Of course, Hu Yi had no experience in using tunnels to deal with the Japanese, and no one in Jiulian had experience.
After a meeting of the Ninth Company and further discussion with Lao Meng of the guerrilla brigade, the two tunnel digging teams officially started work.
Jiulian's idea was good, but unfortunately they ignored the terrain.
In the first two days of digging, the progress was not slow. It was basically digging along the soil between the rocks. It was not difficult. However, after three or four days of digging, I had to stop. Suddenly, it was like walking into a dead end. The three directions in front were actually filled with rocks, and we couldn't dig even one or two meters in a day.
The top and bottom are all broken soil. When you dig upward, a piece of it will collapse. Down? It is also useless to dig a few meters and collapse all around.
It is completely different from the situation of digging tunnels in the plains reported by the division.
It was also the first time for Hu Yi to do this. Fortunately, he had a lot of experience digging tunnels on the ground before. The idea was very simple. In order to save time, if digging underground could not be done, he would dig tunnels on the ground.
After the three-guang policy implemented by the Japanese, the village was full of low-rise houses with ruined walls, connected in a piece, just connected to the tunnels, and then dug tunnels from the village to the outside of the village to form a defense system.
Anyway, idle time is idle. After discussing with Lao Meng, we simply divided the Ninth Company and the guerrilla brigade into several groups and started digging in several nearby villages.
The tunnels Hu Yi designed on the ground were not far from the underground tunnel exits. Hu Yi's idea was to build tunnel trenches near the tunnel exits, which was a must.
Because if the Japs come back for raids, if they want to hit the Japs a few times, they will only become a living target as soon as they come out of the tunnel without cover.
Hu Yi's approach of building strategic defenses on a large scale is actually very inappropriate compared with the Eighth Route Army's mainly guerrilla combat method!
What’s even more outrageous is that in the hilly areas outside the mountain, there are not even a single common person in the nearby villages!
The common people were killed by the Japanese and all fled away in fear of the policy of burning everything and looting everything.
Hu Yi's thinking is different from that of many Eighth Route Army commanders and fighters. He is used to the feeling of having a nest!
This time I came out and followed Lao Meng to choose this place, but I had no choice. There were gun towers and strongholds of the Japanese and puppet troops everywhere, and the hilly areas had no high ground and could not be defended. Therefore, the establishment of the base area was postponed and forced to do so first. Carry out fortification construction.
The terrain determines that the Ninth Company cannot just dig holes below the ground, but also needs to combine fortifications with field operations. The Ninth Company's weapons are not as good as the Japanese, so fighting can only be used as a defense. If you can't defeat them, just run away. Tunnels are suitable, and they are more in line with guerrilla tactics. Require.
If the Japanese really attack on a large scale, the tunnels will actually not play much role other than running away.
But there was a special situation. The division made it very clear that because of the tight situation in the Pacific battlefield, the Japanese mobilized a large number of troops to participate in the war, resulting in a lack of troops in North China, most of which were puppet troops.
Therefore, it is impossible for large-scale Japs to participate in the Eighth Route raids to fight against the puppet army. The Ninth Company will not give up. In any case, the tunnel digging tactics gave the Ninth Company a basis for survival and built a new nest.
Tunnel warfare is a complete system that can fight (destroy the enemy), defend (preserve yourself), maneuver, and survive.
"Boss Hu! I don't think we can dig like this!" Luo Fugui, who came out of the tunnel and was sitting in a shady place, walked up to Hu Yi who was reading the letter with a gray face and said: "In this situation, even if there are many people, it won't work." It’s really a big deal, if I can dig one or two meters in one day, it will be as high as the sky!”
After Hu Yi read the letter sent by Xiaodou, he frowned and did not answer.
"You know what the heck, the tunnels we dug are used to hide and protect ourselves. We will be invincible first." The girl next to her glanced at the tall and thick bear who just wanted to be lazy, with a look of contempt on her face.
Xiaodou had been with the group for a long time and felt that he should make some comments: "I think this is a good idea. With the tunnel, unless the enemy gets into the tunnel, the Japanese attack will basically have no effect."
"It's fine for your grandma to make sarcastic remarks, but you have to be able to dig them out, right?" Luo Fugui didn't care that the girl had robbed him of his meal.
"Huh?" Hu Yi frowned, looked at Luo Fugui beside him, and sighed.
"Boss Hu...hehe...what did the group say?" Luo Fugui smiled sarcastically and did not dare to look at Hu Yi.
"Now, the situation is very bad, something big has happened." Hu Yi's expression gradually became calm.
"Is it possible that the Japs are here again?" The girl's braid curled up and she stood up immediately. The short coat she was wearing was gray and black, shaking out a cloud of dust.
"Have you not noticed? There are no crops at all in the fields, not even a few grasses, but there is something that has been jumping around!" Hu Yi did not finish the sentence at once.
"Ah? What's happening?" While everyone was guessing.
Xiaodou next to him scratched his head and said hesitantly: "You mean locusts, right? There are locust plagues everywhere in the plains. The crops in many places were eaten up by those damn grasshoppers overnight!"
"Yes, in this case, food will become a big problem this year..." Hu Yi was thinking about how to solve the problem of food in the future.
"Grasshopper? Isn't that thing edible?" Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at Luo Fugui.
"Everyone is watching what I do, it's really delicious!" Luo Fu said with enthusiasm: "As long as you ask for oil, that thing will explode, smack, it's so delicious!"
"Eat, you know how to eat!" The girl threw a lump of earth over her and hit Luo Fugui in the head.
"You evil bastard..." He cursed but didn't get up or fight back.
Xiaodou is very familiar with each company: "Commander Hu, I am here this time to deliver a message and to determine the permanent location of the Ninth Company for future contact. The regiment leader also asked me to ask you if you have any encounters. If you encounter any difficulties, if you need the support of the group, the group will definitely find a way..."
"What is Gao Yidao doing during this time?" The little girl rolled her eyes and began to inquire about her opponent.
Xiaodou is used to being changed the subject: "Company Commander Gao, uh... they have been training at Sanjia during this period. I heard that he is almost healed from his injuries. Now he is training the security forces who were captured at the mountain pass all day long. ..”
"Training the security army? Does he have such ability?" Luo Fugui dismissed it.
"By the way, how is the situation at the division headquarters?" Hu Yi raised his head and asked.
"The specific situation is not clear. It seems that we are planning to move back. However, the division requires all units in the mountain pass to take strict precautions at all intersections entering the mountain. Now our independent regiment has arranged three companies to send people to guard the mountain pass no matter day or night. Several main entrances to the mountains in the defense zone!"
"Is there any other news?"
"The Japanese have retreated and the mountains are like that. What news can there be?"
"The hospital is very busy, right?"
"Of course, there are too many injured soldiers and there are not enough manpower. Xiaohong has gone to the support division!"
"Tell me, did the man named Lu occupy our wine station?" The girl put her hands on her hips and stepped on the fallen wall.
"What are you talking about? You have entered the plains, and the regiment commander has now set up the headquarters on the front line to better direct you, do you understand? Don't you know how much risk you are taking?" Xiaodou looked serious.
"You can say that you are shameless so confidently. You are the same thing as Lu. You have sent all the letters, why haven't you left yet?" The little girl grinned angrily.
"Girl, you want to burn the bridge across the river, right? Your Ninth Company's wings are stiff now? Huh? You don't even care about food, right?" Xiaodou had a black line on his head and gritted his teeth: "Okay, I'll leave now!"
"Hey, can't you bear to say a few words to you?" The girl knew very well that Xiaodou was pretending to take advantage of Jiulian's goods, which were not fuel-efficient.
