Chapter Twelve Leaving

  "So it seems that you've already made up your mind to leave?"

  Mr. Fang looked at Li Han, who was packing his equipment, with a hint of disappointment on his face, "Well, I've long seen that you're an extraordinary person, and it's actually delayed your future by staying in our Paper Town, alas..."

  "Heh heh, old sir, don't say that. I've also seen it, the household guards brought by Young Master Lu are all well-trained veterans, even stronger than the usual provincial patrolmen. Especially with their full equipment of Russian-style Mosin-Nagant rifles (1891 model), except for a slight lack of actual combat experience, their quality is far superior to those bandits from the Righteous Manor. With him taking charge, I believe the Righteous Manor will also become much more subdued in the future!"

  Of course, Li Han didn't say everything, that is to say, the family guards who had never seen blood were not on the same level as the horse bandits who killed people like flies. Even if they were better equipped, if they really clashed head-on, let alone the horse bandits charging on horseback, what could the family guards of Lu's village with only two light machine guns do? To be honest, it would depend on Lu Junhao's command ability!

  "Being able to become the new military commander, in this era if you haven't drunk foreign ink or graduated from the Military Academy, it's almost impossible! I think Lu Junhao's command ability shouldn't be too bad!"

  Although he was somewhat uncertain in his heart, but in his opinion, the arrogant and proud young master of the Lu family should have some skills, so he had already made up his mind to leave!

  He picked up the five brand-new Russian Mosin-Nagant rifles that had just been captured, checked them one by one, and then neatly placed hundreds of bullets in a bag. Among all the captured weapons, he only took these five Mosin-Nagant rifles and the Browning M1911 pistol as spare, as well as some bullets. The rest were left to the villagers. In this way, even if bandits came again, as long as it wasn't dozens or hundreds of people attacking at once, the villagers would have the ability to defend themselves! This was also the reason why he was preparing to leave, although he didn't trust the armed guards of the Lu family.

  After finishing all this, Li Han looked up and saw that Mr. Fang's face still had a hint of worry that hadn't dissipated. He furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then understood what the old man was worried about. Looking at how they conversed, it seemed like they were very familiar with each other. So, he couldn't possibly not understand the other person's character at all. It was precisely because he knew the other person's temperament too well that he feared Lu Junhao would fall into Gui Sheng's trap. If Lu Jia Zhuang lost him again, it would undoubtedly make Gui Sheng's Yi Zhuang the true king of this Jiang Xia region. At that time, villages like Lou Cun that relied on Lu Jia Zhuang for protection would definitely suffer.

  "Don't worry, Fang Lao. Li Mou is not a man who breaks his word. I'll go to their Yi Zhuang first and gather some information. Even if the Lu family doesn't take action against Kui Sheng, I'll sneak in at night and take care of him myself. Dealing with over a hundred cavalrymen may be beyond my abilities, but taking out a few people under the cover of darkness is something I'm particularly skilled at! My marksmanship isn't just for show, and besides, I have ways to ensure that even in the dark of night, my shooting won't be affected!"

  A hint of confidence flashed across his face, and Li Han spoke to the old man, saying that he also had a fate with this building village. The first village after crossing over, so, I don't want my own memories to be destroyed by a group of horse bandits either.

  The old man was indeed influenced by him, listening to his confident words and having seen his marksmanship before, nodded and flashed a faint smile on his face.

  "Alright, young man, do your best! I almost forgot, after you're done with this matter, you'll be returning to your hometown in Chongqing, right? I have a deep relationship with the current magistrate of Ba County, Duan Zongxiu, and he is also closely related to the current governor of Chongqing Prefecture. You can bring my personal letter to him, as it's currently the season for the imperial court to appoint officials. I've already recommended you for the position of Patrol Commander in Chongqing in the letter. Even if it's not possible, you'll at least get a minor official post! Here are two paintings and calligraphy that I've treasured for many years. The governor of Chongqing Prefecture, Niu Botuan, is a refined scholar who loves landscape paintings and famous calligraphy. Take them with you, and they will surely help you achieve success!"

  He let out a deep sigh, and Mr. Fang opened a wooden board from a hidden corner of the wall, took out two soft brocade boxes containing calligraphy and paintings from a hole under the board, and stuffed them into his hands. Seeing Li Han's hesitation, as if he wanted to refuse, the old man hurriedly stopped him, "Young man, you also saw it, this old man has lived long enough, what use are these things for? Not to mention that you saved my poor grandson, just looking at your chivalrous and righteous heart, I will keep a future for you. Take it...take it, Button Mu Yuan and I have never met before, so we can't talk about any friendship. Moreover, he and Old Master Zhao are not from the same faction, if there were no these two paintings, it would be really difficult to get through his door. Even if my acquaintance helped you move around, it could only get a humble door, but it would delay your future in vain. So, take it...take it...remember not to rush and offend the two masters, and your hair is also a difficult thing, I have a fake braid here that was just borrowed from the village master. If you enter the city, be sure to wear a fake braid, otherwise, it will cause dissatisfaction with the two people...go...go..."

  It's clear that the old man is indeed doing it for his own good, and every clause and sentence is clearly explained to him. The tone of appreciation and regret is evident in his words, and he obviously attaches great importance to him!

  "...Mr. Li appreciated the old man's kindness, but although he had to return to his hometown in Chongqing, he didn't plan on becoming an official either, still he wanted to thank the old man for his good intentions..."

  Deeply moved, Li Han did not expect that this old gentleman would remember his kindness and think of repaying him. However, he could only appreciate the good intention in his heart, as the Qing dynasty was about to collapse, and what use would his identity as a Manchu official be? Nevertheless, Li Han was not lying; his ancestral home was indeed Sichuan, Chongqing, and when studying, he had asked his father, a colonel at a certain military academy, to obtain for him a set of confidential documents on the modern history of Sichuan compiled by the military academy. He was particularly familiar with the development of modern Sichuan, especially the military situation and forces before and after the Xinhai Revolution.

