Li County, the seat of the Li Prefecture Guard's Embassy.

There was already a commotion outside, and Wang Zhengya's order to assemble all troops was issued in the morning, which aroused suspicion from all sides. So Wang Zhengya didn't say it explicitly, but such a big military transfer, except for fighting, there is really no other reason to explain, it can't be to pull so many soldiers out for an outing.

Qing Heng knew the inside story, as the deputy envoy and chief of staff of the town guard, he had just returned from a meeting in the town guard embassy.

As soon as he entered the door, Mrs. Wang greeted him: "Master, you are tired, there are guests at home, saying that it is your old subordinate of the Fourth Division." ”

Qingheng is still very satisfied with his wife, everyone is beautiful, never relies on being Wang Zhengya's sister to do whatever she wants, and is always gentle and considerate to herself.

"An old subordinate of the Fourth Division? What do you want me to do? Qing Heng was surprised that the old people of the Fourth Division were looking for him, because the Fourth Division no longer existed. The teacher, Wang Longzhong, was even awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and then put under house arrest with the fictitious title of senior adviser to the presidential office and envoy to the northwest in Beijing.

Who will come to him, the former chief of staff of the Fourth Division, at this time? Confused and curious, Qing Heng walked into the living room in one step......

When I walked in, there were two men sitting, and I didn't know them if I looked closely. Qing Heng immediately thought of the current situation, and immediately put his right hand on the holster on his waist, and was still hesitating to call his adjutant in.

One of the guests smiled, stood up and saluted, "Don't be nervous, old sir, we didn't bring weapons, we just came to deliver a letter." ”

Only then did Qing Heng let go of the hand that had opened the holster, sat down and asked in a deep voice, "May I ask who you are, and who are you sending the letter to me for?" ”

The person who came bowed and said: "The subordinate is Lieutenant Colonel Gong Peng, the head of the Changde Station of the Military Intelligence Department under the command of Wang Zhenyu, the commander of the Xiangxi Town Guard, Wang Dashuai, this is my adjutant Ming Dahu, and he is also a person who can be trusted." I served in the 9th Brigade of the 4th Division, and I heard of your name at that time. ”

Qing Heng leaned back on the sofa, as if reminiscing about the past years: "Yes, the Fourth Division, my rank of major general was obtained in this unit, and we also went to Wuhan to fight a decisive battle with the Manchu Qing Dynasty that day, hehe, we forgot everything." In this way, Wang Zhenyu asked you to deliver the letter, give me the letter! ”

Gong Peng handed the letter to Qing Heng's hands with respectful hands, Qing Heng tore open the envelope, pulled out the letter and saw that it was actually a blank letter paper, without a word. Of course, Qing Heng would not think that Wang Zhenyu was playing him, on the contrary, as a smart person, he knew very well what all the blank letterheads meant, that is, it was up to him to choose what to do.

Qing Heng nodded with great satisfaction and said, "I understand what your family marshal means, you go back first, leave a contact address for my adjutant, I will send him to you if I have something." Don't worry, this person was also brought out by me from the old fourth division and has been following me for many years. ”

Although Gong Peng didn't understand why the target he wanted to rebel against suddenly let him leave after seeing the letter, he knew that he knew that at this time, don't be curious, don't ask too much, and it would be most appropriate to get up and leave according to the other party's request.

Get up, salute, and leave, without the slightest bit of mud and water. This made Qing Heng nod with great satisfaction, the nephew of the teacher really has a set of leading soldiers......

After Gong Peng and Ming Dahu left, Qing Heng fell into a deep thought.

Wang Zhenyu's ambitions were much greater than that of his uncle Wang Longzhong, and he had only been independent from the Fourth Division for only a year, first taking Hongjiang and then aiming his guns at Changde.

This is not unusual, the location of Changde is too important for Xiangxi, directly stuck at the entrance of the Yuan River to Dongting Lake, and the location of Li County is even more important, directly connected to the Yangtze River. With such a lifeline, how could Wang Zhenyu let outsiders hold it in his hands.

But does he have such strength? Qing Heng stood up hesitantly and stepped back and forth in the living room.

The information he has is still too little, but one thing is certain, if he really turns against the water, then Wang Zhengya will lose. Because not only will the military deployment pass through his own hands, but even the current 10,000 Wang Zhengya's army will have almost 2,000 people who will obey his orders.

But after all, he is his own brother-in-law and relative, and he pulled himself when he was in trouble. Although there are differences and differences in many ideological concepts, but if you really want to do something against the water, although you are not a foolish person, Qing Heng is still reluctant.

The way of thinking back to the current situation of the war, the land route from Li County to Changde is 150 miles, and the water route is almost 200 miles; But Taoyuan to Changde, just 40 miles, the waterway is down the river. According to the telegram sent from Changde, it was the 1st Mountain Brigade of the Xiangxi Garrison that captured Taoyuan, with almost 5,000 people. The defenders of Changde had only two battalions of more than 1,800 people. In other words, Wang Zhenyu is fully capable of taking Changde before the arrival of his own reinforcements.

