Shouzhou was a very important military stronghold in the agricultural era. It controlled the Huai River and occupied a rather perilous terrain, making it a key point for stationing troops. Although the Anhui New Army was considered a unit formed relatively early in the Beiyang system, Anhui was after all far from the Zhili region to which Beiyang belonged. Even if the old organization existed in name only, at least the organization was still there. According to the organization of 1906, the Shouchun Town General commanded two battalions of the Town Headquarters, and concurrently governed battalions like Lu'an. The Town Headquarters Central Battalion, Right Battalion, Lu'an Battalion, Yingzhou Battalion, Sizhou Battalion, Luzhou Battalion, Bozhou Battalion, and Longshan Battalion. It gathered the military chief officers of several prefectures along the Huai River.

If the Manchu Qing troops under Shouzhou's jurisdiction were all Green Standard Army, according to the Manchu Qing military system, a Green Standard battalion had two or three hundred at minimum, and six or seven hundred at maximum. Under full strength, the Shouchun Town General could use a force of more than three thousand men. This could be considered a relatively large military force. However, in the late Qing, military preparations were lax. Including yamen runners, the total number of people Shouzhou City could pull out did not exceed one thousand. But in the eyes of the vast majority of landlords in Fengtai County, Qing troops of this number were already a very powerful and irresistible armed force.

Landlord Hu Youdao and his nephew Hu Congjian thought so. They did not know that the actual number of the Insurance Corps exceeded ten thousand people. This was a powerful military force that ranked first or second not only in Fengtai County and Fengyang Prefecture but even in the whole of Anhui. Even if they knew this, the Hu landlord family would still firmly believe that facing the Qing army, no matter how many troops there were, they were not worth mentioning.

The highest official in Shouzhou now was Shen Zengzhi, the Assistant Prefect of Fengyang Prefecture stationed here. Landlord Hu Youdao absolutely could not contact an official of such rank. The landlords of Fengtai County at most knew some low-level officials, but since he was risking his life, Landlord Hu didn't care that much anymore. According to Landlord Hu Youdao's instructions, Hu Congjian went directly to the front of the Shouzhou Assistant Prefect's Yamen. Although the officers and yamen runners on both sides of the gate looked lazy, and although his uncle repeatedly emphasized that if this matter failed, the Hu family's land would definitely be finished, Hu Congjian still felt his calves go weak thinking about what he had to do. The listless officers and yamen runners also looked very terrifying. But after all, Hu Congjian also knew that this matter concerned the fate of the family. He finally hardened his heart, gritted his teeth, drummed up courage in his heart, then strode to the gate of the yamen, knelt down with a thud, straightened his neck, and shouted loudly: "Your Excellency, someone wants to rebel in Fengtai County!"

Completely different from what Hu Congjian imagined, the officers and yamen runners did not face a formidable enemy upon hearing this, nor did they rush up to drag Hu Congjian up and interrogate him menacingly. On the contrary, these officers looked strangely at Hu Congjian in front of the gate, their eyes full of doubt and disgust. Hu Congjian only felt that their gazes looking at him were like looking at a fool. But since he had done it to this extent, there was no way back. He straightened his neck again and shouted loudly: "Your Excellency, someone wants to rebel in Fengtai County!"

"Are you full and bursting? What are you shouting about here for no reason? What crime should you bear for disturbing His Excellency the Assistant Prefect? Scram!" Finally, a yamen runner shouted while walking towards here. Yamen runners had seen many things. If Hu Congjian looked very timid at a glance, perhaps there was a possibility of extortion. But Hu Congjian looked tough in attitude, having quite a flavor of a bachelor [rogue/rascal]. Plus the content shouted was quite terrifying, actually rebellion. Obviously, there was no profit in going up to extort. For this kind of person, the yamen runner had absolutely no interest. Even if he arrested him, this kind of person would only shout and scream indiscriminately, causing quite a few troubles. The best way to handle it was nothing better than driving him away directly.

Seeing someone pay attention to him, Hu Congjian immediately felt like he had grabbed a life-saving straw. "Sir, there is a bandit chief of the Insurance Corps in Fengtai County named Chen Ke. He gathered tens of thousands of people, plotted unruliness, and intended to rebel. I want to report to the officials." Saying this, Hu Congjian took out a complaint from his bosom. "I have a complaint. I have a complaint!"

Seeing that Hu Congjian was actually serious, the yamen runner became even more angry. "Shouzhou is dozens of li away from Fengtai County; how come we don't know someone wants to rebel?" Those who came to report to officials these days all exaggerated. The yamen runner had seen a case before where a landlord, because he didn't want his son to learn some Western studies, simply forced his son to smoke opium in order to make his son behave. The son naturally refused, and as a result, the landlord father actually ran to the yamen to sue his son for disobedience. This kind of person was definitely looking for trouble when there was none.

