A large number of security forces gathered, causing panic everywhere, and all the villagers who could run had already fled.
News came from above that there were nearly a thousand people in the Eighth Route Army attacking Huaxian County!
The commander of the security army, Li Ying, felt very unhappy. Tubal Road was not a regular army of the national army. It ran faster than a rabbit every time it was raided. When would it dare to take on the powerful security army?
Of course, for some unknown reason, he received news that a group of Eighth Route Army fled eastward from Qixian County. The imperial army had to go south to deal with the national army and had no time to pursue the defeated Eighth Route Army!
As for the news that the Eighth Route Army had been fighting with the Imperial Army for two days, it was ignored and erased by some people intentionally or unintentionally.
Therefore, as soon as he received the Eighth Route Army from clearing the Shasha District to Huaxian County, he immediately arranged for all ministries to gather to prepare and discuss the plan to send troops.
Half a year ago, the Three-Guang policy was implemented village by village. All the people here have fled. To pay for the extermination, we might as well send troops directly to Hua County!
In troubled times, someone with a gun is the boss! You will definitely have to pay a price for fighting a tough battle. There is no need.
But you have to show it to the Imperial Army advisors in the team, right? It doesn’t matter whether there are people in those villages or not, let’s do a sweep first. As for whether we caught the Eighth Route Army, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the attitude!
Wouldn't it be enough to just report the raids on those villages and how many houses were burned down? As for the common people not being caught, is it because the imperial army was so famous that the common people had already heard about it and ran away?
What's more, due to the severe drought this year, many people have left their homes.
Those Eighth Route guerrillas... they don't have much combat effectiveness. It's boring to stay here every day. It's good to go out and relax.
For this reason, Army Commander Li Ying personally led the team to sweep south, and a team of more than 5,000 people set off in a mighty manner.
Even though autumn is now entering, the weather has not become cooler as in previous years. The deserted land everywhere on the plains does not have the joy of autumn harvest at all. Everywhere you look is desolate.
Even though this is the old course of the Yellow River, there are not many ordinary people farming. After several consecutive raids by the Japanese and puppets, most of the villages were deserted. Very few ordinary people secretly returned to the villages and ran away long ago when they saw the troops coming.
The sandy land is very suitable for the growth of drought-tolerant jujube trees. Even on barren land, they are still alive and strong.
There was not a single fruit on the tree, and it was all eaten up by the hungry people before it was ripe.
Walking at the front were the combat troops of the security army. Their eyes looked energetic, but in fact they were numb. They had no idea whether they would come back alive after this trip.
Every time it was said that the Eighth Route Army was vulnerable, but every time a large number of corpses were brought back, and in many cases not even the corpses were brought back.
Behind them were a team of mules and horses, with people neighing and horses honking, and mixed in among them were many people with missing arms and legs. Perhaps they were not left behind by Paoze in the past and stayed in the team to make a living.
In addition to not being able to carry a gun on the battlefield with a few hands, they work even harder than normal people. Anyone who can find a chance to survive is cherished by everyone.
The one with less legs followed the team to catch the cart, worked as a driver, and had brothers to take care of him. He barely had some food. As for the future, no one cared about it. Survival was the most important thing.
Even if there is a drought and the security forces are about to set off, there will naturally be no shortage of food and grass, and the troops will walk lazily under the sunset.
Although the sun is no longer so vicious, there is no need to fight with God! A sweep is not a pursuit, so there is no need to embarrass yourself, so just choose to march in the evening.
Brigadier Tang Haiting, who was born in a military academy, is high-spirited. The destination of his trip is still far away, but he still feels a little uneasy in his heart.
Three of the reconnaissance squads sent out were directly lost, and more than thirty soldiers disappeared out of thin air.
Other scouts came back and reported that they found small groups moving a few civilians away.
The men who went out to conduct reconnaissance disappeared, either because they were tricked by the Eighth Route Army or because they defected. He believed that it was impossible for his men to defect. The reason was very simple. They could still survive as soldiers, and their lives were still nourishing. No one could run away without opening their eyes.
Therefore, the only possibility was that he was tricked by the Eighth Route Army. As for whether he was killed or captured, the result would be the same. However, in order to appease his men, he immediately sent a large number of reinforcements to search in the direction where the reconnaissance squad went out.
Until the troops set off, no clues were found about the large-scale Eighth Route Army, or the small group of Eighth Route Army, it was too late to run away!
Finally, we found the location where the scout last disappeared, and also discovered the traces left by the Eighth Route Army.
