Wan Yao Huang retreated with a nod, while Wang Zhenyu smiled and looked at Song Xianfu and Hao Bing, who were both confused.

  Wang Zhenyu looked at them for a while, observing their facial features. These two didn't seem like big villains either. In that case, it's better to tell the truth and be honest; it might not be a bad thing after all.

  "Old Song, Old Hao, from when I arrived at 49th marker, how many years have we known each other?"

  "Commander, we've known you for years," Song Xianfu thought for a moment.

  Wang Zhenyu waved his hand: "Others can call me 'humble job', but you, Old Hao, and Old Yang are the three who have been with me since the beginning. You don't need to be polite."

  When he said this, Song Xianfu and Hao Bingxin felt a warmth in their hearts, and they quickly stood up and said that they did not dare.

  To be honest, these two people in Wang Zhenyu's impression were used to being rough, and suddenly becoming elegant made people feel unaccustomed.

  "It's rare for someone to have a few close friends in their lifetime, who can share wealth and honor together, and go through life and death together. That's also a good fate." Wang Zhenyu suddenly spoke with an air of authority, blurting out this sentence without warning, leaving Song Xianfu and Hao Bing even more perplexed. What is the commander trying to say?

  Wang Zhenyu took one look at the expressions of these two and knew that they were playing a lute to an ox, immediately adjusting his train of thought: "This time in the Battle of Ma Cheng, are you satisfied with your own performance?"

  This question is really embarrassing, how should one answer, should they say very satisfied or very dissatisfied? Song Xianfu and Hao Bing were immediately speechless, but soon they realized that their performance in this battle made Wang Zhenyu very dissatisfied, and their old faces turned bright red.

  Wang Zhenyu pulled out a pack of Hademen cigarettes that he had treasured for a long time and didn't want to smoke, and threw it at Song Xianfu. The three of them each took one, lit up, and puffed away.

  After finishing one, Wang Zhenyu extinguished it and continued: "Old Song, Old Hao, they still have the ability, at least the soldiers are well-trained, almost all the training programs in your place have been implemented, this is a fact, everyone can see."

  "But on this battlefield, being well-trained and able to lead troops is just the foundation. Commanding in real-time is very important. I heard that you guys are leading the charge again?" Wang Zhenyu naturally didn't want to say anything about his poor command, so he started with a lighter topic.

  Hao Bing scratched his head in embarrassment: "Commander, I'm afraid I have this bad habit - as soon as I hear gunfire, my brain gets hot and I rush forward. Can't change it."

  Wang Zhenyu chuckled: "You guys, this habit needs to be changed. You're not just squad leaders now, you're battalion commanders. In the old army, that would make you a banner commander, a high-ranking officer. Your personal safety is very important. What if that bullet doesn't discriminate and hits one of you, leading to the entire battalion losing command and dispersing?"

  The two of them looked down in embarrassment, which was exactly what Wang Zhenyu wanted.

  "So today I invited you all, first to commend you, after all, in the Battle of Ma'an, you won with fewer people, and made great contributions to our army's capture of Hongjiang (many of you have made outstanding achievements); second, I want to discuss with you, adjust your work, and make the best use of your strengths."

  Song Xianfu immediately tensed up: "Commander, where are you planning to transfer us? Old Hao and I have been in the army since we were teenagers, and apart from being soldiers, we don't have any other skills."

  Wang Zhenyu burst out laughing: "Of course, we'll continue to lead the troops! There are not many people I can trust around me. If I don't use you to lead the troops, would I have you become seventh-rank county officials instead?"

  As soon as he heard that he could still lead troops, Song Xianfu and Hao Bing also smiled, and their inner resistance was not so great.

  "Field troops, you don't have to continue doing this. What if something happens and the wives blame me? I can't afford it. My idea is that Old Song and Old Hao first withdraw a batch of officers from their respective units, and transform the Thousand Troop Training in Hongjiang into a security force. The original officers of these troops can be transferred to local police. Establish one security brigade each in Hongjiang and Jingzhou, and on this basis, establish a Security General Brigade, with Old Hao as the commander and Old Song as the chief of staff. What do you think?"

