Autumn is crisp and crisp, and the morning breeze is light.

After arranging the guard task, Chen Jiji, the commander of the fourth regiment, took the adjutant and two guards, turned over and rushed to the Tonggu City in the west. At this time, Chen Jiji was deeply bored, and kept wondering in his heart what the order of "resting in place and strengthening vigilance" issued by the division headquarters early in the morning meant? From Liuyang to Tonggu in just a few days, all the way forward, at this time, if you don't strike while the iron is hot, when will you wait to chase after the victory?

Chen Jiji, bathed in the morning sun, and his entourage came to Shuaijiaba in the east of the city, and he was very surprised by the lively scene inside and outside the model camp.

Chen Jiji didn't have time to look at the famous boulder bronze drum spectacle standing quietly in the clear water at the foot of the lush Dawei Mountain, so he beat his horse and came to the camp gate to ask the sentry: "What are you doing?" What is the purpose of that high platform built by water? ”

"Report to the chief, our instructor said that it was a stage that was built, and from today onwards, there will be opera troupes to sing, and he also said that the common people in the city and outside the city will come to watch our military skills performance, and instructed all the brothers to maintain good order and improve the relationship between the military and the people...... Add vegetables in the evening, there is braised pork. A company of sentries from Jiangxi knew Chen Jiji, and he answered happily when he asked.

Chen Jiji laughed: "What about your battalion commander?" ”

"As soon as dawn I rode into the city on a little black horse, and Deputy Hu Ying and Staff Officer Yin also went together, and took the second company brother to help the people in the city build roads and repair houses." The sentry replied.

Chen Jiji nodded and left, secretly praising the model camp for its perseverance in paving the way for the people to build bridges everywhere he went.

According to the experiments of the model battalion over several months, it is very reasonable and necessary to have an engineer company in each regiment. Everywhere I go, the camp construction of each department is inseparable from the full-time soldiers, but now each regiment is completed by infantry, if there is a model battalion of the engineer company that can both fight and efficient high-speed construction, it is a blessing for each regiment and battalion commander, not to mention that An Yi's engineer company has mastered the construction of small bridges, pontoon bridges, fortifications, obstacle blasting and other professional skills, these skills are difficult for ordinary infantry to have, it is the current main force regiment urgently needs to supplement the defects.

Over the past two months or so, Chen Jiji, Hui Dongsheng, Jiang Dingwen, and others, who have been deeply touched, have repeatedly raised this issue at the work conference of the division headquarters, but they have not yet seen any signs of concrete implementation.

Chen Jiji and his entourage rode out a few hundred meters on horseback, and before they entered the city, they saw that the big banner of the "model battalion" was planted diagonally on the trunk of a large tree on the side of the road, which was particularly conspicuous, and the sentry posts set up by the officers and men of the model battalion on both sides of the road were standardized and practical, and in front of each sentry post stood two sentries with loaded guns and ammunition.

In the middle of the long and narrow road, more than 100 sappers were working intensively on the uneven road, and hundreds of people carried stones and baskets of crushed stone and coarse sand to the places designated by the officers and men, and the military and the people spoke the same language and had a harmonious relationship; a few old people who brought tea to the officers and men kept asking the officers and men about their names and places of origin, and the officers and men did not dare to give perfunctory answers, and the soldiers and the people had happy exchanges and chatted while doing things, and really turned the slogan of close military-civilian relations into action.

A battalion of the Fifth Regiment, under the leadership of the regimental political instructor, cleaned the streets, removed garbage and waste, and hundreds of people gathered in front of the high wall on the left side of the county government axe yamen in the city to listen to the old master in the city reading the proclamation aloud with relish.

Chen Jiji watched interestingly, stationed in the horse and watched quietly, and heard a rough idea from the mouth of the loud old master, the meaning of the proclamation was: In order to thank the officers and soldiers of the Second Division of the First Army of the National Revolutionary Army for their love, they should set up a stage to sing on the side of the famous copper drum in the east of the city, and hire the troupe of the copper drum to take the stage, and the fathers and villagers of the whole county can go to watch it at will. Martial arts, shooting and other military training projects, welcome all the heroes and warriors of the bronze drum to visit and guide.

The three layers of the crowd surrounded the entrance of the county government, and after figuring out what was going on, they immediately left and rushed to tell each other.

The streets are becoming more and more lively, people coming and going are talking about the grand stage and the grand event of the revolutionary army's drills, and the surrounding black and oppressive crowds have walked one after another.

After thinking about it for a while, Chen Jiji was sure that this must be another idea that An Yi came up with, but he didn't know what he wanted to achieve.

Chen Jiji and his entourage came to the Xiao Clan Ancestral Hall at the division headquarters, got off the horse and walked into the courtyard of the ancestral hall, and saw Yin Jinan sitting there under the big tree listening to several subordinate instructors reading speeches, and around the stone table on the other side of the courtyard sat Deputy Division Commander Jiang Dingwen, Sixth Regiment Commander Hui Dongsheng, Director of the Quartermaster Department Kuang Shijie, An Yi, Hu Jialin and other seven or eight people, I don't know what Jiang Dingwen said that caused everyone to laugh.

