Chapter 1 Qiu Ge

Qiu Ge, leading over twenty daredevil soldiers from the An faction, strapped with explosives, took Jiang Yuanzhen hostage and holed up inside the empty command center, sealing the doors.

Considering Jiang Yuanzhen's safety, the guards didn't dare to rush in, forced to watch helplessly from outside.

Meanwhile, the outer garrison troops were still retreating. The two guard regiments had never been assembled to begin with, merely scattered around the garrison, and later betrayed, making an effective defense impossible.

Although the An faction forces also only sent two regiments, they relied on a surprise attack, advancing rapidly, sweeping through the command headquarters compound and joining up with Qiu Ge and his men.

Those officers who had been shouting their support for Jiang Yuanzhen also took advantage of the chaos to sneak away.

The An faction forces quickly took control of the command center, protected Qiu Ge, arrested Jiang Yuanzhen, and swiftly left the logistics command headquarters.

…

11:20 PM, Garrison Headquarters.

In the conference room, the officers who had been waiting for almost a day were getting restless, each face etched with anxiety. Even Tan Mingchao kept glancing at his watch, a hint of annoyance occasionally flashing in his eyes.

Only Tan Hengqiang remained as steady as Mount Tai, standing with his hands behind his back in front of the city defense map, deep in thought.

Just then, a staff officer in charge of intelligence work rushed into the conference room, looking flustered, and shouted at Tan Hengqiang, "Commander, urgent intelligence!"

Tan Hengqiang turned around and waved his hand. "Speak."

The staff officer, holding the intelligence report, said loudly, "Fifteen minutes ago, two regiments of the An faction bypassed the defense line and launched a surprise attack on the Jiang faction army's logistics command headquarters from the rear. Jiang Yuanzhen was holding a meeting there and has now been taken into custody by the An faction."

Hearing this, the conference room erupted in an uproar. The officers were stunned, their faces paling.

Only Tan Hengqiang's expression remained unchanged, merely nodding slightly.

A general couldn't help but stand up, saying with obvious bewilderment, "Why would the logistics command headquarters be attacked? And how did An Ze City know Old Jiang's whereabouts?"

"The specific situation is still unknown, but he should have been taken away," the staff officer said, shaking his head, his face also showing a trace of perplexity. "According to the intelligence received so far, Jiang Yuanzhen has lost contact with the First Army's guard regiment."

"How did Old An manage this?"

"How did Old Jiang fall so quickly?"

"What kind of battle is this?! Old Jiang is a veteran of three wars; how could he be beheaded right at the start?"

Everyone was bewildered, completely unclear about the situation. At that moment, they felt their brains were not working fast enough, and they had very little internal information.

Just as everyone was arguing without reaching a conclusion, Tan Hengqiang walked expressionlessly to the sand table and stared quietly at the positions of the various units.

Seeing his actions, Zhang Xunchen quickly shouted to the others, "Everyone, quiet down!"

The officers present immediately fell silent, turning to stare at their commander-in-chief.

Tan Hengqiang suddenly raised his head, his left hand resting on the sand table, his right hand pointing at the crowd, and said in a steady voice, "Everyone, listen to my orders."

"Shua!"

The officers all stood up from their chairs and quickly came to Tan Hengqiang, lining up in two neat rows beside him, awaiting orders.

"Second Army," Tan Hengqiang called out.

"Here!" The commander of the Second Army immediately stepped forward and saluted Tan Hengqiang.

Tan Hengqiang turned to look at him and said in a steady voice, "Your unit will lead all main regiments, arrayed in a line along the Dragon City defense line, to block the First District's 3rd Armored Division and 10th Infantry Division sent to support."

The Second Army commander snapped his legs together and shouted, "Yes, sir!"

Tan Hengqiang turned to look at another general. "Logistics Department."

The head of the Logistics Department also stepped forward. "Here!"

