readx; Qin Xiuyuan said: "Fortunately, there are people like General Gao in China who support the situation, and we can help him, which can be regarded as doing our part for the War of Resistance!" ”

Yang Jing said excitedly: "I really can't wait to see the brothers of the Ninth Legion right away and see how they fight devils!" ”

Qin Xiuyuan comforted: "Don't worry, you can see it in a few days!" ”

The fleet led by Qin Xiuyuan entered the Yangtze River waterway and immediately marched upstream, although there were many checkpoints along the way, but all passed safely under the protection of the gold signboard of Minhua Company, and a few days later, the fleet crossed Yizheng and came to the [***] waters. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 info Qin Xiuyuan slowed down the boat, raised the white sail, and slowly moved forward against the north bank, and then stood at the bow of the ship with Yang Jing, carefully searching the river embankment.

When the fleet passed through a river, several dazzling white lights suddenly shot out from the withered yellow reeds on the shore, shining straight on the eyes of Qin Xiuyuan and Yang Jing.

Finally waited for the agreed signal! Qin Xiuyuan was overjoyed, hurriedly ordered the boat to stop, and then walked to the shore with Yang Jing, at this time, dozens of black shadows emerged from the reeds, accompanied by the sound of rushing water, and after going ashore, a semi-circular encirclement was faintly formed, surrounding Qin Xiuyuan and Yang Jing tightly, and more than a dozen people on the periphery closely monitored the cargo ship.

Qin Xiuyuan nodded approvingly, and then said to an officer with a dark face and a tall figure who walked over: "Cover the sky!" ”

"Restore the rivers and mountains!" After the code, the officer walked a few steps, went up to hold Qin Xiuyuan's hands, and said excitedly: "I can look forward to you!" Worked hard along the way, right? Then he shook hands warmly with Yang Jing.

Qin Xiuyuan hurriedly said: "This is not a place to stay for a long time, in case it will be troublesome if it is discovered by the patrol boat of the army, let's find a place to unload the goods first!" ”

The five cargo ships were quickly pushed into the river, and then the men of the fleet began to unload the cargo under the command of Qin Xiuyuan. After lifting the top medicinal herbs, revealing a boat full of smoke, the guys first removed the neatly stacked smoke, revealing the smooth plank, and then pried up a few iron nails to remove the bilge plank, revealing the dark cabin below. After all the contents of the dark cabin were removed, the guys threw away the dismantled planks directly, and in this way, the dark cabin naturally disappeared.

Qin Xiuyuan took out a list from his hat, handed it to the officer, and said, "This is a list of items, please check it carefully!" Then he introduced Yang Jing to the officer: "I still have to take the fleet to Anhui to deal with me, so I can't stay for a long time." I will leave Yang Jing to hand over to you, and then discuss how to contact the two sides in the future. After saying that, he clasped his hands into fists, arched his hands at the officer, and said, "Farewell!" Then he walked briskly back to the boat.

The officer whistled loudly, and then a dozen soldiers armed with submachine guns stepped out from among the bushes beside the river, followed by more than thirty men pushing wheelbarrows.

The crowd loaded the carts and hurried towards the bushes, and the dozen or so soldiers in charge of the broken end picked up all the items left by the river, and then carefully removed the traces from the ground with brooms. Half an hour later, the river was calm again, and there was no sign of anyone coming.

The procession silently weaved through the mountains and forests, and after several low hills in succession, a winding path appeared in front of them, stretching far into the distant mountains.

Yang Jing and the black-faced officer named Zhang Hu walked side by side at the end of the line, curiously looking at everything around them, and asking questions from time to time, Zhang Hu came to his questions without refusing, and answered all questions.

After walking more than ten kilometers in a row, the team encountered the first sentry post, the lurking post hidden in the dense woods and immediately cleared it after checking the password, and then, at a distance of less than five kilometers, it was clear that it was very close to the core area of the troops.

Finally, the team entered a valley surrounded by mountains, and at the end of the valley was a dense bamboo forest, with neat rows of houses hidden among the verdant foliage, and hundreds of young men in different costumes were practicing in the open space in front of the bamboo forest.

