According to the normal marching speed of the Ninth Company, the thirty miles from the station to the blockade would not take more than two hours. In order to ensure the relative safety of the march, Hu Yi asked Ma Liang to arrange for a dozen advanced soldiers to explore the road ahead. alert.
The leading soldiers were all dressed in black uniforms of the reconnaissance team. Some of them rode two bicycles together and headed eastward arrogantly. The other group spread out to both sides of the marching road, forming a small skirmisher line to deal with those who were going to take a small road. The spy who reported the message to the East.
If a spy took a longer detour to report the news, it was basically unlikely that he would get to the front of the team. If he got the news from the gun tower, the team would have already passed the blockade trench.
Since it was dark night, even if they were discovered by someone who wanted to report the news, Cheng Liang arranged for soldiers hiding in the darkness near the roadside to be prepared. During this period, as long as there are people walking east towards the gun tower, they will be arrested directly. Up, as to how to deal with it.
The political commissar agreed to execute the order to kill the traitors on the spot who went to report to the Japanese.
Under wartime conditions, no one raised objections to this kill order. In the middle of the night, you went to the blockade blockhouse?
Is there any other possibility than collaboration with the enemy?
In order to prepare for this battle, Lao Qin arranged for people to go eastward into the enemy-occupied area two days ago to contact the people left behind by Lao Zhou. Guides who were familiar with the terrain on the east also arrived early on the east side of the blockade ditch. waiting.
Those soldiers from the security regiment who had just been recruited were all nominally incorporated into Luo Fugui's platoon. He, the platoon leader who talked a lot about things, was now so rich that he had a company of troops under his command.
He almost asked his subordinates to call him Captain Luo, but it was a pity that Luo Fugui, a cheap company commander, still didn't have many soldiers under his command. .
Because, in order to ensure the safety of the marching team, after the security group was dispersed, they were sandwiched between the Ninth Company and Wang Peng Company. They formed a group of three, with two soldiers sandwiching a rookie. They were not afraid of what kind of noise they might make.
Hu Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. He had walked this road many times and there had never been any accidents.
A dark figure ran back on a bicycle in front of him.
Monkey jumped out of the car and came to Hu Yi with excitement: "Company Commander, there is a blockade ditch three miles ahead. Everything is going well. The internal line in the turret has also been contacted. He will turn the searchlight aside in a while."
"Have you checked the surrounding situation? Is there any movement?"
"I didn't find anything wrong. Platoon leader Ma Liang has already led people through the blockade ditch? Er, Chief Hu, are we going to the east to do something big? Are we going to attack the county seat?"
Hu Yi said with a black line, "You will know when the time comes. Don't ask now. You have been in the team for so long and you don't understand any of the rules?"
The monkey curled his lips and said: "Before we go to the battlefield, we have not explained the mission clearly first, who will attack, who will cover, and how to retreat. You see, we didn't mobilize, and we didn't say retreat, which means we are going. The place is definitely not close, first of all it is definitely not those puppet troops in the blockade ditch, don’t you think so?”
Hu Yi frowned and said, "Who told you?"
The monkey said proudly: "Does anyone need to tell me this? I still know more or less about all the things in the middle. Hey, company commander, do you really want to attack the county? Who is Wang Liujin? Didn’t Tian go on a reconnaissance trip?”
Hu Yi was speechless. It was not a good thing for his subordinates to be too smart: "Get out of here quickly and go to the front to do the reconnaissance work well."
Monkey Budie continued: "Even if we are near the county seat, do we still have to say something before starting the fight? Since we have to say it first and then we have to say it, hehe, what I mean is that if we really want to attack the county seat, I can, um, touch it first Go to the county town and be an internal agent! Wouldn’t it be better to prepare in advance?”
Hu Yi smiled bitterly. It seemed that many of his soldiers were speculating on the target of this operation. After thinking about it, he waved to the monkey.
The monkey was overjoyed and hurried up, ready to listen.
Hu Yi's face sank, and he suddenly raised his leg and kicked him: "I told you to get out, don't you understand? This is not the national army, you shouldn't ask, don't ask!"
"Then you can't kick me so hard!" The monkey climbed up from the ground: "Don't our Eighth Route Army insist that officers and soldiers are equal?"
"I want you to remember it and understand that when we fight the Japanese, we must not only be ruthless, but also learn what discipline is. As for the equality of officers and soldiers, that is when fighting, the commander charges in front, and when retreating, he cuts off the rear. Do you understand? "
"But I didn't see you rushing past!" Monkey muttered softly.
"What are you talking about, louder!"
"I said I got it." Monkey felt that he had been on a pirate ship. Firstly, he had no military pay, and secondly, he was not free. He was not even allowed to find women in the town. He was just fooled by lard.
