Chapter Twenty-Four: The Horse Bandits

  A month had passed, and it was already late October on the plateau. The biting cold wind began to set in, and the temperature dropped rapidly. Although there was no snow yet, the temperature had already fallen to around zero degrees. The sky was gray and overcast, and according to experienced old herders, a big snow would fall soon. The third battalion also started preparing for winter, stockpiling fodder, reinforcing houses and fortifications, and preparing ammunition and food supplies, etc.

  Once it snows, subsequent supplies will be difficult to transport, and at least until next March, after the ice and snow melt, supplies will resume. Therefore, before the snowfall, the third regiment's reserves of various materials are sufficient, including ammunition! Although in winter, the activities of Ma Fei and the Northern Horse Family Army will also be greatly restricted, generally speaking, there will not be any large-scale battles. However, it is always better to have a reserve, so stockpiling more supplies is still very necessary.

  "Ah Wei, how's the preparation of all materials going?" Wang Yuze asked from a five-meter-high tower standing beside the gate of the barracks. This tower was an important defensive fortification. A Markov water-cooled heavy machine gun was set up here. Once the enemy attacked, the Markov heavy machine gun with a firing rate of 600 rounds per minute would be their tomb.

  "Commander, after this month of rushing to transport supplies, all kinds of materials have been stored. Fodder and food are sufficient for the entire regiment to hold out until next April. Moreover, ammunition has been stockpiled at a rate of 5 bases, enough to support a high-intensity battle!" Wang Wei replied.

  In the Western Sichuan Army, one base of ammunition, if referring to cavalry, represents 200 rounds of bullets. Heavy machine guns represent 10,000 rounds of bullets. When heavy machine guns fire, bullets fly out at high speed, forming a metal bullet curtain, which also consumes a lot of bullets. Therefore, the ammunition base for heavy machine guns is much larger than that of cavalry.

  Artillery represents 120 rounds of shells. The Third Regiment now has two 60mm caliber mortars and three 37mm caliber mortars, totaling 600 rounds of shells. This month, just transporting these munitions alone took up a lot of time for the officers and soldiers of the Third Regiment. It can be said that except for the daily guards, everyone else was fully engaged in the transportation of ammunition and supplies.

  "Hmm! That's good! This is our first time leading the troops, we can't afford to make any mistakes!" Wang Yuez nodded.

  "Commander, the herdsmen who went out to graze have all returned to the villages on the outskirts of the barracks. However, the herdsmen who came back from the north reported that there seemed to be signs of horse bandit activity about 200 miles north of us!" Wang Wei said with some concern. The winter on the plateau was extremely harsh. Herdsmen needed to stockpile large amounts of fodder and food in order to get through the winter, while the horse bandits also needed to make preparations in order to smoothly get through the cold winter. This meant that they needed to seize enough cattle, sheep, and fodder before the snow fell.

  On the grasslands, many horse bandits have always been active and cannot be eradicated. Although the Sichuan-Xikang Army has increased its crackdown on horse bandits within its borders, these bandits often infiltrate from outside Sichuan-Xikang. The policies of Sichuan-Xikang have brought about great changes in the lives of local herdsmen, making them the primary targets for robbery by these bandits. However, the powerful Sichuan-Xikang Army, particularly the 10th Brigade, has launched a devastating crackdown on these bandits. Countless bandits are killed every year by the Sichuan-Xikang Army's guns. At the same time, many bandits fail to plunder enough supplies to last through the winter. What does this represent? They themselves are very clear about it. Without sufficient supplies, they will be unable to survive the harsh winter. Therefore, before the snow falls, plundering enough supplies has become their primary goal.

  When Wang Yuze heard the news of Ma Fei's activities, he was also startled in his heart. Although he had never seen Ma Fei before, he knew about their cruelty as well. The bandits passed through like locusts, leaving nothing behind. All cattle and property were looted, the old, weak, sick and disabled were all killed, and young men who refused to join them had only one way out - death. As for women, they became playthings for the bandits, with a tragic fate.

