Beacon fires on New Year's Eve

  Judging from the current operation of "Renhe Salt Mine", it will not take long to generate immeasurable profits.

  "As soon as Father thought about how much dividend his shares could be divided, he was afraid that he wouldn't even be able to sleep at night." Huang Yunzhi imagined what her father might look like when the dividends were distributed and couldn't help but smile.

  "With the dividend, your profit won't be less either." Yang Shuo Ming looked at him and said, "This is just right to have money to pay back the investment in the pharmacy for your father. After all, what others give you is still others', lest in the future..." He smiled and didn't continue speaking.

  "Yes, you this 'live-in son-in-law', will be very easy to be ostracized in the future." Huang Yunzhi understood what he was saying, and smiled slightly, indicating that she understood. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come here with you either."

  Huang Yunzhi agreed to move her family to Di Dongbao with Yang Shuo for two reasons. On the one hand, she wanted to take care of Yang Shuo's daily life nearby. On the other hand, she did not want to occupy her natal family's residence.

  Although her stepmother had always been good to her, as the woman who bore two sons to her father, Huang Yuzhi was well aware of her and her husband's position in the family during this era of "preferring sons over daughters" and "a mother is valued for her son".

  "I've dug up Old Wu for you, I hope Father-in-law isn't too displeased?" Yang Shuo Ming heard her words and chuckled, asking again.

  "That's not the case," Huang Yunzhi said, "Wu Touer has been coming to our house for a short time, and Wu Touer is always meticulous in his work. He chose to come here, he must have already arranged for someone to replace him, otherwise Father would not have let him go."

  "Tonight is New Year's Eve, it's time to have the reunion dinner......" Yang Shuoming gazed out at the night sky outside the window, before he could finish speaking, a series of dog barks suddenly came from afar, followed by bursts of mournful gunfire!

  "It seems like it's from the gatehouse side!"

  Huang Yunzhi is no longer afraid of the gunfire, she concentrated on listening to the sound of the gun while holding up her binoculars and observing the surroundings before judging the exact direction of the gunfire.

  "It's the New Year and I still can't get a break." Yang Shuo Ming's "Super Computer Eye" also gave out the same prompt, he took a look outside the window and quickly grabbed his box cannon.

  "It's cold outside, don't go over there." Yang Shuoming saw Huang Yunzhi take out her own pistol and immediately stopped her, "Don't forget, you're not the same as before now."

  After hearing his words, Huang Yunzhi's face turned red, and she subconsciously glanced at her belly, nodding slightly.

  Yang Shuo Ming finished his farewell, gave a light kiss on the forehead of his beloved wife, turned around and went downstairs. At this time, several figures were already waiting in the heavy snow.

  "Mr. Yang." As soon as Yang Shuo Ming walked out, Lei Ba, Zhao Er Hu and several security guards came to greet him. Yang Shuo Ming noticed that the team members wearing new-style military uniforms looked different from before, and he couldn't help but smile slightly when he saw six shorter figures carrying carbines among them.

  "You six don't go past," Yang Shuoming said to the six children, "Protect your godmother here."

  "Yes! I guarantee to complete the task!" Liu Zhīyuǎn, also known as Liu Xiaōqī, who was given a new name by Yang Shuòmíng, saluted Yang Shuòmíng with a serious expression and led five other children to run towards the small building where Huáng Yùnzhī lived.

  Yang Shuo Ming nodded at others, pulled out the box cannon pistol, waved his hand and ran towards the gatehouse in the wind and snow.

  "What's going on?" Yang Shuo Ming arrived at the gate tower and looked at the distant starry firelight, asking.

  "There are almost a thousand people outside, saying they're Commander Zhang's soldiers and want to come in to catch escaped prisoners." A security guard on the gate tower reported to Yang Shaoming with some concern.

  Yang Shuo Ming listened to the rough and wild shouts and curses that came from outside from time to time, his eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.

  "In the dead of night, who can tell which troops are from where?" Zhao Erhu cursed, "I think they're just bandits! They know this place has become a treasure land and want to come and seize the mountain!"

  "It might be the bandits' revised version." Lei nodded his head and said, "The other day, Xu Tou'er also mentioned that Yao Changkui had shown signs of surrender..."

  Yang Shuo Ming thought for a moment and said to Zhao Er Hu: "Let their leader come forward and talk."

  Zhao Erhuo responded with a sound, raised his rifle and aimed at the night sky, pulled the trigger.

  As the ear-piercing gunshot rang out, the distant area fell silent in an instant.

  "Who's in charge here? Come out and talk!" Zhao Erhu bellowed at the top of his lungs.

  Zhao Erhu's voice echoed far and wide, reverberating in the valley for a long time before subsiding. Yang Shouming gazed at the distant torches which seemed to be increasing in number, ordering the on-duty mortar team to prepare for firing.

  After the seamless steel pipes and steels as well as some mechanical equipment purchased by Yang Shuo-ming for the security team arrived, after day and night rush work, the security team added 20 new mortars. Due to the difference in materials, although the structure of these new guns is exactly the same as that of the original two guns, their quality is much better than that of the first two guns. Yang Shuo-ming replaced the original two "pure-blooded earth mortars" with them, mainly because he was worried that the steel quality of the original two guns' barrels and components was not pure, and they might produce unexpected results after firing too many times.

