Wu Caifan of Taohuazhuang passed away, and Deng Zixuan and his wife accompanied Chen Jintang and his wife to the funeral. "Sister-in-law, people can't be resurrected after death, so don't be sad. Now it's your mother herself, you have to think about her! Wan'er comforted Wu Taohua, who was in tears, in front of the grave. Deng Zixuan saw the sad scene and said, "Brother Chen, your father-in-law is gone, leaving your mother-in-law alone, so you should take her to the Rose Manor." "I think so too, it just so happens that my father-in-law can place people here, and I have already notified the long-legged Wu Bao to transfer the people and horses of Baihu Village here one after another, and then transfer them to Jinshan Island."

Deng Zixuan wanted to say something on the topic, but realized that this kind of occasion was inappropriate and said: "Brother Chen, the deceased is the greatest, settle your family affairs first, and we are discussing the next step." It's just that I'm idle during this time, so I'll stay with you! "It's great that you can stay, my lord, there are many things to ask you for. I heard that an army has been built in the south? Chen Jintang asked. Yes, we'll talk about it in a moment. After Deng Zixuan finished speaking, he walked towards the female dependent.

After the funeral was handled that day, Wan'er personally accompanied Wu Taohua and her mother to the Rose Farm. In the evening, Deng Zixuan and Chen Jintang had a drink, and during the banquet, Deng Zixuan said: "The conditions for us to form an army on Hainan Island and northern Annam are ripe, so it is logical to pull up the team. In addition, I have a vague feeling that there may be a change in Annan next year, and that the French may take action, so the south is one step ahead. ”

"Isn't that exactly what you're looking for? You have said more than once that once the French invade, it is time for us to make a big difference? "Frankly, we're still not ready, so I'm in a hurry." Just as Deng Zixuan feared, since the second half of this year, the French minister has appealed to the imperial court several times, demanding the full opening of the northern commercial port of Annam and the development of commercial trade in the interior. To say that there is nothing in the opening of the commercial port itself, but the conditions put forward by the French are completely overlord clauses, which the Qing court will never accept.

"What are you worried about, my lord?" Chen Jintang asked. Deng Zixuan retracted his reverie and said: "Take precautions, we must be prepared, once there is an accident in Annan, I will immediately go to Hainan Island, and then wave Annan, our first step is to practice the French with a knife, and strive to fight for our fame." Chen Jintang was anxious: "You are leaving, what to do in Shanghai City, it is difficult to waste so many years of hard work, lord, this is not your style." ”

Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "How can we easily abandon the base we have worked so hard to build. Not only will he not abandon him, but he will continue to grow and shine. Now I'll tell you the detailed strategy jihua ・・・・・・. Hearing zuihou Chen Jintang exclaimed: "Lord, you want to leave me in Shanghai?" No, no, no! I can't afford it! Truth be told, my appeal is not good! ”

"Brother Chen! You have to be confident, and besides, Wan'er will stay after I leave! "This is not good, it is too dangerous for the mistress to stay, I don't agree." "The strategy I told you just now, Wan'er staying is the most important part. At the same time, it is also to give you a boost of self-confidence, and my decision will not change! "Does the mistress agree?" "I haven't told her yet, and I'm sure she'll understand me." The two chatted for a whole night, and Chen Jintang was once again shocked by Deng Zixuan's strategy.

According to the prior deployment, a few days later, the first batch of people came from Baihu Village, and these people stayed in Taohuazhuang for a few days before transferring to Jinshan Island one after another. By the end of August, more than 2,000 people had already been transferred. Zuihou A group of people came to Taohuazhuang, and Wu Bao and his two wives appeared inside. This kid has been very nourishing for a few years, especially after marrying two wives, he was a little scared. "The lord is above, please accept the next bow!" As soon as they met, Wu Bao knelt on the ground, and then introduced his two wives.

