, the command of the Southern Army's command of the combat base.

Lu Hongda arrived here in person late last night.

This battle was his key turnaround, and he almost devoted himself to his entire life.

He must not lose any more, and he made full preparations for this.

The reason why I came to the front line in person was to be in charge of the overall situation and boost morale, another purpose was He Hanzhu opposite.

He and He Hanzhu are not only enemies of this war, but also enemies in the sense of personal grudges.

His fortune was to step on the blood of the He family's corpse and blood.

It can be said that even if he and Wang Xiaokun and even Cao fight hard to distinguish now, as long as the situation changes, there is a possibility of reconciliation.

But with He Hanzhu, he is destined to live to the death, and there is no third way to go.

As long as he lives for one day, he will not be able to feel at ease for a day.

This battle was the best opportunity for him to completely eliminate the other party physically.

The next day after launching an active attack on Liujiakou, at noon, he received war reports one after another.

The main force of the Western Northern Army, commanded by He Hanzhu, Liujiakou, was suppressed by its own artillery fire. Not only did tens of thousands of troops shrink their positions, but they also began to retreat. At the same time, their retreat was blocked. Liao Shouguang's troops were in place. As long as Liao Shouguang broke through the opponent's preset defense line, the Western Northern Army would be in a situation of attacking front and back. At that time, there would be a new type of cannon that possessed an absolute dominant position to completely destroy the opponent, but it would only take a few days earlier or a few days later.

There is more than one good news.

On the East and Middle Roads, his original passive situation also changed.

The situation was very good for the commander of the Eastern Front of the Northern Army Fan Huimin and Duan Qien on the Central Front. It was learned that in order to prepare for a death battle with He Hanzhu's western front, the Southern Army transferred some of the main defense forces from Xuzhou. At the same time, the two set their sights on Xuzhou, the railway hub, and decided to send troops to attack. However, both sides had their own plans and wanted to compete for credit, but they were afraid that the other party would arrive first than them. Without coordination, they rushed to Xuzhou a few days ago. As a result, Fan Huimin's troops were sniped in Tongshan, and Duan Qien also encountered obstacles in Hanzhuang. The two men were not well prepared and could not respond. After they were defeated, they retreated in a panic and returned to the Dezhou area.

The Western Front is no longer supported. It is like an isolated island trapped in a sea of ​​artillery fire. What awaits He Hanzhu will be annihilated fate.

"Report—"

Lu Hongda was talking about the battle report with his staff and several senior generals. The correspondents came and sent another good news.

Just a moment ago, when Pan Biao, who was incorporated into the Third Division on the West Road, was organizing the retreat, the scene was disorderly like birds and beasts scattered. After being pursued, the people from the Third Division, including Pan Biao, saw that there was no way out, all surrendered. Now the soldiers were detained, and Pan Biao was also taken over, and they were outside at this moment.

Lu Hongda also heard about Pan Biao's men and horses. He hanged two guns, one rifle and one opium gun in the war. Opium was like a wolf or a tiger. Without opium, he would collapse at one touch.

He laughed and looked at Cai Zhonggui's brothers: "You are your old acquaintance. Let's meet?"

Cai Zhonggui participated in the quelling of the Kansai Rebellion the last time, but left the next day without experiencing what happened later. His younger brother Cai Zhongfu was intimidated by the adjutant beside He Hanzhu with an empty gun, and was scared and incontinent in public. Now he is still a joke. The person who made the most cheers at that time was Pan Biao. Cai Zhongfu was resentful of the humiliation he suffered. When he heard that Pan Biao was captured, he immediately asked him to bring him in.

Pan Biao was not in a well-equipped military uniform, his hat was gone, and even his leggings were dispersed, dragging them on his feet like a tail. When he was brought in, he followed the soldier behind him and tripped, and with a "Ouch", he fell on the spot and snatched mud and lay on the ground.

Seeing this, everyone in the command room laughed loudly, and Cai Zhongfu laughed so hard that he leaned back and forth. Even Lu Hongda, who had always been majestic, couldn't help but spit out a sip of tea he was drinking.

