Li Yuanhong did not know that his opponent had the leisure to consider his duality. If Li Yuanhong really knew, he would probably say aggrievedly, "I am just a military officer; where do I get so many thoughts?"

The Hubei New Army had landed and begun to walk to Hefei. As the supreme commander of the Hubei New Army attacking Hefei this time, Li Yuanhong now felt extreme embarrassment. Li Yuanhong knew the training level of the Hubei New Army very well, but the strength of the opposing People's Party bandit army far exceeded Li Yuanhong's imagination. This army had super strong engineering capabilities and powerful organizational capabilities. Li Yuanhong thought this was the handiwork of his "teacher" Yan Fu. The original raid plan had now turned into a frontal attack. To grasp a more comprehensive plan, Li Yuanhong ordered the scouts to accelerate intelligence gathering.

Li Yuanhong's troops pulled out very thoroughly. Since the fleet could no longer go upstream, they temporarily dropped anchor and stopped at the starting point of the army, ensuring that the distance between the two sides could be minimized. Not only that, Li Yuanhong even hoped that the navy could tie ropes to the large underwater cement blocks and drag the obstacles apart by the power of steam engines, trying to let the navy keep up with the army's actions as much as possible. Shallow-draft navy sailing ships carrying logistical supplies crossed the obstacles and continued upstream.

After the main force of the Hubei New Army pulled out, the sailors didn't want to get off the ship at all, and there were very few people left on the shore. The landing site, once bustling with shouting people and neighing horses, soon became deserted. The sailors were long used to the busy Yangtze River. Facing a wide and quiet Nanfei River with no ships on the water surface, and the deafening cicada songs ringing in the woods on both banks of the Nanfei River—it would be the Beginning of Autumn before long, and these cicadas were using their last strength to sing the songs of summer. Apart from this, there was no other movement. This silence amidst the noise made the sailors feel very uncomfortable.

In the woods unnoticed by the Hubei Navy, several clumps of bushes suddenly swayed unnaturally. Soon, a piece of ground with plants rose obliquely. Two people covered in mud all over their faces and bodies climbed out naked. They carried clothes that were also covered in muddy water. First, they carefully observed the surrounding environment. Seeing no scouts ambushed by the Hubei New Army, these two people imitated the cuckoo's call a few times. Another well-camouflaged observation point soon opened its camouflage cover. Two People's Party Reconnaissance Company soldiers also climbed out.

It was already the hottest time of the *Sanfu* days (dog days). It was wet and hot inside the hiding spot. Their lean bodies coated with grease had already been marked with streaks by sweat. Everyone didn't care about the scorching sun at all. Compared with inside the hiding spot, the fresh air in the woodland and the warm feeling of sunlight on the body were too comfortable.

While panting, everyone covered the lid first. One person from each observation point was sent to report the situation, while the other comrades remained in place to investigate the situation, preparing to meet the next wave of scouts. Putting on straw sandals, the two selected comrades walked quickly to the meeting point.

"It really suffocated me to death." A scout complained.

"This ointment felt cool at first, but it didn't last too long." The speaking scout rubbed his body as he spoke. He referred to the anti-mosquito ointment, which had turned into mud paste inside the hiding spot.

It was not unusual for the comrades of the reconnaissance troops to complain like this. Persisting for two days in such harsh conditions was indeed very hard. But everyone knew that to hide under the enemy's nose for so long, everyone was mentally prepared long ago. The People's Party also did its utmost in preparation work. In addition to anti-mosquito ointment, everyone prepared at least instant food and refreshing candy. Hard candy mixed with wormwood, mint, and other refreshing plants could indeed refresh everyone well when held in the mouth.

After casually saying a few words about physical discomfort, the comrades' topic turned to the Hubei New Army that had left not long ago. "These Hubei guys stayed here for almost two days. Not deciding quickly whether to leave or fight—do they still want to fight like this?"

The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army would absolutely not have such problems. It wasn't that the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army would have any special performance when encountering such unexpected situations beyond common sense. But the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army would send out reconnaissance forces long in advance. They would absolutely not make the mistake of knowing that the enemy had set up obstacles a few days ago only when they arrived in front of them.

The scouts retreated quickly according to the pre-set route. There was still some distance from the meeting point. Originally, using pigeons to transmit information would be much faster. Helplessly, pigeons couldn't be kept in the hiding spot; this was the result of tests. Pigeons' tolerance to the environment was far inferior to humans. Well-trained scouts could hide in underground hiding spots for two days and still be lively and vigorous. General test results showed that if they stayed in a hot and humid hiding spot for more than 16 hours, pigeons would either fall ill or simply die in the harsh environment.

Approaching the meeting point, the sound of a cuckoo came from not far away. This was the agreed signal. The scouts replied with the sound of crickets.

"Why did you come over naked?" The comrade who came to meet them laughed.

