You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

Lin Feng immediately smiled, dismounted, and moved with remarkable agility.

The original owner had practiced horseback riding since childhood, which is similar to riding a bicycle. Even after he transmigrated, the instinctive reaction in his body remained.

He took two steps forward and met Mr. Wang and his entourage.

"Mr. Wang, esteemed gentlemen, how kind of you all to come and greet me in person? You are too kind."

His tone was warm and his expression sincere, as if he were a longtime friend of this group of people.

Wang Fuhai reached out and firmly grasped Lin Feng's hand, shaking it twice: "Commander Lin has rid the people of a scourge and made a great contribution. We, on behalf of the people of Qing County, have come to express our gratitude. It is only right, only right."

The gentry behind him also gathered around, chiming in with their own opinions:

"Commander Lin is a young hero, no wonder he is a graduate of Whampoa Military Academy."

"Erlong Mountain has been a scourge for many years, and today it has finally been eradicated. It is truly gratifying!"

"Commander Lin, you've worked hard, look how travel-worn you are..."

Each person spoke eloquently and their smiles were incredibly sincere.

Lin Feng smiled and returned the greetings with clasped hands, but inwardly he was sneering.

How many of these people are genuinely happy?

I'm afraid there aren't many.

Especially Wang Fuhai, who knows how much hatred he might harbor beneath that smile.

Both sides wore smiles on their faces, but secretly wished they could kill each other.

However, Lin Feng knew in his heart that what he was about to do with Master Wang was not a simple military issue.

With the meager number of servants and guards in the Wang family, his current system forces could easily wipe them out.

The problem lies in the potential consequences.

The Wang family had been operating in Qing County for three generations, deeply entrenched in the local business and maintaining close ties with local gentry and provincial officials.

If he resorts to violence, he might be accused of "disregarding human life" and "bullying the local people."

At that point, let alone going to the front lines to fight the Japanese, the White Army might come and wipe him out first.

Therefore, we need to use a smarter approach.

After exchanging pleasantries, Mr. Wang changed the subject, seemingly casually asking, "Commander Lin, I heard that the bandit suppression operation was quite successful? Are those several large carts behind all spoils of war?"

coming.

Sure enough, he was thinking about this.

Lin Feng understood perfectly well, but a sorrowful expression instantly appeared on his face, and he sighed heavily.

"Ah... Master Wang, you don't know this. Those bandits are dirt poor. Besides some homemade guns, broken knives, and grain, what valuables do they have?"

He pointed to the carriages behind him: "Look, those carts are mostly filled with grain. As for gold and silver... I'm afraid the bandit leader has hidden them all, or they've already squandered them all."

He paused, his tone becoming even more somber:

"The most regrettable thing is that of the more than 300 brothers I brought, more than half were lost, and the rest were all wounded. The weapons were also severely damaged, many of the Hanyang rifles were broken, and the bullets were almost gone."

He looked at the other person, his eyes filled with sincerity that couldn't be more genuine:

"Mr. Wang, you are a highly respected elder in the county. Could you please help rally the local gentry to donate some money to help out? The families of our fallen brothers need compensation. There are also medical expenses, ammunition replenishment... all of these cost money."

They turned the tables on him.

Mr. Wang's smile froze for a moment.

He originally wanted to find out the details of the captured goods. The bandits of Erlong Mountain had been rampant for many years and were quite powerful. Even if they were wiped out by the security force for no reason, the security force must have been severely weakened.

Moreover, Erlongshan must have accumulated a considerable amount of wealth; the two sides have cooperated for many years, and he's also eyeing those stolen goods. If Lin Feng really seizes a large amount of gold and silver, he'll have an excuse to ask to get involved.

As a result, Lin Feng directly pleaded poverty and asked them for donations.

The expressions of the gentry nearby also changed.

Donate?

Wouldn't that mean taking money out of my own pocket again?

The portly gentryman chuckled dryly twice: "Commander Lin, well... the security regiment is, after all, under the jurisdiction of the provincial security command. Shouldn't the compensation and reimbursements be allocated by the province?"

Lin Feng immediately shook his head: "The province? The province has no time to care about us. The security team is responsible for protecting the territory and the people. Historically, the majority of the funding has been raised by the county itself."

"Fellow gentry, the suppression of bandits is to protect Qing County and your property. Now that our brothers have shed blood and sacrificed their lives, we can't let their families starve to death, can we?"

He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, his eyes sweeping over the crowd.

Several gentry members felt uncomfortable under his gaze and avoided his eyes.

Mr. Wang took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and forced a smile back onto his face:

"Commander Lin is right. Suppressing bandits is to rid the people of a scourge, and the fallen soldiers should be compensated. The county should contribute a portion of that compensation."

He paused, then changed the subject: "However, the specific amount and how it should be shared still need to be discussed carefully. After all, the county's finances are tight, and the harvests of the local gentry haven't been very good this year..."

Old fox.

Lin Feng cursed inwardly, but nodded repeatedly outwardly:

"Master Wang is right, we should consider this carefully. Here's what we'll do: I'll send the prisoners and spoils to the county government first, and ask the county magistrate to make a decision. As for the matter of compensation and donations, we'll discuss it in detail later with the local gentry at the security regiment headquarters."

