Shi Dekuan and Lu Zhengping hid together in the reed marshes. Both had short hair, so they didn't need to disguise themselves as common people. They wore yellow and green "camouflage uniforms" and had hats woven from reed leaves on their heads. There were many mosquitoes in summer. In addition to tying the cuffs and trouser legs of their clothes, they also applied anti-bite ointment mixed with concentrated wormwood juice and other plant juices on their exposed skin. In a humid and hot environment, the steam evaporating from the reeds penetrated the clothes warmly. Coupled with this equipment, Shi Dekuan felt extremely uncomfortable.

Looking at Lu Zhengping beside him, Shi Dekuan couldn't find any look of happiness or unhappiness. Lu Zhengping raised a monocular and carefully observed the movements of the Hubei New Army in the distance. After watching for a while, Lu Zhengping would use a pen to record many things in a notebook. Shi Dekuan had taken a look at that notebook when he had time. It contained the hull numbers of the Hubei New Army naval vessels, some situations on the ships, and the positions reached by these ships at different times. Shi Dekuan was the cadre in the Yue Wang Society who had dealt with the People's Party the most, and also one of the cadres in the Yue Wang Society who had the best impression of the People's Party. Although he didn't fully understand Lu Zhengping's purpose in doing this, Shi Dekuan at least knew that this was not the time to speak.

Reconnaissance work was not endless observation. Lu Zhengping took Shi Dekuan to observe for a while, and then retreated quietly. Deep in the reeds, the Reconnaissance Company established its own observation base. That is to say, a patch of reeds was cut down in the dense reeds. To facilitate retreat, some passages were also cut in the reeds. These passages were true and false, marking the purpose of various passages in a special way. Shi Dekuan was very puzzled by the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army under the People's Party. They seemed never to be idle; as long as they had time, they started working. For example, the scouts who had returned used local materials to weave many mats with the fallen reeds. Some of these mats were used for sleeping, and some were built into low temporary huts. The soldiers of the Reconnaissance Company resting in the huts were indeed much more comfortable than in the open air.

Seeing the two return, Reconnaissance Company Commander He Jinwu put down the half-woven mat in his hand, stood up, and asked, "How is it?"

"The Beiyang Army is still conducting water depth mapping. It seems they won't come over for a while," Lu Zhengping replied. While speaking, the intelligence gathering staff had already taken the notebook from Lu Zhengping's hand.

"I didn't expect this group of people to be quite scientific," He Jinwu laughed.

"If even the navy doesn't talk about science, we wouldn't have to work so hard," Lu Zhengping also laughed.

In the Reconnaissance Company, such concise dialogue was enough for the soldiers to clearly understand each other's meaning. Lu Zhengping and He Jinwu could even joke about the Hubei New Army. But Shi Dekuan standing next to the two didn't understand what these two were laughing about at all. This couldn't be blamed on Shi Dekuan; the reconnaissance troops of the People's Party had undergone professional training. Knowledge of the navy was taught by Yan Fu personally. Behind these simple words, there were dozens or hundreds of hours of study as a foundation, and dozens or hundreds of field trainings as a foundation. Not to mention these non-professionals of the Yue Wang Society, even in the Hubei New Army Navy, which claimed to attach importance to cultural education, those whose basic knowledge could exceed that of the reconnaissance troop soldiers could be counted on one's fingers.

Shi Dekuan was originally sent by the Yue Wang Society to liaise. The People's Party had no idea of using the Yue Wang Society as cannon fodder. As soon as they received the news that Li Yuanhong's troops were attacking Hefei, the People's Party immediately sent people to contact the Yue Wang Society. The Yue Wang Society was somewhat frightened when hearing about the Hubei New Army. Chen Duxiu and others immediately sent people to contact the People's Party. Chen Ke proposed a "joint operation" to the Yue Wang Society, and the Yue Wang Society and others agreed immediately. Shi Dekuan was sent as a liaison officer, and as a result, he was sent to the reconnaissance troops.