When Hui Dongsheng saw Chen Jiji, he hurriedly raised his hand and motioned for Chen Jiji to sit beside him: "How is the recruitment situation there?" ”

"There is no progress, many people come to inquire but few have joined, and it is estimated that the people have to have a process of understanding." Chen Jiji took the tea from the logistics guard, took a sip, put down the cup and asked everyone what was going on, smiling so happily.

Hui Dongsheng laughed in a low voice: "It is estimated that our main forces can't get An Yi, this kid, the entire Tonggu County has been turned upside down by him, not to mention the slogans and slogans all over the street, and also invited two famous opera troupes in the county, at three o'clock in the afternoon in the east of the city in the scenic spot to beat gongs and drums, in the middle of the singing, their companies want to show their unique skills to the people, so that the people can see the majesty of the revolutionary army while watching the play, and when everyone is confused, announce the recruitment matters." When the model battalion comes out like this, can't the young people of the entire county, including the nearby ten miles and eight townships, be lured to his command? ”

"No wonder I didn't see a single sign on the street that was recruiting, this guy is absolutely amazing! It's a new approach, but why do I think it's so much like the usual trick of selling Dianabol on the street? ”

Chen Jiji's exclamation caused a burst of laughter, and everyone thought that it was really like this, the one who sells strong pills always performs a broken green brick, a big stone in his chest or something, picks up a big knife and dances a few times to win a cheer and immediately starts selling medicine, An Yi's tricks are compared with those who sell strong pills In addition to changing their faces, they are essentially the same source.

Jiang Dingwen looked at Chen Jiji with a smile: "You don't know this, Xiao Yi's statement is to use the form that people like to hear and hear to widely publicize the revolutionary truth and conscription matters, referred to as advertising." A few of them also have an idea, which is to set up a bonus of 500 oceans to encourage people with martial arts skills among the people of the bronze drum to compete on stage, understand? He and the beard are trying to select elite soldiers from them, it is estimated that a few of you regiments did not expect it, it seems that the work ideas and propaganda methods of the political instructors of each regiment need to be improved, haha! ”

Chen Ji looked at An Yi in surprise: "The big platform being built is a ring?" ”

An Yi laughed and said: "Exactly, but it can't be called a ring, that's too vulgar, our revolutionary army is not a brave and ruthless person, but a regular armed force with lofty revolutionary ideals, so it should be called a big stage for military skills competitions, so that people with lofty ideals with special skills can devote themselves to the melting pot of the revolution, work together to overthrow the evil old warlords, smash the old world of cannibalism, and work together to build a happy and happy new republic of Sanming, haha!" ”

"Huh? Ladies and gentlemen, as far as I know, An Yi was born in the ranks of the annihilating merchants, and after joining the revolution, he used slick methods to the left and right, and he was never contaminated with politics, and he was a well-known centrist among our Huangpu teachers and students. It's almost time to catch up with my instructor, this is not like An Yi under normal circumstances! An Yi I know is a hard-working, mercenary person, since the Northern Expedition, I have never seen this kid do a loss-making business, no cheap things can not find him, he will never do things that make money, how can he suddenly have such a high consciousness now? ”

Chen Jiji made a joke about An Yi to everyone.

Everyone laughed, but An Yi, who was sitting next to Jiang Dingwen, didn't care, he grabbed Jiang Dingwen's good cigarettes and distributed them around, and happily lit them for everyone, even the beard who had just recognized his fellow villagers with Hui Dongsheng also enjoyed An Yi's thoughtful service.

An Yi put on a courteous appearance of a younger brother waiting for his eldest brother, handing over a cigarette and lighting a fire respectfully, looking meticulous, which made people laugh again.

Only Jiang Dingwen understood in his heart that An Yi's cigarette was not in vain, and it contained a vague apology in An Yi's heart, because dozens of Jiangxi officers and soldiers under An Yi had quietly dispatched before dawn to paste slogans in the nearby countryside and respectfully invite the villagers to go to the city to watch the play, it is estimated that the number of these people will double when they come back, and several regiments of Chen Jiji and Hui Dongsheng may be difficult to realize in the face of the all-round recruitment methods of the model battalion.

At noon, Liu Zhi invited all the generals under his command to dinner, and during the banquet, Xu Tingyao urged all regiments to set up sentry posts during the rest and recuperation period, strictly check passers-by, and absolutely ensure the safety of their camps within 10 kilometers.

Halfway through the meal, Jiang Dingwen didn't know where to get a few bottles of Shuanggou Daqu and put them on the table, making the brothers drink red.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, after a full meal and a group of generals, they rode a tall horse and left the division headquarters in the west of the city to observe the big stage in the east of the city.

