Love Lock

Chapter 144 Disparity in Strength
"Why do we need to support Zhao Zun? Has he led the vanguard battalion into battle again? I want to go too."

Hua Tianyou immediately stood up from the grass. Recalling the scene of him killing many enemies with a pistol on the battlefield last time, he felt full of energy.

"No, Zhao Zun asked me to go and carry out some construction work. Just do what Zhao Zun has assigned you, or you'll be in trouble when he comes back."

Han Lei didn't tell him much. Zhao Zun had instructed him before he left that as long as Hua Tianyou focused on training, he shouldn't know too much right now.

After all, Hua Tianyou's family is all in Beijing. If he finds out now, given his temperament, he might get agitated and ruin things.

Hua Tianyou patted his chest, full of confidence.

"Don't worry about it! When have I ever let Zhao Zun down? Within three months, I'll transform those new recruits into true elite soldiers! Every single one of them will be able to kill enemy soldiers with a pistol. Bang! Bang! Bang!"

As Hua Tianyou spoke, he made a gun gesture with his hand and fired three shots at Han Lei, making Zhao Ling'er giggle.

"Childish!" Han Lei rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "You're just so boastful. But training is training, don't forget to take care of Ling'er and Aunt Li. Their safety is also very important."

Hua Tianyou immediately dropped his joking expression and nodded solemnly: "Understood, I will personally escort them back and ensure their safety."

Han Lei added, "It would be best if all the new recruits could be trained into elite soldiers. If they really can't meet the requirements, then pick them out and form a separate security team, and equip them with weapons. Anyway, there will be many places that need security work in the future."

"Yes! That's true. Not everyone is as talented as me." Hua Tianyou nodded, raising his head with an air of importance.

Han Lei scoffed and ignored him, turning instead to look at Eleven and Aunt Li.

"On the 11th, you and Sister Li will be responsible for receiving the people who have migrated from Jingzhou, ensuring that they smoothly integrate into our various teams and participate in various construction projects. Remember, you must manage them strictly and there can be no oversights."

He nodded at eleven o'clock, his expression serious: "Understood. I will personally arrange their accommodations and work assignments to ensure that each of them can play their part."

When Sister Li heard that she would also have something to do, she quickly and solemnly promised.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. Although I don't know what to do, I will follow the instructions of my eleventh brother. I will also study the pig farm and chicken and duck farm business carefully so that I can help you as soon as possible."

After arranging their work, Han Lei rushed back to the cement factory and convened an emergency meeting with all the craftsmen.

The factory area was bustling with people, and the craftsmen gathered together, discussing the upcoming task in hushed tones.

Han Lei stood on high ground, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, her voice clear and powerful.

"Everyone, we have received another important project. We need some workers to go to Beiguan. For those of you who stay here, I hope you will all perform your duties diligently and do your jobs well."

She quickly divided the craftsmen into five teams, each named the "Construction Team" and numbered them accordingly.

The first, second, and third construction teams had a larger number of workers. In addition to the craftsmen, the laborers were also evenly distributed among the three teams. Their main responsibility was to stay near the cement factory and build irrigation canals, roads, and houses.

Han Lei selected several craftsmen who had followed her from Qingshui County to serve as captains of various construction teams. They were experienced, skilled, and capable of leading their teams independently.

Han Lei still appointed Yang Dazhu as the general manager, responsible for supervising and coordinating the work of the three construction teams.

Yang Dazhu is Yang Qiquan's son. He has good skills, a strong sense of responsibility, and is deeply trusted by everyone.

Moreover, during this time, he stayed by Han Lei's side and absorbed a lot of modern building management knowledge from conversations with her.

He quickly grasped the modern architectural methods and ideas provided by Han Lei, and has already developed his own understanding of the future development blueprint for Fufeng County.

The fourth and fifth construction teams were small in number, but their tasks were equally important.

These two teams consist of only a dozen or so skilled craftsmen, who will be managed by Yang Qiquan and will accompany Han Lei to Beiguan.

Beiguan is a key location for this project, where local craftsmen will be recruited directly to further expand the workforce.

After the meeting, Han Lei handed over the planning and architectural drawings for this area to Yang Dazhu.

The craftsmen and laborers of the first, second, and third construction teams quickly sprang into action, rejoining their respective teams and awaiting their captain's new assignments.

Meanwhile, the craftsmen from the fourth and fifth construction teams, led by Yang Qiquan, packed their belongings and prepared to set off with Han Lei.

