The sun never sets in America

Chapter 107 Welcome Dinner
"Here, wipe this place clean..."

"There are also those broken bricks, move them away quickly. If you hit some big shot, you can't afford it."

In the city of Nogales, a large number of prisoners and people were mobilized. With the assistance of the garrison, the entire city of Nogales was cleaned up, especially those dilapidated houses that had been damaged by the war. They were demolished on the spot and those that could be buried were They were buried on the spot, and those that couldn't be buried were taken directly to the suburbs by horse-drawn carriage and dumped.

Especially in the distance from the center of Nogales to the door, clean water was poured on the streets, doors and windows were wiped, and all places that could be cleaned were cleaned, including local people! !
In the only local hotel, a large number of Han soldiers took over the defense.

"These ingredients must be reviewed by us, do you understand?" Battalion Commander Chen, who was responsible for arranging the dinner, stood in front of the hotel manager and asked seriously, "And this, these muttons must be fresh and cannot be frozen. It's passed... If you can't get lobsters and sea fish for a while, then use river fish instead, but it must be fresh... Forget it, we will send the fish cook ourselves." Camp Commander Chen continued to order the hotel manager. , in the end, just choose to send a few more cooks from the army who can cook fish.

After all, this fish, especially river fish, pays attention to heat and seasoning, which is different from bland sea fish.

"Yes, yes... I will definitely do it, I will definitely do it!!" The hotel manager listened to Camp Commander Chen's words with trepidation, and nodded in agreement, "I promise to satisfy your army, I promise to satisfy your army!!" The hotel manager then said to him again. Battalion Commander Chen assured, with a flattering smile on his face.

"And for this drink, try to use red wine. By the way, champagne is also required. I will give you a list of how many bottles you need at that time... The important thing is that everything needs to be checked. Once there is a problem, you understand What do you mean?" Battalion Commander Chen looked at the cunning hotel manager in front of him with threatening eyes.

"I understand, I understand... We will definitely satisfy your army!!" The hotel manager nodded his head and assured Battalion Commander Chen again and again.

"Don't worry, I won't treat you badly when the time comes." Before leaving, Battalion Commander Chen patted the hotel manager on the shoulder and said, and then left the hotel.

However, the army still stayed inside, and all people entering and leaving had to be searched.

"Your Highness, why haven't you come yet?" On the outskirts of Nogales, Li Zhaowu and a group of local wealthy merchants and nobles stood on the roadside to welcome Liu Peng's arrival. However, after waiting for a long time, no one came yet. I can't help but feel a little anxious.

"Is something going to happen?" Li Zhaowu asked Tao Wang worriedly, "Maybe it's the same road last time. That road went through a mudslide last time and was repaired just the day before yesterday. It won't happen again this time, right? ?" Li Zhaowu continued to Tao Wang with a sad expression.

The section of road Li Zhaowu mentioned refers to a certain section of mountain road near Arizona. Due to geological reasons, natural disasters such as mudslides often occur. If it hadn't been for the fact that that section had already been built from the beginning and there was no way to change it, Li Zhaowu would have had to go around a lot. Road construction.

"I don't think so. The weather is pretty normal these days, so there shouldn't be any trouble on that road." Tao Wang comforted Li Zhaowu, "Here we go..." As soon as Tao Wang finished persuading, he heard the sound of horse hoofbeats coming from the opposite side. .

The leading cavalrymen glanced here for a few times, and then ran back.

Soon, a leading army flying the Han national flag came into view. They were dressed in neat and energetic gray military uniforms, carrying muskets on their backs, and came here with high morale.

In this army, several people wearing military uniforms came out on horseback. One of them had a higher military rank than the surrounding generals, but everyone was dominated by the young man in the middle who did not wear an obvious military rank mark.

"Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince..." Li Zhaowu and Tao Wang immediately walked to the horse and bowed down to pay homage.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for ten thousand years..."

Then a series of cheers resounded throughout the venue.

After hearing this, Liu Peng frowned and looked at Li Zhaowu and Tao Wang in front of him, making them feel a little embarrassed.

