Li Xiao never dreamed that a man like Zu Dashou would die on the battlefield. The man Huang Taiji failed to kill after besieging Jinzhou for two years actually died like this?

"Originally, my father had a chance to escape, but he would rather give up the opportunity to the elderly, women and children. Finally, when he left in an airship with the remaining soldiers, he was hit by a bullet in the chest.

It won't work before we reach Dihua...!" Zu Chengxun's eyes were as red as a rabbit, but Jean still stood up straight with his chest raised and reported to Li Xiao the cause of Zu Dashou's death.

"Sit down and talk!" Li Xiao pressed Zu Chengxun's shoulders and motioned for him to sit down.

"If you have any requests, please put them forward and I will try to be as thorough as possible." Li Xiao sat across from Zu Chengxun, and his tone could be heard to be sincere.

"All the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Division hope to track down the Mongols and kill them all to avenge their father." After listening to Li Xiao's words, Zu Chengxun bounced like a spring.

"Oh! Do you know where the Mongols went? Did the airship detect them?"

"No! The reconnaissance airship sent out has not returned, and the search is ongoing. The climate in the Western Region has been very unstable recently, and sandstorms often occur. You know, it is difficult for airships to survive sandstorms."

"If we don't know where we are going, how can we pursue it? Your fourth division is an infantry division, not a cavalry division. As long as we move, logistics supplies such as food, baggage, and ammunition are the top priority.

You are also a staff officer now, and you know how complicated and arduous these things are." Li Xiao sat down next to Zu Chengxun again.

It's not that he didn't want the Fourth Division to go out, there was really nothing he could do. If the Fourth Division went out, it would have to use military supplies as high as a mountain. Before the railway was fully rolled out, there was really nothing Li Xiao could do.

Once an infantry division runs out of supplies in a place like the Western Region, it will be a disaster.

The Western Region is so big that it is difficult for airships to support it. It takes two days to fly from Hami to Ili, and you have to rely on luck during this period. Once there is a disaster such as a sandstorm, the airship will not be able to survive.

Among the entire overseas garrison of the Ming Dynasty, the Western Region garrison suffered the greatest losses in airships. When pilots and flight technicians learned that they were assigned to the Western Region, they would use their connections to find connections and try their best to transfer them out.

What Li Xiao said was true, and there was nothing Zu Chengxun could do about it. But when he thought that this revenge would never be avenged, his eyes became redder and redder.

"There is something I can't understand. It has been three years since the Mongols were encircled and suppressed. There is almost no living Mongolian in northern Xinjiang. Why did such a big wave suddenly appear?" This is Li Xiao's doubt. The Western Region has stabilized.

There has been no rebellion for three years, so why did such a big thing happen suddenly?

You know, since Li Xiao started his army, no officer of Zu Dashou's level has died in battle.

"It was later found out that these Mongolians were hiding in southern Xinjiang. They disguised themselves as Uyghurs and evaded our detection. Southern Xinjiang has always been known for its remoteness.

No one thought that those Mongolians would hide in southern Xinjiang. And...! Father...! Father's investigation was not thorough either."

"So that's it." Li Xiao felt that his plan to annihilate southern Xinjiang was too wise. He knew that people who were not from my race would have different intentions.

God knows why the king of the Uyghurs was so crazy that he dared to take in the Mongols. Perhaps they were just a nest of snakes and rats, and they just wanted to hug each other for warmth.

In the past, he felt guilty for killing millions of people because of his suspicion. Now Li Xiao doesn't feel any guilt at all. He just regrets not taking action earlier.

"So, by killing your father, the Uygur people in southern Xinjiang also had a share?"

"Yeah!" Zu Chengxun nodded.

"The Mongols have gone somewhere, but the Uighurs have not escaped yet. After returning, your four divisions immediately prepared for battle. Join Geng Zhongming, Kong Youde and the others to annihilate the Uighurs in southern Xinjiang in one fell swoop.

My order is that no one should be left alone, no matter whether it is an octogenarian or a baby in confinement. If you can't bear it, think about your father who died tragically."

The Mongols could not be found, and the planned Uighurs became the scapegoats.

"No! It's just...!"

"The imperial court will send people to pay attention to the whereabouts of the Mongols. As long as we find their traces, even if the Mongols go to the end of the world, we will make them pay the price.

If they have done such a thing, it is the most basic requirement that they be punished no matter how far away they are. This is the court's promise to the Fourth Division, and it is also my promise to you, do you understand?"

"No!" Zu Chengxun suddenly stood up and saluted Li Xiao with tears in his eyes.

