Blood-Red Front

The main force of Xia's army on the Wu-Fu line retreated in large strides, some crossing the river to the north, and others retreating westward along the river.

The first planes followed closely behind, and Kyoto began to be bombed continuously.

However, compared to the retreat in Binxi, this evacuation was orderly and there was no panic.

Moreover, as early as half a month ago, the residents of Kyoto had already begun to gradually evacuate westward under the guidance of local officials.

Of course, not everyone can accept leaving their hometown, and not everyone can maintain a normal life after leaving.

In order to assist as many people as possible in evacuating, many factories that were relocating also recruited workers extensively before relocating, and then moved westward with the workers.

Sometimes, a single worker can support an entire family.

Of course, some factories are willing to spend more money, while others are not.

Especially those large conglomerates, although they have money, are unwilling to spend a single extra penny on this.

The local government has little recourse against these individuals, as they all have powerful backers.

……

Niutoushan Command Post.

"Sir, the third batch of coolies has arrived, still 1500 people."

Lin Zhiyuan casually flipped through the document and handed it back to Guan Jianchu.

"As usual, he will be transferred to a supplementary force and receive basic military and internal affairs training."

"Still want to transfer?" Guan Jianchu hesitated for a moment.

"With them, there will be 4500 replacement soldiers. The military funds allocated by the higher authorities are not enough. The Ministry of Military Affairs did not allocate a single penny of military pay for the previous 3000 replacement soldiers."

Laborers and reinforcements are two completely different concepts.

The laborers had to bring their own food, and they were paid at most one or two cents a day.

In addition to uniforms and standard daily meals, supplementary soldiers also receive a monthly stipend of 7 yuan, and those who die in action receive a pension.

"I'll figure out the money," Lin Zhiyuan said.

"Why send coolies up the mountain at this time? Don't you know what the Ministry of Military Affairs is planning? They can't wait until they're about to fill in the gaps before demoting them to privates, can they? Are they even human?"

Lin Zhiyuan felt disgusted by these actions of the conservatives.

If it weren't for the initial invasion, Lin Zhiyuan would probably have been the first to raise the banner of rebellion.

"Alright." Guan Jianchu nodded. "Then I'll submit another report to my superiors and register them first."

Since Lin Zhiyuan had taken over the matter of military pay, Guan Jianchu was no longer worried.

The Lin family is wealthy; they have tens of thousands of workers, which is more than enough to support these 4500 people.

Similarly, Lin Zhiyuan didn't care about the money that was wasted, since it wasn't his money anyway.

Moreover, for Lin Zhiyuan, money is just enough to spend, and he really doesn't have many places to spend money.

After giving instructions regarding the reinforcements, Lin Zhiyuan, accompanied by a guard platoon, rode to the front lines again for inspection.

By this time, the lines of each company had been almost fully constructed, and the hilltops were covered with trenches, just waiting for the newly risen army to charge in.

Standing on the position of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment, Ma Daxi introduced: "Brigade Commander, the positions on the hillside, the hilltop, and the reverse slope have been completed. I simulated an attack, and the effect was very good. If the newly promoted army comes, they will definitely be crushed."

"The newly promoted army is very strong, but they also have a fatal weakness, which is that their current troop strength is not large enough," Lin Zhiyuan said.

"The newly promoted army is not afraid of field battles, but what it fears most are chain fortifications, bunkers, and tunnels. Faced with such positions, there is no other way but to fill the gaps with lives."

"Niutou Mountain is the highest point on the outskirts of Kyoto. If we hold this position, the Chusheng Army will not be able to approach Yutai, and the western wing of Kyoto will not be surrounded."

Although the newly established army is expanding its forces significantly, it has not yet completed the expansion and is unlikely to expend its resources indiscriminately.

As long as the Chu Sheng Army doesn't risk everything in a desperate attack, Niutou Mountain won't fall easily. No matter how the battle on the eastern front of Kyoto turns out, the Xia Army will have a chance to retreat.

After observing for a moment, Lin Zhiyuan pointed to the plain in front of the mountain and asked, "Are there still people over there?"

"They've all been evacuated."

"Where are the landmines? Were they planted?"

"No, not at all." Ma Daxi shook his head. "After all, that's a residential area, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to clean up after the war."

Landmines on the mountain are manageable; at worst, the area can be designated a restricted zone. But if landmines are planted in residential areas, things will be much more difficult later.

"Even if we don't plant real mines, we can plant some fake mines, as long as they can cause some trouble for the newly promoted army."

"Fake thunder? What fake thunder?" Ma Daxi didn't understand what Lin Zhiyuan meant.

"The principle of mine detectors is to detect metal, so you can make fake minefields out of scrap metal, like mousetraps, hunting traps, or wood painted black with a few nails."

"Then we'll make some booby traps out of hand grenades, add a few explosive charges, and blow them up. Would the newly formed army still dare to advance so easily?"

"Although such a small trick may not cause many casualties, it can damage the morale of the newly promoted army and wear down their patience."

"I understand." Ma Daxi nodded repeatedly.

"There is truth in falsehood, and falsehood in truth. The mix of truth and falsehood has left Chu Shengjun completely bewildered."

"That's exactly what I mean," Lin Zhiyuan said.

"However, for safety, you can find some sulfuric acid, wrap it in waxed paper, and place it above the fuse. The sulfuric acid will slowly corrode the waxed paper and eventually detonate the detonator."

"If you really can't figure it out, ask the engineers for help."

Lin Zhiyuan didn't have a timer, so he could only use makeshift methods to create a self-destruct device.

"yes!"

……

Just as Lin Zhiyuan and Ma Daxi were discussing how to disgust the newly promoted soldiers, a soldier hurriedly ran over.

"Sir, a telegram from headquarters: the vanguard of the newly promoted army has reached Moling Pass."

coming!

Lin Zhiyuan's expression changed.

Moling Pass is only 10 kilometers away from Niutou Mountain, so the two sides are practically face to face.

"Ding Xiucheng".

"Sir."

"Take your men and come with me to scout ahead."

As a commander, you must never simply fight a battle while looking at a map.

Even if Lin Zhiyuan had a minimap cheat, he couldn't fully understand the situation on the front lines from the command post. To win the battle, he had to go out and scout ahead.

The reason is quite simple: each level of commander has different resources at their disposal, and the higher the level, the more efficiently they can solve problems.

If a platoon leader goes out to scout, he can only decide the placement of his own light machine gun. But if it's Lin Zhiyuan, he can adjust the resources of the entire army according to the situation.

Lin Zhiyuan and a platoon of guards rode forward.

On horseback, Lin Zhiyuan kept observing through binoculars.

In his haste, he certainly couldn't see anything clearly, but with the help of an 8x telescope, Lin Zhiyuan's minimap could be extended to a range of 4 kilometers.

After another stop to observe, Lin Zhiyuan finally spotted his target: a newly promoted army reconnaissance squad.

"map."

Wang Xiaoliu immediately unfolded the map he was carrying.

"Sir, are there enemies?" Ding Xiucheng asked.

"I just vaguely saw a small, tan-colored unit appear; it should be a newly promoted army."

Pointing to the map, Lin Zhiyuan said, "Judging from their location, they should be in Gaotang Village, southeast of Jingshan, right now. They will most likely head to Houcun next."

"You lead the guard platoon in three groups and set up an ambush in the back village."

"Try to capture them alive if possible," Lin Zhiyuan instructed.

The surviving veterans of the 6th Regiment all had a blood feud with the newly promoted army. If Lin Zhiyuan didn't give them some instructions, he was afraid that Ding Xiucheng would drown all the newly promoted reconnaissance soldiers.

"yes!"

……