If it weren't for the fact that he basically didn't have to be angry with the Japs in the Jiulian Company, he could kill a few Japs every now and then to avenge his dead brothers, and he had a reliable backer when he encountered the Japs seeking revenge, he would have gone to the enemy a long time ago. It's a war zone!
Because there are more Japs in the enemy war zone, but the Japs and traitors are not fools. There is also the notorious Extra High School Course. I have long heard that there are many experts in it. Several brothers I met in Tianjin have all capsized in the gutter. .
⋯⋯
The Shenjia Village, which had been exposed to the scorching sun, was still filled with the residual warmth of the day. People in the village were running to tell each other, and some kept rushing to Wangjia Village on the other side of the river in the south.
Wangjia Village in the south is not as shabby as many small villages. There are dozens of families in the village. In the eyes of the villagers, this is the most beautiful place.
Because there is a river in the north of the village, but it was blocked by the sun this year. Fortunately, a huge natural puddle was left. Although the water level has dropped a lot, it is still enough to provide water for both the north and the south. People and animals in the village drank it.
The severe drought that has never happened before in a century has brought huge life problems to the villagers of the two villages. The water, which is not much, is decreasing every day, but Haodai has given them a chance to survive.
As for the crops in the dry fields, even if they brought all the water up to irrigate them, it would probably be in vain. Therefore, after Wangjia Village and Shenjia Village discovered that the water flow to the outside was cut off, the two security chiefs made an immediate decision and prohibited anyone from using the water to irrigate the fields. crops there.
Two ancient villages, one in the south and one in the north, have faced unprecedented challenges. Shen Village in the north originally had more than 100 households and was famous in eight towns. ,
However, due to drought this year, the summer harvest was very limited. Many people who did not even have land, such as tenant farmers who had been renting land for farming, had no choice but to send their fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl to the landlord's house to work as a maid. A certain family member took a liking to her and took a concubine, which was considered to be a partial escape from the sea of misery.
As for those families who didn't even have girls at home, they had to flee the country.
Since the Japanese came, those Ergouzi security forces have begun to replace the government and collect food from the major security chiefs. As for the drought, what does it matter to them?
It's just that the two current security chiefs Shen and Wang have changed their names and are called President Sui.
The summer grain harvest was short, and the two presidents tried their best to make up for the grain delivery tasks stipulated by the Japanese. However, if the villagers were to persist until next summer's harvest, sweet potatoes would become a life-saving food for all the poor people.
A militia was formed in the village to protect the crops.
The two villages have been intermarried with each other since their ancestors, and have been married to each other since the beginning of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Over the past few hundred years, the relationship between the two sides has become complicated.
Maybe there is a cowherd boy at the entrance of the village. His seniority is even higher than that of the white-haired old man in the village.
Thanks to the hard work accumulated by his ancestors over the years, Mr. Shen's family has several hundred acres of land, there are scholars in the family, and there are people in charge of the county. After the Japanese came a few years ago, the family gradually declined.
The best place in the village near the river is naturally the Shen family's field. They are the only land that still has water and are planted with patches of cotton sorghum.
As for those landless sharecroppers, no matter how hard they work, it is useless without water. They are living the same life now. The biggest property they own is just a shabby house that cannot protect them from snow or cold wind in winter. Fortunately, there is a drought. There is no rain in the summer, so there is no need to worry about leaks in the dilapidated house.
Those worse off than them either fled or hanged themselves.
Of course, everyone still has some property, which is their life. The young ones still have some value. They can join the security army through connections or work as long-term workers for Mr. Zhao’s family. As for the old and weak, they just hope not to leave here and die. I will die on this land too.
Because there are people fleeing famine everywhere, and even more frightening news comes from the south. There is a shortage of water there, and naturally there is an even shortage of food. I heard that some families have exchanged their children for food.
"Mr. Wang, we have no choice but to ask you to take us in. We are all strong laborers and are good at work." A group of scrawny people in ragged clothes were kneeling on the ground. On the ribs on the chest, a middle-aged man was pleading.
There were dozens of villagers with five or six old muzzles and knives on their backs, and they were furious at the captured group.
"Hmph, tell me, who took the lead in digging the grave?" President Wang was sitting at the table. Behind him, a young man with a shell gun slung around his waist asked in a deep voice.
"There's nothing we can do. If we had food, we wouldn't be in this situation!"
"You are not human at all! Don't you even understand that the dead should be buried in peace?" The young man was angry and helpless!
"If there is something to eat, even bark, grass and roots, how can we attack that grave...? We have no choice. We have more than a hundred people who escaped from the wilderness, but only these dozen are left..." The middle-aged man Thin body. Shaking, it may fall down anytime and anywhere.
The young man's scalp went numb when he heard it, and he asked in a trembling voice: "Could it be that... those women and children... all the rumors... are true?"
