Chapter Thirty-Seven: Triumphant Return

  The new army triumphs, and the city of Rong County is jubilant!

  The notorious bandit Lu Bao-yin had long been a thorn in the side of the authorities, and although Wang Heng-yue's new army marched out with great fanfare, the people of Rong County were secretly skeptical about their chances of success.

  But before long, news came that Lu Bao Silver had been killed in battle. Just as the people of Rong County were still half-believing and half-doubting, the captives were brought back.

  With this, Rong County was completely immersed in cheers!

  Early in the morning, a flying horse came to report that Wang Hengyue, the officer of the 1st company of the 2nd battalion of the 66th brigade of the 33rd mixed brigade, led his troops back triumphantly!

  Zhao Xi led the gentry and common people, and they waited early on both sides of the road.

  "Master, master, Officer Wang has arrived, Officer Wang has arrived!"

  "Drum and music!"

  At this sound, the drums and music burst forth together.

  When Wang Hengyue, dressed in military uniform, appeared on horseback, Zhao Xi led the gentry and civilians to move forward together, bowing deeply: "The people of Rong County welcome the triumphant return of the new army!"

  "The people of Rong County welcome the triumphant return of our new army!"

  The thunderous applause erupted behind him, and Wang Hengyue hastily dismounted his horse: "Fortunately succeeded, why bother Xiang Gong and all the elders to do so."

  "Bandits have been rampant, bringing disaster to our hometown, robbing us of medicine and abducting our people. This is a pain for Rong County and a harm to the local area! Fortunately, thanks to the bravery of the troops who fought selflessly, united as one, they eliminated the bandits and brought peace to the area. We, the people of Rong County, are all grateful for the kindness of the troops. With the troops here, we will surely keep Rong County safe and prosperous. Cheers!"

  Zhao Xi handed over a bowl of wine and passed it in front of Wang Hengyue: "Officer Wang, please drink this bowl to the full!"

  Wang Hengyue took it over and drank it all in one gulp: "Thank you, everyone! Wang Hengyue is stationed in Rong County to eliminate bandits, which is a matter of course. But with my new army here, I will never let the bandits wreak havoc again!"

  Another burst of cheers from the crowd. At this time, in Rong County, the reputation of Wang Hengyue, the king of the Wang team, may have already surpassed that of the Qing government and the revolutionaries.

  In the following days, everyone was inviting him from east to west, and it was an honor for anyone to invite Wang Hengyue, making Captain Wang busy but happy.

  In less than two days, the reward for the Leshan stone pipe band arrived. It was nothing but a grandiose speech, saying how Officer Wang had not disappointed the imperial court's trust and did not disappoint the high expectations of the pipe band, etc. Also attached was a 50-tael silver note as a reward.

  The person who brought the letter then conveyed Shi Fengrong's words, which roughly meant that Wang Duoyu had succeeded in suppressing the bandits this time and must have made a lot of money. The implication was clear: you, Wang Hengyue, have become rich, but don't forget about your superior.

  Wang Hengyue gritted his teeth and let the visitor take back a 100-tael silver note, "to show respect to superiors", in order to shut up the petty person's mouth, and avoid having superiors come looking for trouble in the future. He also couldn't give too much, or else Shi Fengrong would think that Wang Hengyue had made a huge fortune.

  Shi Fengrong is indeed good at doing business, a 50-tael silver note was circulated and became 100 taels, it's really a waste for him to be in charge of the belt.

  Afterwards, the first batch of new-style military uniforms, under Zhao Xi's personal supervision and with the day-and-night efforts of the people from Rong County, were also delivered to the barracks.

  These military uniforms were made according to the original new-style uniform pattern of the 33rd Mixed Brigade.

  Two sets of gray military uniforms, two pairs of leg wraps. The sleeves of the officer's uniform have embroidered dragons, and the military cap is a large brimmed hat. The soldier's military cap has red edges on both sides, the officer's military cap is made of golden thread, and the badge is a circular shape with a dragon attached. Soldiers wear short boots, officers wear long boots; each person also has a pair of canvas shoes, straw sandals are unlimited, take and use as needed.

