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"Why can't we enter the city? If you don't let us enter the city, then we won't accompany you! You can fight however you want! "Hu Youlu, the captain of the navy, said angrily.
"That's right! Our five to six thousand brothers will be able to eat and drink well no matter who they join. It's not like we have to follow you. "Wu Fengcai, another leader of the navy, chimed in from the side.
Li Shouchang only snorted coldly when he heard what the two of them said. He didn't reply at all. In this meeting, all the forces were quite straightforward. The civilian group and the official army had been working together for a long time, and the two sides had also agreed long ago that the civilian group would be responsible for opening the city gate, and the official army would seize the key locations after entering the city and annihilate the Liberation Army inside. As for the naval forces, the civilian corps and the imperial army shared the same opinion that they would launch an attack at the docks to attract the Liberation Army's forces.
The representatives of the militia and the military had both said that they would give the navy a large sum of money after the battle. This made Hu Youlu and Wu Fengcai feel a deep sense of conspiracy.
Attacking the port would indeed allow them to earn a fortune. After controlling the port, they would be able to control the goods in the port. That was indeed a huge fortune. However, in order to obtain this sum of money, one must first be able to control the port. The Liberation Army had set up quite strong defenses at the port. There were tall watchtowers and a large number of garrison troops. Attacking the port was like snatching food from the mouth of a tiger. Moreover, no matter how many goods there were in the port, it was of little value compared to the goods in the city. If the imperial army and the civilian army were to seize the city's defences, they would definitely not allow the boats to enter the city.
Therefore, the two heroes immediately expressed their strong opposition. They insisted on their position. If the navy was not allowed to enter the city, they would not participate in the battle against the Liberation Army.
On the other hand, the position of the imperial army was rather wavering. What they looked forward to was regaining control of Wuzhou City and once again returning to their original beautiful city life. Each family knew their own affairs. After the imperial army was dismissed, the more upright soldiers all went home to make a living. Those who longed to fight their way back to Wuzhou were not good people. Liu Wensheng smoked a cigar that had been soaked in tobacco paste as he calculated the number of people under his command. At least one-third of them had the same addiction as Liu Wensheng. Liu Wensheng urgently wanted to fight his way back to Wuzhou. A very important reason was that Wuzhou's waterway transportation was developed. The price of tobacco was much cheaper than other poor and remote places. When the Liberation Army disbanded the Qing Army, they gave them a sum of severance pay. Liu Wensheng quickly used up the money. If he couldn't hurry back to Wuzhou and once again live the rich and lucrative life of an official, when he couldn't afford to buy cigarettes, Liu Wensheng didn't know how he would live in the future.
Thus, for him and this group of brothers under him, they did not care who they worked with. Being able to enter the city and take back Wuzhou was the most important consideration. Everything else was easy to discuss.
As for the militia, they did not trust the navy at all. They were well aware of what the navy would do once they entered the city. This was also the reason why the militia could fight bravely in the Wuzhou defense battle and had firm wills. They were fighting for their homes and property. If the Liberation Army had not been in such a rush to completely disband the militia and had adopted the same policy of full cooperation with the militia as the Manchu Qing, the militia would not have considered breaking ties with the Liberation Army. After all, up until now, the Liberation Army's government operations, water transportation management, and maintenance of order were all far more efficient than the Manchu Qing government.
Soldiers, bandits, and militia training. These three sides each had their own standpoints and their own needs. None of them would make any concessions. After arguing for a while, the militia training side first felt that there was no need to continue talking. Although their days were not easy, they could still continue to live. The Liberation Army did not infringe on private property. The lives of the common people were very good. The militia training side could completely wait. Perhaps the Liberation Army was only scaring the militia. After a while, they would soften.
Seeing the militia training representatives about to leave, the representative of the official army, Liu Wensheng, was not happy. He shouted, "Since you're here, you can't be loyal. Do you think we're easy to dismiss? If you don't give us face, Li Shouchang, then we won't give you face either. "
"What do you mean?" Li Shouchang asked with a frown.
"What do I mean? There's no need to say it! I'll just say it here. If you don't let the official army enter the city, you can forget about staying so carefreely in the city! "Liu Wensheng shouted angrily. Liu Wensheng's smoking addiction immediately flared up when he was agitated. After all, leaf tobacco soaked in tobacco paste could not compare to smoking tobacco directly. It only had a slightly calming effect. It was fine when he was calm, but now that he was agitated, his breathing quickened. First, he sneezed loudly. Then, his face convulsed, and his snot began to flow uncontrollably. He used his sleeve to wipe his snot, turned his head, and quickly walked outside. But now, his addiction to smoking had come. He felt like all the strength in his body had been sucked clean. With this force, his entire body swayed. Fortunately, the soldiers next to him came up to support Liu Wensheng. Not long after Liu Wensheng left, the smell of smoke drifted in from outside.
The performance of the official army made the militia training representatives feel a wave of disgust. The reason they were able to become a force that could lift the weight of Wuzhou was because the official army was useless. If the official army's equipment and battle power could be the same as the Liberation Army, there would be no need for these commoners to throw themselves into battle.
