Chapter Thirty-One: Don't Want To Go (Seeking Recommendations, Favorites)

  After entrusting the training task to He Xi and Yue Peng, Yang Qiu hastily rushed to the Commander's Mansion, only to find that all military officers above the rank of battalion commander had arrived, filling the main hall with a sea of dark uniforms.

  "Chen Hua, over here."

  Yang Qiu was about to find a place to sit down when he heard Li Yuanhong calling out to him, and even patted the seat next to him intimately. He hurried over to greet him: "Biao Xia reports to the Commander-in-Chief."

  "Chen Hua, don't be polite, sit down." After Li Yuanhong sat down, he pointed to the two people beside him: "This is Liu Wenzhi, the assistant officer of our Mixed Group, and Wang Anlan, the secretary. You three are all working in the Mixed Group, so you should get along well with each other from now on."

  Liu Wenzhi was over forty years old, looking dark and thin. Wang Anlan, on the other hand, had a white face with no beard and a stout figure, somewhat resembling Li Yuanhong. Yang Qiu hastily paid respects to both of them: "Mr. Liu, Mr. Wang, I'm young and ignorant, I hope you two gentlemen will take care of me in the future as colleagues."

  "Hehe, indeed a young hero emerges. Chen Hua, sit next to me." Ever since that day when he accompanied Li Yuanhong to secretly watch Yang Qiuli's heroic deeds, Wang Anlan had been somewhat displeased with Yang Qiuli, always feeling that he was reckless. Fortunately, Liu Wenzhi had a good temper and seemed like someone who would be easy to get along with, so she pulled Yang Qiuli over to her side.

  "Does Chen Hua know about the meeting today?" As soon as he sat down, Li Yuanhong asked, and Yang Qiu hastily nodded: "I know, it's about Sichuan."

  "Now that you know, it's good. You just returned from Sichuan and are familiar with the situation there. Perhaps Commander-in-Chief will ask about it." Li Yuanhong was worried and instructed: "This matter is of great importance, it's not as simple as bribing soldiers with your own money, so later on don't rely on your youth and recklessly make promises."

  "What should I promise?"

  Seeing Yang Qiu's confusion, Liu Wenzhen quietly poked him: "The commander's meaning is that if I mix with the cooperative, it will be slightly worse than the eight towns. The military equipment is insufficient, and this time someone must be sent to Sichuan to assist in suppressing bandits. You just came back from there, so..."

  Liu Wenzhi's words made Yang Qiu understand, and he glanced at the mud Bodhisattva-like Li Yuanhong beside him, thinking that this guy didn't seem as stupid as he looked, and was already thinking of self-preservation. He quickly nodded and said: "Don't worry, sir, I know what to do."

  Li Yuanhong nodded in satisfaction: "The Provincial Governor's office has already been informed that you used your own silver to supplement the military expenses, and it is estimated that they will allocate funds within these two days, so you can rest assured."

  Isn't this nonsense? At this moment, Rui Ceng wouldn't dare to withhold the silver again even if she wanted to be reckless. It's always good to get it back, so Yang Qiu hurriedly thanked Li Yuanhong.

  Just as the four of them had been chatting for a while, they heard footsteps coming from behind. They looked up to see that Zhang Biao, the new military commander and Hubei provincial governor, had entered the main hall in full armor. Everyone quickly stood up and paid their respects.

  "Everyone must know what's going on by now, right?" Zhang Biao said after letting everyone sit down. "First, Yang Biao was assassinated in the street, and now they're stirring up mobs to attack the government office in Sichuan. These rebels really think I'm a pushover!"

  Zhang Biao gave a cold glance at the crowd, his anger bursting forth: "The Emperor has already made up his mind to teach those rebels a lesson this time. He ordered our army to select elite soldiers and prepare for entering Shu. What do you all have to say?"

  "Adult."

  As soon as Zhang Biao finished speaking, Wang De's deputy, Baizhuan, jumped up: "Sichuan has been a place of unruly folk customs since ancient times, with many mountains and dense forests, and also has Tusi and Miao descendants mixed in, so we must be careful."

  "Wang Xietong is right. In my opinion, we should first send a small group of elite soldiers to Sichuan to investigate the situation before making a decision."

  "Hmph, what's the need for such trouble with just a mob of rioters? My new army has ample firearms and soldiers who have trained hard for many years. Anyone who isn't a tiger-like warrior is, in my opinion, not worth preparing for. Just let Sichuan stock up on grain and fodder, and we can march forward effortlessly."

  The hall was suddenly filled with discussions, and everyone jumped out to express their opinions. Only the 21st Mixed Brigade where Yang Qiu was located did not have anyone speak up. Zhang Biao saw this and glanced at Li Yuanhong, who looked like a mud Bodhisattva, and suddenly turned his head towards Yang Qiu.

  Yang Qi secretly thought it was not good, Zhang Biao had already waved his hand to let everyone quiet down, then looked at him and said: "Chen Hua, you've just taken over as the banner commander, but previously you followed the logistics camp into Sichuan, speak up."

  From the attention of Li Yuanhong just now, Yang Qiu knew that Zhang Biao would definitely make a fuss about this. He quickly stood up and said: "Chenhua's seniority is still shallow, and he was recommended by his lord to take on this banner position, and he is terrified in his heart."

  "It doesn't matter, tell me your thoughts."

