There was no dry place in the swamp, and it was asking for trouble to sit on the ground. The third company, as a baggage force, carried more than a dozen ships converted into mud skids. After receiving the order to rest, the warriors sat down on the mud skid. The squad leaders counted their ranks and reported them to the platoon commander, who in turn reported the number to the company commander. During the whole process, the squad leaders counted the number of people and repeatedly told the soldiers not to talk and rest in peace.

Quiet marching and resting are the minimum rules of the army. A noisy army was merely exposing itself, and the operation was clearly a sneak attack, and there was no need for fanfare. Chai Qingguo got the information that 240 people from the second company were all there, and all the 240 people from the third company were all there. During the march, two soldiers of the third company broke their feet and could not be charged, and the other fighters could participate in the battle normally.

More than a dozen converted boats were lined up, and the soldiers sat neatly on the boats, crowded with people. The fighters either drank water silently or silently nibbled on dry food, and some very tired comrades leaned against their comrades and dozed off with their heads bowed. The squad leaders hurriedly woke them up and let them eat and doze off again. Chai Qingguo was very satisfied with this. With 480 soldiers who have received training for a minimum of more than two months, this is already a very impressive armed force. Chai Qingguo also participated in the march of tens of thousands of people and the battle. After that experience, he completely lost interest in the so-called tens of thousands. Nothing compares to a trained elite unit. If those tens of thousands of people had gone through today's march, they would have released the ducks a long time ago. These 480 people just haven't seen blood, and as long as they can fight a few battles, this group of people can become excellent soldiers. Chai Qingguo believed that these soldiers would at least not be worse than the Beiyang Army.

The scouting team had already dispersed far away, and these people had no signs of marching directions. The reconnaissance brigade specially set up by Chen Ke now has only two platoons, but they are all selected personnel. They are all between the ages of 18 and 22 and are considered to be truly elite. The scouts, who had moved in small groups of eight people, searched two or three kilometers to the left and right of the main force, and now they rolled back to the main force one by one like mud monkeys. Seeing these comrades who had suffered a lot, the soldiers who followed the march of the brigade burst into good-natured laughter. Although the march of a large army is already very hard, but human nature is always like this, some people work harder than themselves, and the mood will always be a little happy. At this time, the supplies carried by the large army were sufficient, and everyone handed water and dry food. The friendship between comrades was very strong at this time.

Six of the ten reconnaissance teams returned first, and all the other four reconnaissance teams sent back messengers, and the news they reported was really unexpected. "You found people, they are not Zhang Youliang's spies, but the people who came back to live?" Gao Yujie, commander of the Third Company, was very surprised by the news.

Gao Yujie came from Beijing with Shang Yuan, his ancestors were from Anhui, and he also followed Li Hongzhang's Huai army to conquer everywhere, and later settled in Tianjin. The family hopes that Gao Yujie can make a name for himself. As a result, Gao Yujie prefers machinery. Finally, in Tianjin Machinery Bureau, he worked from a technician to a foreman. The Gao family is still a "loyal and virtuous family", in the First Sino-Japanese War, Gao Yujie's two uncles were all killed, and in the Gengzi Incident, Gao Yujie's father and uncle were also killed. Gao Yujie himself and Qin Tongren guarded the factory together, and they also died in life. Since then, he has hated foreigners, and he is extremely dissatisfied with the reconciliation between the new minister of Beiyang, Yuan Shikai, and the foreigners. After the Gengzi incident, Gao Yujie joined the police force. Because he beat a foreigner in law enforcement, he had to run away. The past few years have also been very unfortunate, and then I met Qin Tongren by chance, and when I heard that Qin Tongren was going to come to Anhui, he simply went south with Shang Yuan. He was also from a military family, and he knew a little about military affairs, although he had no enthusiasm for overthrowing the Manchus, but he had no intention of defending the Manchus. He accumulated merit in the insurance regiment and became the commander of the third company during the expansion of the army.

Hearing the report of the reconnaissance unit that someone had begun to live in the swamp really surprised Gao Yujie. He didn't believe in such a thing at all. But the scouts who came back to report invariably assured him that these people were locals. Two of the scout units even informed them that there were people in their units who knew the people who were farming. These people who came to farm were some people who did not hide in the county seat during the flood. The water receded, and they rushed back to their homes from elsewhere. I just lived in this swamp. The correspondents of the two teams also informed that some of the men had fallen ill.

"In this way, send a scout team from each direction and bring all the people over first. If you are a patient, you should first use our stretcher to carry it back. "He Zudao is not only the political commissar of the second company in this battle, but also temporarily commands the reconnaissance team. After receiving the order, the reconnaissance team set off.

"Commissar, why bother so much?" Chai Qingguo was a little strange. Since they are locals, it must be a bit of a fuss to go out of their way to get them here. And these people are suddenly pulled, they must cry and cry, and the soldiers see this, the blow to morale is too fierce.