Under the fierce artillery fire of the Southern Army, Pan Biao's face was covered with cannon fodder. At this moment, it was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and it looked so embarrassing. He lay on the ground, raised his head, and saw Cai Zhongfu also sitting there. He was stunned, and he didn't care about being embarrassed, so he quickly got up from the ground and turned to Lu Hongda, showing a flattering smile on his face. Before he could speak, an adjutant beside Cai Zhongfu went up, slapped his hand, and fell firmly on his face.

Pan Biao said "Ouch" and covered his face, showing anger. He was about to curse, but when he saw the Cai brothers looking at him, one looked at him coldly, and the other looked proud, and he slowly put down his hands, his eyes rolled around, knowing that he couldn't fall down today. He gritted his teeth and didn't even need anyone else. He fired his bow from left to side, and slapped himself several times.

Cai Zhongfu sneered: "Why, your boss has finished smoking all the big cigarettes he brought? Didn't he be very arrogant some time ago? I heard that you still say something and want to take over my territory?"

The grudge between Pan Biao and the Cao brothers has been around for a long time, and it was common to have a small fight to seize territory.

Pan Biao ignored Cai Zhongfu and turned to Lu Hongda, and kept bowing to apologize.

"It's me who was blind and followed the wrong person. It turns out that he was not a man of hair. He Hanzhu said it nicely before, but I fucking believed it, so I took my brother to work hard with him. Who knows now, when the cannon arrives, he ran away and left me alone. Marshal Lu, I'm not being captured, I voluntarily surrendered! If you don't abandon Marshal, I will follow Marshal Ding, in the future, and I will work hard for Marshal Ding, and will never refuse!"

Some time ago, when the situation in the Northern Army was good, he dreamed of using the east wind to eat Cai Zhongfu's territory, and was determined to kill the other party, causing a lot of trouble to Cai's men. The situation is easy to change now, and he is afraid of revenge, so he flattered Lu Hongda at this moment, so he was almost licking his feet.

His reputation was not good at all, but now he is greedy for life and fears death, and looks like a clown. Who can respect him?

Everyone looked at each other sideways.

Lu Hongda said: "You and me, I can't let you, Commander Cai's territory be like that boy He Hanzhu."

Pan Biao slapped himself a few more times, his face swollen, and he kept saying, "I dare not, I was deceived by He Hanzhu before. General Lu, you are already wise and magical martial arts, and now you have the help of the magic cannon. Looking at the world, who can resist? Not to mention He Hanzhu, even if you are rushing your troops north to capture the capital, it will be a matter of time. I just want General Lu to spare my life and be a cow or a horse, and I am willing to do it!"

Pan Biao, a fence-skinned man, can say anything in order to survive. Lu Hongda naturally doesn't like it, and it's even more impossible to trust it, but there is no need to kill it.

Keep him, one is to show his attitude to the rest of the Northern Army. He is not a person who can kill them all. Secondly, these people are easy to control and recognize the smoke but not the people. After the Western Front ends here, there are two other troops to deal with. In the next battle, when necessary, detain Pan Biao and let him take the lead. Whether it is testing the enemy situation or consuming firepower, it is a good choice.

Lu Hongda glanced at the staff officer. The staff officer understood. Seeing that Pan Biao was still begging for mercy, he went up to help him up, patted the dust on his body, and smiled and said, "Forget it, the general is tolerant, how could he argue with you? Go down and wait and obey the order."

This is to spare myself.

Pan Biao was overjoyed, wiped his cold sweat, flattered him again, and finally retreated timidly.

As soon as Pan Biao left, Cai Zhonggui immediately said: "Master, Pan Biao cannot be used. This person is extremely cunning when he sees the wind. If he turns against him before, it will be a problem."

Lu Hongda smiled and said, "Don't worry. I have a lot of knowledge about how to use it."

