Chapter 148: The End of the Nest

Luo Jiu pursed his lips and waited for a while before picking up the phone, "Hello, this is Chen Zhi."

The real Shen Zhi was stunned, with a lot of question marks on his head.

Mei Zonggu said hurriedly: "The President has agreed. Our troops will withdraw from Anhui Province in two days. Please ask Director Shen to persuade Commander Luo to cease fire immediately."

Luo Jiu's smile spread quietly. She looked at her watch and pretended to complain: "Staff Officer Mei, you are too slow. Commander Luo's car has already left."

"Ah?" Mei Zonggu was panicking. "What should I do?"

Luo Jiu said: "I will chase them immediately. If I catch up with them at dawn, I am afraid we will have already entered Nanjing City."

"No!" Mei Zonggu begged, "Director Shen, please be kind and ask the driver to drive faster.

If we lost Nanjing, I would be in a very difficult position in the Presidential Palace.

If you persuade Commander Luo to stop the war before she attacks Nanjing, I will personally give you a generous gift."

"Okay, I'll try my best."

"Please."

Luo Jiu hung up the phone, unable to control the smile on his face.

Shen Zhi: “What makes you so happy?”

Luo Jiu straightened his military uniform and said, "I got a province for free, and I also helped you get a generous gift."

With the current strength of the National Salvation Army, reaching Zhenjiang would be a perfect mission.

Further south are all important military areas, which are very difficult to conquer.

Luo Jiu's original plan was to set up camp in Zhenjiang, but she didn't expect Yuan Shikai to panic and not understand her intentions. He was eager to stop the war and would rather cede land.

Now that’s great, we got a province for free, it’s really a great joy.

It was already late at night, Luo Jiu's car was moving among the army. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to rest.

Zhu Jiumei, who was leading the front army, hurried to report, "Commander, we found a large number of enemy troops resting in the valley 20 miles away. The number may be larger than ours. It is estimated that there are 80,000 to 90,000 people."

Luo Jiu suddenly opened his eyes and flipped through the map. "It doesn't make sense. There are no big cities nearby. Where do so many troops come from?"

Her fingertips passed between this place and Zhenjiang, "They should be the troops that originally came out to fight us. With so many people here, Zhenjiang City must be empty.

You take two divisions and artillery, bypass the valley ahead, and go directly to capture Zhenjiang."

Zhu Jiumei asked hurriedly: "What about the people in the valley?"

Luo Jiu: "Leave it to me."

In fact, Luo Jiu guessed correctly. This group of soldiers were indeed transferred by Yuan Datou to fight against the National Salvation Army when Licheng fell.

But the commander-in-chief Ji Chenggong was a man with too many thoughts in his mind, and was nicknamed Ji Laogou.

He is afraid of death by nature and doesn't like fighting, so he wants to use his cleverness to become the lord of the city.

However, he was lucky, having followed Yuan Datou in his early years and was quite trusted. This time, Yuan Datou entrusted him with an important task and asked him to mobilize 100,000 troops to go to Shandong Province to participate in the war.

Ji Chenggong was worried when he received the order to send troops in the morning.

The attack distance is so long, and the one they are fighting against is the National Salvation Army which is in the limelight. How can it be as comfortable as sleeping in Zhenjiang City?

Helpless as military orders were like mountains, he slowly assembled an army of 100,000 and led the army towards Shandong Province.

How many trucks did the Beiyang Army have at that time? Only senior generals were qualified to ride in cars.

The soldiers had to rely on their legs to travel hundreds of miles.

Ji Chenggong sat in the car, hoping that the Henan and Hebei front armies would be able to take over Shandong while he was on the way, so that he could turn around and return to Zhenjiang.

The army had been marching for several hours, but had not yet left Jiangsu Province, when they received the bad news that Cangzhou and Kaifeng had been lost one after another.

The Presidential Palace sent a telegram asking him to withdraw his troops immediately and preserve his manpower.

It was possible to turn around, but the situation was not quite what he expected.

Ji Chenggong became even more frightened when he heard this. Two big cities could not be defended in one day, which showed how fierce the offensive of the National Salvation Army was.

On the one hand, he quickly ordered the army to turn around and march back, and on the other hand, he was wondering where to retreat.

