German Red Prince

The earth was trembling, but it wasn't an artillery barrage. Zheng Weiguo looked to the side.

A revolutionary soldier, his leg severed by machine gun fire, crawled on the ground in agony. Behind him, a massive metal vehicle relentlessly crushed him, turning the screaming soldier into minced meat.

"A tank? This is a tank?" Zheng Weiguo was shocked, but many people didn't know what it was, they only knew that a big iron shell was driving over.

"We now have 20,000 elite troops at our disposal. We can't just stay cooped up in our positions; we need to break out and fight our way out." Xie Hongxun said with a hint of pride, "I'm itching for a fight, let's go to the front lines and have some fun!"

The adjutant tried to stop him, but Xie Hongxun had already walked out of the mansion gate.

"Hello! Hello! What! The Seventh Battalion is finished? Where's your battalion commander? Get him on the phone! What? He's been killed? You're the only one left in the Seventh Battalion? Hello! Hello!"

There was no sound on the other end of the phone. Chen Yi paced back and forth in the command post. "Didn't they say there were only 10,000 defenders at most? With planes and artillery here, it doesn't look like there are only 10,000 defenders at all!"

"This damn turtle shell is indestructible!"

Yu Xianghuai fired the machine gun wildly, but no matter how much he fired, he couldn't stop the tank from advancing.

As the tanks drew closer and closer, relentlessly claiming the lives of nearby revolutionary soldiers, Yu Xianghuai could no longer hold back.

"Damn it, Grandpa's going to fight you to the death!"

He grabbed the explosive charge, lowered his head, and charged toward the tank.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the unstoppable tank finally came to a halt in its stubborn advance.

Such scenes were seen everywhere, with several or even a dozen soldiers covering one person carrying an explosive charge as they charged toward a tank.

For every vehicle destroyed, a dozen or even dozens of soldiers lose their lives.

"damn it!"

Cai Tingkai couldn't help but curse. The casualty data report made his heart bleed.

"There was definitely a problem! Sun Chuanfang really did send German-equipped divisions over here!"

"Whose troops are at the forefront now?"

"Report! It's Commander Chen Yi's 26th Division!"

"Tell Chen Yi that even if the German-equipped division doesn't come, we're going to take Hangzhou. Even if they do come, we're still going to take Hangzhou! I don't care about casualty figures! I just want Hangzhou!"

Although Cai Tingkai was heartbroken, he had no choice. If they couldn't take Hangzhou, the enemy could launch a counterattack at any time once they established a foothold there. At that time, it wouldn't just be his 19th Route Army that was in danger; if the enemy advanced south along Hangzhou, the entire revolutionary government would be in danger.

"Battalion Commander, all the brothers in the Sixth Platoon are dead!" The guard's voice was filled with despair.

"As long as there's one man left in our Third Battalion, hold the line!"

Deng Zhiying remained steadfast on the position, telling the brothers in front, "When we run out of bullets, we'll fight with bayonets! If the bayonet breaks, we'll bite it with our teeth! We must hold them off!"

The front lines were a scene of utter devastation. The corpses of the revolutionary army and the Eight Provinces Allied Army were mixed in with those in the trenches. The roar of cannons never stopped. The battlefield was littered with severed limbs and charred corpses. Some people who had been blown to pieces were howling in pain and making desperate cries for help. It was a veritable hell on earth.

Sun Chuanfang's German-trained division and the soldiers of the Revolutionary Army were locked in a fierce battle, with the situation at a stalemate. Sun's most prized elite troops were unable to break through the Revolutionary Army's defenses. Apart from the German-trained division fighting to the death, the allied forces from eight provinces were already demoralized; it was like stuffing meat into a meat grinder.

"Go ahead and fight, I'm not fighting anymore!" A soldier from the United Provinces was terrified. He had never seen such a brutal battle before. He dropped his gun and ran away.

"Oh!"

Xie Hongxun shot and killed the soldier. "Fear the enemy and fail to advance, you will be punished according to military law!" He was getting more and more excited as he fought, charging forward with a submachine gun, not at all like a commander.

With one of their positions about to fall, Xie Hongxun, his eyes bloodshot with rage, charged forward with a roar.

"Battalion Commander, watch out!"

A sudden artillery barrage struck, and Deng Zhiying was pinned to the ground by her guards.

"Pah, Xiao Liu! Xiao Liu!", spitting out the dirt that had been poured into his mouth, Deng Zhiying shook the guard who had just protected him, but the guard was already silent.

The machine gun was also destroyed. Seeing the enemy getting closer and closer, Deng Zhiying grabbed the radio and shouted, "Liu Qiang! Liu Qiang! Can you hear me? Can you hear me? This is Deng Zhiying! This is Deng Zhiying! Fire on position number five! Repeat! Fire on position number five!"

Liu Qiang took the order, looked at the map, and said, "Battalion Commander, this is our position area!"

"That's right, this is our position. Now I'm the only one left here. Open fire! The enemy is about to take it! Open fire! That's an order!"

"Received!" Liu Qiang replied with difficulty, suppressing his grief.

