"Mr. Fan, let's not go. My legs are weak; I can't walk anymore," the tax policeman said with a trembling voice. Although the Shura-like scene in front of Anji County City just now had terrified him enough, at least there were many people outside the county city. Now facing the gloomy forest, turning his head to see the eerie red river water, and the scenes he hadn't seen with his own eyes but could imagine, the tax policeman's legs really went soft, and he was teetering.

Fan Ainong didn't speak either, just insisted on walking up. This determined action seemed resolute, but Fan Ainong bit his lip tightly, and the rough air spraying from his nose betrayed his emotions. The tax policeman saw he couldn't stop Fan Ainong, and the terrifying scene above also gave him an impulse to see it clearly while being afraid. Finally, the two tax policemen simply stopped talking and followed Fan Ainong silently to continue walking up the mountain.

Walking seven or eight *li* up along the bank of the red small river, the terrain gradually flattened. From a distance, they saw a clearing in the forest where people carrying guns were everywhere. There were Beiyang Army soldiers and some wearing other motley clothes. These people saw the three of Fan Ainong and immediately someone ran over to detain them. Relying on the pass, nothing happened in the end. However, these people didn't let Fan Ainong and the others get close. A Beiyang Army officer with a northern accent shouted extremely impatiently: "What's there to see about killing rebels? Get lost quickly!"

"Sir, our young master heard that the countryside is chaotic, so he wants to go home to greet his family. Since it's killing rebels, who are the rebels? Please enlighten us," the tax policeman asked with an accompanying smile.

The officer looked majestic but wasn't stupid at all. Seeing Fan Ainong wearing a beautiful fine spun silk long gown, with a pocket watch chain faintly visible on his chest, plus the Zhejiang Governor's official pass and the accompanying tax policemen, although this officer continued to put on airs, he explained patiently, "Has anyone in your family joined the Peasant Association?"

"No!" the tax policeman explained hurriedly.

"Then has anyone in your family served as an official in the Western Zhejiang rebel place?"

The tax policeman shook his head like a rattle drum. "Absolutely not. My old master guards the land and farms. Even if someone goes out to be an official, it's the young master going to Hangzhou to be an official."

"Then as long as you haven't offended other gentry, there won't be any trouble," the officer said coldly. "It's just that we are here to exterminate rebels this time. Gentry and landlords everywhere need to help. If there is any hiding of rebels, we won't be lenient."

"We will definitely ask our old master to help with all his might, help with all his might," the tax policeman nodded like a chicken pecking rice.

Fan Ainong didn't participate in these discussions. He finally saw the source of the red river. On the small pebble beach by the river, a high pile of corpses had been heaped up. Moreover, the vast majority of these corpses were beheaded. The pebble beach was already stained with blood spots; it was unknown how many people had been killed in the end. He saw several people in motley clothes drag three bound women to the river beach, and then saw several people in silk clothes come out and point at them, saying something. Then the people in motley clothes forced the three women to kneel. Beiyang Army soldiers wearing cyan military uniforms stepped forward and shot the three women in the back of the head at extremely close range.

The distance was far, and only sharp gunshots came over. All three saw blood flowers burst out from the back of the heads of the executed women. Their bodies shook as if struck by lightning, then fell softly on the pebble beach. As for what those people said, Fan Ainong and the others couldn't hear at all.

"Young Master, let's go quickly. The old master is still waiting at home." The tax policeman saw that Fan Ainong was completely wrong, afraid he would say something or do something. Regardless of whether Fan Ainong was willing or not, they grabbed Fan Ainong and left. Fan Ainong cooperated; he didn't oppose or struggle, allowing the tax policemen to hold him up and walk away quickly. But the tax policemen could feel that Fan Ainong's body was trembling. Not only Fan Ainong, actually the bodies of the two tax policemen were also trembling.