He thought that since the National Salvation Army was sending out troops in such a massive manner and there were wars in the west and the north, it was impossible for them not to move south.

But the two provinces in the south are close to them, one is Jiangsu Province and the other is Anhui Province.

If we attack both, we probably won't have enough troops. If we attack one, which one will we most likely attack?

He analyzed the situation in his mind and guessed that they had already taken over Henan Province, and Anhui Province was next to Henan Province, so they might continue to advance.

It is also possible to raise another army and head straight for Su Province.

The army was now exhausted and there was no time left to rush back to Zhenjiang. Moreover, even if they rushed back, he was not sure he could hold on to Zhenjiang.

There is even less chance of winning if we fight the National Salvation Army in a small county town in the middle.

In his anxiety, he suddenly had an idea: why not choose the retreat location based on the combat objectives of the National Salvation Army?

He decided to find a place to hide, and after careful consideration he chose this valley.

From Ji Chenggong's perspective, this is a wonderful place.

First, stay away from the city and will not become a target of attack.

Second, the place was large, surrounded by mountains, and could accommodate his 100,000-strong army.

Third, there is a small county town twenty miles away from here. If the National Salvation Army wants to attack Jiangsu Province and reach that small county town, they can hear the sound of gunfire here. At that time, they can just run west and enter the territory of Anhui Province after running sixty or seventy miles.

Similarly, if a fight breaks out in Anhui Province, they will be able to hear the deafening sound of artillery fire. That has nothing to do with them, they just need to wait for the army to rest and then slowly return to Zhenjiang.

I didn't do anything during the trip, but I could still get some military pay subsidy. It's so nice.

But as luck would have it, the small county town surrendered, and the National Salvation Army entered the city without firing a shot, and they didn't hear any movement.

When Zhu Jiumei was leading her men on a reconnaissance mission, they passed by the outside of this valley. At first, she didn't take it seriously and almost missed it.

But there are 100,000 people there. Has anyone ever slept in a dormitory for 100 people?

It is entirely conceivable that the snoring of 100,000 people, even if they are just sleeping, can be as loud as the accelerator of a motorcycle.

Zhu Jiumei and others followed the sound and climbed up the mountain. Oh my God, the whole valley was filled with people lying in all directions. It was so densely packed that it made people's scalps numb.

I have to admire this, this is truly a sense of relaxation coming from a veteran.

The National Salvation Army was composed of new recruits. They sat in the car and their eyes were as wide as bells, not daring to sleep at all.

Luo Jiu was extremely happy to hear the news. The National Salvation Army had been fighting since early morning until now, and after more than ten hours, they were now exhausted.

If all these people were to defend Zhenjiang City, it would be really difficult to defeat them.

No one would have thought that Ji Chenggong, who seemed as fierce as a tiger in his analysis, was actually an idiot.

He dared to bring so many people into the valley, wasn't he just waiting to be wiped out?

After a day of fighting, the offense and defense were finally reversed, allowing the National Salvation Army to experience the pleasure of being in a commanding position.

Luo Jiu personally led a group of elite soldiers with small cannons, which he set up around the valley without anyone noticing.

Then he turned on the loudspeaker and announced loudly: "Everyone wake up! I am Luo Jiu, the commander-in-chief of the National Salvation Army. You have been surrounded by us!

The National Salvation Army treats prisoners of war well, and will not kill them if they surrender their weapons. Do not engage in futile resistance! "

The Beiyang Army woke up from their dream, only to hear the huge valley echo, reverberating: "Resist...Resist...Resist..."

Ji Chenggong looked up and around. With the help of the starlight, he could see the surging heads of people and the black muzzles of cannons on the mountain. He felt a sense of oppression as if he was surrounded by enemies.

Ji Lao Gou knew that the situation was hopeless, and he sighed, "Don't hurt my soldiers, we surrender!"

Once again, he won without fighting. Luo Jiu was happily leading his army towards Zhenjiang City when he suddenly saw a motorcycle speeding towards him.

Meng Hu stepped on the brakes, stirring up a cloud of dust. She got off the motorcycle, half of her body covered in blood and her face full of tears.

She patted the car door anxiously with her bloody hands, "Master, we were attacked by foreign devils, and my ninth sister is in trouble!"