"Don't you dare miss this time," Deng Zhiying said with a relieved smile.

"Artillery company, attention! Fire on position number five!"

"Isn't that our position?" some people asked, puzzled.

"The brothers at position number five have all perished! Only Battalion Commander Deng remains; this is his order!"

Liu Qiang personally calibrated the cannon muzzle, but he couldn't hold back his tears, which welled up in his eyes.

"Old, old company commander, I promise I won't miss this time!"

"Damn it, why are you crying?" Deng Zhiying chuckled on the other end.

"Goodbye."

He picked up the body of his guard, looked at the charging enemy, and then at the distant city of Hangzhou, his hometown.

"fire!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Before Xie Hongxun could even celebrate his charge to the front, a barrage of artillery fire rained down on him, blasting him to pieces.

"The division commander is dead! They bombed the division commander to death!" shouted a soldier from eight provinces.

The atmosphere of despair quickly spread throughout the army. Many of the soldiers from the United Provinces, who were already on the verge of collapse, could no longer bear it, dropped their weapons, and turned to run away.

Once morale collapses, the entire battle line collapses, and no matter how elite the German-equipped divisions are, it will be of no use.

In a defensive battle, Xie Hongxun, relying on his elite troops, insisted on fighting a positional war against the revolutionary army, aiming to defeat the 19th Army head-on and deploy all the troops in Hangzhou under the city walls.

The troops of the allied provinces can no longer hold out and are fleeing, leaving the entire city of Hangzhou essentially undefended.

"Come on!"

Zheng Weiguo had just witnessed Deng Zhiying's sacrifice. He picked up the banner of the Third Battalion and charged forward. At this moment, the revolutionary army, their eyes bloodshot with rage, also rushed towards Hangzhou.

After a bloody battle in Hangzhou, the revolutionary army finally captured the city.

The Allied forces of over 50,000 were routed by the Revolutionary Army, with many dying and others fleeing. Even Sun Chuanfang's most prized German-trained divisions could not reverse the defeat, with only 3,000 remnants remaining out of more than 10,000 men.

At the same time, the revolutionary army also suffered heavy losses. Of the more than 30,000 revolutionary soldiers who set out from Fujian, only more than 10,000 remained after this battle.

The torrential rain washed over the blood-soaked land, as if weeping for the suffering fate of this nation.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Slay the Local Tyrants, Distribute the Land, and the Grand Meeting

"Let me tell you, in Zhengjiazhuang, our master is in charge. If you can't pay your rent, you'll be in for a world of hurt!" several thugs threatened.

Zheng Shanshan, protecting her elderly father lying on the bed, gritted her teeth and glared at the arrogant thugs, "If you continue like this, I'll report you to the farmers' association!"

"Hahaha! Go ahead, go ahead." The thugs seemed to have heard a joke.

"Let me tell you! In Zhengjiazhuang, Master Zheng is the king! He doesn't care about any peasant association or dog association! If you want to survive here, you have to listen to our master!"

"Don't even think about causing trouble! If you anger our master, we'll beat your old bastard father to death and tie you up to be our master's bed warmer!"

The group slammed the door and left, leaving Zheng Shanshan alone in the room sobbing. Looking at her elderly father, still unconscious in bed, she was overcome with despair.

Life had lost all color and hope. Looking at the scissors on the table, Zheng Shanshan numbly walked forward, picked them up, and held them to her neck.

"Bang bang bang"

A knock on the door brought her back to reality.

"Is anyone there? Is anyone there?" someone outside asked softly.

Zheng Shanshan put down the scissors, opened the door expressionlessly, and asked with a slightly cold tone, "What is it?"

The man outside looked at the soldier beside him, and when the soldier nodded, he said, "Hello, young lady, my name is Jiang Yun, and I am a company commander in the National Revolutionary Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. I would like to ask you some questions."

"You beat him to death?" Zheng Facai, who was sitting in the armchair with his eyes closed, frowned.

"Yes, sir." The thugs bowed and scraped. "Back then, we heard that guy wanted to overthrow you. We were so angry that we beat him up. We hit him a little too hard and didn't realize we'd killed him."

"Idiot!" Zheng Facai opened his eyes and stood up. "Idiot! You killed him, how can I cooperate with them now?"

Zheng Facai was able to remain in power in this area because of his shrewd and experienced way of doing things and his keen insight. No matter how many governments changed or whose territory it was, he was always able to establish himself firmly here and thus accumulate an astonishing fortune.

Ignoring the thugs kneeling on the ground, Zheng Facai stood up, leaning on his cane inlaid with Hetian jade.

“You’ve brought this trouble upon yourselves, so you have to deal with it yourselves. He Kangbo, cut off their heads.”

"Yes, sir."

The burly man standing to the side nodded, completely ignoring the thugs kneeling on the ground begging for mercy with snot and tears streaming down their faces. "You dare to cause trouble for the master! Considering your loyalty to the master, I'll let you die a quick death! Otherwise, I'll chop you up piece by piece!"

He Kangbo dragged the two thugs outside. Outside came the pitiful screams of pigs being slaughtered, but the sound disappeared after a while.