  Lao Song and Lao Hao looked at each other for a moment, half a day passed without a word, it seemed they still didn't want to leave the Hu Ben team.

  Wang Zhenyu could only comfort them by saying: "The security detachment will be a local garrison unit in the future, and it is also a regular army. I will instruct the brigade above to receive salaries according to the field army treatment. So you don't have to worry that this is a makeshift team. In the future, you will also be an independent system, directly under my command."

  Song Xianfu and Hao Bing nodded in agreement, Wang Zhenyu let out a sigh of relief: "The second battalion will hand over the deputy battalion commander Liu Xing, and the third battalion will hand over the deputy battalion commander Zhou Dan. You can transfer whoever you want as long as they are willing, just file a report with Old Yang and it's done. Don't transfer any company-level officers for now. Also, don't rush to establish the headquarters for now, first go down and set up the framework for the Hongjiang detachment and Jingzhou detachment, and act as detachment commanders for now."

  After seeing off Song Xianfu and Hao Bing, Wang Zhenyu summoned Liu Xing and Zhou Duan again. First, he criticized the two for their mediocre performance in this battle of Ma'an, then asked them to prepare to take over as regimental commander and deputy regimental commander respectively, which would become a fixed rule, with the battalion commander of the first battalion of the combat sequence of the regiment serving concurrently, and the military rank being adjusted accordingly.

  The next day, Song Xianfu and Hao Bing handed over their military power and each drew more than 40 old subordinates to go to the preparation of Jingzhou and Hongjiang branch teams. Ma Xicheng also cooperated with the allocation of part of the funds and required the submission of the list after the establishment was completed.

  The personnel work has completed the first step, and in the following days, there is still a lot to do. After taking a deep breath, Wang Zhenyu thought of another busy day ahead.

  There are still many things to be busy with, but Wang Zhenyu doesn't need to do it himself. The new recruits' affairs were handed over to Wan Yaohuang and Li Zongren, the security team's affairs were handed over to Song Xianfu and Hao Bing, Zhu Zhida came to visit him once, and the host and guest had a pleasant conversation, Zhu Cihang changed from being Sun Shao's subordinate to becoming Wang Zhenyu's deputy.

  For this person, Wang Zhenyu was very satisfied. Not only is he tall and strong, but his movements are also agile. Moreover, it's rare that someone who serves tea and water can do such things without any airs of a rich second generation. It's unknown how Zhu Zhida cultivated this child.

  On the side of Hong Shang, Wang Zhenyu didn't plan to go talk about anything immediately, because the Xiangxi Development Company in his hands was just a concept and there was nothing to discuss with the Hong merchants before it was finalized. Fortunately, within these few days, Ye Zuwen, this old father-in-law, would arrive in Hongjiang.

  On July 1, 1912, Ye Zuwen and Ye Guoxuan arrived in Hongjiang, while Ye Guowei did not come due to illness. Coincidentally, a group of people from Jingzhou also arrived.

  The whole family had a happy dinner at Hongjiang's house and everyone was praising how delicious the dishes were.

  Wang Zhenyu smiled but didn't speak. He had just instructed Song Haomin and Zhu Cihuan to prepare the invitations, as they would be hosting a banquet for the Hongjiang merchants tomorrow.

  When Wang of Hongjiang sends out his invitation cards, who dares not attend the banquet?

  After dinner, Wang Zhenyu was indeed busy. Ding Wenjiang and Weng Wenhao were urgently summoned by him. There was nothing else, just for the construction of the railway. Ye Zuwen was naturally present, and Song Xianfu was also called over.

  Here is the translation:

  Wang Zhenyu has a lot of things to attend to tonight, and tomorrow will be a crucial day that will determine his fate for decades to come. Therefore, he briefly told Ding Wenjiang and Weng Wenhao that he plans to ask his father-in-law to contact foreign companies to build a railway from Hongjiang to Tongdao in the Xiangxi mountains. The goal is to improve transportation, increase cargo capacity, and promote business development, which requires accurate geological survey data. To this end, he decided to establish two geological exploration teams, with Song Xianfu responsible for their safety. After negotiations with foreign companies in Wuhan are successful, they will add some technical personnel for railway construction. The deadline is six months, because after six months, the Yuanjiang River shipping route will be initially formed, and their cargo capacity will be sufficient to guarantee the input of road-building materials into Xiangxi. As for the road workers, Wang Zhenyu is not worried, as he still has over 10,000 prisoners of war in his hands. He has already written to Wan Yaohuang to inform these prisoners that if they work hard for three years, they can be released without punishment, and from now on, their living conditions will be improved to prevent them from rebelling or rioting.