"If you stayed there for two days, you wouldn't be much better than us." The scouts also laughed. After walking for a while in the woods, their bodies really felt completely recovered. Everyone felt much better after putting on the clothes warmed by the sun.

Intelligence was exchanged quickly; reconnaissance was not just about looking. The People's Party's enhanced cultural education showed results. The scouts were cooped up in the hiding spots for two days, and each person recorded a thick stack of information. There were special annotations behind each piece of information. When and where the intelligence was seen. The People's Party never stingy with materials; each intelligence agent was equipped with a pocket watch produced in the base area. Although it didn't run very accurately, everyone wound it on time. After finally transmitting it to the general headquarters, these times would be finally calibrated with Chen Ke's watch, and roughly accurate times could still be judged.

Chen Ke once thought that the so-called revolutionary spirit was the explosion of infinite progressiveness. Nothing more than disregarding one's own interests, selfless dedication, and the like. As he personally participated in the revolution, Chen Ke's view changed. Grandpa Mao's selected works repeatedly emphasized: "What is feared most in the world is the word 'seriousness,' and the Communist Party is most serious." Whether one is revolutionary or not depends not on slogans, or on who brags louder. It depends on the attitude of doing things, the degree of seriousness in doing things. If these intelligence agents didn't have a serious and responsible attitude towards the revolution, they would either not write these intelligence summaries properly or simply write nonsense. Not serious and responsible about time either. If the Military Commission formulated tactics based on such intelligence, something big would go wrong.

Hiding in a hot and humid environment for two days indeed required great perseverance and dedication. This action itself meant an attitude towards the revolution. No need to say more; just look at what was done.

Intelligence was quickly transmitted to the headquarters through the traffic line. The People's Party established more than a dozen fixed observation points and various mobile observation points. The collected intelligence was summarized one by one according to the formulated screening method, and conflicting intelligence would also be picked out. The war machine of the People's Party operated with extremely high efficiency.

Chen Ke watched the comrades of the Military Commission and the Staff Department analyze this intelligence and start formulating plans according to the intelligence. Some people had obviously mastered the methods of warfare, while some were undoubtedly unskilled in their own work. Everyone's concentration was different, which could be seen from their faces. Every time he saw these vastly different expressions, Chen Ke often felt a sense of helplessness that perhaps only a time traveler would have.

Everyone's understanding of science was too different from Chen Ke's. These comrades couldn't be blamed for their lack of knowledge. In just over a year, these comrades who were originally a group of absolutely non-professionals could basically operate a command post managing tens of thousands of officers and soldiers; this in itself was a miracle. But many comrades, especially some comrades Chen Ke favored, did not master these war science knowledges to a degree that satisfied Chen Ke.

In all fairness, among all senior officers, Chen Ke disliked Zhang Yu the most. This person gave Chen Ke the feeling that he was too proficient in interpersonal relationships and lacked sufficient revolutionary firmness. Before this Battle of Hefei, the one who dared to jump out publicly to express that he didn't want to "break the pots and pans" was Zhang Yu. If Chen Ke hadn't immediately stated that he would command personally, just these words could cause considerable damage to morale. And after being criticized by Chen Ke, Zhang Yu immediately expressed support for Chen Ke's command without feeling embarrassed at all. Chen Ke found it hard to generate a sense of trust in such a slick guy.

And Chen Ke hoped most that Hua Xiongmao could take up the heavy responsibility of the entire army, but Hua Xiongmao also disappointed Chen Ke a bit. Not that Hua Xiongmao didn't work hard, but that Hua Xiongmao thought too much in his heart. Hua Xiongmao didn't put his mind entirely on military command. Chen Ke always had a feeling that Hua Xiongmao subconsciously always wanted to be responsible to Chen Ke alone, and get Chen Ke's praise through various military victories.

This loyalty certainly had its beneficial side, but this impure attitude prevented Hua Xiongmao from considering the laws of war itself realistically. In formulating plans, Hua Xiongmao often pursued the result of "victory." "Victory" is never pursued; victory itself is walking on the path of victory, making correct choices one by one, and finally completing a job. Hua Xiongmao obviously didn't understand this point. Or rather, because of his own psychological reasons, he gave up this approach.

As for the newly joined Pu Guanshui, his problem lay in his thinking being relatively outdated. Pu Guanshui was a professional soldier. He had a "professional soldier's scientific attitude" towards military affairs, but this scientific attitude prevented Pu Guanshui from understanding the essence of "People's War." People's War first unites the people; war is first built on the basis of conforming to the people's interests. So Pu Guanshui could execute all policies dogmatically. But this execution was specious. If encountering real pressure, he would definitely have problems and drop the chain.

Looking at these main cadres of the Military Commission, Chen Ke felt that none of them could stand alone, making Chen Ke relieved to hand over the command to these comrades. This was really a very regrettable thing for Chen Ke.