"General Li and Captain Tao, thank you for your hard work..." Liu Peng greeted the two with a smile.

"We are all serving the country, so why not talk about hard work." Li Zhaowu replied to Liu Peng with a respectful expression on his face.

"It is your duty to serve the country..." Tao Wang answered with clasped fists.

"Let's go into the city..." Liu Peng glanced at the two of them, and then gave the order to enter the city.

"Go back to the city!!" After hearing this, Li Zhaowu immediately ordered his entourage to go back.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome Master Wang to the city..."

"Long live His Royal Highness..."

When he entered the city and saw the Mexican people waving small Chinese national flags and shouting excitedly at him in unskilled Mandarin, Liu Peng's face sank on the spot, but he quickly recovered and faced him on horseback. The Mexican people waved with their signature smiles on their faces.

The Mexican people welcomed Liu Peng's arrival even more warmly, and they thought Liu Peng was their father! !

When passing through those spotless streets that had been washed, Liu Peng was stunned. The city that had just finished the war could not be so clean, and there were no traces of war at all. It was as if nothing had happened. No, it was possible. Before the war, I was not as clean as I am today...

"General Li, these Mexicans love to be clean!" Liu Peng turned his head and said meaningfully to Li Zhaowu, with an indescribable smile on his lips.

"These are the common people of Nogales City. They heard that our army was stationed, and they felt the kindness of our king, so they voluntarily swept... voluntarily swept..." Li Zhaowu replied to Liu Peng with sweat on his forehead, but in fact he was already thinking about it in his heart. People who proposed to clean up the streets were scolded to death.

"It seems that our Han army is really an army of benevolence and righteousness..." Liu Peng did not expose Li Zhaowu's lies, but said with some self-deprecation, "The ancients said that eating a pot of pulp in a basket is to welcome the king's army. Today I have seen it." Liu Peng said. Peng expressed his admiration for Li Zhaowu.

It's just a sentiment, but when I hear it, it's as harsh as it is in Li Zhaowu's ears.

Even he himself felt that if they hadn't been so clever and insisted on holding a welcome dinner, they wouldn't be like this.

Maybe when word gets out, the navy will laugh at the army behind their backs, deceiving themselves and others, and engaging in hypocrisy.

"General Li, what do you think of the upcoming war?" Liu Peng, who was riding a horse, observed everything in the city while asking Li Zhaowu, who was riding side by side with him, about the current situation of the war.

"I think we should concentrate our superior forces and fight all the way south..." Li Zhaowu rode on his horse and clasped his fists at Liu Peng and replied, "I don't care about the gains and losses of one city or one place. The first priority is Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. As long as we win Mexico City, then the rule of the Mexican Republic will fall apart, and when the time comes, we will naturally take whatever we ask for... We dare not make any resistance." Li Zhaowu continued to answer Liu Peng, analyzing the current situation in detail.

In Li Zhaowu's view, those Mexican territories are not important, as long as they win the final victory, they can have as much as they want.

The top priority now is to concentrate superior forces and fight southward. It is best to end the war in one go before Mexico completes national mobilization.

As long as Mexico's capital, Mexico City, is captured, Mexico will basically lose the bargaining chip to continue to resist or even bargain.

By that time, the huge Republic of Mexico will be the meat on the chopping board of the Han Dynasty, and you can cut it wherever you want.

"I understand what you said, but we need Mexico to be more disabled, don't we?" Liu Peng said meaningfully to Li Zhaowu, and then turned his horse and walked forward.

Li Zhaowu, who was left behind, was thinking about the meaning of what Liu Peng had just said. Suddenly, Li Zhaowu's eyes lit up, "Could it be..." A clear expression appeared on Li Zhaowu's face.

Liu Peng stayed at the local mayor's house, which was considered a first-class house in the area.

After all, before this war, Nogales was just a small city.

"Your Highness, our Peace Army has recruited 1 people and formed a total of [-] peace regiments to take charge of public security in various places." Tao Wang, who refused to form Complex Peace, was in the garden reporting to Liu Peng on the situation of the Peace Army. .

