There were no dry places in the swamp; sitting on the ground was asking for trouble. As the logistics troop, the Third Company carried a dozen or so mud sleds modified from boats. After receiving the order to rest, the soldiers sat on the mud sleds one after another. Squad leaders counted their own teams, then reported to platoon commanders, and platoon commanders reported the numbers to the company commander. During the whole process, squad leaders counted the numbers while repeatedly telling the soldiers not to talk and to rest peacefully.

Maintaining silence during marching and resting is the minimum rule for an army. A noisy army is merely exposing itself. This operation was obviously a sneak attack, and there was absolutely no need for great fanfare. The intelligence Chai Qingguo received was that the Second Company had 240 people, all present, and the Third Company had 240 people, also all present. During the march, two soldiers of the Third Company sprained their ankles and could not participate in the charge, but other soldiers could participate in combat normally.

A dozen modified boats were lined up in a row. Soldiers sat neatly on the boats, crowded closely together. The soldiers either drank water silently or gnawed on dry rations silently. Some very tired comrades leaned on the comrades beside them, lowered their heads, and dozed off. The squad leaders quickly shook them awake, asking them to eat before dozing off. Chai Qingguo was very satisfied with this. 480 soldiers who had undergone at least more than two months of training were already a very impressive armed force. Chai Qingguo had also participated in grand marches and big battles of tens of thousands of people. After such experiences, he completely lost interest in the so-called crowd of tens of thousands. Nothing compares to trained elite troops. If those tens of thousands of people had experienced today's march, they would have long scattered like ducks. These 480 people just hadn't seen blood yet; as long as they fought a few battles, this group could become excellent soldiers. Chai Qingguo believed that these soldiers would at least not be worse than the Beiyang Army.

The Scout Team had long scattered far away; these people didn't have any markers to guide the march. The Scout Battalion specially established by Chen Ke now only had two platoons, but they were all selected personnel. Their ages were between 18 and 22, considered true elites. Scouts acting in small teams of eight conducted search work at a distance of two or three kilometers around the main force. Now they returned to the main force one by one, rolling like mud monkeys. Seeing these comrades who had suffered a lot, good-natured laughter erupted among the soldiers marching with the main force. Although the main force march was already very hard, human nature is always like this: seeing someone having a harder time than oneself, the mood will always be somewhat happy. And at this time, the supplies carried by the main force were sufficient; everyone handed water and dry rations. The friendship between comrades appeared very thick at this time.

Six of the ten scout teams returned first. The other four scout teams all sent back communicators. The news they reported was truly unexpected. "You discovered people, and they are not Zhang Youliang's spies, but common people who came back to live?" Third Company Commander Gao Yujie was very surprised by this news.

Gao Yujie came from Beijing with Shang Yuan and the others. his ancestors were from Anhui and also followed Li Hongzhang's Huai Army to campaign everywhere, later settling in Tianjin. The family hoped Gao Yujie could pass the exams for a degree. As a result, Gao Yujie preferred machinery. Finally, he worked from a mechanic to a foreman in the Tianjin Machinery Bureau. The Gao family could still be considered a "family of loyal martyrs." In the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, both of Gao Yujie's uncles died in battle. In the Gengzi Incident (Boxer Rebellion), Gao Yujie's father and uncle also died in battle. Gao Yujie himself defended the factory with Qin Tongren and also had a narrow escape. He hated foreigners to the bone from then on, and was extremely dissatisfied with the new Beiyang Minister Yuan Shikai's reconciliation with foreigners. After the Gengzi Incident, Gao Yujie joined the police force. Because he beat a foreigner during law enforcement, he had to run away. Life in these few years was also very unfortunate. Later, he accidentally met Qin Tongren. Hearing that Qin Tongren was preparing to come to Anhui, he simply followed Shang Yuan south. At any rate, he came from a military family and knew some military affairs. Although he had no enthusiasm for overthrowing the Manchu Qing, he had absolutely no intention of defending the Manchu Qing either. He accumulated merits in the Insurance Corps and became the Third Company Commander during the army expansion.

Hearing the scout troops report that people actually started living in the swamp really surprised Gao Yujie. He didn't believe such a thing at all. But the returning scouts unanimously assured him that these people were locals. Two scout troops even informed him that someone in their troops knew these farming people. These people who came to farm were some common people who didn't hide in the county town during the flood. The water receded, and they rushed back to their homes from other places. They just settled down in this swamp. The communicators of the two teams also informed that some of these people had already fallen ill.

"In that case, send a scout team in each direction to bring everyone over first. For the sick, carry them back with our stretchers first." He Zudao not only served as the Political Commissar of the Second Company in this battle but also temporarily commanded the Scout Team. After receiving the order, the scout teams set off one after another.

"Political Commissar, why go to such great lengths?" Chai Qingguo was a bit strange. Since they were locals, going to such lengths to get them over was making a mountain out of a molehill, right? Moreover, these people being suddenly pulled over would definitely cry and wail. If soldiers saw this, the blow to morale would be too intense.

