Zhang Wei greeted him. I saw a bloodied officer of the security regiment, next to him was a man in a tunic suit, about fifty years old, behind him were seven or eight white-haired old men on crutches, trembling and walking on crutches, and the steps of the people were frightened, and there were a few young men with a pole carrying a large box, seeing this situation, Zhang Wei also understood, obviously a respected squire and representative in the town, most of the people in the group were old men, and it was not a problem to be Zhang Wei's grandfather.

However, the people who came were very embarrassed, disheveled, and seemed to have been poisoned by the war.

In later generations, it can be regarded as a group of folk representatives, and they are all the core figures of a town.

Qiu Wei said: "Regiment leader, these should all be highly respected people in the town, and the squires in my hometown are all dressed like this." ”

"Take a few quick steps."

After Zhang Wei and Qiu Wei passed, Zhang Wei took the initiative to salute a military salute to show respect for the old men.

"You have suffered, below is Zhang Wei, the commander of the Second Field Supplement Regiment of the Fifth Army of the Army, this time he was ordered to suppress bandits and reinforce Miaotou Town, we are late, and the people in Miaotou Town have suffered."

"Commander Zhang, why do you say this, why do you say this, early this morning, I thought that this town could not be defended, if it wasn't for your troops arriving in time, our Miaotou Town would have been taken down by thieves long ago, you are the life-saving benefactor of all the people of our Miaotou Town."

About fifty years old, the man in a tunic said, this man had a blue sky and white sun badge pinned to his clothes, his clothes were full of dust, the corners of his clothes were burned in half, his feet were wearing leather shoes stained with blood, his hair was gray, his face was stained with smoke from artillery fire, and his words were extremely earnest, all bloodshot and tears glistened in his eyes.

This person's words and performance are definitely touching real feelings, but a stranger suddenly feels uncomfortable talking to him like this.

"Protecting the people is our business, dare I ask you?"

The man sighed.

"The contemptible person is Tian Boxian, the mayor of Miaotou Town, this hero is the battalion chief Liu of the security regiment, these old men are the virtuous and old men of the town, they are all respected people in the town, the life of the whole town hangs by a thread, I just heard that the army came to rescue, and they all came to thank him" Tian Boxian, the mayor of the town, introduced to Zhang Wei.

"I see."

It turned out to be a town mayor, Zhang Wei glanced at this Tian Boxian, and secretly praised it in his heart, although this person is sloppy, but he has been in the army for many years, and Zhang Wei, who is often on the front line, knows at a glance that this Tian Boxian is on the front line of the battlefield, so he has made his body like this, a town mayor, can be on the front line, it is also commendable, no wonder this Miaotou town can survive under the siege of two thousand bandits until now, and it is really fortunate to have a responsible parent official.

Zhang Wei said: "Mayor Tian, elders, virtuous people, assisting the local bandits and protecting the people is originally our business, since it is a matter of duty, there is no need to go out of the town so much to thank, the town has just been out of danger, you old people and virtuous people might as well go back to the town to recuperate and lead the people to restore order." With us, we can rest assured that we will not allow bandits to harass the people again. ”

An old man with a gray beard took a few steps forward: "Chief Zhang Gaoyi, your department rescued the people in the fire and water, the old man is grateful, the old man is in the temple, early this morning, he was ready to die with the town, and asked his family to prepare the root of the hanging rope, but in the end he heard the news of the army coming to help, and was very excited, you saved the life of the old man, but also saved the lives of the women and children of the people in the town. ”

After speaking, the old man put down his crutches and pushed the hem of the robe, and was about to kneel down in front of Zhang Wei.

"I can't do it, I can't do it." Zhang Wei hurriedly supported the old man, the old man knelt down for him, Zhang Wei couldn't stand this worship.

Qiu Wei on the side also held the old man's arm and said: "Old man, we are soldiers, and it is our duty to fight bandits, we can't afford to kneel down like this." ”

Helping the old man up, the old man pointed back.

"Sir, you saved the lives of the whole town, the old man and the virtuous people, as well as the mayor of Tian Town, prepared some small gifts, and I hope that the chief will smile and open the box quickly!"

The young man behind him opened the box, and in a large mouthful of the box, it contained a roll of red paper that sealed the ocean, and the ocean in this box, at least two thousand yuan, was a lot of money.

Zhang Wei's face tightened: "This is not a word, we have already said that it is a matter of duty, and if you send us this money again, you are humiliating the officers and soldiers of our whole regiment, the old man, Mayor Tian, we will never accept this money, we have said it many times, the things within the division, the things within the division, how can you still be called a soldier?" ”

"Mayor Tian, please take back this money, the temple has just finished a battle, and the town also needs money to rebuild, this money should be used for the people, my surname Zhang is absolutely impossible, this money, not only can I not ask for it, I also want to help the people in the town."

"Just now we defeated the bandits, seized a lot of grain, more than 40 catties, the people in the town have just been released from danger, food must not be abundant, these grains were robbed by the bandits, and it is natural to return them to the people, Qiu Wei! Then transfer the military rations from the regiment, and gather 100 catties from the bandits, use them as pacifying food, and send them to the people of Miaotou Town, and they will do it in a while! ”

"Yes! When the brothers finish cleaning up the battlefield, I'll do it right away! ”

Qiu Wei said.