But so far, I haven't heard the news of Changde reporting that it was attacked, so there is only one explanation, Wang Zhenyu has set up a bureau here, and it is the seven battalions that Wang Zhengya is currently assembling are invited. Thinking of this, Qing Heng couldn't help but take a breath of cold air, should he report it to Wang Zhengya, but as soon as he picked up his clothes, another voice in his heart told him that it was best to pretend to be stupid......

In the end, Qing Heng sat on the sofa, sighed, closed his eyes and raised his head to rest, let's take a look......

On July 28, at the Lixian School Yard, crowds were surging and flags were flying, and Wang Zhengya was reviewing the 7,000 troops he was about to send to fight in the Changde area.

"Father, rest assured, my son will definitely succeed when he goes." Wang Yuyin, who served as the commander-in-chief, bowed to Wang Zhengya in high spirits.

Wang Zhengya said with relief: "Okay, good, may my son be victorious and successful." ”

Qing Heng looked at this scene of father-son affection coldly, and snorted in his heart, he can be regarded as a famous general who participated in the Battle of Hanyang, and it stands to reason that he is the best candidate to lead the troops this time. But at the moment of life and death, Wang Zhengya still chose to hand over the military power to his son, and it seems that his trust in himself is exaggerated, so that he will not owe him anything more.

That night, Qing Heng invited Yu Guangming, the battalion commander who stayed in Li County, to have a light meal at home, but it is unknown what he talked about. Anyway, it is said that Wang Zhengya had nightmares and woke up several times that night......

Zhangjiajie, the famous Shijie scenic spot in later generations, the environment at this time is very good, the trees are shady, lush, the cliffs are towering, the waterfalls and springs, and the mountains and rivers reflect each other into a natural picture that makes people fascinated.

At this time, a very discordant swear word suddenly came out of the mountains and echoed for a long time......

"The people in the staff office are pigs, is the marching route arranged like this?" Bai Chongxi, the young brigade commander of the Second Mountain Brigade of the Xiangxi Garrison Force, looked back from a high place and found that his huge team was marching hard and slowly on the rugged mountain road. In the face of such a turtle speed, he finally couldn't help but burst into foul language.

Bai Chongxi is now almost tired of the staff officers who can only talk on paper, and with a simple stroke on the drawing, he and his brothers are half tired to death.

Can you imagine the soldiers pushing 220 pounds of mountain guns together on such a rugged mountain road? What's even more terrifying is that many places can't pass at all, and the Zuihou artillery had to dismantle the artillery and let the infantry scatter and carry forward. Our White Brigade Commander was worried about whether these guns would still fire if they were put back together.

Bai Chongxi didn't like this kind of gameplay that could only move forward according to other people's routes, and he secretly made up his mind that one day, he would be the chief of staff and let everyone play according to their own ideas.

The guide looked at Bai Chongxi, who had a look of resentment, and could only whisper to reassure: "My lord, go over the hill in front of you, and go down to Xinqiao Town, where you can take a rest, from there to the shore of Lishui is only more than twenty miles, and it is relatively easy to walk." ”

Bai Chongxi's eyes glanced at a guide sent by Gu Hu, the head of the inspection team of the General Administration of Salt Affairs, who was said to be the boss of a smuggler in the past. From Sangzhi to here, this person led the way, and the mountain road of a hundred miles took three days. Bai Chongxi said very unceremoniously about this: "Boss Long, do your own calculations, how many times have you said that you only need to climb over that mountain to get there?" ”

Boss Long is not big, but he is very strong, and he is also a little tiger on weekdays, but when Bai Chongxi and other characters are pressed, the tiger spirit has also become rat energy. He said with a little embarrassment: "My lord, this is really a zuihou, I am familiar with this road, we will have a boat when we get to the riverside, and my brothers have made an appointment with the boat gang bosses." ”

Bai Chongxi nodded at Boss Long with his hand: "If you shush me again this time, I promise to let you taste the taste of the thirty military sticks." ”

After speaking, Bai Chongxi looked up at the sky, turned around and instructed the adjutant again: "Inform the troops, speed up the march, and strive to go to Xinqiao Town tonight to spend the night." I've slept in a tent for a few days, and I'm going to sleep in bed tonight. ”

The order was soon given to the squads, and when the soldiers, who were already extremely tired, heard that they could rest in the town to-night without sleeping in tents, they immediately became full of strength and began to hurry forward with a roar.

Almost at the same time, the officers and men of Li Zongren's 1st Mountain Brigade were frantically building various fortifications in Taoyuan, and Li Zongren and the staff officers of the brigade headquarters analyzed that the attack of the Chang German army should be three days later at the earliest. Because according to the information provided by the Military Intelligence Department, there are 7,000 people coming, even if they take a steamship like their own, it will take a day to even bring people and equipment, not to mention, they don't have this thing yet. Li Zongren looked at the mountain artillery position being built, and then looked into the distance: "Jiansheng, move quickly, strive for this battle to play the prestige of our Guangxi people, and don't let down the marshal's appreciation of our brothers......"