They had all seen war and corpses after the war. Although the death appearance of those people was tragic, it wasn't incomprehensible. Going to the battlefield meant you kill me and I kill you; people who participated in the war knew it, and people who didn't participate in the war also knew it. But this kind of massacre of ordinary people gave people a completely different feeling. Those people were no different from ordinary people like Fan Ainong, yet they were killed mercilessly. Rather than fear caused by death, it was better to say that this act of massacring ordinary people brought greater shock.

With great difficulty, they could no longer see that pebble beach and those crowds frantically killing people. Several people couldn't walk anymore. The tax policemen let go of Fan Ainong and leaned against a tree to let out a long breath. Because their legs could no longer support them, the tax policemen almost slid down the tree to sit on the ground. He panted incessantly and said with a trembling voice: "This scared me to death. What exactly do these people want to do?"

Fan Ainong also sat on the ground silent. Like the tax policemen, he completely couldn't understand what exactly happened. Just the people killed in Anji County City and on that pebble beach just now, the total number exceeded the sum of the dead Fan Ainong had seen with his own eyes in his life. And this all happened within the last few days. Everyone knew the Guangfu Society wanted to purge the party. Fan Ainong also knew about expelling the Western Zhejiang Branch's Guangfu Society qualification. But this was originally just a purely political conflict; how did it evolve into a massacre? Fan Ainong completely didn't understand.

"Go to Changxing quickly, see what exactly happened!" Struggling to stand up, Fan Ainong said to the accompanying tax policemen.

The two tax policemen looked at each other. "Mr. Fan, are we really going to Changxing?"

"Yes." Fan Ainong answered extremely firmly.

"Mr. Fan, Mr. Zhao has kindness towards us. Coming to send you this time, we had to repay Mr. Zhao. But let's say it upfront: although this kindness is heavy, it can't make us lose our lives. If it's sending Mr. Fan to a safe place, we brothers can still do it. If it's letting us take risks with Mr. Fan, we can't accompany you."

Hearing the tax policeman's words, Fan Ainong wasn't angry at all. People have to consider for themselves. The two tax policemen being able to persist until now, accompanying Fan Ainong to see so many killing scenes, was already loyal enough. "As long as we reach Changxing, you two can go back. I will absolutely not let you two take risks with us."

Hearing this, the tax policeman just sighed and didn't say more. The three tidied up a bit and rushed towards the direction of Changxing County City. The tax policemen had been to Changxing. When the three were still fifty or sixty *li* away from the county city, they prepared to rest. Walking another day like this would arrive at Changxing. Not long after sitting down by the roadside, they heard dull sounds ringing in the distance. It seemed like spring thunder, but completely unlike it. Not long after, they saw smoke and dust slowly rising in the sky.

"This is someone firing cannons!" The tax policeman said nervously.

Fan Ainong looked at the smoke and dust for a while, then turned back and said: "Then I'll trouble you two. Sending me here is enough."

Perhaps moved by Fan Ainong's straightforward attitude, the tax policeman was quite a character. "Mr. Fan, if you walk along the main road like this, you will definitely run into the Beiyang main force. From here to the north, there is a small path. It's hard to walk, but relatively quiet. Let us send you to a place thirty *li* from Changxing and then part ways. The rest depends on your own luck, Mr. Fan."

"Okay, many thanks!" Fan Ainong replied.

That small path was indeed "quiet." It was a mountain path that only allowed one or two people to walk side by side, and no one could be seen at all. Walking forward for more than ten *li*, the three sat down to rest. Suddenly, more than a dozen people wearing dark blue military uniforms popped out from unknown where. They raised their rifles and shouted: "Hands up!"

The three had seen this kind of military uniform; it was the uniform of the Western Zhejiang Branch. Fan Ainong shouted hurriedly: "I am Mr. Xu Xilin's student Fan Ainong, here to deliver a letter from Hangzhou."

It was okay not hearing this. After hearing this, the soldiers of the Western Zhejiang Branch couldn't help cursing: "Delivering what letter! You are here to deceive us, right?"

