"Commander, commander, urgent telegram from Hongjiang, three chicken feathers!"

  Before dawn broke, Wang Zhenyu heard Song Haomin calling out to him from outside.

  It's also funny to say that this chicken feather letter is a product of Wang Zhenyu's plagiarism from later generations. Considering that most of the people responsible for passing it on were illiterate, one chicken feather was used to indicate urgency, two feathers indicated emergency, and three feathers indicated special urgency.

  To prevent those fools under his command from misusing them, Wang Zhenyu specifically stipulated that anyone who misused the second and third roots would be fined 100 taels of silver. If they had no money, they would have to come to the headquarters to do laundry and cook meals as punishment.

  Just as Wang Zhenyu was about to get up, he found himself being hugged by a delicate jade arm around his chest, and also had a pair of sensitive snow-white thighs stuck to his belly. Thinking back to the absurdity of last night, Wang Zhenyu couldn't help but sigh that this Ye sister, although only seventeen, was quite capable of stirring up trouble, and didn't fall asleep until the rooster crowed.

  Gently moving his jade arm and snowy leg, Wang Zhenyu sat up straight and felt a sour pain in his back; alas, he was only in his early twenties and couldn't take it anymore. It seemed that he hadn't exercised enough lately. Wang Zhenyu secretly made up his mind to go out with the soldiers soon and exercise well, otherwise when Ye Zhiwen turned thirty and forty, there would be no lack of conflicts at home.

  He put on his clothes, and Wang Zhenyu covered Ye Ziyun with a quilt again. As a result, he couldn't help but gently rub her smooth bare back again. Half asleep, Ye Ziyun hummed and turned over to continue sleeping. Her little appearance was extremely cute.

  Wang Zhenyu walked out of the house in a great mood, closing the door behind him. Then he took the telegram from Song Haomin's hand, opened it carefully and read it before saying to Song: "Notify all officers above battalion commander level to attend a meeting at headquarters, also invite the commanders of the special operations company and reconnaissance company to attend, go!"

  Jingzhou Prefecture, Quyang City, Jingbei Command Headquarters and the 9th Division of Xiang Army, several senior officers of the 9th Division were engaged in a fierce argument.

  "The journey is long, and it's extremely risky to send troops to Hongjiang at this moment. Zhou Zefan is the commander of the 5th Defense District appointed by the provincial government. If we attack like this without a name or status, even if we take down Hongjiang, we won't be able to stand firm! I suggest we should first ask for instructions from Governor Zhang." Chief of Staff Yang Wanguo walked into the division headquarters and immediately expressed his opposition when he heard that they were preparing to attack Hongjiang.

  Wang Zhenyu did not make a sound, he was holding the letter he had just read, which was written by He Jian, strongly advocating for sending troops to drive out Zhou as soon as possible. Wang Zhenyu was also somewhat moved, but for now, he still wanted to listen to others' opinions.

  Xu Yuanquan is considered one of the four regimental commanders in the entire army with the most cultural and military talent. Under everyone's persuasion, he had to stand up and say: "Regimental Commander, judging from the strength of both sides, Zhou Zefan's troops are not a mob. The backbone of his troops consists of more than 2,000 people who were reorganized from the old army, plus the militia, totaling nearly 10,000 people. Moreover, these people are different from those in the Fifth Division; they are all local snakes, very familiar with the terrain. In this case, it's unlikely that our Ninth Regiment can easily defeat them."

  Wang Zhenyu's eyelids drooped slightly, still without a word.

  Wan Yao Huang saw that everyone was opposed to sending troops and was very dissatisfied: "I don't agree with this statement, Brigade Commander. Our Ninth Brigade is absolutely superior to Zhou Zhenfan's army in terms of training and equipment, and more importantly, we are very clear about their strength, while they know nothing about us. This battle will definitely be won by our side. As for the problems that Yang, the Chief of Staff, is worried about, I think it's not a problem. Can there be anything bigger than making trouble in Changsha? Since even making trouble doesn't dare to take us seriously, taking down Hongjiang, what do you think Tan Dudu can do?"

  "What does this little scholar know? What if he can't handle it?"

  "It's just that, at this moment, mobilizing the troops, what if we really provoke the provincial government and they send a large army to quell us? In Changsha, we have several divisions working together, how can we compare with the current situation!"

  "It's a long journey, let's first secure the four counties of Jingzhou Prefecture before thinking about anything else!" The officers exchanged glances, clearly hoping that Wang Zhenyu would abandon this battle plan which seemed utterly fanciful to them.

  Wang Zhenyu did not speak, but in his heart he felt a strange sense of disappointment. Seeing everyone's attitude, he found that the military commanders under him were very satisfied with the current situation and didn't have the same ambition as him! Was he back in this era just to stay in Jingzhou for a few years, only to be killed or retire to Shanghai to become a hermit?

  Including Xu Yuanquan, the four senior officers of the Ninth Brigade lacked sufficient strategic vision. To say nothing of other issues, their judgment on the Hongjiang issue was not as accurate as that of He Jian, who came from a humble background!

  Even He Jian saw that, as long as they occupy Hongjiang and Lixian, it is equivalent to controlling the entire western Hunan province, which means grasping 60% of Hunan's financial revenue. With territory and money, manpower will not be a problem, and naturally, there will be a solid foundation for competing for dominance in the world.

  So this Hongjiang must be taken down by itself, and it's not just Hongjiang, the whole Xiangxi including Changde must be settled.

  At this point, Wang Zhenyu deliberately coughed, and as a result, everyone who was still arguing stopped talking.