Just as the yamen runner was cursing and preparing to carry a stick over to drive the person away, someone behind suddenly asked, "You say the Insurance Corps wants to rebel; how do they rebel?"

"They gathered tens of thousands of people, and every one of them cut their queues. If this isn't rebellion, what is it?" Hu Congjian said loudly.

"Scram. My relative is in Fengtai County; I saw him just a few days ago. Why didn't he cut his queue?" The one speaking was also a yamen runner.

"This... there is an Insurance Corps in Fengtai County. The people inside all cut their queues." Hu Congjian hurriedly explained.

"My relative is in the Insurance Corps; why didn't I see him cut his queue?" the speaking yamen runner asked with his head tilted.

Hearing this, Hu Congjian became anxious. He craned his neck and shouted, "Then, then he must be lying. They just want to rebel."

Amidst a burst of laughter from the yamen runners and soldiers, the yamen runner who spoke just now immediately changed his expression. "Fart! You say my big brother rebelled? You are looking for death." After speaking, the yamen runner carried his stick and rushed over. Before Hu Congjian could react, the yamen runner's big stick had already come down on his head.

Hu Congjian never expected that coming to report to the officials with loyalty would result in such treatment. Unable to dodge in time, he took several blows in a row. Fortunately, the yamen runner didn't strike ruthlessly; although it hurt, he didn't really suffer much injury. Taking a few blows, Hu Congjian cried and complained in excitement, "This bunch of Insurance Corps people forced the landlords of Fengtai County to lend out their land for two years for those people in Fengtai County to farm. This is wanting our lives; this is rebellion."

Hearing this, the yamen runner who struck him spat. "In this disaster year, do you know that is your family's land? If the land isn't farmed, won't everyone starve to death? You want to watch everyone starve to death? Bastard thing!"

Hu Congjian never expected that the people in the yamen would actually not stand on the landlord's side, but on the side of the Fengtai County common people. His heart turned ice-cold instantly. Actually, whether Chen Ke wanted to rebel or not, neither Hu Congjian nor his uncle Hu Youdao actually knew. Even that land distribution agreement was signed with the government taking the lead. At least procedurally it was reasonable and legal; Hu Youdao had signed and pressed his handprint on it. But the Insurance Corps really succeeded in disaster relief and gathered tens of thousands of common people. They looked polite now, but once they prepared to turn hostile later, families like Zhang Youliang's would be destroyed in an instant; the Hu family was definitely not an opponent. Holding the thought of fighting to the death, the Hu family came to report to the officials. Hu Congjian was even mentally prepared to be dragged away and tortured. But he didn't expect that his report not only failed to enter the main gate, but even the people inside the yamen didn't support the landlords.

At this moment, all his hopes were dashed; he no longer even had the thought of dodging or resisting the stick. He suddenly knelt there, disheartened. The beaten place burned with pain. Hu Congjian suddenly burst into loud crying.

When people reveal true feelings, there is always an inexplicable infectious power. Seeing Hu Congjian crying so sadly, the yamen runner didn't want to beat him anymore. The yamen runner with a relative in the Insurance Corps went up and kicked Hu Congjian. "Hurry up and scram, don't linger here." Unexpectedly, Hu Congjian just lay on the ground following the momentum and continued to cry desperately. Hu Congjian was truly heartbroken. Even if the Insurance Corps really returned the land to the landlords after two years, the harvest of these two years naturally didn't need to be thought about anymore. And what the land would be ruined into, Hu Congjian couldn't imagine either. His own land being occupied by others for nothing was like digging out Hu Congjian's heart. Lying on the bluestone floor in front of the yamen, the cold ground made Hu Congjian feel as cold as if he were in an ice cave.

Just at this moment, he heard a sound of footsteps. Then the yamen runners immediately left Hu Congjian's side. Looking from a skewed angle, the team coming in the middle carried a dragon flag at the front; everyone was in military uniform. Hu Congjian felt joy in his heart; it seemed a high official had arrived. He hurriedly climbed up, preparing to go forward and shout about his grievance. But when he propped up his body, he saw that the person in the lead looked somewhat familiar. Looking carefully, it was actually that Vice Brigade Commander of the Anhui New Army.