  Also sent underwear, underpants, towels and toothbrushes, everything is complete.

  Watching his subordinates change into new-style military uniforms, their spirit and appearance changed greatly, very different. Standing there in unison, majestic and powerful, with a strong momentum.

  Wang Hengyue's "British-style military uniform" was too showy, so Zhao Xi specially made a few sets of officer uniforms for him. In addition, according to the new army regulations, more than ten command knives were specially made and distributed to the officers of the new army.

  Looking again at Wang Daqi in his new uniform, he was dressed in a brand-new military officer's uniform, wearing a golden-threaded big hat on his head, long leather boots on his feet, with a revolver holstered at his waist and a command knife in hand, exuding an air of authority as if he had transformed into a completely different person!

  The brothers under his command were also dressed in ordinary attire, and after meeting they used the new army salute to greet each other.

  The bandits have collected all the weapons they received, but it's far from enough. Now we're just waiting for Kleiman's shipment of arms to arrive.

  Soon, Yang Fangyun also returned from Chengdu. Qin Guangcheng didn't know why Wang Hengyue wanted to purchase so much white cloth, but he thought that his brother must have had a use for it. He asked Yang Fangyun to bring back the message and definitely buy all the white cloth that could be purchased in the shortest time possible.

  Wang Hengyue was most worried about this matter, and now that there is a response, a stone in his heart has fallen to the ground.

  The command of the armed guard has been taken over by Deng Xia, Wang Hengyue explained and then pulled Yang Fangyun aside: "Fangyun, don't mind, it's not that I want to take your position, but there is another task for you."

  "Please go ahead, sir." Yang Fangyun didn't mind at all.

  Wang Hengyue thought for a moment: "Fang Yun, before the troops move, intelligence comes first. We arrived in Rong County, but now we are still in the dark, and everything we know is from hearsay. Even the fact that there is a big bandit named Lu Baoyin on the border of Rong County, we didn't know about it beforehand. This won't do, or else we'll have to rely on others for everything. So, I'm thinking of setting up a special intelligence unit to gather all sorts of information from around us, and therefore..."

  "So the adults are preparing me to go and take care of this matter." Yang Fangyun asked back.

  "Not bad, that's what I meant." Wang Hengyue nodded: "Firstly, you are Qin Ge's person, and we all came from Chengdu, so there is no conflict of interest here. Secondly, as an intelligence officer, you must not form cliques or factions, and I don't think you will have any problems in this regard. Thirdly, in this line of work, one should speak less, observe more, make judgments, and listen more..."

  Wang Hengyue realized he had misspoken, Yang Fangyun was deaf, and saying so was somewhat disrespectful.

  "Sir, you don't have to worry. Although I'm deaf, I know what the other person is saying and thinking. Since you trust me so much, I will definitely complete the task you've entrusted to me."

  "I'm relieved then." Wang Heng let out a breath: "We're just a small team, we can't make a big show of things, so for now, this will be called the 'First Team's Internal Affairs Department', nominally in charge of the First Team's internal affairs. If you need anyone, go find them yourself, whoever you want I'll give to you..."

  "Yes, sir, I understand." Yang Fangyun replied calmly.

  Wang Heng smiled and patted the hilt of his sword: "Yang Fangyun, I know you're skilled with your hands and feet. Come on, teach me some sword moves. Don't let it be said that when we get to the battlefield, I won't even know how to use a sword!"

  Apology: I just discovered that when uploading the second chapter "The Golden Watch of Switzerland", I uploaded the wrong chapter and posted the content of the first draft instead. The first draft was set in Xuantong 1st year, 1909.

  "This book 'Little Warlord' has been written for a long time, and it was rewritten three times from the beginning to the end. When the final draft was finalized, it was set in Guangxu 34th year, 1908. Now it has been revised again, please forgive the inconvenience to readers!"

  Once again, I offer my sincerest apologies.

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