Chapter 60: The Letter of Recommendation

  The troops advanced slowly along the hilly terrain, with a gloomy weather that seemed to be on the verge of rain. The soldiers in front, carrying rifles on their backs, looked vigorous and energetic, with no signs of fatigue visible on their faces, clearly showing they were well-trained. In contrast, the rear half of the troops, carrying large knives and long spears, walked slowly and laboriously, forming a stark contrast with the front troops.

  In the military formation, He Meng often frowned and looked back, while Khalid constantly shouted loudly to urge those behind to catch up. "Captain, this foreign gun is indeed powerful. It seems that one's martial arts skills are no match for a single bullet. The world has really changed." Lin Xiong couldn't help but sigh. "Now you know why my humble 200 men dared to take on your 300 men. I'm telling you, we've already entered the era of firearms, and big knives and long spears are outdated. Foreigners can play with guns well, and we can too, and we'll play even better than them." Leng Yifei instructed.

  "Yes, I've learned the power of foreign guns. From now on, I'll play with fire guns!" Lin Xiong couldn't help but touch the revolver at his waist. As the captain of Wolf Two Team, he was qualified to carry a revolver. The long guns were limited and these people wouldn't be able to use them effectively even if they were given rifles, so they would be like burning incense, only able to scare people without much effect. Therefore, the members of Wolf Two Team still equipped themselves with big knives and long spears.

  "How much further is it to the old street?"

  "After crossing the mountain in front and passing through a forest, we will arrive. I am very familiar with this area."

  Lin Xiong suddenly thought of something and said: "Captain, Liu Yongfu knows me, what if he turns his back on me and doesn't recognize me?"

  "You are now my man, besides, I'm not surrendering to Liu Yongfu, but cooperating with him to jointly strangle the rebel army."

  As soon as the rebel army was mentioned, Lin Xiong's face showed an awkward expression.

  Leng Yifei intentionally said, "The next step is to fight against the rebel army. I don't know if Brother Lin can take action." The captain said frankly that it's really hard for him to take action against his former comrades-in-arms. Not to mention that he has this idea, but his brothers will also be emotional about it. Captain, I have a request?" "What is the request?" "Afterwards, when facing my former comrades-in-arms, please allow me to shout before the formation. This way, my heart can feel better."

  "Brother Lin! I've thought of this, you can rest assured that after tomorrow's battle, I won't let you take the field and fight. Facing one's former brothers and taking action against them is unbearable, even for me - it's human nature."

  "Captain, your subordinate is deeply grateful."

  "But I have a request for you?"

  "Captain, please give the order!"

  "After tomorrow, my troops will expand, try to persuade as many of them as possible to surrender to me. I don't care about their background, as long as they surrender to me, they are my brothers."

  "Captain, rest assured, your subordinate will do his best."

  "Captain, although you're being secretive, I don't have the right to know who your superior is. However, it's clear that you're people with a big background, and this isn't something an ordinary person can obtain. Your subordinates are well-trained, each one capable of taking on ten opponents, Lin has no complaints, and will follow you wholeheartedly." "You being able to see this point shows that you're a wise man, I can tell you that currently the Guangxi government army doesn't have a foreign gun squad either."

  Lin Xiong gazed at Leng Yifei's confident face, feeling that the road ahead had broadened. Turning back to look at his brothers, he found them all spirited and full of vigor, with high morale. He knew that the other side dared to recruit him without hesitation, which meant that this militia was extremely powerful, and from then on Lin Xiong no longer had any doubts.

  In the distance, the old street was in sight, and soon the team stopped at the city gate. Suddenly, a team appeared, causing a commotion among the black flag army inside the city. The gatekeeper quickly closed the gate as if facing a great enemy. Leng Yifei ordered He Meng to set up camp outside the city. Seeing that the team below was not in a hurry to set up camp, voices were heard from the top of the gate: "Which part are you from and what brings you here?" Khalid shouted loudly: "We are the people's army, come to visit General Liu to discuss the extermination of the rebel army, please report quickly." After about the time it takes to smoke a bag of tobacco, the voice from the top of the gate said: "Please let your leader in, only bring one follower."