  "Notify the sentry post on the north side to strengthen their vigilance. Once they find any trace of the horse thieves, they must come back and report immediately. However, they are not allowed to engage in a fierce battle with the horse thieves, but must preserve their strength. At the same time, let each squad strengthen their vigilance. If the horse thieves launch a surprise attack, they must be repelled!" Wang Yuezhe said loudly. He had a faint feeling that this winter might not be easy to get through. The Gasangka, which had gathered dozens of households of herdsmen and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, seemed to have become a piece of fat meat in the eyes of the horse thieves. If they could loot this place, it would be very easy for the horse thieves to get through this winter. However, the third company was not an easy one to mess with. The machine guns and cannons in their hands were not firewood sticks. Once the horse thieves launched a surprise attack, they would definitely make them bleed.

  "Yes, Commander. I'll go and make the arrangements right away!" Wang Wei nodded his head and immediately went off to make the preparations. He also knew how urgent the situation was. If the bandits launched a large-scale attack while the third company was unprepared, it would likely result in huge losses. For Wang Yuze, this would undoubtedly be a huge blot on his record. Therefore, Wang Wei absolutely did not allow such a thing to happen.

  Watching Wang Wei's receding back, Wang Yuze also felt a bit heavy in his heart. He seemed to have already sensed a feeling of dark clouds pressing down on him. However, he was not afraid, for although it was a threat, it also meant that there would be military achievements and opportunities.

  "Come on! Bandits, use your blood and lives to forge my glory!" Wang Yuze shouted in his heart.

  By the end of October, Chengdu has already entered autumn. After the beginning of autumn, there is also a hint of coolness. However, this is still far from being cold. With the Qinba Mountains blocking the way, cold air can hardly affect the Sichuan Basin, making the winter temperatures in the Sichuan Basin generally higher, even in winter, the temperature rarely drops below zero.

  In the office of the Touring Censorate, Wang Xiao's office. Wang Xiao and Wang Quan sat facing each other. Wang Xiao held a report in his hand, with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, clearly in an extremely good mood.

  It took Wang Xiao a long time to put down the report in his hand. "It seems that Yu Ze is doing well in the 10th Brigade! He was able to control the troops so quickly, and it's clear that he didn't waste his two years at the Military Academy!" Wang Xiao said with a smile. Although Wang Yuze's method of getting rid of the first and second platoon leaders to take control of the third company was a bit immature, in Wang Xiao's eyes, it was already quite impressive.

  "Yes! Young master has done well. However, it's going to snow soon on the plateau and the environment will be very harsh! According to the military intelligence agency, the horse bandits on the plateau have been suppressed severely this year, I'm afraid they'll go crazy! Moreover, the Ma family army is also a bit restless, I'm afraid young master will be in danger!" Wang Quan said with some concern.

  "Without experiencing wind and rain, how can you see a rainbow! I believe that Yu Ze will be fine and will do very well!" Wang Xiao said with certainty, he also had faith in Wang Yu Ze.

  Wang Quan nodded, but he had made up his mind to give the commander of the 10th Brigade a heads-up. He couldn't let Wang Yuezhe get into trouble! Wang Yuezhe was the future of Western Sichuan, and if something happened to him, wouldn't the future of Western Sichuan be thrown into chaos?

  For more than a month, the war machine of the Western Sichuan Army has also been fully activated. The troops have accelerated their reorganization and the 7th Brigade stationed in Bazhong and the 2nd Division stationed in Chongqing have begun military preparations. Follow-up troops have also begun to assemble, with an air of impending battle.

  The movement of the Sichuan Army was easily discovered by the Qing dynasty's scouts, who quickly reported back. Suddenly, the Qing court became very tense. Although it had been peaceful between Sichuan and the Qing for over a decade, they still dared not forget Sichuan's strength. The unusual movement of the Sichuan Army made the Qing court extremely fearful. The 100,000-strong new army under Hubei Governor Zhang Zhidong began to assemble, preparing to defend against the Sichuan Army's attack. At the same time, Li Hongzhang, the governor of Zhili, also made preparations, ready to march south and provide support if the war did not go in their favor.

  Update 2 is here, please collect!