"Your department will make pre-war preparations, mobilize resources, and transport them to the four military bases outside Dragon City, and immediately clear the supply channels for transporting military supplies. All roads along the route will enter a period of military control; no urban residents are allowed to approach."

"Yes, sir!"

"Air Force Department."

"Here!"

"All fighter jets enter the ready-to-fly area, using the First District's 3rd Armored Division and 10th Infantry Division as a base point, within a radius of 300 kilometers around them, closely monitor their movements. Once the war starts, immediately launch an air strike."

"Yes, sir!"

Tan Hengqiang methodically issued combat orders, the sand table in front of him seeming to come alive, all the deployments as if he had rehearsed them countless times in his mind.

At this moment, Tan Hengqiang did not call Old An, nor did he inquire about Jiang Yuanzhen's situation, but placed all his military vision on the First District, and began to deploy a defense line.

This clear thinking must have been practiced in his mind many times. Old Tan understood very well that the First District had lost its military support target, and would inevitably take action to protect the Jiang family's First Army, so he had to deploy troops against the First District.

Outsiders mocked him for being motionless, slow and hesitant, soft in attitude, and without any control over his troops.

But in fact, the Jiang faction, with the strength of an entire army, such a great source of instability, was slapped to death on the chessboard as soon as it jumped up. And he, as the commander-in-chief, didn't say a word or show any attitude, but the internal crisis was resolved in this way.

Looking back on history, countless examples of military remonstrance are evident, but the real chess players who can achieve their goals without bloodshed are few and far between.

…

After Tan Hengqiang quickly issued the military orders, the officers and generals left the conference room without stopping to carry out their orders and prepare for battle.

After everyone had left, Zhang Xunchen walked over and stood beside Tan Hengqiang, softly asking, "Commander, Old An acted too quickly. How should we deal with the First District? They will definitely try to protect Jiang Yuanzhen, and there may be conflicts."

Tan Hengqiang picked up the teacup next to him, took a sip of tea, and asked with a calm face, "Then what do you mean?"

Zhang Xunchen immediately replied, "We must ensure that Old An doesn't go too far to avoid subsequent troubles. It's better for our garrison to handle this matter ourselves."

Tan Hengqiang glanced at him thoughtfully, nodded lightly, and replied in a light tone, "Alright, then you go and stop Old An, and bring back Jiang Yuanzhen, along with the officers of the First Army."

…

At 11:30 PM, the garrison began a large-scale mobilization, with nearly 50,000 troops advancing towards the Dragon City border.

At the same time, two divisions of the First District had approached the Dragon City border, and the two armies formed a confrontation here.

The two divisions had to temporarily stop advancing. Parker, the commander of the 10th Infantry Division, stood next to the command vehicle, holding military binoculars and looking at the defense line stretching for several kilometers in the distance.

The opponent's defensive positions and artillery positions had all been constructed, and a large number of helicopter gunships were hovering in the sky.

Parker didn't dare to advance rashly, and couldn't help but recall his unlucky days in Dragon City, and couldn't help but curse, "That damn Tan Hengqiang, is he also going to rebel? A bunch of shit, Dragon City is full of traitors!"

Although he cursed, Parker picked up the phone and called the Dragon City headquarters as soon as possible. But the phone rang for a long time, and no one answered him.

Parker had no choice but to call the Second Army headquarters of the Tan faction garrison.

This time, the phone was finally answered. He was a little excited and asked, "What are you doing? I'm going to support the First Army. Why are you stopping me? Do you want to create friction with the military forces of the First District?!"

The commander under Tan Hengqiang, with a cold voice, replied very decisively, "I don't know who you are, and I don't know what the First District wants to do. But I have now received orders from above that a military mutiny has occurred in the garrison, and no one is allowed to enter our defense zone."

Parker shouted angrily, "I have also received orders from above…"

The other party immediately interrupted him and retorted directly, "Stop talking nonsense! If you take one more step forward, I will hit you! That's it!"

With a snap, the other party hung up the phone.