Leng Shu was defeated, and the defeat was taken for granted.

Waiting for work, the three battalions of infantry marched nearly 50 kilometers in one night, and encountered another cavalry regiment that had been cultivating for half a day, and it was impossible to be defeated.

But...

Leng Shu died...

"Dead?"

Yin Changheng, who was waiting for the good news in the municipal axe, was stunned when he heard Nian Ji, who rushed back, say this.

Yin Changheng has already come up with many results for this war, and Leng Shu's reversal or death in battle is naturally among them, but seriously speaking, the probability that Leng Shu will die is smaller in Yin Changheng's opinion than the chance of him turning the tables and winning Nian Ji, but it is the biggest to run away or be captured alive, so listening to Nian Ji say this, Yin Changheng naturally frowned...

Seeing that he and Yang Xincheng are very likely to compete for the position of the commander of the two group armies, if they can capture Leng Shu alive, counting the credit for winning Hefei, they will also have an advantage when fighting for this position—————— many times, the living are always more useful than the dead.

But now that Leng Shu is dead, his value will naturally fall.

Thinking of this, Yin Changheng frowned and said to Nian Ji.

"How did that Leng Shu die?"

However, hearing Yin Changheng ask this, the faces of Nian Ji and the regimental chief of staff who followed him became much stranger.

"This..."Glancing at Yin Changheng's face, Nian Ji said in a hesitant voice. That cold ...... Is it ...... It was trampled to death..."

"What?"

That's right, because it's too unlucky, this cold horse was indeed trampled to death...

It was still dark night, and Nian Ji led the cavalry regiment to rush to the front, but the new second division, which was lying on the ground and sticking out his tongue, was suddenly in chaos. In the chaos, Leng Yu, who had just mounted his horse, was also squeezed off his horse, and was trampled by hundreds of feet by the chaotic soldiers.

Of course, after being trampled on hundreds of feet, Leng Shu did not breathe on the spot.

But...

Just when Leng Shu was trampled on and only had one breath left, Nianji in the back rushed up with someone and stepped on it again...

It was dark at that time, and the cold slab in front of him had been stepped on by more than 100 people like mud, so when Nian Ji rushed up, he didn't notice that the "sludge" below was actually the cold shackle he had been looking for.

And by the time he reacted, it was too late...

Of course, it is impossible for more than a thousand cavalry to step on all of them, at best, they are only a few dozen.

But don't talk about dozens of numbers, tall Arabian horses, pure steel horseshoe, more than 100 catties of cavalry plus a full set of equipment, such a combination, come to a horse, even when the cold is intact, it is enough to bear. What's more, he was ravaged by more than 100 infantry just now? So just two or three riders just stepped on, Leng Shu had to swallow his last breath aggrievedly.

And the next twenty or thirty rides were to trample the cold after choking into meat sauce...

It took more than half an hour for Nian Ji to finally capture the soldiers of the New Second Division who had fled in all directions.

Of course, in the middle of the night, many of them must have escaped smoothly, and some of them also put up some resistance in the process of capture, so that Nianji's cavalry regiment suffered some casualties.

But none of this matters, whether there is a war or not, there will definitely be some casualties. It was precisely in order to reduce casualties that Nian Ji would choose to defeat him in a way that was tired when the whole army was tired, so that Nian Ji's Fifth Cavalry Regiment naturally suffered a heavy casualty drop.

Of course, there is a price.

It is obviously impossible to launch an attack when it is dark, and it is obviously impossible to wipe out the entire army of Leng Shu, after all, it is so dark that it is difficult to find a place to hide. But as long as you can reduce casualties, these are not a big deal.

What's really critical is...

Cold...

Leng Shu, the commander of the new Second Division, with the rank of lieutenant general, is also a stalwart in the Kuomintang, as long as he can be captured alive. Don't say that this battle is just a few mice, even if the remnants of the new second division run away, it doesn't matter, because the great achievement is in the hands of Nianji...