Zu Chengxun left, leaving Li Xiao alone in the office.

After all, I never expected that something like this would happen. It seemed like there was a pair of big hands manipulating everything behind my back.

If he didn't want to cleanse southern Xinjiang, Zu Dashou would not have taken the airship to Ili. If Zu Dashou had not gone to Ili, he would not have fallen into that settlement due to a sandstorm.

If he hadn't fallen into the settlement there, he wouldn't have died.

But in reality, there are not so many what-ifs. Zu Dashou took an airship to Ili, and was forced to land in that settlement by a sandstorm. Then... he was killed by the last bullet of the battle!

If Zu Dashou dies, what will happen to the position of commander of the Fourth Division?

At the beginning, the fourth division was formed based on the servants of the Zu family, and the imprint of Zu Dashou on the entire fourth master was very strong. Now that Zu Dashou is dead, it is not that the tiger and wolf generation has no illustrious military exploits, it will definitely not be able to suppress this tiger and wolf division.

Promoting Zu Chengxun? This is not a good idea. Maybe Zu Chengxun can be a regiment leader, but as a division commander he is not qualified enough. Whether it is military merit or popularity, he is a few steps behind him.

When Li Xiao is thinking about something, he will pace unconsciously. Walking from here to there in the office, he is like a working donkey.

After walking for who knows how long, his head hurt from thinking about it, and Li Xiao decided not to embarrass himself anymore.

In addition to the office, we reached the flower hall at the back, where Mr. Ao was working hard to roast a fat sheep until it was buttery yellow.

"I know you have a lot of things to do, and Zu Dashou accidentally got killed. There is nothing we can do about it. That place in the damn Western Region is really dangerous. With Zu Dashou's ability, he was actually killed. Grandma's fault!" Ao Canghai said as he said,

While pouring half a bottle of wine on the ground, he poured the remaining half bottle of wine into his stomach.

"The ruthless Mongols have been lurking in southern Xinjiang for three years, and Zu Dashou was not aware of it. According to the surviving Ming army, there were hundreds of thousands of Mongolian migrants who appeared this time.

Zu Dashou didn't get any information about such a large-scale Mongolian operation beforehand. He died because of his own carelessness!" Li Xiao also poured half a bottle of wine on the ground, and then drank half of the bottle himself.

It's just that Zu Dashou poured Wuliangye, and Li Xiao poured grape wine.

"He is a general and is good at leading troops to fight, but these things are not what he is good at."

"Hmph! It seems that you have done less battlefield reconnaissance, but now that he is gone, all we can give him is supreme sorrow and honor.

Tomorrow, flags across the country will be flown at half-mast for him. His coffin will be transported back to the capital, and I will hold a state funeral for him. His memorial tablet will be brought to the Martyrs' Shrine to enjoy the blood of future generations forever.

No matter what happens to that boy Zu Chengxun, I will love him even more. If he succeeds, there is no doubt that I will achieve more than him."

"Hey...! In recent years, because of Wu Sangui, the Fourth Division has always been in reserve. Among the four main divisions, only the Fourth Division has the least military merit.

There are times when Zu Dashou is slack. Being loyal to the country and getting such honors and blessings to his descendants is worth it." Ao Canghai sighed, he and Zu Dashou had a pretty good relationship. Unexpectedly, a good brother would die like this.

.

"But what to do with the Fourth Division now? There will be combat missions soon. Zu Chengxun can't bring himself to the table yet. After all, his qualifications are not popular. The most important thing is that he has a serious lack of command experience. He can barely lead a regiment, but he can barely lead a division...

, It still doesn’t work!” Li Xiao took a sip of grape wine, but neither of them had any intention of touching the sheep.

"I heard that Huzi is interested!" Ao Canghai asked in a deep voice. He knew that there was another reason why Zu Chengxun was not promoted, and that was Wu Sangui. After all, Wu Xiang was Zu Dashou's brother-in-law. The Wu family and

The relationship between the ancestral family is like breaking the bones and connecting the tendons.

For so many years, the Fourth Division has been serving as a reserve team, and it actually has a close relationship with Wu Sangui.

"Hu Zi..., he can't do it. Let him continue on Ceylon Island. I feel even more uneasy now that the Fourth Division is in his hands. He is even more of an unscrupulous person. The Western Region is full of dangers, not only is it vast and the terrain is complex.

Hu Zi is leading the Fourth Division, and I'm afraid that in a few months, my family will have a funeral." Li Xiao shook his head resolutely, Li Hu was the kind of person who was eager to prove himself.

