The first group to find the door were the Chinese, the two leaders of the Xinmin patrol guerrillas, such as the brothers Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Zuoxiang.

In order to protect Tian Shubang, Lu Shan opened Yujiafang Town to temporarily solve the logistics problem, so he asked Tian Shubang and his wife and Liu Xiaomao to bring a sum of gold and silver to return to Fengtian through Xinmin. Leaving Yu's house with them was a group led by Jiang Cunxian, and they had one more thing, which was to receive the arrival of the third group of personnel who had already left the customs. According to the report of the second group of people who arrived, the third group of personnel of the detachment should be on the way.

The task of welcoming the detachment into the Kanto region at Tianshubang Fengtian Station was successfully completed. What is needed in the future is their intelligence support, and they are in the detachment, on the contrary, it will not help much.

Lu Shan has already heard Tian Shubang talk about this Zhang Zuolin. At first sight, I felt that he was short, more than a head lower than himself, but he was in his thirties, with a smiling baby face, and he didn't look like a hero. That Zhang Zuoxiang was younger, that is, in his early twenties.

"I am Lu Dashan. What do you have any advice? In accordance with the rules of Shandong Green Forest, Lu Shan gave the two guests enough face.

"This, brother Zhang Zuolin, his name is Zhang Zuoxiang, and he is my brother-in-law......" Zhang Zuolin didn't expect to meet Lu Dashan, who was already famous in western Liaoning, so smoothly, and he forgot about the set of words he was ready for.

Lu Dashan, a group of Shandong guests, has been too showy recently! Who is the golden-eyed eagle? Who is Du Lisan? Those are all well-known figures on the green forest road in western Liaoning. Why is it all planted on this group of Shandong people?

When Lu Shan was looking at him, he was also looking at "Lu Dashan". What a Shandong man! He was more than a head taller, with a black face and big eyes, and sat there with the majesty of a superior person.

"I've heard of Master Zhang's name for a long time. This time, you came to the door, but do you want to arrest me? ”

"Lu Dangjia is joking! If that's the case, how dare my brothers and sisters only bring this little bit of people, I'm afraid it's not enough for Lu Dang's family to stuff their teeth. Ha Lu Ha. Zhang Zuolin calmed down and smiled on his back.

It's a character. Zhang Zuolin brought thirteen people, and Lu Shan had already received a report from Jiang Cunxian, who was in charge of reconnaissance, and his follow-up had not yet been found.

"Oh? That Lord Zhang is here. So what's going on? Lu Shan's fingers. Knock lightly on the table. This action was learned from Long Qian, and many people in the upper echelons of the Mengshan Army had Long Qian's imprint.

"Lu Dangjia is polite. Brothers can't afford to be called adults. In fact, everyone is the same, they all eat the same mouthful. If Lu Dangjia can afford to look down on Zhang. Just call Zhang by his first name. ”

"I don't know what to call Lord Zhang's table?"

"Rain Pavilion."

"Good. Brother Yuting. Let's have a good time. What advice do you have for coming to your home this time? ”

"There is one thing to discuss with Brother Lu...... Zhang Zuolin sorted out his thoughts, and his mind was full of the big cases that had happened in Liaoxi in the past ten days.

The big case in Elm Town. More than a dozen corpses were lifted out of the ditch alone. Even in a world where human life is as cheap as grass, it is not a trivial matter for so many people to die at once, and it even alarmed General Fengtian. Because the case occurred in Xinmin, the murder fell on Zhang Zuolin's patrol guerrillas.

The case is not complicated. It was the beard that died, and the one who killed was undoubtedly Xiangma from Shandong. But it is not easy to deal with the murder. The golden-eyed eagle is also a bandit, according to the innkeeper, he has a calculation or an unintentional intention, and he also made the family gamble so miserably, and lost twenty or thirty brothers at once. The strength of the golden-eyed eagle has been lost by more than half after this battle. But the strength of that group of Shandong guests is a mystery.

