Under Asania's orders, the colonial army had one more additional task - patrolling.

There used to be patrols, but not as vigorously as they do now.

At first, the colonial army was overjoyed, after all, more tasks meant more benefits, and the coachmen, pedestrians, and even farmers in the field were suitable targets for blackmail.

The word patrol alone contains so much to say.

Soon, however, their attitudes changed 180 degrees.

Because Asania has taken a series of measures to prevent corruption in the colonial army, including but not limited to:

It is not allowed to bring extra things with you when you go out and when you return, and from time to time local soldiers are sent to inspect and visit, and a preliminary public reporting system is established......

In order to complete Madrid's confession, Asania did take great pains.

He now finally understood what Alfonso had said to him and Rajoy before leaving: "The pacification of Cuba is a simple military task and a difficult political one." ”

Thanks to Asania's efforts, the situation has improved considerably, and it is undeniable that there are policies and countermeasures, and corruption in the colonial army has always existed.

But when the risks outweigh the benefits, it is only a minority that dares to take risks.

It's a pity that one problem was solved, and another followed, and after running out of motivation, the work of the colonial army began to float on the surface, just to cope with errands.

In fact, they are not to blame, the colonial government paid soldiers very low wages, and arrears and corruption were also serious.

The salary is not much, so you have to take advantage of your position to make extra money to subsidize your life.

Asania had this result in mind when he issued the order to combat corruption.

When the deputy came to report to him, he just gave a faint "um" and it was over.

It is best to catch Maceio, it doesn't matter if you can't catch it, the upper limit of the three eastern provinces of Cuba is there, no matter how powerful the leader is, he can't rely on this bit of family background to defeat the Spanish army.

……

The change in the colonial army was quickly noticed by Maceio.

When he first set off, the defense was not as tight as he thought.

However, almost on the day he arrived in Holguín province, the number of soldiers patrolling suddenly increased.

The colonial army is robbing money and robbing money, and they are really doing their work, after all, how can they have an excuse to ask for money if they don't find some fault?

Marseo was stuck in a small town by them, and he didn't dare to move on.

It's just that you can't hide for too long, and the excuse for trimming can only be used for a while, and if it is longer, it will arouse suspicion.

He was anxious, but the soldiers' patrols were gradually relaxed, and the control of strangers was no longer as strict as before.

Taking this opportunity, he finally found a gap and barely got through.

After a thrilling journey, Maceo made it to Santiago, the capital of the province of Santiago.

After revealing his identity, he was taken to the office of the high-ranking official, Oriole.

On the way, Maceo heard that someone from Camagüey had been smuggled in before him, and that he had arrived before him.

But when asked about their current situation, the government clerk who led the way was reluctant to say more, which could not help but give him a bad premonition.

Fortunately, it was Ole who was about to meet, and thinking of this, Maceo relaxed slightly.

Olele was a tall white man whose ancestral home was a minor nobleman in Granada.

It's just that he was born in Cuba and has never been to Spain, which makes him feel no sense of the colonial government and has a strong anti-Spanish stance.

Marseo didn't meet him much, but he had a strong political understanding, which is why he chose to come to Santiago instead of Guantanamo, the most powerful of the three eastern provinces.

Sure enough, as soon as Olaire saw Maceo enter the office, he gave him a warm hug.

Seeing the other party's attitude, Maceo's hanging heart finally let go, and he was afraid that Olaire would change his attitude and sell him.

Both sides were pressed for time, and after a brief greeting, they chatted about business.

"At present, the three provinces are providing front-line support equipment and supplies, but I am afraid that it will not last for a few days." As soon as Olaire came up, he vomited bitterness.

"How so?" Maceo frowned: "As far as I know, the Spanish army is now on the defensive. ”

"There were no legion battles, but no skirmishes were broken." "We lost almost every battle, and nearly a hundred people died every day," Olaire explained. ”

"The loss of personnel is still one thing, there are big problems with our food supply and the supply of weapons.

The weapons procured by the Republic are transported and stored in Camagüne, very few are placed in the rear, and it takes at least 2-3 weeks to procure weapons on an ad hoc basis, and we have no money.

The little money left by the government is the final payment for the purchase of grain. ”

The situation is really bad ... The loss of nearly 100 people a day does not seem like much, but the combined number of the three eastern provinces is less than 300,000, which is not a small number for them.

And food must be guaranteed as a priority, even before armaments.

Without guns they could continue to fight, and without food, the nascent country would soon collapse.

As a Spanish colony, Cuba naturally prioritizes its economy, and in order to make better money and control more securely, Cuba relies on imports for 80% of its food.

The impact of the Cuban uprising on trade was not small, and with the improvised 50,000 troops, even if they were actually only in their early 40,000s, this military-civilian ratio was very terrible.

Food reserves are being depleted at a rapid pace, and now they are at a dangerous point.

"......" Marseo felt the despair in his face at first hearing, he wanted to say something, but found that he had no good way, opened his mouth and closed it again.

If it weren't for the Spanish Civil War, they wouldn't have had the courage to revolt anyway.

How do you know that the free government is so useless, and they will be killed in a year, leaving them in a dilemma.

Determined, Maceo did not answer, turned to ask something else: "I heard that the group from Camagüey is in a bad situation, right?" ”

"I don't know if it's from Camagüey." Olel said lightly: "There is a group of people from the Spanish occupation zone, but most of them are not government personnel, and they want to meddle in the administration as soon as they come, and their identities are suspicious, so they are all locked up by me." ”