Lord Li Yutang was not born a person with all five vices. To become the commander of the Canal Defense Battalion, it was certainly impossible without some real ability. Lord Li had fought battles and suppressed bandits. But after the Gengzi year (1900), Lord Li collapsed completely. The strength of the Eight-Nation Alliance and the rise of Japan stimulated the minds of many Manchu Qing officials to strive for progress to some extent. But for Lord Li Yutang, he felt the whole world collapsed. After the Tongzhi Restoration, the Manchu Qing accumulated quite a bit of family property, but the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the Boxer Rebellion made these family properties pale and ridiculous. Lord Li, who once felt the Manchu Qing had restored its glory, suddenly saw the Manchu Qing defeated again and again, losing even its underpants. This psychological change completely destroyed this person.

He originally drank occasionally and was not addicted to pleasure either. After Hebei restored order, Li Yutang plunged into a life of debauchery and had no other pursuit. The officer who was not a bad person and was considered capable disappeared completely from the world.

After Pang Zi's horse team killed their way over from the opposite side of the road, Lord Li at least didn't forget his military literacy of back then completely. What he thought of was actually the same as Pang Zi. The enemy would definitely send cavalry to cut off the infantry and then charge repeatedly. Such a result would definitely be the full-line collapse of the infantry. So Lord Li issued the order to the sedan chair bearers neatly, "Run back!"

A raging soldier raging one, a raging general raging a nest (if the general is useless, the soldiers are useless). Moreover, the officers and soldiers of the Canal Defense Battalion had no combat capability originally. Lord Li ordered to flee, and the bandits opposite fired a round of guns. The officers and soldiers at the very front turned and ran immediately. When Pang Zi's cavalry began to charge, the Canal Defense Battalion collapsed completely on the main road. Many officers and soldiers were somewhat reluctant when they first started to flee, but the rumbling sound made by more than two hundred cavalry galloping, the muskets in the hands of those masked bandits, and the snow-bright long knife waved like a wheel in the hands of the leading bandit chief ruthlessly deprived the courage of those officers and soldiers who still had a little fighting will.

Although Pang Zi looked down on the Canal Defense Battalion, the other party was government troops after all. Although his own brothers were reliable, they were not tested warriors. The collapse of the Defense Battalion was really beyond his expectation. But since the horse team had already started to charge, there was no way to stop. Chai Qingguo once warned Pang Zi: either don't charge, or continue to charge forward even if only one person is left. The horse team is not infantry; it is not so easy to reorganize the team. Moreover, with people shouting and horses neighing, orders cannot be transmitted effectively.

Seeing the Defense Battalion begin to flee, Pang Zi couldn't care so much either. He urged the horse to speed up.

As the saying goes, a defeat is like a landslide. If escaping was only forced at the beginning, but after running, seeing the enemy's horse team catching up behind, the psychological collapse was even faster. Soon, the scattered formation of the Canal Defense Battalion became like a flock of sheep.

Pang Zi liked to compare martial arts. When fighting under Uncle Jing Tingbin, with Chai Qingguo and this group of congenial brothers together, they compared notes a lot. When fighting on horseback and hacking people, especially chasing and killing like this, the most effective move is nothing more than hacking with a long knife. Hacking to the left, the target is the enemy's neck. When the horse rushes forward, withdraw the long knife with the momentum, and then hack to the right. Although he knew clearly in his heart that it was best not to inflict too many casualties on the Defense Battalion this time. But riding on a galloping steed, looking at the enemy running like wolves and rushing like pigs ahead, Pang Zi only felt his blood boiling. He could no longer control himself. The long knife probed to the left, slashing towards the neck of the Defense Battalion soldier on his front left.

Blood gushed out from the severed artery; the bloody smell sprayed straight into Pang Zi's nostrils. This was a smell he hadn't smelled for a long time. Pang Zi only felt the blood already surging in his body flow even more violently. That high fighting spirit didn't become more激昂 (激昂 - excited/aroused); on the contrary, Pang Zi became calm in an instant. All doubts and considerations for the future were thrown by him to the nine heavens. In Pang Zi's heart now, only one thought remained: eliminate all enemies visible in front of him.

Pang Zi's long knife swept right; the sharp blade cut directly into an enemy's throat. That enemy froze in place as if immobilized. After Pang Zi's long knife was pulled out, he only had time to cover the wound with his hand. Pang Zi couldn't see the performance of more enemies. Pang Tianshuo's horse rushing up closely behind Pang Zi knocked this Defense Battalion officer down directly from behind. Next, Pang Zi had already rushed into more enemies. Having killed two people, Pang Zi could no longer care so much. He roared, "Brothers, kill them all!"

Ignoring whether the brothers behind heard this roar, Pang Zi raised the long knife high and continued to hack towards the enemy. Perhaps hearing this roar of Pang Zi, perhaps someone seeing the killed companion, or perhaps just a natural reaction when caught up by the enemy, hysterical shouts of extreme fear came from the fleeing crowd of the Canal Defense Battalion.