There are quite a few people, there are quite a few guns, and there are short guns! This made Zhang Zuolin feel threatened.

The prestige of the patrol comes from protecting the territory and the people. If one's own territory is left to the beard, the prestige that one's hard-earned authority will be lost.

Although Zhang Zuolin looks short and not amazing, there is a ruthlessness in his bones. He vetoed the idea that the deputy manager should take Zhang Jinghui to turn a blind eye to calm the situation, and strongly advocated the use of force to solve the case.

When Zhang Zuolin learned that Shandong Ke had appeared north of Xinmin and rushed over with people, the group had mysteriously disappeared. Then, something happened to Yu's house, Du Lisan was eaten clean by Shandong guests, his family wealth was divided, and he was killed in front of his hometown fathers.

At this moment, Zhang Zuolin didn't dare to hold it up anymore. The legend is very evil, and it is said that the group of Shandong guests had thousands of horses, and they also carried cannons, and a few flowers were fired over, and the nest of Yu's house was blown up.

Du Lisan is also a famous pole. was picked up by others after dividing five by two, and Zhang Zuolin couldn't help but be frightened. If this continues, the situation will be in chaos in the entire western part of Liaoning. Zhang Zuolin urgently reported to the peak and asked for a decision, and on the other hand, he and several henchmen decided to go to Yu's house in person and meet this Lu Dashan for a while.

Zhang Jinghui and Tang Yulin were against it, but Zhang Zuoxiang supported it. If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you get the tiger? No matter how fierce Shandong Ke is, he is also a dragon who crosses the river, so he has to give the local snake a little face, right? Zhang Zuolin doesn't think that Shandong Kehui will attack him indiscriminately, after all, he is now an official, which is different from the identity of Jinyan Diao and Du Lisan! Zhang Zuolin thought that if this group of Shandong guests was brought under his command, in Liaoxi, no one would dare to fight against him!

No? What won't? This is in Kanto, not in Shandong. Since that Lu Dashan has a hundred and ten centaurs (the number estimated by Zhang Zuolin), he is not a stupid person! Without an identity, he thought he could afford to provoke the siege of the green forest on the Kanto Road? It's just that the price is higher. Isn't that how you came here in the first place?

So he brought his brother Zhang Zuoxiang and more than a dozen brothers to Yu's house.

After listening to Zhang Zuolin's price, Lu Shan smiled slightly, "Thank you Brother Yuting for your kindness." My brothers and I couldn't stand the persecution of the government, so we broke into Kanto this time. If I vote for the government again, I am willing, and the hundreds of brothers under me are not willing. However, Brother Yuting, please rest assured, as long as the government doesn't come to provoke me, I won't be embarrassed by the government. ”

Hundreds of brothers? Zhang Zuolin did see dozens of young men who were practicing outside the town, and it was estimated that they were just recruited. But hundreds of people are probably bragging, "Brother Lu." Kanto is not better than Kannai. Although the land is sparsely populated, it is not easy to gain a foothold in the meantime. The so-called strong dragon does not suppress the head snake, and I hope that Brother Lu will consider it carefully. ”

"Ha Luha, Lu is used to being at ease, and he can't be constrained by the government. Whoever wants to get along with Lu Mou, Du Lisan is the end. Lu Shan said coldly.

Maintaining a high degree of independence is a predetermined principle, and the detachment will never get involved with the government until the situation has been opened.

Lu Shan rejected Zhang Zuolin's kindness.

Zhang Zuolin went back empty-handed. Lu Shan didn't even leave him for a meal. Neither of them realized that they were meeting this time. But it was the beginning of a long story to come. Many years later, the two people known as the two heroes outside the Guanwai, who staged a magnificent iron-blooded drama, did they both have regretful thoughts, the parties have never mentioned it again, and others will not know.

The speed at which the message spreads should not be underestimated. The day after Zhang Zuolin left, Japanese Army Captain Fujita Keiichi came to Yu's house again. The visit eliminated Du Sanli's Lu Dashan. Find a way to cooperate. This force, which easily eliminated Du Lisan, was naturally the target of the Japanese to win over.

