The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

"Not bad! Thank you, County Commandant!" Jiao Long nodded. Having a place to stay was better than pitching a tent.

"Alright, alright! If you need anything, please let Instructor Jiao know. I'll go and have someone bring your rations over," the county lieutenant said with a smile. He felt much more at ease knowing that Instructor Jiao was so easy to talk to.

"Tie Niu arranged for four people to be on duty and went to inform the company commander that the garrison arrangements were complete and that he should bring his troops over."

Zhang Tieniu first had the soldiers put away their bedding rolls, then arranged for four soldiers to stand guard at the gate, and led two soldiers out of the city. He left two men to assist the political instructor.

The Xintai County wharf was bustling with activity. Large numbers of soldiers and equipment had arrived and were disembarking. The entire wharf had been temporarily taken over, with a cordon extending 100 meters away. Many daring civilians were watching from the perimeter.

"Squad leader, how's it going?" It was Zhang Tieniu's squad, who was still in charge of the cordon, who came over and asked.

"It's alright! At least we have a room!" Zhang Tieniu nodded.

"Has the company commander arrived?" Zhang Tieniu took out a cigarette and offered one to Wang Chuan. Now, with the expansion of cigarette factory production capacity, the military also had quotas, and squad leaders like Zhang Tieniu received two packs a month for free.

"We're here a while ago, standing on that rock over there!" Wang Chuan pulled out a lighter, lit it with a flick of his wrist, and lit Zhang Tieniu's cigarette. This guy's family was rich; he even bought a lighter that cost ten taels each, which made Tieniu and the others quite envious.

"Nothing went wrong, right?" Zhang Tieniu asked, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"That's good. It's just that a horse fell into the river when it got off the boat. The third platoon leader got a real scolding from the company commander. Hehe!"

"Be on guard!" Zhang Tieniu instructed, took a few deep drags on his cigarette, then stubbed it out at the ground. He put the remaining half of the cigarette back into his pack. He straightened his uniform and walked towards the dock.

Wang Chuan shook his head. This class monitor is good in every way, except he's too stingy!

"Reporting to the company commander, the garrison has been arranged. The political instructor wants you to lead the troops into the city!" Zhang Tieniu ran up to a bearded man, saluted, and said.

"Good! Damn it, at least we can have some hot soup! You platoon, get off the boat first and let them know to go into town!" The bearded company commander returned the salute and said.

Soon, whistles rang out on the dock; "First platoon, assemble, headcount, equipment!" the tall, thin platoon leader shouted.

Soon, the entire group assembled, and the three classes, excluding Class One, lined up and began to march into the city.

It was more than an hour later when all the troops and equipment had entered the barracks.

"The first platoon is responsible for guard duty and sentry duty. The second platoon assists the cooks in setting up the kitchen. The third platoon is responsible for setting up the toilets. The fourth platoon is responsible for inspecting and repairing the warehouse," Jiao Long said, holding a small notebook.

"Yes, sir!" The four platoon leaders stood up, saluted, and went out.

It's so great to be in Lord Shen's new army! Mo Biao loosened his collar and stroked his chin.

He was originally a battalion commander in General Nie's Martial Guard, a tough guy who fought his way back from Korea, and the scar on his face is the best proof of that. Combined with his thick beard, he looks extremely fierce!

Last year, when Admiral Nie was selecting instructors, he signed up and unexpectedly got chosen. He followed Lord Shen to Linqing, and after completing basic training, he was given the position of company commander, which delighted him.

Back in the Wuwei Army, he was a seventh-rank officer, but there were too many officers in the Wuwei Army, so he only had twenty or thirty men under his command.

Unexpectedly, as a company commander in this new army, he had more than two hundred soldiers under his command. He was originally worried that he wouldn't be able to manage them, but Lord Shen arranged for him to have a political instructor and a clerk, which made his job much easier.

Lord Shen has a lot of rules, but he can tolerate them for the sake of his future. He's only in his thirties and can still work hard for another decade or so. With such well-equipped soldiers under his command, how could he not achieve merit?

He didn't care at all that they were all new recruits. A few battles and they'd be veterans! With my current equipment, which army could possibly take me on?

Mo Biao took out a cigarette case and tossed one to Jiao Long, then lit one for himself. This Lord Shen is really kind; he even provides such good cigarettes. Ten packs a month is almost enough for me.

Jiao Long frowned, but still picked up the cigarette. His company commander had quite a few flaws: undisciplined, arrogant, prone to beating soldiers, uneducated, and so on. He could easily list at least a dozen.

But Lord Shen said that these people all came from the old army. They haven't gotten used to it yet and need to be assimilated gradually. Moreover, these people are experienced in combat, so he needs to cooperate with them more.

"Xiao Dong, hurry up and make me and the instructor a pot of tea. Can't you see the instructor's throat is hoarse from talking? Don't you have any sense?" Mo Biao roared. His bodyguard was good in every way, and his marksmanship was also quite good. He was just a little too honest.

"Yes, Company Commander!" Jiang Xiaodong hurriedly ran out.

"Reporting to the company commander and political instructor! The county magistrate of Xintai has brought military rations!" The platoon leader walked in and reported.

"Alright! Company Commander, shall we go and take a look?" Jiao Long immediately stood up.

"Alright!" Mo Biao said, standing up as well, then sitting back down. Damn it, he'd forgotten this was the new army. Back in the old Wuwei Army, he'd always get a cut when the rations arrived, but here he didn't have that opportunity.

"Never mind! You guys go!" Mo Biao waved his hand.

Jiao Long didn't say much and walked out with the documents.

The county constable, accompanied by more than a dozen carriages, was waiting at the camp gate. What used to be a place where he could freely enter and exit was now a place where even delivering goods was impossible. No matter what he said, the sentries at the gate wouldn't let him in, making him lose face in front of his subordinates.

I was so angry inside, my face naturally didn't look so good!

"Sir, the military camp is a restricted area, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Please understand!" Jiao Long knew exactly what was going on at a glance.

"Heh heh! Your new army is indeed very disciplined!" the county lieutenant chuckled dryly.

"Go and inform the quartermaster to bring his men over. County Commandant, shall we begin inventorying the items now?" Jiao Long said to the clerk. They then began the inventory.

When the portly quartermaster arrived, he and the clerk began checking the items. The county constable grew impatient by the time the three of them finished.

After comparing the amounts, Jiao Long immediately issued a receipt, had the clerk and the quartermaster sign it, and then handed it to the county constable.

"Sir, here's the receipt. The county government can use it to settle the payment at the prefectural governor's office!"

"We...we have to pay for all this?" The county constable's mouth gaped open. When did delivering grain come with payment?

"Yes! It's a rule set by our Lord Shen that the army cannot take even the slightest advantage from the local people," Jiao Long said proudly.