Li Chun was sent by Yuan Shikai to Yizhou last summer to serve as a town guard, and Yizhou is seriously plagued by banditry and has always been the hardest-hit area in Shandong Province. From the appointment, it can be seen that Yuan Shikai attaches great importance to Li Chun.

Li Chunzi Xiushan, a native of Tianjin, has big ears and a dignified appearance. When the small station was training, he served as an instructor of the new army, and he was Yuan Shikai's old team. Li Chun brought two battalions to Yizhou, both of which were old members of the small station. Yuan Shikai gave him the task of expanding the army and at least doubling the garrison in Yizhou, and the second was to eliminate the calf-hugging bandits that had been endangering Lunan for a long time.

After Li Chun arrived in Yizhou, on the one hand, he reorganized the Yizhou garrison, absorbed hundreds of soldiers of the Green Battalion with good quality, recruited more than 300 new soldiers, and expanded his troops into four infantry battalions. After the ordnance promised by Yuan Shikai arrived, he stepped up his training and prepared to choose the opportunity to enter and hold the calf.

Li Xiaolin reported the news about Zhengjiazhuang, and presented Zheng Cheng's filial piety with 3,000 taels of silver, which really moved Li Chun at once. He immediately ordered Zheng Cheng to be taken to his signature room.

"Are you sure that there are less than 300 thieves occupying your village?" He asked Zheng Cheng.

"The number comes from the Caozhou New Army," Zheng Cheng carefully considered the wording, and told Li Chun the source of the number.

This number comes from Liang Huada, and the source of the news comes from his younger brother Zheng Du, who has taken leave to accompany his father to Yizhou, there should be no problem. Zheng Cheng has also repeatedly verified the situation in Zhengjiazhuang with his father, the key information is the strength of the thieves, and the information from Liang Huada in Zheng Du's hand should be the most real.

After Zheng Cheng finished speaking, Li Chun smiled and said, "So, there are still Cao Kun's people among the Mengshan thieves?" Ha Lu Ha, Ha Lu Ha, I really laughed to death! Alright, you can go back first. ”

"Lord Li, my brother is under Lord Cao Kun, he has seen the brothers of the New Army who ran back from Mengshan__" Zheng Cheng said carefully, he hoped that Li Chun would be able to meet his younger brother, Zheng Cheng knew that his eloquence and mobility were not as good as his younger brother, if Zheng Du was there, he could incite Li Chun to send troops.

"No need." Li Chun waved his hand, "Aren't they hundreds of bandits?" The town guard didn't pay attention to it at all. This time you will be my guide, as long as you treat my men well. Ha Lu Ha. ”

Zheng Cheng saw that Li Chun agreed to send troops, and he was overjoyed and agreed repeatedly. Before he came, Zheng Jing had something to say, as long as he helped him out of this breath, he was willing to take out another 10,000 taels of silver to work on the army! It seems that the old man is stimulated. Although Zheng Cheng spends money lavishly, he is not a loser, and it is necessary to give Li Chun and Li Xiaolin some points, and it will be a little painful to take the silver again. Lao Jun, why can't you use 10,000 taels of silver, right? Take out two or three thousand taels of dozen officials at all levels, and slaughter a few cattle and sheep for the soldiers, which is enough.

Li Chun didn't look down on Cao Kun, who was born as a cloth dealer, even though they were fellow villagers. Caozhou is more important than Yizhou, but Yuan Shikai gave Caozhou the town guard to Cao Kun. This made Li Chun feel uncomfortable. At the beginning of the year, Li Chun, the inside story of Cao Kun's entry into Mengshan, knew a little about it, Wang Shizhen wrote to say that although it was vague and unknown, it was certain that Cao Kun actually suffered a loss, and it was definitely not a big victory as stated in the Tang newspaper, but he did not expect that one hundred and ten people under Cao Kun were captured, and more than half of them were thieves! This news really made Li Chun happy.

Li Chun had actually received a report from Fei County, saying that there were strongmen in the area of Zhengjiazhuang in the west of the city, and several squires from Zhuangzi had been driven away, and these gentry ran to the county seat to cry and ask the government to send troops to suppress the thieves. Due to the huge situation of the thieves, Fei County was really unable to suppress it, so he asked the envoy of Li Zhenshou of Yizhou to send troops to suppress it.

