The militia members who participated in the drill followed the pre-set steps and threw paper grenades and rubber bullets with all their might. The fireworks and sounds were really like that, making the villagers 'blood boil. There were also some timid ones who were so scared that they did not dare to watch...
When the red flag was symbolically planted on the dilapidated fort at Xiaofeng Ridge, the drill was finally over. Just when everyone thought it was over, the loud speaker spread the news that Zhoushan Ganlan had been invaded by an unknown force and that the Self-Defense Forces were about to set off to protect the people there! At the same time, when they requested for everyone to support the Self-Defense Regiment in terms of logistics, the villagers who had just been stimulated by the drill and had not yet calmed down immediately became agitated. They shouted loudly that they would join the Self-Defense Regiment to drive out the invaders!
On the command platform, a few emotional former leaders of the Black Water Party, led by Xu Bao, also requested Wang Wenbao, Li Hailong, Zhao Liang, and the others, hoping that the Black Water Army could participate in this event. This made the few people who were originally short of manpower happy. Wang Wenbao said politely,
"How can I do this, Chief Xu! You just came and haven't even had a sip of water, yet you want to fight outside. We can't bear it!”
"Commander Wang! You're treating me as an outsider by saying this! We are now a part of the Self-Defense Forces. If there is a mission, arrange it. We will definitely listen to the command!”
The medium-sized Xu Bao spoke without hesitation! When Wang Wenbao heard him say this, he no longer forced himself to point at Zhao Liang and Li Hailong and said to the leaders of the Black Water Army,
"The first thing we need to do when we attack is to protect the local people! The troops that we sent out will be led by Commander Li at sea, while Director Zhao will lead the land troops. In my opinion, why don't you let a portion of the Blackwater Army who are familiar with the local area follow Director Zhao?!”
When the leaders of the Black Water Army near Zhoushan heard that they would be involved, their faces revealed a happy expression. As for the other leaders like Qian Xiaoshui from Wenzhou and Taishan, they seemed a little unwilling. They all looked at the big leader Xu Baolai. Xu Bao was still hesitating when Wang Wenbao continued,
"Chief Xu! The task of the people you left behind is also very heavy. You must cooperate with the people we sent out. For the areas where you were originally stationed, such as Shenjiamen Port and Putuo Mountain, you must carry out the supporting arrangements of the local village organizations. Without your help, we would be in the dark!”
This time, the leaders were all happy. It turned out that everyone had a mission. Xu Bao also hurriedly expressed his full support!
Logically speaking, it should be faster to go by sea, and the road should be easier to walk. However, this road belonged to Li Hailong and the others. Now, the team led by Zhao Liang could only use their footsteps to measure the length of the road. Originally, according to Zhao Liang's journey in the future, they only needed to pass through National Road 329 and turn to Provincial Road 231 to reach it.
However, according to the guide, there were two roads from Dinghai Urban area to Ganlan, one south and one north. The south road passed through Baiquan and then bypassed Dajiao Ridge to reach Huangshaao of Ganlan. They could see Ganlan across the bay, but the distance was a little longer, more than 30 miles. There was also a north road that was about ten miles away. However, there were almost no good roads to go through since they had to cross mountains and ridges.
The distance between Dinghai Urban area and Ganlan was not very long. To put it bluntly, one was on the east and the other was on the west, which was the width of Zhoushan Island. However, there weren't any developed roads like the ones in the future. There were only mountain trails. Some places were very difficult for a person to travel alone. However, in order to seize time, they still chose the northern route, which was closer.
After that, the teams that set off in two different directions set off one after another amidst the cheers of the local people. Zhu Gang led the vanguard squad and held up the red flag high. He followed two local guides and walked in front of the entire team. Zhao Liang led the middle army and followed. Commander Huang Deqiang was also asked to go with them. If there were people from the Qing Dynasty, they would need him to appear! Behind them was a group of local people who were watching the show. They were searching in the direction of Ganlan.
Zhao Liang was very relaxed now. The so-called unknown force was actually the Nanyang mercenaries sent by Tokyo Island. They were all his own people. Moreover, the news of their departure had long been notified. If he arrived, the other party would have already reached their next target. They wouldn't even be able to meet! How could there be a war? Thus, along the way, he and the militia enjoyed the surrounding scenery. The scenery on the road was not bad, and there were no traces of human activity!….
It was the locals who were anxious. This was the first time the Self-Defense Forces had gone out on a mission since its establishment, so they naturally wanted to make some achievements. However, they were definitely going to be disappointed this time. Now, in order to rush for time, they had to cross the mountains to fight for time and speed. They hoped to reach Ganlan earlier, but they had caused these militia to suffer. They usually passed on the ship. When did they need to cross the mountains like this? Although the mountains weren't tall, usually no more than 100 to 200 meters, they were still considered small mountains. After climbing down more than ten miles of mountain path, everyone was covered in sweat.