Passing through the city, the road is very lively, the clean streets are lined with very cordial slogans, and groups of villagers who have received the good news have entered the city one after another, and under the incendiary depiction of many residents in the city, they quickly rushed to Shuaijiaba in the east of the city to watch the play, so the grand occasion is definitely in time for the annual temple fair.

From time to time, the officers and men of the Fifth Regiment, who were on patrol and alert duty, stood up and saluted Liu Zhi and his entourage, causing the crowd around them to look sideways.

Liu Zhi turned his head and beckoned to An Yi, and when An Yi came to his side, he asked in a low voice: "The people in this Tonggu area have always been fierce, and from the Ming Dynasty to the present, there are endless troubles and endless suppression. Now, the nine holes and eighteen villages around here are all occupied by all kinds of green forest heroes, among which there must be heroes with strong martial arts, you have made such a big momentum, if you are beaten up, the face of our revolutionary army may not look good, right? ”

"Master, please rest assured, the subordinates have taken all possible situations into account, and the rules are also formulated by us, not to mention that many of the subordinate brothers have been practicing martial arts since childhood, and have played hand-to-hand combat on the battlefield, and their experience against the enemy is definitely stronger than the green forest characters who can only rob the road, even if there is a one-on-one competition, we also have the gossip palm heir of Hu Zi and Xia Jian, the southern eagle claw sect master, to suppress the formation, Are you still afraid that the rabble in the nine holes and eighteen villages will play any new tricks? Don't worry! An Yi replied confidently.

Liu Zhi nodded reassuringly: "Everything still has to be dealt with carefully, don't make trouble, this area has been rebelling over the years, but it is not as arrogant as other places, your current approach is a little arrogant, although it is peaceful on the surface, but it is actually a challenge to the heroes of Tonggu, which means to say: I don't accept you to try." ”

An Yi smiled: "Master, isn't this just what the master wants?" Originally, the division seat and several commanders asked their subordinates to make a big move, and the subordinates acted according to orders, not afraid of the copper drum nine holes and eighteen villages, just afraid that they would not dare to come, haha! ”

Liu Zhi smiled, beat the horse and accelerated forward, just out of the east of the city, he saw a big stage covered with red and green on the edge of the Dingjiang River in front of Tonggu Mountain, eight revolutionary army flags and party flags were planted at the highest part of the stage to wave in the wind, the broad river bank in front of the stage was full of people, and the audience was already full of black pressure, and there were more than 2,000 people at a rough glance, and groups of people were still hurrying from all directions.

The generals entered the camp on the left side of the stage and dismounted in the eyes of thousands of people, and Lu Xiong, the leader of the platoon who served as the star officer, waved to An Yi from afar, An Yi said sorry to Liu Zhi and the others and strode over, and after listening to Lu Xiong's report, he came back and reported loudly to Liu Zhi and others:

"As of an hour ago, one hundred and sixty-seven local young people have joined our revolutionary army, and there are still a large number of young people who are interested in joining the army in the villages and towns around the county town who are still hesitating.

Everyone was extremely surprised when they heard this, especially the commanders, regimental deputies, and instructors of the three main regiments were very puzzled, their regiments arrived more than a day earlier than the An Yi Model Battalion, and the Fourth and Sixth Regiments sent men from all walks of life to lobby for two days and recruited thirty or forty people, how could the engineer battalion recruit more than 160 people at once? It is also optimistically estimated that five hundred recruits can be recruited, which makes it difficult for the generals and colonels of several main regiments to believe.

Everyone looked at each other for a moment, and the suspicious Chief of Staff Xu Tingyao asked, "Xiao Yi, how sure are you that you can recruit five hundred recruits?" ”

An Yi replied solemnly: "Chief of Staff, if you can allocate five hundred spears to your subordinates, the recruitment speed of your subordinates will be faster. ”

Xu Tingyao was very curious: "It doesn't matter if there are five hundred spears, there are still more than eight hundred semi-new and old spears that have been replaced in the Quartermaster Department, almost all of them are made in Hanyang, as long as you can recruit five hundred new soldiers, why not allocate them to you?" But tell us first, how sure are you that you'll be able to achieve this? ”

"After investigation, several subordinates know that in addition to the nearly 100,000 people in the twenty villages and towns around Tonggu City, there are at least fifteen bandit armies in the mountains within a radius of 100 miles of Tonggu City, and the total number of these bandits is not less than 1,800 people, so the number of subordinates reporting to recruit 500 people is still very conservative, as long as we ...... again."

An Yi stopped here when he said this, and saw that the generals and colonels who had already whetted their appetite had gathered around, and then whispered a series of plans and agitation methods of his own.

Everyone was greatly admired when they heard this, Liu Zhi nodded frequently with satisfaction, Jiang Dingwen laughed, Xu Tingyao said three good words in a row, and the generals of the other regiments were full of regret after admiring them, and the political instructors of the three regiments all bowed their heads in shame, admitting that their working methods were too simple and too rigid in form.

(To be continued)