Volume 1 Wuchang Vortex Chapter 23: Someone is coming to kill me?
The three towns are separated by a river and belong to each other.
If Wuchang City is defined as the political and military center of Hubei, then Hankou is the economic center, and Hanyang across the river is the industrial and manufacturing base.
In order to protect China's largest and most complete industrial base, Zhang Zhidong built a large base here when he was training the new army. As the Eighth Regiment gradually moved to the more important Wuchang, Hanyang became the 21st Mixed Brigade Training Ground.
The 42nd Infantry Battalion, one of the two infantry battalions under the 21st Mixed Brigade, was stationed not far from the gun factory.
Although the falling rain had become much less frequent, the places to shelter around the parade ground of the 42nd Battalion's camp were still crowded with soldiers who had been transferred back from various places. Some of them were smoking cigarettes, while others were dozing off and daydreaming.
There was a sturdy man in the middle of the soldiers. He stripped off his clothes to reveal his muscular body. He was dancing a stone lock weighing more than 30 kilograms up and down. There were cheers from the people around him. There were also a few people who were interested in gambling with him, which made the man even more proud.
Next to the circle, Yue Peng, who was wearing a clean officer uniform and a little thin, saw the stone locks flying and shouted from time to time. Zhang Wenjing, who graduated from Gaowubei Academy in the same year as him and is currently the secretary of the 42nd Battalion, smiled and said, "Brother Yue Peng, are you interested in showing off your skills?"
Yue Peng shook his head and said with a smile: "Wen Jing, why do you have to mock me? Look at me, can I dance the stone lock so gracefully?"
Zhang Wenjing and Yue Peng were not only classmates, but also good friends in the army. One of them was a secretary and the other was a second-class lieutenant. Standing together, they naturally attracted people's attention, so he quickly pulled Yue Peng aside and asked quietly: "Brother Yue, have you heard about what happened last night? Do you think the commander-in-chief will come today?"
Yue Peng frowned and looked at the camp gate shrouded in mist and rain, without an answer in his mind. As an officer, even if he was unsuccessful, he knew most of what happened in Wuchang City last night. It was said that there were no less than a hundred bullet shells on the streets, which showed how tense the situation was. Would he still come under such circumstances?
"I don't know how much smoke came out of that kid's ancestral grave, but he actually became our commander." Zhang Wenjing laughed and said, "I heard that he is only 22 years old today, and has been in the army for only more than half a year. When he went to Sichuan as a baggage soldier, he jumped four levels! Tell me, why didn't you and I encounter such good luck?"
Zhang Wenjing was still not satisfied, so he pointed at the muscular man playing with the stone lock, and nodded at the Yizhi Club and the officers, and said with a sly smile: "Did you see that? They are all puffing up their cheeks. There will be something interesting to watch soon."
Yue Peng smiled but said nothing. The military was a complicated place. It was both reasonable and unreasonable. Often times, the bigger the fist, the more persuasive it was. Moreover, the most taboo thing in the military was to transfer unfamiliar officers from outside to lead the army. Not to mention this bunch of old soldiers, even he himself would not obey a rookie.
"Haha, Brother Yue, how many people do you think he will bring from the baggage camp to stabilize the situation?"
Yue Peng was about to speak when his eyes suddenly lit up: "He will come alone."
"Come here alone to kill me? Are you kidding me?"
"I never joke." Yue Peng curled his lips and looked at the camp gate and said, "Because... he's here!" As he spoke, Zhang Wenjing quickly turned his head and saw a tall young man outside the camp gate, wearing a general's uniform and a command knife on his waist. He walked in alone in the rain carrying a small bag on his back.
"Let's go to the meeting room." Yue Peng pushed Zhang Wenjing and frowned, "You're quite courageous, but unfortunately I don't know..."
Walking into the training ground, Yang Qiu couldn't help but frown at the chaotic scene.
Before coming out, he temporarily rejected Xiao Anguo and Ma Kui's kindness to let him bring a few people to calm the situation. He came here alone. There are three battalions inside, plus miscellaneous personnel, a total of 1,733 officers and soldiers. As long as he steps through the camp gate, there will be only two results.