Early the next morning, Han Lei drove an ambulance carrying Yang Qiquan and more than a dozen other craftsmen towards Beiguan.

Although these craftsmen had already seen many of the novel gadgets that Han Lei had brought out in Qingshui County and the cement factory, riding in an ambulance was a first for them.

Yang Qiquan sat in the passenger seat, while the other craftsmen squeezed into the back of the vehicle. Some sat on stretcher beds, while others sat on makeshift stools.

The carriage was equipped with advanced technology and had a novel layout. The craftsmen touched and looked around at everything along the way, discussing it animatedly, and didn't find it boring at all.

According to the previous agreement, if Zhao Zun and his guards did not follow Song Yuanqing back to Fufeng County, it would mean that their plan had succeeded and the entire Beiguan area was under Zhao Zun's control.

Therefore, Han Lei no longer needed to hide the existence of the ambulance. Under Yang Qiquan's guidance, she drove the ambulance swaggeringly along the official road straight to Yong'an City.

On the official road, they encountered passersby, but before those people could recover from their panicked escape, the ambulance had already sped past them.

When the ambulance arrived at Yong'an City, the guards at the city gate were terrified when they saw the huge "monster" charging straight at them. They grabbed their weapons and watched the ambulance warily.

To avoid causing greater panic, Han Lei stopped the ambulance outside the city gate, got out, walked to the gate, took out the love lock from her neck, and politely handed it to the guard.

This was something she and Zhao Zun had agreed upon beforehand, and Zhao Zun had already given them prior notice.

The guard took the lock, examined it carefully, and without asking any questions, only glanced curiously at the ambulance before letting it pass.

As the ambulance slowly drove into Yong'an City, passersby cast curious yet terrified glances at it.

However, when the ambulance arrived at the gate of the military camp, it was met with cheers.

Han Lei stayed here for quite some time. When the soldiers of Yong'an City heard the familiar roar of the engine, they knew that Han Lei had arrived.

The ambulance stopped in the center of the military camp, and the soldiers surrounded Han Lei to greet her. In particular, the wounded soldiers who had been treated by her felt especially close to her.

"Miss Han, you've arrived!" A wounded soldier, a former wounded soldier, greeted her with a smile.

"It's great to see you again, Miss Han!" another soldier said excitedly.

"Dr. Han, it's so good to have you here!" More people gathered around, their faces full of joy.

Han Lei politely responded to them while opening the car door for the craftsmen.

Just then, a joyful and urgent shout came from afar.

"Master! Master! Is that you? Make way, oh dear! Make way quickly, let this old man see Master!" Han Lei turned her head and saw the military doctor, Old He, walking briskly towards her in good spirits, surrounded by soldiers who were teasing and joking with her.

"Hey, right. Make way! Old He wants to pay his respects to his master, haha..." a soldier joked with a laugh.

"Old He, don't forget to kneel and bow! Hahaha..." Another soldier chimed in.

"Old He, if you don't listen, your master will punish you with a beating."

"Go away, what do you kids know?"

Old He rolled his eyes at them, his short body struggling to push through the crowd and squeeze forward.

Han Lei's lips twitched slightly, and she quickly went to greet him: "Uncle He, please slow down, please slow down, don't fall."

As soon as the two met, Old He excitedly said, "Master, the Prince has regained control of the garrison at Beiguan! Do you know that? I'm so happy I can't sleep!"

As he spoke, tears of joy welled up in Old He's eyes, as if his own son had taken charge of the Beiguan garrison.

"I know, I know." Han Lei gently patted his back and comforted him, "The prince called me here to help you build a more practical fortress, reduce the pressure on the soldiers to defend the city, and then the North Pass will no longer be afraid of foreign invasion."

"Really? Master, you're amazing! Not only are your medical skills superb, but you can also build fortresses!"

Old He was so happy that he rubbed his hands together, and the soldiers around him cheered as well.

Just then, Li Erniu heard the news and rushed over.

His face was beaming with joy, and before he even reached her, her excited voice could already be heard.

"From now on, everyone should stop calling her Miss Han and start calling her Princess."

Upon hearing this, everyone changed their address to Princess Consort, making Han Lei quite embarrassed.