"That's right, since we're all locals, we don't need to care so much." Gao Yujie commanded the three companies to transport the baggage, which was already exhausting, and it would be even more troublesome to get a bunch of people over. He also supported Chai Qingguo's opinion.

"Company Commander Chai, Company Commander Gao, I know what you're worried about. But you say so many fighters, why are they fighting? He Zudao asked.

"Lay down Yue Zhangji, everyone has land to plant." Gao Yujie repeated the words of mobilization before the war, "Haven't you said it many times? ”

"You said that if we didn't provide running water, tens of thousands of people would have fallen ill if they didn't have the tap water we provided? How many people have died of disease? He Zudao continued to ask.

"This ......" Chai Qingguo and Gao Yujie couldn't answer. They, like everyone else, had never seen such a large flood, and such a natural disaster had turned their world upside down. However, under the leadership of the People's Party, there is an insurance regiment that works hard. Not many people died. Therefore, when the comrades discussed the flood issue in private, many people were a little surprised. Although natural disasters are irresistible, they are not so terrible. After listening to He Zudao's questioning, everyone had no idea how many people were going to die. If the People's Party continued to rule Fengtai County, it would not be possible to think that a few people would die. But without the BJP, it's hard to say.

"It's a good contrast. Without the leadership of the People's Party and the Insurance Corps, the life of the common people can be completely different. The soldiers are very sensible, and they will never shake the morale of the army because of this. I'm sure you'll see this comparison for yourself and you'll understand who to follow. For whom to fight. He Zudao said with great confidence.

Since He Zudao was so insistent, and the two of them had no objections, they stopped talking. It didn't take long for the reconnaissance team to return with a group of people from several directions. There are not many of these people. During the time they went back and forth, the warriors had already finished eating and drinking, and some had even slept for a while. The sharp-eyed warrior saw some ragged men coming here from a distance, and he raised his head to watch. Others noticed this anomaly and looked around.

The swamp is a bit like the mountains, it looks like it's very close in a straight line, but you'll have to take a lot of detours to get there. When the faces of the ragged people could be seen, some of the warriors could not help but cry out. Among those people were people they knew. Hearing the shouts of the fighters, the people who were called out also responded when they saw their acquaintances.

All the people have one thing in common, they are in rags. And the reconnaissance unit also carried several people on stretchers. By the time all the people had been brought before the troops, they had all disembarked and were barely lined up in the swamp. Seeing these hundreds of strong guys densely packed, the people didn't know what was going on, and their faces changed one by one with fright. Those who had acquaintances in the army hurriedly tried to get closer. Stopped by the scouts.

He Zudao asked an old man with a pleasant face, "Uncle, how did you get here?" ”

The old man didn't know He Zudao, and he was pulled by the scouts who suddenly appeared, which was enough to be afraid. If these people with knives and guns say the wrong thing, no one will know if they are killed in such a deserted place. But it didn't seem to be okay if he didn't say anything, and He Zudao still asked the same thing with a pleasant face. The old man suddenly pointed to a soldier in the team and shouted, "Liuwazi, come here." ”

The soldier who was called was called Lu Xiuren, the sixth in the family, and the old farmer was the same family. He knew that the insurance group had no ill will towards the people, but the training in these days had made Lu Xiuren have enough discipline. The platoon commander did not speak, and he did not dare to go out of the ranks himself. He Zudao beckoned to Lu Xiuren and asked him to come over. Then He Zudao said loudly: "Fellow villagers, if you know the soldiers of our army, you let them come out of the ranks." ”

As soon as he said this, all the villagers craned their necks to look at the soldiers of the insurance regiment. As long as you can find someone you know, you are much less likely to be harmed. As soon as Lu Xiuren arrived at the grandfather of the family, the old man grabbed him and said, "Sixth baby, you have to tell me, I'm not a bad person." He's not a bad guy. Lu Xiuren comforted him and looked at He Zudao in embarrassment.

About a dozen fighters were recognized and called out. The villagers pulled the soldiers one by one to ensure their safety. After the persuasion of these warriors, the villagers finally understood that these people were not coming for themselves, and they calmed down a little.

When such a scene came out, the soldiers originally thought it was a little funny. But looking at it, the smiles had gradually disappeared from the faces of the soldiers. People have compassion, and these people have one thing in common, that is, they are in rags, and they are thin because of lack of food. And I don't know how long they haven't bathed and washed their clothes, the stains that have accumulated for a long time are not only compared to the common people, but the soldiers of the insurance regiment have worked hard these days, but the food is acceptable, and even slightly better than what they ate before the disaster. Coupled with hygiene, training, and tanning, although the sun is tanned, the mental outlook is obviously several grades better than that of these people. Looking at these people, one by one they are so thin and weak, looking at them almost as soon as the wind blows, they are about to fall. The warriors couldn't help but think of their old days. If they hadn't joined the insurance group, they would not be much different from these people in the face of such a big flood. This feeling of sadness for the dead rabbit and the fox makes everyone feel a faint sense of happiness and deep sympathy.

