Pu Guanshui studied military knowledge in Germany, and the German ** team's tradition of rigor and discipline is at best old-fashioned and dogmatic. Since Pu Guanshui entered the military academy, he has been indoctrinated day after day. Perhaps because of this kind of education, Pu Guanshui is an unpopular and ununderstood existence in the Beiyang New Army. Acting with the insurance group this time, Pu Guanshui's heart was not as others thought, thinking that he should be the rightful leader of this small army. On the contrary, since he accepted Chen Ke's order, Pu Guanshui believed that he was completely in the position of a person in charge in this operation. Although he is a high-ranking deputy commander of the Anhui New Army, he can be regarded as a high-ranking official in Anhui. But in this operation to pick up new officers and soldiers, Pu Guanshui considered his position even below the commander of the insurance regiment. What Pu Guanshui had to do was only to manage the troops subordinate to the New Army well, not to take over all the command in the first place.

If others can know Pu Guanshui's true thoughts, whether it is the insurance regiment or the new officers and soldiers, I am afraid they will be surprised. But Pu Guanshui didn't think that his attitude might be called "noble conduct", and he never thought of promoting himself. Completely complying with his own character and choosing his own position according to the current actual situation, Pu Guanshui is such a person.

What Pu Guanshui wants to do is his own business. Others are not obligated to understand or support Puguanshui unconditionally. In the whole fleet, everyone has a lot of respect for Puguanshui. The leader of the fleet this time was Zhang Yu, the head of the water detachment of the insurance regiment, whose military rank was equivalent to that of deputy regiment commander, and he was also regarded as the top seven senior officers in the army. After hearing the gunshots, Zhang Yu, who was studying the route and schedule of this operation, immediately rushed out of the cabin to observe the enemy's situation.

There shouldn't be any suspicious presence nearby, and if there were, the Scout should have reported it a long time ago. In fact, when Zhang Yu was looking around, the scouts on the mast were also trying to observe. Then, the gunshots rang out again, again alone.

"Captain Zhang, the one who put the gun should be behind that dirt slope." The scout confirmed his position and shouted at Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu looked in the direction of the scout's finger, it couldn't be called a dirt slope, a hill blocked his vision. Until now, there were no signs on the ridge line of the hills, and it didn't look like there was some ambush. If it was normal, Zhang Yu would definitely order the fleet to speed up and leave this land of right and wrong. However, this time he was a little hesitant, because the plan was that the fleet would move less than ten miles forward, and a large number of officers and soldiers returning home would be put down. Zhang Yu also sailed on this river many times, and Chen Ke ordered the fleet to find out the situation on both sides of the river as much as possible. Zhang Yu thought about it, and simply went back to the cabin and checked the map. Sure enough, in the approximate place where the gun was fired, there was a town named Liujiapu. There's also a fence on the other side of town. Since there was no ambush, Zhang Yu estimated that something happened to Liu's shop. Looking at the march route and roster again, Liujiapu is the hometown of two soldiers of the Anhui New Army.

Now, Zhang Yu can't make his own decisions. Pu Guanshui's attitude of cooperation has always been very satisfying, but when it comes to the Anhui New Army, Zhang Yu thinks that he must communicate with Pu Guanshui. While ordering the fleet to maintain first-level alert, Zhang Yu took a small boat and rushed to Puguanshui.

"What is Captain Zhang going to do?" Pu Guanshui asked after listening to Zhang Yu's introduction.

"I'd like to send a couple of people to see what's going on." Zhang Yu's answer is very traditional and conservative. However, this is the most normal response.

"There is a Liu family shop near here, and two brothers from the New Army disembarked here. Since you want to send someone over, how about letting the two of them lead the way. Pu Guanshui asked.