As a guest of the People's Party, the requirement of the reconnaissance troops for Shi Dekuan was to obey basic orders and not to talk or walk around indiscriminately. Apart from this, the People's Party did not ask Shi Dekuan to join the labor. In these two or three days, apart from following the troops for reconnaissance, Shi Dekuan spent the rest of the time watching everyone work. He was thus politely excluded from the People's Party group. Everyone was young; after the freshness of the first day or two passed, it was easy to get bored. Watching others working in full swing, Shi Dekuan felt uncomfortable all over.

When attacking Anqing, Shi Dekuan saw the combat effectiveness of the People's Party with his own eyes. He originally thought that the battle of the People's Party would be the same as the Battle of Anqing: the People's Party occupied Hefei city, deployed heavy troops on the city wall, and both sides opened up the formation to bombard with cannons and shoot with muskets. The Yue Wang Society was driven out of Anqing by the Manchu Qing, and Shi Dekuan wanted to see how the People's Party would hold Hefei.

Up to now, the People's Party seemed to have no intention of defending Hefei at all. As a liaison officer, Shi Dekuan was also responsible for transmitting the latest enemy situation back to the Yue Wang Society. Seeing that the Hubei New Army had reached the Nanfei River and was close to Hefei, yet the reconnaissance troops of the People's Party could still weave mats unhurriedly, Shi Dekuan felt that the People's Party people were a bit too trifling. Out of politeness, Shi Dekuan had not spoken much, but now he finally couldn't help it. "Company Commander He, at this time, weaving mats can be done by subordinates. Are you not anxious yourselves?"

"Comrades have their own work. I'm free now; I have to do something," He Jinwu answered while his fingers continued to work nimbly. He was somewhat puzzled by Shi Dekuan's accusation. In the base area, Chairman Chen Ke lined up for meals, and occasionally when he went early, he would help the comrades in the canteen carry tables. How could a company commander like himself be so busy? Now the headquarters of the Reconnaissance Company was here. The weather was so hot, and rest wasn't good in this reed marsh anyway. He couldn't let the soldiers who went out for reconnaissance sleep on the ground after returning, right?

Shi Dekuan still didn't agree with He Jinwu's view. "Wouldn't it be much safer to send more people for reconnaissance?"

"Comrade Shi Dekuan, don't just think we are scouting others. If the reconnaissance troops move too frequently, it will easily expose our tracks. Doing things requires just the right amount." He Jinwu continued to explain.

Being told this, Shi Dekuan couldn't answer either. He didn't know to what extent it counted as just right. For Shi Dekuan, he wished to figure out all the action plans of the Hubei New Army clearly, and annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop when his side occupied the favorable climatic, geographical, and human conditions. But Shi Dekuan was a guest after all; he couldn't dictate to the People's Party. Although he absolutely didn't agree with He Jinwu's idea in his heart, Shi Dekuan at least shut his mouth and didn't make a sound anymore.

These few days were sunny, and the sun was fierce. When Shi Dekuan had nothing to say, he had to hide under the pergola made of reed mats. He still couldn't get over the fact that He Jinwu, a company commander in charge of hundreds of people, actually wove mats himself. In the Yue Wang Society, let alone managing a hundred or so people, even a leader managing a dozen people wouldn't weave mats for subordinates.

Since the Yue Wang Society retreated to Hefei in defeat, the People's Party allocated a piece of military farming land to the Yue Wang Society. In the following days, this group of people caused countless troubles. Hefei was not spared from the great flood last year, and the military farming land was also a blank land. The people in the Yue Wang Society were used to city life. Now letting them do military farming outside Hefei city, which was close at hand, was killing this group of people. The lowest-level people were okay, but many in the upper level of the Yue Wang Society questioned why the People's Party didn't let the Yue Wang Society station in the city. This group of people didn't dare to tear their faces with the People's Party now, so sayings like "assisting the People's Party to defend the city," "maintaining Hefei's public security," etc., emerged one after another.

