Chapter 100

That night, it started raining in the dim sky over Fenshui Pass, north of Fuding. There was no thunder or lightning, no fierce wind. The drizzle quietly enveloped the entire world.

A Dodge truck slowly approached the Min Army's position in the rain. Sitting in the passenger seat was Yang Dong, the golden-tongued envoy of Gao Yang. He had arrived in Wenzhou with the vanguard of the Sixth Division.

Gao Yang had sent him to continue his strategy of combining artillery and silver bullets, which had proven very effective in domestic wars.

The troops stationed at Fenshui Pass were the most elite of Commander Sun's forces, the Second Regiment of the Second Division. The Second Division was well-equipped and well-trained, the very foundation of Commander Sun's rise to power. Yang Dong's task today was to persuade the troops stationed here to defect, opening a path for the Sixth Division to advance south.

The driver was Zhang Xinghai, who had volunteered to participate in this operation. After arriving in Wenzhou, Zhang Xinghai had been thinking about how to earn merit and turn his fortunes around.

When Yang Dong asked his regiment commander for a few accompanying personnel, Zhang Xinghai, who was chatting with Zhang Zhonglin, the newly appointed staff officer, immediately volunteered to join the mission. The regiment commander, considering their past relationship, agreed to his request.

The troops stationed at Fenshui Pass were the Second Regiment of the First Brigade of the Second Division, commanded by Li Zhengqing, a native of Zhumadian, Henan, who had graduated from Baoding Military Academy and had been loyal to Commander Sun for many years.

On the way back to Fenshui Pass from a meeting in Fuzhou, Li Zhengqing received a report that the Sixth Division was approaching Fenshui Pass. Alarmed, he hurried back to his base before nightfall.

Li Zhengqing's troops were originally stationed in Fuzhou. Recently, Commander Sun had planned to join forces with the former Zhejiang military governor, Lu Xiaojia, to attack Gao Yang. Li Zhengqing's troops were ordered to advance north from Fenshui Pass to Hangzhou and Shanghai.

However, just as they reached Fenshui Pass, they received intelligence that the Zhejiang Army had collapsed! Commander Sun immediately ordered Li Zhengqing's troops to defend Fenshui Pass. Unexpectedly, this became the first line of defense against the Sixth Division's advance south.

While studying a map, Li Zhengqing received a report that someone claiming to be a messenger from the Sixth Division wanted to meet the commander. After a moment's thought, Li Zhengqing immediately understood the messenger's intention and said with a mocking tone, "Hmph! They're trying to get to me!"

He waved his hand, intending to have the troops drive them away, but then thought, "What if it's something else? Well, in war, messengers are not to be killed." He picked up the phone and said, "Bring them in!"

Yang Dong was dressed in a dark blue robe, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a round hat, looking like a scholar. To the uninitiated, he looked like a teacher.

Yang Dong and Zhang Xinghai were brought into the command post. Zhang Xinghai entered as an attendant, while the others were locked in a room next to the courtyard.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and introductions, Li Zhengqing got straight to the point, "What brings you here? Please be direct. We're all busy."

Yang Dong glanced at the senior officers sitting beside him and felt a bit uneasy, "This is a tough job."

Meeting with the enemy's envoy during wartime, unless one was truly planning to surrender, was a risky move. Li Zhengqing had called in the senior officers to show his loyalty and to have witnesses.

Yang Dong cleared his throat and said, "Commander, we all know the current situation. Our Governor Gao personally leads a hundred thousand troops on a southern campaign, like a hammer smashing an egg, unstoppable! Governor Gao is merciful and does not wish for fratricide. He has specially sent me to..."

"How much?" an officer sitting next to Li Zhengqing suddenly asked.

Everyone in the room turned to look at the officer.

"Uh!" Yang Dong, interrupted, touched his nose, his face showing a hint of embarrassment, then said firmly, "Fifty thousand silver dollars for each senior officer!"

"Oh." The officer who asked the question responded lightly, then continued, "I've heard that Governor Gao is incredibly wealthy, buying warships, building railways, and factories. Why only fifty thousand silver dollars for us? That's not very respectful."

Li Zhengqing smiled slightly and gently scolded, "Chief of Staff Wang, how can you say such things? You're insulting Governor Gao. Apologize to him."

Wang stood up, clasped his hands, and bowed towards the north, saying loudly, "Governor Gao, I'm a rough man. Please don't hold a grudge. I really want to meet you. Your head is worth a lot, more than fifty thousand silver dollars, right?"

"Ha ha ha..." Li Zhengqing and the others burst into laughter.

Yang Dong and Zhang Xinghai were already livid, especially Zhang Xinghai, whose hands were clenched into fists. His eyes, which had been lowered, now glowed with murderous intent!

Gao Yang was the person Zhang Xinghai most admired. The last time a thug mentioned Governor Gao's name outside the camp, Zhang Xinghai had led a group to beat him up and lock him up! Now, to be insulted to his face! Zhang Xinghai was ready to act!

