The team sent by the imperial court to announce the decree had not yet arrived in Guangdong, and Long Qian had already learned about the situation in Shandong. A messenger traveled by sea and brought a pile of letters. Long Qian didn't expect that Yang Shixiang would refuse the throne of the governor of Zhili, the head of the frontier ministers, and would rather choose to return to his hometown to avoid the impending storm.

And Liangbi's succession means that Shandong will be at the threshold of meeting the imperial court. Long Qian was faintly worried.

There are two forces that control Shandong, the first of which is, of course, the army. Long Qian had no reason to doubt the loyalty of the army. Ning Shijun, Ye Yanbing, and Wu Nian are all old men who have followed him for a long time. Wu Nian was selected into the staff group in the first batch with Deng Qinghua and Lan Xinzhi, and there is absolutely no "stain" on his resume. Long Qian was convinced that they believed that he could lead them to the supreme power of the country, and that it was definitely better for them to follow their own future than to take refuge in the imperial court.

This is the ideal of reality. With ideals comes loyalty.

The second force is not Huayuan and Zhongxing, which are targeted by the imperial court. It represents the strength of Shandong's economy. However, the strength of Huayuan and ZTE will play a great role in a calm situation, and if it is in a war, the effect will be much worse. With the loss of Huayuan and Zhongxing, the Shandong army will at most lose the nearest supply of weapons, and it will not be able to kill the Shandong army. However, as long as the Shandong army sends a regiment of men and horses, it can exercise military control over Huayuan and Zhongxing, and no matter how bad it is, it will be easier to destroy, and the sappers can destroy a factory by planting a few bags of explosives. Therefore, they are not the forces that determine the fate of Shandong.

The second force is the people's heart! After so many years of vigorous operation, the Shandong gentry has been held together by two major industrial groups. Rural self-government and Mengshan officers and soldiers (the vast majority of Mengshan soldiers came from the countryside) pulled the peasants on their chariots. Now, it is finally time to test the results, if Liangbi does nothing in Shandong like Wang Huaiqing, his side can proceed step by step. If the result is the opposite, you must adopt an emergency policy.

Shandong, of course, learned of the Guangzhou incident. This time, there were several private messages transferred together, Chen Shu's, Chen Chao's, and Ye Yanbing's. They all expressed great concern about Long Qian's "assassination" and injury.

Needless to say, the assassination occurred. Long Qian didn't care about replying to the private message, he had to see Fang Shengyuan and Ning Shijun's judgment of the situation first. Jiang Yun is located in Shandong, and the intelligence from Beijing is much faster. Integrate all channels. It was made that the imperial court had no possibility of sending troops to Shandong. What we have to deal with now is the situation after Yang Shixiang resigned, no need to ask, after Liangbi took over Shandong. It will certainly have an extremely unfavorable impact on the situation in Shandong.

It is not advisable to get rid of Liangbi like Fu Qi. Long Qian knew that assassination, a means that could not be put on the table, was better to use as little as possible. As for dealing with Liangbi like pulling Yang Shixiang over, it is even more impossible. I pondered for a long time. Long Qian personally replied to Fang, Ning, Chen, and Ye. He pointed out that there is no need to care too much about Liangbi's arrival, as long as he grasps two things, one of which is the control of the army. Don't let it go. The second is to continue to promote rural autonomy, make every effort to improve people's livelihood, and strive for the people of Shandong to basically stand on our side. The third is the control of the Huayuan and ZTE groups, and there can be no chaos. The rest, it's not the stuff that matters. Just endure it for another year or two, and everything will change dramatically.

It is necessary to completely dispel the intention of winning over Liangbi. Liangbi is different from Yang Shixiang, he can't pull it! It must be based on struggle. Of course, the struggle is a struggle on the table, such as finding out the unreasonableness in the order of Liangbi and resisting it, and grinding it softly if it cannot be found. You have to believe that Zhou Xuexi and others will make the right choice. However, it is necessary to monitor the movements of key officials, and if there is any vacillation, immediately report it or take severe measures such as transfer or even sanctions! There is also Chen Chao, the political envoy, to play the card well, and use Chen Chao to fight against Liangbi in government affairs, without having to worry about him, but also without unprovoked stimulation. Everything is based on gaining time and strengthening strength.

Military readiness is the top priority in everything. At present, the Shandong Army is still composed of two brigades, but each brigade has been expanded by one regiment, which is not enough. From now on, the demobilization of veterans should be stopped, and the registration and training of reservists should be earnestly grasped. Give you a year to expand the Shandong Column into two divisions, each with two brigades and three regiments each, and equipped with special forces in addition to cavalry. The plan of the military plan was that after the incident, the Shandong army would be able to resist the onslaught of three or four towns in Beiyang and ensure that Jinan would not be lost. The terrain north of Shandong is favorable for attack and defense, and it is necessary to make the most adequate preparations.

