Chapter 111

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Commander Lu is here!"

With an announcement from outside the prison, a squad of soldiers in black police uniforms, fully armed, filled the prison corridor.

Lv Muzhi, surrounded by the soldiers, came to the prison door.

"Wei Yue is here?" He Zhonghan furrowed his brow, "You're doing well as Shanghai-Songhu Garrison Commander, what are you doing coming here?"

Lv Muzhi took off his gloves: "I am the Shanghai-Songhu Garrison Commander, can't I come take a look at operations on this Shanghai ground?"

He Zhonghan deliberately shook the branding iron glowing red on the charcoal fire, smiling without smiling: "Has Wei Yue forgotten, our Lixing Society is not under your jurisdiction, Chen Geng is a criminal personally designated by the President, and you can't just stick your nose in."

Lv Muzhi spread his hands: "I'm not sticking my nose in, can't I come take a look? I'm a garrison commander, you're arresting people on my turf, do I not even have the power to watch?"

He Zhonghan grunted, then said somewhat gloatingly: "Are you sure you want to stay? I remember you two seem to have a good relationship? You wouldn't be trying to break him out, would you?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"You... what did you say?"

"Oh, don't misunderstand, I said I have a good relationship with him, so what."

He Zhonghan grabbed the branding iron from the charcoal fire: "You can watch from the side if you want, I have real work to do."

Having finished speaking, He Zhonghan walked up to Chen Geng: "Chen Geng, honestly confess, who is your superior? Tell me everything you know, as long as you speak, not only will you avoid physical suffering, but you can also enjoy endless wealth and honor!"

Chen Geng was tied to a cross, but ignored He Zhonghan, his gaze turning to Lv Muzhi: "Muzi? Back then I didn't even get to say goodbye, now that we meet you don't even say hello?"

"Oh, wrong, they all call you Wei Yue, is this the style name the President gave you? I'm still used to calling you Muzi."

Lv Muzhi stepped forward two steps, looked at Chen Geng's face, and smiled: "Old Chen, long time no see......

By the way, you haven't changed much, outsiders call you Wang Yong, this name had those Lixing Society fellows running in circles, haha, I just thought your face is quite recognizable, how did changing to the alias Wang Yong make them not recognize you?"

The atmosphere instantly became lively, Chen Geng laughed heartily: "Muzi Ah, you're an amateur here, I know how to disguise myself, you think I went abroad for nothing, if it weren't for a traitor selling me out, could He Zhonghan this fellow catch me? Too bad there are no ifs, let He Zhonghan be a blind cat finding a dead mouse."

Lv Muzhi recalled the Eastern Expedition of the past and smiled: "You're still careless back then, during the Yang-Liu Rebellion, the two of us entered the city for reconnaissance, I even taught you how to make contact, that was truly seamless."

"Hey~ don't mention it, eight years ago, you had me hang clothes on the window as a signal, a three-piece set of jacket, pants, and towel, clothes hung inside out, pants hung right side out, if the towel was gray, damn it, the wind blew the towel away directly, the more I thought about it the more I felt you were fooling me, what reconnaissance ability did those warlords back then have......"

He Zhonghan by now had a face full of black lines, the two clearly treated his prison as a place to catch up, which made He Zhonghan very unhappy.

"I say Muzi, you don't respect me, but you have to respect the President, I won't stop you from catching up, but you have to let me finish my business first!

After that, you can chat for as long as you want, of course... on the premise that Chen Geng is still alive!"

He Zhonghan wanted to press the branding iron onto Chen Geng, but Lv Muzhi and Chen Geng had been chatting for a while, He Zhonghan worried the branding iron had cooled, so he threw it back onto the charcoal fire.

"Press him onto the electric chair!"

Two plainclothes men came up and pressed Chen Geng onto the electric chair.

"I'll ask you one last time, Chen Geng......"

"Stop the nonsense and do it!"

He Zhonghan pressed the button, but found the electric chair had no reaction, turning around he discovered Lv Muzhi had pulled the power switch.

He Zhonghan was furious: "Lv Muzhi! You dare openly sabotage the interrogation! Chen Geng is a major criminal, can you bear this responsibility?!"

Lv Muzhi refused to yield an inch: "He bled during the Eastern Expedition, he was wounded for the President, you can't treat him like this!"

"You... you are shielding him, indulging him!" He Zhonghan's face turned green with rage, "Dealing with such an obstinate fellow, without severe torture, how can we pry open his mouth?"