Working together in the past few days has made Zhang Yu's understanding of Pu Guanshui deeper and deeper. Pu Guanshui is not a gentleman type of person at all, he studies the marching route every day in addition to reading books. usually doesn't say a word, and when it's time to speak and do things, Zhang Yu has never been disappointed. Based on these alone, Zhang Yu respects Pu Guanshui very much. The soldiers of the insurance regiment may not know that the People's Party is ultimately going to violently revolutionize, but Zhang Yu, as a high-ranking military officer, naturally cannot not know. The relationship between Pu Guanshui and Chen Ke is very "iron". Zhang Yu has no doubt that Pu Guanshui will become his revolutionary comrade-in-arms in the future. Although he also has some thoughts about status in his heart, Zhang Yu thinks it is a very good thing to be able to cooperate with Puguanshui. Since Pu Guanshui made a reasonable suggestion, Zhang Yu naturally would not object.

"I'll draw three more people and let the five of them go together. The fleet stood still for the time being. What about the unification of Pu Xie? Zhang Yu asked.

Pu Guanshui thought for a while, "I think the fleet is still moving according to plan, and it is not easy to dock in the barren mountains and mountains here." It is also inconvenient for the troops to go up and down. We are still anchoring at the planned ferry. If you need to use a large army, at least you know how to go, even if it is a battle, it is easy to organize. ”

Zhang Yu actually didn't want to really go into battle, his task this time was to pick up people, not fight. So his original idea was just to find out the situation, as long as he didn't delay his work, he could not see it all. But Pu Guanshui obviously doesn't think so. This made Zhang Yu a little surprised.

"Captain Zhang, I'm also thinking these days, under natural disasters, there are not characters like Wen Qing everywhere, who can let the people survive. Nor are the people the kind of people who would rather commit suicide. Who doesn't want to live. Wen Qing looked at the persecution of the landlord, he was already polite enough. really brought the comrades of the insurance group to fight one by one, can the landlords of Fengtai County be better than Zhang Youliang? But there is no such person as Wenqing in other places, and the people will not be so polite to the landlord. At this time, starvation is certain to death, but if the fence is broken, it may not be death. Pu Guanshui's voice did not have the slightest fluctuation in it, but simply stated the facts.

But Zhang Yu didn't just listen to it, "Pu Xietong, do you mean that you want us to help the people fight the fence?" ”

"It's not to help the people build a fence, my brothers in the New Army are there. If they want to fight, I can't stop them. Pu Guanshui's answer was very simple.

Zhang Yu was speechless. If you think about it carefully, Pu Guanshui's words are not unreasonable. If the people want to build a fence, the idea of the fleet will not be able to stop it at all. And the operation itself was mainly aimed at transporting new officers and soldiers. There is absolutely no reason to ignore the wishes of the new officers and soldiers to take care of those landlords who have nothing to do with it. But in this case, the officers and men of the insurance regiment had to go into battle. This clearly conflicts with Chen's orders.

Looking at Zhang Yu's embarrassed appearance, Pu Guanshui smiled and said, "Captain Zhang, don't worry, I will never let the brothers of the insurance group fight in vain." And I will never ask my brothers to help guard the fence. If they want to fight the fence, I will take them to do it myself. What everyone wants is the food in the fence, not the life of the landlords. But in a hurry, so many people died, and once the fence was broken, the landlords would have to die with the whole family. I also think about the landlords. If they are willing to release the grain, they will naturally settle the matter. If I really refuse, I will lead people to break the fence, and the landlords can at least save their lives. ”

Pu Guanshui's words were gentle and calm, but Zhang Yu felt that there was an indescribable pressure in it. Pu Guanshui is an official of the imperial court, and he personally led people to break the siege, isn't he afraid that the landlords will sue the officials? But Pu Guanshui's attitude is clearly not a joke. Zhang Yu suddenly wondered if Pu Guanshui had something to hide his own failures.

But you can't wait like this, the fleet has not dropped anchor, it is moving between words, and after a little more talk, the fleet is afraid that it will run to the destination not far away. "Let's send someone down to see it first." Zhang Yu said.

The boat carried five warriors to the shore and watched them climb the dirt slope without hesitation, and then disappear behind the dirt slope. Zhang Yu couldn't take his eyes away, he really wanted to be able to see what was going on behind the dirt slope at a glance. In this way, orders can be given early. Zhang Yu suddenly remembered a word that Chen Ke had used in military class, "battlefield fog". As a commander, before getting specific information, you can think that there is an impenetrable fog on the battlefield. And because of the problem of means of communication, even if the information is obtained, it is still outdated information. Therefore, it is necessary for the commander not only to have the determination to resolutely carry out the order, but also to have a prejudgment.

