Shopkeeper Ding and his waiter lay bored on the railing on the second floor of the lobby, looking at the busy combat headquarters downstairs.
Since the inn was requisitioned by the Haihan Army as a combat headquarters, they were strictly ordered not to leave the inn to avoid leaking military secrets. But there was nothing to do while staying in the inn, so he could only stay on the second floor and watch how the Haihan Army's headquarters operated.
Although they are all laymen on the military, from yesterday to today, they can finally understand a little bit of the content on the sand table map downstairs.
"Shopkeeper, do you think the Haihan Army can capture the county?"
"Isn't this nonsense? It's not like you haven't seen how many Haihan troops went north this day and night. Just the horse-drawn cannons, there must be dozens of them, right? The adobe city wall of the county town can It can withstand a few twists and turns..."
"Shopkeeper, how long do you think the county seat can be defended?"
"I think we can hold it for two or three days at most...if other state capitals send enough reinforcements, maybe we can hold it for a few more days."
When he thought of the Ming army that came to Sudong Town yesterday to extort money and food, shopkeeper Ding felt that the county town could not be defended. The Haihan army is approaching the city, and these people are still thinking about getting benefits from the people. It's a damn thing if they can win.
Before he finished speaking, he heard a burst of cheers from downstairs. It turned out that the pioneer battalion of the Haihan Army had occupied Yixing County.
"So fast?"
Shopkeeper Ding could not believe it. According to the sand table map downstairs, the Haihan Army only started to attack after dawn, and the battle was declared over at noon. Although the county's defense level was not very good, it was defeated too quickly.
In fact, the battle on the county side ended even earlier. After the forward battalion completely controlled the county and sent cavalry to confirm the direction of the Ming army's retreat, it sent a message to the headquarters in Sudong Town.
At this time, about an hour had actually passed since the Haihan Army invaded the county.
But even so, capturing Yixing County so quickly still caused a big shock to Shopkeeper Ding.
Shopkeeper Ding couldn't help but sigh: "Yixing...has suddenly become the land of Haihan!"
The waiter next to him was thinking of another thing: "Shopkeeper, since Yixing has been occupied by the Haihan army, will we become Haihan people from now on?"
The rapid change of identity made Shopkeeper Ding a little confused, and murmured to himself: "Yes, Haihan people... From now on, we will also be Haihan people."
The battle report sent from Yixing County did not make Shi Diwen happy. The resistance of the Ming army was actually stronger than he expected. There was no immediate collapse. The battle to capture the county seat could not be said to be smooth sailing. The forward battalion had already suffered some casualties.
However, being able to successfully capture Yixing was finally a good start for this war. The next thing to do is to push the front further north to attack the next target.
After a while, shopkeeper Ding noticed that the Haihan soldiers downstairs were starting to pack up various items arranged in the inn lobby. Judging from this posture, the combat headquarters was preparing to evacuate to the next location.
An officer in charge of logistics found Shopkeeper Ding and asked him to calculate the cost of renting an inn in the past two days.
Shopkeeper Ding originally wanted to say a few polite words, but the other party was extremely impatient: "You can forget it, settle the bill quickly, don't delay our march!"
Shopkeeper Ding did not dare to say any more and immediately reported the number carefully. He had already thought about this last night. Although he didn't expect Hai Hanjun to actually give him the money, he still roughly calculated the income from a normal day's operation of the inn.
Anyway, due to the tense situation in recent days, there have been no outside tourists in Sudong Town, and the inn has no accommodation business. If you can get this windfall, it will be able to settle the accounts these days.
Of course, facing a customer like Hai Hanjun, shopkeeper Ding didn't dare to think like a lion. If you anger the other party, whether you can receive the money or not is secondary. Maybe don't risk your own hotel, property, and life.
Therefore, the amount he quoted was quite satisfactory. If the other party found it too expensive and wanted to counteroffer, he was ready to accept a lower amount.
However, it turned out that he had completely overthought it. After the officer heard the amount he reported, he just thought about it for a moment, and without bargaining with him, he asked someone to withdraw cash to settle the settlement with him.
Shopkeeper Ding got the money and smiled so hard that he could hardly close his mouth. He nodded and bowed and sent the officer away.
From the panic of being blackmailed by the Ming army yesterday, to the Haihan army offering to pay for the use of the inn today, such ups and downs have never happened in his life.
If this is the way the Haihan Army does things, then there seems to be no harm in being a Haihan. At least you don't have to worry about being attacked by your own army.
Shopkeeper Ding looked up and caught a glimpse of the red and blue flag hanging outside the door of the inn, and decided not to take it down yet, but to hang it like this for now. Not only can this thing keep you safe, but it can also attract wealth. Yesterday, there was a big deal as soon as I put it up. Let's wait a few more days to see if it has any effect.
Seeing that the Haihan Army's temporary organizations in the town were beginning to evacuate, Shopkeeper Ding finally let go of his worries.
Now that the battle line has been pushed to the north, Sudong Town will no longer become a battlefield, and the impact it will receive should gradually slow down. Perhaps in a few days, after the purple sand workshops in Yixing County resume work, Fudong Town will soon return to its former bustle, and the inn's business will naturally be back on track.
Shopkeeper Ding put the money on the counter and locked it, and planned to ask the waiter to clean up the room where Hai Hanjun lived, but he saw the waiter tiptoeing towards the door carrying a bag.
"Where are you going?" Shopkeeper Ding felt bad and quickly called out to the waiter.
The waiter sneered and said: "Shopkeeper, I have already signed up to be a military and civilian husband. I will probably be out for a while before I come back."
Shopkeeper Ding said angrily: "Didn't I tell you not to go? I don't want my life anymore?"
The waiter responded: "Don't worry, I'll go away for a few days and I'll come back when I make some money. The wages you owe me will be paid when I get back."
Shopkeeper Ding said: "What kind of wages! This job will be gone if you leave. Think clearly!"
The guy didn't reply, just waved to him and walked out of the inn door, leaving only a handsome figure behind.
Shopkeeper Ding walked quickly to the door of the inn, wanting to say something more to persuade the man to stay, but saw that he had already met up with several young people in the town, and happily joined the Haihan Army marching north.
Shopkeeper Ding sighed. After seeing the power of the Haihan Army, these young people may have had other ideas. How could this small town of Sudong keep them?