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

War can break out at any time.

No sign.

Yang Zihui was playing mahjong with Lin Yi when she received a report that Xiaowangzhuang and Chenjia Town had been occupied by the 11th Independent Division.

The Second Regiment of the Fourth Brigade of the Second Division, stationed in two villages and towns, raised the white flag in less than half an hour.

Regimental Commander Wang Mingde, along with his entire regiment of over 700 men, defected to Luo Dingchen's command.

Qu County's gateway is wide open.

The advance of the 11th Independent Division was less than 50 li away from Qu County.

"What's going on?"

Holding a nine of bamboo in her hand, Yang Zihui was stunned for a moment before speaking in bewilderment.

Although he had long disliked Luo Dingchen, he had to tolerate him in his current difficult situation.

At most, he'd just curse a few times, calling her a "fuck your mother."

So why did this bastard directly send troops to attack us?

"According to the Second Division's report, before the incident, Luo Dingchen sent someone to the Second Division to negotiate, saying that we attacked his Xing'an Town outpost and killed a platoon of his men, and demanded that we hand over the murderers."

"Commander Yang cursed at people and slapped them twice, saying they were looking for trouble."

"Then, the 11th Division took action."

Yang Zihui frowned: "Jichao's men attacked Xing'an Town?"

Yang Jichao, the commander of the Second Division, is his nephew.

They have always been at the forefront of the fight against the 11th Independent Division.

In the past two years, Luo Dingchen has been poaching his own people everywhere, and the Second Division has suffered the most serious losses.

It's not impossible that Yang Jichao, harboring resentment, might resort to some underhanded tactics.

"Commander Yang said that he followed the General's instructions and never did such a thing."

As they were talking, a staff officer rushed in.

"Reporting to the Commander, Luo Dingchen of the 11th Division has sent a telegram to the entire Sichuan province, formally declaring war on our troops!"

Yang Zihui's eyes widened, and she snatched the telegram from the staff officer's hand.

The telegram was not complicated.

It was only said that the 20th Army had launched an offensive without authorization, intending to occupy the Guangnan defense zone of the Independent 11th Division.

Luo Dingchen was forced to accept the challenge.

We hope that all departments in Sichuan Province will understand and not interfere in this matter.

After quickly reading through the telegram, Yang Zihui's temples throbbed twice.

He cursed through gritted teeth, "This is a frame-up, a trap!"

"It must be that fat Luo himself who put on this show."

"Damn it, it's all just an excuse to send troops!"

Hearing Yang Zihui's rant, Lin Yi, who had been silent all along, lit a cigarette.

Frame someone, and finding a pretext to mobilize troops should be the right thing to do.

However, this play was not directed and acted by Luo Dingchen himself.

He knew Xing'an Town; the gang of thugs who almost killed and robbed Liu Jing were from a sentry post near Xing'an Town.

The man was killed by Fang Chang and his men, and the body was thrown into the ditch on Lin Yi's orders.

Moreover, even the equipment of these guys was eventually collected by Liu Jing.

They said if we brought it back to Shanghai, we could definitely sell it for a good price.

Lin Yi silently took a drag of his cigarette, looking at Yang Zihui who was still jumping up and down cursing, feeling a pang of guilt.

Old Yang is a good man. He was just talking about building himself a house in the county town and arranging for two young virgins to be his concubines.

He said that if he occasionally came to Qu County in the future, it would save him from spending every night alone in an empty room.

I unintentionally tricked my good friend, and this whole thing has caused quite a stir.

As he felt ashamed, Yang Zihui, who had vented her anger, calmed down.

He walked around in circles twice with his hands behind his back, then said to his adjutant, "Damn it, pass on my order: pistol regiment, assemble!"

"The First and Third Divisions shall immediately assemble all their forces and march toward Guangnan to support the Second Division."

"This time, I'll personally oversee the operation and make sure to knock out all of that fat Luo's teeth!"

"Yes!"

The adjutant responded, then asked, "Commander, should we send a telegram to Commander Deng?"

Hearing this, Yang Zihui hesitated for a moment, then looked at Lin Yi and shook her head, saying, "No need, one fat Luo can't turn the world upside down."