Next, several people rushed up and tied Fan Ainong and the others up without explanation. Just at this time, a team of people followed up from behind. The leader was none other than Ji Ye. Ji Ye had seen Fan Ainong and knew Fan Ainong's relationship with Xu Xilin, so she was slightly polite to Fan Ainong. Searching out the letter Fan Ainong brought, Ji Ye read it with a grim expression, her face becoming uglier and uglier. "Zhao Hanqing still has the face to write to us? He deceived us once; does he want to deceive us a second time?"

Originally, Fan Ainong thought that delivering the letter would solve it. He didn't expect the Western Zhejiang Branch's reaction to be so fierce. "Miss Ji, what do you mean by this?"

Ji Ye rushed up and grabbed Fan Ainong by the collar. "Zhao Hanqing first told us not to provoke the Headquarters and the Beiyang Army, engaging in some 'loose outside, tight inside.' The result? The Beiyang Army rushed into Western Zhejiang and started killing people. Isn't this deceiving us? He still says in the letter to guard against someone playing dirty tricks. Do these people still need to play dirty tricks? They have already killed their way in! What exactly do you mean by sending this letter?"

Fan Ainong could completely understand Ji Ye's attitude. No one expected Western Zhejiang to be killed to such an extent. He didn't explain anymore. "I want to see Mr. Xu!"

"See what? Mr. Xu is leading brothers to fight the Beiyang Army. He has no time to see you!" Ji Ye sneered.

The Beiyang Army attacking Changxing County City encountered tenacious resistance from the troops of the Guangfu Society Western Zhejiang Branch Changxing County Committee inside. Initially, the Beiyang Army demanded to enter the city but was blocked outside the city by the Western Zhejiang Branch. Both sides confronted each other with rifles with bayonets fixed. The order the Beiyang Army received was to eliminate immediately upon encountering resistance. Order was order, but letting the Beiyang Army know clearly that firing would trigger casualties—this bunch of people didn't have the courage to face death directly yet. Having no choice, the Beiyang Army retreated first and mobilized artillery to start launching a formal attack.

Such mobilization gave the Western Zhejiang Branch in Changxing County City time to prepare. The planned raid turned into an extremely formal battle. Since shells cost money, the Beiyang Army officers were naturally unwilling to spend too much money. They fired a few symbolic shots towards Anji. The shells didn't hit the top of the wall but exploded in Anji city. As soon as this demonstrative shelling ended, Beiyang Army soldiers wearing cyan military uniforms began to shoot while attacking towards the city wall relying on Changxing County City under the command of officers. This was the Beiyang infantry tactic, and also a popular tactic in Europe, even an extremely common tactic in the early stage of World War I. It competed on fire density, on the ability of both sides to withstand casualties, and on who would collapse one step later in this war.

The Anji defenders were naturally at a great disadvantage in numbers. Including the County Committee plus the security forces, plus the militia teams composed of workers from various factories, the total count was no more than seven hundred people. The number of true military personnel was even less than two hundred. The Beiyang Army outside the city mobilized a brigade of troops, totaling as high as 8,000. The first wave of Beiyang Army attacking the south of the city mobilized more than 500 people.

The Beiyang Army's retreat before the battle gave Changxing County a certain preparation time. Not only tactical arrangement but also including psychological preparation.

Peace talks with Beiyang had been denied. A considerable part of the Western Zhejiang Branch cadres had fought with the Beiyang Army. A few years ago, when Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin insisted on establishing the Western Zhejiang Branch, a part of the wounded who recovered after the Nanjing Campaign didn't choose to follow Xu Xilin. Instead, a part of the soldiers captured and then released in the Hangzhou Campaign followed Qiu Jin to Western Zhejiang. They knew the cruelty of the Beiyang Army towards captives and would absolutely not live under the Beiyang Army's breath.

The Changxing County Magistrate led the team personally to command the battle. Everyone hid on the city wall and began to try shooting. A bullet was fired from the top of the wall, and three or five bullets flew over from the opposite side, hitting the city wall and sending stone chips flying. Seven or eight soldiers who leaned out successively were hit. Now the soldiers shrinking behind the city wall dared not move even more.