"Is the current commander of the Peace Army a white man named Newt, or is he the original commander of Nogales??" Liu Peng looked at the list of Peace Army officers handed to him by Tao Wang. Those regimental-level officers were nothing, but looking at After learning that Newt was the original commander of Nogales, Liu Peng couldn't sit still.

"Is this person reliable?" Liu Peng frowned and asked Tao Wang, "The Peace Army is composed of prisoners, and most of those prisoners were the original defenders of Nogales. Let the former commander of Nogales , as the commander of the Peace Army, is this...appropriate?" Liu Peng looked at Tao Wang with some embarrassment and continued.

From his perspective, Han's control over peaceful military affairs was somewhat unstable...

"Your Highness, Newt's family is already under our surveillance, and he himself has no way out..." Tao Wang told Liu Peng about the surveillance of Newt's family, and that the government of the Republic of Mexico officially placed Newt under Classified as a traitor, a bounty of one hundred thousand pesos was even offered. "And I think the Peace Army will not only maintain stability in the local area. When necessary, they will go to the battlefield..." Tao Wang continued to explain to Liu Peng meaningfully. The so-called "drawing to the battlefield" is actually a bit ugly. Kill Mexicans and let their hands be stained with Mexican blood.

In this way, they can't retreat no matter what, and can only follow Han's path to darkness. After all, as long as Han remains strong, they can guarantee their life safety and reputation.

Otherwise, even if they die, the label of traitor and traitor will still be on their heads.

Tao Wang saw this very clearly. Coupled with the control of military pay and military supplies, Tao Wang believed that this peace army would definitely become a weapon for Han in the war against Mexico.

"The number of people can't be too many. If there are too many, it's easy to control them..." After listening to this, Liu Peng nodded and agreed with Tao Wang's statement, and then said meaningfully to Tao Wang, "I think it's better." We ask for a charter and military discipline to be drawn up so that these peaceful soldiers cannot act recklessly in the local area and ruin the reputation of our army." Liu Peng then ordered Tao Wang.

In fact, Liu Peng's worries are justified. In history, have there been too many failures caused by the puppet army?
A large number of puppet troops are not only not helpers, but sometimes they are a burden. Especially when these people are local people, it is even more troublesome. It is easy to collude with the local people to deceive the foreign garrison.

Moreover, even if a large number of puppet troops are in other places, the impact they will have is very bad.

It may happen that the Han Dynasty preaches peace and that the Han army has done nothing wrong in autumn, while the peaceful army over there bullies men and dominates women, causing public dissatisfaction.

In the end, who has to bear the blame, and it’s not the Han Dynasty.

If there are any guerrillas or resistance forces then, it will be troublesome.

Liu Peng knew very well how Americans lost in later generations, especially those teammates supported by the United States. Each one was worse than the last. In the end, he found that the principal turned out to be the best. Isn't this a joke?

"I understand, Your Highness the Crown Prince!!"

Tao Wang promised Liu Peng with a serious expression. He basically understood what Liu Peng just said, which was to control the number of the Peace Army and prevent them from getting bigger in the local area.

At the same time, military discipline must be restrained so as not to tarnish the glorious image that the strong man has finally established. Of course, you must do what needs to be done, but you must do it quietly and do not alert the enemy.

"As long as you understand." Liu Peng praised Tao Wang with satisfaction, "Captain Tao is busy with military affairs, so I won't disturb him." Liu Peng then issued an order to expel Tao Wang.

"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Tao Wang bowed to Liu Peng one last time and then walked out.

"State affairs, military affairs...are all chess pieces!!" Liu Peng threw a stone into the swimming pool with an unreadable expression on his face.

.............................................

The Langston Hotel, the only hotel in Nogales, is also the only upscale place in the neighborhood.

The hotel was brightly lit at night, and there were soldiers on patrol outside the door. Those holding invitations and their families walked into the hotel, which had been kept spotless.

