After several days of arduous trekking, Yuan Guangtao, the deputy captain of the brigade who had been hiding in Tibet, and more than 20 of his cronies arrived at a small mountain village on the edge of the Lunan Mountains.

On the same day, Huaiyin was besieged by devils, and part of the fourth battalion of Xie Zhengxiang, who was guarding the east of the city, was coerced by the battalion commander Xie Zhengxiang to rebel, and the devils immediately broke into Huaiyin City from the east of the city.

Yuan Guangtao, the panicked deputy commander, immediately ordered a retreat, and took the lead in evacuating north from the city with the personnel of the general command.

When they stopped, they heard the rout soldiers fleeing from behind say that Huaiyin City had been broken, and the devil's pursuers were coming in an instant.

Yuan Guangtao, the deputy captain who originally wanted to stay and gather the troops, had been frightened by the devils, and heard that Huaiyin had fallen and the devils were in pursuit, he knew that the general trend had gone, and he couldn't care about collecting the rout, so he hurriedly evacuated north with people.

In Siyang County, another Japanese puppet army was blocked, and after a scuffle, many people were dispersed, and there were more than 20 cronies left around the deputy captain Yuan Guangtao.

Seeing that they were about to enter the mountain, and there were no devils chasing after them, Yuan Guangtao, the deputy captain who had escaped all the way, finally breathed a sigh of relief and stopped in this small mountain village.

Although Yuan Guangtao, deputy commander of the brigade, was an officer parachuted into the guerrilla corps in northern Jiangsu from the Sulu Theater, he was also the No. 2 figure in military and political affairs.

When the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps was strong, Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao was also high-spirited and ambitious to make some military achievements and make further progress in his career.

But who knows that the plan is not as good as the change, with the heavy forces of the devils to carry out a large-scale offensive on the areas controlled by the guerrilla corps in northern Jiangsu.

The Northern Jiangsu guerrilla corps lost the Jieshou and Baoying one after another, and with his command mistakes, now even Huaiyin has been lost, and the troops have been scattered.

Yuan Guangtao, the high-spirited deputy captain at the beginning, was embarrassed on the way to escape, his military uniform was full of dirt, and his whole person became haggard.

Although he rested temporarily in this small mountain village, in the face of such a miserable white, the deputy captain Yuan Guangtao became depressed, and he didn't know how to face it at all.

If you want to gather the troops, you are worried that you will be in danger if you run into the pursuers of the devils, but if you return to the theater headquarters in such a gray way, the capital crime can be avoided and the living crime will not be escaped, after all, you have fought such a defeat.

"Sir, the brother we sent out to inquire about the news has returned."

When Yuan Guangtao, the deputy captain of the corps, was frowning and didn't know what to do next, a captain officer walked into the low earthen wall house to report.

Hearing that the brother who inquired about the news had returned, Yuan Guangtao, the deputy captain, came back to his senses and tidied up his tattered military uniform to make himself look less embarrassed.

"Let him in."

"Yes!"

The captain-officer answered the call and went out, and soon brought in a dusty brother.

After the brother came in, he stepped forward and saluted the deputy captain Yuan Guangtao, and still maintained respect for the deputy captain Yuan Guangtao.

"Tell me, what's going on?"

Yuan Guangtao, the deputy captain, didn't have the heart to return the salute, and stared directly at this brother and asked.

The brother's face was a little bad, but he still opened his mouth to tell the truth: "I went back to inquire, but I didn't meet the troops who broke through ...... of us."

"If you have something to say, just say it." Seeing that this brother wanted to speak and stopped, Yuan Guangtao, the deputy captain, had a bad premonition in his heart, and he still wanted to hear the results.

"I heard that only a small part of our troops broke out, and now they are nowhere to be found, and the rest are blocked in the city and have not come out, and the devils have bombarded it with cannons for a day, and it is estimated that it is all over......" The brother said the news in a low voice.

After hearing this brother's words, the deputy captain Yuan Guangtao seemed to be drained of his strength, and the whole person collapsed on the chair.

Thinking that so many people and troops in the city had been slaughtered by devils, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his back, he knew that it was over, everything was over, and the whole army was annihilated.

"Go down."

After the deputy captain Yuan Guangtao was silent for a long time, he waved weakly at the brother and let him go down.

If most of the troops break through, they still have a chance to explain to the theater command.

After all, in this year, even the best-equipped Central Army units have lost battles, and it is nothing if they lose the battle, at most they will be scolded, and after the commander scolds, he will continue to use them to fight devils.

But now that the entire Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps has been buried in Huaiyin City, and he, the commander, has survived, it is no wonder that he will not be shot this time.

Thinking that he was not only cut off from his career, but also that he might be shot, Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao felt a burst of powerless despair, and he was unwilling.

He is young and promising, and as long as he sharpens his position in the guerrilla corps of northern Jiangsu, he will definitely be able to accomplish great things in the future.

It's a pity that it's too late to say anything now, the guerrilla corps in northern Jiangsu is gone, there is no ladder to advance, and there is still a danger to life, which makes people desperate to think about.

"Let Staff Officer Du and them come over for a meeting."

After thinking about it for a long time, Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao ordered the guards to let a few staff officers who escaped with him come over.

Soon, Du Jiang, the former intelligence staff officer, and several other officers who had not broken up during the battle gathered in the earthen wall house where Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao was staying.

The brothers who were searching for the news had already told them the news of the investigation, and they were all very solemn, knowing that they were now facing a difficult situation.

"I don't mean anything else when I call you brothers over, I think you also know the situation in Huaiyin, I want to hear your thoughts now, what should we do next?"

Seeing that several staff officers were silent, Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao took the lead in breaking the silence in the room.

"We lost the battle this time, and so many brothers and people fell into the hands of the little devils, and we can't escape the blame......"

Although a staff officer said it tactfully, he also named the command error, and they retreated in a panic, and left the city without arranging anything, so that they became what they are now.

"Now is not the time for us to hold anyone responsible, the main thing is what should we do next, whether to go back to the theater command or find another way?" Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao opened his mouth to interrupt the staff officer's words.

"If we go back to the theater headquarters now, we will lose the battle, resulting in the annihilation of the troops, and we may not be able to escape death." Intelligence staff officer Du Jiang bluntly stated the results.

"But if we don't go back, we won't have anywhere to go, so we can't stay in this small village forever."

With the loss of Huaiyin, the troops were scattered, and they are now completely homeless.

"I have a place to go, but I don't know what you think."

Looking at the few people with sad faces, Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao pondered for a while before speaking.

"Surrender devil?" A staff officer immediately shook his head: "We have a blood feud with the little devil, even if I die, I will not surrender to the devil." ”

"Yes, we can't surrender devils." Another staff officer also chimed in.

"You misunderstood me, I mean Nanjing." Seeing that the staff officers reacted so violently, the deputy captain immediately opened his mouth to explain.

"President Wang also compromised with the devil in Nanjing, the person sent last time has already said that it is just to save the country by maneuvering with the devil, as long as the accumulated strength is reached, it is the time to turn his face with the devil......" Deputy captain Yuan Guangtao said slowly, watching everyone's faces change.