Lin Youde and Peng Zhicheng stood side by side outside the east gate of Dingyuan Fort, which was the place where the largest number of "casualties" were passed through last night. The German mercenary Dennis Helwig from Switzerland was killed and Christoph Grote was slightly wounded, in fact the only casualty of the entire night.

The Indians came in the darkness and retreated in the darkness. No one knows their strength, but judging from the 15 corpses left at the scene that were not taken away, their number is not too much, and it is estimated that it is similar to crossing the crowd.

More than a dozen braziers for lighting placed in the open space outside the fort were completely destroyed by the Indians, and there were still some blood stains on the ground, which looked a little dazzling.

"How's everyone's mood?" Peng Zhicheng asked. He had arrived this morning with a convoy carrying supplies, and had just happened to be attacked by the Indians.

"It's okay." Lin Youde replied, "It's the first time everyone has encountered this kind of thing, and it is inevitable that some panic will be a little panicked, but after all, there are no major casualties, just one death and one injury of new immigrants." But we were still a little careless after all, and we didn't plan for such attacks in advance, and many people panicked last night, causing undue chaos. As the deputy leader in charge of safety of the pioneer team, I have an unshirkable responsibility. ”

Peng Zhicheng patted Lin Youde on the shoulder to comfort him, he is not here to be accountable, and the Executive Committee currently does not have a perfect accountability mechanism. Although Lin Youde has a small fault, he still stabilized the situation, and the executive committee will most likely let him continue to stay here.

"The construction progress of Dingyuan Fort is not slow." Peng Zhicheng diverted the topic, looked at the brick and tile factories, dormitories, toilets, etc. that had been built not far away, and said.

Lin Youde smiled: "As long as the problem of manpower and materials is solved, this progress can be accelerated." ”

Peng Zhicheng smiled and did not answer. Don't think about manpower and materials, where is there no shortage of manpower now, where is there no shortage of materials? "What is the current daily catch?"

"It's basically stable at more than 3,000 catties." "At present, the processing capacity of fish products is limited, and there is nowhere to store them. ”

"Hehe, that's good." Peng Zhicheng said with a smile, "More than 1,000 catties of fish are brought back from Dingyuan Fort every day, which not only replenishes everyone's nutrition, but also saves a lot of food for the Executive Committee. Alright, I'll go back, and I have to report back to the Executive Committee as soon as possible. After speaking, he patted Lin Youde on the shoulder again, "Lao Xiao's work at hand is almost over, and the executive committee means that he will come here to preside over the work in person, and it is estimated that he will come to take office in the next few days." So, rest assured! ”

Lin Youde nodded silently.

The convoy carrying supplies and supplies returned home, and in addition to carrying 1,500 catties of fish, they also took with them the wounded and corpses of the previous night's battle.

After last night's incident, all the members of the development team also felt the crisis. Therefore, at Lin Youde's suggestion, the construction team suspended the construction of the project in hand and began to dig trenches around Dingyuan Fort. The ditch will introduce water from Dayu Lake, so that the safety of Dingyuan Fort will be greatly improved. At the same time, the east gate, which had been opened for the convenience of entering and exiting and transporting supplies, was also completely blocked, and the events of last night were vividly remembered, and the people who crossed did not dare to make trouble for themselves.

***************************

The room was filled with smoke. What happened in Dingyuanbao last night has just now been reported to the Executive Committee, and now it has entered the stage of formal discussion.

All 11 members of the Executive Committee were present, Ma Ganzu presided over the meeting, and Du Wen personally served as the clerk.

"The beginning and end of the July 13 incident just now Lao Peng has made a report to everyone, how to deal with this matter, everyone should talk about their own opinions, and speak freely." Ma Qianzu lit a cigarette and took the lead in speaking.

"Since the organization has arranged for me to preside over the work of this pioneering team next, let me say a few words first." Xiao Bailang said, "Since the matter has happened, then the first thing we should consider should be how to face this matter." The daily fishing volume of Dingyuanbao has exceeded 3,000 catties, and the various fish products transported to the central government every day have reached 1,500 catties, which has supplemented everyone's nutrition and saved a large amount of grain, which is of great significance. The credit is irrefutable, and we should not criticize the comrades who are fighting too the contrary, we should increase our support for them. Here, I suggest that all kinds of construction materials be tilted towards Dingyuan Fort, and make every effort to ensure the construction of Dingyuan Fort, so as to form a stable situation as soon as possible. ”

"There is a shortage of construction materials right now. Lao Xiao, the construction progress of Dingyuan Fort has been guaranteed, and your wharf project is about to stop. Shao Shude reminded.

"I'm okay with that. Now there are no ships calling at the dock all day long, and I think this project can be stopped for a while. Of course, the construction of the fort in the fortified area of the dock cannot be stopped. Xiao Bailang smiled at Wang Qinian and said.

