The Zhongxing Coal Mine, which was built in the Guangxu period, is said to be the earliest national capital coal mine in Shanghai. Due to the excellent quality of the coal produced by the mine, Zhongxing Coal Mine also has the reputation of 'being the only coal company that can compete with foreign coal'.

It is also because of the excellent quality of coal in Zhongxing Coal Mine that this coal mine has become a piece of fat in the eyes of many greedy people. After the founding of the Republic of China, Zhongxing Coal Mine was also regarded as an important coal mine main mining area, with thousands of miners stationed in the country.

Such a mine that can produce high-quality coal will naturally not be easily let go of the Japanese army, which is in great need of coal resources. When Zaozhuang was occupied, the Japanese army sent a force, fearing that the government would blow it up, so they sent troops to forcibly receive and occupy it.

In fact, Lao Jiang also thought about sending someone to blow up this coal mine. The problem is that if the coal mine that has been mined for many years is blown up, the cost of rebuilding it will be immensely huge. In the end, the bombing had to be stopped.

According to the information provided by the military commander, Hu Biao, who stayed in Yicheng earlier, felt that Zaozhuang was relatively close to Yicheng. In addition, the strategic location of Zaozhuang is extremely important, and it is one of the important railway hubs, so it is necessary to bury a nail here.

With these coal mines, Hu Biao believed that the Japanese army would not give up the occupation. Even if Hu Biao blew up the coal mine, the Japanese army would later repair it. But for Hu Biao, Hu Biao really didn't think about such a thing as bombing coal mines.

If the coal buried in the ground is burned and an underground fire is formed, the consequences will be extremely serious. Don't blow up the coal mine, blow up those production equipment and mine heads, Hu Biao thinks it's still okay. If you want to rebuild, the little devil must bring in mining equipment.

After rescuing the prisoners of war in the mine, and blowing up the equipment in the mine, the wellhead, and the railroad that transports coal, the little devil wants to restore the production of the coal mine, in addition to spending huge manpower and material resources, he also has to invest a lot of money in reconstruction.

Hu Biao felt that it was easier to destroy than to build. The next time the little devil rebuilds the coal mine, Hu Biao will come to loot it again. All in all, if the little devil wants to successfully steal and dig coal mines, it is wishful thinking.

Although Zaozhuang has been actually controlled by the Japanese army, in order to ensure the safety of the mine, the Japanese troops stationed in the coal mine still implement a relatively strict defense system. In addition to mine safety, the railway used to transport coal is also important.

According to the results of Xu Sandao's reconnaissance earlier, each time the patrol of the little devils would travel along the railway line for an hour, and then the patrol team would return. The round trip took about two hours.

During the night, the patrol will come and go twice, one in the first half of the night and one in the second half of the night. During the day, the little devils will still send patrols along the railway to ensure that the railway line is not damaged, and there are no entry signs along the way.

The people in the vicinity, who dared to approach the railway and were seen by the patrolling little devils, were all likely to be shot by the little devils. As far as the little devils are concerned, they don't care whether the people are intentional or not, and dare to shoot as long as they dare to approach them.

Perhaps in the eyes of most little devils, the lives of the Chinese people are insignificant. Under such strict military control measures, the little devil believes that the people nearby will also know that they can't get close to the railway. After a long time, the little devil can save a lot of trouble.

Hu Biao and his entourage, lurking on the edge of the railway, quietly waited for the arrival of the patrol. For his part, Hu Biao hopes to run into a patrol first, rather than a coal train that might appear at any moment.

It was precisely because of this consideration that Hu Biao would pull his troops to the railway side in the evening. After lurking with the crossbow team for nearly half an hour, the flashlight that appeared in front of him instantly lifted everyone's mood.

Hu Biao, who was lying in the grass, also said in a timely manner: "Silence!" Move your hands and feet and get ready to get your hands dirty! ”

"Yes, Captain!"

The crossbowmen who were lying in the grass with Hu Biao also began to move their wrists, took out the special warfare crossbow wrapped in the raincoat, and took out the crossbow arrows they carried to install it. Then he continued to lurk in the shadows, quietly waiting for the arrival of the Japanese patrol.

Ambush battles like this have been fought many times by the crossbow team. Although the situation tonight is somewhat different from the past. However, their lurking position, which is closer to the railway, is also more conducive to their aiming and shooting targets.

The Japanese patrol, unaware of the impending danger, cursed the weather tonight, and the flashlights in their hands swept into the darkness on both sides of the railway from time to time. Some of the Japanese soldiers walking on the railroad tracks complained that patrols were pointless.

The military cao who led the team listened to the soldiers' complaints, and would also remind from time to time: "Be vigilant!" Without constant patrolling, how to ensure the safety of the mine. You know, where we are now is not very peaceful.

The mine is still dozens of kilometers away from the city, and once a large army attacks the mine, how long can it hold out with only the troops stationed in the mining area? Now we are out on patrol to ensure our own safety, understand? ”

"Yes, Juncao!"

Hu Biao, who was lurking in the shadows, listened to the content of the Japanese soldiers chatting in the patrol, and he didn't feel any surprises. Under normal circumstances, the patrol team is not allowed to speak freely during the duty, which can easily reveal the position of the patrol team in advance.