Eighth Route Army actually wrote countless large characters on the wall that had been burned black a few months ago:
"Fight to the End"
"Down with Japanese imperialism"
"Down with the vigilantes!"
...
The words in the last row were crookedly written: "One will die, two will die!"
Brigadier Tang looked gloomily at the white and lime words on the wall of the village on the roadside. He swore in his heart that as long as he caught the Eighth Route Army, he would bury them alive, light sky lanterns, hang them on the back of their horses and drag them to death.
He did this often.
He liked to see the desperate eyes of the Eighth Route Army and listen to their cries before death.
Even he is also Chinese.
As the troops passed through the village, there was a gentle slope in front of them. The uneven road went south, looming in the grass in the distance. The troops in front were spread out in the fields. It was good to take the road, but as soon as the people in front walked over, the ground would rise. When dust rises, no one wants to eat it.
The team just dodged the dust and moved farther and farther between the jujube trees in the fields on both sides. It didn't look like they were out to clear the way, but more like an autumn outing.
The terrain in front is lower, with grass everywhere under the setting sun and the gentle evening breeze, which is indescribably comfortable.
The village five miles to the south is where we will camp tonight.
The reconnaissance troops had just returned from there. Not far from the saline-alkali land in front was the village.
Only half of the people in charge of the reconnaissance came back. Perhaps they knew that a reconnaissance squad had been tricked by the Eighth Route Army. The squad leader who reported the report looked a little nervous: "We left half of the brothers to guard the village!"
"You're careful in your work, you're good. I'll reward you with twenty yuan!" The brigade commander looked at the sweaty squad leader and rewarded him without hesitation.
⋯⋯
It is about four miles away from the security forces and north of the village.
At this moment, shovels and pickaxes were flying everywhere, the Ninth Company, the Second Company, the divisional civilian army, the teaching regiment, the cavalry regiment, the district team, and most of the five divisional brigades that had come up for reinforcements were digging horizontal trenches.
"Attention, if anyone raises dust above his head again, I will bury him in a pit..." A certain company commander was commanding.
"What nonsense? This is all sand. If you can't remember the dust, you have to dig a hole." A soldier muttered.
"Then... I have nothing to do with it. Either pee and wet the soil yourself, or go to the village behind to fetch water!" The company commander kicked him into the pit.
""
Ma Liang, who came back from the guard post at the front, wandered to the Jiulian construction site with his binoculars. Looking at Tian Sanqi who was pouring the water from the bucket on the carriage to the ground, he couldn't help but laugh: "Hey, you are such a kind person. Is it the ground? Have you planted seeds? The water has been poured..."
Tian Sanqi straightened up in the trench, raised his left hand to wipe away the dusty sweat, looked left and right at the busy soldiers, then picked up the engineer shovel with his right hand and inserted it into the soil: "Hey, Ma Liang, you said they are in the military division Is it possible to arrange for someone to pretend to be a scout of the security army?"
Ma Liang thought for a moment: "How do I know? With an insider leading the team, the probability of success is very high."
Tian Sanqi raised the kettle and took a sip, then carefully took the telescope from Ma Liang's hand, and looked north through the grass: "It's very possible? I think it's too ridiculous? Look at us, who is our subordinate?" One of us is missing, so we can’t help but know, right?”
"Hey, do you think the security forces are as serious as you?"
"But there are less than half of the people who go out to investigate a squad. Do you think the security forces are all fools?"
"Hey, maybe you are really stupid. Otherwise, if you made such a big noise, why did the security army only come with a group of scouts?" Ma Liang picked up the engineering shovel and started working.
Tian Sanqi held up the binoculars: "That's right. When a large army moves forward, it must be arranged as a forward or something... Oh, did you see... They seem to be chasing ducks... Is there such a march?"
"The security army rushes in a swarm when fighting against the wind. After losing the battle, they run together without command. Isn't it nice to be so neatly lined up? What's more, it's just a march!" Ma Liang shoveled a few more shovels of soil, and then poured water into the sand.
"Why did the division become a column?"
"How do I know... uh... where are the company commander and the girl?"
"I'm asking Li Xiang to get the rifle he found from the military division." Tian Sanqi put down the binoculars.
"She was so impressed that she even pestered the commander to search for all the guns in the entire division..."
"Hey, it's useless, that thing is just a waste, it's impossible to shoot accurately..." Tian Sanqi returned the telescope to Ma Liang and asked casually: "Have you eaten yet?"
"Oh, I would have forgotten if you didn't tell me!"
"There are more than a hundred people in your platoon now, right? Tell me, after this battle, will we be promoted to company commander?"