"The Indian race of Uruguay, mainly the Charuea." Gaumo cleared his throat, "I would like to remind you that the Charuya are fierce, cruel and warlike. I think that if there will be a first attack, there will definitely be a second one, so you must be aware of this. ”

"What's this looking for...... It is likely that the old nest of the Charuya people is near Big Fish Lake. Jiao Tang, a member of the Internal Affairs Committee, said, "Can the Executive Committee organize a reconnaissance and clean-up operation on the shores of Dayu Lake at present?" It's better to pull out this nail in time, otherwise it's always a hidden danger. ”

Listening to Jiao Tang's words, Peng Zhicheng smiled a little wryly: "At present, there are only so many people in the garrison, and the training and level are just like that. Not to mention to clear the tribe of the Charuya, it is not easy to conduct reconnaissance. Of course, if the Executive Committee asks for it, our Army will conduct a reconnaissance. ”

Everyone was a little speechless for a while.

"I think so. The wharf project will be stopped first, and the construction materials will be transferred to the Dingyuanbao project, which will be decided first. Ma Ganzu saw that there was a little cold, and came out and concluded: "Since we are not sure to get rid of the nest of the Charuya, then let's make our turtle shell harder first." Anyway, Dingyuan Fort has a wide view and convenient transportation, and it is not easy for the Charuya people to make trouble. The fortress has been built, no matter how he makes trouble, we are already invincible. ”

This point has just been agreed upon, and naturally there is no objection to it.

"Since this one is fine, let's move on to the next one." Ma Ganzu continued, "Is the current 25-person Dingyuan Fort Escort Team enough? What is the level of professional quality and equipment of these 25 people? ”

"I'm afraid it's not optimistic." Peng Zhicheng groaned a little, "Except for a few Swiss immigrants who have mercenary experience and are relatively capable of fighting, the rest of our own people are volunteers who have signed up spontaneously, at most they can be regarded as strong and strong, and they don't have any business quality." ”

"Then you need to train harder." Ma Qianzu said: "Lao Peng, don't be afraid of hard work, run over there a few more times." Then draw some experienced veterans from the garrison and strengthen the training of these people. Of course, they only survived 25 people, and we can't pin all our hopes on them. Construction teams, fish product processing factory workers, and logistics personnel should also receive training, and they should practice in their spare time, and they are not required to practice very well, and the most basic one is at least to be able to aim and shoot. The three-year-old full-body armor and three-pound and four-pounder cannons newly created by the weapons workshop were also given priority to Dingyuan Fort. I don't believe it, the Charuya people are not three-headed and six-armed, as long as they dare to come, let them touch their heads and break the blood. ”

Ma Ganzu's words were reasonable, and everyone had no objections, and the meeting continued.

"Except for these two. I would also like to say that our comrades risked their lives in Dingyuan Fort to provide us with living resources. For their dedication, I feel that it is necessary for the Executive Committee to reward them both spiritually and materially. Ma Ganzu continued, "I suggest that the comrades who went to work in Dingyuan Fort be doubled and that the deeds of last night be reported throughout the district. Especially for the wounded and war-dead Swiss immigrants, I propose a heavy reward. Commissioner Xiao, do these two have any relatives with us? ”

"Yes." Civil Commissioner Xiao Mingli nodded, "Dennis Hellwig, who died in the war, has a wife and a daughter, his wife is currently working as a handyman in the Animal Husbandry Bureau, and his daughter is in school; Wounded Christopher Grote, who has a younger sister, is assigned to the Agricultural Bureau. ”

"There should be a funeral for those who died in battle, and condolences should be given for those who were wounded. They and their relatives were immediately granted freeman status. Also, Lao Jin, let the Ministry of Agriculture sign a formal labor contract with their relatives. Helwig's daughter will be given preferential treatment, and the standard of meal allowance will be raised by one level, and priority will be given to the three good students and scholarships in the future. Ma Qianzu was like a machine gun, a few in a row, and everyone only nodded.

"Everything Chairman Ma said goes straight to the point, and I would like to add one point below." Bai Siwen, a member of the judicial council, said, "Comrade Lin Youde, who was in charge of security work in Dingyuan Fort, was careless before the war and did not make a detailed plan for a possible attack, which caused a certain amount of confusion. I believe that Comrade Lin Youde may have been derelict in his duties to a certain extent. Here, I suggest that the Executive Committee conduct an investigation into Comrade Lin Youde. ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone fell silent. Who didn't know that Lin Youde was Xiao Bailang's favorite general, and if he couldn't get along with Lin Youde, he couldn't get along with Xiao Bailang. If you can't get along with Xiao Bailang, you can't get along with Chairman Ma......

However, since some members of the Executive Committee have questioned Lin Youde's work and have sufficient reasons, the proper procedure must still be respected. After consultations, a joint investigation team from the War Ministry, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior was soon formed. The investigation team will set off for Dingyuan Fort tomorrow to focus on investigating whether Lin Youde was derelict in his duties and made mistakes in command during the "13 July Incident."