  After Ding Wenjiang and others left, Wang Zhenyu and his father-in-law began to discuss the preparations for the Xiangxi Development Company. He Kui, who was familiar with Hong Shang, was also summoned to participate in the discussion. Halfway through the conversation, Wang Zhenyu asked Zhu Cihen to invite Zhu Zhida to come and discuss matters.

  The lights in the headquarters were on for a whole night, Ye Ziyuan didn't see Wang Zhenyu return to rest, so she stomped her foot and went to sleep herself.

  The next morning, Wang Zhenyu slept for a while and got up at noon to eat lunch.

  After lunch, the Hong merchants arrived at the headquarters one after another. For Wang Zhenyu, the new master of Hongjiang, although they had made great efforts in his occupation of Hongjiang, they were still a bit uneasy. No one had ever seen him before, and now thinking back, it was also because Zhou Ze Fan's bamboo stick had been beaten too hard, otherwise how could these experienced people make the decision to turn to the fierce tiger corps based on Chen Hongji's letter and He Jian's few words?

  As a result, they welcomed a new master who was only 21 years old.

  The news of Zhou Ze's defeat and surrender spread throughout Hongjiang. The speed of the defeat left a deep impression on the merchants that Wang Zhenyu's strength was extremely powerful and immeasurable.

  In fact, China is the country that advocates for strength in this world. During the late Qing period, the power of the merchants from Hubei had grown to the point where they no longer looked down on local officials appointed by the imperial court. Firstly, these officials themselves were not upright, and without their support, it would be a joke if one wanted to complete their term safely and steadily, let alone make money. Secondly, these merchants also had political status, as the imperial court openly sold official positions, and whoever among them did not donate for a third or fifth rank position was rare, even first or second rank positions were not uncommon. Under such circumstances, it's unclear who would be paying respects to whom.

  But now the world has changed, businessmen are no longer inferior to scholars, they have a keen sense of smell for social changes, and they quickly realized that the world has turned into a place where guns are in power.

  However, even so, when Zhou Zefan first entered Hongjiang with the appointment of the provincial military government, he was still unable to meet with the wealthy merchants of Hongjiang. These wealthy merchants mostly sent a housekeeper to casually welcome him and that was it. This kind of disrespect was also one of the two reasons why Zhou Zefan later went crazy and dispatched donations everywhere, the other reason being the result of the Changsha side repeatedly asking for money.

  But this legendary King Commander is slightly different, said to be the hero of this Xinhai Revolution, with the title of general, played a night raid in Hankou, suppressed in Nanjing, and returned to Hunan to play a military change in Changsha, just heard that this son was defeated in Jingzhou. The bandits were captured, and more than 10,000 people were arrested.

  The name is the shadow of a person. If the above event can still be attributed to exaggeration, then the easy defeat of Zhou Zefan's elite troops made the Hong merchants restless. As for Zhou Zefan's power, the Hong merchants were very clear: Zhou Zefan's army, led by Cai Junxian and others, was almost unbeatable in western Hunan, and every time they suppressed bandits, it was like a hot knife through butter. However, this army, which existed like a tiger or wolf in the eyes of the people of western Hunan, was defeated by Commander Wang in just one day. Although there were factors such as the militia betraying them, Commander Wang's men must have been terrifying to be able to eliminate Zhou Zefan's more than 2,000 elite troops.

  The merchants still know what's important, and such a person who is not afraid of the high officials in the provincial capital and has elite forces in his hands is no longer someone that these merchants can look down on. It's better to be obedient and hurry up to stand in front of him like a little daughter-in-law, being honest and well-behaved.

  In today's world, nothing is more powerful than a fist.