He deliberately emphasized the words "Security Regiment Headquarters".

The meaning is clear: Let's talk on my turf.

Mr. Wang's eyes flickered, but he finally nodded: "Alright, let's talk again later."

"In a few days, please invite Commander Lin to your residence for a chat and to welcome him back." Master Wang cupped his hands in greeting.

"Okay, let's talk again later."

As Lin Feng spoke, he mounted his horse again with a graceful movement.

Mounted on horseback, he cupped his hands in a gesture reminiscent of a scene from a TV drama and announced loudly, "Gentlemen, I, Lin, will take my leave now."

After saying that, he flicked the reins and spurred his horse forward.

The team got moving again.

Standing on the street, Mr. Wang watched Lin Feng's departing figure, his eyes growing colder and colder.

The portly gentry man beside him leaned over and whispered, "Mr. Wang, what do we do now? Do we really have to go to the security regiment headquarters to discuss donations?"

Another tall, thin landlord also lowered his voice: "I think this Lin Feng isn't as easy to fool as before."

Mr. Wang remained silent.

But the walnut in my hand was spinning faster and faster.

Crunch, crunch.

It looked like it was about to be crushed.

After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Let's go back first. We'll discuss this further."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, but dared not ask any further questions, and dispersed.

------

The county government building is a two-story Western-style building with white walls and red tiles, which is considered quite impressive in Qing County.

Lin Feng, along with Zhao Dashan and several engineers, carrying guns, went straight into the building, and no one dared to stop them.

Leaving Zhao Dashan and the others outside with the prepared head of the bandit leader, Lin Feng went into the county magistrate's office alone.

The county magistrate, surnamed Chen, was in his fifties. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and a Zhongshan suit, and appeared to be a refined and cultured man.

He had already received the news, and upon seeing Lin Feng enter, he immediately greeted him warmly:

"Commander Lin, you've worked hard. Please have a seat."

County Magistrate Chen first inquired about Lin Feng's injuries, then lamented the losses suffered by the security regiment with great sorrow, before finally getting to the main topic:

"Commander Lin's annihilation of Erlong Mountain this time has rid Qing County of a major scourge, and his contribution is considerable. I have already drafted a report to submit to the provincial government to recommend Commander Lin for commendation."

Lin Feng quickly waved his hand: "You flatter me, County Magistrate. This is all within my duty."

"Hey, Commander Lin, there's no need to be modest."

County Magistrate Chen leaned forward and lowered his voice: "This time, the Wang family is probably going to be furious."

He paused, then looked at Lin Feng meaningfully: "Wang Fuhai has been operating in Qing County for many years, and his influence is deeply entrenched. This time, he originally intended to use bandits... Sigh, I won't say it directly. In short, Commander Lin, you'd better be careful in Qing County from now on."

Lin Feng sneered inwardly.

The county magistrate has started to win him over.

First, he made grand promises—reporting them for credit—then he implied that the Wang family was an enemy, and finally he warned him to be careful.

Standard workplace routine.

In my past life at work, my manager often did this: "I have high hopes for you, but so-and-so has a lot of opinions about you, so you need to be careful."

The results of it?

You do the work, you take the blame, and he gets all the credit.

Lin Feng was already immune to it.

But a grateful expression appeared on his face: "Thank you for the reminder, County Magistrate. There are many things I don't understand, and I will need your guidance in the future."

County Magistrate Chen nodded in satisfaction: "Of course, of course. Commander Lin is young and promising, and a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy, his future is limitless. In the future, we will have to rely more on Commander Lin for the security of Qing County."

He then asked about the details of the bandit suppression. Lin Feng only mentioned what he could, while vaguely mentioning things like the system troops and heavy firepower.

Finally, County Magistrate Chen offered, "The security regiment suffered heavy losses this time. Regiment Commander Lin can publicly recruit soldiers in the county to replenish the ranks. As for weapons... the county's inventory is limited, but we can allocate some to you for emergency use."

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat.

The right to recruit soldiers.

This is very important.

With this, he could legitimately expand his army.

As for weapons, he didn't expect the county to provide anything good. As long as he had money, the system had everything he needed.

"Thank you for your support, County Magistrate."

Lin Feng stood up and saluted solemnly: "I will definitely reorganize the security force as soon as possible to protect the peace of Qing County."

County Chief Chen also stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Do a good job, I have high hopes for you."

Lin Feng smiled, but his heart remained completely unmoved.

He must have eaten too much of that kind of pie in his past life.

They treat you like a confidant on the surface, but behind your back they'll just throw you away like a rag after they've used you.

Fortunately, as the head of the security regiment, his command was with the Zhejiang Provincial Security Command. The county magistrate could only win him over, not directly order him around, so he could still act independently.

After exchanging a few more meaningless pleasantries, Lin Feng took his leave.

He let out a long sigh as he walked out of the county government building.

Dealing with these people is exhausting; if you're not careful, you'll get scammed.