Fortunately, Chen Duxiu and others could suppress the situation, and they brought a lot of silver from Anqing. In the first two months, they relied on buying things from Hefei city, plus part of the supplies sent by the People's Party. Although the military farming of the Yue Wang Society made no progress, it could maintain a not-too-bad life. But if the Yue Wang Society didn't engage in production itself, no matter how much money there was, they would sit and eat the mountain hollow. Although the Yue Wang Society was a local revolutionary party in Anhui, they were defeated soldiers. Who would invest in defeated soldiers? Although they went everywhere to contact local gentry, they couldn't get a penny. After more than two months, tens of thousands of taels of silver were simply not enough to spend.

The People's Party never stationed heavy troops in Hefei city. Over these two months, the cadres of the Yue Wang Society knew they had no money. If this continued, they would eat the mountain hollow in less than three months. Apart from asking for grain from the People's Party, there was no other way. Facing such a dilemma, "public sentiment was incited" within the Yue Wang Society. Many mid-level cadres were already shouting to enter Hefei city and establish the Hefei Revolutionary Military Government, maintaining the existence of the Revolutionary Military Government through taxation. Fortunately, Chen Duxiu, Bai Wenwei, and Chang Hengfang were not muddled, plus Xiong Chengji and a group of mid-level cadres firmly opposed being enemies with the People's Party, so the situation was barely maintained.

Until hearing that the Hubei New Army attacked, the talk inside the Yue Wang Society changed again. Many people thought that the People's Party was preparing to cheat the Yue Wang Society again, letting the Yue Wang Society take the blame in Hefei. Not long after being driven out of Anqing last time, many people in the Yue Wang Society firmly believed that the People's Party cheated the Yue Wang Society thoroughly last time, and now was preparing to repeat the old trick. They completely lost interest in Hefei city, and some simply proposed to rob Hefei city and leave.

Chen Duxiu and others initially focused on maintaining unity within the Yue Wang Society, but this time they couldn't bear it anymore. Those cadres who proposed to rob Hefei city and leave were called over, and Chang Hengfang scolded them severely. As revolutionaries, they must have some sense of shame. It was too much to say that revolutionaries turned into bandits. After being scolded, four mid-level cadres left without saying goodbye that day. The soldiers below were originally incited by "revolutionary slogans." When in Anqing, they were at least a "big force." In the two months here, any revolutionary enthusiasm was worn away completely. Since officers took the lead, soldiers below also began to leave. In the following days, the troops of the Yue Wang Society disintegrated at an alarming speed. Up to now, the Yue Wang Society only had more than three hundred people left. Even these three hundred people remained only because cadres like Bai Wenwei and Chang Hengfang vowed that the People's Party could absolutely destroy the Hubei New Army, and after this battle was fought, the Yue Wang Society could return to Anqing.

As the inspector of the Yue Wang Society, Shi Dekuan knew the current situation very well. If Bai Wenwei and Chang Hengfang hadn't stopped it, relying solely on loyalty to the revolution, the Yue Wang Society would have at most a hundred people left. Among the current three hundred people, many obviously just wanted to see the result of the battle between the Hubei New Army and the People's Party. Many people just had excessive curiosity and wanted to see this big scene. If the People's Party lost, the Yue Wang Society itself would probably collapse completely. Therefore, Shi Dekuan had a fear from the bottom of his heart regarding the People's Party reconnaissance troops' leisurely attitude. If the reconnaissance troops were so "inattentive," what good performance could the main force of the People's Party have?

Shi Dekuan didn't know that the main force of the People's Party had arrived near Hefei at this time, and Chen Ke's command post was only fifty *li* away from Shi Dekuan's position. Chen Ke was very satisfied with the intelligence provided by the reconnaissance troops. Every two hours, the latest intelligence was transmitted to the command post via carrier pigeons.

"Li Yuanhong's troops move so fast," Hua Xiongmao said somewhat guiltily.

Unlike the advanced pre-war mobilization before every battle in the past, as soon as Chen Ke took office as the commander-in-chief of this Hefei campaign, he immediately mobilized troops to start marching. Fortunately, after the assembly of the People's Party more than a month ago was completed, the combat readiness alert level had been constantly improving. So the mobilization of troops was barely satisfactory. In recent months, central cadres had gone to various counties to grasp work, and the speed of forming grassroots governments in the base area was quite fast. There were disaster areas everywhere, and the People's Party could provide grain and materials. Plus the fortified villages everywhere were broken, the People's Party effectively mastered political power under favorable climatic, geographical, and human conditions.