Lu Shan and Deng Qinghua received Fujita. In terms of etiquette. Lu Shan and Deng Qinghua couldn't find anything wrong with the Japanese, but the content of the conversation was another matter. Fujita first expressed his admiration for the Lushan Division, praising the elimination of Du Lisan and eliminating harm for the people. Then put his set of Sino-Japanese goodwill. The theory of working together to expel the Russians was repeated, and it was stated that if the Lushan Division accepted the command of the Liaodong Volunteers, the Japanese side would provide 300 rifles and corresponding ammunition, and was willing to fund a certain amount of expenses.

Last night, Lu Shan had already convened a meeting to report on Zhang Zuolin's visit, and by the way, he talked about Japan and Russia, and suggested that perhaps Japanese and Russians would come to the door soon. I didn't expect it to come so quickly.

Although the principles of action of the detachment had long been determined, Lushan expressed interest in cooperation with the Japanese. However, Mr. Fujita's offer was to be discussed with his brothers and agreed to reply in five days.

Lu Shan thought that it would be nice if the Russians came to the door. The task assigned by the commander has a good start.

The Russians came three days later, and a cavalry of about 100 men came, probably for fear of being attacked by a small mustache. In this regard, the Russians did a poor job. The Japanese dared to act alone in disguise, but the Russians did not. First, because of their looks, and secondly, they have been very unpopular in Kanto in recent years.

The Bailing detachment, which was urgently assembled, kept the Russian cavalry out of the town, and heavy machine guns were also erected. Major Sokolov, who was led by the Russian army, observed through the binoculars for a while, and realized that the mysterious force that had eliminated the Dulisan gang was by no means reckless, and from the construction of their positions to the arrangement of firepower, it was more like a regular army than bandits. They even had a Maxim heavy machine gun......

It was originally a regular army, and it is China's current regular army with first-class training and equipment.

Sokolov's interest came. He stopped the angry scolding of the Cossack cavalry company and sent someone to negotiate, saying that he had come to negotiate for friendship and that he had no ill intentions.

After negotiations, the Bailing detachment let Major Sokolov and four retinues enter Zhuangzi.

Major Sokolov first congratulated and thanked the Lushan Division for their extermination of the Dulisan gang. Frankly admitting that he came to contact in the name of Major General Artemeyev stationed in Mukden, the Russo-Japanese War was about to break out, and the Japanese army's behavior of buying Kwantung beards everywhere did not hide from General Artemyev, who was in charge of the intelligence work of the Russian army. Considering that the Dongqing Railway has not yet been fully completed and opened to traffic, if the end of the war begins, the Russian army will still use backward manpower transportation methods to solve the problem of feeding the army. If all the Manchurian beards ran over to the side of the Japanese, their own fragile transport lines would be greatly threatened, and Major General Artemiev was deeply worried. What's the best way to do that? The use of regular army to clean up beards has proven unworkable. Manchuria is too big, and the Russian army can only control large cities, not even county seats. The vast countryside could not be occupied at all, the army was dispatched, and the well-informed beard had long since disappeared. Under the premise that the residents basically hate the Russian army, the Russian army's sweeping beard is basically a joke. The fact that a little Du Lisan dared to openly confront the Russian army is the best proof of this.

Major General Artemeyev, who has always advocated the use of China to govern China, finally heard the good news, that is, a new armed force has appeared in western Liaoning, and since they can fight Du Lisan, then they can help the Russian army eliminate other pro-Japanese forces. Therefore, after confirming the incident in Yujiafang, Major Sokolov, who is proficient in Chinese, was immediately sent to Yujiafang, striving to pull this mysterious armed force to his side.

"What are the benefits of working with you? I won't hide it from you. The Japanese had already approached me and offered to give me a number, pay and weapons. After listening to the Russians' explanation, Lu Shan asked bluntly.

