Chapter 3: Hunt down the enemy chieftain and kill the enemy Pengjiahe

The [***] 74th Army, which was ordered to retreat, suffered heavy casualties after this fierce battle, with more than half of the casualties and two-thirds of the officers below the battalion level killed. The death squad of more than 200 people who fought for the Zhanggushan position was left with less than 50 people after the battle, and the thigh of the captain Zhang Lingfu, the brigade commander, was also broken by the enemy's machine gun and was rushed to the rear hospital for rescue. Xiao Xiong was also injured, but only slightly.

As soon as Xiao Xiong returned to the unit, he saw Commander-in-Chief Xue Yue's reward order: "A reward of 100,000 oceans will be offered for anyone who captures alive or kills the commander of the enemy's 106th Division, Junrokuro Matsuura." ”

It turned out that since the reorganization of the new army from the wise restoration to the new army, there has never been a precedent for a division or regiment to be completely annihilated. According to the regulations of the military, in addition to the heavy losses of the troops, if the commander of the division is killed or captured, it will be regarded as total annihilation, and the number of the division will be cancelled. Because of this, Commander-in-Chief Xue Yue specially offered a reward of 100,000 oceans to capture alive or kill the commander of the enemy division, Matsuura Junrokuro.

Xiao Xiong looked at the few rags marked as brigades, wings, brigades, etc. in his hand, and was happy but couldn't help but feel a little regretful: "If this is the division flag of the enemy's 106th Division, how good it would be!" Where's that damn Junrokuro Matsuura? Hmph, if it weren't for the desperate rescue of the enemy's reinforced officer corps, that Junrokuro Matsuura would not have been able to escape. ”

"Where is this old devil Matsuura now?" Xiao Xiong kept thinking about this question.

On October 17, 1938, after a bloody battle, the Wanjialing area.

The burning trees are still emitting black smoke, and the positions of Wanjialing, Zhanggushan, Jianlusu, and Dajinshan, which have long been blown bare, are full of corpses of devils lying horizontally and vertically, especially in front of the Zhanggushan position, which is densely packed with devils lying on top of each other, and there are more than 4,000 corpses. Due to the hot weather, many of the corpses were already highly decomposed, and maggots were constantly crawling out of their facial features.

Junrokuro Matsuura, who was hiding in the woods, saw the retreat of the Naka[***] team and ordered his men to hurry to find the remaining troops. After a day of searching, more than 1,500 people were finally reassembled. However, the tragic situation of the army in front of him made him very sad: the rest of the personnel were either injured, or their faces were swollen, weak, and ragged from hunger. Some of them only survived by drinking the water of the stream where the corpses of the soldiers were lying. Junrokuro Matsuura led the remnants of the defeated soldiers to escape from the woods trembling, and finally encountered the Suzuki Brigade who had come to his rescue. Immediately, they were ordered to withdraw to the first line of Shahe in the northern section of the Nanxun Railway to rest and serve as guards.

Early in the morning of early December 1938. Jiujiang Lushan Donglin Temple.

The cold air blowing from the north brings a cold air, and the sky is overcast, which makes people feel even more cold and full of a kind of murderous atmosphere. Not far away, Lushan has been the first snow this winter, the snowy above the mountainside, covered in silver, adding a bit of beauty, it is very good-looking.

At this moment, Xiao Xiong sat on a sedan chair carried by four people, followed by several servants dressed up, some of them carried oil and rice, some carried incense and candles, etc., and the group came to the Huxi Bridge outside Donglin Temple.

Xiao Xiongji had to know that it was the first time he came to Donglin Temple. His home is not far from here. In the past, he often came here with his mother every year to burn incense and pray for blessings, because his mother was a devout Buddhist believer, and she always came here on the first and fifteenth days of the new year, and she said that the Bodhisattva here was the most spiritual. Although he was not a Buddhist disciple, he was also attracted by the long history and culture of Donglin Temple under the influence of his mother, so he became a frequent visitor here, and the wise elders and other masters in the temple had a great friendship with him.