Lu Hongda was very scheming and had been struggling in the military and political circles for many years, and was quite powerful. Although Cai Zhonggui wanted to kill Pan Biao immediately, since he spoke like this, he naturally had no choice but to give up, but he was still worried.

If Pan Biao's men were smoking a lot of cigarettes and went crazy, they would not be afraid of death in war. They rushed forward with red eyes. In the past, they would not dare to provoke him easily. He was afraid that if the other party really made great contributions, he would be in trouble in the future, so he asked people to stare at him. At night, he learned the news that Pan Biao's men were sent to the logistics department.

Now when fighting wars, to be honest, what we lack most is not soldiers, but civilians.

The most basic guarantee for war is food rations and ammunition. The materials that a soldier needs to consume often require the support of three civilians. However, the soldiers’ military pay cannot be paid in full on a monthly basis, which is normal, let alone civilians, all of them are forced to pull them. The troops will use white slips to make up for the numbers. When will they be given, God knows. Those who are shameless will simply push their guns directly and force people to work.

This is also facing such a dilemma, with a shortage of civilians.

Cai Zhonggui learned about the place where Pan Biao's men went, and then he had to do the work of the civilians under the supervision of the Logistics Department. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and left nothing to do.

Logistics Brigade Commander Cui Xingfa is Lu Hongda's cousin-in-law and a hard-core confidant.

Although the position of wartime logistics seems inconspicuous, it has a lot of oil and water. The most important thing is that there are no mistakes, so the ones appointed are definitely trusted people.

Cui Xingfa has been worrying about the lack of people's husbands these two days.

The people he forcibly recruited before fled because of the failure of the war some time ago. They caught several people and shot them to the public without using them. Now, they are not satisfied with the people for a while. However, as Lu Hongda came here in person, he was determined to obtain this. There were continuous ships of war-time supplies, but they all blocked the Yucheng Railway Station, more than 100 kilometers away from Liujiakou.

Cui Xingfa jumped in an anxious manner, turned around and suddenly received the group of people. As if he had solved his urgent need, he immediately ordered these people to work with the civilians and transport supplies quickly.

Pan Biao's subordinates were even loose in their training in the past. Now they suddenly had to do such work. They were not tired or lazy. There were soldiers holding guns staring at each other, and they all complained.

That night, it was finally time to rest. Pan Biao's company commander named Jiang Qing, heard the accent and pulled a guardian officer aside, saying that he was a fellow villager, took off a ragged shoe from his foot, and took out two silver dollars for a long time, and asked him to help get some big cigarettes. He really couldn't stand it.

Nowadays, almost all the troops are dyed with cigarettes like Pan Biao's subordinates. Although it is rare, it is common for some people to carry some big cigarettes with them and cannot be banned. Even if they are not addicted to smoking, they can relieve pain and save lives if they die.

The officer was named Ke Liu. Everyone came to join the army to make a living. They were both fellow villagers and had benefits. Ke Liu went to his companion to get a big cigarette for him.

Jiang Qing took a few sips and asked him if he wanted it. Ke Liu shook his head, and Jiang Qing chatted with him, asking what was in the train that he arrived during the day, and it was so sank.

The supplies in that train were all packed in huge wooden boxes, with iron sheets on the outside, and neatly placed. When transported, Cui Xingfa personally supervised them, and ten civilians had a gun on their backs, and were on high alert.

Ke Liu said casually, and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Jiang Qing say, "I heard that this shell alone costs fifty silver dollars! Marshal Lu is really rich! He made hundreds of shells this day, that would be tens of thousands of dollars! How much land can he buy and how many aunts can he marry! Damn, what is flying in the sky is not shells, but all the fields and aunts! Brother, you work hard for him, you must be inseparable from money, and you can eat and drink. Unlike me, the two money just now was saved from the gap between my teeth, and I hid it in the soles of my shoes. Yesterday, the soles of my feet were too bad, so I couldn't run fast, so I was caught and got here to work as a coolie. It's so fucking bad luck!"

Jiang Qing cursed.

