In the mountains.
A team of more than ten people walked in the valley.
The earthy blue military uniform means that they are all soldiers.
The tattered military uniform that had not been washed for many days showed its wretchedness.
The team climbed up another ridge. The leading soldier on the ridge who was first on the ridge looked happy and looked at the team following him. He reported in a low voice to the young officer in the team: "There is someone in the valley."
"The leading soldiers will conduct reconnaissance first, and the others will be on guard outside. I'll go over and have a look. There may be survivors."
Then, the team continued to move forward.
In the valley.
A large group of shirtless people were sweating profusely as they cleaned the burnt shacks.
In the clearing where the ruins of ruins had been cleared, rows of corn shoots that were more than an inch long sprouted.
Some people weave cut shrubs and vines into half-person-high fences to prevent small animals from damaging the seedlings.
The small open space between the bushes was covered with traps for catching small animals.
In the middle of the courtyard wall, which is nearly human height built with rocks, a few wild boars are jumping back and forth inside.
As long as the problem of food and various materials can be solved, it is not difficult to survive in the mountains.
On the road to land reclamation, the old Qi gangsters couldn't keep up with Captain Qin, who was born in the fields.
However, it is not the two of them who really make the decision.
The mountain people are the masters of the mountains.
A cave halfway up the mountain was cleared and used as a place for the soldiers to sleep at night.
Old Bandit Qi was very suspicious that he had really returned to his days as a bandit.
Although the mountain people were poor, they looked down upon the non-staff team of the Ninth Battalion.
They didn't want to live in a cave halfway up the mountain. They had to walk for half an hour in the morning to work on the land dug out under the mountain.
Time is not a problem, the key is that walking such a long distance is not a waste of effort?
If you have the energy, you might as well build a shack next to the ground.
During this time, the old bandit Qi went out early and came back late, wandering around in the nearby mountains.
The friendly field hospital was besieged and all casualties were wiped out. Following Hu Yi's arrangement and taking people to take root here, it was natural to first familiarize themselves with the terrain.
A soldier hurriedly ran to the mountainside: "Report to the captain, a small national army reconnaissance team appeared in the south, with more than ten people in advance, coming towards Huangqiu Cave."
Qi Lao Qi thought for a while: "You run faster and let Captain Qin arrange people to set up an ambush on the road and catch them all. I will be there soon."
The old bandit Qi was self-aware. When running in the mountains, few could outrun this correspondent who was born as a mountain man.
In the valley to the south.
The national army troops continued to approach Huangqiu Cave, and there was no one at all where there should have been a guard post.
The leading young officer had a very bad feeling in his heart.
More than a month passed. On the way here, I learned from the defeated soldiers who were about to become savages that a group of people had occupied Huangqiu Cave.
The young officer calmed his thoughts and looked at the vast mountains.
Going around the mountain ridge in front is the field hospital station.
The team moved on.
"Stop, don't move, anyone who moves will be killed!" A team of more than thirty people jumped out of the bushes nearby, the black muzzles of the rifles in their hands looked like the eyes of death.
The soldiers of the national army looked for cover on the spot. Fortunately, the other party did not shoot directly indiscriminately.
One of them on the mountain ridge shouted: "Put down your weapons immediately."
I saw that the other party was wearing a variety of clothes, including Eighth Route Army uniforms, and a small number of people were wearing patched ordinary people's clothes.
Most of them had guns in their hands, a machine gun was mounted on a certain rock, and several people also held grenades in their hands.
The leading young officer took a deep breath and asked, "Which department are you in?"
Captain Qin saw that the other party was now surrounded, and it was only a matter of time before they were eliminated.
He waved his hand: "Stop talking nonsense. If you don't want to die, put down your weapon and speak."
If you don't do what the other party says, you will definitely not get a good deal. The young officer waved to the soldiers beside him not to be nervous: "Don't get me wrong, we are here to find the field hospital."
"I repeat, put down your weapons immediately, otherwise, don't blame us for being rude."
In midsummer, it seems colder than the severe cold.