Seeing that Wu Bao's expression was a little embarrassed, Deng Zixuan smiled and said, "Brother Wu, get up." I undoubtedly mean to interfere in your private life, but only in moderation! "My lord! Subordinates understand. Wu Bao bowed. Deng Zixuan continued: "The people from Baihu Village have gone to Jinshan Island one after another, and you and a group of people from Zuihou will stay in Taohuazhuang." At present, Zhang Mancang is in charge of Jinshan Island, and your duty is to take over the position of captain of the Rose Manor Guard. From today onwards, our warriors from the north and south will be counted as an army, and I will serve as the commander-in-chief, appoint Chen Jintang as the deputy commander-in-chief, and concurrently serve as the commander of the 3rd Mixed Brigade of the Northern Route Army. ”

How the Northern Route Army became an army, Deng Zixuan and Chen Jintang took a lot of pains, once they rebelled in the future, Shanghai would definitely be attacked by the Qing army and even foreigners, so how to stick to the Shanghai area became the top priority. It is of no practical significance to simply hold on to the city of Shanghai, and it is a top priority to ensure that Shanghai's industrial facilities, i.e., the munitions industry, are not destroyed. Therefore, the 3rd Brigade of the Northern Route Army was named the Mixed Brigade.

What is a mixed brigade means that it is a mixture of multiple arms. In one room, Deng Zixuan stood in front of a blackboard with a serious expression, on which hung a map of Shanghai City and its surroundings, Chen Jintang sat on one side with Song Fei, Wu Bao, and Zhang Mancang, who had come from Jinshan Island. Deng Zixuan said with a stern face: "This is a map of Shanghai and its surroundings, and now what I want to say is that in the future, if I start an incident in the south, Shanghai City will become a thorn in the eye of the Qing court, so how to hold Shanghai is the core." ”

Deng Zixuan continued: "Therefore, the composition of the third mixed brigade, first, is to form two infantry regiments to carry out key defensive operations. Second, an artillery regiment should be formed, which should not only be responsible for the defense of coastal fortresses, but also support infantry operations at any time. Third, a cavalry regiment was formed to fight on a mobile basis at any time, and the composition of the mixed brigade was tailor-made for the defense of Shanghai in the future. ”

At this time, Seinfeld stood up and said, "My lord, after more than a year of training, my subordinates have opened their eyes. When the lord mentioned the formation of an artillery regiment, it was a horrific act, and his subordinates raised their hands in approval. But as far as I know, the artillery of the coastal fortress is all shells of foreigners, what if the shells run out? Our infantry guns have a short range and little power, and they cannot pose a lethal threat to foreign warships. ”

"Seinfeld, you've thought very well. But don't worry about that. At present, the arsenal has developed fortress shells according to the caliber of fortress guns, and the shells we have developed have far exceeded the shells of foreigners, that is, warships aimed at foreigners. Seeing Song Fei's eyes widen, Deng Zixuan smiled and said, "Song Fei, as a military advisor, I want to hear what you think about defense?" ”

A hint of joy appeared on Seinfeld's face, but he quickly became reverent: "My lord, I think that if you want to defend Shanghai City, the only purpose is to hold on to the city, and the tall walls of Shanghai City and our advanced weapons must be impregnable." "I want to ask you, what about the factories and arsenals outside the city walls? These factories and arsenals are the cornerstone of our victory, otherwise we will lose the meaning of sticking to Shanghai! ”

Seinfeld said worriedly: "Defending on the periphery of Shanghai is a taboo for soldiers, there is almost no danger to defend on the periphery, and our troops are far from enough. If you defend on the perimeter, you have no chance of winning. Chen Jinyu interjected: "My lord, if we carry out defensive operations with our existing troops, we can adopt the tactics of active defense, and since we are advanced in armament, we should give full play to the maximum effectiveness of our weapons, and only by adopting the strategy of taking the initiative to strike at the enemy can it be effective." "Well, it's about letting advanced weapons do their job. Seinfeld, you're far behind, which shows that you still don't know much about modern warfare. To make you a military advisor is to be able to know both yourself and the enemy, and to be good for the chief officer and staff, rather than being arrogant. ”

