At ten o'clock in the morning, the light snow was still falling, and the only beautiful Da Xian River Bridge north of Zhouzhuang had been occupied by the officers and soldiers of the fourth battalion of the Reading Regiment. Zhouzhuang, Chenjiabang, Nansha Village, Longfeng Village, and Yunting Harbor on the north and south banks of the bridge were all under the strict control of Xia Jian's first battalion, and all roads and water and land wharves leading to the north were blocked by heavily armed soldiers, and both sides of the eight-kilometer-long wide Xianjiang River between Baixian Lake and Dianshan Lake were all monitored by a 500-meter mobile guard post, and every household in villages and towns along the way was strictly ordered to close their gates, and anyone was strictly forbidden to go out for a single step, otherwise they would be punished as collaborating with the enemy.

On the wharf north and south of the Da Hyeon River Bridge, the wide flat-bottomed transport ships were firmly connected by the brothers of the engineer company with iron chains and horse nails, and the high-quality shipbuilding planks with thick planks were carried to the ship by hundreds of engineers, and then they were neatly spliced into two or two conjoined ships.

Half an hour passed, two 20-meter-long high-horsepower steamboats "suddenly" emitted thick smoke, each towing a long series of conjoined wooden boats away from the wharf, down the river, two companies of sappers picked up weapons to escort eastward, entered Dianshan Lake, turned left and sailed to the southwest of Baishiji.

On land, An Yi and Yang Bin, under the escort of dozens of guards, rode their horses to the gate of the Hu Mansion on the bustling street of Zhouzhuang Ancient Town and dismounted.

Under Ding Zhicheng's courteous introduction, An Yi strode forward and bowed his hand, politely greeting Hu Liangyong, the panicked and sweaty mayor and the richest man in the local area.

A young, beautiful and graceful little maid trembled and sent hot tea, just opposite An Yi's eyes when he turned his head, the delicate, beautiful, fair-skinned and clean little maid was suddenly stunned in An Yi's bright smile, her heart was beating wildly, and the ebony carved teapot in her hand almost overturned.

An Yi quickly stretched out his hand to support it, took the saucer with a smile, and placed it firmly on the delicate Nanmu low table, and politely said thank you to the little maid, which made the helpless little maid's face flush and stand restlessly, Yang Bin smiled when he saw this, and waved his hand to signal the little maid to retreat.

An Yi drank the best Longjing, smacked his lips and said happily: "Mayor Hu's famous tea is really extraordinary!" Ha ha...... Thank you so much, Mayor Hu, if it weren't for your selfless help, we wouldn't have been able to find so many ships, and our cannons would have been stuck in the snow of Baishiji, haha! I admire you when you think about it, I don't know how you got three big steamboats into this Xianjiang River? Whether it is Dianshan Lake or Baixian Lake, it is cut off from the outside waterway, how did you get it in the first place? ”

"General Hui, it was the British who divided each steamboat into three sections, transported them by train to Kunshan Station, and then transported them by car to Qingshuiwan Port in the northwest of Dianshan Lake, where they welded the hull and installed the machine, and finally pushed it into the water and drove it to Lao Yuan."

Hu Liangyong, who was half-crippled by the soldiers under Ding Zhicheng, hurriedly made a statement and did not dare to hide it at all. Even though he was sitting more than three meters away from the brazier, the sweat droplets the size of beans were still pouring out, so he had to keep wiping the sweat from his fat face as he spoke.

An Yi nodded, as if he had suddenly realized: "Mayor Hu is really powerful!" I actually bought off all the British who dared to shoot at our revolutionary army and civilians, good means, tsk! It is estimated that the freight of these two steamboats is almost enough to buy a new ship, and Mayor Hu is really rich!

I heard that your Hu family has been the mayor of Zhouzhuang for two generations, and half of the industries in Zhouzhuang Ancient Town are your Hu family, and you are much richer than your ancestors' old neighbor Shen Wansan! When I came from the south just now, I happened to pass by the ruins of the ancestral house of the Shen family in Shen Wanshan to the west of the town, and I thought of the destruction of a big family that called for wind and rain in the Ming Dynasty and was rich and rivaled, and I didn't feel a taste in my heart! ”

Hearing this naked threatening words, Hu Liangyong was finally so frightened that he knelt down with a "poof", crying and begging with tears streaming down his face:

"General, I beg you, spare my family! I, the mayor of the town, took it over from my father, and I have to pay 100,000 yuan in taxes to Kunshan County Ya and Sun Dashuai every year! I, Hu someone, have never done anything unreasonable in my life, please let my family go......"

