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

"Eight hundred thousand people!?"

Hearing this, Zhang Liuzi was so shocked that he almost bit his tongue. His eyes were as big as copper bells and he couldn't believe his ears at all.

Eight hundred thousand people, Zhang Ye actually has eight hundred thousand people!

How on earth did he do it?

Although the three provinces of East Shandong have a dense population, apart from the elderly, women and children, a part of the young and middle-aged people must be left to manage agricultural production. Where did Zhang Ye get so many young people of working age?

Even if he could gather enough people, where would he get the military funds?

Judging from the current situation, tax revenue in the three eastern Shandong provinces has been significantly reduced, free education has been announced, and railway construction is also underway within the provinces.

Every item here is an extremely money-burning project. Logically speaking, it is already impressive that he has not cut back on his military now. Why did he double the military? I haven't heard of the independence army issuing currency.

Zhang Liuzi couldn’t figure it out. He really couldn’t figure it out.

Eight hundred thousand people! This is no small number. Apart from anything else, the monthly military expenditure alone is far beyond the capacity of ordinary forces.

Could it be that there are unknown large gold mines in the three provinces of Eastern Shandong?

Apart from this, he really couldn't find a more suitable reason.

"This is not a good thing."

After a while, Guo Songling, who had not spoken for a long time, sighed softly.

"I originally thought that the two sides could form a cooperative relationship and become solid allies. Now it seems that the independence army does not need any external forces at all."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Zhang Liuzi instantly understood what he meant and turned around to warn him seriously, "We are in a honeymoon period with the Independence Army. If the old man heard this, he would definitely curse."

"It doesn't matter whether they curse or not, but this incident is enough to serve as a wake-up call for everyone."

Guo Songling is a self-righteous person who feels that he can see farther and more clearly than anyone else, which is why he keeps making such outrageous remarks at this time.

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!"

Zhang Liuzi was quite shrewd. After giving some instructions to everyone, he turned around, picked up the phone beside him, and threw himself into the battle on the front line.

"New Second Regiment, how's the progress so far? Hurry and create a buffer zone for me. We must leave time for a charge before dark!"

"See, the young commander is feeling irritated." Old Sun, a chatterbox, looked at the young commander's stern face and muttered softly, "As a fellow young man, he's under a lot of pressure too."

"Stop talking useless things." Guo Songling glared at him, feeling a little uncomfortable.

It's all this bastard's fault. If he hadn't mentioned the Independence Army, everyone would have pretended not to know. He would have led a brigade in fighting and was quite happy.

Now after hearing about the 800,000-strong army, looking at the 10,000 people in their hands, they seem a bit shabby no matter how you look at it.

……

The next day, the sky south of Huishan and in the direction of Jiangzhou was covered with thick dark clouds.

A torrential rain that lasted for nearly two days poured down like a broken dam, as if it was going to completely submerge the land, with no sign of stopping.

As June approaches, the hot and humid air permeates every corner, making people feel extremely bored and depressed.

The shadow of war is quietly approaching, and a major battle is about to break out. No matter whether it is soldiers or generals, everyone's heart is like a raging fire burning, anxiously waiting for the moment to charge into battle.

However, just as the two armies were about to engage in a large-scale head-on confrontation, God suddenly intervened.

The pouring rain was like countless silver dragons descending from the sky, accompanied by howling winds and thunder and lightning, forming an insurmountable natural barrier.

Such heavy rain forced both sides to stop all actions and enter a temporary truce.

Although the soldiers were all anxious, facing the power of nature, they had no choice but to choose to remain in place.

As a result, the originally tense situation was unexpectedly eased a little, giving the coalition forces more precious breathing space.

They can use this time to readjust their strategic deployment, replenish supplies and equipment, and allow their exhausted soldiers to rest and recuperate so that they can be in better condition for the upcoming fierce battle.

At the Jiangzhou frontier command post, a group of generals sat under the eaves, watching the incessant heavy rain, drinking tea from time to time, chatting and talking nonsense, and they were having a very comfortable time.

"This rain is just in time. Otherwise, we really wouldn't be able to stop the tanks of the Independence Army."

"Who says it's not true? You all know what happened in Zhijiang. In order to stop the tank troops, Xu Zhenlin blew up the Qujiang River and diverted the water ashore. In less than a day, it flooded an area of ​​over 200 miles!"

"That move was too destructive and violated the laws of nature. Although it stopped the tanks, it was too cruel for the civilians. I don't think it's appropriate."

"What's the point of talking about appropriate or inappropriate? You're an officer, the commander of this battle. From the perspective of those below, it's a bit tragic, but if you look at it from the perspective of the commander, if you don't blow up Qujiang, not only will you lose your position, but it will also lead to more casualties. This thing can't be blocked at both ends, so one end will definitely be sacrificed as a price!"

"That's what we say, but the problem is that bombing Qujiang doesn't guarantee we can hold Zhijiang. The independence army has already pushed to Wulin, and the entire northern part of Zhijiang Province has been lost. Sacrificing the interests of tens of millions of people just for the southern half is too hasty!"

"Ignorant, I can't talk to you. War is all about tactics, a life-and-death struggle. When you're furious, who cares about the common people?"

There was a continuous chattering sound in the yard, and the generals expressed their opinions on Xu Zhenlin's bombing of Qujiang.

Most of them felt that Lao Xu’s methods were too cruel and that the interests of so many ordinary people should not be sacrificed.

After all, no matter which faction wins, life will be the same for the common people. But if you blow up the dam and release the water, you will be asking for the lives of the common people.

This war had nothing to do with them, but they were dragged into it at a critical moment, which was really wrong.

"It's quite lively."

While everyone was talking, a middle-aged man wearing a raincoat came back from outside. When everyone saw him, they immediately stood up and saluted.

"Hello, Commander-in-Chief!"

"It's okay, you're welcome, go on, you guys continue."

The middle-aged man entered the courtyard, shook off the raindrops on his body, and chuckled softly.

"This rain is endless and I don't know when it will stop."

"Go ahead, it'll rain for a while longer."

The deputy commander beside him was a young man. He looked at the water droplets dripping from the eaves and joked.

"The brothers are exhausted after traveling all the way north. It would be good to let them rest for a while."

"The enemy won't let you rest."

The middle-aged man's eyes became very sharp. He glanced at the profiles of everyone present and said in a deep voice.

"I just came back from a meeting at Feng's headquarters. The latest report from the front is that the Independence Army's tanks have started and are slowly advancing. We estimate that the battle will begin within the hour."

"What? They're going to start a war in this heavy rain!?"

Everyone was shocked when they heard this, and they couldn't understand what these lunatics were trying to do.

The rain is very fierce now. The dense raindrops make it impossible for people to open their eyes. Starting a war at this time would be tantamount to seeking death in vain!