Yizhou is mountainous and full of bandits, and Li Chun has also sent troops to suppress them since he took office, but the bandits are all local snakes, well-informed, and the officials and soldiers fled as soon as they came, and returned to the cottage as soon as the officials and soldiers left. The fact that bandits opened half of the village happened from time to time, and it really didn't attract Li Chun's attention. What's more, Zhengjiazhuang is close to Yanzhou and not close to Yizhou City, Li Chun's mind is all on hugging the calf, and he has no intention of sending troops at all.

But now the situation is completely different. Defeating this group of Mengshan thieves, who are not very strong, has practical significance, and it is best to recapture a few more former Cao Kun's subordinates to Yuan Shikai, then it will be wonderful. Thinking of this, Li Chun immediately convened a meeting of his main officers' staff and decided to send troops to Zhengjiazhuang.

Not to mention anything else, Zhengjiazhuang belongs to Yizhou, and it is incumbent on Li Chun to quell the bandits!

Li Chun played a little Jiujiu, and it was a good idea to practice with Zhengjiazhuang before entering the calf.

Now Li Chun has four infantry battalions and an artillery team, as well as an artillery team equipped with four Austrian three-life and seven fast guns, Li Chun decided to send two infantry battalions and artillery to attack Zhengjiazhuang, four fast guns just came in handy, Zhengjiazhuang is not a deep ditch and high base? With cannons in hand, how strong the wall has been flattened!

Just do it. Li Chun appointed Cai Chengxun, the commander of his first battalion, to lead the team, and with Zheng Cheng as the guide, he mobilized more than 100 people and more than 20 carts to carry grain and grass, but it took a full five days from the order to the formulation of the plan to the assembly of the troops and the preparation of grain and straw. When the troops left Yizhou, it was already the ninth day of October.

Li Chun didn't take the Mengshan thief in his eyes, he didn't see Liang Huada, and he didn't hear Liang Huada's evaluation of Long Qian's department. Zheng Cheng didn't mention the unusualness of the Mengshan Army in a word, and Zheng Du knew about this kind of unusual sound, but Zheng Cheng couldn't tell Li Chun. Therefore, Li Chun only knew that there were only more than 300 bandits in Ludao, and there were not enough guns and ammunition, even if Zhengjiazhuang's weapons were seized and reached the level of one per person, it would not be a big deal, and at most he would rely on Zhengjiazhuang's supposedly strong walled wall to resist. With Cai Chengxun basically a battalion of elite soldiers in a small station, it is enough to wipe out the bandits. What's more, Cai Chengxun was also given a second battalion and artillery team, mainly recruits, as well as more than 150 brothers of Zheng Cheng's defense battalion. With a total strength of 1,120 troops, isn't that enough?

Before the troops were dispatched, a plan was also formulated, but it was not formulated under the auspices of Li Chun. Ji Lu is drawn from the hands of Cai Chengxun, it is very simple, follow the road to Zhengjiazhuang, if the bandits flee in fear of war, don't care, recovering Zhengjiazhuang is a victory.

From Yizhou to Zhengjiazhuang, there is only less than 200 miles from the map, from Yizhou to the northwest, through Fei County to turn west, only Fei County to Zhengjiazhuang a section of the road is not very easy to walk, but Zheng Chengxin swears that it will definitely be able to pass the car.

Cai Chengxun, the former enemy commander of this expedition, was the first important general under Li Chun, but he was cautious, repeatedly checked the terrain with Zheng Cheng, and was a little worried that Xiangma would set up an ambush on the way. The second battalion officer, surnamed Zhang, said to Cai Chengxun with a smile, Lao Cai, I was afraid that the thieves would hear that the army was attacking, and they would have already smeared oil on the soles of their feet and slipped away. Wouldn't it be appropriate to let Zheng Shou's people lead the way, he is the head snake of the land, and the road is familiar!

"How can the bandits know about the situation in Yizhou? I feel that this guy will not run__" The courage was pressed on Cai Chengxun's shoulders, and it was the first large-scale operation of the Yizhou New Army, and there must be no mistakes.

For leading the way, Zheng Cheng patted his chest and said that there was no problem. So, Cai Chengxun ordered Zheng Cheng's defense battalion and one of his own infantry teams to be the forward, his first battalion and artillery team in the center, Zhang Yingguan's second battalion was postponed, and more than 1,000 officers and soldiers left Yizhou and marched towards Fei County, and arrived at the outskirts of Fei County two days later. He hurriedly ran outside the city to see the new military commander, and was very happy to ask the reason, and hurriedly took the troops into the city, settled down for food and lodging, and mobilized the merchants and laborers in the city.