An Yi didn't seem to see anything, and didn't say anything to the old and young of the Hu family who were kneeling together, slowly drank a few sips of tea, and smacked his lips to taste it, and then put down the teacup and smiled at Yang Bin.

Yang Bin nodded knowingly, "oops", and bent down to help Hu Liangyong, whose head was like pounding garlic:

"Mayor Hu, why are you bothered? Get up, we're not unreasonable people, everything is negotiable, come on, come on! Let's go inside and say, General An has urgent military affairs to deal with, I'll accompany you in and talk about it, don't bother him, my revolutionary army is still following behind, and it will come one after another soon, if you don't solve this matter well, you will be in trouble, and a few generals in the Political Department of our revolutionary army are not very easy to talk to......"

Yang Bin's few words from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Hu Liangyong's face was so frightened that his face turned pale, he forgot his wailing, and at the same time saw the hope of living, he hurriedly grabbed Yang Bin's clothes and cried again, and after a while, he stumbled and led the family into the back hall, grabbed Yang Bin's sleeve from beginning to end and begged for accommodation, and said that as long as he didn't kill himself and his family, he was willing to pay as much money as he could, if it weren't for Yang Bin's several guards shouting loudly, it is estimated that Hu Liangyong's hand would have grown on Yang Bin's sleeve.

In the hall, Ding Zhicheng glanced at the wooden door of the back hall that had just been closed, and said with a smile while spreading out the map: "Boss, I can be regarded as serving you, haha......"

An Yi smiled, and when he saw Hu Zi, Xia Jian, Gu Lao Er and others coming in in a hurry, he hurriedly waved his hand, and after everyone sat down, he pointed to the map and whispered:

"The problem of the artillery company's march is solved, together with Lao Ye's second battalion and Chen Zhibiao's third battalion, take a tugboat from Baishiji Wharf to Qingshuiwan Port in the northwest corner of Dianshan Lake...... There is only 14 kilometers of waterway from Baishiji in the southwest of the lake to the Qingshuiwan Port in the northwest of the lake, the lake is calm, the blue waves are vast, and you can arrive safely in two and a half hours at most, and after the artillery gets off the boat, you can go north along the east avenue of Bailian Lake for 12 kilometers, and you can shell Kunshan City. ”

After reading the map, the brothers were overjoyed, and Hu Zi thought for a while and turned his head and asked, "Zhicheng, how is the situation in Kunshan?" ”

Ding Zhicheng replied: "The situation is like this, the distribution of the strength of Duan Chenghuai's mixed brigade is basically clear, his brigade headquarters and a regiment are set up in the Tongfeng battalion in the city, the left side is close to the Kunshan County Ya, and his three regiments are stationed in Taicang County, 13 kilometers northeast, with about 1,400 officers and soldiers, and it is estimated that there is no combat effectiveness; The 2nd Regiment was stationed at Lujiabang Station, 8.5 kilometers east of the city, and this regiment had about 1,800 people, but it had an armored train, and I heard that two German guns of 155 caliber were installed on the train, which was a bit tricky; As for the well-known assault company, the unit was stationed alone in the barracks south of Huangyi Mountain, 7.5 kilometers east of Kunshan Station. This is a castle-like barracks with a long history, well-equipped and very strong, there is a stone lion with a height of one zhang at the gate of the barracks, about 80 meters away from the railway, condescendingly guarding the Yufeng Bridge in the east, the Rongxin Railway Bridge in the south and the south entrance of Yangcheng Lake in the west, it can be said that this barracks guards the north-south key point of the east-west transportation hub in the west of Kunshan, I request that this place be handed over to my guard company to solve! ”

The beards glanced at each other, and finally looked at An Yi together, An Yi nodded slightly, and asked softly, "Lao Ding, what are you going to do?" ”

"It's simple, just touch it in and fight each other in close combat, no matter how good they are, they are not as fast as my brothers." Ding Zhi replied with a hundred times sincerity.

An Yi waved his hand: "It's not impossible to do this, but the casualties won't be small, Lao Ding, you have to know the value of you and the one hundred and six brothers led by Dou Fang, there is really no need to fight with such a brave and unscrupulous company, it's not worth it!" ”

Ding Zhicheng's face turned red, and he said with some embarrassment: "Or...... When I get back, gather my brothers to discuss and come up with a better plan. ”

An Yi smiled: "I have a plan here, if you think it is feasible, you can adopt it, and let the mortar company support you in the attack." ”

"Boss, please speak!" Ding Zhicheng looked at An Yi excitedly.