Zhang Wei will definitely not accept this money, he is not used to collecting money in wars, what is the difference between doing this and the old army? Besides, he had already collected the bandits' property captured in the battle, and he would never touch the money in Miaotou Town.

Tian Boxian and the old man in front of Zhang Wei glanced at each other, and just as the two were about to say something, they were blocked back by Zhang Wei.

"Needless to say, I am used to fighting in the lower part of the country, and now the town needs to appease the people and prevent chaos, this batch of grain is a necessary commodity, and it must be accepted."

Tian Boxian and the old man looked at each other, very surprised, the two of them are in their fifties, one is old, the army has seen a lot of people coming and going, and today is the first time to see the army that does not collect money and sticks upside down.

Zhang Wei was determined, this Tian Boxian and others, had to accept the food, after some thanks, Tian Boxian and a few people left, Miaotou Town has just been released from danger, there are indeed a lot of things, but before leaving, the officer of the security regiment was left by Zhang Wei.

This person's name is Liu Jin, is the main force to defend Miaotou Town, is a battalion commander of the provincial security regiment, this time Miaotou Town was besieged, it is a half-battalion security regiment under his command, only to withstand the repeated attacks of two thousand bandits, otherwise, with Miaotou Town's own security team and Qingzhuang, militia group, this town has long been broken by bandits, Liu Jin is indeed not given in vain, this person was originally an officer in the Gui army, the Great Revolution, the Northern Expedition period from the army, from the small soldiers step by step, and was transferred to the provincial security regiment as a battalion commander.

This person's combat experience and command ability are good, and the experience of suppressing bandits is not weak, he is a good hand at fighting, relying on a battalion and a half, withstood the attack of the bandits for a day and a half, and when He Jinhai's engineer company attacked in the morning, Liu Jin led people to cooperate with He Jinhai to fight a counter-assault, and the action was very decisive, but Liu Jin's men also fought only more than 100 people, and suffered heavy casualties.

Zhang Wei said: "Battalion Commander Liu, in this battle, your security regiment is the new force, supporting the bandits' attack at its fiercest, I am ready to hand over all the guns and bullets we captured in this battle to your department, which will handle and use them, and it will not be in vain for the brothers to fight." ”

Liu Jin said gratefully: "Thank you, Chief Zhang!" This time, my subordinates suffered heavy losses, their weapons were also exhausted, and the bereavement was also a matter, so if I had to give an explanation to the above, then I would be cheeky and accept it. ”

Zhang Wei said: "You're welcome, but I still need some information to understand, this time to crack down on bandits, we almost didn't give information, and we need to know ourselves and the enemy to fight, Battalion Commander Liu has rich combat experience, I hope to give me a detailed explanation of the bandits." ”

Liu Jin nodded: "I know everything." ”

"Sir Zhang, I'll make a long story short, there are two bandits who are active now, that is, the two that hit Miaotou this time, one is a local bandit in Guangxi, the bandit leader is called Xie Ziqing, he was a waterway runner in his early years, and later fell into the grass, he is an old bandit, he has two thousand five or six hundred guns, he is very strong, very well-equipped, the militia and the security regiment have suffered Xie Ziqing's losses, and even our regular army in Guangxi has also suffered deflated, and there is another bandit who attacked Miaotou this time, and I am also fighting with them for the first time. I've heard it before, and according to my judgment, it is likely to be the bandit Zhu Xiangyu under the Xiangxi bandit Peng called the donkey. ”

"Bandits from the two provinces in tandem?" Qiu Wei on the side asked.

"Yes! There are not many Zhu Xiangyu bandits, around a thousand people, but the combat effectiveness is very strong, the firepower is also fierce, in the morning they almost broke the town, fierce and ruthless, firepower, equipment, are above Xie Ziqing, when the Japanese army invaded Hunan, they took the opportunity to search for a lot of weapons and equipment of the national army and the Japanese army, there are guns and cannons, you must not underestimate it, Peng called the donkey is a member of the bandits, this Zhu Xiangyu is also a general under his command, for many years as bandits, very cunning, understand tactics, and have rules for fighting, this time, their two families are connected in series, in Quanzhou, Miaotou, The Hunan and Guangxi borders were looted on a large scale, and many villages were devastated, and the old nest and the main activity area were in the Huangshahe Town in the south and the Wenqiao area in the north. ”

Liu Jin's words made Zhang Wei feel that the situation was very serious, and the two bandits together had more than 3,000 people, and their strength should not be underestimated.

"Well, thank you Camp Commander Liu, this information is important, thank you."

Zhang Wei said to Liu Jin.

Liu Jin: "It's all up to your Central Army." ”

"Camp Commander Liu rest assured."

Zhang Wei turned his head to look at Qiu Wei: "Qiu Wei, inform Zheng Yiqun in a while, the regiment headquarters will issue an order, the whole regiment will rest and guard in Miaotou Town for a day and a night, and early tomorrow morning, the whole regiment will be dispatched, waiting for specific orders, and take the initiative to ask the enemy to attack." ”

"Yes!"