Failure, success!
His identity as a soldier in the parallel world made him understand the principles of the army better than anyone else. He also knew how difficult it was for a newcomer, someone with no prestige and no combat record, to lead a force smaller than a regiment. In front of him was a tangled web with countless threads. How could he straighten it out and untie it?
Looking at the still flying stone lock, Yang Qiu smiled coldly. If it was in other areas, he might have turned back directly, but this is the army!
Seeing Yang Qiu walking into the military camp with his head held high and smiling, the soldiers gathered around him, staring wide-eyed, trying to see who this baggage soldier was who had suddenly appeared overnight and was promoted four levels.
"Captain He Xi of the first battalion, Chen Shanyou of the second battalion, and Guo Erxing of the third battalion greet the commander-in-chief." As soon as Yang Qiu stepped into the meeting room, the commanders of the three battalions immediately ordered the officers to stand at the door to greet him.
The commander of the first battalion, He Xi, was probably in his thirties, with a big beard, and his mouth never straightened after seeing Yang Qiu. Chen Shanyou was just the opposite, not very tall and thin, with a sharp face and no smile at all. As for Guo Erxing from the third battalion, who had met him once, he sneered at Yang Qiu with the corner of his eyes.
"They are all troublemakers." Yang Qiu said secretly, and then smiled and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting for a long time."
"You are too polite, my Lord. Today you are taking up your post, and this is what we should do." He Xi smiled, but his eyes kept looking out the door. Seeing this, Yang Qiu smiled and said, "My Lord, you don't have to look. The Admiral sent me to take over as the Commander, but forgot to give me a stable boy."
"hehe……"
Yang Qiu's words caused a burst of laughter from the crowd. Even Yue Peng and Zhang Wenjing, who were sitting in the corner, looked at each other and felt that this new commander, who was about the same age as them, was at least good at talking.
"Sir, this is..." He Xi was about to introduce the officer when he was interrupted by Yang Qiu, who put down his small bag and said with a smile: "Go meet the soldiers first. It's raining outside, and it would be bad to keep everyone waiting for a long time." After that, he walked out.
Zhang Wenjing and Yue Peng behind him looked at each other in surprise. They didn't expect Yang Qiu to be so disrespectful to them.
"Gather, gather."
Seeing Yang Qiu coming out with several battalion commanders and officers as soon as he entered the conference room, the low-ranking officers waiting outside immediately began to shout at the soldiers to assemble. Although the rain had become much sparser, the muddy training ground and the bumpy dirty puddles that had been soaked for most of the night still made many soldiers careless. After repeated urging by the officers, they lazily put on their guns and walked into the training ground.
Is this the Hubei Mixed Army, known as the best army in Southeast Asia?
The soldiers' lazy steps made Yang Qiu realize that this was not the new army claiming to be China's modern army, but an army that was mentally repelled and too lazy to deal with the sudden arrival of a new commander.
"These are the brothers from the 42nd Battalion, right?" Seeing Yang Qiu walking towards the soldiers standing in line, He Xi and Chen Shanyou exchanged glances, and the sarcasm in their eyes gradually grew, while Guo Erxing curled his lips and his eyes became more fierce.
"Hello everyone, my name is Yang Qiu. From today on, we will all be working from the same bowl!" Looking at the loosely arranged soldiers, Yang Qiu frowned and said, "Today is my first day in office, so I have to trouble you all..."
"I'm not afraid of trouble, but I don't know if the commander-in-chief has brought two months' pay. What do you think, brothers?"
Before he could finish his words, a strange voice came from the army formation, and the soldiers also started laughing. Yang Qiu turned his head and saw that it was the strong soldier who had played with the stone lock like a juggler. He smiled inwardly, the show was finally about to begin.
"You are so bold, what do you mean by this? The military pay is taken care of by the assistant commander Li and the admiral, what does it have to do with you, the commander?" Chen Shanyou put on a menacing look, and after cursing, he turned around and bowed to Yang Qiu, saying, "Sir, don't pay attention to the words of these soldiers, I will teach him a lesson later."
