People in the Republic of China era began to rise from industry.

I stayed in Nanjing for a full two weeks.

Meeting the person, inspecting the goods, negotiating.

One hundred thousand F001 rifles, five hundred Czech-style light machine guns, one hundred Maxim-style water-cooled heavy machine guns, and thirty million rounds of matching rifle ammunition, with a delivery deadline of six months.

As for the price, given that it was a repeating rifle, it was forty dollars more than the one hundred dollars initially proposed by the Nationalist government.

The actual cost is that the cost of a repeating rifle is less than three dollars more than that of a bolt-action rifle.

Finally, they made further concessions, bringing the total price to eighteen million.

The deal wasn't supposed to go so smoothly; He Jingzhi had initially set a price of 16 million.

However, by sheer coincidence, Yang Zihui won a great victory in Longnan.

In the early stages, this guy proceeded step by step, and only a small portion of the weapons Lin Yi had collected for him were revealed.

Every time the Ma family army reinforced its troops, he would take out a small amount.

In short, they maintained a slight advantage, gradually luring Ma Yuanqing to send reinforcements to the Longnan region.

He had told Lin Yi before that he was going to pull off a big heist, and that was the wicked idea he was harboring.

In addition, Ma Yuanqing's idea of ​​concentrating forces to fight a local victory can be seen as a romantic relationship with Yang Zihui.

They had just fallen into Yang Zihui's trap.

Lin Yi, who had only read the telegram, was completely confused about the specifics of what had happened.

It was roughly a division of Sichuan Army with more than 6,000 troops that attacked the Chengla County area.

After his son died, Ma Yuanqing, who had personally rushed to the front line to oversee the battle with weapons and reinforcements sent by the Japanese, mobilized eleven regiments with more than 18,000 men to encircle and annihilate a division of the Sichuan Army.

The original plan was to concentrate our firepower and try to finish it off in three days.

With the added resistance from the perimeter, the plan was to inflict over ten thousand casualties on the Sichuan army.

It changed the battlefield situation in one fell swoop.

As a result, the plan could not keep up with the changes.

Just two days later, the besieged Sichuan Army division showed no signs of defeat. On the contrary, the attacking troops suffered heavy casualties, which made Ma Yuanqing feel uneasy.

Just as he was hesitating about whether to persevere to the end, Yang Zihui, who had been prepared in advance, had already completed the final offensive plan.

They brought out all the machine guns and artillery that they had previously stored away, and in one fell swoop, they routed the assembled Ma Clique army.

The casualties and prisoners totaled more than 30,000.

A crucial point here is that nearly two-thirds of the Sichuan Army divisions, which were surrounded as bait, were equipped with repeating rifles manufactured by the Qu County Arsenal.

When the news reached Jinling, the negotiations concluded as Lin Yi had envisioned...

Jinzhou.

Standing atop the city wall, Ma Yuanqing gazed expressionlessly at the open fields beyond the city.

A major defeat has occurred, and half a month has passed.

However, the scene of the army's utter defeat is still vivid in my mind.

At this moment, Ma Yuanqing could almost see the soldiers fleeing in panic all over the mountains and fields.

Martial law has been declared in Jinzhou.

Martial law was already in effect before he even returned.

A major defeat not only resulted in the loss of valuable troops, but also in the loss of priceless weapons and equipment.

Most importantly, it's about morale.

As he expected, Jinzhou was in turmoil over the past two weeks.

According to the intelligence he possessed, many officials were privately discussing the future direction of the situation in the Northwest.

Some people have even secretly made contact with Nanjing.

When people's hearts are unsettled, great calamity is imminent.

This was under martial law.

Without his intervention, a mutiny might have already occurred.

Just like in several counties in Ganwu, the city gates were opened and the cities surrendered before the Sichuan army could even launch an attack.

This is the current situation.

"Commander-in-Chief, Kimura is here again."

The adjutant tiptoed over, speaking cautiously and in a slow, deliberate tone.

The commander-in-chief has been very irritable these past few days.

They're quick to kill.

Just yesterday, a guard who was supposed to be following behind him was shot dead when he accidentally walked in front of him.

"Let him come."

Ma Yuanqing said something expressionlessly.

Since his return to Jinzhou, Kimura has requested an audience several times.

Ma Yuanqing knew why he had come.

But he wasn't sure if he could win the battle in the end, so why would he want to listen to a Japanese person's nagging?

However, this cannot be delayed any longer.

The atmosphere in Jinzhou right now makes him feel very uncomfortable.

If the situation doesn't change at all, these bastards under my command will probably have to find their own way out.

For example, the issue of weapons.

The more than 50,000 guns that were taken from the Japanese were almost all lost in Longnan.

Without weapons, there was no way to even recruit new troops and replenish the force.

We can't just mobilize the troops and rely solely on sabers to charge into battle, can we?

Twenty years earlier would have been possible.

Without machine guns or artillery, the cavalry charged forward at the risk of casualties, and once they got there, it was like cutting melons and vegetables.

But now it won't work.

Especially the Sichuan Army that we will face next.

The firepower is too strong.

Even with their own cavalry, which have a certain numerical advantage and are all equipped with rifles, without the support of infantry and artillery, it would be difficult for them to charge forward.

He understood that.

The officers under his command, of course, understood this as well.

This is the root cause of the current widespread anxiety.

If you feel you can't win, of course you have to find your own way.

After thinking it over for the past few days, he realized that the only people he could rely on right now were the Japanese.

"Your Mightiness."

"Mr. Kimura."

Ma Yuanqing turned around, his expression unusually warm and gentle.

At this moment, Kimura no longer possessed his previous caution and the deep-seated fear he harbored towards Ma Yuanqing.

To be honest, Kimura was still scared when they threatened to skin him alive all the time.

But the situation is different now.

The disastrous defeat in Longnan has deprived Ma Yuanqing of any sense of security he could rely on.

Based on Kimura's communications with Fengtian in the past few days, and combined with the arms deal that Jinling just finalized with Lin Yi, it can be determined that Ma Yuanqing has no possibility of siding with Jinling.

The Sichuan army, having achieved a great victory, would never stop advancing.

It's only a matter of time before we reach Jinzhou and completely annihilate Ma Yuanqing.

A person who has nowhere else to turn has no right to negotiate with an empire.

As the representative of the empire, he would surely gain unprecedented respect.

"Mr. Kimura, you must be here to ask me for my assessment of the situation, right?"

Ma Yuanqing spoke with a smile.

Ultimately, I still want to take some initiative.

Kimura chuckled: "You've misunderstood."

"The situation is already very clear, and there is no need to make any further judgments. Now, only the Great Japanese Empire can help you turn the tide."

Ma Yuanqing's smile froze: "...What do you mean?"

"Commander, you need the help of the Imperial Army."