Lushan Donglin Temple is the birthplace of the Pure Land Sect of Chinese Buddhism and the ancestral court of the first ancestor of the Pure Land Sect. It was built in the 11th year of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (386) and has a history of more than 1,600 years. The temple is the yin of Lushan Mountain, the incense burner peak in the south, and the Donglin Mountain in the north. The mountain is not very high, it is the outline of the Lushan Mountain, the ancient trees in the temple are verdant, the Sanskrit sound is swirling, it is indeed the pure realm of the world. The building in the temple is magnificent, and the layout is reasonable, avoiding the yin and hugging the yang, the pine and bamboo are densely planted, and the stone path is mossed. Wandering in it, you are refreshed, relaxed and happy, revealing the charm of paradise and the pure land of the world.

Historically, Master Jianzhen, Li Shimin, Tao Yuanming, Han Yu, Bai Juyi, Liu Gongquan, Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Yangming, Yue Fei, Zhu Xi, etc. have all been here. There are many cultural relics in the temple, each of which contains a historical allusion, and its rich cultural heritage has also had a profound impact on traditional Chinese culture.

In the face of this thousand-year-old treasure temple that has gone through vicissitudes and has been repeatedly ruined, Xiao Xiong can't help but think: Isn't this like an endless Chinese civilization? Although it has suffered many hardships, it has become stronger and stronger, and it has endured for a long time......

"Stop! What for? A shout interrupted Xiao Xiong's musings. He looked up and saw that there were several plainclothes men with guns standing at the other end of the Huxi Bridge, and not far away at the temple gate stood two devils with bayonets under the steps on both sides. The gate of the courtyard is closed, and devils can be seen patrolling outside the courtyard wall from time to time. The devil came, so none of the pilgrims who usually came and went were gone. The door is full of birds, and it is deserted.

"Boss, we are pilgrims who have come to donate sesame oil to the temple, please inform the intelligent mage." The leading butler said.

"Go away, go away, there is something in the temple today, you can come back tomorrow!"

"Boss, let's make it easier. We came from Jiujiang early in the morning. ”

"What's the noise? Walk around. ”

In the midst of the noise, the closed courtyard door opened, and a group of people walked out of it. Walking in the head was an old monk with kind eyebrows and a long beard, who was the abbot of the temple, the wise elder. There were also a few devils in yellow tweed coats in the crowd behind.

"Amitabha. Lord Xiao Shi is here? Hurry inside please. Zhizhi turned his head to a devil officer who looked like a big boy inside, and said, "They are my friends, and they are here to donate incense." ”

Seeing that the devil didn't say anything, he let Xiao Xiong and them into the temple. Take them to the treasury behind the temple.

Entering the courtyard, Xiao Xiong's two eyes quickly swept over. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he found that in addition to a plaster flag, the motorcycle parked by the courtyard wall also had a divisional flag that looked like the 106th Division.

"Master, why are there so many people in the courtyard?" Xiao Xiong asked.

"Alas," Zhizhi sighed, and said, "It is said that not long ago, more than 10,000 people were killed in De'an. No, the head of the Junrokuro Matsuura division and his officers came to the temple yesterday, and asked us to set up a dojo for these people who died in the war to overdo it, so that their souls can cross the ocean and return to Toei. After a pause, he said: "It is said that they will go to the Iron Buddha Temple and the Haihui Temple, and they will do a circle of rituals around Lushan, so that the souls of those who died in battle will not be kept home by the gods of Lushan." ”

"So, when are they leaving? Staying here all the time will not only disturb the purity of Buddhism, but you will also be unsafe. Xiao Xiong said worriedly.

"Then they don't dare, this is a place where Master Jianzhen has practiced, not to mention that their Pure Land Sect originated from here, and this is the ancestral court of the Pure Land Sect. They said that they would leave after three days of phamma. ”

"Then I'll be relieved."

The group put their things away and left the monastery in a hurry.

As soon as he got out of the yard, Xiao Xiong, who was sitting in a sedan chair, immediately said to the person in front of him who looked like the housekeeper: "Company Commander Zhang, there is work to do!" Let's go! ”

The group quickly left Donglin Temple.

It turned out that since he saw the reward order of Commander-in-Chief Xue Yue, Xiao Xiong felt that he was not a taste in his heart, and surrounded him like an iron bucket, and let the old devil Matsuura Junrokuro escape, and took away more than a thousand devils. He thought it was a wretch. He pondered and tried every means to find the 106th Division and the old devil Junrokuro Matsuura, so that they could repay the blood debt owed, avenge the dead brothers, and avenge the brigade commander. No, when he heard the scouts say that the 106th Division was stationed on the front line of the Shahe River, he was overjoyed. God has eyes, and I haven't let this gang of devils escape! So, he led 10 brothers from the death squad who attacked Zhang Gushan to explore the truth in the area of Shahe. It's really a coincidence that there is no book, it's not that the enemies don't get together, and I happened to meet Junrokuro Matsuura and his gang.