"No problem." Yang Qiu waved his hand and beckoned to the soldier who was speaking: "Come forward and talk."
The strong soldier thought he was going to be punished and was a little afraid in his heart, but when he saw He Xi's eyes, and he had boasted in public that he would leave a deep impression on the new "baggage soldiers", he stepped forward with gritted teeth.
"Name, position."
"Lei Meng, the head of the 42nd Law Enforcement Team."
Yang Qiu looked at this short and sturdy soldier, who was in his prime age of twenty-five or twenty-six. Even with clothes on, his muscular body could not be covered. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a cold and hard mouth. He should be an old soldier who had been in the army for several years.
"How much money do I owe you?"
"Two months, a total of 5 dollars." Believing he had someone to back him up, Lei Meng was not afraid of the "tall and elegant" Yang Qiu in front of him, and snorted: "You officials have all received it, but you still owe us!"
"I heard about the arrears of wages, so when I went to see the Governor last night, I proposed that the wages should be paid as soon as possible. Fortunately, the Governor allowed me to bring 10,000 yuan." Yang Qiu curled his lips, slowly took out the banknotes that Rui Cheng had given him yesterday, and shouted, "Who is in charge of logistics and wages?"
"Zhang Wenjing, secretary of the 42nd batch, greets you, sir."
"Take it. It will be distributed after morning exercises. It's 10,000 yuan in total."
When they heard that there was a full ten thousand oceans in the box, the soldiers who had just been filled with resentment at Lei Meng were all furious. He Xi and others behind him did not expect that Yang Qiu actually brought such a big gift package.
Guo Erxing's heart sank as well. He knew best who had given the ten thousand dollars. He did not expect that Yang Qiu would actually pay out of his own pocket to solve the wage arrears issue.
Lei Meng was even more dumbfounded. He thought he had the best excuse, but he didn't expect it to be so easily resolved. He simply gritted his teeth and said, "We joined the army to carry guns to defend our country. We train every day and learn how to kill the enemy in front of the battlefield. It's not luck that counts! There are three battalion commanders and so many officers here. Why should we let an outsider manage us? I don't accept it!"
"You train every day, and you deserve it!"
As soon as Lei Meng finished speaking, Yang Qiu suddenly walked to the front of the formation, pointed at the crooked queue and shouted: "They are not in a straight line or upright. Is this the result of daily training?" His words were equivalent to scolding everyone, which immediately caused a stir among the soldiers. Yue Peng also scratched his head secretly, as if he felt that the last few sentences were a bit too much.
But Yang Qiu didn't care. He wanted to leave a deep and unforgettable impression on these guys today! So after he finished speaking, he turned around and walked in front of Lei Meng, saying coldly: "Yes, I know what you are thinking. You think I am just a baggage soldier pulling horses. I can only be promoted by luck. If I am allowed to lead the 42nd Battalion, we will all die on the battlefield in the future, right?"
"But I'm telling you now, it's not that I look down on you, but what you learned before were just childish tricks!"
"Sir, you can scold us, but you can't insult me!" Lei Meng was a stubborn man. He jumped up immediately after hearing this and shouted, "We have worked hard to practice the art of killing the enemy. What's wrong with that?"
"Kill the enemy? Haha..."
Yang Qiu laughed wildly, and then, to everyone's surprise, he hooked his finger at Lei Meng: "You are qualified to talk about killing the enemy? Have you been to the battlefield? Have you experienced life and death? Do you know the feeling of a bullet hitting your body?"
"Not convinced? Very good! Since you can take the lead today, it means they believe you can show me your power. Come on!" Yang Qiu raised his eyebrows, pointed at the soldiers, and looked around the whole place proudly: "One on one, no matter if you or anyone else here can beat me, a baggage soldier who pulls a carriage in your eyes, I will apologize to you immediately and never set foot in the 42nd Battalion camp again!"
"Otherwise, you'll behave yourself from now on!"
Yue Peng's face suddenly changed, too arrogant!