But the problem is that when all the routs of the new second division were captured, Nian Ji didn't find the shadow of Leng Shu, and asked those sturdy and sturdy soldiers who were tied, and they all said that they didn't see Leng Shu...

"Could it be a ghost?"

Thinking so, Nian Ji divided a battalion of soldiers and horses to search around, and continued to search among the rout.

In Nian Ji's view, the two biggest possibilities are that Leng Shu ran away, and the other is that Leng Shu pretended to be an ordinary soldier and hid among the captives.

As for whether the cold hung up? I really didn't think about it this year. After all, Leng Shu is also the commander of the new Second Division, and in Nian Ji's opinion, there must always be a lot of people around him, and when Nian Ji led people to charge, he didn't encounter any resistance, and the possibility of Leng Shu being killed in the chaotic army is too low.

It's just that after searching for more than an hour, Nian Ji's cavalry battalion came back, and the rout was so much that it caught a lot, but there was no shadow of coldness. And in the interrogation among the captives, even if the sky-high price of 500 oceans was offered, no one stood up to report Leng Yu.

At this time, of course, Nian Ji couldn't think that Leng Shu was too prestigious in the new second division, so even at this point, no one was willing to report him. So it didn't take long for Nian Ji to turn his gaze to the pile of dead people in the distance...

"That guy can't be dead..."

Thinking so, Nian Ji picked out a few officers from among the captives and asked them to follow him to the pile of dead people to recognize people.

To be honest, Leng Shu had already been trampled on at that time, and it was not easy to identify him.

However, as a lieutenant general and division commander in the Kuomintang, Leng Shu's lieutenant general uniform is the best identification. So it only took a short time for the few officers who were taken by Nian Ji to find Leng Yu's body...

"You didn't lie to me, did you?"

Looking at the lump of meat in front of him, Nian Ji frowned.

Seeing Nian Ji's appearance, the officers hurriedly replied.

"How dare I deceive my lord, this is indeed Senior Commander Leng..."As he spoke, one of the officers forcibly endured the feeling of nausea, pointed to the meat paste not far away, and then said to Nian Ji. Adults, please see, this ...... Although this meat paste is a little disgusting, he is wearing the lieutenant general uniform of Division Commander Leng, and in the entire new second division, only Division Commander Leng is the rank of lieutenant general, even the chief of staff and two brigade commanders of our division are only with the rank of major general, and the regiment commanders below only have the rank of colonel..."

Several other officers on the side also hurriedly echoed, saying that what he said was indeed correct.

Hearing a few officers say this, and then forcibly glancing at the meat paste in the distance with disgust, Nian Ji finally nodded.

Although the uniforms of the two armies are different, Leng Shu is not only himself, but even the military uniform on his body is tattered, but the rank and age on the military uniform can still be seen. So in less than a minute, Nian Ji recognized that the lump of meat was indeed wearing the uniform of a lieutenant general of the Kuomintang...

"It seems that this lump of meat is indeed cold, yes..."

Thinking like this, Nian Ji could only keep smiling bitterly, who would have thought that the dignified new commander of the Second Division would end up like this?

But in any case, the cold man has finally found —————— although it has turned into a meat paste in the uniform of a lieutenant general.

In the face of that lump of meat mud, Nian Ji had nothing to do, and finally had to ask his subordinates to sort out Leng Shu's remains, and then bring back the fatten—————— anyway, he always had to bring Leng Shu's corpse back, otherwise wouldn't others think that Nian Ji was lying about his war exploits? Although with the current appearance of Leng Shu, even if he brings it back, no one can recognize it...

The rest of the story is the one at the beginning...

After learning that Leng Shu was trampled to death, Yin Changheng was speechless for a while, and then it was inevitable that the rabbit died and the fox was sad...

In the final analysis, Yin Changheng and Leng Shu are both division commanders, although the gap between the two is very large...

Anyway, seeing Leng Shu end up like this, Yin Changheng was always a little sad. So when he learned that Nian Ji had brought Leng Shu's body back, Yin Changheng sent a telegram directly to Wuchang, first explaining what had happened, and then hoping to bury Leng Shu's body properly...