  Leng Yifei glanced at He Meng, and the two of them walked towards the city gate. The soldiers guarding the gate saw that they didn't have any weapons in their hands, so they let them pass. When they arrived at Liu Yongfu's Sanquan Deputy Commander's mansion, they were blocked from entering. After a few announcements, the two men were allowed to enter. The long corridor was filled with soldiers holding knives and swords, as if they were facing a great enemy. The two men entered with an air of confidence. In the main hall, a man in his 40s sat upright, his eyes gleaming with spirit. On either side stood high-ranking generals, glaring at them angrily.

  "General Liu, I am Leng Yifei, leader of the Wolf Troop of the People's Army. Greetings to General Liu!" Leng Yifei made a bow with his fists clenched. Liu Yongfu glared and said: "People's Army? I've never heard of it! You're clearly rebels. Take them down!" The generals on both sides drew their swords. Before anyone could react, He Meng rushed forward, fired a shot into the air with his revolver, and then pressed the muzzle against Liu Yongfu's head.

  Things are changing too fast, it's simply dazzling. Even Liu Yongfu and his subordinates who have experienced a hundred battles were slow for half a beat. "Don't move! If you move, I'll kill you!" He Meng shouted loudly. Faced with this situation, all the generals including Liu Yongfu himself were stunned. Leng Yifei also took advantage of the momentum to pull out his pistol and play with it, saying: "General Liu, take a closer look, do the rebel army have such foreign guns? Why would we rebel come to send ourselves to death?"

  Liu Yongfu said, "Mere words are not credible, what proof is there? My troops are just outside the city, with over 200 men in the foreign rifle corps. Moreover, on the way here we captured Yang Guangcai's vanguard for the right route and occupied Beiguang. This vanguard has already surrendered to me." Liu Yongfu asked doubtfully, "Who is the leader of the rebel army stationed at Beiguang?" "This person is called Lin Xiong, he is currently outside the city, you can see him at a glance."

  Liu Yongfu was shocked to hear the news and said, "Lin Xiong is a fierce general with over 300 men under his command. Not only did you capture Beiguang, but you also captured him alive? Send someone to verify this immediately." A deputy general was ordered to quickly go and check. About half an hour later, the deputy general rushed in and whispered something in Liu Yongfu's ear. Liu Yongfu's face showed shock, followed by a smile. He Miao put away his pistol and walked down, while the two deputy generals on either side also sheathed their swords.

  "Haha! Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! I didn't expect the militia to be equipped with foreign guns, it's unbelievable. May I ask where you are from?" "General Liu, we are here under the orders of our master, to assist General Liu in annihilating the rebel army." "Who is your master?" "I'm not at liberty to disclose that information. Our master admires General Liu's character and knows that the general is loved by the people and has a kind heart, so he sent us to assist the general in eliminating the rebels and bringing peace to the land." The other party was unwilling to reveal who their master was, but Liu Yongfu immediately judged that whoever could assemble a team with foreign guns must be a heavyweight figure.

  Liu Yongfu's expression changed and he said, "Immediately bring wine and dishes, I want to give Cold Hero a warm welcome." At the banquet, Cold Yifei took out a package from his bosom and opened it, saying: "General Liu, my brother came without bringing any gifts. This is a left-handed revolver with 100 bullets, please accept it as a gift." As soon as Liu Yongfu saw it, he widened his eyes and said, "Cold Hero, the gift is too valuable."

  Liu Yongfu was playing with the revolver, and Leng Yifei knew he wouldn't be able to handle it, so he patiently explained. Before long, Liu Yongfu couldn't resist his curiosity and got up from his seat to enter the courtyard, pointing the gun at the sky and pulling the trigger. With a loud "crack", the gun fired, and Liu Yongfu was startled himself. "Haha! Foreign guns are really good stuff!" He then fired another shot at the ground, and afterwards used up all four remaining bullets.

  Liu Yongfu let out a hearty laugh, and after taking his seat again, he looked refreshed. "General Liu loves foreign guns so much, I can help him tomorrow." "Good, good!" Liu Yongfu was in high spirits and immediately ordered Leng Yifeng to lead the troops into the city. At this time, the military advisor stood up and whispered a few words in Liu Yongfu's ear: "Hero Leng, I'm really sorry, but there are too many soldiers inside the city right now, and we can't accommodate you temporarily. The sky is already late, please have Hero Leng set up camp outside the city for the time being, and we'll discuss it again tomorrow."