An Yi pointed to Huangyi Mountain behind the military camp on the map, Ding Zhicheng hurriedly stretched out his head, and his beard also leaned on the map to listen intently, An Yi lowered his voice and explained his suggestions in detail like this, and then raised his head and smiled:

“…… In this way, as long as you let the second company of Lao Li train cooperate with your actions, you can easily annihilate the enemy inside, and their shell guns and flower machine guns will not be able to hit you at all, only to be beaten. However, I have one request, and that is to be completely annihilated! ”

After hearing this, the brothers were impressed, and Hu Zi assured Ding Zhicheng: "All threats from the east will be solved by us!" ”

Qu Muchen said confidently: "Give a battalion of guards at the station to the four companies of my teaching team to deal with!" ”

"The defenders in the city let me and the tiger head clean them up." Xia Jian said with a smile on his eyebrows.

An Yi looked at his watch: "It's twelve o'clock at noon, and the general attack will be launched at six thirty o'clock." Huzi, you immediately lead the first battalion to the Qingshuiwan wharf fourteen kilometers northeast, to prepare for the landing of the artillery company and the second battalion, the third battalion and the sixth regiment of brothers led by Ji Nan, and anyone you encounter along the way must take it with you, after controlling the wharf, block the surrounding villages and junction docks, and only allow you to enter but not leave, and at the same time let the two main battalions of the six regiments that went ashore sneak four kilometers to the north, and lurk here, so that they can hold this necessary place for their follow-up troops, and the attack mission in the direction of Lujiabang and Taicang will be handed over to the six regiments led by the chief of staff. The other four of their battalions were here within an hour, and I stayed behind to arrange for them to go by boat.

Remember, you must not let the slightest word reach the city of Kunshan in the north, and I authorize you to deal with any individuals and organizations that disobey military orders cheaply! ”

"Yes! This is the benefit of being a general, otherwise there is no right to give this order at all, haha! I'm leaving. Beard laughed.

The brothers smiled heartily, and An Yi turned to Gu Changfeng very seriously: "Tiger Head, immediately assemble the team, follow the beard behind them to quickly control Jinxi Town, nine kilometers to the north, and hurry up to eat dry food, I will arrive in an hour, and lead a battalion with you to set off." ”

"Yes!" Gu Changfeng left in response.

"Lao Qu, you also go and assemble the team, this place doesn't need to be vigilant, you concentrate the five companies of the teaching team on the north bank, and send the second company of the sharpshooter led by Instructor Li Fuqiang to set off with Lao Ding's guard company and mortar company. You lead the remaining four companies to follow a battalion. An Yi calmly ordered.

"Yes!"

Qu Muchen saluted and left in a hurry.

An Yi smiled at Ding Zhicheng, who was left last: "Old Ding, don't worry after the battle starts, at least you have to destroy more than half of the enemy's number before you can attack the barracks, and the lives of any of you and the brothers of the guard company are more expensive than that bullshit assault company." ”

"Understood! I know how to unfold. Ding Zhicheng saluted respectfully and strode away.

Yang Bin only came out of the backyard at this time, and when he saw An Yi, he first smiled brightly, and then whispered in his ear: "This old thing is really fucking rich!" Guess how much money he gave us? ”

"Look at your complacent, there's about 1.8 million, right?" An Yi said with a smile.

Yang Bin shook his head unscrupulously: "You are too underestimate Hu Caidong, as soon as they make a move, they will add gold bars to the ocean, a total of 1.7 million!" Lao Chang led more than 200 brothers from the logistics unit to pack bags in the backyard, and the communications company also went to help, and I wanted to use more than 40 pack horses, so I gave him a certificate proving that he took the initiative to send nearly 100 large and small ships to support the Second Division of the First Army of our National Revolutionary Army to fight against Sun Chuanfang's department, and was an enlightened gentry who supported the revolution, and told him that as long as he had this certificate, the revolutionary army that drove over again would not embarrass them. I estimate that this time he only took two-thirds of his cash, and he also had real estate worth more than 5 million yuan, jewelry, and two pawn shops in Kunshan City, which we couldn't touch or mention. ”

"Enough, enough! He can't do too much in everything, and I just hope that he won't follow the warlord in the future, otherwise this big family property will be cheap for the brothers in the brother's army. An Yi said with a smile.