In Wuchang, Yan Guang also frowned after receiving the telegram sent back by Yin Changheng.

But then he agreed to Yin Changheng's request, because Yan Guang didn't think that Yin Changheng would deceive him for such a trivial matter, but in the end, Yan Guang still asked him to get a death certificate...

——————————

Just when Yan Guang and the others were still arranging Leng Shu's aftermath, in Nanjing, the people of Nanjing were also talking about the upcoming big war.

"It seems that I am afraid that Nanjing will encounter war again in a few days..."

Looking at a group of strictly guarded Kuomintang troops in front of him, a passerby said softly.

Hearing his companion say this, another companion of the passerby also nodded.

"yes, it seems that the war is inevitable..."

About two days ago, with the help of the Sichuan Navy Division and the Beiyang Fleet, Yang Xincheng easily took Ma'anshan.

However, after taking Ma'anshan, Yang Xincheng did not immediately wave his troops to attack Nanjing, but stayed in Nanjing for a period of time, waiting for the other army units to arrive one by one.

As for Nanjing?

After the loss of Ma'anshan, it was natural to go all out to block the news, but now Nanjing is mixed with dragons and snakes, Sun Yat-sen and others have just returned, and they don't have much control over Nanjing at all—————— or in the original time, Sun Yat-sen and others' Kuomintang didn't have much control over Nanjing, but now it's weaker...

So although Sun Yat-sen and others gave the order to block the news, in the end it was useless...

When they learned that the war was about to fall on Nanjing again, the people in the city also fled—————— the lesson of the second revolution was too deep, more than a month of siege, coupled with the fierce bombardment of Liu Guanxiong's Beiyang fleet on the river, not only the defenders of Nanjing at that time, but also the people of Nanjing City were also seriously damaged.

Therefore, when it was learned that the Nationalist Army was about to march to the city, almost all the people in the city ran away as long as they could, and those who couldn't run were sitting at home as if waiting for death. The guns are not long-sighted, and they can already imagine their fate when they think of the National Social Army that is about to come to the city.

As for the legal surname for this war?

In this world, there are still many smart people.

If it is said that when the newspapers have just published that the Kuomintang troops have taken the initiative to provoke the Kuomintang Army on the Hubei-Anhui border and that there has been a fierce fight, there will still be some people who are willing to believe that this is the responsibility of the Kuomintang, then the next second, the Kuomintang Army will declare war on the Kuomintang, and the troops of the Kuomintang Army will directly enter Anhui as if they have been preparing for a long time, there will be very few people who will think so.

It's just that...

What if someone finds out? Even if the excuse is far-fetched?

How many people care about the so-called public opinion? And the hearts of the people? How many times has this been the case?

What's more, the vast majority of the people have no interest in the so-called truth at all, and many people are very interested in announcing that Hubei will be exempted from all agricultural taxes like Sichuan and Guizhou after the Nationalist Socialist Army occupies Hubei.

In addition, after the Xinhai, the Northern Expedition and the Second Revolution, many people were tired of the chaos in China, so when Beiyang had been defeated, there were also many people looking forward to peace and stability, and at this time, the weak Kuomintang was the last and only unstable factor.

Under these circumstances, many people are even hoping that the Kuomintang will be defeated as soon as possible and that peace will come sooner rather than later. But few people care about this...

And the Kuomintang? After the news could not be blocked, some people once proposed to blockade Nanjing to prevent those people from fleeing out, but this suggestion was directly rejected by Sun Yat-sen, after all, this kind of thing is absolutely impossible.

Therefore, while probing the situation of the Ma'anshan Guoshe Army, Sun Yat-sen only ordered the two divisions stationed in Nanjing to carry out defensive work, and at the same time asked the two divisions of Chen Qimei and Li Liejun from Shanghai and Jiangxi to rush to Nanjing as soon as possible...