"Correct. Since they are all locals, we don't need to care so much, right?" Gao Yujie commanded the Third Company to transport logistics and was already tired to death. Getting a bunch of common people over would be even more troublesome. He also supported Chai Qingguo's opinion.

"Company Commander Chai, Company Commander Gao, I know what you are worried about. But tell me, why do so many soldiers fight?" He Zudao asked.

"Conquer Yuezhangji, everyone has land to farm." Gao Yujie repeated the pre-war mobilization words. "Hasn't this been said many times?"

"Tell me, if there isn't tap water provided by us, with thousands or tens of thousands of people farming here, how many would fall ill? How many would die of illness?" He Zudao continued to ask.

"This..." Chai Qingguo and Gao Yujie couldn't answer. Like everyone else, they had never seen such a big flood. Such a natural disaster had completely overturned their world. But under the leadership of the People's Party, with the Insurance Corps fighting hard, not many people actually died. So when comrades discussed the flood issue privately, many people were somewhat surprised. Although natural disasters were irresistible, it seemed natural disasters weren't that terrible either. Hearing He Zudao's question, everyone had no concept of how many people would die. If the People's Party continued to rule Fengtai County, presumably few people would die. But without the People's Party, it would be hard to say.

"This is a very good comparison. With or without the leadership of the People's Party and the Insurance Corps, the lives of the common people are completely different. Soldiers are very sensible; they will never have their morale shaken because of this. I believe that after everyone sees this comparison with their own eyes, they will understand whom to follow. Who to fight for." He Zudao spoke with extreme confidence.

Since He Zudao insisted so much, and the two had no opposing opinions, they stopped talking. Not long after, scout teams returned from several directions with a group of people. The number of these people was not large. During the time they went back and forth, the soldiers had finished eating and drinking, and some even took a nap. Sharp-eyed soldiers saw from afar some people in ragged clothes mixed among comrades coming here, so they looked up to watch. Others discovered this unusual movement and also looked around.

Swamp land is somewhat like mountainous land; the straight-line distance looks very close, but you have to detour a lot. When the faces of those ragged people could be seen clearly, some soldiers couldn't help shouting. Among those people were people they knew. Hearing the soldiers' shouts, the people called saw acquaintances and also responded.

All the common people had one thing in common: ragged clothes. And the scout troops also carried a few people on stretchers. When all the people were brought in front of the troops, the troops had all disembarked and barely lined up in the swamp. Seeing these hundreds of strong young men packed densely, the people didn't know what was going on and turned pale with fright. Those few who had acquaintances in the troops quickly wanted to lean over to get close but were stopped by the scouts.

He Zudao asked an old man pleasantly: "Grandpa, why did you come here?"

The old man didn't know He Zudao. Being pulled over by suddenly appearing scouts was already scary enough. These people carried knives and guns; if he said something wrong in such an uninhabited place and got killed, no one would know. But staying silent didn't seem to work either. He Zudao asked the same question pleasantly again. The old man suddenly pointed to a soldier in the ranks and shouted, "Liu Wazi (Sixth Child), come here!"

The soldier called was named Lv Xiuren, ranked sixth at home, and was a clansman of this old farmer. He knew the Insurance Corps had no malice towards the people, but the training these days gave Lv Xiuren enough discipline. Without the platoon commander's word, he didn't dare to step out of the ranks himself. He Zudao waved to Lv Xiuren, letting him come over. Then He Zudao shouted loudly: "Fellow villagers, if you know the soldiers of our troops, let them step out."

As soon as these words were said, all the fellow villagers stretched their necks to look at the Insurance Corps soldiers. As long as they could find someone they knew, the possibility of being harmed would be much less. As soon as Lv Xiuren arrived beside his clansman grandpa, the old man grabbed him and said: "Liu Wazi, you have to speak for me; I'm not a bad person. Not a bad person." Lv Xiuren comforted him while looking at He Zudao in embarrassment.

About a dozen soldiers were recognized and called out. The fellow villagers pulled the soldiers one by one, wanting them to guarantee their safety. After the persuasion of these soldiers, the fellow villagers finally understood that these people were not targeting them, and only then did they calm down a bit.

With such a scene, the soldiers initially found it somewhat funny. But as they watched, the smiles gradually disappeared from the soldiers' faces. Everyone has compassion. These people had one thing in common: they were in ragged clothes and terribly thin due to lack of food. And no one knew how long it had been since they bathed or washed their clothes. That kind of accumulated dirt was not just compared to ordinary people; although the Insurance Corps soldiers worked hard these days, they ate acceptably, even slightly better than before the disaster. Plus hygiene and training, although tanned black, their mental outlook was obviously several grades higher than these people. Looking at these people, each one so thin and weak, looking almost like they would fall if the wind blew. Soldiers couldn't help remembering their own days before. If they hadn't joined the Insurance Corps, facing such a big flood, they wouldn't be much different from these people. This feeling of "the fox mourning the death of the rabbit" (like mourning like) gave everyone a faint rejoicing and profound sympathy in their hearts.