"Master, it's done."

He Kangbo knelt on the ground, holding two bloody heads in his hands, and said.

"Ah."

Zheng Facai looked at the two heads he was carrying and said, "Wrap them in red cloth, put them in a box, and wait for their people to come."

"Yes!"

He Kangbo stood up and left.

Looking at the slightly gloomy sky, Zheng Facai slammed his cane into the ground. The ebony cane struck the blue bricks with a crisp sound.

What's mine is mine! Nobody can take it away!

"That Zheng Facai! He's utterly depraved!" A soldier slammed his fist on the table in anger after hearing Zheng Shanshan's account. "Company commander, you don't need to go! I'll go and shoot him myself!" The soldier said, grabbing his rifle to shoot him.

"Calm down! We are implementing the Chairman's policy now, how can we allow you to act recklessly!" Jiang Yun stopped the soldier. "Didn't you hear what this young lady said? Zheng Facai's power and network of interests in Zhengjiazhuang are deeply entrenched. This operation is to provide a reference for future policy implementation, and we must ensure that it goes smoothly! We must bring Zheng Facai under control!"

Jiang Yun sat in his chair and thought for a while. "Xiao Zhang, go and tell General Manager Lin to get ready to come over. We're going to meet this Zheng Facai!"

The group headed to Zhengjiazhuang, where people were already waiting at the village entrance.

"My master is unable to greet you from afar due to other matters, please forgive him." He Kangbo bowed and opened the box.

"My master heard that his men had accidentally injured a revolutionary soldier and has already sent people to deal with it."

Jiang Yun looked at the two severed heads and a group of heavily armed private soldiers in the wooden box.

"Hmph, these people don't seem to have good intentions," he thought to himself. "Where's your master? Shouldn't he give us some information about the revolutionary government's land policy?"

"That's right, please follow me." He Kangbo led them into Zhengjiazhuang.

A large group of people had gathered in front of Zheng Facai's house. "Hello, boss!" the leader greeted Jiang Yun. This must be Zheng Facai.

"This is our master," He Kangbo introduced to Jiang Yun. Jiang Yun looked at the man in the magnificent clothes, stepped forward to shake his hand, and her expression changed for a moment, but she quickly recovered.

"Boss, I'm really sorry. My men were clumsy and caused trouble. I feel terrible about it, so I can only offer this as an apology." He gave a wink, and his men behind him brought out a box. "Here's five thousand silver dollars. I'm so sorry. I'll take care of your brother's funeral arrangements. I guarantee he'll have a grand funeral."

"Five thousand silver dollars?" Jiang Yun glanced at the box of silver dollars and smiled knowingly.

"My brother's life is only worth five thousand silver dollars? Besides, what about the revolutionary government's land policy? Why haven't you made any moves for so long?" Jiang Yun snorted and said with a hint of sarcasm.

The old man's lips curled slightly when he heard Jiang Yun's words, and he glanced to his side. The person next to him nodded slightly; Jiang Yun noticed these subtle details.

"Five thousand isn't enough, we can add more, boss. As for the land, we'll have to cooperate more in the future! Let's talk inside." The man gestured for Jiang Yun to come inside.

Judging by the time, Mr. Lin and his group should be arriving soon. If they wait until they enter the house, the initiative will be in their hands. If they make a last-ditch effort, it could still result in casualties.

Jiang Yun gave a wink to the person next to him, and the soldier saw it and quietly made a hand gesture. The officers understood and silently changed their formation.

"Let's go inside and talk in detail, okay, but there are still some things that need to be resolved."

"Whatever it is, boss, I can definitely get it done for you." Zheng Facai said with a big smile.

"Zheng Facai oppresses the villagers! He robs and plunders! He refuses to implement the policies issued by the revolutionary government! He opposes the revolutionary government! He maintains a private army! He sends men to commit murder! With the approval of the revolutionary government, arrest him immediately!" After Jiang Yun finished speaking, he waved his hand and ordered, "Take him down!"

A soldier nearby immediately tackled and tied up a steward-like figure hiding next to "Zheng Facai." A group of thugs around them panicked and were about to raise their guns when the revolutionary army, faster than they were, had already quietly positioned themselves behind them.

"Don't move! Put your guns down!" The revolutionary soldier aimed his gun at the men. "Sir!" He Kangbo shouted, pulled out his gun, and lunged at Zheng Facai, who was pinned to the ground.

"Oh!"

Jiang Yun shot He Kangbo dead. "Put down your guns! Otherwise, you'll be executed on the spot!" The servants swallowed hard when they saw He Kangbo lying lifeless on the ground.

"Damn it, brothers, let's fight them! They won't let us go anyway!" one of them suddenly shouted. Seeing that the two sides were evenly matched, he decided to fight to the death.

The servants stirred again. "Let's see who dares to make a move!" Boss Lin's voice came from behind them. The main force was here! To avoid alerting the enemy, Jiang Yun had volunteered to lead a few dozen brothers to the front. The commotion had made him a little nervous, and he was already preparing for a possible conflict.