Wu Cunxiao, a squad leader of a reconnaissance platoon, was pretending to be a porter, carrying a load of tea, three other soldiers, and a bunch of passers-by who were blocked in a hollow by the side of the road by several New Army scouts. On the mountain road not far from him, the troops of the 31st standard of the Hubei New Army were marching. From officers to soldiers, they didn't mean to be in a hurry, and they walked slowly on the mountain road one by one. The troops of more than 2,000 people were formed into a large group in two rows, like an extra-long roundworm that stretched out for several miles. At the forefront were the baggage troops, mules and horses carrying grain, and recruited men carrying heavy luggage. Although the speed of the baggage troops was very limited, they were still able to stay ahead of the group.

After looking at this team, Wu Cunxiao was stunned for a while. If the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had dared to march like this, I am afraid that the commander of the unit would have been removed from his post long ago. This formation is not a marching formation at all, although there is a problem of narrow mountain roads, but the troops have to be divided into multi-way marching columns according to their own units. In this formation, if there is a sudden attack, the whole team will immediately be in chaos. Wu Cunxiao knew that the Hubei New Army felt that the current section of the march was still very safe. When it really comes time to get close to the base area, they won't be so careless. But when marching in a safe area, you should always use a more efficient way of marching, right? The Hubei New Army claims to "win by learning" among the new armies, and this military quality is inevitably too child's play.

It was not easy to wait for the brigade to pass, and I was waiting for the new army in front of me to leave, but I saw more than 20 officers and soldiers walking in the direction of the depression where Wu Cunxiao was. This depression is a cul-de-sac of more than 30 meters formed by mountain rocks. It was not only Wu Cunxiao who stopped here, but also some people who were walking. They were all brought here by the Hubei New Army's exploration of horses. In total, there are more than 20 of these unfortunate people. Most of them look like businessmen. A group of several or a dozen people, and in each group there are people pushing wheelbarrows and carrying picks. Wu Cunxiao and three soldiers disguised themselves as tea sellers, Wu Cunxiao carried the burden, and the other three pretended to guard the tea burden. All four of them had braids, and they were inconspicuous in the crowd.

Seeing the New Army approaching this side, almost everyone's faces changed drastically. Some of the timid ones have already begun to retreat with their own goods. As the saying goes, "the people don't fight with the officials", not to mention that now they are facing thousands of Hubei new troops, in this barren mountain and wilderness, facing a group of Manchu Qing "Qiu Ba", it is strange that everyone is not afraid.

"Guys, what did you all bring?" The officer who questioned him had a fake smile on his face. This kind of weasel's smile on the chicken's New Year's greeting made everyone's faces change greatly.

"Don't be afraid, we are officials and soldiers, and we will not disturb the people." The officer continued to smile and said, "We are going to Anhui to disrupt the party, which has delayed your trip." This official is here to accompany you. ”

These businessmen are all knowledgeable, and if the officers come up and scold them viciously, then they will be extorted and they will be ruined. Now that the officer is speaking in an orderly manner, or if he has nothing to say, it is not a matter of extortion and some small money. This was a precursor to a massive hemorrhage. Even though they knew that they were doomed, everyone spoke. This is also human nature, even if you know that death is coming, but if you don't answer, you may die slowly.

Seeing that no one dared to answer, the officer still smirked: "It's not that I don't believe you, but you always have to be careful on the march." You are all carrying your loads and pushing carts. If there is a weapon in the car, I can't ignore it. I can't say it, I have to make everyone a little wronged. We're going to check your luggage. ”

As soon as these words fell, a timid businessman shouted: "Official, we are good people." We are not a chaotic party. ”

All the merchants broke Fang Cai's silence for a simple reason. The marching servicemen "inspect the goods" are to be robbed openly. At this point, the merchant could no longer remain silent.

The officer waved his hand, and the New Army soldiers behind him were already lined up with their rifles raised, their muzzles pointed at the group of merchants. The officer pulled down his face, "If you don't have a ghost psychologically, why don't you let us check." This shows that there is a ghost in the heart. Come on, bring those people out. As soon as the words fell, several New Army soldiers rushed forward, grabbed the merchant who had just spoken, and pulled him out. The merchant's partner wanted to stop it, but he didn't dare to really push the soldiers of the New Army. At this pause, the New Army officer had already raised his hand and pointed to the man, who was clearly a companion of the hapless merchant, "Bring these men out too." ”

The soldiers of the new army answered and immediately started to take the people. During the pushing, the soldiers of the Forces nouvelles suddenly shouted: "They have guns on them." ”

As soon as these words came out, both the officers and the soldiers changed their faces. Immediately a few more men rushed up, and pushed the merchant and his companion to the ground, and tied them up firmly. The soldiers searched the merchant's body, and sure enough, they found two pistols.

"Honestly, where are you the rebels?" The officer shouted.