The leaders of the boat army, Hu Youlu and Wu Fengcai, wore mocking expressions. Although they did not say anything, their meaning was clear. If they counted on this group of smoking officials to play an important role, then it would be a big joke. The ones who could really fight were the militia and the boat army.
The leader of the militia, Li Shouchang, naturally knew this point. The navy made a living on the water. If they smoked, they would drown in the water even if there was no wind or waves, not to mention fighting a battle. Even if there was no wind or waves, they would fall into the water and drown. However, it was precisely because they understood this that the militia leaders were even more unwilling to let the boat army enter the city. If this group of people with great battle power killed their way into the city, Wuzhou would be mercilessly pillaged.
However, the words of the official Li Wensheng just now made Li Shouchang feel a little uneasy. That threat could not be ignored. If Li Wensheng saw that the militia was not cooperating and ran to the Liberation Army to complain, then the Liberation Army, who had long wanted to deal with the militia, would have the best reason.
In the end, the militia held an internal meeting. Everyone still did not want to let the boat army enter the city. However, looking at the situation, it was not realistic to not let the boat army reap some benefits. In the end, they reached an agreement. They could let the 100 boat army follow them into the city. After giving them the promised wealth, they would let this group of people get out. As long as the militia and the official army could guard the city gates and walls, the 100 boat army in the city was nothing to be afraid of.
After Li Wensheng, with great difficulty, had satisfied his craving for smoking and returned to the meeting place, a new round of meetings began. The two sides haggled. First, they had a difficult discussion about how much wealth to give the boat army. With great difficulty, they reached an agreement with 50,000 liang of silver. Then they began to discuss whether 100 or 300 people should enter the city. The two sides did not give in to each other. The negotiations almost broke down. Fortunately, after Li Wensheng had satisfied his craving for smoking, his mind had become a lot more nimble. He mediated and finally, the two sides decided to negotiate again in three days.
With great difficulty, the head of the militia came out of the meeting place filled with the smell of smoke. Everyone's expressions were extremely ugly. Lv Wenzheng, the head of the militia with the least power, said angrily, "I say, we might as well tell the Liberation Army about that group of bastards first! I think it's better to let the Liberation Army stay in Wuzhou than let them come back! Now that we can make a contribution, the Liberation Army will have to treat us better no matter what. As long as they can loosen their grip, what's wrong with us following them? "
After listening to this suggestion, the other leaders of the militia were silent. This was not a bad choice, especially after meeting with the official army and boat army. This was a very tempting choice. As long as the Liberation Army could live in peace with the militia.
Not long after Li Shouchang returned to his home in Wuzhou, a servant came to report, "Master, it's bad! Our people have been taken away! "
"Why?" Li Shouchang was a little surprised. Had his matter been discovered by the Liberation Army?
"Today, a few brothers went out to eat and got into a fight with someone in a restaurant. Our brothers suffered a bit, and they couldn't take it, so they ran back to take their weapons. In the end, the police saw them and told them to put down their weapons. The police were bullying us, so our brothers fought with the police … "The servant's voice became softer and softer.
Hearing this, Li Shouchang angrily rebuked, "What bullying? It's clear that they didn't take the police seriously!"
Hearing this angry shout, the servant's body shrank slightly and he didn't dare to continue.
Knowing that his collusion with the official army and boat army had not been exposed, Li Shouchang felt a lot more at ease. However, his subordinates were so disobedient. Li Shouchang's heart burned with anger. These days, Li Shouchang was afraid of angering the Liberation Army, so he strictly controlled his subordinates and didn't allow them to go out without permission. But how could one be a thief for a thousand days and guard against thieves for a thousand days? As soon as he left the city, his subordinates immediately began to laugh.
Thinking of this, Li Shouchang asked fiercely, "Which brothers ran out to fight with people?"
"It's the brothers who are paid!" the servant replied.
Li Shouchang stood up suddenly, and the servant was so scared that he took two steps back. The militia was not a regular army, so they were divided into two categories: the backbone and the vassals. The backbone was released from work, supported by the main family, and paid regularly. Usually, they would do military training and work for the main family. The vassals, on the other hand, trained themselves. Usually, the main family would take care of their livelihood and give them some money and food. When it came to war, the backbone brothers who were paid would not only be the bodyguards of the main family, but also responsible for communication and commanding the group of vassals. It was only during wartime that the heads of the vassals could receive a certain amount of pay according to the number of troops they led. They also had to receive rewards according to the military tasks they took on and the performance of the troops.
If it was a fight between the vassals, Li Shouchang could still say that it had nothing to do with him. Now that they were brothers who were paid, it was different. This group of people completely relied on the status of the main family to live. Of course, the main family also needed the support of this group of minions in order to have a higher status.
Now that the subordinates who were paid had been arrested, Li Shouchang felt that things were going to be bad. Sure enough, it didn't take long for people from the Liberation Army to come and pay a visit. Li Shouchang didn't show up himself, but let the butler receive the people from the Liberation Army. The people from the Liberation Army gave Li Shouchang a "subpoena" and left without even taking a sip of water.
Looking at the contents of the ticket asking Li Shouchang to report to the headquarters of the Liberation Army the next day and accept questioning, Li Shouchang lamented in his heart. Why was he so unlucky?
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