As an island country, Fuso's demand for mineral resources is undoubtedly huge. As the Japanese army launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, many resources that had been targeted by the Japanese army earlier were forcibly occupied and swallowed by the Japanese army.

In order to cope with such a national war, the Japanese army also needs a large amount of war resources to back it up. The arsenal in the rear was at full capacity, and the demand for coal and other ores was naturally increasing. Mineral resources were also the focus of the Japanese army's plunder.

As early as the Republic of China, Shandong Province explored a number of mines rich in coal resources, many of which began to be excavated in the late Qing Dynasty. These high-quality coal resources will naturally not be easily let go of by the Japanese army.

Soon after coming out of Yicheng, Hu Biao arrived near Zaozhuang. According to the information provided by the military commanders, several coal mines in Zaozhuang were forcibly occupied by the Japanese army. There are even some mines that have now resumed mining operations.

It's just that the Japanese army couldn't recruit miners to dig coal for them. First, most of the miners did not dare to mine for the Japanese army, for fear of being harmed. There is also the reason why the Japanese army could not recruit miners because the little devils did not plan to spend money to hire them.

In addition to forcibly capturing some strong men to mine for the Japanese army, the Japanese army also sent prisoners of war captured from the front line to the mines for detention. In the eyes of the Japanese army, these worthless prisoners of war were only suitable for use as coolies.

Hu Biao, who arrived in Zaozhuang, did not take immediate action, but first chose a suitable place to establish a base near Zaozhuang. Hu Biao did not intend to bring the prisoners of war rescued from the coal mine back to the south.

Even Hu Biao had a plan to transfer a company of troops from the spy company to manage the prisoners of war rescued from the coal mines. Although there were a large number of Japanese troops stationed here, Hu Biao knew that the Japanese army was paying more attention to the front line at the moment.

Before the battle on the front line was resolved, the overall strength of the Japanese troops stationed in the rear was still relatively weak. If you want to clear out the spy company, it will be difficult to do it. As for the future, Zaozhuang will become very lively.

If nothing else, Hu Biao believed that Deputy Division Commander Xu, whom he had met earlier at the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, would also lead the First Division of the Eighth Route Army to advance into southwest Lu and enter the Yimeng Mountains to carry out guerrilla operations behind enemy lines. In the future, Lu Province will also become a guerrilla zone of the Eighth Route Army.

The base area established here in Zaozhuang is more focused on fighting little devils and rescuing prisoners of war who were imprisoned in coal mines by the Japanese army. From these prisoners of war, well-trained elite soldiers were selected and expanded to the reconnaissance battalion that Hu Biao was about to form.

After the reconnaissance platoon's visit and platoon, Hu Biao finally chose a mountain that could connect several county seats. After entering the mountain, he chose a valley with a cave and a water source, and ordered people to start building barracks in the mountain.

Regarding the order given by Hu Biao, Xu Sandao and the others would not say anything, only Lin Yashi was slightly curious: "Captain, are we going to fight guerrillas here?" What about the Snow Shame Camp? ”

"This place is only used as a base for us in the north. In the future, when we go north, we also need some places to rest and rest. On top of that, we need some supplies and contact points, and it's a great location. ”

After a brief explanation, Hu Biao didn't tell Lin Yashi too much. There are some things that Hu Biao doesn't want to reveal too much before they are done. After those prisoners of war were freed, it was easy to say anything about the expansion of the team.

Through his earlier visit and investigation, Hu Biao knew that there were a large number of bandits hiding in this mountain. After repairing the barracks, Hu Biao summoned several platoon commanders and said: "Lao Xu, your platoon is mainly responsible for reconnaissance and pre-war reconnaissance of the surrounding mining areas!" ”

"Yes, Captain!"

"Remember! Don't alarm the little devils for the time being, just find out the deployment of the little devils' troops in the coal mines, and the number of prisoners of war held in the mines. If you don't move, we have to be clean! ”

"Clear!"

After arranging the work for Xu Sandao, Hu Biao continued: "Lao Qin, Lao Chen, the task of the two of you is not light!" According to the information provided by the reconnaissance platoon earlier, the platoon was used as a unit to carry out an anti-bandit operation to clear out the bandit forces in the surrounding mountains.

The difference from the previous one is that after the bandits were cleared this time, all the food and other daily necessities were brought back to me. This place is in a good location, and I plan to make it a northern headquarters like the Anhua Hill base.

After the training of the rescued prisoners of war is completed, we will slowly expand like the perimeter. In a short period of time, it is difficult to pull out the rescued prisoners of war to fight. Therefore, we need to store enough supplies and ammunition.

Of course, it will be difficult to satisfy our development with the little gains from the suppression of bandits. But you should know that this place is not far from the Jinpu Railway, and every once in a while, there will be military trains passing by the railway.