From now on, the military industry must be producing at full capacity, and full guarantees must be given in terms of funds and personnel. Funds cannot be fully relied on Shandong Commercial Bank, and can be raised by means of loans, internal issuance of bonds, etc......

At the same time as supplying weapons to Guangdong, it is also necessary to try to produce a batch of ammunition of Russian caliber to be sent to the customs outside the country.

The pace of arms procurement should also be accelerated. Or to hold the Germans and buy at least four battalions of heavy artillery of a caliber of more than 150mm. You must know that the Beiyang is already equipped with cannons of this caliber, and the number of guns per battalion of them is not twelve but eighteen...... For quite a long time to come, artillery will be one of the main factors determining the outcome of a campaign, and we must vigorously strengthen the building of artillery, and we must not only pay attention to the infantry and ignore the building of special arms......

Long Qian wrote more than a dozen pages of paper, explaining personnel management, economic construction, and military preparations thoroughly. handed over the messy draft to Xu Si for transcription, and wrote a reply to Chen Shu by himself.

Writing the words "beloved wife is like a face" in front of Xu Si, he felt very uncomfortable, and Xu Si, who was sitting on the other side, did not notice anything abnormal, and concentrated on transcribing Long Qian's "letter of instructions" to Shandong.

"I wasn't hurt. Don't worry about it, and tell your uncle and aunt. But there's no need to sue anyone else. Everything is fine in Guangzhou, the situation is not to the point of fighting each other, but it will not be long. We may not be able to meet until after the national victory. Because the situation in Guangdong is unstable, don't come to Guangdong for the time being, and take care of your son at home. Husband word. Date. ”

After I finished writing, I felt as if I hadn't finished speaking, so I wrote another sentence. "Read more books in your spare time, don't rush to read the original, find something interesting. I miss you. And. ”

Long Qian took the letter and fell into deep thought, not realizing that Xu Si was standing behind him.

"Just tell Madame about that? I won't bother you, you concentrate on writing. Xu Si turned around and walked out.

Long Qian smiled bitterly and was speechless. folded the letterhead, took an envelope and put it in, and wrote down the four words Chen Shu in person.

Across thousands of rivers and mountains, Long Qian seemed to see Chen Shu's demeanor leaning against the door. I couldn't help but feel a cramp in my heart.

Cao Minzhong followed Zhou Yi back to Maoming with more than a dozen officers from the Political Department. Cao Minzhong immediately began a tense investigation, and the officers on the list did not have serious disciplinary violations, the main thing was the reaction below, involving many troops and scattered stations. Cao Minzhong divided his men into four groups. They went to different units to conduct inspections.

The object of the investigation is made public. The "pot lid" was revealed, and everyone knew who would hold what position. worked intensely for seven or eight days, except that Zhao Weixiu reported something bad. The rest are quite popular with the lower ranks.

Cao Minzhong reacted Zhao Weixiu's question to Zhou Yi.

"That is, there were a few times when I ate and drank drunk, which is not a big deal. The root is in Feng Lun, this guy always likes to have a few drinks. Before Ye Yanbing brought twenty standards, Weixiu's wine was less. ”

"It's not just that, there have been beatings and scolding soldiers, although you have dealt with it, but I think it's light! The judges stationed in the 20th standard army are incompetent, and I want to change them. The most serious thing is that he has the phenomenon of forming gangs. He married seven people in the camp as brothers, and he usually called him brother and brother but not position, what became of this? Mengshanzhai? We are the Mengshan Army, not the Mengshan Cottage! ”

"Isn't that a big fuss?" Zhou Yi felt unhappy, and felt that Cao Minzhong was a little unkind to talk about Mengshanzhai, everyone came out of Mengshanzhai, when did Mengshanzhai become a negative example?

"No, I don't think it's a small problem to ignore. Because small problems can make big problems. Discipline violations always start from small places, who dares to defect with a gun all at once? ”

"What do you mean by defecting with a gun? When did the old Ten Association ever defect with a gun? Zhou Yi's tone became stern.

"Deputy Commander Zhou," Cao Minzhong used his old name, "don't be angry. I am doing this for the sake of our community and for the great cause of the commander. I just mentioned Mengshanzhai, I often think that if there was no commander, we people might have died in Lunan nowhere, and there would definitely be no today's big situation. It is precisely because the commander has established so many rules that we have come to this day step by step. The original commander is now the battalion commander, and he is in charge of hundreds of people, which is much more powerful than the original Sun Da master. The current battalion is enough to flatten the original Mengshan cottage. However, the family business is big, and the rules cannot be abolished. I remember that the commander set up a military court in the cottage and asked me to take care of this matter, and he said a lot to me, some of which I forgot, but I remember one sentence very firmly, 'The law, the world is the most public' Military law is also a law, and it should be stricter and fairer. Officers must take the lead in what soldiers are required to do, and this is the fundamental reason for the development and growth of our Mengshan Army. Therefore, I do not agree with Zhao Weixiu's appointment. ”

Compared with Gao Fei, who was promoted to the 39th standard, Zhou Yi prefers Zhao Weixiu, and thinks that he is brave in war and righteous for others, isn't it just a little problem? Why are you holding on?

