The Republic of China: A Letter of Appointment Creates the Most Powerful Warlord

"My troops joined forces with the rest of the first battalion and went out in full force. We killed dozens and captured the rest."

The second battalion commander reported concisely.

He just came back from outside and the specific data has not been counted yet.

"Okay, sit down and rest for a while."

Zhang Ye didn't ask too many questions, just nodded slightly and turned his gaze back to the map.

In order to prevent any accidents in today's battle, he exchanged out an overstretched reinforced battalion.

Now that the battle is over, the casualties in all units are not serious, and his total personal strength has also made a new breakthrough and is about to reach a peak of 2,000 people.

This number of people, whether in the Feng faction or the Duan faction, are basically at the elite combat regiment level, and the commander can at least hold the rank of colonel.

However, he cannot reveal himself now and must hide this group of people. Otherwise, as an ordinary county magistrate, you have two thousand well-equipped soldiers in your hands, which will obviously attract people's attention.

"Starting tomorrow, all personnel from the First and Second Battalions will move to Tuoziling and set up camp. Without my order, no one is allowed to leave the mountain."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ye decided to set up the base camp in Tuoziling. The location was good, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it was also close to the county town, only more than an hour's drive away.

It is convenient to transport supplies back and forth and support battles.

The most important thing is that the news of the capture of Tuoziling has not yet spread. He can move his men there and continue to act as a bandit. Even if someone passes by, it will be difficult to find any clues.

"Don't move the captured bandits for now. Lock them all up and keep them alive. Don't let any of them go."

Zhang Ye leaned on the corner of the table and arranged various matters, with a look of anxiety between his eyebrows.

He is now afraid that the nearby gangs will spread the news. Once the higher-ups know that there is a regimental-level combat unit in Jingshan County, they will definitely come down to investigate.

His power is too weak now, and he is in Zhili Province. He is surrounded by people from either the Feng faction or the Duan faction, and both sides often have troops of tens of thousands of people.

If you want to survive in this kind of gap, you must have at least five or six elite groups that are good at fighting. Otherwise, it is safest to just act like a grandson.

Time and territory are the two things that Zhang Ye lacks the most right now.

"Until I grow stronger, I still can't turn against the Duan family."

Finally, Zhang Ye decided to play it safe, turned to look at Deputy County Chief Fang Yu, and gave instructions.

"Immediately report Li Zai Tian's death to my instructor and see what his attitude is."

"Yes, Mr. County Magistrate."

Fang Yu immediately stood up and began to prepare.

With his departure, Zhang Ye's restless heart calmed down a little. After pondering for a moment, he continued.

"Lu Shan, I will give you a group of special agents tomorrow. You must place them in various major forces across the country as quickly as possible."

"Okay, sir. I'll personally see to it."

Lu Shan stood up and responded without hesitation.

He is the commander with the highest academic qualifications under Zhang Ye, and is the most valuable "item" in the system gift package.

……

A week later, Zhang Ye, who had some free time, wandered around the county town, and some people who knew him politely invited him to their homes.

Adhering to the principle of not taking a single needle or thread from the masses, when faced with such situations, Zhang Ye would just smile and wave his hand, rejecting their kindness.

"The land was divided the day before yesterday, and there are fewer people on the streets."

Zhang Ye sat in front of the tea stall, looking at the sparse crowds on the street and joked.

"It seems that only when this land is divided into my own hands can I take good care of it."

"Hahaha, what the county magistrate said is true."

The tea stall owner was a middle-aged man. Even in the hot summer, he was sweating even with his bare chest, and he chatted and laughed.

"Those guys are so cunning. When they were working for the landlord, they were always trying to slack off. But when the land was divided among them, they worked harder than animals. They wanted to live in the fields all day and all night, watching the seeds sprout."

"Hahaha, this proves that everyone is not stupid." Zhang Ye crossed his legs and happily took a sip of tea. Unexpectedly, a bitter and unpleasant smell instantly filled his mouth: "Boss, where did you get this water? Why does it smell weird?"

"What's that strange smell?" The boss's expression suddenly changed. He ignored the teapot on the stove and trotted over. He picked up the tea bowl and sniffed it. His tense expression finally relaxed: "County Governor, this is not a strange smell. It's just that our well is shallow and there is some limescale in the water.

All the wells here are like this, just get used to it."

"Then why is the water in the office different from here?" Zhang Ye was puzzled. He smacked the strange taste in his mouth and asked, "There can't be a difference just because of this distance."

"Hey, Mr. County Governor, you're absolutely right." At this point, a tea drinker turned around and explained, "The well at the government office is deep, so the water is naturally cleaner. We ordinary people just need water to drink. Who has the money to dig a well?"

"That can't be done that way." Zhang Ye understood what was going on and waved his hand to call Lu Shan over. He said, "Find someone to research and dig a few more deep wells. It would be even better if we could build a complete water pipeline.

If you drink this water every day, you'll definitely be plagued by health problems over time. Now that the land has been divided and good times are coming soon, everyone should take good care of their health."

"Okay, sir. I'll make arrangements right away."

Lu Shan nodded, and just as he was about to move, he stopped and said with some embarrassment.

"Well... building a water pipeline will cost a lot of money, and we're currently short of funds..."

"Then dig a well first." Zhang Ye recovered and thought about how he had invested a lot in building a printing factory and a school during this period. The money in the office account was spent faster than water. If he hadn't made a fortune from suppressing bandits, he would have been penniless by now.

"My Lord County Magistrate is wise. Digging a well is a great deed that benefits the country and the people, and we can't let you pay for it alone."

The tea drinker was quite particular. He stood up, emptied his pockets, took out dozens of big coins, and bowed to hand them over.

"Although I don't have much money, I will definitely contribute my share. You've been kind to us, and we're not ungrateful. We all remember it."

"That's right, Mr. County Magistrate. If we all chip in, it's about the same. Since you came, we've benefited so much. We can't let you spend money on digging the well anymore."

The tea stall owner also responded and turned around to take out the money jar, from which he could still scrape together a dollar or two.

Seeing someone taking the lead, the people who were drinking tea and chatting around all joined the donation queue. After hearing about this, many passers-by also generously donated money.

This scene moved Zhang Ye deeply. Looking at the scattered pieces on the table, he felt particularly warm in his heart.

What does it mean to exchange sincerity for sincerity, and what does it mean that the military and the people are one family!

The scene before us is enough to prove everything!

No matter which dynasty or era, the people are not fools. They can see who is good and who is bad better than anyone else.