But a group of people walking on such a cold railway line, if they don't find something to talk about, it will seem a little boring. From the patrol attitude of the Japanese patrol, Hu Biao could see that the Japanese patrol appeared to be relatively relaxed.

Being on the battlefield, even in an area controlled by the Japanese army, the behavior of these Japanese soldiers still seems a little stupid. It's just that for people like Hu Biao, he hopes that the more stupid Japanese soldiers there are, the better, and that it will be easier to slaughter.

Looking at the little devils chatting all the way through the railroad tracks, the crossbowmen lurking in the shadows are ready to shoot at any time. Sharp crossbow arrows, aimed at those little devils walking on the railroad tracks with flashlights, ready to ask for their lives at any time.

The little devil who didn't know that death was coming, still strafed back and forth in the shadows on both sides of the railroad as before. More flashlights, all for lighting. In the eyes of the little devil, no one should want to come out in this kind of weather.

Just when this group of little devils fantasized about quickly finishing this patrol road, and then returning to the mine to take a break. Aiming at Hu Biao, who was walking in the front, he already whispered: "Shoot!" ”

The low voice, even under the cover of the rain, still made the little devil on the move look sideways. Just as they moved their flashlights, trying to find the place where the sound was coming from, they saw a ghostly light coming in an instant.

The military Cao who led the team only had time to shout the words 'enemy, uh', and the flashlight in his hand fell to the ground. With his hands in his throat, the crossbow bolt fell like a ragdoll to the edge of the railroad tracks, and then rolled under the roadbed.

The crossbowman who was responsible for shooting the little devil also sprang up from the lurking ground when he shot the sharp arrows on the crossbow. Rush to the railroad, take out the little devil who is still struggling and howling, take out the saber he is carrying, kill him, and then drag the body to the side of the railway.

"Clean up the battlefield! Get ready to wait for the little devil's train! Let a small team, posing as a patrol, continue to patrol! ”

"Yes, Captain!"

After solving the patrol of the little devils, Hu Biao also seemed relieved. After cleaning the battlefield, Hu Biao came to a bend in the railway and asked people to pile up some rocks and wood in the railroad tracks behind him.

Holding the red cloth prepared in advance, he stood on the railway and waited quietly. In order to force the moving train to stop, Hu Biao used this emergency way to stop the train to prevent the train from moving forward, and by the way, lure the little devil of the train out of the carriage.

The team members lurking nearby are ready for melee combat at any time. The crossbow team was also the main force in this operation. If possible, Hu Biao hopes to solve the little devil who is responsible for escorting the train without using a gun.

Perhaps because of the rain tonight, the little devil train was expected to come a little late. Listening to the train coming from afar, Hu Biao, who was standing in the tracks, immediately said: "A detachment, start clearing the barricades, and the rest of the team members are lurking, watch my gestures!" ”

With Hu Biao's order, the rest of the combat team members quickly lurked near the railway. Hu Biao, standing in the railway, held a flashlight and a red cloth, calculating where it was best to stop the little devil's train.

Fortunately, most of the trains were not fast in these years, and Hu Biao did not dare to do this at all if they were replaced by high-speed trains or EMU trains in later generations. didn't wait for the driver to find him, but he was afraid that the train moving at high speed had already knocked Hu Biao away.

With the flashlight in his hand, he kept drawing circles on the locomotive, raising the red cloth with one hand, and kept waving it, and Hu Biao, who had an anxious face, did not forget to shout: "Stop!" Stop the car! There are barricades ahead! There are barricades ahead! ”

The driver in charge of driving the train looked at the flashlight that appeared in front of the front of the train, and the dazzling red cloth. Although he couldn't understand what Hu Biao was saying, judging from Hu Biao's dress and expression, the train driver knew that something was wrong.

Another driver, who was in the cab, soon saw the soldiers who were clearing the barricades in the rain ahead, and immediately said, "Brake quickly!" There are barricades ahead! Brake quickly! There are barricades ahead! ”

Know that if you hit a roadblock, you may be in danger of derailment. Perhaps it was because the patrol team found a roadblock that they were in a hurry to stop the moving train.

The train driver, who felt very lucky, slowed down and tightened the brakes of the train without saying a word. The train was moving, and soon an emergency stop entered a taxiing state. The Japanese squad in charge of escorting the car was also staggered by the sudden change.

"Yaga! Something's wrong! Get ready for battle! ”

Although it was not clear what was happening, the Japanese squad in charge of escorting the car was still quickly ready for battle. After opening the car door, I soon saw Hu Biao, who was talking to the train driver, and more than a dozen Japanese soldiers who were clearing the roadblock.

The Japanese second lieutenant who led the team quickly stepped forward and said, "What happened?" ”

"Your Excellency! When our small detachment was patrolling, we found a large number of roadblocks piled up in front of us. For safety reasons, I stopped the train from proceeding. Rest assured, ensign, we will be able to clear the barricades in no time. ”

Hu Biao, who was wearing a military uniform, still showed great respect for the second lieutenant who appeared. At the same time, Hu Biao also saw the Japanese army team in charge of escorting the car, one after another, out of the carriage and began to implement a guard around it.

Looking at the little devil who walked out of the carriage, Hu Biao also knew that this task of seizing the coal mine had taken a big step forward in success. Dealing with this Japanese squad will make it much easier to get to the rest of the task of seizing the coal mine!