At that time, Zhang Yu felt that the word Chen Ke was too literary, but looking at the dirt slope that was absolutely impossible for his line of sight to penetrate, although he knew that his subordinates were acting, what they saw, Zhang Yu would never know before they came back.

"If this happens, you must firmly carry out the order to the end." Chen Ke's words echoed in Zhang Yu's ears again. Turning his head again, he saw that Pu Guanshui was not excited or looking, but sat back at the table and studied the map. It is exactly what Chen Ke said about resolutely carrying out orders. Zhang Yu suddenly understood one thing, compared to Pu Guanshui, at least for now, he is indeed inferior. While Zhang Yu was bothered by something completely unknowable, Pu Guanshui had already begun to prepare for the next thing by studying the known information of the map. As a soldier, Pu Guanshui is indeed above Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu originally wanted to follow Pu Guanshui to look at the map together, but he thought about it that as the commander of the fleet, it was not his task to read the map. Command the flotilla to dock, offshore. Sending people and picking them up is their own task. Since Pu Guanshui is the commander who leads the new officers and soldiers in Anhui. Then Zhang Yu himself must do a good job of picking up and dropping off. He called his subordinates and gave the order to speed up. The flag of the signal corpsman was passed from one ship to the next. As the order arrived, the sails were drawn high, the oars were lowered into the water, and the speed of the fleet was quickly raised.

Of the five people in the reconnaissance unit, four were soldiers of the insurance regiment, and only one was Zhou Yisheng, a soldier of the New Army. As soon as we climbed the hill, we encountered the terrible ground below. No one had been here for a long time, and after months of flooding, the soft soil was covered with a thick layer of fine sand, and the sand had no cohesiveness at all, and it could not retain water, and it was dried by the sun, and the gray-white ground showed a cracked appearance. The soft sand looks angular, but when you step on it, it completely collapses. Everyone walked deep and shallow on this desert-like cracked land, although they wanted to increase their speed, but the ground conditions were too bad to go fast at all.

And the flood soaked for months, and the trees, the grass were drowned. The sun has dried up and scorched the dead plants these days, and if it weren't for the scorching sun on their heads, people would sweat quickly, and the surrounding scenery would seem to be a dead field like early winter. No birds, no beasts, no insects. It's a little creepy quietly.

Fengtai County had already resumed farming, and Chen Ke had the foresight to get a lot of saplings to plant, and commanded the troops to cut down the dead trees. The grass also has specialized restoration. Coupled with the green crops growing all over the vast fields, Fengtai County has regained its vitality. It had only been three days since the soldiers of the insurance regiment left Fengtai County, and they marched violently into this completely unfamiliar, endless wilderness of death, and the huge contrast made them feel like they had suddenly entered an unknowable world. The comrades looked back at the hillside that blocked the river, and a single slope separated the two worlds.

Whether a soldier has undergone systematic and scientific training or not, his performance on the march is the most obvious. The fighters of the insurance regiment received a training plan developed by Chen Ke. In the knowledge of physical exercise that Chen Ke has studied, heavy physical labor is not exercise. The more physically demanding workers are, the more targeted and systematic exercise is needed. After receiving systematic training, the soldiers of the insurance regiment walked briskly and breathed much more steadily. It doesn't seem to be going fast, but it can maintain an average pace for a long time. Zhou Yisheng, a soldier of the Anhui New Army, was able to keep up at first, but he only walked for more than 20 minutes before he lost his breath. Seeing that the other comrades were not tired, he wanted to say something, but he didn't say it. Zhou Yisheng gasped for breath and worked hard to keep up with everyone's pace.

After walking for more than ten minutes, the leader of the squad said, "Rest for five minutes." The small unit stopped, and the soldiers of the New Army sat on the ground and refused to move. This was not the case with the soldiers of the insurance regiment, who first stretched their muscles and bones, and when they sat down, they raised their feet so that the blood in their feet could flow back as quickly as possible. Not only that, but everyone's hands were not idle, and they untied the leggings again and beat them again. While wearing leggings, he exchanged his own experiences.

