Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

Yuan Daguang put it nicely, saying he wanted Wang Tizhong's old troops to join the Restoration Army as an independent force, and that they would obey orders but not proclamations.

In reality, the plan was to have the Xingfu Army provide shelter for Wang Tizhong's former subordinates, while simultaneously having the Xingfu Army protect them from Jin Shenghuan's retaliation. No matter how you look at it, it only benefited Wang Tizhong's former subordinates, causing them no harm.

On the surface, the addition of Wang Tizhong's old troops could strengthen the Xingfu Army and weaken the Jin army, so the Xingfu Army seemed to be winning no matter how you looked at it.

However, taking in an army that cannot fully obey the commandos is not a good thing in the long run.

What the assault team needs is an armed force that can be completely controlled and can be united as one in critical moments!

If Wang Tizhong's old troops are allowed to exist independently, not only will we have to provide them with food and shelter, but it will also be detrimental to the internal unity of the Restoration Army!

In general, the Restoration Army did not need the addition of 10,000 troops. If Wang Tizhong's former subordinates really wanted to join the Restoration Army, they would have to accept being scattered and reorganized.

Zhou Lei said confidently, "General Yuan, you have seen the strength of the Restoration Army. To put it bluntly, if it weren't for the people, the Jin army wouldn't be able to do anything to our Restoration Army. Therefore, I'm not very interested in your old subordinates joining us."

Zhou Lei was telling the truth. If they attack the city tomorrow and inflict another crushing defeat on the Jin army, it would mean that the Jin army would be unable to conquer Qianshan City. At that point, the Jin army would have no choice but to besiege it or retreat.

However, it should be noted that Qianshan City has not received any assistance so far, and Xinzhou City and Ehu Town have not sent troops either.

Qianshan City, an isolated city, is holding off 50,000 Jin troops!

If the Jin army cannot capture Qianshan City, can they besiege it to death?

Regardless of whether the garrison of Qianshan City had the strength to break through, even if Jin Shenghuan were foolish, he wouldn't believe that Li Chengming of Xinzhou City would abandon Qianshan City. More likely, Li Chengming was plotting something behind the scenes, waiting for an opportunity to crush Jin Shenghuan's army in one fell swoop.

Yuan Daguang's expression darkened slightly, and he remained silent. He knew that what Zhou Lei said was true. If there were no other way to take Qianshan City, Jin Shenghuan would not have thought of driving the people forward to be cannon fodder.

But Yuan Daguang quickly realized what was happening and said to Zhou Lei, "General Zhou may look down on our meager strength, but you can't ignore the lives of tens of thousands of civilians, can you?"

Yuan Daguang remembered that his most important bargaining chip was not the surrender of Wang Tizhong's former subordinates, but the lives of tens of thousands of civilians.

The Restoration Army has a reputation for treating ordinary people well. Is Zhou Lei really going to stand by and watch tens of thousands of people go to their deaths?

Zhou Lei laughed and said, "There's no need for Commander Yuan to worry about that. My Restoration Army has its own ways of dealing with the abducted civilians. If your Wang Tizhong unit wants to join the Restoration Army, then you must accept being disbanded and reorganized!"

Zhou Lei and Yan Huidong exchanged a glance, then Yan Huidong stood up and walked out.

Yuan Daguang looked at Yan Huidong as he walked out of the house, puzzled, and then looked at Zhou Lei, who remained calm. He said, "General Zhou, you... the place where those people are being held is not only well-hidden, but also heavily guarded by Jin Shenghuan's troops. Now that the Jin army has surrounded the city on all sides, if you send too few troops, you won't be able to rescue those people. If you send too many troops, they will be discovered as soon as they leave the city..."

Zhou Lei simply smiled without saying a word. He had no intention of sending troops from Qianshan City to rescue the people this time.

He Mingqiu from Ehu Town is so bored he's practically going crazy; let him get some exercise.

As for where the people were being held?