He had already heard the news that Zhengjiazhuang was seized by Xiangma, but he didn't dare to make any moves. The armed forces that can be called in the county are more than 200 defense battalions, and the weapons are not as good as the township soldiers in Zhengjiazhuang. Now that Li Zhenshou has sent a large number of soldiers to suppress the bandits, it is equivalent to eliminating the trouble of his henchmen for his parents, and he is naturally very happy. Despite the barren land and poor people in Fei County, Zhao County ordered to kill pigs and sheep and reward officers and soldiers to fulfill the friendship of landlords.

When he was drunk, Cai Chengxun asked about the recent movements of Zhengjiazhuang, and the county order that he bought with money was not very clear, only saying that there was indeed a bandit occupying the village, and a few squires ran to the county, saying that the gang robbed the rich and even divided the land of the landlords!

Zheng Cheng gritted his teeth with hatred. Cai Chengxun comforted, the bandits can't be around for a few days, we have two more days at most, and we can enter Guizhuang, and when we catch the bandit leader, let you get out of your anger!

Lao Tzu must have skinned and cramped the dog's day! Zheng Cheng thought hatefully. I have to thank Cai Yingguan.

Of course, they did not expect that the news of the dispatch of the officers and troops came from two channels. As soon as Xing Dongyun arrived in Yizhou, he saw the scene of the officers and soldiers shouting horses and neighing to prepare for departure, and hurriedly sent assistants to return to Zhengjiazhuang in accordance with the pre-regulations. Because they had just arrived, Xing Dongyun and his assistants did not know the movements of the official army and the number of troops dispatched, but the official army must have made a big move, and this must be reported.

But the intelligence station in Fei County is different, the county seat is so big, more than 1,000 officers and soldiers poured in at once, and the movement of the house to collect grain is too big. That night, the intelligence station figured out where the officers and soldiers came from and how many people there were. According to the pre-established channels, the news passed as soon as possible.

The officers and soldiers rested for a day in Fei County, turned westward, and entered the mountains, and the road was not easy to walk, and the team of more than 1,000 people pulled out the old man, like a long snake in the mountains. Cai Chengxun inquired about the local area in Fei County and learned that there was only one road for large cars. After Cai Chengxun consulted with Zhang Yingguan and several team officers, the determined marching sequence was Zheng Cheng's patrol battalion at the beginning, with the first battalion following by himself, followed by the second battalion and the artillery team and baggage team covered by the second battalion. Such an arrangement, of course, was made to prevent a possible ambush by the thieves.

Cai Chengxun's troops were not slow to march, and before the sun set that day, Zheng Cheng's defense camp and Cai Chengxun's battalion had arrived in Qiucun, which also showed that the quality of the battalion composed of the old foundation of the new army was very high. The situation that was originally worried about the thieves setting up an ambush did not appear, and Cai Chengxun, who was cautious along the way, breathed a long sigh of relief, when he entered the Autumn Village, the sunset had been hidden by the mountains, and Zheng Cheng and the two people from the Autumn Village Office were waiting at the entrance of the village, and everything seemed to be normal. Cai Chengxun asked Zheng Dagongzi a few words, ordered to bury the pot and cook immediately, decided to stay in Qiu Village for a night, and went straight to Zhengjiazhuang tomorrow morning.

And Zhang Yingguan's second battalion was bad, far behind. Because there was no shadow of the rear team, Cai Chengxun sent a signal corps to contact the rear team on horseback, inform them of the situation in front, and ask them to speed up the march.

According to Zheng Cheng's introduction, Qiucun is only more than ten miles away from Zhengjiazhuang, separated by a large mountain sorghum. Although Zheng Cheng was eager to fight, the dignified Cai Chengxun still refused Zheng Cheng's request to enter the army overnight and resolutely refused to leave. Because of his proximity to Zhengjiazhuang, Cai Chengxun asked all teams to maintain a high degree of vigilance, not to disperse activities, not to leave their guns, not to leave their teams, and to strictly prevent thieves from sneaking attacks. Cai Chengxun deliberately arranged the first team with the strongest combat power to serve as a guard force, and he did not believe in the patrol battalion.

After receiving the order, a team released Lu to go to the guard post and did not send back the news of the danger, which made him feel a lot more relieved. After inspecting the whole village, it is no wonder that the village is deserted. In these years, whether it is a soldier or a bandit, the common people can hide. In the center of the village, he met several women washing clothes by the well, and when they saw the officers and soldiers, they panicked and went home with the laundry tub. This made Cai Chengxun feel at ease.