The so-called five minutes is the time to rearrange the leggings. When everyone was done, they stood up and prepared to move on. Zhou Yisheng hadn't recovered yet, and was struggling to stand up, but saw two soldiers from the insurance regiment coming over and setting him up. The squad leader at the head smiled: "Walk a little longer and slip away, don't stop." ”

After saying that, the two men walked up with the soldiers of the New Army. Someone was holding it, and Zhou Yisheng felt a lot better. After walking for a while, I finally came to my senses. The breathing has also stabilized, and the steps are not so heavy. "These brothers, you don't have to mix them up. I'm much better, thank you so much. ”

The soldiers of the insurance regiment smiled, let go of Zhou Yisheng's arm, and continued to walk silently.

"Brothers, how did you practice?" Zhou Yisheng relieved himself and couldn't help asking.

"Don't think about anything, just move forward." The fighters of the insurance regiment gave an answer.

Zhou Yisheng couldn't figure out whether this was answering his own question or admonishing himself how to march. Although his body was able to adapt to such a march, no one was holding him, and he soon felt that his strength was insufficient, and he had to keep his mouth shut and try to keep up with everyone's pace.

After walking for a while, I went around the hill in front of me, and my vision suddenly opened up. A small plain behind the hills unfolded in front of everyone. As in the hilly terrain passed, the small plain is the same sandy land, the same grayish-white. The trees and grass are all yellow, lifeless. It was so empty and silent under the sun hanging high. But on the edge of the gray-white earth, it was mottled because of the human tracks.

A lot of people gathered there.

"What should I do?" The fighters of the insurance regiment asked the squad leader of the group.

The squad leader turned his head to look at Zhou Yisheng, who was standing there gasping for breath. Everyone couldn't figure out the situation at all, they were too far away from the crowd to see what was going on. However, there is no place to hide in this flat land, and if you get any closer, you will be immediately discovered by the group. Now the squad leader needs Zhou Yisheng to provide information that can be used as a judgment for the next action.

"My family lives here, I'll go over and have a look first." Zhou Yisheng noticed the squad leader's gaze, and he hurriedly said.

"Let Comrade Lu Zhengping go with you." The squad leader said, "Pay attention to safety, and run back immediately when you encounter danger." He couldn't help but confess again.

The soldiers of the New Army and the Insurance Regiment answered at the same time, and then ran towards the crowd. These two soldiers can be regarded as having seen the "big scene". Gatherings of thousands of people at every turn are commonplace for them. The hundreds or thousands of people on the other side shouldn't have made them feel so much pressure. But in this disaster year, everything is very different. Both of them have seen the miserable situation of the people, so many people gathered here, it must not be such a thing as a temple fair.

It was only a short walk before the people on the edge of the crowd noticed them. If it's normal, people won't pay much attention to it. But now most of the eyes were on the two soldiers. Their neat uniforms and powerful steps alerted the crowd. An invisible pressure made both soldiers feel very wrong. However, Zhou Yisheng had already seen his acquaintances in the crowd. He felt relaxed for a while, and then shouted, "Third brother, it's me." I'm a righteous student. ”

The person who was shouted was Zhou Yisheng's third brother, Zhou Yizheng. Seeing that the person who came was actually his younger brother, Zhou Yizheng was also very surprised. Especially the younger brother did not take the big road, but came out of the hilly area by the river, which made Zhou Yizheng even more confused. But the younger brother soon arrived in front of him, and when the two stood opposite each other, Zhou Yizheng saw that his younger brother's eyes were red, and tears had flowed out. "Third brother, why have you lost weight like this? Is Daddy okay? ”

Zhou Yisheng didn't expect that his brother was already skinny, or he could have thought of it, which is why Zhou Yisheng rushed back in a hurry. But when he saw it with his own eyes, Zhou Yisheng still couldn't help crying. Brother Zhou Yizheng's skin tone was relatively dark, but now his skin has changed to a blue and yellow color. The hair is like a dry weed, without the slightest luster, as if it can be broken at the touch of it.