  It seems Zhang Biao is not going to let himself off, so Yang Qiu had no choice but to pay his respects again and said: "The rioters are causing trouble, the party is stirring up unrest, attempting to disrupt the foundation of Sichuan, and surrounding the government office in broad daylight. This matter cannot be taken lightly. However, deploying a large army also has its drawbacks, not to mention that our three towns in Wuchang are much more important than Sichuan, so even if we send troops, we must leave some behind to guard."

  "Not long ago, Biao Zhe had been to Sichuan, where the local customs are indeed fierce and bold. The brothers dared to stab me openly on the street, and they also mixed with the rebel party. Therefore, if we want to enter Sichuan, we need to guard against them. Moreover, Sichuan has many mountains and dense forests, which is advantageous for the bandits to hide. Our large army will inevitably expose ourselves to the enemy when we move out, so we must make sufficient preparations before setting out."

  "Yang Biao is indeed a Batulu, awarded the yellow horse cloak. In my opinion, it would be better to let the 42nd division enter Sichuan to suppress bandits." Just as Yang Qiugang finished speaking, Zhang Jingliang of the 29th division jumped up.

  "That's well said." Zhang Biao glanced at Li Yuanhong sitting beside him, turned his head and asked: "Chenhua, do you know if the 42nd Division can take on this heavy responsibility?"

  Yang Qiu suddenly hated Zhang Jingliang so much that his teeth itched, fortunately, after being reminded by Li Yuanhong, he had a plan in mind and hastily cupped his hands saying: "Sir, do you want to see our army defeated?"

  "What? What are you talking about? Can't my new army of soldiers defeat a group of rioters?" Zhang Biao furrowed his brow, somewhat annoyed, and said: "Chenhua won't be like yesterday's rain, getting sick and talking nonsense, will he?"

  Yang Qiu knew that yesterday's matter couldn't be hidden from Zhang Biao, and he didn't mind standing up straight and saying: "Yang Qiu took over the 42nd battalion for only two days, and his military prestige had not been established. Orders were not being carried out, and the soldiers below were even more disobedient. Even this morning, there were still two squad leaders who were absent due to illness and couldn't attend roll call.

  "A general who has spent his life on horseback should know the consequences of sending troops out without listening to orders and not following commands. Although I also want to enter Sichuan and make new achievements for the imperial court and you, my lord, in this situation, I really cannot guarantee that we can defeat the rebels. Therefore, if you insist on sending the 42nd battalion into battle, please first relieve me of my command."

  As soon as Yang Qiugang finished speaking, Li Yuanhong stood up and said: "Your Excellency, what Yang Qiugang said is not wrong. He has just taken over the command for a short time. If he goes now, it may not be a good thing. Once the war situation becomes unfavorable, the imperial court will blame us, and I'm afraid..."

  Li Yuanhong was always seen as a honest man in the New Army, with good interpersonal relationships. Since he spoke up for Yang Qiu, everyone else didn't dare to make things difficult.

  Zhang Biao also knew that sending troops to Sichuan was a problem, but he himself did not want to go to Sichuan. Now Rui Cong was watching from the side, if he went to Sichuan, wouldn't the military power fall into someone else's hands? So he quickly looked at Li Yuanhong.

  Li Yuanhong was startled and hastily waved his hand, saying: "Sir, don't call me. Look at Song Qing's body, I'm afraid this fat body can't even pass through Shu Road, and it would be a waste to let the soldiers follow and suffer."

  Everyone was delighted when they heard this. Li Yuanhong had indeed gained a lot of weight over the years, and even Yang Qiu understood that no one wanted to go originally.

  Historically, Zhang Biao and Li Yuanhong did not personally lead the troops, but instead handed them over to Rui Fang, who didn't understand military affairs. However, looking at it now, this choice is obviously not yet decided, so he thought for a moment and said: "Sir, actually you don't necessarily have to personally lead the troops into Sichuan."

  "Oh?" Zhang Biao's eyes lit up, and he hastily asked: "Chenhua, quickly tell me."

  "Sir, my new troops have been well-trained and only need someone who can keep them in hand. It would be best if it were someone familiar with the geography of this region from Hankou to Sichuan."

  Familiar with the terrain?

  Zhang Biao's mind flashed, who was familiar with the terrain?

  Yang Qiu naturally wouldn't explicitly say that Rui Fang was the supervisor of the Hankou Railway, as he had a deep understanding of the geography along the railway line. You sent him to do this kind of thing, but seeing Zhang Biao's eyes slowly brighten up, he knew his words had taken effect.

  "Pass down the order, the whole army returns to camp, no one is allowed to leave without permission! Zhang Jingliang, your 15th battalion is in charge of Wuchang. Yang Kaijia, your 30th battalion is in charge of Hankou, starting immediately, strictly inspect all boats entering and leaving the river, especially those entering from Sichuan, I will have the Jiangfang Water Squadron assist you, anyone who resists arrest will be killed without exception!"

  Zhang Biao finished speaking and looked at Yang Qiu heavily: "Yang Qiu, although I allowed you to return to the 42nd division for retraining, the matter of Hanyang is very important. In your daily life, apart from training soldiers, you must also use your mind more often."

  As soon as he finished speaking, everyone knew that Zhang Biao had a different opinion of Yang Qiu, so Liu Wenchu on the side gave him a thumbs up, and even Li Yuanhong nodded his head in satisfaction. Yang Qiu let out a sigh of relief in his heart, finally not having to go fill that big mud pit in Sichuan.