"Folks, the water hasn't receded yet, why did you come back?" He Zudao asked again. Chai Qingguo and Gao Yujie are both impatient and impatient for civil work. Seeing that He Zudao is so meticulous, he is reluctant to interject. The political commissar of the Third Company is named Wu Liao, who is recognized as a "good person", and there is no problem in letting him obey orders, but it is not possible to let him engage in political work. Chen Ke also did not let Wu Liao temporarily serve as political commissar. He's the only one who looks to the ground now. So all eyes fell on the young He Zudao.

Under He Zudao's repeated inquiries, the villagers finally agreed, and some people said that they wanted to farm quickly. Some people say that the food for escape was blocked by water, so they had to come back. However, their answers were flickering in their words, and they were completely out of the question.

He Zudao suddenly asked: "This is close to Yue Zhangji, is the land you want to plant now your own?" ”

As soon as these words came out, all the people changed their faces. The old man's thin and yellow face twitched, and he suddenly knelt down for He Zudao. This startled He Zudao, and hurriedly went to help the old man. But the old man hugged He Zudao's calf and knelt on the ground without moving. How dare He Zudao let an old man who is dozens of years older than himself kneel down for him. I hurriedly pulled the old man, but the clothes on the old man's body didn't know how long he hadn't changed, and in this flood day, he had been soaked in sweat and sewage, and with a little force, his clothes were immediately torn apart.

Not only the old man, but also other people knelt down. "Pick everyone up." He Zudao shouted. The fighters hurried to help. As a result, no one was willing to get up. The old man saw that He Zudao was not courteous to him, and immediately cried loudly, and said while crying: "This descendant, we really have no choice. I couldn't escape from the famine, and all my belongings were flooded. We have a little seed left, and everyone is discussing, but it's all a death anyway, and no one cares about it while the land is barren now. It's better to plant some first, see if you can harvest some food, and you won't starve to death this year. In the future, we are all villagers. If you drive us away, or take away our seeds, we will be dead. If you have knives and guns, if you want us to die, just kill us now. and it will not make us suffer to sin. God doesn't let people live, you descendants must let us live! If you don't want us to live, you give us a good time. ”

This time the old man said while crying, although his voice was not very clear, the content of this answer was clear and clear. Listening to the old man's crying, the other people also cried. He Zudao's face was gloomy, and the soldiers were also gloomy. Although Chai Qingguo didn't understand Anhui dialect very well, he probably understood the meaning. Gao Yujie lowered his head and sighed heavily.

He Zudao gave up trying to pull up the old man, although his movements were a little slow, but He Zudao bent his knees and knelt down.

"Uncle, we're not here to collect your land. We're not here to steal your food. We ......, we are here to save you, we are here to save everyone. You have to trust us in that. After saying this, He Zudao raised his head and shouted, "Hurry up and bring water and food for the villagers." ”

When the soldiers heard this, they almost swarmed. The villagers were really shocked when they heard He Zudao's words. But the young man who was obviously the leader knelt in the muddy water like them, and the countless young people who came up around were holding bamboo tubes and steamed buns in their hands. The smell of food surrounded these hungry people. I don't know who grabbed a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth. Others, men and women, young and old, grabbed steamed buns and began to eat them. After a few bites, a big steamed bun is gone. Because they swallowed so hard, almost everyone choked. The fighters hurriedly opened the stoppers of the bamboo tubes and let everyone drink water. The refreshing tap water is mixed with the fragrance of bamboo. Everyone took down the steamed buns in their throats, and immediately picked up other steamed buns and began to stuff them into their mouths. But almost every soldier has steamed buns in their hands, and looking at this food that they haven't eaten for a long time, these people's eyes are shining. He Zudao helped the old man up, took the steamed bun and bamboo tube from the soldier next to him and gave it to the old man. "Uncle, let's finish eating first."

Wu Liao, the commander of the third company, hurriedly shouted: "Don't let them eat so hard, they will support the bad people." As he spoke, he told the fighters to leave. When the people heard this, they were anxious. Seeing the steamed buns leave them one after another, they bite the steamed buns in the innermost part and pounce on them to snatch the steamed buns from the soldiers. Stuffed into a dirty torn garment that I couldn't see the original color. A steamed bun fell into the water. A thin woman who couldn't tell her age hurriedly picked it up, and her feet slipped, and her whole body fell into the muddy water. The soldiers hurriedly pulled her up, and the woman didn't care that her face was covered with muddy water, she threw herself on her knees and touched everywhere in the muddy water, trying to find out the steamed bun that fell in the muddy water. Her hands slammed into the muddy water, and she felt like crazy.

The old man watched as everyone else ate the steamed buns, and took a few bites himself. Suddenly, the old man cried loudly again, "Housheng, you are a good person." You are our savior. After speaking, the old man knelt down for He Zudao again.