Yang Dong, suppressing his anger, said firmly, "Words are wasted on the deaf! Since that's the case, let's settle it on the battlefield!"

"Goodbye!"

"Hmph!"

Yang Dong turned to leave, not noticing that Zhang Xinghai was looking around with a dark expression.

Two guards approached Yang Dong to escort them out. Li Zhengqing and the others also stood up to go about their business. At this moment, Zhang Xinghai's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he suddenly lunged forward, grabbing a guard's neck with both hands.

With a twist, "Crack!" the guard fell limp. Yang Dong, who was standing nearby, was shocked, his eyes wide. But he quickly reacted, grabbing the other guard's neck and twisting it, killing him.

These actions happened in a split second. By the time Li Zhengqing and the others reacted, Zhang Xinghai had already picked up the guard's machine gun and started firing wildly. The first to be hit was Chief of Staff Wang, who screamed and fell. The command post was soon filled with gunfire and screams.

Yang Dong, reacting quickly, picked up another guard's machine gun and blocked the door. There were not many people in the command post, and the staff officers and communication soldiers were unarmed. The officers with sidearms were all shot down in the first burst of gunfire. By the time Zhang Xinghai reloaded, no one was left standing in the command post.

Yang Dong, gun in hand, rushed out. The adjutants and orderlies of the senior officers, hearing the gunfire, rushed in and were shot down by Yang Dong.

Zhang Xinghai hurried to the radio, put on the headphones, and quickly sent a telegram. He had learned telegraphy at the military academy and knew the Sixth Division's frequency as a battalion commander. Now, Zhang Xinghai wanted to inform his side that the Fenshui Pass command post had been taken.

The command post of the Second Regiment was a small courtyard. Yang Dong's accompanying personnel were temporarily locked in a room on the right side. There were only a few guards in the courtyard, and the guard company was outside.

After the brief but intense firefight, the guards in the courtyard were all down, and the soldiers outside had not yet gathered.

Yang Dong quickly released his companions, picked up weapons, and retreated into the room.

Just as they returned to the room, the door was kicked open, and a large number of soldiers rushed in.

Yang Dong's eyes flashed, and he shot out the light in the room, shouting, "I have your commander! If you don't want him dead, get out!"

The soldiers outside hesitated, and the attack was halted. At this moment, Zhang Xinghai came to Yang Dong's side and said, "The message is sent."

Yang Dong nodded, saying nothing. Whether they could survive now depended on whether they could scare the soldiers outside and how quickly the northern forces would respond. As for Zhang Xinghai's unauthorized actions, that was not the time to discuss it!

In Hangzhou, Gao Yang was sitting behind his desk, quietly reading a report. The door knocked, and he said, "Come in."

Weixi, holding a telegram, rushed in, saluted, and said, "Sir! We just received a telegram! Yang Dong has occupied the command post of the Second Regiment of the Second Division at Fenshui Pass. He requests an immediate attack on Fenshui Pass!"

"Hmm?" Gao Yang paused, holding the document. "What happened? Wasn't he supposed to negotiate? How did he end up occupying the command post?" Gao Yang asked in surprise.

Weixi shook his head and said firmly, "I don't know!"

Gao Yang rubbed his forehead and said, "Order the front-line troops to attack Fenshui Pass immediately! We'll sort out the details after the battle."

"Yes, sir!"

After Weixi left, Gao Yang leaned back in his chair, rubbed his forehead, and said, "Origin, find out what happened!"

"Are you kidding me? It's hundreds of miles away, no internet, no satellites. How am I supposed to find out? I'm not a clairvoyant!" Origin said resentfully.

Gao Yang's mouth twitched, and he said nothing. He put down the document and fell silent. Now, they could only wait for news.

Upon receiving the order to attack, the Sixth Division's troops at Fenshui Pass immediately began preparations. The initial artillery support was ready in ten minutes and started a fierce bombardment!

The infantry attack followed, with two battalions advancing in a skirmish line under the cover of night and drizzle. The night training they had practiced paid off.

The Second Regiment of the Second Division immediately put up a determined resistance and reported the situation to the command post. However, the command post was now silent, with the main officers all shot down.

Without a leader, the troops could only passively defend their positions. The front-line positions suffered heavy casualties and desperately requested support, but the reserve forces in the rear could not move without orders. The darkness and rain, combined with poor communication, gradually plunged the entire Second Regiment into chaos.

On the front-line positions of the Second Regiment, the positions that had been heavily bombarded were in ruins, with heavy losses of weapons and personnel.

The support from the rear was nowhere to be seen! Even the artillery, without orders, did not know where to fire. Ten minutes into the battle, not a single shell had been fired!

PS: Third update. Thank you to all the friends who support this book, and to those who have collected, rewarded, subscribed, and voted. Thank you all, I will continue to work hard.

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