My brother's limbs were very slender, and the skin on his arms, which were exposed to tattered clothes, was deeply wrinkled, like dead branches. It seems that he has been hungry for a long time. But Zhou Yizheng's abdomen bulged unusually high. These days, Zhou Yisheng is full of disaster victims along the road, and most of the victims are like the third brother Zhou Yizheng, with thin limbs, but because they have eaten something that they can't digest, their abdomen is so bulging. Probably something like Kannon soil.

Zhou Yisheng was originally very worried about whether his family could survive the flood, but he really felt very fortunate to see the third brother alive, and Zhou Yisheng was even more sad when he saw the tragic situation of the third brother.

"Mom and Dad, brother, sister, brother, sister, are they all okay?" Zhou Yisheng hurriedly asked.

"Old Five, are you really back?" Zhou Yizheng took his brother's hand and couldn't believe it. "You're in Anqing, thousands of miles away from here. You, why did you come back? ”

The Zhou brothers were immersed in the excitement of the reunion, but Lu Zhengping of the insurance group was far less moved. I don't know when, the victims have already gathered around. Lu Zhengping suddenly found that he and Zhou Yisheng were too conspicuous. The complexion and outfit of the two people are very ordinary. The insurance team pays great attention to personal hygiene, and both of them wash cleanly. In the midst of this group of parched, emaciated, filthy victims, it was simply dazzling.

Lu Zhengping couldn't help but lean towards Zhou Yisheng. Although the surrounding victims were miserable, they were different from those who were completely desperate, and the eyes of these people seemed to be burning with flames, and the eyes of excitement and indignation seemed to be a thousand feet of flames, which wanted to ignite everything around them.

At this moment, Zhou Yizheng suddenly burst into tears, and he cried and shouted: "The fifth, the fifth, my father and mother are gone." The little sister is also gone. My sister was sick and only had one breath left. The eldest brother and younger brother were swept away by the water, and no one could be seen. I'm sorry for them, I'm sorry for you. ”

Zhou Yisheng didn't expect such a misfortune at home, and after listening to the words of the third brother, the whole person was nailed to the ground like a lightning strike. He only felt that his brain was in chaos, his ears were buzzing, and the third brother's cry became unreachable. Zhou Yisheng's mouth subconsciously opened and closed, opened and closed again. It's like I want to say something, but I can't say anything. Suddenly, Zhou Yisheng was full of anger and grabbed the clothes on the third brother's chest. But the already tattered clothes were pulled so hard by him, and a large piece was immediately torn off silently. It seems that it has long been completely decayed. watched the third brother stagger like a withered leaf under the impact of his violent movements. The anger on Zhou Yisheng's face turned into grief in an instant, the third brother is also a well-known strong man in the village, and during the autumn harvest, he is also a tiger when he walks against three bags of grain, and he can make others look straight when he goes to the field and does farm work. Now he is thin and thin like this. Zhou Yisheng subconsciously always felt that there would be nothing big in the family. It's not that he doesn't know how terrible the flood is, but he has inexplicable confidence in the third brother. But the third brother has become like this, and he thinks he has done his best.

"Daddy! Mother! Zhou Yisheng let out a heart-rending roar, and then hugged the third brother and cried.

The crowd did not get the slightest agitation because of the brotherly meeting, and no one spoke. No one was moved, everyone stood still and said nothing. Except for the angry eyes, Lu Zhengping couldn't see any other emotions.

"Little Five! You're back! It's good to be back! It's good to be back! A middle-aged man parted the crowd and walked over. Lu Zhengping glanced at the middle-aged man, and his eyes fell on the man's hand. The middle-aged man had a pistol in his hand.

Zhou Yisheng didn't respond at all, just hugged the third brother and cried bitterly.

The middle-aged man grabbed Zhou Yisheng's shoulder, "Little Wu, don't cry." The fathers and elders are together today, and they have to go to find Liu Ba desperately. Starving to death is also death, and finding Liu Ba desperately is also death. You can't be cheaper, that old Wang Ba. You are a soldier, Xiao Wu, are you going or not? ”