Although it had only been three days since he left here, what he had in front of him still touched Zhang Hu very kindly, and he pointed to the house in the distance and said to Yang Jing: "This is our regimental headquarters. ”

Yang Jing absentmindedly: "Oh. With a sigh, apparently distracted by something else.

Zhang Hu turned his head to look at it, only to see that he was very curious to look at the team training in the open space and the various rifles in the hands of the soldiers, and explained embarrassedly: "These soldiers have just joined the army and are undergoing basic tactical training. We are far from the rear here, and we don't have enough weapons and ammunition, so we can only use the captured weapons to deal with it for the time being. Then he changed his words and said, "With your help in the future, this will not be a problem!" ”

Yang Jing nodded vigorously, and said in a firm tone: "We will definitely support you with all our might!" I just hope that you will use these weapons to kill a few more devils and vent your anger to the people in the occupied areas! ”

While the two were talking, Lao Hei, the commander of the 1st Regiment of the 26th Division, who stayed here to continue to fight the Japanese army, greeted him surrounded by three battalion commanders.

Zhang Hu hurriedly introduced it to everyone, followed by a round of greetings, and then Lao Hei and the others invited Yang Jing to the headquarters and sat down.

Zhang Hu first reported the list of items sent by the fleet to everyone, and he said: "This batch of materials includes: Radio Department 5; 10 anti-tank guns, each with 10 rounds; 50 grenades, each with 20 rounds; 200 semi-automatic rifles; five hundred grenades; Five boxes of medicinal herbs. ”

After listening to Zhang Hu's report, the officers showed a pleased smile on their faces: although this batch of materials is not very much, it has extraordinary significance, it marks that a material transportation channel has been established between the 1st Regiment and the headquarters, and the urgently needed materials can be obtained from Fujian in a steady stream, and the 1st Regiment will fight under the command of the military headquarters like other units of the Ninth Army Corps, and it will no longer be a lone army!

Yang Jing followed Zhang Hu's report and added: "This line is the first time we run, and we are not very familiar with the checkpoints along the way, so we didn't dare to transport more. ”

Lao Hei said gratefully: "It's really hard for you! Then he asked with concern: "From Shanghai to here, it is a military occupation area, and there are many checkpoints, so it is not easy to get through, right?" ”

Yang Jing smiled softly and said, "Our boss has the business card of Minhua Company, so the road was unimpeded and there was no danger. ”

Lao Hei frowned, and asked puzzledly: "What is the origin of this Minhua company, why is it so powerful?" ”

Yang Jing thought for a while, and replied in a tone of not quite sure: "I don't know the specific situation, it seems that this company was set up by a special agency in Shanghai, which specializes in smuggling tobacco from the three eastern provinces and domestic production of people's livelihood products to the rear, and then exchange them for the strategic materials they urgently need." ”

The old black cursed: "These little devils, while fighting, can't forget the scourge of us Chinese!" With that, he slapped the table hard.

Zhang Hu asked strangely: "Now that the front line is in full swing, how can smuggling be carried out?" ”

Yang Jing replied: "Now Hubei and Jiangxi are fighting very hard, but Anhui and Henan have basically calmed down, and our goods are transferred to the rear through Jieshou Town on the border of Henan and Anhui. You may not know that many high-ranking officials within the Nationalist Axe have set up companies there to make huge profits by doing this kind of business. ”

As soon as his words fell, there was a burst of angry scolding in the headquarters, and the officers denounced these scum for their traitorous behavior against the enemy.

But Lao Hei thought about it, he signaled everyone to be calm, and said self-deprecatingly: "We should be grateful to these traitors, without them doing business with the little devils, how could Mr. Yang transport these materials safely?" After saying that, he took the lead and laughed, calming the anger in everyone's hearts.

Then Lao Hei asked Yang Jing: "Is Mr. Yang going to stay here for a few days or will he go back immediately?" ”

Yang Jing replied: "I will wait for the fleet to return to Shanghai after returning from Anhui, and if I go back alone, it will easily arouse the suspicion of others, so I have to disturb here for some time." Then he added, "The main purpose of my visit is to discuss how to deliver supplies in the future. Our boss thinks that there are frequent boats in the Yangtze River, and it is a place where I am on high alert, so it is easy to be exposed, so I would like to ask you to change to a safer place to deliver the goods. ”

Lao Hei nodded and said, "Your boss is worthy of being an old Jianghu, he is very thoughtful, and the riverside is indeed not a good place!" Then he tapped his finger on the table and said to himself, "Where is the change?" There was a thoughtful look on his eyebrows.