The logistics force where Ke Liu is located has the lowest status in the military system. If the status is low, the corresponding military pay will be low.

During the war, the front line troops can pay ten per month. If they win the battle, they will have good luck and additional rewards. But they will be gone, and only seven silver dollars will die a month. This is not counting, and the arrears will be the most severe.

He hadn't received enough money for half a year. At this moment, he saw Jiang Qing envious of him. He looked at the train wand in the distance in the station and was immediately angry and spit out: "It's so delicious and delicious! I haven't had enough money for half a year!" After that, he thought about the price of shells he just mentioned, which was worth almost a year's military salary, and he became increasingly dissatisfied.

Since he was a fellow villager, he also felt a natural sense of closeness, so he couldn't help but complain, calling his boss Cui Xing a fake power, and did not treat him like him as a human being. He drank and ate meat every day, but the food between him and his brothers was as rotten as pig food. He complained, and heard Jiang Qing say that this kind of shell was very intimate. He could take the black market and sell at 80% of the price, so he asked him how he knew.

Jiang Qing looked around and saw that no one was around, and whispered: "I have a relative who used to be in charge of the military factory in Dezhou, but now he specializes in this kind of business. I heard him mention it before. There are a lot of shells coming today, and there are probably eight rounds in a wooden box. Is there four or five hundred rounds today? If I sell it, it will cost 10,000 or 20,000 yuan."

"It's a pity that I can't do it. Otherwise, I will contact my relatives and just transport the things out and hand over the goods. I don't have to worry about anything else. I will leave after taking the money and go back to my hometown to buy a house and get married. Who else should be the big soldier!"

Jiang Qing smacked his lips, shook his head and sighed.

Ke Liu didn't say anything and turned around and left.

One night passed, and before dawn, a lieutenant of Cui Xingfa came to urge people, shouting the civilians and prisoners, and immediately got up and continued to transport supplies.

When Jiang Qing saw Ke Liu winking at him, he followed him and asked what he was doing.

"What you said last night is true?"

Jiang Qing nodded and stared at Ke Liu: "What, do you want to do it?"

Ke Liu gritted his teeth and said, "Go ahead! I have several good brothers who are willing to do it. As long as you contact someone, while the things are still on the way, we can do it tonight. After finishing the job, we will leave immediately!"

Jiang Qing glanced at him and said, "You can find a loophole later and let me go and I'll make arrangements."

Ke Liu hesitated again: "How do I know you are reliable? Brothers have done it with their heads. If you put a pigeon and the things are made out, and there are no people, why are we holding these iron lumps?"

Jiang Qing smiled and took off the torn shoe with his thumb exposed on his feet calmly. This time he tore open the soles of the shoe, took out a folded silver note from it, and handed over it: "Download."

Ke Liu was stunned. When he took it, he saw that it was a silver note of Shuntong Bank.

Shuntong Bank Number is a famous local bill number with a semicolon on the north and south, and the silver bill can be exchanged nationwide. The denomination of this silver bill is 2,000 silver dollars, and the seal is clear and it is impossible to fake it.

Ke Liu's eyes glowed and he reached out to take it. Jiang Qing shrank his hand: "This is one-tenth of the payment for the goods. After the event, the rest will be paid on the spot. But the ugly words are ahead. If you can't do it, you will ruin it yourself and lose your life. Don't blame me."

Ke Liu is not a fool, and when he thinks about it, he understands it.

It is impossible for the silver notes of two thousand yuan to carry such a huge sum of money with them.

Obviously, he came for this batch of shells.

But this doesn't matter to yourself.

I worked hard for others, but couldn't get money, and I even scolded them if I had to beat them. I really couldn't help it, so I endured it. Now that I had such an opportunity to fall from the sky, I won't catch it and wait for it if I didn't catch it.

Twenty thousand yuan, even if more than a dozen people get it, they will get one or two thousand.

This can only be saved if you have been in the army for 10 or 20 years without eating or drinking, and without losing your life.
To be continued...