Reading the Newspaper

As usual, Chu Tianshu found a restaurant to gather information.

Look at the owner of this restaurant; does he also have the habit of collecting old newspapers?

However, the first restaurant he entered wasn't doing very well.

The only customers at the table had just gotten up and left.

After the waiter cleared the plates from the table, he casually grabbed a towel and wiped the soup. Instead of drying it, the towel spread the soup evenly, leaving it shiny with oil.

The oily color didn't look quite right either.

The shopkeeper was flipping through the account books; he was thin-skinned and never looked up at the customers, just glancing at them with his eyelids raised.

Upon seeing Chu Tianshu's attire, he immediately looked up.

"Distinguished guest, are you looking for a place to stay or a meal...?"

Chu Tianshu had already turned around decisively. As he stepped out the door, his ears twitched slightly, and he heard the newsboy's hawking voice.

He turned the corner, asked a newsboy for directions, and went to the newspaper office.

He went directly to the newspaper owner and exchanged a thick gold needle for some copper coins.

Chu Tianshu gave two coins to the newsboy, then took the bag of money and sat down at a tea table in a corner of the newspaper office, flipping through old newspapers.

It has only been a little over a year since Chu Tianshu left this world.

But the past year or so has been a period of great upheaval, with one major event after another, keeping people on their toes.

Chu Tianshu prepared to move forward and flip to the month when he had just left.

But while flipping through the newspaper, he saw a shocking headline.

[The traitor Cai Shanjun has been killed!]

Click!

Chu Tianshu's pupils contracted slightly, and a thin crack appeared in the white porcelain teacup beside him.

He pulled out the newspaper and read it carefully, only to find that the entire article did not mention who had killed Cai Shanjun.

It is said that when Cai Shanjun led his troops in a fierce battle for several days and withdrew from the river, many soldiers fell to their deaths.

Cai Shanjun has certainly drowned as well.

Chu Tianshu frowned and flipped through a few more pages.

[Shocking! The Dadu of Yi Province has routed the main force of the Third Brigade!]

Yes, this Dadu of Yi Province is still called Cai Shanjun.

Chu Tianshu carefully compared the dates, gritted his teeth, and scoffed.

What the hell came up with this title?!

You died and then came back to life, didn't you?!

He picked up the cracked teacup, drank the water in one gulp, and began to examine the contents with focus.

More than a year ago, Yuan Shikai, the Old Yuan of the Yuan dynasty, openly declared himself emperor by offering a sacrifice to Heaven.

The Dadu of Yi Province was the first to raise the banner of rebellion against Yuan Shikai, and the Northern Army immediately mobilized a large force to suppress this "rebellion."

Unexpectedly, the people of Bashu and Chongqing also raised their banners in response, joining forces with Yi Province to form the National Protection Army. They fought the large army sent by the Yuan family to a standstill, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

This has caused an uproar both at home and abroad.

The regional military governors saw through the situation and either paid lip service to it while secretly resisting, or remained inactive, while some even raised the banner of anti-Yuan and anti-imperialism.

It only took a little over three months.

In his shock and anger, the Yuan emperor aggravated his old illness, which had already made him seriously ill. He had no choice but to announce the abolition of the reign title and the revocation of the imperial system in order to ease the conflict.

In this way, the National Protection Army achieved a phased victory, and knowing that the Northern Army was still powerful, the two sides negotiated a peace and ceased hostilities.

However, not long after, Old Yuan passed away, leaving behind no successor capable of subduing all the arrogant and fierce generals.

The Northern Army immediately revealed signs of chaos.

Chu Tianshu is currently in Henei County, Yu Province.

This place is considered relatively lucky.

Currently, no warlord has stationed troops here.

The chaos among warlords had not yet repeatedly ravaged this small county town.

However, this place is not far from the territory of the Song-Pacifying Army.

The Song-Pacifying Army originally started as a group of outlaws and swordsmen, or to put it bluntly, bandits.

Their leader, Liu Xueya, is a man of considerable insight.

He initially incited this group of swordsmen to raise the banner of anti-Qing, and after the Former Qing was overthrown, he reaped the benefits and transformed himself into a general.