There are nearly 50,000 people in 4 divisions, and this number can't even catch up with half of the Beiyang Army in Wuchang, let alone in quality. Now that even the Beiyang Army has been defeated, it is conceivable how much confidence the defenders of Nanjing can have.

But no matter what, Sun Yat-sen and others have nearly 50,000 horses in their hands, and they will admit defeat if they don't fight, and they will never be able to do this kind of thing...

However, if Nanjing lost the First War, I am afraid that it will be the same as during the Second Revolution, and Sun Yat-sen and his family will have no other way to think of except fleeing. After all, the importance of Nanjing's position can be imagined, and Sun Yat-sen has concentrated all their strength in Nanjing.

However, while ordering the defenders of Nanjing to build fortifications, Sun Yat-sen also sent a number of envoys, hoping to stop, or at least postpone the war...

The Kuomintang Army stopped very happily, but it was not because of the news that the Kuomintang wanted an armistice, but for...

——————————

"This is it, right?"

"That's right."

Pulling at the branch, John nodded, and continued to lead the group forward.

"This is it, yes."

Seeing John continue to walk forward, Yang Xincheng beckoned back.

"Keep up."

"Yes!"

After taking Ma'anshan as well, Yang Xincheng can be said to have completed the task perfectly this time. As for Nanjing? There are nearly 50,000 troops in Nanjing, although the 8,000 cavalry in Yang Xincheng's hands is stronger than these 50,000 troops in all aspects, but the difference in numbers is too great after all, and no one, including Yang Xincheng himself, expected to rely on 8,000 cavalry to take Nanjing.

So after taking Ma'anshan, Yang Xincheng's only task was to wait for the arrival of Wang Yaowu, Zhu Qinglan and others in Ma'anshan!

Originally, if it had only been by land, it would have been impossible for the subsequent 50,000 or 60,000 troops to arrive in Nanjing without ten days and half a month. However, fortunately, there is a mother river called the Yangtze River, so after Yang Xincheng took Ma'anshan, several subsequent troops have been transported to Ma'anshan by boat.

At this point, Yang Xincheng's task is fully completed.

However, just as Yang Xincheng was preparing to cooperate with other troops to launch an offensive against Nanjing, a telegram suddenly came from Wuchang, giving Yang Xincheng a new task.

Although it was very strange why Yan Guang would give him a new task when the war was about to start, Yang Xincheng didn't ask much, but directly ordered the people and horses to prepare to carry out the task that Yan Guang gave him.

As for what the task is?

There is only one task, that is, to cooperate with British explorers to explore the geology of Ma On Shan and do a good job for the upcoming Ma On Shan Iron Works.

The history of iron ore mining in Ma'anshan is actually not very early, and unlike the Qijiang iron ore mine in Sichuan, there were mining activities more than 1,000 years ago. The earliest record of the Ma'anshan iron ore mine was in the third year of Xuantong, that is, in 1911.

In June 1911, when it rained silver for ten consecutive days, the river tide rose sharply, and each polder burst one after another, and countless houses were floated away. Chen Meiting, a native of Qingyang, went to Fanchang to investigate the coal mine, and some locals held the black stone of Dajiao Mountain. Chen immediately went to the mountain to explore, and found that there were iron ore in Dajiao Mountain, Changlong Mountain, Jinshidun and other places, which was the earliest iron ore found in the mining area of Ma'anshan Iron and Steel Company. The staff of Hubei Hanyeping Iron Ore Company and Ningbo Hongshou Road passed through the Fanchang Taochong area (now Magang Taochong Mining Area), and saw that the rock contained a lot of iron, and immediately hired a miner to investigate, and found that the "iron ore main line" and "the beauty of mineral quality can be compared with Daye". Hu Qijun, a resident of Fanchang Taochong area, discovered the iron ore deposit in Changlong Mountain.

In other words, the earliest iron ore in Ma'anshan was actually discovered in 1911.

