Even if I'm a useless bum at Whampoa Military Academy, I'll be invincible in the War of Re

"It's Brother Zhao! Look, it really is Brother Zhao... Commander Zhao!"

Upon seeing Zhao Yunwen, Li Youtian excitedly shouted, but then realized his mistake and hurriedly changed it to "Commander Zhao," needing to keep a low profile.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zhao Yunwen simply raised his hands and pressed them down, and the hall quickly quieted down as everyone looked at him expectantly.

Zhao Yunwen cleared his throat and said loudly:

"Fellow villagers, we have gathered here today to settle scores with the bandits and tyrants."

Some time ago, the Tiger Army carried out a cleanup campaign against bandits, defeated soldiers, and local tyrants in Xinyang, achieving remarkable results.

More than 2,000 bandit leaders and their henchmen who had been terrorizing the people were killed or wounded, and 6,000 were captured alive, essentially wiping out the bandits in the Xinyang area!

At this point, Zhao Yunwen deliberately raised his voice a few decibels. The villagers were stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and began to applaud and cheer.

With the bandits gone, life will be much better from now on. The money and food saved each year will be enough for the whole family to eat their fill.

Once the atmosphere was lively, Zhao Yunwen raised his voice and continued:

"Fellow villagers, the reason we have gathered you here today is to settle accounts with the bandits for their crimes and to seek justice for the suffering people!"

Without further ado, a group of heinous bandit leaders will be brought out next. Any villagers who have been harmed by them can stand up and file a complaint.

"Speak out if you have a grievance, seek revenge if you have a grudge!"

The crowd's emotions reached a climax. The Tiger Army was indeed not one to make empty promises, and Commander Zhao did not waste any words. This was a truly upright and benevolent official who cared about the people!

With a wave of his hand, Zhao Yunwen summoned squads of soldiers who brought up the bandits and tyrants. They were all bound hand and foot, with wooden boards stuck in their backs to identify them.

Then Zhao Yunwen announced the official start of the public trial. Upon seeing this, Fourth Aunt immediately recognized the bandit who had harmed her daughter. With bloodshot eyes, she pounced on him, wishing she could devour his flesh and gnaw on his bones.

The presiding judge used this as the starting point for the first joint trial. The procedure was very simple: the fourth aunt accused the bandits of atrocities, and there was no appeal process.

Then others stepped forward to testify, and the third leader of Qingyun Village was so frightened that he wet his pants on the spot and collapsed to the ground.

The presiding judge then announced:

"The bandit leader Huang Mazi is sentenced to death by firing squad! All those involved in the crime will receive a certain amount of money and food as compensation."

Fourth Aunt looked up to the sky and wept bitterly:

"My poor girl, can you hear that? The damned bastard who harmed you has finally gotten his comeuppance!"

Aunt Si set a good example; the power of example is boundless. Victims who were previously observing all stepped forward to accuse her. The presiding judge was also very effective, sentencing those whose crimes were confirmed on the spot to the maximum penalty, leaving no room for the perpetrators to make excuses.

A female reporter couldn't stand it any longer and protested to Zhao Yunwen on the spot:

"General Zhao, your heroic act today is indeed commendable, but you cannot only listen to the victim's words, you must also listen to the defendant's defense."

Even the most heinous criminals have the right to defend themselves!

Zhao Yunwen despised these kinds of hypocritical, morally manipulative, and hypocritical naysayers the most. He pulled a long face and coldly retorted:

"When did these criminals ever give their victims a chance to defend themselves during their acts of violence? If it were your family members who were harmed, would you still say the same thing?"

In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary. I believe the people's words, and besides, we have already verified this beforehand.

The thugs and bandits brought in for public trial were all people with blood on their hands; it was simply to confirm their crimes.

The crowd voiced their support for the Tiger Army's heroic act, and the female reporter could only slink away. The public trial proceeded efficiently with unstoppable momentum.

The procedures were simplified, and in just two hours, the crimes of 82 villains were confirmed. They were all guilty of bloodshed, and even if there were no murders, they had caused great public resentment and were severely punished.

"It's already noon. Take him out and execute him immediately by firing squad!"

The public is welcome to attend the ceremony and verify their identity.

Those present cheered again. It was so hardcore! The whole process was open and transparent. Even the most uneducated working class could understand it. The Tiger Army didn't play any tricks.

In front of a crowd of witnesses, all the criminals sentenced to death were executed by firing squad, and Aunt Si even stomped on Huang Mazi's corpse a few times.

After the climax, it was already 2 p.m., and everyone was starving. Then someone brought out steaming hot porridge and fragrant steamed buns, and everyone got a share.

The scene erupted again, with everyone chanting slogans of righteousness and benevolence from the Tiger Army.

The Tiger Warriors then guided the people to line up and receive food, ensuring that everyone had a full meal.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the compensation was distributed in public, using the money and goods obtained from suppressing the bandits.

Aunt Si received twenty silver dollars and fifty catties of grain. Although it was not enough to make up for the pain in her heart, it was enough to comfort her soul.

Auntie insisted on thanking Zhao Yunwen, so Li Youtian had no choice but to take her to a staff member, explain their purpose, and emphasize that he was Zhao Yunwen's older brother.

