eurekapd Chapter 173 Creating an Advantage, Arms Leasing
Chapter 173 Creating an Advantage, Arms Leasing
They won one battle after another.
By daybreak, corpses were scattered everywhere along the winding mountain road from Longnan to Quchang.
The more than 2,000 Ma Clique soldiers who retreated from Longnan were almost completely wiped out.
Ma Shaoqing, the commander of the 85th Army, who had come to Longnan to oversee the operation after hearing of the Sichuan Army's provocation, was also captured alive.
In less than a day and a night, they severely damaged four infantry regiments and two cavalry regiments of the Ma Clique army.
More than 6,000 prisoners were killed.
Around noon, Yang Zihui, who had already settled in Longnan City, received a report and grinned from ear to ear.
"Damn it, I've never fought a battle with such a favorable situation before!"
"Six regiments were severely damaged in one day. Who would believe that?"
Deng Jinkang, who was standing to the side, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and asked, "What is the background of this Sun Zhongneng?"
"I don't know."
Yang Zihui shook her head, then smiled and said, "What, you want to poach them?"
Deng Jinkang smiled and was about to speak when an officer came to announce that Sun Zhongneng was requesting an audience.
"Quickly, invite them in!"
Soon, Sun Zhongneng, looking travel-worn, walked in.
"Commander Yang, Commander Deng."
There were two generals in the room, and Sun Zhongneng had met Yang Zihui before, so he wouldn't mistake one for the other.
The two saluted each other, and Yang Zihui, who had put his hands down, didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly, "Brother Sun, what's the next step?"
The previous plan only discussed taking Longnan and making Ma Yuanqing understand the seriousness of the matter.
Yang Zihui hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
In just one day, they occupied Longnan.
So he really didn't know what to do next.
If we go deeper into this area, then we'll need to plan carefully.
Ammunition replenishment, food and supplies, intelligence gathering—all of these must be taken into account.
Sun Zhongneng glanced at the two men, but did not answer the question. Instead, he smiled and said, "I just received a telegram that Mr. Lin has broken free from the encirclement of the Ma family army."
"When did it happen?!"
Yang Zihui showed a look of surprise.
"He met up with his contact this morning, and if all goes well, he should be back in three days."
Sun Zhongneng gave a brief introduction, then said, "Mr. Lin asked me to ask Commander Yang if he is interested in governing the Northwest?"
"……What's the meaning?"
Yang Zihui stared wide-eyed, her face filled with disbelief...
Lin Yi arrived in Qu County by plane three nights later.
He finally took a flight.
Because taking a detour back is too troublesome and a waste of time.
Especially when traveling to high-altitude areas, where people and people are unfamiliar with the place and winter is approaching, the risks are also considerable.
So after meeting up with the mercenary squad that was there to meet them, two more combat teams went to lure the Ma Clique army into pursuit.
He successfully made it out of the Qilian Mountains.
After that, they simply leveled the vast Gobi Desert and built a temporary airport.
This is sufficient for propeller aircraft with low speeds.
At this time, Yang Zihui also returned to Qu County from Longnan.
A banquet was held to welcome and celebrate the occasion.
After three cups of wine, Yang Zihui, who had been anxiously waiting for the past three days, couldn't help but ask about the matter of him being put in charge of the Northwest.
He had never even considered this before.
His decision to cooperate with Sun Zhongneng in attacking Longnan was also out of friendship and the long-term benefits that Lin Yi's safe return would bring him.
But now, Lin Yi suddenly brought this up.
Faced with the temptation of governing a province, he really couldn't control his thoughts.
The Northwest may be poor, but it is still a province.
Taking over the Northwest does not mean giving up the small territory in Sichuan Province.
In short, it's all good, with absolutely no bad.
As for the idea of staying in Sichuan Province, thinking about bringing down Liu Yuanfu, the thought only flashed through his mind for a moment before he completely abandoned it.
Not to mention that Lin Yi had given him enough hints beforehand that he wouldn't support him on this matter.
If he had refused Lin Yi's "kindness" this time, Lin Yi would have been even less likely to stand on his side in such an important matter.
Therefore, you only get one chance.
Once he misses out, he'll probably just have to stay in his current small territory and slowly grow old.
"Brother Lin, taking over the Northwest won't be an easy task."
“I don’t understand military affairs, so please tell me about the difficulties in this matter, Brother Zihui.”
Lin Yi put down his wine glass, looking ready to listen attentively.
Old Yang phrased it tactfully, but what he really meant was asking what kind of support he could offer.
"The key to taking over the entire Northwest is how to defeat the Ma Clique's cavalry."
"Brother Lin, you know that Sichuan Province has many infantrymen."
"If we were in the mountains, my troops could crush the Ma Clique's balls."
"But the Northwest is different. Once you leave the southern mountains, it's all flat land. For cavalry, there is no battlefield more suitable for them to take advantage of their speed."
"We don't have the advantage of terrain, nor do we have any advantage in manpower or firepower; we're essentially fighting as the guest army."
"This battle will not be easy."
He had never fought against the cavalry of the Ma Clique.
This was also true of his old friend, Deng Jinkang.
However, this did not prevent Yang Zihui, who had served in the military for many years, from understanding the combat methods of cavalry and their advantages.
Given the terrain of the Hexi Corridor, cavalry had a huge advantage.
Otherwise, the Ma family wouldn't have been able to spend so much money to support such a large cavalry force for so many years.
He had carefully considered the situation over the past three days and realized that if he were to launch an attack without proper planning, victory would be very difficult.
"The advantage of terrain cannot be changed, and the fact that the host army is fighting is also an objective reality."
As he spoke, Lin Yi raised two of his three fingers, leaving only his middle finger pointing in front of Yang Zihui.
He paused for a moment, then raised his little finger instead.
"Then all that's left is firepower and manpower advantage. Let's think of a way."
"I have two thoughts."
"First, borrow troops."
"Whether it's Liu Yuanfu, Deng Jinkang, or other military figures in Sichuan Province."
"We spend money to borrow troops from them."
"Second, borrow guns and cannons."
“This scope is much broader, it doesn’t have to be limited to Sichuan Province. I’ll go talk to Chen Bonan, Li Delin, and Long Dengyun.”
"Pay the rent and set a repayment deadline."
"As long as I'm willing to spend the money, it's not a big problem."
Hearing Lin Yi's words, Yang Zihui couldn't help but gasp, and after a moment she cautiously asked, "Brother Lin, if we do it this way, the expense will be considerable."
"I'm prepared to spend 50 million, that should be enough."
Yang Zihui: "..."
Seeing his stunned expression, Lin Yi chuckled and said, "Of course, I also have conditions."
“Once you take over the Northwest, Brother Zihui, I will have a ten-year exclusive right to operate all the mineral resources there. We brothers need to sign an agreement on this first.”
"Don't worry, I will pay all the taxes that are due."
"I won't let you suffer any losses."
Yang Zihui chuckled twice, then scratched his bald head and said, "Brother Lin, is it worth spending so much money?"
"With this 50 million, you could negotiate a ten-year monopoly with Ma Yuanqing, and he might just agree."
Lin Yi chuckled and raised his glass: "In my eyes, he's already a dead man, there's nothing to talk about."