In 1912, when the Republic of China was just established. Huo Shouhua, the owner of Wuhu Shuntai Cheng Rice Store and a businessman from Guangdong, conspired with Hong Shouzhi, an employee of Hanyeping Company, to invite 90 shareholders including Chen Meiting to raise 5,000 shares at 200 yuan per share, and obtained a total of one million silver dollars, and began to prepare for the establishment of Yufan Iron Ore Company in Taochong Changlongshan. Quarryman Zhang discovered Pingxian Iron Ore in Pingxian Mountain, upstream of the East Shoe River in Dangtu County. Zhang Bingru of Wuhu Yixin Flour Company and Wu Longyuan, a businessman from Tongcheng, raised 450,000 yuan to establish Baoxing Iron Ore Company, and began to lead the mining of iron ore in Pingxian Gang, Daaoshan, Huangshanyan and Daxiaodongshan in Dangtubei District, covering an area of 1,092 acres. Xu Guoan, a native of Donghu (now Jiashan Township), founded Fumin Iron Mine Company in Gushan. The Limin Iron Ore Company founded by Xuan and private businessmen Zhang Jian and Liu Housheng was merged into the Fulimin Iron Ore Company, with a capital of 1 million yuan, more than 300 employees, and a mining area of 2,892 acres.

In January of the 2nd year of the Republic of China (1913), the Fulimin Iron Ore Company began to mine six ore sites, including Aoshan, Meizishan, Baolushan, Fanmian Mountain, and Xiaonanshan. In July, with the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce of Yanjing Zhengaxe, Yufan Iron Ore Company obtained the exploration license of the Anhui Governor's Office. Henglingchong and other places in the West Second District of Fanchang County have successively established three iron ore companies, including Changhua, Zhenju and Baohua. The quarry wharf was completed and put into use, which is the first riverside wharf in the history of Ma'anshan.

However, at this time, although the iron ore company and the wharf were all established, there was not a formal iron factory, not even one in preparation.

This time, Yan Guang sent a telegram to Yang Xincheng, and by the way, he sent a few Britons over, just to ask them to do a good job of exploration work in Ma'anshan.

Find the most suitable place to build an iron factory in Ma On Shan, and at the same time, see if there are any large iron ore mines in Ma On Shan that have not yet been discovered.

Yan Guang doesn't have much memory of Ma'anshan, but at least Ma'anshan is one of the few large-scale iron mines in addition to Liaoning's principal and interest and Anshan iron ore, and the iron ore reserves in this place are at least more than one billion tons. In other words, in a place like Ma'anshan, according to the current conditions, at least a steel plant with an annual output of more than one million tons can be built...

million tons, the current annual output of crude steel is only 420,000 tons...

Of course, a million-ton iron plant is not so easy to build, but it doesn't matter, step by step, as long as there is equipment, in a year's time, it is no problem to get a 100,000-ton iron plant in Ma'anshan.

"But Commander, how could the Governor let you follow that foreign devil here to explore some kind of iron factory?"

After noticing that the Englishman was leading the way in front and didn't have time to pay attention to what was going on behind him, Yang Xincheng's guard company commander asked quietly.

In his opinion, there is a big war in Nanjing at present, and as long as Nanjing is defeated, I am afraid that there will be no more wars to fight in the future. At this time, I was not preparing in Ma'anshan, but I came here to explore what iron works?

Could it be that the Governor no longer reuses his own division commander?

Yang Xincheng didn't guess the mind of the commander of the guard company, he just said softly there.

"Don't talk nonsense, be careful that people hear you."

Why did Yan Guang let him come here to explore the ironworks and the terrain? Yang Xincheng touched some of it.

At present, although there is a big war about to take place in Nanjing, but the troops are gathered, not to mention anything else, the number of division commanders alone has already reached 4 or 5, and at least 4 or 5 division commanders will arrive later. In this case, want to make a meritorious service? What kind of merit do you make to stand out from the crowd?

On the contrary, to explore the terrain and iron ore in Ma'anshan, it is visible and tangible.

As long as you grasp this credit, then many things will be easy to say.

Thinking of the matter of the commander of the group army, Yang Xincheng's heart warmed up even more...

(To be continued)