At around three o'clock in the afternoon, everyone had just arrived at Nandongao, which was near Ganlan. Zhu Gang and the others found that the village was filled with people fleeing for their lives. When Zhao Liang and the others followed the red flag into Nandongao Village, the crowd in the village gave them a fright. At this time, the locals also saw the words on the red flag and knew that their own people had come to save them! Immediately, a few local gentry came over to receive them, followed by a few people dressed in yamen attire. Most of the people were hiding at the side, curiously sizing up this legendary team.
When Zhao Liang saw Zhu Gang leading a group of local gentry and yamen men over, he immediately pulled Huang Deqiang along to welcome them. Before Zhao Liang and the others could speak, those local gentry men had already bowed with their hands in front of their chest and greeted them warmly. However, the yamen men had a different expression as they accused those black bandits of being unreasonable. They had almost robbed all the rich people in Ganlan and even kidnapped them. Now, he was counting on the Self-Defense Forces to avenge him!
The scene was in chaos, so Zhao Liang and the others couldn't even get a word in. It wasn't until a person who seemed to be a little famous in the local area came out to speak that everyone calmed down a little. After everyone greeted each other again and was invited to the ancestral hall of a local big family to rest, they basically understood the situation.
It turned out that early in the morning, a group of British people with a group of black people took advantage of the dark sky to board a few large sailboats from the sea and secretly surrounded the Ganlan area. Then, they first captured a few people who stayed behind in the Sea Calming Hall. Then, they robbed the local rich families. Those who did not pay were beaten and killed. The ordinary people were scared to escape. Then, they ran to the south of Huangsha Ao and robbed and kidnapped people again…
Nandongao was quite a distance away from the seawall. Everyone who had escaped had come here. The villagers were also in a panic, afraid that the foreigners would snatch it over at any time. After such a pirate-like activity, the influence of the local government could be said to be completely gone. No one knew what to do, and the actions of the Self-Defense Forces could be said to have filled the gap in power! That was why the people of Nandongao welcomed him like this…
When Zhao Liang heard these introductions, he was extremely impressed by this plan! These " foreign pirates " did a great job. Not only did they destroy the original local forces, but they also made the local government stink! This made his work smooth sailing!
Therefore, Zhao Liang deliberately continued everyone's conversation, saying that he would rush to Huangshaao and Ganlan areas as soon as possible to chase this foreigner out and return everyone a peaceful and peaceful living environment! Huang Deqiang, who didn't know what was going on, also had a face full of anger. He repeatedly reassured the locals that his Self-Defense Regiment had the power to protect everyone. He also didn't forget to tell everyone that the foreigners in this Urban area had long been captured by his Self-Defense Regiment…
When the local big families heard these courageous words, they immediately sent over the consolation items and silver that they had prepared at some point in time. This made Zhao Liang and the others who knew the inside story laugh. The black man was openly snatching, but he was secretly snatching. They were not empty-handed! Wasn't it a waste not to want it? However, he still needed to be polite. In the end, he reluctantly accepted it…
Following that, a few large families even added their own servants in, in the name of protecting their hometown!
After everything was ready, the scouts who had gone out to scout the area had returned to report that the Westerners from the two places had disappeared. No one knew where they had gone. When they asked again, some said it was at Si o'clock, while others said it was noon. None of them could explain clearly. However, it was very clear that the people who had fled from the two places were gradually returning…
Upon hearing this news, the people in the yamen became arrogant again. Their tone also began to harden, asking the local gentry and the Self-Defense Forces to listen to their orders. Unfortunately, the local gentry seemed to take care of them on the surface, but in fact, they did not get anything…
However, the Self-Defense Forces did not care about their face. Even Huang Deqiang told them arrogantly that these were all experts he had hired with money. If the yamen had paid for them now, they might still consider it. This made the people in the yamen depressed. However, their heads had been captured by the foreigners, so where could they get the money? Don't you know how to spend money? Therefore, this matter was left unsettled in the end.
The local gentry followed Zhao Liang and the others to Huangsha and Ganlan for the sake of caution. Once they arrived, the local terrain shocked Zhao Liang and the others in the future. How could there be such a bay on the original local map? The land had long been surrounded by the sea. Now, standing at Huangshaao, there was a beach in front of him. Across the bay was the small town of Ganlan. It took less than ten minutes to get there by boat. However, on the small road at the foot of the mountain, it took about half an hour to reach Ganlan…
When they arrived at Ganlan, the local scene shocked everyone again. It turned out that all the rich and powerful families in the area were now open to the public. There were even many people in tattered clothes moving things out…
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。