Lv Muzhi rudely retorted: "Not being able to pry open his mouth is your Lixing Society's incompetence! Chen Geng saved the President, if he dies in your place, how will others talk about the President?

This person is of great importance, torture should not be hastily applied here, in my capacity as Shanghai-Songhu Garrison Commander, I demand Chen Geng be immediately escorted to Jinling, for the President to decide, men!"

Several armed police behind him holding submachine guns immediately stepped forward, imposing.

He Zhonghan was both shocked and angry, about to order his subordinates to resist, when a plainclothes man ran over anxiously: "Commander He, Jinling is calling."

He Zhonghan glared fiercely at Lv Muzhi, quickly walked out of the prison, and when he returned his complexion was very ugly: "Fine, you, so you got this news to Jinling so quickly? You're just guarding against me using torture."

Lv Muzhi sat back in the chair: "What did Jinling say?"

He Zhonghan gritted his teeth: "The President orders... Chen Geng be escorted to Jinling, by you escorting him to Jinling."

"Me?"

He Zhonghan nodded: "Yes, it's you, are you satisfied?"

Lv Muzhi stood up: "Prepare the carriage!"

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Along the way, Lv Muzhi thought a lot, the President knew he and Chen had a good relationship, yet wanted him to personally send Chen Geng to Jinling, wasn't he afraid Chen Geng would be let go? Ultimately what was it for?

Lv Muzhi thought of several possibilities.

One possibility was the President wanted to release Chen Geng? But needed to find a way out, so wanted him to release Chen Geng?

Another possibility, wasn't the President wanting to test him? To see if he would let Chen Geng escape?

There was another possibility that the President truly wanted to personally interrogate Chen Geng.

On the train, Chen Geng sat right in front of Lv Muzhi, his hands handcuffed.

Chen Geng seemed to know what Lv Muzhi was thinking: "Don't think anymore, listen to me, just get me safely to Jinling, if you really let me escape, how will the President think of you? You might lose all your positions, just be your Shanghai-Songhu Garrison Commander well, kill more devils in the future."

Lv Muzhi sighed and asked: "How is Li Zhilong? Is he still alive?"

Chen Geng didn't speak, pointed to his own mouth, and smiled: "Get me a cigarette."

Lv Muzhi shook his head smiling, had a guard come up and light a cigarette: "You just need to tell me whether he is still alive."

Chen Geng took a deep drag: "Telling you is no problem, still alive, the year you returned to your hometown in Zhejiang Province, Li Zhilong said before you left you left some strange words, later he was removed from office, later, Li Zhilong went to Hong Kong... after that I have nothing to report."

"Then..."

"Stop asking. Jiang Xiangyun is alive too. Back at the Battle of Nanchang, your First Division and Second Division were originally the Reserve Force, but were pulled to fight at Nanchang. Once the Reserve Force position opened up, Jiang Xiangyun was then in a Supplementary Regiment at Northern Expedition Headquarters, and he and the Supplementary Regiment were transferred to the Reserve Force. Later he went abroad, and after that, I have nothing more to say."

Lv Muzhi gave a bitter laugh. "Alive, it's good that he's alive."

Chen Geng finished a cigarette and waved his hand. "Another one!"

Jinling, Commander-in-Chief's Mansion.

The President had not prepared a prison cell, but instead set out a table for a welcome banquet.

The banquet was filled with classmates from the Whampoa First Phase back then.

What Lv Muzhi did not expect was that He Zhonghan had actually beaten him to it, scurrying to Jinling ahead of him.

Seeing Lv Muzhi and Chen Geng arrive, the President waved his hand. "Finally here. Come, come sit!"

Hu Gongnan sat in the first seat to the President's right, Chen Geng was arranged in the first seat to the left, and Lv Muzhi sat in the second seat to the left, sitting with Chen Geng.

"Chen Geng, my good student, hasn't it been seven years?"

Chen Geng swept his gaze over the classmates at the banquet and smiled. "Yes, seven years. I've been busy struggling with all of you, not a moment of leisure. Today I've only hurriedly met you all once. Please don't take offense."

Saying this, Chen Geng had already lifted the wine cup before him and downed it in one gulp.

"You're so muddle-headed!" The President pointed his finger at the wine table before him. "Look at Hu Gongnan—he's already a division commander. Look at Lv Muzhi—he's already the Commander of the Guard of Songhu. I don't need you to provide any intelligence. I just need you to follow me. How about I give you the post of Jinling Garrison Commander?"