Sokolov was in a hurry, and he must not let the Japanese pull this well-trained and well-equipped armed force over! "Dear Mr. Lu, what the Japanese can give, the Russian Empire can also give! And even more abundantly! As long as you concentrate on working with the Empire, numbers, weapons, and salaries are all not a problem. ”

"Mr. Major. I have four hundred and fifty brave soldiers under my command. The vast majority of them have participated in real battles. I don't have to hide this from you. I am not interested in empty conditions and cannot convince my subordinates. Let's get to the act. I can work with your army and complete the tasks assigned by your army, but I need practical things. You understand, right? "Lu Shan doubled the size of his people.

Major Sokolov rejoiced. "Totally understood. Mr. Lu. I can see that you have formal military training. It's very good, and it makes the foundation for our cooperation stronger. We need military-trained servicemen like you. Before I came, my superior, General Artemyev, gave me full authority to negotiate with you...... although I met Lu Shan and others for a short time. However, the behavior that Lu Shan and others have cultivated over the years has not deceived the trained eyes of the Russians

This is where the bargaining begins. After two hours of confrontation, a cooperation intention was finally agreed, and Lu Dashan's department was reorganized into the South Manchurian detachment, providing official customs defense seals, and then transferred to the Liaodong area to clear out the increasingly rampant bandits in the Phoenix area. Detailed intelligence cousin, the Japanese Army is crossing the Sino-North Korean border to provide a large amount of supplies to the bandits in Liaodong. The Russian side will provide the South Manchurian detachment with sufficient weapons and ammunition and other military supplies needed, such as medicines and bandages (Lu Shan refused the military uniform of the Russian army), and the South Manchurian detachment will accept the intelligence and guidance of the Russian army, but have independent command and action rights. If the South Manchurian detachment kills the Japanese soldiers, they will receive a reward three times higher than the killing of the beard, rubles or silver dollars.

As a sign of sincerity, the Russian army can deliver 300 unused Novomosinagan rifles with 200 rounds of ammunition each, to the detachment in advance. In addition to this, 10,000 silver dollars will be advanced for military expenses. In the future, according to the actual strength of the troops, military expenses will be paid according to the standard of 10 yuan per month for officers and 2 yuan per month for soldiers. This figure does not include the replenishment of wear and tear of weapons and ammunition.

The standard of military pay is lower than that of the Mengshan army. But for Russia, the figure is not low. You must know that the annual salary of Russian soldiers is less than 3 rubles! According to the standards of 1901, it is equivalent to about 3 pieces of the ocean! There are serious problems in the Russian army, which will be completely exposed in the upcoming Russo-Japanese War, one of which is that the soldiers have no status, and the commanders are young aristocrats, drinking champagne, carrying women, running around in luxurious carriages, but the treatment of soldiers is extremely low, and even military uniforms are brought by themselves.

In response to Lushan's request for machine guns and cannons, the cunning Major Sokolov said a dead word - it depends on your actions. If you come up with results that satisfy the Russian side, the Russian army will not hesitate to equip the detachment with heavy weapons.

This is a lie. Fortunately, the major did not see that the Lushan detachment had a German-made Maxim. Otherwise, he would have been surprised. Because right now, a weapon of mass destruction like Makqin is very scarce in the Russian army, and there are only eight Russian troops in the Far East! There is simply no way to give a small Chinese army that has just been recruited. It was not until the outbreak of war that the Russian army began to be equipped with heavy machine guns on a large scale.

However, in Lushan's opinion, the Russians are sincere. Perhaps they already had a premonition of trouble. It's like doing business, only when both parties have exactly what they need, can there be a foundation for business...... As long as the rifle and bullet are solved, the basic problem is solved. Lu Shan doesn't even worry about the supply of grain, which can always be solved. Now the Russians have simply refused to supply machine guns and artillery, which is not the point. Before the strength of the detachment reaches a certain level, it will not fight head-on with the Japanese, and the combat methods of the detachment are mainly ambushes, raids, etc., and when heavy weapons come, it will be troublesome. At least affects the speed of movement of the detachment.

