Late night on August 21, 952.
There was a sudden deafening explosion at the Wanzhou Telephone Bureau, and the resulting fire dyed half of Wanzhou City red. The radio station company adjacent to the telephone bureau was also affected. The people in the city were awakened and spent a sleepless night in fear and anxiety.
It was not just Wanzhou. Sanjiang, another city on Wanzhou Road, and more than a dozen county towns also had malfunctions in the telephone office room or important telephone lines were cut and damaged.
Communications along the entire Wanzhou Road were paralyzed.
At the same time, the southern part of Wanzhou Road and the counties adjacent to Nanping, such as Mengxi, Qingshan and Fancheng, changed their colors almost overnight.
The streets were covered with slogans such as "Welcome General Lu to punish the criminals" and "The people were organized to take to the streets to welcome the heroic ranks of Black Mountain soldiers that entered the city in the early hours of the morning."
Even the Second Tiger Guard Regiment of the Wanzhou Army stationed in Fancheng collapsed at the first touch. They were called Tiger Guards, but in fact they were like mice seeing a cat.
There were some fierce conflicts between the county's police brigades or militia organized by landlords and gentry and the Montenegrin Army, but they usually ended very quickly.
In the early morning of the 23rd, the most intense fighting took place on the outskirts of Sanjiang.
The 1st Huben Regiment was Cheng Dasui's most elite armed force. Ever since Cheng Dasui lost Mengdong, his elite troops had been deployed in Sanjiang.
There were also garrison brigades that were desperately recruited from the crowd, numbering several thousand people.
Accompanying the tall and sturdy bunkers are dense trench positions.
But after the hot air balloon bombing, tanks and armored vehicles of the Montenegrin Army appeared. Although the trenches of the Sanjiang position were also anti-tank, they adopted the standard width of the past. However, the tank tracks of the Montenegrin Army could easily cross them, and there was no hindrance at all.
The 1st Huben Regiment and the Sanjiang Garrison Brigade did not even last an hour and were quickly defeated after suffering heavy casualties.
On the afternoon of the 24th, the mobile forces of the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the Montenegrin Army, and two mobile battalions directly under the division, suddenly appeared on Wanquan Mountain north of Wanzhou. They bombarded the roads at the foot of the mountain with mortars, cutting off the main traffic artery in the north. They also held their positions and refused to retreat under the siege of Cheng Dayui's Personal Guard Regiment and the Wanzhou Brigade.
In the evening, most of the Black Mountain Army appeared in the south of Wanzhou.
The gentry and their families in the city who had not yet had time to escape were wailing loudly.
Cheng Dasui, who had just resumed communication with Haixi and was expecting the Haixi Army to come to his aid, escaped in disguise.
However, rumors immediately spread throughout the city. Everyone knew that he had escaped. It seemed that the news was leaked by someone close to him. How could the defenders in the city still have any fighting spirit
Mr. Qiu, a wealthy man in Wanzhou City, and his son, Qiu Zhengshuo, who was also the commander of the Wanzhou Brigade, led a group of gentry and officers and raised white flags to surrender.
At this point, the Wanzhou Campaign, which lasted just a few days, was basically over.
However, in the countryside and mountainous areas, the battle to wipe out the remnants of Cheng Dasui is still going on. Some local tyrants lead their militia to defend the dangerous areas, while the remnants of Cheng Dasui who fled into the mountains have reverted to their nature as mountain bandits, attacking and looting the countryside.
Before the Montenegrin Army launched a full-scale offensive late on the night of the 21st, Ren Zhonglin had already sent a telegram to the entire province, listing Cheng Dasui's crimes and announcing the removal of him from all his posts.
On the 27th, the Second Brigade of the Third Longbei Front Army entered the Wanzhou area on the restored railway transportation line.
Sun Chonggu was appointed as the special commissioner of the brigade.
The commander of the Third Front Army was Sun Chonggu's father Sun Gan, and the Second Brigade was the most powerful one in the Third Front Army.
Brigade commander Sun Pojun was a distant cousin of Sun Chonggu, and originally a very poor distant relative of the Sun family. However, Sun Pojun was brave and good at fighting, and he had made military achievements all the way to his position, which had little to do with nepotism.
