People in the Republic of China era began to rise from industry.

Chapter 169 Deterrence, Saving the God of Wealth

(The previous two chapters were revised. The original plot was about encountering bandits and discovering a copper mine, but I felt it was too long and somewhat redundant, so I didn't write it. Chapter 167 only changed the appearance of the horse caravan at the end, and the second half of Chapter 168 was revised (this afternoon). Please flip back half a chapter if you'd like. Thank you.)

Bailongjiang.

Amidst the booming of cannons, Yang Zihui, standing atop the hill, looked across the river at the occasional plumes of smoke and dust rising from the explosions, and chuckled twice.

A river separates two provinces.

At this moment, Wudu County, the territory of the Ma Clique army on the opposite bank of the river, could be seen clearly through the binoculars.

The iron chain bridge spanning the river served as the center of the battle, where the fighting was fierce.

However, their firepower advantage was obvious. In addition to the occasional roar of more than ten small mountain guns, the several Maxim guns that had been set up also provided continuous firepower.

On the other side, apart from two Maxim guns, there were only a few Czech-made ones.

There were a few mortars just now, but they only fired a few rounds before they were taken out by the small mountain guns that fired back.

"Still laughing? In less than an hour, tens of thousands of yuan have already been deposited into the bank."

Hearing him chuckle, Deng Jinkang, who was standing next to him, complained irritably.

The north bank of the Bailong River is the territory of the Ma family.

As for the south bank, that is his defense zone.

Separated by a river, it can be considered a natural barrier.

Previously, the two sides kept to themselves, separated only by this iron chain bridge, each collecting their own taxes.

This time, he launched an unannounced attack on the Ma Clique army, partly because he couldn't refuse his old classmate, and partly because he was misled by Yang Zihui.

They stated unequivocally that no matter how much was spent, they would double the amount after the matter was resolved.

At first, Deng Jinkang believed it.

However, at this point, things become a bit unreliable.

Playing like this, as if it costs nothing, would probably cost tens or hundreds of thousands a day.

And we don't even know how many days the treatment will last.

With so much money, can you really treat yourself to it freely?

Yang Zihui glanced at him, fully aware of her old classmate's little scheme.

This guy is a very meticulous person when it comes to managing his finances.

So all these years have been peaceful, unlike myself, who has experienced many ups and downs.

"Don't worry, Lao Deng, you won't be shortchanged."

Hearing his certainty, Deng Jinkang smiled and shook his head, saying with some emotion, "After fighting half his life, in the end I still have to work for a businessman. What kind of situation is this?"

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Yang Zihui glared at him, "I'm giving you money because I don't want you to suffer a loss."

"As for me, it's all for friendship."

"Friendship built on money?"

Deng Jinkang didn't mince words either, "Don't think I don't know, you little bastard, all this running around is because that kid surnamed Lin is paying you to be fed?"

"That's called collecting taxes. We're just getting what we need and making money together."

Yang Zihui retorted again, and before Deng Jinkang could say anything more, she said, "Old classmate, the situation is different now. People like us, even though we have guns, are at most just local bullies."

"If we continue down the old path and live a frugal life, we'll be devoured by Liu Yuanfu sooner or later."

"To consolidate our territory, win over the hearts of the people, and maintain an army, we need to spend money on all of these."

"But where will the money come from?"

"If we continue to rely on extorting land taxes to live off future grain, besides making the people curse us behind our backs, we will still be the same as before and make no progress."

"What should we do when Liu Yuanfu comes knocking on our door?"

Then, he changed the subject: "By the way, what year did you collect your land taxes?"

"In 1987, what about you?"

"Qu County received it for eighty-five years."

At this point, Yang Zihui's face showed a hint of pride, and he said, "But I've already made plans. This year, the autumn tax will be waived, so we can hear the people singing my praises."

This time, Deng Jinkang was genuinely surprised: "Just how much tax has the Lin family paid for you?"

He knew his old classmate's situation well, but the situation was very different this year.

The troops were organized and equipped with weapons, and even these mountain guns were said to be organized into two battalions.

The concubine even took two more wives.

He didn't know exactly how much he spent, but he seemed to be rolling in money.

At this point, they actually want to give up the most important land tax in the past. How rich must they be?

Yang Zihui did not answer directly: "In short, it is much higher than the land tax. Most importantly, his factories and mines support several thousand people, and they pay salaries every month."

"When ordinary people have money in their pockets, they want to buy things. This year, there are countless vendors coming and going in my defense area."

"With this commercial tax, I'd be laughing in my sleep every day."

"So what we're doing today, although it ultimately comes down to money, isn't what you think."

“We’re good at fighting, but when it comes to making money, we need someone like Lin Yi.”

"With him around, I'll have tax revenue."

"To be honest, even if things continue like this, in two years at most I'll be able to build three full-strength divisions."

"When the time comes, Liu Yuanfu will have to think twice before he decides to take action."

Feeling that she had made her point clear, Yang Zihui then asked, "Based on this alone, do you think we should go all out in his case?"

"If that's the case, then you're saved."

Deng Jinkang nodded, then chuckled and said, "My defense zone also has mines. After this matter is settled, you old classmate can't just send me away with a few measly gifts and keep all the spoils for yourself!"

"Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person."

Yang Zihui said casually, then raised her binoculars and looked around twice, saying, "Now that you've thought it through, how about we really take Longnan?"

Since it's about using force to deter, it can't be a small-scale operation.

Yang Zihui plans to first take over Longnan to make Ma Yuanqing fully realize the seriousness of the matter!

That son of a bitch doesn't respect the God of Wealth at all.

Deng Jinkang glanced at him, then at the soldiers waving flags and shouting at the bridgehead, poised to charge: "I have no problem with going all out on the human touch, but I'm afraid it won't be easy to fight. Just this one iron chain bridge, two machine guns could block it off..."

"You don't have to worry about that."

Yang Zihui interrupted him, chuckling, "There will be someone on the other side tonight to meet us. You just need to prepare the troops crossing the river."

"Who will be there to meet us?"

"Heh, you don't really think that Lin Yi, with such a large business empire, wouldn't have something up his sleeve, do you?"

……

In life, everyone will experience a few embarrassing moments.

Looking at Fang Chang, who was covered in blood, Lin Yi comforted himself with these words.

He originally thought that once he entered the mountains, he could neutralize the cavalry advantage of the Ma Clique army.

It will definitely be much safer to run away then.

But after entering the mountains, Mr. Lin realized that he had oversimplified things.

At the very least, his physical strength can't keep up.

Their complete lack of knowledge about the terrain caused the group a great deal of trouble.

Then came the unexpected shortage of ammunition after encountering the Ma Clique's search team.

Not to mention that several automatic rifles were reduced to firewood from being riddled with bullets, even the Browning pistols became useless after three encounters with the Ma Clique's search teams.

By then it was dark, and the remaining few men each had a bolt-action rifle they had found.

Fang Chang has become the main force.

Just now, one man with a knife took down a search team of more than ten people from the Ma Clique army using only cold weapons.

"Everyone take a break. As long as there are no gunshots, the search teams around here shouldn't come over."

As he spoke, Fang Chang looked at the bloodstains on his body with disgust.

He was in such a rush that he could only go straight to the point.

Lin Yi, leaning against the tree, nodded, then looked at the dozen or so corpses of the Ma family soldiers, his eyes darting around twice, and said, "Strip them of their clothes!"