Major Sokolov largely completed his mission, but needed to be approved by his superiors. So the Russians hurried back to Mukden.

It was too late to ask the headquarters. Everything needs to be decided by the detachment on its own. Because of the war between Japan and Russia, the battlefield must be in South Manchuria. Lushun and Liaoyang are the two most important points. This can be seen with a little military common sense. Therefore, Long Qian's suggestion to Lu Shan was to move to Liaodong or southern Liaoning after fighting a few battles in western Liaoning and gaining the approval of the Russians. But it's better to be Liaodong. Because the mountains there are crisscrossed, it is more conducive to the troops to carry out guerrilla warfare. But now it seems that the first step is going more smoothly than expected......

After an urgent study, the military and political committee of the detachment decided to accept the suggestion of the Russian army, so it abandoned the newly occupied town of Yujiafang, and after replenishing food, clothing, horses and vehicles, the whole army drove to Liaodong to reopen up the situation.

Four days later, Major Sokolov accompanied Major General Artemiev and two cavalry companies of Russian troops to Yujiafang again, which was the largest force that Artemiev could bring out. In fact, there are very few Russian troops in Mukden, less than a thousand. This is the main reason why they are powerless to deal with the rampant bearded armaments. In January 1904, the strength of the Russian army in Kwantung was less than 50,000, and the main force was concentrated in Lushun Dalian, almost 20,000 people, and the rest were scattered in the vast land of Kwantung. Even Liaoyang, which was strategically important, had only a thousand infantry and hundreds of artillery.

While the Russians brought the promised weapons, ammunition, silver dollars, and other supplies, Major General Artemiev inspected the South Manchurian detachment. Lu Shan had already prepared, so in the eyes of General Artemyev, the South Manchurian detachment was full of spirit and majestic appearance, and he was deeply satisfied. He was a veteran soldier and saw courage and discipline in the soldiers who were in the front row. He didn't care about the origin of this mysterious armed force, as long as they were willing to die for the Russian Empire.

Artemyev's first order to the detachment was to eliminate the Liaodong Feng Delin bandits. The information provided showed that Feng Delin's troops were armed with at least 500 men, and they were colluding with the Japanese army to constantly attack the Russian army's transportation lines. Artemiev hoped that the South Manchurian detachment would be able to eliminate this giant force in the same way as Du Lisan, "If you capture a Japanese rifle, you can exchange it for a Mosinagan from the major." The major general of the Russian army said to Lu Shan.

The Japanese were naturally disappointed.

From the eleventh day of the lunar month, the Bailing detachment became the South Manchurian detachment, with commander Lu Shan, deputy commander Fan Deping, and chief of staff Deng Qinghua. The whole army has two brigades, each of which has three squadrons. However, at present, only three squadrons have been reorganized, two in the first brigade and one in the second brigade. The shortage needs to be replenished later. Cheng Erhu was appointed as the captain of the first brigade, and Sheng Guang was the deputy. Xiong Xun is the captain of the second brigade, and Ding Xiaofu is the deputy. Lu Shan incorporated most of the first and second batches of personnel into a large brigade to ensure their combat effectiveness.

After receiving supplies from the Russian army, the detachment immediately headed for Liaodong. Since the Russian army received relevant orders, the journey was very smooth. On the way, he encountered and surrendered a group of bandits who were chased and killed by Feng Delin, and the whole was organized into a large group of three squadrons. When the detachment arrived in Liaodong, it immediately received Sokolov's first intelligence that Feng Delin's unit had accepted a large number of Japanese munitions and asked the South Manchurian detachment to intercept it. So, the day after the Russo-Japanese War officially broke out, the South Manchurian detachment left the second brigade to receive the third batch of customs personnel, and Lu Shanqin led a brigade to fight their first battle with the Japanese army near Tongyuan Fort...... (To be continued......)