After all, there were tens of thousands of people gathered together, and the infrared signature was still very obvious.

Although the surrounding area is mountainous, Yan Huidong can find the hiding places of the people within a 20-kilometer radius by using a high-altitude reconnaissance drone and an infrared scanner.

Seeing that Zhou Lei was relaxed and no longer engaged in conversation with Yuan Daguang, Yuan Daguang grew anxious and said, "General Zhou, our General Wang's troops sincerely want to join the Restoration Army. Can't we talk about it?"

Zhou Lei said indifferently, "We can talk, but our Restoration Army has its own rules. We do not allow any forces that cannot be fully controlled to emerge within the Restoration Army. So if you do not accept being disbanded and reorganized, then we can only meet on the battlefield."

There was something else Zhou Lei didn't say: even if the army was broken up and reorganized, the Restoration Army wouldn't accept just anyone. Not to mention the thousands of prisoners in Xinzhou City, there were also thousands of Zheng army prisoners doing hard labor in Qianshan City.

The quality of Zheng Jun's prisoners of war was not bad, but under the strict conscription system of the Restoration Army, only one-third to one-fifth of them were selected to join the Restoration Army.

Not to mention the former subordinates of Wang Tizhong, who were bandits who later surrendered to the Qing and had many bad habits.

Yuan Daguang grew anxious and said, "General Zhou, our General Wang's former troops number over ten thousand. If they could join the Restoration Army, it would be a great help to you, and might even make your strength comparable to Jin Shenghuan's..."

Seeing that Zhou Lei remained unmoved, Yuan Daguang continued, "And what about the common people? Without our guidance and help, does General Zhou really intend to just watch them be driven to the battlefield?"

Yuan Daguang kept saying that Wang Tizhong's former subordinates were powerful and that only with their help could the people be saved, trying to persuade Zhou Lei by talking about these two things.

But Zhou Lei got tired of talking to him and simply saw him off.

Before sending Yuan Daguang away, Zhou Lei said to him, "Your best option is to accept being scattered and reorganized now, or to defect on the battlefield after the war starts. If you drag it out to the end, you will only be able to become prisoners of war."

Wang Tizhong's former subordinates wanted to surrender to the Xingfu Army but were too proud to do so, so Zhou Lei could only say that they would meet on the battlefield.

After Yuan Daguang left, Zhou Lei first sent a message to Li Chengming explaining the situation, then called Yan Huidong and asked, "Have you found the target?"

Yan Huidong replied on the walkie-talkie, "We just found it. The drone is flying over there. Let's scout the situation first."

Zhou Lei said, "Then I'll call He Mingqiu first and tell him to prepare to send out troops to rescue those people."

Yan Huidong said, "Tell him to prepare to mobilize a thousand men. When the time comes, have him call me, and I'll show him the way!"

In Ehu Town, He Mingqiu was awakened from his sleep by his guard: "Commander He, your walkie-talkie is ringing."

Each assault team member has a bodyguard who watches their walkie-talkie 24 hours a day to prevent them from missing a call from their comrade.

Hearing someone call on the walkie-talkie, He Mingqiu instantly became alert. He knew that the battle in Qianshan City had been going on for several days, but without Zhou Lei's request for help or Li Chengming's order, He Mingqiu dared not make any move.

Zhou Lei explained the situation to He Mingqiu over the walkie-talkie, asking him to send troops to rescue the civilians who had been captured by the Jin army. He Mingqiu readily agreed before even hearing the whole story.

With his comrades fighting, He Mingqiu was getting restless and bored. If Li Chengming hadn't told him not to act rashly, He Mingqiu would have loved to lead his troops to fight Jin Shenghuan.

Although it was the middle of the night, it couldn't dampen He Mingqiu's fighting spirit.

Putting down the walkie-talkie, He Mingqiu shouted, "Give the order: the 17th, 18th, and 23rd Battalions, assemble and prepare for battle!"