Ren Zhonglin naturally had his own considerations when he finally sent the Sun faction's direct brigade as the military force into the complex area of Wanzhou.
Sun Gan and other elders of the Sun faction certainly understood General Ren's considerations. They gladly accepted the order, although they also had their own considerations.
As Sun Gan's most beloved successor, Sun Chonggu became the special envoy and emperor of the sect's most elite force. Going to Wanzhou to gain independent experience should have been one of Sun Gan's most important considerations.
…
The radio was playing "General Lu's Letter to the People of Wanzhou", which was recorded by Lu Ming at the radio station in the morning.
According to previous research, many people feel more or less ashamed when listening to their own voices through radios and other sound-receiving devices. This is because the voice they normally hear is formed through a combination of bone conduction and air conduction in the body, which is different from the voices that others hear through air conduction alone. The recordings heard through sound-receiving devices are completely air-conducted, so what it sounds like in other people's ears is what you hear now.
However, Lu Ming had already gotten used to hearing his original voice, so he didn't feel any discomfort.
This is the office in the Wanzhou Road Administrative Building.
Lu Ming has been very busy these days. For example, this morning, he and Jennifer rode horses together to accept the cheers of the people and delivered an enthusiastic speech.
Now, he has to meet with the newly appointed governor and other officials.
Later, he will transform into Commissioner Zhang to take over and transform the Wanzhou Road Security Bureau.
Commissioner Zhang was appointed as the patrol commissioner of the Wanzhou Garrison Brigade and chairman of the Wanzhou Road Security Committee. He was also the commissioner of the newly formed office for border control work. The main task of border control work was to liquidate Cheng Dasui's followers and suppress banditry.
Tang Cai Ni took over as the director of the Nanping Security Bureau.
The director of Nanping Procuratorate is Chen Qinghua.
There was a gentle knock on the office door, and the person who was led in by Yuluan was the graceful Asaba Yoshiko, who was wearing a light black kimono.
"General Lu is truly invincible! His heroic presence at the front is even more admirable." Asaba Yoshiko had a charming smile on her face, and her voice was as gentle and sweet as the chirping of an oriole. "I heard that you personally drove a tank to attack Cheng Bandit's position? You led by example, how brave, what a man!"
Lu Ming looked at his watch.
In fact, the person in the tank was his own Qing'e stand-in.
It was Biju and Liuli who suggested leading the charge personally, saying that a thousand years ago His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would personally go to the battlefield.
Although times are different now, Your Highness still needs to have the experience of fighting the enemy on the front lines in person in order to gain the trust of the soldiers.
I thought so too. If I don't go into battle myself, as my status rises, and I lead the charge myself in the future, it will be considered ridiculous instead of boosting the morale of the soldiers and the people.
I really wanted to do it myself, so I studied hard about what it means to be a tank soldier.
But in the end it was Qing'e who went. Although there was basically no danger, Liuli and others were naturally worried about any accidents.
Even Bizhu sent a telegram to remind people of this matter.
When I heard Asaba Yoshiko mention this, I felt a little ashamed.
Asaba Yoshiko saw Lu Ming looking at his watch and chuckled, "I know the general is very busy with official duties. It is a great honor for me to be able to give me 10 minutes of your time."
Lu Ming smiled: "That's not the case. We are old friends, but it is true that an important meeting will be held in fifteen minutes."
Asaba Yoshiko nodded slightly, "I understand." After a pause, she glanced at Lu Ming's expression, "I came here because of Gangchuan Ichiro and the others..."
Hmm? Lu Ming slowly sat up straight.
"You must be aware that Ichiro Okagawa and I never knew each other before, and I have no connection with the Kawamoto family, but..." Asaba Yoshiko chose her words carefully.
Lu Ming waved his hand and said with a smile: "I don't care what your reason is. You have helped me a lot, and I will not be unkind. As for the military police in Nanping, they haven't done anything evil. You can also say that they haven't had the chance yet..."
Asaba Yoshiko smiled bitterly. That's right. It hasn't even developed to that point, but you've already wiped it out.