"Fellow villagers, the water hasn't receded completely yet; why did you come back?" He Zudao asked again. Chai Qingguo and Gao Yujie were both impatient people and had no patience for civil work. Seeing He Zudao being so meticulous, they didn't want to interrupt. The Third Company's Political Commissar was named Wu Liao, a recognized "nice guy." Asking him to obey orders was no problem, but asking him to do political work wouldn't do. Chen Ke had no choice but to let Wu Liao serve as Political Commissar temporarily. He now looked to He Zudao as the leader. So all eyes fell on young He Zudao.

Under He Zudao's repeated questioning, the fellow villagers finally agreed to answer. Some said they wanted to hurry up and farm. Some said they were blocked by water while fleeing famine and begging, so they had to come back. However, their answers were evasive and completely missed the point.

He Zudao suddenly asked: "This is already close to Yuezhangji. Is the land you want to farm now your own?"

As soon as these words came out, all the people's faces changed. A spasm appeared on the old man's thin, withered yellow face, and he suddenly knelt down to He Zudao. This startled He Zudao, who quickly went to support the old man. But the old man hugged He Zudao's calf and refused to move while kneeling on the ground. How could He Zudao dare to let an old man dozens of years older than him kneel to him? He hurriedly tried to pull the old man up, but he didn't know how long the clothes on the old man hadn't been changed. In these flood days, they had been rotted by sweat and sewage. With a little force, the clothes were immediately torn a big hole.

Not only the old man, but other people also knelt down one after another. "Quickly help everyone up," He Zudao shouted. The soldiers hurried to support them. As a result, no one was willing to get up. Seeing He Zudao didn't accept his gesture, the old man immediately burst into loud crying, saying while crying: "Young man, we really have no way out. We couldn't flee famine; all our family belongings were flooded. We only have a little bit of seeds left. Everyone discussed that since it's death anyway, take advantage of the land being desolate and unattended now. At least plant something first, see if we can harvest some grain, so we won't starve to death this year. Young man, we are all fellow villagers. If you drive us away or take our seeds, we only have a dead end. You have knives and guns; if you want us to die, just kill us now. It won't let us suffer living. Heaven doesn't let people live; you young men must let us survive! If you don't want us to live, you give us a quick death."

This time the old man cried and spoke. Although the voice wasn't very clear, the content of the answer was clear and understandable. Listening to the old man wailing, other people also started crying. He Zudao's face was gloomy, and the soldiers also had gloomy faces. Although Chai Qingguo didn't understand the Anhui dialect very well, he understood the general meaning. Gao Yujie lowered his head and sighed heavily.

He Zudao gave up the effort to try to pull up the old man. Although the movement was a bit slow, He Zudao bent his knees and knelt down too.

"Grandpa, we are not here to collect your land. We are not here to rob your grain either. We... we are here to save you; we are here to save everyone. You have to believe us on this point." After saying this, He Zudao looked up and shouted: "Quickly bring water and food for the fellow villagers."

Hearing this, the soldiers moved almost in a swarm. The fellow villagers were truly shocked hearing He Zudao's words. But that young man who was obviously the leader knelt in the muddy water just like them, and the countless young people surrounding them were holding bamboo tubes and steamed buns (*mantou*) in their hands. The aroma of food surrounded these hungry people. Someone grabbed a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth. Others, regardless of gender or age, all grabbed steamed buns and started eating. After a few bites, a big steamed bun was gone. Because they swallowed too fiercely, almost everyone choked. The soldiers quickly opened the stoppers of the bamboo tubes to let everyone drink water. The cool tap water was mixed with the fragrance of bamboo. Everyone swallowed the bun in their throats and immediately picked up another bun to stuff into their mouths. But almost every soldier had a bun in hand. Looking at this food they hadn't eaten for a long time, these people's eyes lit up. He Zudao helped the old man up, took a bun and a bamboo tube from a soldier next to him, and handed them to the old man. "Grandpa, finish eating first."

Third Company Commander Wu Liao quickly shouted: "Don't let them eat so fiercely; it will damage their bodies." As he spoke, he asked the soldiers to leave. Hearing this, the people got anxious. Watching the buns leaving them, they bit the buns in their mouths and pounced to snatch the buns from the soldiers' hands, stuffing them into their dirty clothes whose original color couldn't be seen. A bun fell into the water. A thin woman whose age couldn't be told quickly went to pick it up. Her foot slipped, and her whole body plunged into the muddy water. Soldiers quickly pulled her up. The woman didn't care at all that her face and body were covered with muddy water. She plopped down on her knees in the muddy water and groped around, trying to find the bun that fell into the muddy water. Her hands splashed up high muddy water; the whole person was like crazy.

The old man saw others eating buns and took a few bites himself. Suddenly, the old man burst into loud crying again, "Young man, you are a good person. You are our savior." After speaking, the old man knelt to He Zudao again.