Pu Guanshui's arrival a month ago almost destroyed the will to resist of all Fengtai County landlords. The leader of the Insurance Corps, Chen Ke, claimed to be a disciple of Yan Fu, the Chief Instructor of the Beiyang Naval Academy. The landlords were half-believing and half-doubting about this statement. But the Fengtai County Magistrate was definitely below Chen Ke. When the landlords saw with their own eyes that the dignified Vice Brigade Commander of the Anhui New Army also saluted Chen Ke first, the vast majority of them gave up the thought of hostility towards Chen Ke. With many connections in officialdom above and thousands of Insurance Corps soldiers below, there was no hope of winning in hostility against Chen Ke. Landlord Hu Youdao and Hu Congjian were considered extremely daring people among the landlords; that was why they dared to come and report to the officials. But seeing Pu Guanshui appearing in front of the Fengyang Prefecture Assistant Prefect's Yamen with his own eyes, Hu Congjian was frightened out of his wits. His heart was full of despair; it seemed Pu Guanshui came personally to arrest him. Hu Congjian dared not even think about what end he would meet falling into Pu Guanshui's hands.

Hu Congjian's worry was completely superfluous. Pu Guanshui simply didn't know someone came to Shouzhou to report to the officials. Although he had met numerous landlords at the welcome meeting where Chen Ke forcibly dragged the landlords to welcome him, the appearance of these people didn't enter Pu Guanshui's mind at all. After meeting the landlords, Pu Guanshui forgot all their appearances. Let alone Hu Congjian, who was squeezed in the back and hadn't even shown his face.

Today he came under the orders of the People's Party Military Commission to visit the various officials of Shouzhou. The Water Detachment's action of breaking forts everywhere had temporarily come to an end. The troops' morale was high and full of confidence. Moreover, having experienced such continuous battles, the Water Detachment had also selected loyal and reliable soldiers. The Military Commission finally decided on a new step of the operational plan: to pull out this Manchu Qing stronghold of Shouzhou. And Pu Guanshui's visit this time became imperative.

A year ago, if not for Shang Yuan being the magistrate in Fengtai County and Pu Guanshui coordinating in the Anhui New Army, Chen Ke might not necessarily have had any big plans. Fengtai County was not a good base area. First, geographically, Fengtai County was located on the edge of the plain and beside the Huai River. It was convenient for deploying troops, and Shouzhou, as an important military stronghold, was only dozens of li away from Fengtai County. The Manchu Qing had sufficient military strength. If there was slight disturbance in Fengtai County, the Shouzhou official army could move out. The People's Party was unfamiliar with the place and people in Fengtai County; with the encirclement and suppression of the official army and without a mass base, the revolutionary situation was very difficult.

So the Insurance Corps acted very low-key at the beginning, fearing that radical actions would cause unnecessary trouble.

But the flood of 1906 completely solved this problem. The common people of Fengtai County had no choice; except for the People's Party, no one could save them. And Shouzhou City was a thousand-year-old ancient city with rich experience in self-preservation against floods. The result was that during the flood, they would inevitably close their doors to protect themselves and would not move out. Although Shouzhou and Fengtai County were close at hand, Chen Ke firmly believed that in the initial period of the vigorous development of the revolution in Fengtai County, they would absolutely not be subjected to military threats from Shouzhou.

At the beginning of the flood outbreak, Chen Ke convened a plenary meeting of the People's Party to discuss the issue of the revolutionary situation. As a person from the downstream of history, Chen Ke knew a lot of history. 1906 was the late Qing, not the Republic of China. If they were Kuomintang soldiers, they would definitely not care about anything; after the flood, as long as they could move freely, these Kuomintang "Calamity Army" would definitely go out to loot madly everywhere. The 1911 Revolution was different from other revolutions in Chinese history. Although the Manchu Qing era was very lethargic, it had not collapsed comprehensively financially. Officials were even less likely to reach the level of the Kuomintang regarding themselves as bandits. In these years, there was at least some grain in the granaries; the Manchu Qing official system had not reached the level of the Kuomintang's shameless reckless behavior.

After the flood occurred, most comrades felt they couldn't even take care of themselves, thinking whether they could survive the flood was a big problem. As for the military threat of Shouzhou City, it was completely not the main point anymore. Chen Ke and his diehard comrades personally led the team to start disaster relief like desperadoes. Other comrades also started to follow the action somewhat desperately. So without any debate, the comrades acquiesced to this prediction of Chen Ke. Even after the flood receded, the comrades never mentioned Shouzhou matters again. To be fair, rather than saying they had full confidence in Chen Ke's prediction, it was better to say that due to lack of struggle experience, the comrades hoped the development of things would be as Chen Ke predicted.

But the progress of things was completely as Chen Ke predicted. For several months, there was no movement at all from the direction of Shouzhou. The Insurance Corps' actions were completely free. When the Insurance Corps began to break forts along the Huai River, because Fengtai County was located downstream of Shouzhou, the Insurance Corps' actions absolutely did not lean towards the direction of Shouzhou. The Insurance Corps Water Detachment's military edge even reached the shore of Hongze Lake, yet Shouzhou remained like a blind man with open eyes, making no movement. Chen Ke's powerful prediction ability made the comrades admire him from the bottom of their hearts. So, when Chen Ke gathered 1,200 elite soldiers of the Water Detachment back to Fengtai County, preparing to solve the Shouzhou enemy, the Military Commission and the Party Committee likewise had no voice of opposition.