  As they walked out of the city gate, He Meng said in a huff: "It seems they still don't trust us!" Leng Yifei said: "The situation in Annan is complex and confusing now. The old street is Liu Yongfu's old haunt, he has been operating here for over a decade, so it's not wrong to be cautious. Besides, no one in the militia has heard of us before, so it's normal that they have doubts." He Meng said: "Captain, what if the other side doesn't have good intentions? What do we do?" Leng Yifei replied: "When we get back, don't spread rumors, we need to be patient, understand?"

  "This is a problem, General. We've never heard of this armed militia before, and we can't figure out where they came from. We have to be on guard. On the surface, it looks like Lin Xiong has surrendered to them, but it's hard to say whether he's being sincere or not. If we let them into the city and something unexpected happens, we won't be able to resist." "What you're saying makes sense. This militia's rifle squad easily captured Lin Xiong's men, which raises suspicions. And yet Lin Xiong has defected to the militia. But what kind of person is Yang Guang? I know that with my observations, Leng Yifei is definitely not his man - we can be certain of that." The military advisor's eyes lit up as he said, "General, I think we should do this..."

  Next, after Leng Yifei and the team members finished their training, the military advisor came with two deputy generals to the outskirts of the city. "Leng Hero, we've kept you waiting. Director Liu is busy with official duties and can't get away. At present, the rebel army is causing chaos, and the people in the city are unstable. If Leng Hero leads his team into the city, it may cause panic. Since we're working together to destroy the rebel army, Director Liu hopes that Leng Hero will go to Xian'an to station."

  "Military advisor politely said: 'Cold hero, currently our Black Flag Army has less than 2,000 soldiers and horses, while Yang Guang has over 10,000. Therefore, we dare not act rashly. General Feng sent a letter yesterday saying that the government army will enter Annan soon, at which time we can discuss sending troops to annihilate the rebels.' The military advisor's words left Leng Yifei speechless."

  "What? Go to Xian'an barracks? Xian'an is currently in Yang Guangcai's hands!" Lin Xiong exclaimed. "Damn, Liu Yongfu doesn't have good intentions." Several captains condemned him. Leng Yifei asked: "How many soldiers and horses are stationed in Xian'an?" "It's the 5th battalion of Yang Guangcai's left route, with 500 soldiers and horses." "Let's turn the tables on them, we'll take down the narrow pass of Xian'an and let Liu Yongfu see it, so he can completely get rid of his suspicions."

  Yang Guangcai's old nest is currently in Taiyuan, northern Hanoi, and a part of the Left Route Army is stationed in Xuanhua. Haman is the northwest gate of Xuanhua, located on the west side of Lujiang. Liu Yongfu's purpose was very clear: first, to test the authenticity of Leng Yifeng, and second, to test his combat ability if he was genuine. On that day, the troops set out and arrived at the southwest of Haman in the evening of the next day.

  "Report to the captain, after reconnaissance, Xian'an is a city but not high, the wall height is about four meters, with one gate in the southeast and northwest respectively. Based on the scale of Xian'an, there won't be too many soldiers and horses." The scout returned to report. Leng Yifei gathered all the squad leaders for discussion.

  "Lin Xiong, tell me about the situation in Xian'an and Xuanhua!" "Xian'an is the northwest gate of Xuanhua, with 500 soldiers and horses. This unit is the 5th battalion of Yang Guangcai's left route, led by Wei Tianbao, who belongs to Yang Guangcai's direct lineage. Xuanhua has a garrison of 2,000 soldiers and horses, which is Yang Guangcai's left route guard army, with General Wei Tianxiong, who is Wei Tianbao's older brother." Leng Yifei listened to Lin Xiong's explanation and fell into thought for a moment.

  "Xian'an is less than 100 miles away from Xuanhua. In order not to alert the enemy in Xuanhua, I have decided to adopt a night raid and suddenly attack Xian'an. He Meng!" "Yes!" He Meng stood up! "You will lead two small teams as the spearhead team to enter the city first, and launch a surprise attack on Wei Tianbao's command center, striving to destroy it at the fastest speed." "Yes! I understand!"

  "Lin Xiong!" "Here!" Lin Xiong stood up straight. "You lead Wolf Team 2, block the two side gates, your mission is to capture the scattered soldiers." "Yes! Subordinate obeys orders!" A joyful expression appeared on Lin Xiong's face, knowing that the captain was taking care of him. "Now everyone check their watches, I decide to launch the operation at midnight." Leng Yifei said decisively.