Chapter 19: Deputy Platoon Leader (Happy New Year Everyone)

  The 10th Brigade of the Sichuan Army, stationed in Changdu area, was responsible for defending the northern part of the three provinces of western Sichuan. The main defensive target was some bandits and the Ma family army that had surrendered to the Qing court. However, although the Ma family army had many people, they were not a match for the Sichuan Army in terms of weapons and equipment. Therefore, when conflicts occurred, the 10th Brigade, although outnumbered, always had the upper hand.

  The Tenth Division includes 5 cavalry regiments, a two-battalion artillery regiment, reconnaissance battalion, engineer battalion, guard battalion, logistics battalion and field hospital. The entire division has more than 8,000 people.

  The Tenth Division was a cavalry division, all equipped with lances, and had relatively few heavy weapons, generally 60mm mortars and 75mm infantry guns. However, against bandits who didn't even have a few machine guns and the Ma clan army which lacked heavy weapons, it was easy to capture them.

  The commander of the Tenth Division is Zhao Bowei, with the rank of lieutenant general. He was born in 1852 in Luzhou City and is currently 38 years old. The deputy commander is Zhasi Duoji, a colonel, who is 36 years old and from the local area of Changdu, an ethnic Tibetan. The chief of staff is Li Zhuo, 37 years old, also a colonel, and from Chengdu.

  The soldiers of the Tenth Route Army were mainly composed of Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups living in the highlands, with Han people accounting for less than a third. Tibetans and Qiangs grew up on horseback from an early age and were born cavalrymen. After being equipped with new-style cavalry guns, they showed even greater strength.

  In the following days, Wang Yuezhe went to the Army Academy, graduated from the academy ahead of schedule and was awarded the rank of lieutenant. His new position had also been determined: acting company commander of the 3rd Company, 2nd Cavalry Battalion, 10th Brigade.

  They will go to the plateau at the end of August with other newly graduated officers assigned to the plateau area. This time, hundreds of officers graduated from the Army Academy, and nearly half of them were dispatched to the troops in the plateau area. Wang Yuezhe and Wang Wei also inserted themselves naturally. However, Wang Yuezhe used his alias, Wang Long. He also used this name when he was studying at the Army Academy.

  Perhaps because the time of separation is getting closer, Wang Yuze and his three wives also cherish this period of time even more. The feelings between husband and wife are also growing rapidly.

  August 23, 1890, Wang Yuezhe and Wang Wei both set out to join their troops. Together with a transport team heading to the highlands, they took the Sichuan-Tibet Highway to report to the Tenth Brigade. Although it was still mid-summer, even riding horses from Chengdu to Changdu was nearly 1,400 kilometers away, plus the mountain roads were difficult to navigate, and it would take around twenty days to arrive. By the time they arrived, it was already late September. The highlands' weather was cold, and after entering October, snow would start falling. At that time, actions would be even more inconvenient.

  "Yu Ze, don't worry, we'll take good care of things at home. You go to Changdu and take care of your body!" said Mrs. Xiong Menghuan, her eyes red-rimmed. The other two madams were no better off. Although they had known about the separation for a long time, when it came to this moment, they still felt extremely reluctant to part with him.

  "Don't worry, I'll be careful. You all take care of yourselves at home too. Father's health isn't good, so please take care of him for me!" Wang Yuze said after finishing speaking, and hugged the three madams before turning around to leave. Outside the Surveillance Commissioner's residence, Wang Wei was already waiting for him.

  Mounting their horses, Wang Yuze and Wang Wei rushed to the Army Academy. There, they would meet up with other classmates heading for the Plateau, then go to the military logistics department in the suburbs, join the transportation troops, and head to the Plateau together.

  "Wang Quan! Has Yu Ze set off yet?" Wang Xiao raised his head from the desk after dealing with a document.

  "Master, young master and several madams have bid farewell and set off with Ah Wei. Also, I've made all the necessary arrangements. The commander of the 10th Brigade's 2nd Cavalry Regiment has been replaced by someone I brought over from the Imperial Guard. Furthermore, I've also selected ten elite soldiers from the Imperial Guard to join young master's company. They are all seasoned veterans and will definitely be able to protect young master!" Wang Quan said.

  "Hmm! That's good. However, Yu Ze is going to temper himself, don't make it too special, or the significance of tempering will be lost!" Wang Xiao nodded and refocused his attention on the documents.