After rescuing the prisoners of war and completing the task of suppressing the bandits, we will also find out the surrounding situation, and then go to the railway to do a few transactions. At that time, we should not have to worry about the shortage of materials, and we can stay in the mountains and train with peace of mind! ”

"Yes, Captain! Mission completion guaranteed! ”

"I won't go out with you this time. My request is simple, and that is to avoid casualties as much as possible. If there are casualties among the bandits, it means that my training for you needs to be strengthened, don't disappoint me, understand? ”

"Understood!"

If someone else says something like this, maybe the subordinates will think that the commander is too harsh. But for Qin Tianyou and these people, they know very well how strong the combat platoon under their command is. Dealing with a gang of bandits can be described as killing chickens with a knife.

Only one squad of troops remained in the camp, and the rest of the troops were all dispatched. Except for Xu Sandao who took some people and went out to carry out pre-war reconnaissance, the teams commanded by Qin Tianyou and Chen Qiang all changed into civilian clothes and went out to suppress bandits.

On the first day of the bandits, Qin Tianyou and Chen Qiang each commanded a platoon of troops and successfully destroyed two bandit cottages located not far from the camp. Facing Qin Tianyou and the others who suddenly appeared, the bandits in the two cottages were surprised.

Looking at the officers and soldiers of the combat platoon who began to attack the mountain, the big bosses of the two cottages were very surprised: "What? Someone is attacking our cottage? And you didn't say hello at all? Damn, what the hell are these guys coming from? ”

"The big boss, we have asked, but people don't care at all, a strong onslaught, the brothers can't hold it, let's run quickly! Those people are all killing gods, and the thieves who shoot them are not allowed to say anything, and it doesn't matter if they surrender! ”

"What? With just a few dozen people, our brothers can't stand it? ”

"Really! Big bosses, these guys are much better armed than we are. The combination of long and short guns, as well as the devil's hand cannon, our brothers can't stop it at all. Let's run! If we don't run, we'll be surrounded! ”

In the face of the surprise attack of the combat platoon of the spy company, these bandits only resisted for a long time before they were completely beaten out of temper. The bandit leaders who tried to resist were all killed by the guns of the combat platoon.

The most terrifying thing about these bandits is these people who attack the mountain, and they don't care about whether they surrender or not before attacking. When the battle is over, as long as the bandits with blood on their hands will be killed by them without exception.

For the bandits who survived, they felt that this group was the real ruthless character who killed people!

Before leaving, Qin Tianyou and Chen Qiang, who were commanders, would say unceremoniously: "Today, the master will make an exception and give you a chance to live." If I see you again in the mountains in the future, then don't blame the master for being ruthless. ”

"Uncle! Heroes, which way are you? ”

"Want to know? If you want to know the identity of the master, first ask the gun in the master's hand, whether it will agree or not! ”

As soon as these words came out, these newcomer bandits who had just gone up the mountain were afraid of any more nonsense. Earlier, when these people killed those old bandits, they didn't blink their eyes. Most of those who can survive are newcomers who have been in the company for less than three months.

As for some bold newcomers, when they were tempted to partner up, Qin Tianyou and Chen Qiang would sneer again: "Ye is not a bandit!" It's not good to do anything, but to be a bandit. If you are really not afraid of death, it is better to become a soldier! ”

Although they knew that Hu Biao wanted to expand the team, Qin Tianyou and Chen Qiang both knew that Hu Biao would not accept these bandits at all. Even if these bandits have not been bandits for a long time, in a short period of time, Hu Biao does not want to reveal the identity of the team.

In less than an hour, the two combat platoons destroyed two bandit cottages with hundreds of people. Except for a few bandits who were lucky to survive, the rest of the bandits were killed. This kind of killing has become accustomed to the soldiers of the spy company.

For these people who went up to the mountains to be bandits, they finally got their retribution. Even though some of the bandits have not done evil, they still serve as accomplices. The people who were plagued by bandits, these bandits were equally guilty.

At this time, it is impossible for Qin Tianyou and Chen Qiang to tell whether the bandits are good or bad. Since they have embarked on this path, they must be mentally prepared for this. How many of them can end well when they become bandits?

Compared to the time it takes to clean up the battlefield, it takes longer to clean up the battlefield. When the combat platoon returned, everyone was carrying large bags of things and piling all these materials in the cleared cave.

When choosing a camp earlier, Hu Biao took a fancy to this cave, which can be used to store a large amount of food and supplies. Seeing the victory in the first battle, Hu Biao also seemed very happy. In the evening, the team members also had a meal to celebrate.

Over the next few days, the two combat platoons continued their clearance missions. When encountering a large number of bandit cottages, the two combat platoons will work together to clear them. And Hu Biao, on his side, will also provide mortars to strengthen their firepower.

As a result, it was obvious that in less than a week, there was no trace of bandits in the mountain where Hu Biao and his party were located. Through the suppression of bandits, the spies even have a better understanding of the situation in this mountain.

Some cottages with good terrain were also retained by Qin Tianyou and Chen Qiang. In the future, when the army expands, it may be used as a backup base. If you encounter a little devil entering the mountain to encircle and suppress, it can also be used as a temporary camp for transfer!