Li Erniu continued, "I have good news for everyone. The Prince is still in Ling'an City, but he has already sent a message by carrier pigeon, appointing me as the new garrison commander of Yong'an City. The Prince instructed me to cooperate fully with the Princess's work, and everyone must work together to repair the fortress!"

The soldiers cheered again, congratulating Li Erniu on his promotion to the garrison commander of Yong'an City.

After everyone had been happy for a while, Li Erniu personally arranged a resting tent for Han Lei and her group.

"Your Highness must be tired from your journey. Please rest for a while, and we can talk in more detail later."

Han Lei nodded her thanks and led the craftsmen into their respective tents. The tents were clean and comfortable, clearly having been carefully prepared.

As evening fell and the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the military camp, Old He walked over with a smile and said to Han Lei and the others, "Master, dinner is ready. Please follow me."

The group followed Old He to the central command tent, where they found it brightly lit, and Li Erniu and several captains and deputy generals had been waiting for some time.

When Han Lei and her group arrived, Xiao Zhengfei and Ma Zi, along with their personal guards, were in the military camp assessing and selecting soldiers for the assault team and the city defense team. At this moment, they also appeared in the main tent.

Zhao Zun adopted Han Lei's suggestion that the organization of the Beiguan military camp would be rearranged after the bastion was completed.

These included city defense teams, assault teams, ordnance management teams, logistics teams, and outpost teams.

The imperial court is currently unaware that Zhao Zun has taken over the Northern Pass army. Therefore, the Northern Pass army's provisions will continue to be provided by the imperial court for the time being.

However, with the integration of modern weapons, all ordinary soldiers, except for those necessary for the above-mentioned organizational structure, can be freed up.

These soldiers, together with ordinary people, reclaimed wasteland and cultivated land on the outskirts of the city using the system of military settlements, so that they could become self-sufficient in the future.

In the event of a major battle, these soldiers can be recalled immediately.

Upon seeing Han Lei enter, everyone in the tent stood up to greet her.

"I've met the princess."

"Your Highness must be tired from your journey."

Li Erniu stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, everyone, please take your seats."

After everyone was seated, Li Erniu raised his wine cup first and said loudly, "Today is twofold: first, to celebrate my promotion to the garrison commander of Yong'an City, and second, to thank the Princess for coming from afar to offer advice and suggestions on building the fortress. Come, let us all drink to this!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank together, creating a lively atmosphere.

After a few rounds of drinks, a faint blush appeared on Han Lei's pretty face.

Li Erniu put down his wine cup and said seriously, "Your Highness, do you have any insightful opinions on the matter of building the fortress?"

Han Lei smiled slightly, took out a blueprint from her sleeve, and handed it to Li Erniu.

This is a design blueprint created by Han Lei based on the terrain of Yong'an City and after consulting the construction of many ancient fortresses. It can maximize the power of cold weapons and perfectly combine with firearms.

The so-called bastion was invented in the early 16th century by Italians who loved "peace".

The essence of a bastion is to transform a fortress from a convex polygon into a concave polygon. This improvement ensures that no matter which point an opponent attacks on the castle, the attacker will be exposed to more than one bastion facet.

The defending side can use crossfire for multiple strikes. As Sun Tzu's Art of War states, "If ten times the enemy's strength, surround them." Against a bastion, even ten times the attacking force wouldn't be enough to fill the gap.

Before the era of gunpowder and cannons, this design of the bastion was almost unbeatable, and even in the era of transition between cold and hot weapons, it would still be a fighting force.

Li Erniu took the blueprints, examined them carefully, and his eyes were full of admiration.

"Wonderful! The princess's drawing of this bastion is incredibly detailed. With this bastion, the brothers will have a much easier time."

The officers nearby also gathered around to watch, and one of the lieutenants exclaimed, "The princess is indeed exceptionally intelligent. There is a barbican behind the fortress. Once the fortress is completed, any enemy that comes to attack will surely not return."

Han Lei smiled sweetly and said, "At that time, I will equip the brothers with more advanced weapons, and we will be far superior to the enemy in terms of military strength."

A captain's eyes lit up as he glanced enviously at the M16 automatic rifles that Xiao Zhenfei and the guards had on their backs.

"Your Highness, are the advanced weapons you mentioned the guns that Commander Xiao and his men use? If we could also use such powerful weapons to defend the city, that would be wonderful."

Is that all you've got?

Han Lei pursed her lips, wanting to smile. She stood up, her gaze falling on the blueprints of the bastion.

"Look at the labels on this map."