Chen Geng shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't have that ability. I'm not good at shooting black guns behind friendlies."

Hu Gongnan sat opposite, and his complexion immediately turned very bad. "Chen Geng, what are you saying? Everyone here is open and aboveboard. Who shot black guns?"

Over a dozen people sat at the wine table, yet the scene was very quiet.

Chen Geng saw that no one was moving their chopsticks. He picked up his chopsticks and tapped them on the table. "Eat, eat. While it's hot. What are you sitting there stupidly for?"

The President sighed. "Eat, eat more. Wasn't the food good over there? You've lost weight."

Hearing these words, Chen Geng laughed. "I am lean in appearance but fatten the world—being lean is good... Eh, President, have you lost weight too?"

"Really?" The President touched his own face, and the Whampoa First Phase graduates at the banquet also looked up at the President.

"President, as the Leader of the country, you are lean in appearance and the whole world is even leaner. Why is this? Could it be that the country has termites?"

The President was very helpless. "You're at a disadvantage because of this temper of yours! After so many years, you still haven't changed at all!"

Chen Geng looked at the President. "I really haven't changed at all. It's just that besides your name, everything else about you has changed!"

The President immediately stood up in anger. The Whampoa First Phase classmates present all stood at attention, most of them being generals, with only Chen Geng remaining seated in his chair.

"I have no appetite. You classmates catch up with each other." Saying this, the President flicked his sleeve and left.

Lv Muzhi saw the President leave in a sorry state. He picked up the wine jug and poured a cup of wine for Chen Geng. "Have more. This is Wuliangye I brought from Sichuan. Absolutely authentic."

Hu Gongnan also smiled at Chen Geng. "Today we only talk about classmate feelings. Come, come, come. No drunk, no return."

The classmates raised their wine cups one after another, gathering in twos and threes to chat.

Song Xilian slowly walked to Chen Geng's side and spoke. "Chen brother."

Chen Geng turned and glanced back, smiling. "You're here. Ah, you've all become Major Generals!"

Song Xilian had a thousand words to say but could not speak them. "Mm."

"Being a Major General is good. If you had followed me back then, you might now be sitting at this table eating with me. All prisoners under the jurisdiction!"

Huang Wei came over. "Chen brother, these words are too heavy. It's not that bad being a prisoner under jurisdiction. With us classmates here, would we watch you suffer with our eyes wide open?"

"Yes, Chen Geng. Why do this to yourself? Look at us—every one of us is either a Brigade Commander or a division commander. Back on the Eastern Expedition battlefield, how high-spirited we were!" Guan Linzhen also walked over at this time.

Chen Geng was unmoved. "Alright, everyone. Today this table: the wine is a farewell wine, the meal is a last meal. After drinking the wine and eating the meal, our classmate feelings should scatter. Kill or cut as you please."

He Zhonghan crossed his arms and stuck his head over. "You, Chen Geng, are a sensible man. You've come to Jinling and still won't open your mouth. Lv Muzhi can't save you either."

Lv Muzhi put down his wine cup. "What? Could it be that Brother He wants to start an interrogation again?"

"What? Chen Geng won't confess? According to you, he can't be interrogated? Let the tiger return to the mountain?"

"I didn't say that."

He Zhonghan stared into Lv Muzhi's eyes. "Then what did your words just now mean?"

Song Xilian stood up at this time. "So according to Brother He's meaning, they want to torture him for a confession?"

He Zhonghan saw that Song Xilian actually dared to jump out, and was furious in his heart. His finger traced across Lv Muzhi and Song Xilian:

"Everyone saw it, right? The traitors have jumped out themselves. Lv Muzhi is one, and Song Xilian is another!"

"Deng Wenyi, you and I are both from the Lixing Society. It's on record. These two must be investigated thoroughly!"

"Alright, alright, stop quarreling!" The President suddenly walked into the banquet hall. It turned out the President had been listening outside the door the whole time and had never left.

Hu Gongnan was like a parasite in the President's belly, knowing what he was thinking. "Stop quarreling. The Leader didn't say he'd do anything to Chen Geng. Actually, I don't want to watch Chen Geng suffer physical pain either. Lixing Society, stop dragging in unrelated matters..."

The President called Lv Muzhi out of the banquet hall. The rest dispersed.