  "All of you must remember one thing, we didn't come to Jingzhou Prefecture to be a local tyrant. We are here for the country, for our own small families, and for people we know or don't know."

  Wang Zhenyu felt that this was a bit too profound and might not be enough to convince the opposing voices, so he continued with his hands behind his back: "This battle, we will definitely win. The four major families and eight major merchant guilds in Hongjiang are all supporting us. They have secretly sent us 500,000 yuan as startup funds and promised to take action at critical moments.

  As for the Changsha flour, Tan Popo is not as fierce as you think. The troops he can command are also very limited. And this Zhou Zefan is not his direct subordinate, his actual backer is his classmate Cheng Qian. If we really take Hongjiang, I estimate that he will just send a telegram to scold us, and maybe even send someone to win us over.

  As for now, he doesn't have any money either. How can he mobilize troops? With paper money?"

  "Today, I'm putting my words here to make it clear: I, Wang Mou, have no interest in this small place of Jingzhou Prefecture's local tyrant. My ambition is not in such a small place, and the future of the Hu Ben Brigade should not be in such a small brother. What I want is more and bigger, and as long as you follow my footsteps and continue to move forward, we guarantee that each and every one of you will become prominent. And if you can't or are unwilling to keep up with my pace, then take the initiative to write your resignation letter and get out of here early! I, Wang Zhenyu, have made up my mind. If anyone dares not to put in their strength, then they are not my subordinates, but my enemies. You choose for yourselves!"

  When he finished speaking, Wang Zhenyu pretended to be angry and walked out, leaving behind a group of military officers who looked at each other in dismay.

  Watching Wang Zhenyu's disappearing back, Xu Yuanquan helplessly threw the pencil in his hand on the table: "Alright, no one else should argue, let's work together to think about how to fight."

  Everyone else shook their heads and gathered around the military map on the table. Among them, Li Zongren's voice was the loudest: "I think this battle should be fought like this..."

  Actually, how to deal with Wang Zhenyu had already been thought out, and there was no need for these people to think about it. The key is that you have to let these people make an effort, after all, you can't always be the one charging forward alone? The result of taking too much on oneself is either one of two things: either you raise a bunch of useless people or you exhaust yourself into being another Zhuge Liang and then kick the bucket.

  After this incident, Wang Zhenyu felt that he must quickly promote a batch of young military officers who have the same ambition and hope as himself. Although Yang Wanguo and others were also around 30 years old, Wang Zhenyu felt that these people were not very useful anymore. That afternoon, after listening to Yang Wanguo and Xu Yuanquan's report, Wang Zhenyu decided as follows:

  Firstly, the Special Operations Company and Reconnaissance Company were upgraded from company to battalion, with Zhang Xuanguang and others promoted to lieutenant colonel.

  Secondly, He Jian was formally appointed as the head of the Military Intelligence Department with the rank of lieutenant colonel. As a result, the 9th Brigade now has four senior colonels: Xu Yuanquan, Yang Wanguo, Song Xianfu and Hao Bing; four lieutenant colonels: Wan Yaohuang, Liu Xing, Zhou Dang and Ma Xicheng; as well as fifteen majors including Zhao Dongsheng, Li Zongren, Song Haomin, He Jian and Tao Yuezhang.

  Thirdly, this time when going out on expedition, the First Regiment stayed behind to garrison Jingzhou, Yang Wanguo acted as deputy commander of the Jingzhou Garrison Command, and Xu Yuanquan assisted.

  Fourth, the Second Division Song Xianfu's division and the Third Division Hao Bing's division were the main forces for the punitive expedition. Wan Yaohuang served as the chief of staff on this route, responsible for coordination and supervision work.

  Fifth, the Travel Department's instructional team, special operations team, and reconnaissance team, totaling 600 people, were mixed with 300 people from the First Regiment's First Battalion under Tao Zongyue to form an advance team, following me into Hongjiang.

  Here is the translation:

  Upon arriving here, Xu Yuanquan and Yang Wangu immediately understood Wang Zhenyu's plan. It was to use Wan Yao Huang, Song Xianfu, and Hao Bing's route to engage in a decisive battle with Zhou Ze Fan's main force of the Hong army, while he himself would avoid the real and attack the fake, leading the vanguard to cross mountains and rivers, and directly attack Hongjiang. This is indeed an old trick from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where someone often defeats the enemy and returns to the city, only to find that the city has already been taken by the enemy through deception. However, this was after all just a novel, and although the two did not object to playing tricks on the city, they both disagreed with Wang Zhenyu personally leading the special task force to deceive the city.

  Wang Zhenyu waved his hand and it was settled, no more words were needed. Everyone reluctantly fell silent.

  "On June 25, Wang Zhenyu sent a telegram to Zhou Ze Fan, the commander of the fifth defense district of Hongjiang: "I heard that Commander Zhou is extorting and oppressing the people, and all merchants and civilians are complaining. His actions are no different from those of bandits. Now he has become a target of public outrage, making one's hair stand on end. I, Wang, am not talented, but I have been entrusted by the people of Hongjiang to lead a righteous army to punish corrupt officials, protect national law and order, and rectify national discipline. I hope Zhou can come to his senses, resign and atone for his crimes, and leave voluntarily to avoid further suffering and evil."

  Zhou Ze Fan held the telegram of condemnation sent by Wang Zhenyu, and after reading it for a long time, he asked his chief of staff Yang Yusheng: "Who is this Wang Zhenyu, what kind of person is he?"

  The battle for dominance in Western Hunan is about to erupt...