Chen Tianhua listened to the report of the Peasant Association member with a solemn face. These honest and simple farmers hadn't really seen fighting, nor did they understand fighting. So these reports were full of various exclamations, various praises that completely missed the point. Fortunately, Chen Tianhua was considered knowledgeable. After asking about a few key points one by one, he could roughly piece together the overall situation.

Pang Zi and the others completely defeated the Canal Defense Battalion with one charge. The fleeing Canal Defense Battalion suffered heavy casualties. But Pang Zi only made one charge and held the team, without continuing to pursue. So at least half of the Defense Battalion officers and soldiers escaped with their lives. After cleaning up the battlefield, Pang Zi led the team towards Gaojia Village.

On the faces of Peasant Association members, more than half was excitement, and the remaining small half was faint fear. After Uncle Jing Tingbin rebelled back then, the Beiyang Army suppressed it bloodily in Xingtai. This was only a few years ago. Now Pang Zi did such a big thing; it would be incredible instead if the government troops didn't come to suppress it. Although the Peasant Association didn't participate in Pang Zi's Escort Agency, the relationship with Pang Zi was so deep. If saying they could completely get away with it, Peasant Association members wouldn't believe it themselves.

"Uncle Jing, please call the few officers over," Chen Tianhua said.

After the people went out, Chen Tianhua closed his eyes and sighed deeply. If it were before, hearing such a thing, Chen Tianhua would be excited first, and then go to join Pang Zi's team no matter what. But now, Chen Tianhua found that what he cared about first was not fighting with the Manchu Qing, but considering the livelihood of the Peasant Association common people. This change really made Chen Tianhua feel incredible. He had long changed from that "revolutionary" considering "big events" all day to the current "Director Chen of Peasant Association" paying attention to trivial matters all day.

Chen Tianhua couldn't distinguish whether this change was good or bad. The change of stance led to the change of concern points. When Chen Tianhua was no longer a person who just wanted the common people to contribute to the revolution, when Chen Tianhua believed that the purpose of the revolution was to let the people of the whole world live a good life. He no longer had that "frivolous" feeling. Thousands of households joining the Gaojia Village Peasant Association, tens of thousands of common people—Chen Tianhua had obligations and responsibilities to them. When the lives and properties of these ten thousand people were put in Chen Tianhua's heart, he only felt an indescribable heaviness.

Different from the hesitant and bitter heaviness when he didn't know how to promote revolution in China back then. The current heaviness was not the result. Who is the enemy, who is the comrade-in-arms, who is the friend—although Chen Tianhua couldn't say clearly, just this known intelligence made this youth known for his literary talent feel thousands of threads and loose ends.

What to do to maximize the protection of the interests of the Peasant Association common people? What to do to let the Peasant Association, which had effectively improved the livelihood of the common people, survive? These greatly exceeded Chen Tianhua's existing ability.

"If Wenqing were here, what would he do?" Chen Tianhua couldn't help thinking. Actually, when he first met Chen Ke, Chen Tianhua always felt this "revolutionary youth" trying hard to make friends with him had a heavy mind. Shrinking back in many things. In Chen Tianhua's view, since a man wants to revolutionize, he shouldn't be afraid. Afraid of this and that, how to revolutionize? To be honest, at that time, even if Chen Tianhua admired Chen Ke's talent, he still looked down on Chen Ke's practice a bit.

Now, when Chen Tianhua also undertook real revolutionary work, he could finally understand why Chen Ke was so cautious back then, even somewhat meaning advancing and retreating without measure. He knew that failing to see through these back then was precisely the clear proof that he was far inferior to Chen Ke.

"What exactly would Wenqing do?" Chen Tianhua couldn't help asking himself again murmuringly. In the few months with Chen Ke, because they never thought they would encounter such a situation, Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua hadn't mentioned the response to such things.

Chen Tianhua had superb memory. These memories discussed with Chen Ke revolved rapidly in his mind. When he was somewhat helpless, Chen Tianhua hoped to find usable information in these memories. Suddenly a thing popped out fiercely. Chen Ke was proficient in music and knew many very novel tunes. When the two were free from work, Chen Tianhua occasionally sang new songs. Once Chen Ke sang a song called *Azalea* (*Ying Shan Hong*). The tune was mournful and soft, completely different from the impassioned or tender and lingering tunes Chen Ke was used to. The tune was similar to the music in Jiangxi.

After singing, Chen Ke said a sentence very nostalgically, "The Party's army cannot let the common people suffer losses."

Thinking of this sentence, Chen Tianhua figured out the current key point instantly. No matter what situation encountered, absolutely cannot let the common people suffer losses. Whether the opponent is the Beiyang Army or Pang Zi. What Chen Tianhua himself wanted to guard was the interests of the common people, and only to guard the interests of the common people.

Having figured this out, Chen Tianhua stood up immediately. Seeing Jing Side and others entering the door, Chen Tianhua said: "Everyone hurry up and tally the money and account books of our Peasant Association. I plan to distribute the things to everyone."