"Director Cao, now that you are in a high position, you can speak well to the commander. However, don't forget, being a division chief in the headquarters is not the same as leading troops below! You don't have to think about so much soldier mess, and you don't need to charge at the risk of artillery fire! The army must be expanded, recruited, a new standard of 40 bids must be established, and troops must be sent to Guangxi! I can't wait, you don't agree with Zhao Weixiu, you can, I'll let him act first! You go back and report to the commander, and I will report to the commander as well. Zhou Yi lowered his face, "Minzhong, Zhao Weixiu was mentioned by me, but the commander has already nodded!" ”

"Of course, I wouldn't be here." Cao Minzhong did not budge.

Cao Minzhong had not yet left Zhou Yi's troops, and the "Xuanzhi Group" sent by the imperial court had already come to Maoming, and Cao Minzhong was surprised that these people had arrived in Maoming first instead of going to Guangzhou first, which was really strange.

As an officer of the Fifth Town, Cao Minzhong had no right to participate in the proclamation meeting, but he lived in Zhou Yi's headquarters, and suddenly saw a person in and out of Zhou Yi's bedroom several times among a group of court officials wearing official uniforms.

After closing the door and thinking about it for a long time, I finally remembered that person was Zhou Yi's brother-in-law Zheng Du! That's right, Zheng Du came to Zhengjiazhuang under the occupation of the Mengshan Army to visit Zheng Chan, and saw this person in the Zheng family compound that served as Long Qian's headquarters, and Zheng Chan also introduced himself.

After the case of the ambush of Long Qian in Yizhou Road, Jiang Yun found out that Zheng Cheng was one of the masterminds, and spent a lot of energy chasing Zheng Cheng. Because he fled to the Beiyang base camp in Tianjin, the matter was suppressed. And Zheng Du's status in the officialdom is higher than that of his brother, and now he has come to pass the decree...... As the director of the Political Department, Cao Minzhong knew that Long Qian must oppose the Qing Dynasty, and the only thing that was lacking was the opportunity, but Zhou Yi, as the commander of the tenth town, led a small half of the main force of the Mengshan Army, and it was really awkward to have such a relative......

Cao Minzhong paid attention and secretly instructed his subordinates to spy on Zheng Du. found that Zheng Du was very active, not only had a secret conversation with Zhou Yi several times, but also had dinner alone with Feng Lun, the new co-president of the 19th Association who came to Maoming. Cao Minzhong felt uneasy in his heart and decided to return to Guangzhou. Before he left, Long Qian came to Maoming with the direct team allocated to the Tenth Town and a group of staff officers. Cao Minzhong did not participate in a series of banquets, but when Long Qian inspected the team directly under the Tenth Town, he found an opportunity to report to Long Qian about Zhao Weixiu and Zheng Du.

"Oh, Zheng Du is here? Why didn't I see it? Obviously, Zhou Yi and Feng Lun didn't mention this person to him.

"It's said to have left early."

"Oh. Minzhong, you can go back to the headquarters, and the Fifth Town has also come up with a list, so let's follow the procedure to investigate. ”

"What should Zhao Weixiu do?"

"You're doing the right thing. If there is an opinion below, it will definitely be affected if it starts a war. Don't mention it, I'll coordinate one from the nineth, Qin Dahu, the commander of the seventeenth standard battalion, was injured when he stayed in Mengshan with Lao Song, and he was very steady, oh, you know this person, and then you will make up the procedure. ”

"Understood. Then the subordinate will go back to Guangzhou. ”

"Hmm. Min Zhong, some people say that you are a black-faced Bao Gong, and some people say that you are pulling the banner and pulling the tiger skin fox fake tiger might. It doesn't matter what you say, it's how you do it. As for you, you have many advantages, but the most important thing is to be jealous and hateful, and don't rub sand in your eyes, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen you to manage military law in the first place. The disadvantage is that it is too rigid, but this is actually an advantage. Jurisprudence is human affection, and the purpose of our military law is to do the good of officers and soldiers, not to find fault with people, isn't it? In the future, we will have to establish a whole set of laws, and I have pondered it again and again, and we must govern it according to law, so I will not only not criticize your shortcomings, but also praise them. You've done well, keep doing it. ”

"Never let down the trust of the commander."

"Well, you can take another step forward and live up to this army, this country, and your life." (To be continued......)

PS: Book friends, it's already the end of the month, how about voting for Aaron with the monthly ticket in your hand? The Mengshan army is about to enter the battlefield to seize the whole country, give some encouragement.