"Bang...bang bang..."

"Ta...ta da da..."

"Boom boom boom..."

Following the firing of machine guns, rifles, grenades, and explosions, a large group of cavalry descended from the sky, rushed into the ranch besieged by bandits, and rescued the surviving land reform team members.

…

Although the road around the mountain was dug through, it was still a simple road made of gravel and yellow mud. After being rolled over by large-scale horse racing vehicles, the road was already uneven.

In late May of the lunar calendar, the temperature is hot. At the same time, the rainy season is coming in the south, and there are flash floods here from time to time.

Under the impact of heavy rains and flash floods, gravel and yellow mud were mixed, and the uneven mountain roads have now become muddy again.

There are countless small puddles on the road where water accumulates, and the wheels run over them, splashing sewage.

This mountain road must pass through the Hengshan boundary, which is about a hundred miles of steep mountains. The mountains and forests on both sides are dense and the environment is dangerous.

However, this time, the Meiguang Autonomous Region carried out large-scale bandit suppression, rural clearing, and land reform in the Guangde Mountains. They were carried out simultaneously, one link at a time. Unlike in the past, where the imperial court was quick to suppress bandits and set up escort teams, checkpoints, etc. along the way.

In particular, the powerful bandit gangs such as Laoshushan and Hubaoshan were wiped out, the dangerous hills were leveled, and the remaining bandits and horse thieves had long since caught wind of the situation and fled. The heroes would not suffer the immediate consequences.

Hengshan is surrounded by dense forests and there is no danger to defend. The bandits on the mountain have long since fled.

According to rumors in the world, the anti-bandit forces were well-equipped this time. At the beginning of the encirclement and suppression, they were covered by large-caliber artillery and blocked by Gatling heavy machine guns, sweeping them away like wheat.

Any gangster who dares to resist will be killed without mercy.

Three months later, the prestige of the Meiguang Autonomous Region gradually sublimated and its intimidating power became apparent.

Chen Tianhua's team marched all the way east, with flags and banners fluttering and their armor bright, looking very mighty and majestic.

There are more than a hundred horse teams and dozens of mules and horses, which are huge and mighty.

The commander of this unit, Gu Zhunian, is twenty-two years old. He was originally Chen Tianhua's bodyguard. He is a battlefield commander who was truly trained from the grassroots level.

He is intelligent and well-educated. He studies military theory diligently, practices kung fu and marksmanship, and has made faster progress than his sworn brother Song Xiaoniu in recent years.

Promoted by Chen Tianhua as deputy section chief of the Military Investigation Section, he is in charge of military reconnaissance and operations. He has an operational squadron of nearly 200 people under his command and has strong special operations capabilities.

Along the way, he, together with the guard captain Fei Ge, brought dozens of guards to serve as personal security around Chen Tianhua.

This combat force of more than a hundred people, all of whom are selected elites from the army, each holds a Murata or Mauser rifle, has a bayonet hanging on his waist, has the spirit of a dragon and a tiger, and has an overwhelming momentum.

Feige, the twenty-seven-year-old guard captain, holds a Mauser M-1888 standard rifle with a spur inserted, points his finger diagonally to the ground, urges the horse forward, and is always on the side of Chen Tianhua's big black horse, maintaining a high degree of vigilance.

The horse team started in the early morning and traveled for most of the day, only covering more than 30 miles. The main reason was that the team was too long, the winding mountain road was slippery and difficult to walk, and the weather was hot.

As we continue walking, there are more and more mountains, high cliffs and jungles along the way, and the terrain becomes more complicated.

The bottom of the valley is connected by winding roads, which are rugged and narrow, and the hollow valley is deep. On both sides of the pass, there are steep cliffs, numerous peaks and rocks, the terrain is dangerous, and the landscape is forbidding.

For the safety of the march, Chen Tianhua asked Gu Zhunian to send out multiple scout knights to conduct reconnaissance in full accordance with the marching rules.

Gu Zhunian divided the scout knights into ten groups of two, with a distance of two miles from each other, to inspect some dangerous terrain, whether there were landslides, and whether there were possible ambush places, and searched them all to avoid trouble.

Chen Tianhua's leadership ability, orders, formations, etc. were very precise. Gu Zhunian and other military officers who were born in the Guards have benefited a lot and are already familiar with him.

In normal times, Gu Zhunian humbly asked for advice on military theory, pondered over and over again, and learned a lot from his lord.

After hearing some of Gu Zhunian's orders, Chen Tianhua nodded slightly.

He admired the talent and progress of his subordinate. Not only was he able to travel around the world, but he was also able to lead troops in war. This young officer could now also become a leader.

With this, Chen Tianhua is relatively reassured about the safety during this inspection. This is also an opportunity to train people.

The journey was indeed calm and there was no danger.

Towards evening, after a long day's trek, they had walked fifty miles between the Hengshan Mountains and were ready to walk for another hour before setting up camp and resting.

"This is only about eighty miles away from Guangde County. According to our current marching speed, we can reach it in another day and a half."

Gu Zhunian said to Chen Tianhua.

"You're right on New Year's Day. It's been okay these days. It hasn't rained heavily. Let's take advantage of the weather and walk more," Chen Tianhua said.

While the master and servant were talking, a scout squad leader came to report that there was a Qing army stationed at the checkpoint ahead, and the team was stopped.

"This is the team of Mr. Chen Tianhua, a third-rank official of the current dynasty and the Governor-General of the Meiguang Autonomous Region. We have been ordered to patrol the military situation in the jurisdiction. Who are you from the Qing army? Why are you here and what is your purpose?!"

Gu Zhunian went out to negotiate and scolded him angrily.

"Wait a moment, let's go ask the general manager to come."

When a junior officer saw this situation, he was too frightened to make a private reply, so he immediately went to ask the leader here.

The Qing army stationed here was not actually an active force, but cadet soldiers wearing New Army uniforms. They were students from the combined Anhui Armed Forces School and the Patrol School, a total of more than 700 people.

They were conducting field military training near Hengshan.

The general person in charge of this cadet force is named Xu Xilin, who is 33 years old and is a close confidant of Anhui Governor Enming. He is currently the deputy general office of Anhui Military Preparatory School and the general office of Anhui Patrol Police School, and has an official rank of fourth-grade military attache.

He has not appeared for a long time, mainly observing in secret.

Xu Xilin was from Dongpu Town, Shanyin County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. He was not an ordinary military attache of the Qing Dynasty. He was actually one of the main members of the Shanghai Restoration Society.

This time he took the students to Hengshan for long-distance outdoor training, which was a special mission for the Liberation Society.

Soon, a scout came back to report.

It was discovered that a few miles away, a Qing army consisting of more than a hundred people was approaching here. Judging from the military uniforms, they should be the New Army of Zhejiang Province.

Xu Xilin didn't realize it at this time. He was enjoying tea and resting elegantly outside the tent.

The air outside is much fresher and cooler than inside the tent. The sun is about to set, and the spring breeze is blowing on my face at dusk. Standing in the wilderness outside the mountains, it feels a bit refreshing.

"Master General Office, this new army of the Meiguang Autonomous Region is so majestic. They are cursing and looking fierce outside our camp, saying that their Governor-General Office is here and wants us to give way immediately and withdraw the card."

A platoon leader standing guard at the camp gate muttered and stepped forward to report the injustice to Xu Xilin.

They, the students of the Armed Forces School and the Patrol School, are the future leaders of the Anhui New Army. They are the proud sons of heaven. Who is not the son of a well-known family, a rich family in the countryside?
Chapter completed!