After looking at it for more than an hour, Li Ziyuan put down the unfinished topographic map and said to Dong Ping: "Old Dong, after I went down the mountain today, I went up a few surrounding mountains and took a closer look at the surrounding environment. Except for the northwest direction, the terrain is favorable in all directions. ”

Speaking of this, Li Ziyuan clicked on the topographic map drawn by Dong Ping in the northwest direction and said: "Here, it is the biggest loophole in the surrounding area. The ridge looks steep, but there is a path halfway up the mountain. Of course, this path has been covered by wild grass, and it is impossible to see without looking closely. ”

"And this ridge is connected to where we are now. In other words, you can go up the mountain from the northwest ridge and get here directly, without having to go through the cliff. Of course, there will definitely be a need for more detours. I roughly calculated that it was more than thirty miles from the place where the northwest ridge could go up the mountain to get here. ”

"If we count from the time we enter this valley, the distance we need to detour will be longer, at least seventy or eighty miles. At the same time, there are places on this mountain road where only a pair of feet can be left behind, and it is impossible to pass through the equipment above the heavy machine gun. But purely lightly armed troops, carrying light machine guns and rifles, can still pass. ”

"The trail leads from the col to the middle of the mountain, and there is a cave in a very hidden location. Although the area inside the cave is not large, it has no problem accommodating more than 100 people. The most important thing is the entrance of the cave that stands right across the valley from here. ”

"Once the Japanese army brought the infantry guns and heavy machine guns they carried, they were disassembled into parts and transported over. Using the cave entrance as a starting point, their shooting range can directly cover the entire village. Of course, there was already the longest range of the Japanese Type 92 heavy machine gun. But after all, it's a big threat to this side. ”

"If you had discovered and used this trail when you attacked this hill in the first place, it wouldn't have taken as much effort. At least the few soldiers who died while climbing the cliff from behind could have avoided their sacrifice altogether. Lao Dong, I'm not settling accounts with you. ”

"This mountain road, I was also the time to conduct field surveys. From the foot of the mountain through the bush, up to the halfway point of the mountain. Because a pheasant flew out of the roadside, I dodged for a while to find out. From the bottom of the mountain, you can't see it at all. Even if you get closer, you can't see it without getting into the wild grass, so you can't be blamed for this. ”

"I mean, whatever we want to do here, this trail is a big threat to us. Regardless of whether the Japanese puppet army can discover this mountain road or not, we must pay attention to it. lest when the time comes, we will be attacked by devils to our back road. ”

"Another point, that traitor dared to lure the wolf into the house and tell the devil the location of this village. So in other words, this village is no longer a secret to the devils. It's really easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the location is hidden and good for defense. But it may not be this mountain road, and the traitor doesn't know. After knowing it, it may not be that he won't tell the devil. ”

"So, when the time comes, this mountain road must be fortified. No, just bury it in a dangerous place on the mountain road*. One is that it can play an early warning role, and the second is that it can also play a role in blocking the enemy. This is something you must pay attention to when you are making a topographic map. But don't use a solid line, you can use a dotted line, and the position of the mine must also be marked. ”

Hearing Li Ziyuan's words, Dong Ping, who was tearing a pheasant that had already been roasted, stopped. Hurriedly stood up, carrying the telescope and going to the northwest. However, Dong Ping, who was anxious, was dragged by Li Ziyuan: "I said Lao Dong, why are you in a hurry." It's dark everywhere at this time, what can you see with a telescope? ”

"I look at the topographic map around here, you and Lao Zhou have done almost the same. Tomorrow, why don't I take you on a run? Now eat first, eat a full stomach and rest. Everything will wait until tomorrow. After seeing the mountain road tomorrow, let's go back. I can promise Deputy Political Commissar Qian that I will only come out for three days. ”

After that, Li Ziyuan handed a piece of dry food that had been roasted to Dong Ping along with half a roast chicken. I also took a copy of it, and ate it with the spring water on the mountain: "Lao Dong, don't say it." Although the spring water on this mountain is not large, the water quality is clear and sweet, and it is absolutely first-class in this Hubei County. ”

"The folks here don't know which ancestors they are, and they really know how to choose places. Living here, albeit somewhat closed. But in the chaotic years, it was really a safe hiding place. There are not many villagers here, and the grain from the surrounding fields is enough for them to eat. ”

Li Ziyuan's emotion, Dong Ping also smiled after hearing it: "Leader, in fact, you don't know. When I sent this batch of supplies, I put them in a hole. Drinking the water here and looking at the surrounding scenery, I really didn't want to leave at that time. Especially this water, it is really delicious. ”

"I was also with the army at the beginning, and I traveled to quite a few places. But it's really the first time I've drunk such delicious spring water. Also, there is not much food production here. But the food that came out here, I don't know what's going on, was better than the outside. ”

"It's really nice to come together in the morning and look at the surrounding greenery. If he was still young at the time, he had been a soldier for so many years, and he still wanted to go out and break through, so he really stayed. Back then, there was a family here who fell in love with me and wanted to recruit me as a son-in-law. ”

"I was young at the time, and if I was too old now, I really wouldn't be leaving. The wife and children are hot on the kang, and the days are really comfortable. Leader, you don't know, the rules here back then were that girls were not allowed to marry outside, and they could only recruit sons-in-law. When marrying a daughter-in-law, you should also keep the village secret. Only the daughter-in-law is allowed to go back to her parents' house, and her in-laws are not allowed to come here. ”