Yang Jing asked, "May I ask if the control area of your army has reached Gaoyou Lake?" ”

Lao Hei replied, "Not yet. However, the army is basically huddled in a few surrounding counties, and the surrounding countryside is completely ours, and it is very safe to pass through the enemy-occupied area to reach Gaoyou Lake! He then asked, "You mean to change the location to Gaoyou Lake!?" ”

Yang Jing replied, "Yes! Then he elaborated: "When we used to smuggle weapons, we often passed through Gaoyou Lake, and there were countless bays and rivers around the lake, and the tidal flats were covered with dense reeds and shrubs, which were very hidden, and it was easy to get lost without local people to guide them, so it was a very good place to connect." ”

Lao Hei asked: "Gaoyou Lake is very close to Yangzhou, will my patrol boat come?" ”

Yang Jing said: "I went there a few days ago, but I haven't seen a patrol boat since I passed Yangzhou. ”

Lao Hei thought for a while and analyzed: "I am most concerned about the triangle of Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, and the garrison in Jiangbei is pitiful, and it is impossible to have a very close surveillance. Thinking of this, he said in a firm tone: "Okay, just change it to Gaoyou Lake!" ”

After Lao Hei and Yang Jing finalized the details of the location and time of the joint, Liu Dabiao, the commander of the 3rd Battalion, couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked Yang Jing: "I have occupied Shanghai for more than a year, and their forces should have penetrated into every corner, but how can the military department send supplies in so easily?" ”

Lao Hei's face suddenly became serious, first signaled Yang Jing not to answer this question, and then said to Liu Dabiao: "Da Biao, how can you ask such a highly confidential question!" This kind of thing, the fewer people who know about it, the better, let's fight with the army all day long, it is inevitable that someone will be captured, in case the information is leaked out, won't the underground passage that was finally built be over! ”

Seeing Liu Dabiao's ashamed look, Lao Hei did not continue to teach him a lesson, but turned around and told Yang Jing, he said: "Mr. Yang, during the time you stay in the army, you had better stay in my headquarters, so that few people can see you, so that too many people can contact you, which will affect the safety of you and Boss Qin." ”

Yang Jing nodded knowingly and said, "I know this, and our boss has repeatedly instructed me. ”

Zhang Hu suggested: "Mr. Yang's outfit is too conspicuous, I think it is better to change into a military uniform, so that everyone will think that he is a new brother, and no one will pay attention to him." ”

Lao Hei nodded in agreement: "This method is good!" Then he asked Zhang Hu to take Yang Jing down to rest, and then said to the officers: "The military department has sent the urgently needed supplies, and at the same time has given new instructions." After everyone focused all their attention on himself, he elaborated: "The military department officially separated our regiment from the battle sequence of the 26th Division, renamed it the Jiangbei Army, carried out guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines in the Soviet-central and eastern Anhui regions, and developed and strengthened itself. The Jiangbei Corps is still a regimental level in the battle sequence of the group army, but the military department promises to expand the establishment as soon as our strength and combat effectiveness are improved. ”

Liu Dabiao's black face was glowing, and he said excitedly: "So, we can all be promoted!" ”

Looking at the inquiring eyes of the three battalion commanders, Lao Hei immediately replied in the affirmative: "The military department has made it clear that as long as we fight well, it is possible to expand to the divisional level, so we must find a way to fight a few beautiful battles, take all the nearby counties from the hands of the army, and let the military department see our strength!" ”