  After the establishment of "Renhe" company, the scale of the security team was further expanded. A branch team is stationed in the mining area and the company headquarters. In order to strengthen the defense force of the underground fortress, six new mortars were deployed here by Yang Shouming, two of which are arranged on the gate tower of this fortress.

  "What's going on here! Can't you speak properly! I am Liu Wensheng, the commander of the 5th Mixed Brigade!" A hoarse voice came from far away.

  When he heard the name "Liu Wenxuan", Zhao Erhu rushed to Yang Shouming and curled his lips, seeing Yang Shouming's eyebrows twisted even tighter.

  Liu Wenshou was also a notorious bandit leader, nicknamed Liu Dama Zi. He occupied the Tie Mang Mountain on the east side of Yongning County Town, which is quite far from Shuanglong Town, but this time he suddenly appeared outside the Landang Fortress, which really surprised Yang Shaoming.

  "What kind of troops have become the Fifth Mixed Brigade?" Lei asked with his head raised, "Have they been recruited?"

  Yang Shuo Ming cleared his throat and said loudly, "So it's Liu Dazhuang from Tie Luoshan who has arrived. Sorry for the disrespect! It's a big holiday today, how did you have time to come here to visit the mountain?"

  "Is the one speaking Yang Zhuangui?" Liu Wensuo recognized Yang Shouming's voice and replied loudly, "You should call me Liu Lüzhong! Li Duxiu has appointed me as Lüzhong! We are now the Fifth Mixed Brigade, under the jurisdiction of Commander Zhang of the Sixth Division!"

  Yang Shuo Ming heard Liu Wen Xuan's response and couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

  He certainly knew that the "Li Dudo" referred to by the other side was Li Chun, a Beiyang Army general who was appointed as the acting governor of Jiangxi Province by Yuan Shikai, while the "Commander Zhang" of the Sixth Division was the notorious Zhang Jingyao!

  "What's with Li Daifu and Zhang Shuai? Never heard of them! Don't come here to scare me, you little bastard!" Zhao Erhu said irritably, his voice lowered but still clear enough for the other party to hear, immediately triggering a chorus of curses.

  "What brings you here at midnight?" Yang Shaoming asked loudly.

  "I heard that a few bandits have appeared on this side, and Commander Zhang wants me to bring the brothers to catch them. Have the bandits disturbed Yang's business?" Liu Wenzhong said, "Yang has opened a salt mine, and the surrounding villagers are all benefiting from it. Commander Zhang is taking special care of it, we can't let the bandits ruin things at the mine!"

  After hearing Liu Wenxuan's answer, Yang Shuo Ming understood the purpose of Zhang Jingyao sending him here. A sharp light flashed in his eyes for an instant, startling Zhao Erhu beside him.

  As a famous defeated general and incompetent warlord in Chinese history, Zhang Jingyao is not good at fighting, but his skills in burning, killing, raping and looting are top-notch. This time, it's clear that he knew about the discovery of salt mines on Luanshi Mountain and came to seize the wealth.

  Yang Shouming's contempt for Zhang Jingyao deepened as he thought that Zhang had actually used the method of recruiting bandits to rob civilians.

  "Thanks for your concern, Director Liu! A few bandits are nothing, the mine's security team can handle them!" Yang Shaoming said with a loud laugh, "No need to trouble you and Commander Zhang, please go back!"

  "Yang's family! Don't toast without drinking, or you'll be punished with a drink!" Liu Wenxuan shouted in anger, "Do you think the thousands of troops I brought here are just for show?"

  "Damn it! Hei Liu and Yao Changkui both fell here, what are you Iron Wolf Mountain's tofu dregs doing here!" Zhao Erhu didn't wait for Yang Shouming to respond, and let out a fierce roar, "Those who aren't afraid of death can come up!"

  "Fine! Let you ungrateful things see! My thousand or eight hundred men, even if we're just tofu dregs, will burst your belly!" Liu Wense's voice began to become somewhat hysterical. "Brothers! Charge for me!"

  As soon as he let out a loud yell, the sound of gunfire immediately rang out densely, and then bullets flew over, hitting the stone wall of the gate tower, making an ear-piercing noise.

  Despite the attack, the security personnel did not appear flustered. One by one, they calmly and unhurriedly took their positions to prepare for battle. Although there were very few of them (most had returned home for the New Year's holiday, leaving only a handful on duty), not a single person showed any sign of fear.

  As the security team had previously undergone two large-scale battles with bandits, they were no longer intimidated by the bandits after obtaining powerful new-style light artillery. Moreover, Yang Shouming's training in advanced methods made the security personnel not take the thousands of bandits in front of them seriously.

  Yang Shuo Ming dodged to the side and crouched down by the wall, giving a hand signal to the mortar gunner who had been waiting for an opportunity to fire.

  The mortarman nodded, relaxed his hand, and a mortar shell fell into the barrel. Then "Boom!" It was fired.