Although she spoke with conviction, Yang Zihui knew the truth in her heart.

His own 20th Army is now extremely weak.

Insufficient pay led to low morale, and ammunition and equipment were also in short supply.

Although Luo Dingchen only had the designation of a division, he had at least 15,000 soldiers.

Not to mention that in recent years they have made a fortune from opium and are rolling in money.

They're buying guns and cannons; their strength is no longer what it used to be.

If it really comes down to a head-on fight, he's not confident he can win.

But in front of Lin Yi, he could only put on a brave face.

Lin Yi is a businessman.

The two have been getting along well these past few days and have even reached the point of calling each other brothers.

Ultimately, however, the relationship between the two sides is primarily driven by self-interest, with each side taking what it needs.

If I can't demonstrate that I have the strength to hold onto this territory in Qu County, this guy might just slip away without a second thought.

This is where his hope for a comeback lies.

So at this point, even if it means grinding your back teeth, you have to grit your teeth and bear it.

The adjutant hurriedly left to relay the orders.

Yang Zihui rubbed her cheeks and put on a smile again.

He turned to Lin Yi and said, "Brother, I'm afraid I won't be able to play mahjong with you for the next couple of days."

"You stay in the county town and I'll go teach Fatty Luo a lesson."

"Hehe, I just said I'd arrange two concubines for you to warm your bed, and you were worried I'd abduct a woman."

"This time, I won't kidnap any women."

"Fatty Luo happens to have a daughter who's about to get married. This time, we're going to make him hand her over!"

Having said that, he didn't wait for Lin Yi to speak.

Yang Zihui laughed heartily and strode out of the chess and card room.

He had an air of absolute certainty about winning.

However, the two sisters-in-law who remained looked worried at this moment.

Commander Yang has been down on his luck for the past few years.

Although the two women were unaware of the specifics.

However, Commander Yang, who has always been keen on taking concubines, has not had a new wife in his household for two years.

He only recently started playing mahjong again.

The severity of the situation is evident.

……

Preparedness is key to defeating the unprepared.

The battle is progressing rapidly.

That evening, the Second Division's forward positions were declared to have changed hands.

The vanguard of the 11th Independent Division was only 30 li away from Qu County.

At such a short distance, the news simply cannot be concealed.

The people of Qu County, who have endured years of war, have long been accustomed to such situations.

Therefore, he acted as if nothing was wrong.

Only Chunfeng Tower and Wanhua Courtyard became deserted.

This was simply because the officers, who were the main consumers, had all gone to the front lines with their guns.

The military headquarters was relatively quiet.

Only the guards who remained were quietly moving their belongings in and out.

They're probably preparing to flee.

Standing at the door of the guest room, Lin Yi watched them come and go, lost in thought.

Fang Chang returned at this time.

As soon as the fighting started, he led his men to watch the spectacle.

She had originally planned to take Lin Yi with her, but Lin Yi declined.

The gentleman does not stand under the wall.

Bullets don't have eyes; they won't avoid him just because he's incredibly wealthy.

"It's unbearable to watch. The fighting is quite intense, and the gunfire never stops."

"We fought for most of the day but didn't see many people die. All we saw was people surrendering in the face of battle."

Upon meeting, Fang Chang immediately began to complain.

Then he said, "Mr. Lin, are you really planning to recruit soldiers here?"

Lin Yi didn't answer his question, but just smiled and said, "Are they firing shots into the air?"

"Mr. Lin is truly a prophet."

Liu Jing, who had returned with Fang Chang, immediately began to flatter him.

“I’ve inquired and heard from the soldiers of the 20th Army at the front that fighting for territory is something that officers consider.”

"These ordinary soldiers, they're all from the same village, and who knows, the other side might be a 20th Army comrade who just surrendered. How could they possibly fight to the death?"

"Even if it isn't, it might not be long before the commander leads them to the 11th Division."

Hearing Liu Jing say this, Fang Chang couldn't help but ask in surprise: "When did you go and inquire about it?"

"When both sides were taking a break to eat."

As he spoke, Liu Jing chuckled, "This has truly broadened my horizons."

"As soon as the 20th Army called for meals, the men of the 11th Division would voluntarily retreat."

"They fought this battle like it was child's play."