The staff dared not neglect them and took them to see Zhao Yunwen. Li Youtian mustered his courage and greeted him:

"Brother Zhao, Commander!"

Although the address was somewhat inappropriate, Zhao Yunwen heard it and responded.

"Hello, Brother Li!"

Li Youtian immediately felt a surge of pride, almost floating on air. The gazes of others towards him were filled not only with envy but also with flattery.

This is Commander Zhao's "elder brother"!

Fourth Aunt was just a simple woman who had never been to school. When she saw her benefactor, she didn't know what to say and was about to kneel down and kowtow when Zhao Yunwen, who was quick-witted and agile, stopped her.

He couldn't bear his fourth aunt's bow, so he took her arm and said:

"Big sister, this is not allowed. We don't do this. You can tell me what you want to say."

The scene stirred up memories of her daughter, and tears streamed down her face; she was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Zhao Yunwen then turned his gaze to Li Youtian, who quickly explained the situation of his fourth aunt, and Zhao Yunwen finally understood what had happened.

"Sister, this is what we should do. It is the people's rice and grain that feeds the soldiers. Bandits and tyrants are ravaging the villages. It is our duty to wipe them out."

After crying for a while, Fourth Aunt finally calmed down and, holding Zhao Yunwen's hand, said:

"You are the upright and just official for us poor people!"

"Jenny can go in peace now. Thank you, Commander Zhao, thank you, Your Honor."

"Big sister, please call me Brother Zhao like You Tian does. There are no high and mighty masters here."

Aunt Si sensed the sincerity in Zhao Yunwen's words and started calling him "Big Brother Xiong" as well. Zhao Yunwen then comforted her, saying that the dead cannot be brought back to life and that she should live a good life from now on.

Fourth Aunt seized the opportunity to ask:

"Brother Zhao, will the government really only collect taxes in grain from now on, and stop demanding silver dollars?"

Zhao Yunwen nodded emphatically and said:

"Grain, legal tender, or silver dollars are all acceptable. The national disaster tax and all other miscellaneous taxes will be abolished. Only one-tenth of the tax will be levied on agriculture."

The fourth aunt finally felt relieved. She then thought to herself that if she didn't need to collect silver dollars, she wouldn't have to rush to sell rice and grain, and those damned rice merchants wouldn't be able to drive down the price, saving her from being exploited.

If you pay 60% rent to the landlord and 10% grain to the government, you'll still have 30% left. There's hope for the future.

Fourth Aunt said with profuse thanks:

"That's good, that's good, at least we can have a full meal this year."

After seeing off Fourth Aunt and Li Youtian, and distributing the compensation money and grain, the matter came to an end. The Tiger Army had completely established itself in Xinyang and won the support of the general public, which would greatly help in the subsequent defense of Xinyang.

At the military headquarters, Zhao Yunwen convened a summary meeting on the suppression of bandits and evil forces. All division commanders and the main assault regiment commanders spoke, summarizing many experiences that could be widely applied. Finally, Zhao Yunwen said:

"Brothers, we must not only learn from the experience of suppressing bandits, but also from the experience of governing local areas. As the battle lines are stretched out, the Japanese offensive will become increasingly ineffective, and the Nationalist government will be unable to counterattack for a considerable period of time, and the war will fall into a stalemate."

"This is a protracted war. The Nationalist government has been pursuing this strategy since the Battle of Shanghai, trading space for time."

Although we fought on despite repeated defeats, we also consumed a lot of the Japanese's material, financial, and military resources. After the Battle of Jiangcheng, the Japanese will probably be unable to advance any further.

At that time, we will need to occupy a territory for long-term development, and fight the Japanese in a war of attrition and internal strength. With territory, we will have an inexhaustible supply of money, food, and manpower, which will allow us to withstand long-term attrition.

The people and soldiers are the foundation of the war effort. Only by treating the people in our jurisdiction well can we gain their support. Everyone must establish this concept.

Everyone was solemn. They were members of the National Revolutionary Army, and many of them applied to the Whampoa Military Academy with the aim of serving the country and its people. Therefore, Zhao Yunwen's proposal to treat the people well was recognized by everyone.

After reaching a consensus, Zhao Yunwen continued:

"Reports from the reconnaissance unit indicate that the Japanese troops in the Hefei area are rapidly assembling, and the amount of supplies being transported to Hefei every hour has increased significantly. This shows that the Second Army is eager to take action!"

Qiu the Madman immediately stated:

"What are you afraid of? After more than a month of rest, the brothers are itching to fight the Japanese!"

Others echoed his sentiments, their morale soaring.

Zhao Yunwen nodded in satisfaction and said:

"There should still be some time, but we can't just wait around; we need to hurry up and prepare."

Of the 6,000 prisoners captured this time, after deducting the wounded and the unfit, at least 5,000 soldiers could still be obtained.

I have decided to organize them into 10 replenishment battalions, three for each division. You will train them yourselves and replenish supplies during wartime.

Don't look down on these bandits. A protracted war is about attrition. Let them atone on the battlefield; only those who survive can live with dignity!