  This time, there were more than a dozen officers going to the 10th Brigade. However, Wang Yuezhe was only in his second year at the Army Academy and wasn't very familiar with these graduated seniors. Nevertheless, he knew the benefits of building his own connections. Under his deliberate effort, he quickly became acquainted with others. Among them, there was a man named Li Bing, who held the rank of lieutenant and was assigned to the Brigade Headquarters of the 10th Brigade. Another man, Zhang Yucheng, looked very elegant, wearing glasses, and appeared refined; he was assigned to the Artillery Regiment of the 10th Brigade. Along the way, under Wang Yuezhe's deliberate approach, they got along extremely well with these two men. Before even arriving at the 10th Brigade, the four of them had already become inseparable good friends.

  The transportation team had over a thousand people, more than 300 four-wheeled horse-drawn carts, each with four strong horses pulling. Otherwise, it would be difficult to climb the steep slopes on the highway. Each of these four-wheeled carts could carry two tons of supplies, including food, military uniforms, weapons, and ammunition. There were several transportation teams that transported tens of thousands of tons of supplies to the plateau every year before the big snow sealed off the mountain, supplying several troops stationed on the plateau.

  On the plateau, the geographical conditions are harsh and the industrial foundation is almost blank. Only Lhasa has a small ammunition production plant that can produce some rifle bullets and machine gun bullets. In Qamdo, there is only a small weapons repair factory, and all weapons and ammunition need to be transported from Sichuan.

  After leaving Chengdu, the road became more rugged as they entered the plateau from Dujiangyan. As the altitude increased, highland reaction began to appear. Fortunately, Wang Yuezhe was familiar with this feeling, having often gone to the highlands in his previous life. Although he felt a bit uncomfortable, it wasn't a big problem. Wang Wei was physically strong and didn't react at all after entering the plateau. Only Zhang Yucheng's body was slightly weaker, and he lay in the carriage for several days before recovering. However, after adapting, there were no more problems. The transportation team advanced very slowly, covering less than 100 kilometers per day. After entering the plateau, the weather also began to cool down, no longer as sweltering as the Chengdu plain. However, it wouldn't be long before snow started falling. When that happened, the roads between the plateau and Sichuan would be cut off due to heavy snow. Only after waiting for the next spring, when the ice and snow melted, would the roads reconnect. Therefore, the cost of stationing troops on the plateau was extremely high. Nevertheless, the Western Sichuan government deployed several divisions in the plateau area without hesitation. This was not only to maintain stability but also to deter foreign powers with designs on the plateau.

  On September 16, after more than half a month of trekking, Wang Yuezhe and his party finally arrived in Changdu. Here, not only is the residence of the Tenth Brigade, but also the location of the administrative organ of the Changdu area. However, although the jurisdiction of the Changdu area is vast, the population is extremely sparse. The entire Changdu area has an area of over 100,000 square kilometers, but the population is only around one million people, mostly Tibetan and very few Han Chinese.

  Wang Yuezhe and the dozen or so young officers were warmly received by the Tenth Brigade, with Brigade Commander Zhao Bowei, Deputy Brigade Commander Zhasi Duoji, and Chief of Staff Li Zhuo all attending the welcome banquet that evening. Brigade Commander Zhao Bowei represented the more than 8,000 officers and men of the Tenth Brigade in welcoming everyone's arrival, and also expressed his hope that they would be able to overcome the influence of their natural environment and make a name for themselves in the Tenth Brigade.

  Soldiers are all hot-blooded and love to drink. At the welcome banquet that night, Wang Yuezhe and others were forced to drink a lot of wine. In the end, they even fell down directly and lost consciousness completely. It's obvious that these young people who had just left the academy couldn't be the opponents of these old soldiers. Moreover, this was the territory of the 10th Brigade, with many people on the other side, dozens of people together pouring wine for them to drink. These ten or so new recruits who had just graduated from the academy were immediately overwhelmed and fell down one after another. Only Wang Wei, who had a large capacity for alcohol, didn't hold out until the end and also fell down.

  PS: Little fish wishes everyone a happy new year, wishing you a happy snake year and everything goes as desired. During the Spring Festival, this book will be updated normally, with two updates every day. Please continue to support little fish!