The merchant was pinned to the ground, and around him were soldiers pointing rifles at his head, and the merchant shouted hoarsely, "Sir, we are serious businessmen." ”

"Serious businessman? What guns do you bring, serious businessman? The officer sneered.

"It's not safe on this road, and we bring guns for self-defense."

"Not safe? How can this be unsafe? You are talking bad about the court, what crime should you be guilty of? The officer continued to sneer.

Wu Cunxiao pressed his mouth with his hand, as if he was afraid that he would accidentally say the wrong thing for a while. He looked at the other comrades, and saw that they either bowed their heads or turned their heads sideways as if they were afraid. But from the subtle movement of the muscles on his face, Wu Cunxiao could probably see that the comrades, like himself, were holding back a smile, for fear of revealing their feet. This is really "Lang Lang Qiankun", everything that happens in front of you is enough, where can you say anything bad about the court.

The next thing is really not worth mentioning, and the old can't be old anymore drama is staged. Everyone was searched, and the goods on the road were opened and searched.

Wu Cunxiao and others did not bring pistols, but daggers. And his merchant corps had their own weapons. This variety of weapons was thrown to the ground, which was the "incriminating evidence" of everyone. Everyone was forced by the muzzle of the gun and did not dare to move. And these goods are nothing special, just some salt, cloth, groceries, tea and other common things. The Forces nouvelles took all these things away. Even most of the money on the people was taken.

The merchants wept, but what could they do but howl?

The officer sneered, "I don't know how many people I have killed in the new army, and you are your blessing if you have taken your life this year." With that, the new officers and men went away with the merchant's belongings and the "captured" weapons.

The businessmen who run the mountain road are all doing small business, how can they afford to be tossed like this. One by one, the proprietors wept to death. And the other transporters or bodyguards also wept silently with sad faces. The new army was really "heroic" when they "checked" the goods. Salt and tea were spilled on the ground. Although the cloth was taken away, it was also torn in many places. Some of the groceries were still dropped, but I don't know where the "anger" of the new army came from, and they deliberately trampled the groceries with their feet when they left. The grocer picked up the tattered groceries and held them in his arms, crying even more sadly.

Wu Cunxiao's face was gloomy, and his eyes were almost bursting with fire. Is this what the Manchu army was like on a daily basis? Although Wu Cunxiao has fought a lot of battles with the Manchu army, everyone knows on the battlefield, either you die or I live with a real sword and a real gun. Although Wu Cunxiao, as the victorious side, had enough pride, he did not have any special dislike for the Manchu army. Now that he has seen the evil deeds of the Manchu army against the people, Wu Cunxiao can't control his emotions. A strong sense of disgust burned his mind like a flame.

Fortunately, the People's Party did not give the Manchus a chance to wreak havoc in each war, and the People's Party completely annihilated the Manchu forces in each war. This is just an ordinary march, and the Manchus poisoned the people so much that if they were allowed to win the battle, God knows what these beasts could do. Just imagining it, Wu Cunxiao felt a chill in his back.

"Let's go." Wu Cunxiao said to his comrades. The comrades were also full of anger, and they followed Wu Cunxiao out of the crowd. There is no need to carry the burden, Wu Cunxiao feels that his pace is also a lot easier. After a few steps, he turned back again. Bending down and grabbing a handful of tea leaves mixed with soil from the ground, Wu Cunxiao clenched his fists tightly. He felt the pain in his palm being pricked by the tea stalks. I must pay these debts. Wu Cunxiao stared at the back of the long line of the new army, and secretly swore in his heart.

At a time when the Forces nouvelles were looting merchants, the BJP forces also encountered problems with merchants. The troops only kept them under temporary guard, and a march in a large army was not the same as a march in a small group. In fact, some trails may not be fast, and a few people may be faster. However, it is not possible for large troops, although they often have to take long detours, but on the whole, marching on the main road is more efficient for large troops. As a result, the merchants and mountain people encountered along the way could only temporarily restrict their freedom of movement. Wait for the large army to go far before they can be released.

The comrades who stayed to guard these people were very good at marching, and they were always able to catch up with the troops. This reassured Zhang Yu.

However, this measure lasted only two days as planned, and from the third day onwards, the troops advanced at full speed. All the soldiers on this march carried their own luggage and dry rations. According to the information constantly transmitted back by the reconnaissance units in the front, the distance between the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army and the 31st Target of the Hubei New Army has been shortened to less than two days. Moreover, the 31st standard is less than 30 miles away from Yingshan County, and the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army is still more than 80 miles away from Yingshan. If the 31st standard is allowed to enter Yingshan County, it will make a huge mistake in the entire battle plan. Therefore, the troops accelerated their march and must launch an attack before the new army in Hubei entered Yingshan County.

"Full speed ahead." Zhang Yu gave the order.