The usual characteristic of this kind of person is that they want to do everything, but can't do anything well. The worse they are, the more impatient they are. If such a person is allowed to lead an army, the chances of the ship capsizing in the gutter will increase exponentially.

"Oh!" Ao Canghai said "Oh" and continued to drink. He seemed to be using alcohol to express his commemoration of his ancestor's birthday.

He and Zu Dashou didn't have many opportunities to meet each other, but whenever they did meet, they would have a drinking contest. You can't expect two martial artists with rude backgrounds to have other noble ways of entertainment.

"How is Nie Dahu?" Li Xiao suddenly asked.

Li Xiao asked suddenly, and Ao Canghai was stunned for a moment.

"Dahu is the most capable brigade commander under my command. In fact, the establishment of the first brigade is not much different from that of the fourth division. Logically speaking, the command should not be a problem at all. But...!"

The first division is different from other divisions in that it has a large organization. That is because there are brigades between regiments and divisions. Others have one division with three regiments, they have one brigade with three regiments, and one division with three brigades.

Therefore, the establishment of the first division is three times larger than that of other divisions.

"But what? Can't bear to part with you? Still can't bear to see your old subordinates on your level?" Li Xiao looked at Master Ao.

"How is that possible? My subordinates are promising, and I, as a division commander, also have face. It's just that Hu Zi is on his way to the capital, and Da Hu is in the Western Regions...!"

"What happened in the Western Region? In the battle at Xingxing Gorge, he fought well. I think it's just him. Don't talk about Hu Zi anymore. If you want to lead troops, you must have real ability.

Ceylon, a broken island, was actually beaten like this. Even poison gas was used, but it still couldn't win. What's even more annoying is that the poison gas thing was learned by the British.

Then it spread from England to Prussia, and now the Spaniards and Italians can also refine it. It is estimated that the Russians will soon know it, and so many people know it, and it is not good for the French not to know it. We can only give the French the formula.

Did you know! During the European War, the British released dozens of tons of poison gas at a time on the Somme River.

Not only did the French army lose hundreds of thousands of people, but the Prussian army that cooperated with the British attack also lost tens of thousands of people. This thing doesn't distinguish between you and me on the battlefield, it's really terrifying."

"Then what can you do? Since the French also have it, then it's just a matter of the French coming out to brag about it. It's only fair that you have this kind of thing and I have it."

"They can treat people as human beings, and treat soldiers' lives as orders, but I can't! You will let your first division fight in that environment? Don't say 100,000 people will die. I think you will die if 10,000 people die.

I'll go crazy." Li Xiao took a sip of wine helplessly and looked at Ao Canghai full of resentment.

Ao Canghai understands Li Xiao very well. Such a powerful thing is causing trouble all over the world now. If it brings huge harm to others, it will also bring huge harm to itself. Since both sides have the ability to harm the other, it becomes a decoration.

Moreover, it is a dangerous decoration. If there is any problem during transportation or storage, you will be the unlucky one.

"A few days ago, the British envoy came and said that they could sign an agreement. No one is allowed to use poison gas bombs on the battlefield. If someone uses it, the whole world will condemn it together.

No way, in principle I agree. Sun Xing will rush to Geneva to participate in the negotiations on behalf of Ming Dynasty. Now countries that have poison gas bombs must sign a treaty. If they do not sign a treaty, they will be subject to various sanctions." Li Xiao sighed, poison gas bombs

Before he could make any achievements, he was locked into the weapons arsenal.

This made Li Xiao, who had always been pursuing asymmetric strikes, feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Since everyone has it, it's better if everyone doesn't use it. It's more fun for everyone to go back to the battlefield again, fighting guns against guns against guns. Actually, I don't like gas bombs either.

When that thing is released, if the wind direction changes, it will blow to our own people. It is very inconvenient to fight with a pig's mouth." Ao Canghai actually doesn't like gas bombs, he is still a relatively traditional soldier.

At first, I still liked big blades and spears. Later, under the influence of Li Xiao, I became interested in firearms. Gas bombs are too sinister and are evil to him. Ao Ye and Man Ye have always been Liao people.

Within the military, there were two who were most vehemently opposed to poison gas bombs.

Both of them lost interest in talking. Li Xiao was thinking about something, but Master Ao obviously didn't want to get involved in this matter. Power is a very exclusive thing. Even with such a relationship with Li Xiao, Master Ao still intentionally or unintentionally avoided being involved in this matter.
Chapter completed!