This march impressed Hua Xiongmao deeply; this was his first time marching so far on land. Chen Ke required the troops to take the land route instead of the water route as usual. As the commander of the Water Detachment, Zhang Yu was rarely the first to question. Chen Ke's explanation stunned the comrades of the Military Commission. "If the people in the base area didn't see with their own eyes that we have so many troops, do you think the people in the base area would believe we can win the battle?"

Chen Ke's words sounded nice, but the unspoken content in these words was, "Must prove the strength of the base area by showing off force." Comrades knew that Chen Ke always believed politics was the first priority, and effectively winning the hearts of the people was the first priority. But Chen Ke could actually carry this attitude through to the end when the Hubei New Army was pressing down on the border. This practice really opened the eyes of the Military Commission comrades.

The marching route that should have been the most economical and effective was abandoned. The troops that should have marched all the way were divided into three routes. Most of the areas passed by the routes were areas that had not completely accepted the existence of the People's Party until now. Needless to say about the military discipline of the People's Party; they didn't commit the slightest offense against civilians wherever they went. The soldiers marched in neat formation singing military songs through county towns, towns, and villages. It wasn't that the people in the base area hadn't seen the People's Party troops, but the people had never seen a march on the scale of thousands of people in their lives. The onlookers were dumbfounded.

High-flying red flags, neat queues, neat dark blue military uniforms, and marching packs carried on the soldiers' backs, rifles carried on their shoulders. And cavalry of the Communication Battalion responsible for transmitting orders between various troops. Once a force had discipline, even if it just passed by, it made those who saw it feel a strong sense of oppression. Most of the people's understanding of the People's Party came from grassroots organization personnel entering various areas, and rumors from various places. Everyone might not be convinced in their hearts. Until seeing this force with their own eyes, the people knew how powerful the military force of the People's Party was. A sense of awe for the People's Party arose spontaneously.

Because of the marching route problem, the final assembly time of the troops was much later. Less than four days after arriving near Hefei city, Li Yuanhong's fleet entered Chaohu Lake. by the standards of this era, the marching speed of the Hubei New Army commanded by Li Yuanhong could not be said to be slow. If the commander-in-chief of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was not Chen Ke but another comrade, he might really have been caught off guard by Li Yuanhong.

Chen Ke did not panic about the news from all sides. For a time traveler, traveling thousands of *li* from morning to evening is just a norm. In the concept of modern people, the march of the army is actually slower than normal people. Chen Ke often had the idea of traveling in the morning, and might already be at the destination thousands of *li* away in the evening. This mentality seemed useless, but for a supreme commander of the entire army, the calm and composed attitude formed by this mentality was quite useful.

During the march, the military meeting was actually completed while walking. Chen Ke's ambition was not only to destroy Li Yuanhong, but Chen Ke wanted to snatch the naval warships of the Hubei New Army into his hands. With this as the combat goal, Li Yuanhong must be separated from the navy, and Li Yuanhong must be made to go ashore.

"There was an iron lock across the river in ancient times; we might as well learn from the ancients." Chen Ke explained his combat plan this way.

The comrades of the Military Commission could understand the term "iron lock across the river," but the base area simply didn't have time to forge iron chains now, and this thing couldn't withstand explosives residue either. At first, no one understood Chen Ke's meaning very well. The first one to react was Zhang Yu. He asked loudly, "Do we have to use cement?"

Even with such an obvious hint, there were still comrades who didn't understand. They looked nervously at Chen Ke, then at Zhang Yu. Hua Xiongmao also understood at this time. He laughed, "It's getting some bamboo cages, pouring cement into blocks, and pushing them into the river. In this way, the Hubei New Army's navy can't pass these obstacles and can only take the land route. Separating the Hubei New Army's navy and army, we have a chance to defeat them one by one." With Hua Xiongmao's explanation, the comrades suddenly realized.