"Yes, yes, it's the lord, and the subordinates are stupid!" Seinfeld's face flushed. Deng Zixuan said politely: "The active defense tactics proposed by the deputy commander-in-chief are very good, since you are familiar with the art of war, you can provide more plans in terms of tactics." According to the equipment and combat effectiveness of the Qing court now, Zuo Zongtang's Hunan army and Li Hongzhang's Huai army have a certain combat effectiveness. Zuo Zongtang's men and horses stayed in the west, and the main thing you dealt with was Li Hongzhang's Huai army. ”

Deng Zixuan continued: "Don't worry about the Qing army in the Jiangnan battalion, these Manchu old soldiers have degraded and have no combat effectiveness. But once the incident broke out, the Jiangnan battalion was close at hand and would definitely send troops. Therefore, you have to concentrate on eating them in one go, even if you can't eat them, you have to frighten them, and make them psychologically afraid. It's like they're afraid of the foreigners' foreign guns・・・・・・ ”

After the simple deployment, Zhang Mancang and Seinfeld returned to Jinshan Island and formally formed the troops. When war breaks out in the future, he will be in charge of law and order, maintain the safety of the city, and to put it bluntly, he will be the head of the police. Deng Zixuan accompanied Chen Jinxuan and walked around the periphery of Shanghai, checking the terrain and landforms along the way. In the past few days, Deng Zixuan has instilled a large number of possible unfavorable situations in Chen Jinxuan, increasing his perceptual understanding.

Time flies, and it's September in the blink of an eye. On this day, Deng Zixuan sent Chen Jinchu on the dock and said: "Brother Chen, at present, 5,000 people have been concentrated on Jinshan Island, and the artillery regiment and infantry regiment will be formed first, and the cavalry regiment will build the team first. "Lord, we only have more than 200 war horses, and the number is far from enough!" Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "I thought of this for you, once you receive the order, you will immediately control Shanghai City and the British and French concessions." There are more than 400 war horses in the barracks of the British and French, and more than 500 war horses of the Qing army stationed inside and outside the city. ”

"Yes! How I didn't think of that! I'm still worried about this for the past few days! Chen Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief. Deng Zixuan continued: "5,000 new rifles and 2,000 revolvers have been transferred to the island, which can fully meet the needs of forming troops." "What to do with those obsolete foreign guns?" "Give him to Wu Bao, and he will form a security force to use in the future." Chen Jinyu seemed to remember something and said: "Do you think Zhang Mancang is not suitable to be a military commander, how will he be placed?" "Let him be the head of the military academy, this guy is addicted to training cadets, and it is very suitable for this position!" Deng Zixuan said with a smile.

Chen Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief again, this time the formation of the army did not have Zhang Mancang's name, he was worried that this kid would be in a mood. Chen Jinyu suddenly remembered another question and said, "Lord, after you pull the flag and rebel, how can I get your instructions?" "I was about to tell you about it. At the end of the year, a cable telegram from Shanghai to Guangzhou will be sent together, and this matter will be supervised by Li Hongzhang himself. Deng Zixuan said with a smile. Haha, Li Hongzhang really did a great thing! You want to give instructions via telegram. ”

Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "That's right, Li Hongzhang was worried that the British would lay the cable telegraph first, so he rushed ahead of the foreigners to avoid being controlled by others." Li Hongzhang did a very beautiful job out of military considerations, but he did not expect that this telegraph line was erected for me. Chen Jinyu said with a smile: "Lord Zhongtang's good intentions are naturally understood, don't you go to the island, my lord?" "I'm going to Fuzhou, it's been two months since Shang Hu led the special detachment to Fuzhou, and I'm going to see how they're preparing."

Chen Jinwei took a freighter to dock at Jinshan Wharf, and Zhang Mancang and Seinfeld greeted him at the wharf. Looking at their tall figures, Chen Jintang's eyes couldn't help but be a little moist, how many days and nights, how many times haunted dreams, isn't it just for this day? He seemed to hear the sound of the Jin Ge Iron Horse, as if he saw the battlefield that he had once been familiar with.

The playground was solemn, and a bright red battle flag was waving in the wind. The soldiers lined up in a neat and majestic line. Under the reflection of the sun, the infantry guns shone brightly, and the new standard rifles and bayonets had the momentum of dominating the guests. At this time, Chen Jintang strode onto the ・・・・・・ of the command platform.