The twilight gradually shrouded, the troops who entered the autumn village were resting and waiting for dinner, and there was no news from the cavalry who contacted the rear team.

Cai Chengxun was very satisfied with the enthusiasm of the village office, and after walking for a day on the mountain road, Rao was riding a horse empty-handed, and he also felt a sore back, not to mention those soldiers with loaded guns? The weather was already cold, especially in the mountains, and the soldiers were carrying backpacks, which added to the load. Those veterans who came from Zhili were okay, but the few recruits recruited from Yizhou were far behind, and they staggered to find a leeward place to rest, and lay on the ground on their backs.

Cai Chengxun shook his head unconsciously, and after entering the village office, he asked Zheng Cheng if he knew these neighbors, and Zheng Cheng shook his head and said that he didn't know. It's no wonder that he has been away from home for more than ten years, not to mention the neighboring village, it is Zhengjiazhuang, I am afraid that more than half of the people are not right.

"Lord Cai, please be relieved, didn't the Zhao County Order say that the thieves did not occupy the surrounding villages? Even if there was a thief hiding in the village, he would have been scared away when he saw the army stationed. There is something else in this, Zheng Cheng still hopes that Cai Chengxun will enter Zhengjiazhuang overnight.

Of course, Cai Chengxun could hear the meaning of Zheng Dagongzi's words, the terrain had been implemented, although it was only ten miles away from the destination, but it was separated by a mountain beam, and it was absolutely impossible to go any further, "If there are really thieves' spies, your family is afraid that they will suffer, and the thieves will hear that our army has arrived, and it is difficult to guarantee that they will not burn the village and escape." ”

Before Zheng Jing answered, the people from the village office smiled and said, "Master Jun said that he was joking, this Qiu Village is not as good as Zhengjiazhuang, it is a small village, and no one in the village knows anyone?" How can there be a living? If you don't believe me, you can ask, if I talk nonsense, you will kill my head. ”

"Do you know Master Zheng?" Cai Chengxun pointed at Zheng Cheng and asked.

"I've heard of it, but I don't know it."

"Then, do you know the situation in Zhengjiazhuang?"

The topic turned to Zhengjiazhuang, and the people in the village office said that they knew about Zhengjiazhuang, and they were very afraid, several rich families in the village had run away, and those who stayed had nowhere to go, and they were looking forward to the arrival of the official army.

Cai Chengxun asked suspiciously, did the thief really not come to your village? The answer was that he really didn't come. It is said that Bai Wei and Chen Jiaya were both occupied by thieves, perhaps because this side is far away, and the road is not easy to walk, and the thieves have not shown up so far. We? How dare we go there? We are all unarmed people, and even Master Zheng's township soldiers are not opponents, how can we have that courage!

The topic turned to the township soldiers, and Zheng Cheng didn't dare to tell the truth that the Zhengjiazhuang township soldiers actually had more than 500 foreign guns! Isn't this a rebellion? As for Qiucun, there are also village soldiers, but there are only more than 30 people, more than a dozen Hanyang-made, and the guns and bullets are still bought from Zhengjiazhuang. Cai Chengxun was resting and drinking tea, while pondering Qiucun, and always felt that there was something wrong with it. This is completely intuitive, Cai Chengxun called the signal corps, and ordered all teams to eat in teams, not to disband, not to leave people, and to be ready to fight at any time.

The people in the village office were driven away by Cai Chengxun, he wanted to rest alone, and by the way, he thought about tomorrow's war, Zheng Cheng saw him close his eyes and pretend to sleep, and tiptoed out.

I don't know how long it took, Cai Chengxun was awakened by the herald, and saw the herald holding a food plate with three bowls of hot dishes on it, "My lord, let's eat, there is freshly killed pork." ”

"Well, have the brothers eaten it?"

"It's all eaten." The herald put the food on the table, brought a basin of hand washing water, and waited for the commander to wash his hands, Cai Chengxun felt really hungry, picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth, and secretly praised himself, "There is no news from Officer Zhang's troops yet?" ”

"Not yet."

"The sentry posts have been released, right?"

"I see that Officer Shen personally checks the sentry."

"Hmm." Officer Shen is a team officer, and he is also the oldest team officer in the first battalion, who came out of the Tianjin Wubei Academy, is very cautious, and is Cai Chengxun's most trusted subordinate.

Chae Sung-hoon, who had just eaten a few bites of meat, suddenly heard a fierce gunfire in the east! He threw away his chopsticks, pulled out the pistol in his holster and rushed out!