Inside the hotel, there are soldiers monitoring every step of the way. Some of them thought it was a hotel, but others thought it was a military camp.

Every dish in the kitchen has been tasted by a dedicated person, and even the drinks have been checked in advance. There is a 24-hour inspection. Even people who enter the kitchen and go to the toilet are followed by someone, which shows the tight security.

The local Mexican nobles and wealthy businessmen present leaned together and looked at the Han officers around them with complicated eyes, exchanging words in low voices from time to time.

Of course, not all of them were Mexicans who had prejudices against the Han. There were still some Mexican nobles and wealthy businessmen who were willing to cooperate with the Han.

"Mr. Murando, thank you for providing military rations to our army." Li Zhaowu, wearing a general's uniform, thanked Murando, the largest local grain merchant.

"It is my honor to serve your army. I sincerely hope that your army will defeat the evil Republic of Mexico and bring peace to the Mexican people." Melando replied to Li Zhaowu eagerly.

"Mr. Murando, we have some funding problems recently. Can we use some other things to pay for it, such as mines." Li Zhaowu then told Murando about the current financial difficulties and hoped to use part of the seized mines. some, as payment.

"No problem, no problem." After hearing this, the smile on Melando's face became stronger and stronger.

"Cheers, General Li." Melando picked up the wine glass and toasted to Li Zhaowu in unskilled Chinese.

"Cheers, Mr. Murando." Li Zhaowu also smiled and raised his glass to clink to Murando, and then the two of them drank it down.

On the field, there were many businessmen and nobles serving the Han State. There was even a local noble who wanted to provide ammunition to the Han State because their family's business ran a local arsenal.

For those who understand current affairs in this way, the Han Dynasty will naturally not reject anyone who comes, and even set an example for them.

But at this time, the whole place fell silent, and a young man with a raised head, wearing a military uniform and leather boots, walked in.

"His Royal Highness..."

"His Royal Highness..."

Following the lead of the Han officers, the Mexicans present also shouted, although the pronunciation was not standard.

"Good evening, everyone." Liu Peng spoke fluent Spanish as soon as he opened his mouth, which surprised the Mexicans.

"This is my first time in Mexico. I remember when I was little, I was Mexican too."

"Ha ha……"

Everyone present burst out laughing because of what Liu Peng just said.

"Many people ask me, why, why did you Han want to launch this war? You have already taken California. Isn't that enough?" Liu Peng said with a smile, "I said if there is a person next to your house who is always ready to take a shotgun. Beat your neighbor to death, what will happen to you? Choose, be beaten to death by him, or stop him!!" Liu Peng continued to say to everyone.

Some Mexicans paid attention to Liu Peng's last wording, which was to stop, not to eliminate. This made many people breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that these Han people just wanted to ensure their own safety, not to eliminate the Republic of Mexico.

"When I was young, my impression of the Mexican Republic was that my father had to pay a large amount of taxes to the then California government every year, and also use part of it to bribe local bureaucrats to ensure the safety of our family." Liu Peng didn't shy away from exposing his shortcomings.

"Later, you also know the story. A young man, with a group of brave and wise soldiers, defeated the California that I hated since childhood..." Liu Peng pointed at the officers below and introduced the Mexican nobles and wealthy businessmen.

"To be honest, I actually don't like war. They all say that Han is a country composed of war madmen. I say no, because even I have never seen a real war madman..." Liu Peng told everyone in the audience shrugged.

"Ha ha……"

There was another burst of laughter, and the Mexican nobles and wealthy businessmen present began to look at the young, somewhat excessive, but wise, cheerful, and humorous Crown Prince with unabashed eyes.

"In short, if you say that we are here to eliminate the Mexican Republic and eliminate white people, we don't agree. You say that we are pagans, and we also don't agree because we don't know who God is at all..." Liu Peng said unceremoniously. .

"The only purpose of our coming here is to promote security and peace. As for what is security and what is peace, we have no say. Everything is left to the God who even we don't know..." Liu Peng finished with a smile. As he walked off the stage with his last words, thunderous applause erupted from around him.

(End of this chapter)