"When I got married, the village paid for it in my mother's house, and I was not allowed to go back to the village to do it. There is a limit to the number of times a woman can return to her parents' home in a year. The people here, in order to keep the village's secrets, really paid a lot of money. Fortunately, before the little devils entered Shanxi after the July Seven Incident, Shanxi was generally calm after the beginning of the Republic of China. ”

"It's not like the surrounding provinces, today it is directly related, tomorrow it is in the Feng department, today it is the Northwest Army, and tomorrow it is the Central Army. Although there are also guest troops passing by, the Jin Sui army has always been firmly in control of the territory. In addition, the road is difficult to walk, and it has never been harassed by outsiders. ”

"Commander, in fact, sometimes the king of Shanxi, I really admire it. At the beginning of the warlord melee, the surrounding provinces became the main battlefield, but Shanxi was never affected. After the Central Plains War, the Northwest Army completely fell apart. Those who take refuge in the central government seek refuge in the central government, and those who seek their own way out. ”

Even the tens of thousands of horses who withdrew to Shanxi, although they did not accept the central government's incorporation, finally accepted the number. The Northwest Army as a whole has completely ceased to exist. However, although his Jin Sui army was defeated, except for a few divisions after the break, it was basically completely withdrawn. ”

"Neither the Central Army nor the Northeast Army entered the customs were able to enter Shanxi. The remnants of the 60,000 or 70,000 Northwest Army that had withdrawn to Shanxi did not dare to do anything. The Northwest Army's boss Feng became the commander of the light pole, and he also lost all the territory in the northwest under his control. ”

But his old gentleman went out to hide for a while, and when he came back, he was the king of Shanxi. The territory of Hebei and Pingjin was lost, but the fundamental territory of Shanxi was preserved. The underground of Shanxi is full of coal, and there are timber and minerals on the mountain, grain from Jinzhong and Jinnan, and pond salt from Yuncheng. There is also the old foundation of Jin merchants, and they are really rich compared to several surrounding provinces. ”

"And Shanxi's rivers and mountains, to the east out of Taihang can go straight into Pingjin and Hebei. To the south, you can directly go south through the Central Plains. To the west, across the Yellow River is Shaanxi. If you cross the Great Wall to the north, you can directly enter Suiyuan, Chahar, or even Outer Mongolia. ”

"After losing the battle, there is Taihang in the east, the Yellow River in the west, Zhongtiao Mountain in the south, and the Great Wall in the north. Even when the Japanese army attacked Shanxi, the two major battles of Niangziguan and Xinkou were quite difficult and the casualties doubled. ”

"If it weren't for the fact that the Jin Sui army was only good at defense, and had the most powerful artillery of all factions in China, the ability to attack was really limited. Just rely on the wealth of Shanxi, plus the arms support of the Taiyuan Arsenal. I dare not say that we can unify China, but there is no problem in controlling the entire north. Maybe the soldiers from the rich places are not strong in combat. ”

Regarding Dong Ping's sigh, Li Ziyuan thought about it, but shook his head and said: "The soldiers from the rich areas are really not good if they don't necessarily have combat effectiveness, the key is the training and education of the troops. Shanxi is rich, but that refers to the southeast of Jin, where we are located, and the Jinzhong Plain. ”

"If there are not enough food in Luliang Mountain and Zhongtiao Mountain in a year, can they still be called rich? But can you say that the soldiers recruited there are just as capable of fighting? In addition, most of the backbone of our current troops are local people in Shanxi. It is almost the same area as the source of the Jin Sui army, can you say that our Eighth Route Army can't fight? ”

Li Ziyuan's words fell, and Dong Ping fell into deep thought. There's something about him that he really hasn't thought about. The equipment of the Jin Sui Army is much better than that of the Northwest Army where he was originally located, but the combat effectiveness is very different. It's okay to rely on favorable terrain to hold on, but it's very contemptible in terms of offense. But Li Ziyuan's words today are not very wrong.

Seeing Dong Ping fall into deep thought, Li Ziyuan dropped the chicken bones in his hand and wiped his hands, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Sleep, there are some things, if you don't understand it for a while, put it down first." If you don't understand it for a while, look at it with both eyes. When you understand it, you will naturally figure out the things you can't understand. ”

After that, Li Ziyuan didn't care about Dong Ping anymore, and he lay down. Maybe it was the mountain that made Li Ziyuan feel very tired. After lying down, it didn't take long for him to fall asleep. Dong Ping sat there, but he didn't feel the slightest sleep, looking at the fire and quietly not knowing what he was thinking.

Early the next morning, after getting up, Li Ziyuan stretched a big lazy waist. Looking at the different scenery in the early morning at the bottom of the mountain, I feel quite comfortable. After a simple wash and a hasty breakfast, Li Ziyuan left a few soldiers to guard the ammunition depot here, and he had to take a group of people down the mountain.

When I came out by myself, I promised to go back in three days. Today is the third day, and I have to go back. The absence of a military commander from the army for a long time is not a good thing. If there is an order from the higher authorities during this time, it will definitely delay the matter. Military orders are like mountains, who can know when the order will come?