At the height of Yuan's prestige, Liu Xueya curried favor with him effectively, which allowed him to grow stronger and occupy western Yu Province.

Because their territory was located near the Mount Song mountain range, they were known as the Song-Pacifying Army.

Although Yuan Shikai is gone, the Song-Pacifying Army has not suffered much damage.

There have been rumors among the people that this person is restless and will sooner or later send troops to try to occupy the entire territory of Yu Province.

After briefly browsing through the various events, Chu Tianshu then pulled out the newspapers that had previously reported on the National Protection Army's battles and examined them carefully.

The newspaper featured a photo of Cai Shanjun.

This appears to have been filmed on a battlefield; you can see that one of his arms is wrapped in bandages, yet he's smiling at the camera.

The three-month-long war may sound short, but it actually encompassed countless battles, encounters, and raids.

It's only what's recorded in the newspapers.

After the Yi Province army went into battle, they first helped Liu Yanqi take down the remaining die-hard elements in Bashu, and then divided their forces into three routes to fight in six counties.

One of the forces was led by Cai Shanjun himself, who was personally on the front lines.

When the conflict with the Northern Army occurred, Cai Shanjun was in charge of overall command, and the troops he deployed were engaged in battles with the enemy in multiple locations every day.

Liu Yanqi and his team worked seamlessly together, advancing rapidly through the mountains and repeatedly achieving surprise attacks.

However, such remarkable achievements could not mask the fact that they were outnumbered and faced constant danger at the time.

It wasn't just one newspaper that claimed Cai Shanjun had been killed.

In total, Cai Shanjun "died" four times in these three months.

Liu Yanqi "died" a total of six times.

That was when their troops suffered heavy casualties and lost ground.

Fortunately, they reappeared not long after.

"I wonder if Uncle Ma and Uncle Zhong are staying put and teaching at the Military Academy."

Chu Tianshu thought of his old friends, "The war was so fierce back then, if they hadn't been able to resist joining the fight..."

He decided in his heart that he would first go to Yi Province to take a look.

With his current strength, traveling from Yu Province to Yi Province wouldn't take him too long.

The newspaper owner noticed that he had finished reading the newspaper and walked over with a smile.

The man was wearing a gray long gown and brown-rimmed glasses. He looked to be around forty years old and seemed quite interested in chatting.

"Sir, you must have come from afar. You seem quite interested in our local newspaper. Are you perhaps planning to stay here for a while?"

The newspaper owner said, "We seem to be doing alright in Henei these past few years, but in my opinion, it might not be considered a very livable city."

"If you haven't yet acquired property here, sir, you might as well take a look at the territory of the Great Han Military Government."

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Oh, is it nice over there?"

"Of course!"

The newspaper owner said, "Bashu has been known as the Land of Abundance since ancient times, and Yi Province is also rich in resources and has beautiful scenery..."

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Is that so? But Yi Province Bashu are mountainous areas with deep Old Lin, full of all sorts of poisonous insects and rodents. The climate there is definitely not as suitable for people as it is here."

The newspaper owner said, "However, their morale is high and their governance is strict. Look at the world today, no army dares to easily provoke them."

"Without a strong military to protect us, we could be ravaged by troops from somewhere else any day."

Chu Tianshu considered carefully and said, "What about Jiangdong? In terms of climate and military strength alone, Jiangdong is also quite good. What you just mentioned are not advantages unique to the Great Han Military Government."

The newspaper owner choked for a moment, then said, "Alas, I was just speaking offhand. It seems I was not thoughtful enough. I have learned my lesson."

Chu Tianshu stood up in a good mood, patted him on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Actually, you have a good eye for talent; you can keep it up."

"However, you seem to have some minor health issues. Try not to eat too much oily food in the future; if you want to eat meat, focus on chicken."

"Goodbye."

After saying this, Chu Tianshu drew his sword and prepared to leave.

A figure wearing a top hat and carrying a wicker trunk walked into the newspaper office.

The moment they met, Chu Tianshu stopped in surprise.

It turned out to be someone I knew.

(End of this chapter)