Pu Guanshui handed in his calling card and waited outside himself. It wasn't his first time in Shouzhou. After arriving in Fengtai County, Pu Guanshui had come once. But that time he was merely making a courtesy visit. Although Shouzhou also claimed to possess heavy troops, in the late Qing, military preparations were lax, and good equipment was given to the New Army. Old troops like Shouzhou's would be cut sooner or later. This was clearly proposed in the New Army construction program proposed by Yuan Shikai. Since the fate of reduction and reorganization was inevitable, these officers of Shouzhou's old military system were even less willing to waste energy rectifying the army.

regarding the arrival of New Army Vice Brigade Commander Pu Guanshui, Shouzhou's side was passable on the surface. Seeing that the official document brought by Pu Guanshui required various places to guard their own territories well and that Pu Guanshui would coordinate various places to avoid disaster victim rebellion, the attitude of the Shouzhou local military from top to bottom was very consistent. They were unwilling to move out; anyway, after trouble occurred, Pu Guanshui would bear it. Why should everyone bother to exert this effort?

Pu Guanshui knew the thoughts of the Shouzhou military, and this was also what he and Chen Ke hoped would happen most. The battles of the Insurance Corps breaking forts were all within the jurisdiction of the Shouzhou military. Although with the ability of this Manchu Qing army, even if they knew the news, they wouldn't really have any combat capability. But they were too close to Fengtai County; even if the Shouzhou army moved out casually, Fengtai County would be in turmoil.

More importantly, an army that has not experienced battle has no combat capability, especially fighting will. If the army hadn't broken forts on a large scale, if the army hadn't understood why they were fighting, Chen Ke simply didn't believe his troops could have any fighting will if asked to attack Shouzhou directly. Wavering and running away would be light; he was afraid quite a few locals in the army would go to inform against them.

Now, after a series of fort-breaking battles, the troops had been exercised. Having seen so many miserable disaster victims struggling on the death line, the soldiers understood that to save the common people, following the old methods was simply bullshit. Thinking of those miserable disaster victims, Pu Guanshui couldn't help but close his eyes. Those emaciated common people, those common people struggling on the death line...

"With His Excellency here, why don't you scram quickly!" A low angry shout interrupted Pu Guanshui's train of thought. He opened his eyes and saw two yamen runners pulling and kicking a guy sitting on the ground. That guy let the yamen runners beat him without making a sound, only staring at himself with wide eyes.

Thinking of the common people in the disaster area, Pu Guanshui's heart was full of compassion. Seeing someone being beaten, he couldn't help but speak out to advise: "These two brothers, just drive him away. Why use force?"

The yamen runners didn't expect Pu Guanshui to speak up to stop them. They quickly turned their heads and smiled, "Your Excellency, this person was full of nonsense just now when he arrived here. We were afraid he would talk nonsense and disturb Your Excellency. That's why we wanted to get him away quickly."

"Sigh!" Pu Guanshui sighed. Presumably, this person had suffered some great grievance, which was why he ran to the Fengyang Prefecture Assistant Prefect's Yamen to report to the officials. If not because the Military Commission was already going to solve the military and political system of Shouzhou City, Pu Guanshui would have liked to see if he could help. He turned his head to look at the person on the ground, but unexpectedly saw that young man suddenly let out a scream, then crawled up and fled for his life.

The yamen runner spat in the direction Hu Congjian fled, then turned his head and smiled, "Your Excellency, look, that person is a madman. Just now when he was full of nonsense, he actually wanted to see our Assistant Prefect. Unexpectedly, seeing Your Excellency, he ran away."

Hearing this—not knowing if it was flattery or not—Pu Guanshui could only smile bitterly. "What did he say just now?"

"It was all crazy talk. He actually said..." The yamen runner accompanied with a smile, preparing to answer Pu Guanshui's question, but saw the gate of the Assistant Prefect's Yamen slowly open. They immediately swallowed the rest of the words back into their stomachs.

"Your Excellency, our Assistant Prefect has come to welcome you." After speaking, the yamen runner hurriedly retreated to his position. But he failed to tell Pu Guanshui what happened just now.

Pu Guanshui turned his head and straightened his military cap. He saw an official over fifty years old with a long beard walking out surrounded by a group of people. This official was none other than the Assistant Prefect of Fengyang Prefecture, Shen Zengzhi.