More than 2,000 people from the field hospital are buried here.
The young officer took off his military cap and knelt on the ground with one leg, his eyes red and weeping.
The military doctor from the field hospital who hid in the mountains at the last moment and survived by chance stood beside the soldiers who were kneeling on the ground.
The military doctor's face was expressionless, and his tears had already flowed away.
The barren mountains under the sun seem to lose their temperature.
The mountain people not far away looked up from time to time to look at the situation on the other side of the big tomb bag, while they were busy with their work.
In the eyes of the mountain people, the crops in the fields are their hope.
As long as the crops are growing, they can continue to survive in the mountains.
The old bandit Qi did not make things difficult for these "Loyalty and National Salvation Army" soldiers who came to look for field hospitals.
The young officer spoke sincerely: "Thank you for letting our brothers rest in peace."
"You don't need to thank me. Most of them were buried by the Japanese and puppet soldiers."
The young officer was a little embarrassed: "It is hard to disobey orders. Except for the commander, I will not tell anyone else that you are here."
Old Bandit Qi curled his lips: "As you wish."
"Look, can you give us this place? The commander plans to arrange for someone to build a loyal soul tomb for our brother."
The old bandit Qi said sarcastically: "Let's forget it. You surrendered to the Japanese who killed them and acted as an aide. I think the thousands of brothers buried here would rather be lonely ghosts than enter the tomb you built." .”
The young officer did not respond to the old bandit's sarcasm, but nodded sincerely: "With you guys guarding here, brothers should feel at ease."
Qi Lao Qi suddenly said: "Do you know why I didn't do anything to you?"
"consult?"
"Go back and tell Pang that anyone wearing the five-color cap badge will fight to the death if they dare to take a step into the mountain."
The young officer was silent for a while. Until now, he did not know the name of the person in front of him, and he was not told at all.
In fact, what does it have to do with whether they are members of the Eighth Route Army or some other identity?
He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for what you have done for your dead brother. If you have any requests, as long as you send someone to Xinxiang to tell me, I will try my best to meet your requests."
"Okay, get me 100,000 catties of grain." Old bandit Qi is not a pedantic person.
"In half a month, I will arrange for people to be sent to the foot of the mountain." The young officer did not hesitate at all: "I want to put a few incense sticks on the top of the cave."
"If you feel proud, you can."
The young officer led his disarmed men, asked for their luggage and backpacks, and began to climb halfway up the mountain.
If what the military doctor said was true, in just half a month, the defeated soldiers would have rebuilt a brand new station here.
The one named Qi was obviously a defeated soldier. To be precise, this place was actually more like a bandit village.
Things are a bit strange. There are still ordinary people, and the number of ordinary people is more than the number of defeated troops.
He is not stupid and quickly figured out the actual situation here, because only the Eighth Route Army will lead the people.
Then, this should be the base of the Eighth Route Army.
He was a little curious as to how the defeated soldiers got involved with the Eighth Route Army.
One of his subordinates whispered: "Young Commander, I think those broken troops are probably the Eighth Route Army in disguise."
The young officer nodded: "That should be the case."
The subordinates cautiously suggested: "Tubalu is really abominable. It actually seizes our territory. Should we send someone to take it back?"
The young commander shook his head: "Don't forget our current status. With them guarding this place, our dead brothers can at least feel at ease."
As they approached the entrance of the cave, the sentry armed with a gun immediately shouted: "Who are you?"
The activities were in enemy-occupied areas, and security was arranged day and night. The people in the cave were soldiers on night shift who slept during the day.
The young commander who came over had a smile on his face: "Let's burn incense sticks for our dead brothers."
With the help of telescopes on the mountain ridge, the guard post had already seen the scene at the bottom of the mountain. He made a rough guess in his mind and pointed to a cemetery built next to it: "If you want to burn incense, go over there. There are tombstones there."
Balu's movements are indeed fast.
The young commander stood in front of the cemetery for a long time.
Huangqiu Cave: Huangwei Mountain Lingqiu Cave
(End of chapter)