"The person is someone you brought. How do you think Chen Geng should be dealt with?" the President asked.

"This... however you say to deal with him, that's how we'll deal with him."

"Nonsense! What if I want to kill him?"

Lv Muzhi was silent for a while, then said. "President, do you remember the Battle of Huiyang back then? Chen Geng behind your back..."

The President raised his hand and waved it. "Don't say anymore. I understand what you mean. You want to save him, right?"

"Yes!"

"Now that's the truth."

Lv Muzhi said. "It's not just me who wants to save Chen Geng. President, you know this. Many classmates think the same way as I do."

The President said. "Someone is telling black stories about you. But I thought about it. A person who is unjust to friends cannot be very loyal to the country either."

"The country is in such chaos, and the Wang Jingwei Regime is so arrogant. We still need some people to focus on dealing with the Wang Jingwei Regime. The situation in Songhu is entrusted to you. Do a good job."

"The national defense plan you submitted proposed building several permanent national defense works. I approved it. I've also seen the establishment table of your Mining Police General Corps. It's not a small scale."

Lv Muzhi nodded. "If we're talking about resisting the Wang Jingwei Regime, that scale isn't considered large either."

"I saw in your establishment table that you want to organize eight infantry regiments, one artillery regiment, and one armored tank regiment. Plus building permanent national defense works. You really have a lot to worry about. Go back early. If you lack manpower, just send a telegram to Jinling."

Hearing this, Lv Muzhi immediately said, "What about Chen Geng?"

"Rest assured, he won't die. Too many people are protecting him. Even the Grand Marshal's widow came to see me just to save him. Now the streets are full of newspapers reporting on Chen Geng... I won't, and I can't, do anything to him."

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After the matter of Chen Geng was settled, Lv Muzhi later learned that Chen Geng had been imprisoned in Jinling Prison, but for some reason, he escaped in May. Regarding this matter, everyone in Jinling, high and low, did not deliberately pursue it, only acting as if Chen Geng had never come.

As for Lv Muzhi, he was preparing to expand the Mining Police General Corps while constructing the Yongbei National Defense Works.

Sichuan had his wife Zhu Sanxiang guarding it, Chu Yunfei defending it, and he flew over from time to time; his vast rear was relatively stable.

As the situation in Sichuan tended toward pacification, the Central Army, in the name of suppressing bandits, began to enter Sichuan.

The Central Army entering Sichuan was a good thing for Lv Muzhi; the local small warlords quickly disintegrated and were continuously annexed by Liu Xiang, allowing his economic tentacles to extend endlessly.

Eventually, except for the highland regions, all of Sichuan fell into Liu Xiang's hands. To thank Lv Muzhi and also out of fear of Chu Yunfei's terrifying strength, Liu Xiang handed Chongqing over to Lv Muzhi to manage, while he himself lived in peace in Chengdu.

At the same time, as Xue Yue also led troops deep into the Southwest, wherever the Central Army went, the small warlords no longer had any reason to hold their own territories. The Mining Police General Corps expanded by Lv Muzhi followed behind Xue Yue, escorting workers to build roads and mine.

Lv Muzhi took Chongqing as his headquarters, and his industries and transportation began to spread toward Yunnan and Guizhou. Wherever roads were built and mines opened in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, the figures of workers could be seen.

In 1935, Lv Muzhi was officially granted the rank of Lieutenant General, serving as Chongqing Appeasement Director, Shanghai-Songhu Garrison Commander, and Mining Police General Corps Commander. Privately, many people called Lv Muzhi the Southwest King stationed within Shanghai city!

Time entered 1936. As the devils' ambitions of aggression became increasingly apparent, the Songhu and Jing Hu-Hang National Defense Works presided over by Lv Muzhi also entered the final sprint and inspection stage.

Having learned the devils' attack routes, Lv Muzhi understood better than anyone the weight these fortifications would carry in the future War of Resistance.

Using his professional knowledge as a civil engineer from his previous life, combined with the best materials and construction forces currently available, he personally supervised, striving to turn these defensive lines into a flesh-and-blood grinder to devour the devils.

That day, Lv Muzhi personally arrived at the Jinshanwei Sea Area on the north bank of Hangzhou Bay.

The terrain here was flat, the tidal flats were wide, and the sand was hard, making it an ideal landing site for the devils.

What appeared before his eyes was no longer the desolate beach of the past, but ramparts built of reinforced concrete.

