The next morning, all the officers and soldiers had breakfast and were assembled, and Zhang Tianhe ordered the whole army to march in the direction of Taonan.

Taonan, close to Inner Mongolia, is in the right wing of the 800-mile Hanhai and Horqin grasslands, which is a vast prairie with many swamps, mosquitoes, wolves and bandits.

After walking for ten days, Zhang Tianhe's five battalions of troops rushed to the border of Taonan, but fortunately they did not encounter Mongolian bandits along the way, Zhang Tianhe ordered to set up camp on a hillside, while building fortifications and training troops, and at the same time sending out sentinels to explore the movements of Mongolian bandits.

At this time, it was summer, and the mosquitoes there were frighteningly big, all of them bigger than bees, and I heard that they were imported from Tsarist Russia, and the people were better, but the horses were bitten and couldn't stand it.

Zhang Tian and them didn't have many horses in the first place, and being bitten by mosquitoes made their combat effectiveness even weaker.

Zhang Tianhe knew that the Meng bandits were each equipped with two horses, and when one horse was tired, he could change to a second one. Moreover, the Mongolian bandits were equipped with Mongolian horses of good breeds, tall and fat, and the horses of their own army could not be compared with Mongolian horses.

For this reason, Zhang Tianhe was very anxious, he discussed with Du Lisi, Liu Bodu and others, and decided to send people to spend a lot of money to buy a batch of high-quality Mongolian horses.

On the third day of Zhang Tianhe's stationing here, at noon on that day, a guard ran over to him and reported: "Report to Commander Zhang, two Japanese are coming outside the camp gate. ”

"What? Japanese?" After Zhang Tianhe heard this, he was taken aback.

"Yes. It seems to be your friend, what is it called Kawamoto Shaosa. The guard said.

"We just got here, how did he know?" Zhang Tianhe thought it was strange.

"I don't know."

"Please wait a moment for me to come out of the camp to greet him, and the others will stay away for the time being." Zhang Tianhe said.

"Yes." The crowd replied.

Zhang Tianhe came to the camp gate and took a look, and sure enough, it was Kawamoto Shaozo and the previous translator.

"Zhang Jun, long time no see, hello." After Kawamoto Shaozo and the interpreter saw Zhang Tianhe, they bowed 90 degrees.

"Mr. Kawamoto, I didn't expect that we would meet here." Zhang Tianhe said.

"You have a saying in China, there is no place in life where you don't meet." Kawamoto said with a smile.

"Mr. Kawamoto, please come inside." Zhang Tianhe said.

"Zhang Jun, please."

After the two entered the tent, the guest and the host sat down, and the interpreter stood behind Kawamoto, ready to translate for him, in fact, Kawamoto spoke Chinese fluently, and there was no need for a translator.

The guards offer tea.

"Zhang Jun, I really didn't expect that last time, you actually changed from the captain of the Chenjiayu security team to the commander of the fifth battalion of the Qing army, the speed of your promotion is really unimaginable, and I am still only a young minister."

"Mr. Kawamoto, you're joking, what can I count on, I heard that you Japanese officers are very real, and you are already a big official." Zhang Tianhe said.

"Anyway, we are old friends, and I want to congratulate you on your promotion to the commander of the fifth battalion." Kawamoto said.

"Thank you."

"Zhang Jun, I think you must be very strange about my arrival today, yes or no?" Kawamoto asked.

"Mr. Kawamoto, please speak up if you have something to say." Zhang Tianhe said.

"Rejoice! Zhang Jun, I appreciate your fast-talking character, I think you should have heard that our intelligence work can be said to be world-class, and your every move is under our control, so we already know about it as soon as you arrive here; I have come today to visit you, an old friend, since the last time I said goodbye, I have missed you very much; Second, as a friend, I advise you not to go to fight the Mongol Tauktahu and Babu Zabu Divisions. Kawamoto said.

"Oh, why?"

"First, Zhang Jun, I think you are a smart person, if you go to fight the Mongolian Taoketaohu and Babu Zabu Division, it will be equivalent to sending you to death, this is the trick of the Governor Zhao Erxun and Zhang Xiluan, the prefect of Pingquan, to kill people with a knife, I don't think you will fail to see this, they want to use the hands of the Mongolian Taoketaohu and Babu Zabu Division, to get rid of you quickly; Second, I know that you have a lot of talents, advisers like clouds, generals like rain, and you are also very good at training, but I don't underestimate you, you are at best only five battalions of men and horses, how to compare with the Mongolian cavalry, the difference in strength is too great, not to mention that people are very familiar with the geography and terrain, and you have just arrived, your eyes are black, your horses, equipment, and artillery are not as good as others; Third, I think there is one point, I also want to make it clear to you, the reason why the Mongolian Taoketaohu and Babu Zabu are so powerful is inseparable from the support of our Japanese military, guns for guns, guns for artillery, and intelligence for intelligence. Kawamoto stared at Zhang Tianhe and said.

"Mr. Kawamoto, you can't say that it is unreasonable, but we Chinese still have a saying called 'knowing that there are tigers in the mountains, and preferring to walk in the tiger mountains'. As for whether the Governor and the Prefect framed me or killed me with a sword, I don't want to know, I only know that I am a soldier, and a soldier takes obedience as his duty, and what the order of the Superior does, then I must resolutely and thoroughly carry it out. Zhang Tianhe said.

"Zhang Jun, I respect you as a man, a hero, I personally admire you very much, as an old friend, I have to persuade with good words, the previous Qingfeng Village, Red Makan is powerful, but compared with the Mongolian Taoketaohu and Babu Zabu Division, it can be said that it is trivial, not worth mentioning, this time, I can give you a suggestion, you can be stationed in the surrounding area for a period of time, and then, the class teacher returned to Pingquan Mansion, and said that he could not find the Mongolian Taoketaohu and Babu Zabu Division, therefore, it could not be exterminated, I don't think the Governor can do anything about you. Kawamoto said.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I can also tell you, either I won't come, since I'm here, if I don't completely exterminate the bandits, I will never go back, even if I fight to the last soldier." Zhang Tianhe said.

"Zhang Jun, okay, since you don't listen to my good advice, you will regret it sometimes. I hope that this is not goodbye, and that we will have the opportunity to meet again. Kawamoto said.

"Then when I finish exterminating the bandits and have a celebration banquet, you are welcome to participate at that time." Zhang Tianhe said.

"Well, if there is a day, I will definitely come to participate," said Kawamoto, "if you talk about the public, you are the commander of the Qing army, I am the commander of the Japanese army, and we are each our own master; When it comes to personal interests, I think we are rare confidants, so if you encounter any difficulties without violating the principles, just tell me that as long as I can help, I will definitely help you. ”

"Then I'll thank Mr. Kawamoto in advance." Zhang Tianhe said.

"You're welcome, take care, and leave here." After Kawamoto finished speaking, he stood up, saluted Zhang Tianhe again, and then turned around and left.