  After more than half an hour of recollection, he finally determined the path he was going to take, that is, if he wanted to succeed, he had to take down Sichuan. After searching through his memories of the late Qing and early Republic period, he found that there were only two provinces where a person with a weak foundation could easily succeed during the Xinhai Revolution - Xinjiang and Sichuan. Other places were either under the traditional influence of the imperial court and the Beiyang government, or were provinces where southern revolutionaries were mixed together. Take a look at someone like Xiong Bingkun, who was a great hero of the Wuchang Uprising, but after the war, he was given the title of commander-in-chief of the 5th Corps, and half a year later, it was changed to major general and commander of the 5th Brigade. However, he was completely excluded from the Wuhan military government, and instead, people like Li Yuanhong, who were surrendering factionalists, thoroughly grasped the power in Hubei, and were not even comparable to other same alliance will's so-called revolutionary heroes.

  Others are still like this, let alone him. Even if he is lucky enough to take down a province in the upcoming revolutionary wave sweeping the nation and build momentum for taking over the country, after getting it, he would still have to face the counterattack of the Manchu nobles and aristocrats within the province, as well as the constraints of the southern revolutionaries. He would also need to confront the envy and covetousness of surrounding forces, worrying about being taken advantage of by various factions. One misstep could not only cost him his own life but also lose the province he had fought hard to take down, along with the hope for a new China to rise. Therefore, he needs to be extremely cautious!

  After careful consideration, only two provinces, Xinjiang and Sichuan, meet the requirements for rapid occupation and transformation into a base. Let's talk about Xinjiang first. Xinjiang is located on the national border, with rich mineral resources and vast territory. However, due to its distance from the Central Plains, neither the Northern Government nor the Southern Revolutionary Party had sufficient strength in this region. Moreover, although Xinjiang covers almost one-fifth of the country's total area, it only has 35 battalions of new troops. If not for the betrayal of revolutionaries during the Dihua Uprising, which led to the arrest of some progressive military officers by the then-Xinjiang Governor Yuan Dahua, perhaps the provisional government established in Nanjing in early 1912 would have had one more province!

  However, Xinjiang, although having obvious advantages over Sichuan, which he chose, also has many shortcomings. For example, the vast territory and sparse population lead to a severe shortage of labor force, multiple ethnic groups, and the presence of powerful neighbors such as Russia, making it easy to take down but difficult to truly build into an industrial base. Without a strong military-industrial base, it would be hard for him to follow his plan and try to end the domestic division and chaos before World War I, and strive for a share of the huge profits of $30-35 billion (according to the purchasing power conversion formula, $35 billion in 1918 is approximately equivalent to $11.7243 trillion in 2009, $11.96612 trillion in 2011; if it were 1914, $35 billion would be equivalent to $16.88367 billion) generated by World War I. Only by taking advantage of the east wind of World War I at this time can the country's light industrialization transformation be initially completed, and become one of the world's industrial powers.

  Compared to Xinjiang, Sichuan may not be as easy to take down, but it is still his best choice. Firstly, having been a native of Sichuan before the crossing, he had some understanding of the history of his hometown and could vaguely remember the various forces in Sichuan before and after the Xinhai Revolution. Secondly, at this time, Sichuan did not have military strength comparable to its status. During the late Qing dynasty's training of new armies, Sichuan was allocated three divisions: the 16th, 17th, and 18th. However, by the time the Qing dynasty collapsed, only the 17th Division had been fully trained. Moreover, due to British interests in Tibet, troops were stationed in Kangding and Lhasa for many years. It can be said that except for a considerable number of but not very powerful patrol battalions and police battalions (converted from old Qing army camps and Eight Banners Green Camps), there was almost no military force within the province. This is also why, during the September Railway Protection Movement in history, the Qing court had to deploy troops from neighboring provinces such as Hubei, Shaanxi, and Gansu to enter Sichuan and suppress patriotic revolutionaries.

  At this time, Sichuan's industrial strength was not as strong as that of the southeastern coastal areas. However, thanks to the efforts of Zhao Erxun and his brothers, who had been governing the province for many years, some weak industrial foundations had been laid, barely allowing Sichuan to rank among the top ten industrial provinces in the country. The eastern part of Sichuan had convenient railway and water transportation advantages, while the northern part also had a good railway foundation. Especially with its rich human resources, as the province with the largest population at the end of the Qing dynasty, with nearly 50 million people, the labor force of Sichuan, combined with its unique geographical location as the "Heavenly Kingdom", would be sufficient for it to complete its initial industrial transformation within two or three years.

  However, the disadvantages of Sichuan are also very obvious. The terrain in the province is mostly steep and complex, with a mix of ethnic groups, and more than 70% of the population has ties to the Paoge forces. Although it would be beneficial to take control of Sichuan, these disadvantages will inevitably become constraints on development in a few years. Nevertheless, he still needs to return to Sichuan, but with what identity and how to return, he already had some vague ideas in his mind, and the rest is just preparation...

  He didn't even go to get the brocade box for Old Master Fang, who had originally wanted to take a look. But seeing his determined expression and his eyes involuntarily scanning the top of his head, he suddenly darkened his face and stopped talking!

  He bid farewell to him, and didn't go disturb Lu's eldest son who was currently in the village chief's house asking about the situation. After Li Han loaded his things onto the car, he quietly drove out of the village without disturbing anyone, leaving under the reluctant gaze of Fang Lao and his granddaughter...

  The target is in the southeast direction of Zhifang Town!