"Report: The chief of staff is leading the four battalions of the sixth regiment to the west of the town." The herald flew in to report.

An Yi nodded: "Prepare the horse, I'll go to meet ...... Lao Yang, you led the logistics departments and the communication company to start later, and after I met the chief of staff, I immediately asked him to lead the main force of the Sixth Regiment to rush directly to the Qingshuiwan Wharf through Shangta Town, and the ships transporting Jinan should return to the wharf, and strive to complete the boarding in an hour, and join up with the first two battalions that arrived at Qingshui Bay as soon as possible, and decide for themselves how to attack Lujiabang and Taicang City. ”

"Yes, I'll leave it to the back." Yang Bin said with a smile.

An Yi and Shen Fengdao led their 50 guards to ride horses to the west of the town a kilometer away, and saw Xu Tingyao and Tan Fulie riding war horses from a distance.

"Xiao Yi, you guy is too fast, haha!"

Xu Tingyao turned over and dismounted and walked in front of An Yi, and gave An Yi a punch in return: "Tell me, how did you get so many ships?" ”

An Yi hurriedly explained that this was greatly assisted by the mayor of Zhouzhuang, who supported the revolution, and vigorously praised Comrade Hu Liangyong as an enlightened gentry with foresight, and then suggested to Xu Tingyao that he should rush to the wharf of Shangta Town without stopping and immediately take a boat to Qingshui Bay.

Xu Tingyao turned around and asked Tan Fulie if he had any difficulties? Tan Fulie confidently said that there was no problem.

An Yi immediately ordered Zhang Cheng, a soldier who had just been transferred to his side, to take out the map, spread it on the snow and carefully report the battle plan of the Reading Force Regiment to Xu Tingyao, and solemnly made a request to Xu Tingyao and Tan Fulie:

“…… I have asked Hu Jialin, deputy of the regiment, to suggest that the two main battalions of the Sixth Regiment, which had arrived in advance, sneak 10 kilometers north and lurk here, about 8 kilometers from Lujiabang Station...... After the battle began, the Lujiabang station must be taken, otherwise the large-caliber artillery on the enemy's armored train is likely to inflict heavy casualties on us. ”

Tan Fulie nodded excitedly: "It's now two and five o'clock, and at three o'clock our department can rush to the wharf of Shangta Town, which is five kilometers away, and we don't have any baggage, so the eight-kilometer waterway together with the time to get on and off the boat will take up to two hours, and the officers and soldiers can fully rest and eat in these two hours, if they can set off from Qingshui Bay before five thirty o'clock, using the speed of our regiment's cavalry company, it will only take forty minutes to reach Songhengguan, which is three kilometers south of Lujiabang, not to mention the three hundred war horses you left behind, More than 1,500 people from nearly three battalions have made a small station, which is enough, haha! After taking Lujiabang, the battalions will also arrive, and we can go straight to Shengjiabang and attack Taicang with the strength of the whole regiment, where there are only more than 1,000 defenders, which is easy to handle. ”

Xu Tingyao nodded: "It is feasible, this is the most direct and simple way to attack, it is to take it by surprise, and the two main battalions of the Sixth Regiment that arrived in Qingshui Bay in advance have such a long rest, there is no big problem." ”

An Yi happily put away the map, stood up and said to Tan Fulie: "Senior brother, remember to return the war horse to me after the battle." ”

"Xiao Yi, you kid is too stingy, aren't you? I know that you gave so many good things to the five regiments, haha! Don't take these horses back, I promise not to share the spoils of Kunshan City with you, this should be okay, right? Tan Fulie was so happy that he would never return the war horse.

An Yi turned to Xu Tingyao helplessly, and said aggrievedly: "Chief of Staff, Taicang is a famous and wealthy township, and there is a saying in Jiangsu and Zhejiang: Jin Taicang, Yin Jiading, Tong Changshu, Tie Chongming, Tofu Wujiang, Zhaohua Kunshan, Paper Paste Changzhou, Hollow Wuxian." Kunshan, where his subordinates fight, is a place full of flowers, but now it's ...... Justice is you! ”

Xu Tingyao laughed: "I didn't hear anything, haha!" Tan Fulie-"

"Here!"

"Let's go!"

"Yes...... Ha ha! Xiao Yi, goodbye to Taicang, haha......"

(To be continued)