The anti-landing defensive line of Jinshanwei Beach was deployed in depth with clear layers.

The foremost waterline obstacles were diamond forts (anti-tank concrete piles) and steel rail forts arranged in a crisscross pattern, used to block the hulls of Japanese landing craft.

On the beachhead positions, machine gun pillboxes built of solid concrete were densely distributed. The pillboxes were half-buried underground, their firing ports carefully designed to have excellent cross-fire fields of view, covering the entire intertidal zone and beachhead.

The pillboxes were connected by trenches and communication trenches, crisscrossing like a spider web. Inside the trenches were firing positions, anti-artillery caves, and material storage points.

At the same time, Lv Muzhi constructed several Permanent Core Strongpoints equipped with artillery behind the beachhead, serving as artillery positions.

This artillery position had a reinforced concrete roof several meters thick, sufficient to withstand the bombardment of large-caliber naval guns and not be harassed by devil aviators. The gun openings faced Jinshanwei Beach, the firing parameters had long been calculated, and the firepower could cover every inch of the beach.

For the entire Jinshanwei defense line, Lv Muzhi's requirement was that even if divided and surrounded, every support point must be able to fight independently for more than a week.

Leaving the coastline, Lv Muzhi also inspected the Wufu Line (Suzhou to Fushan) and the Xicheng Line (Wuxi to Jiangyin) inland without rest.

These two defense lines relied on the Jiangnan Water Network's terrain to form the land barrier defending Jinling.

The fortifications extended along the preset positions. The main structures were permanent machine gun works and artillery observation posts built of high-grade cement, quality steel bars, and hard stone strips.

Most bunkers were semi-underground or cleverly camouflaged using natural features, with their tops covered by thick layers of soil and vegetation, enhancing concealment and strike resistance.

The bunker groups did not exist in isolation; they were often combined with wide anti-tank trenches, dense barbed wire, minefields, and modified river water systems that could be used to obstruct, forming a complete defensive system.

Behind the defense line, roads were necessarily repaired and widened to allow for the rapid movement of reserve forces and logistical supply.

Standing inside a newly completed heavy machine gun pillbox, Lv Muzhi looked at the steel and concrete Great Wall stretching for hundreds of miles before his eyes, and Lv Muzhi felt somewhat reassured in his heart.

Inside Shanghai city, the Japanese Marine Corps Command Headquarters—Lv Muzhi had already discussed and reconnoitered it in detail with his subordinates. Once war broke out, they would first annihilate the Japanese Marine Corps stationed within Shanghai city.

This time, he would make sure the little devils had no way back!

The current Lv Muzhi commanded eight fully equipped infantry regiments, one Armored Tank Regiment, and attached Heavy Artillery Forces. He had five Tiger Generals under his command.

Deputy Corps Commander Qiu Qingquan had already been recalled to the country by him from the Berlin Army University in Hans State.

Liao Yaoxiang had been recalled to the country by him from Saint-Cyr Military Academy a year ago.

Zhou Weiguo had also returned from Hans State not long ago and served as a Division Commander of the Mining Police General Corps.

There were also Chu Yunfei and Zhang Fei, both serving as Division Commanders under him.

Lv Muzhi's Mining Police General Corps currently had only one regiment stationed within Shanghai city and one regiment outside the city, with the others dispersed in Jinling, Hankou, Chongqing, and other places.

On the eve of the war, they would advance by both land and water, all heading to the frontline. Lv Muzhi had already trained a large number of reservists for the daily protection of the security work at the Southwest Base.

The President had already issued an order. In the early stage, the Mining Police General Corps would make an external display. Once war broke out, the Mining Police General Corps would be reorganized into the Youth First Army!

Lv Muzhi served as Ji Jun Zhang, commanding the Youth First Division, Second Division, and Armored Tank Regiment.

During the July 7th Incident, Lv Muzhi inspected one of his infantry regiments in Jinling. All the soldiers sang the Youth First Army anthem in unison.

"Do you not see, Han Zhongjun, who at a young age wore the cap and requested a long halberd to capture the enemy!"

"Do you not see, Ban Dingyuan, whose light cavalry in the farthest reaches stirred the war clouds!"

"One call, and over ten thousand comrades respond. Singing war songs, they all join the army."

"Join the army, cleanse the barbarian dust, swear to sweep away the Japanese slaves without regard for life!"