Lu Ming pondered and said, "To be honest, most of them can be directly deported. Those who have committed serious crimes can be punished with flogging and then deported. This is also legal, but it depends on the local procuratorate."
Asaba Yoshiko breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, thank you, General."
In fact, in the current situation, the Wanzhou Road has been easily replaced, and it is obvious that the governor of Nanping Road will also be replaced soon. Gao Baoshan has lost his power to turn the tide and is just a fish on the chopping board. The main reason why Nanping Road has not yet changed its owner is probably because the Black Mountain Military and Political Group has not yet reached a consensus with the Ren Zhonglin Group.
The appointment of provincial governors, garrisons, etc.
Ren Zhonglin's confidants had different opinions about the news from the provincial capital.
Some people believe that Longbei has always been oppressed by the other three provinces. Now that the world is in chaos, those hungry wolves who are eyeing it covetously may no longer be able to hold back.
It would be a good idea to move closer to Jiangnan to seek political support and introduce the Black Mountain Legion as a strong reinforcement.
Nanping and Wanzhou were originally independent, so there is nothing wrong with giving them to the Black Mountain system as a gift.
On the contrary, the Montenegrin clique is more rule-abiding, and all appointments of officials, big and small, are reported to the provincial capital, unlike before when Gao Baoshan and Cheng Dasui were local tyrants.
Moreover, the provincial capital was allowed to send troops to station there. Legally speaking, Nanping and Wanzhou were not out of the jurisdiction of the province.
In this way, it would be the best strategy to introduce the Black Mountain Army to the Wanzhou front to fight against the brutal Jinzhou soldiers in Haixi.
There were also different opinions, such as the Sun Gan faction, which believed that they should take advantage of the opportunity to completely regain the jurisdiction of Nanping Road.
As for Wanzhou, the status quo can be maintained, with both sides jointly managing it and forming an alliance to fight against Liu Bangchang of Haixi.
But no matter which opinion it is, Gao Baoshan's downfall is inevitable.
Then, the inevitable outcome would be that the two Japanese gendarmerie teams introduced by Gao Baoshan would have to return home.
Ren Zhonglin did not like the infiltration of Japanese people. Even in the provincial capital, he only allowed Japan to send a police brigade to protect the Japanese overseas Chinese community in the name of police, and they were not allowed to leave the overseas Chinese community at will.
From the perspective of the Guanxi Army, Liu Bangchang, who is now fully supported, has his main opponent as Qi Huaide of the Northern Frontier Province.
It is not a wise move to force Ren Zhonglin and Qi Huaide to form an alliance.
Therefore, most likely the two gendarmes would just withdraw, temporarily retreating in order to make further progress in the future.
Therefore, expelling Ichiro Okagawa and others from the country is indeed the best outcome.
"General, your kindness, Fangzi will remember it." Asaba Fangzi bowed, "Fangzi will not bother you anymore!"
When she walked to the door in small steps, she stopped, turned around and smiled: "General, I have a question. If it is presumptuous, you don't have to answer it."
Lu Ming looked at her and said, "Madam, I will tell you everything I know about your problem."
Asaba Yoshiko smiled, "Really?" After a pause, her expression became serious, "If you really go to a certain place in the future, will you distribute all the land to the poor farmers? Yoshiko feels that in the southern part of Wanzhou, your people have already entered and promoted your ideas among the farmers. Therefore, wherever your army is, the people line the streets to welcome you."
Lu Ming smiled. Indeed, in the southern part of Wanzhou bordering eastern Mongolia, the Military Intelligence Department had already had a working group to promote ideas such as "everyone has his own land".
In addition, with Mengdong County as a living example, public resentment was boiling under Cheng Dasui's rule, so the propaganda work went smoothly. In several counties of Wanzhou near Mengdong, various secret farmers' associations had already been established.
Looking at Qian Yu Fangzi, Lu Ming smiled and said, "It's just a matter of adapting to local conditions. Miss Fangzi, don't worry."
"I think so too." Qian Yu Fangzi bowed with a smile, "Fangzi is leaving!"