Then he briefly analyzed the current situation: "The strategy of the Chinese army is to give priority to securing the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou triangle in the south of the Yangtze River, then to ensure the safety of the Yangtze River waterway so that it can supply the troops on the Hubei front, and finally to non-strategic locations such as the Soviet Union and China." Due to the lack of troops, in addition to the garrison of an infantry wing in Pukou, the garrisons of the three county towns of [***], Tianchang and Yizheng only had two infantry squadrons and an artillery squad, in addition to a gendarmerie and hundreds of puppet soldiers. After several months of expansion, our army has more than 8,000 troops, and is capable of recovering these three county towns and turning all the areas west of Gaoyou Lake and east of Pukou into our base areas. ”

2nd Battalion Commander Xie Yi said worriedly: "Our strength has increased a lot, but there has been no significant increase in weapons and equipment, and the combat effectiveness of the troops is not optimistic!" ”

Liu Dabiao disagreed with Xie Yi's opinion, he retorted: "There are more than 2,000 people in our 1st regiment, and it is not easy to eliminate hundreds of soldiers!" ”

Xie Yi then pointed out the problem of logistical supply: "Now there are less than 200 mortar shells left, and there are dozens of infantry shells, barely enough for two rounds per cannon, how can we attack the strong fortifications of the Yue army?" Then he complained: "Why didn't the military department send us shells and bullets that we lacked the most?" ”

Lao Hei said: "The consumption of shells and bullets is too great to be transported from Fujian, so we have to figure out our own way!" Then he said: "I am going to concentrate all the millimeter bullets for semi-automatic rifles, so that I can maintain the superiority of our army in hand-to-hand combat; All light and heavy machine guns were replaced with captured military equipment to facilitate the replenishment of ammunition; The caliber of the cannon is the same, and the captured enemy can be used directly. ”

Then Lao Hei further explained the advantages of seizing the county seat, saying: "As long as we control the west side of Gaoyou Lake, we can get supplies and equipment from Shanghai very conveniently, which is also the original intention of the military department." ”

Xie Yi said: "We can easily solve the garrisons of these counties, but the troops stationed in Pukou and Yangzhou will definitely be reinforced. ”

Lao Hei said: "There must be difficulties, but it shouldn't be so big. The strategic purpose of the Jiangbei army is only twofold: first, to ensure the safe and smooth flow of the Jinpu Road; Second, ensure the safety of the Yangtze River waterway. These places we attacked have nothing to do with the overall situation for the enemy, and they should not go all out to reinforce them, if the army really cares, they will not let our army and the [***] of northern Jiangsu develop in Jiangbei. Of course, for the sake of safety, it is still necessary to allocate troops to block the attack. ”

Liu Dabiao said impatiently: "I was afraid of wolves in the front, and I was afraid of tigers in the back, how can I fight?" Commander, you just say where to hit first! ”

Lao Hei said: "Of course, it is to fight [***] first!" Our main force and base area are here, so it is very convenient to concentrate our troops, and at the same time, this is the closest to Pukou, so we can use this to test the reaction of the army. ”

Liu Dabiao asked rhetorically: "Won't we fight if the enemy is reinforcing in a big way?" ”

Lao Hei replied: "Of course, you have to fight, but you have to use a more flexible way!" Let's first use a battalion of troops to sabotage and harass on the Jinpu line, and lure the Pukou garrison to attack; A main battalion ambushed between Pukou and [***] to block possible reinforcements from the Yue army; The rest of the troops besieged the county town and fought to take it in the shortest possible time! In the past, we only had one radio station, and it was very difficult for the various units to communicate with each other, and it was impossible to effectively coordinate operations, but now the situation is different, of course, we must make good use of it! ”

Xie Yi asked: "The regiment commander means that the troops on the Jinpu line will move first, and then attack [***] after the army is lured out, so that the enemy will not have time to reinforce." ”

Lao Hei nodded and said, "We just want to fight this time difference!" By the time the enemy reacts, the county seat is already in our hands! ”

After determining the combat objectives, Lao Hei immediately began to assign tasks, determining that Xie Yi's 2nd Battalion would be responsible for blocking the Yue Army in the direction of Pukou, the 1st Battalion, the 3rd Battalion and the 4th Battalion would attack the county seat, and the 5th Battalion would move to the area west of Pukou to destroy the railway.

Two days later, the three armies all entered the predetermined positions, and the Jiangbei Army began its first large-scale military operation since its establishment!

(To be continued)