Xiao Xiong and the others did not return to Shilipu, but came to Miaozhipu Baiyu's house. Bai Yu hurriedly welcomed them in.

Didn't Bai Yu go to Wuhan? Why are you still here? It turned out that after coming down from Lushan, they were going to take a boat to Wuhan. Unexpectedly, her grandfather in his 80s heard that he was leaving home, and he couldn't pick it up in one breath, so he went home. According to local customs, if an old man dies, he must wait until he has completed his filial piety before leaving. Bai Yu's father was a filial son, and he waited until after May Seven, took off his filial piety hat, took off his filial piety clothes, and then packed up his belongings and prepared to leave. However, when they came to Jiujiang, the army had already occupied Ruichang and blockaded the Yangtze River. Soon, Jiujiang fell, and they had no choice but to return home and live a worrying life all day long.

Xiao Xiong's arrival, the happiest thing is Bai Yu. Seeing her lover's emaciated face, she was extremely distressed. When she knew the story that happened in Wanjialing, she asked long and short questions with admiration and worry, and she had to lift her clothes to see Xiao Xiong's wounds, which made everyone laugh.

Later, after learning about Xiao Xiong's mission, she asked people to ask around for news of the devil. The news that Junrokuro Matsuura went to Donglin Temple is what she let people inquire about, but she knows that there are many devils who have gone to Donglin Temple.

Xiao Xiong and the others hurriedly discussed how to attack this group of devils. Xiao Xiong took out the map of this area he had drawn, thinking about how to attack the devil and get out of it.

"Right here!" Suddenly, Xiao Xiong pointed to the "Pengjiahe" on the map and said. "Matsuura Junrokuro and they have to pass through the Pengjia River to get from Donglin Temple to Iron Buddha Temple, and there is a stone bridge here that is only a few meters long, and there are no devils guarding it, so it should be the best place to ambush. You see, the east side of the bridge is the Pengjia River, and the west side is the mountain, so we hid in the woods on the mountain, loaded the bridge with explosives, and when Songpu's convoy passed by, we could blow them up. Besides, if it doesn't work out, we can evacuate. Do you think it's okay? ”

Everyone, you and I kept discussing and supplementing, and it didn't take long for the ambush plan to be formulated. Xiao Xiong assigned the task, and everyone prepared to go.

In winter, the weather in Lushan is particularly cold compared to Jiujiang. Bai Yu burned the charcoal fire to a red color, and let Xiao Xiong lean against himself to roast the fire.

"Brother, did you say that the devil will come tomorrow?" Bai Yu asked softly.

"Definitely! This gang of devils has killed so many of our brothers, and they must be repaid with blood! Our brigade commander still doesn't know what to do. Xiao Xiong suddenly remembered the brigade commander who swung a big knife and pounced on the devil.

"Brother, when this battle is over, then you will take me with you, and I will also fight devils with you."

"Okay, okay, I'll take you, my good sister." Xiao Xiong stretched out his hand and hugged her gently.

"Then you can teach me to shoot now." Bai Yu pulled Xiao Xiong up and walked outside the house.

At noon the next day, Junrokuro Matsuura left Torinji Temple in a car and drove in the direction of Iron Buddha Temple. In front of the team were two road-clear motorcycles and a truck full of devil soldiers, both with a machine gun mounted on each of them. Junrokuro Matsuura and Chief of Staff Kato sat in the back car, followed by several trucks and motorcycles full of devils.

Because Jiujiang has long been occupied, and Lushan has been occupied for a long time, [***] has retreated to the area south and east of Lushan, and the guerrillas here have not yet been established. Therefore, Junrokuro Matsuura felt that there was absolutely no problem with law and order. This time, he led his subordinates to pay tribute to the soldiers who died in Wanjialing, for psychological peace and to boost the morale of the soldiers. Therefore, he came to the three great monasteries in Lushan to do things.

When the convoy in front of it had just reached the stone bridge of Pengjiahe, it saw an ox cart on the other side of the bridge overturned in the middle of the road, blocking the way of the convoy. Matsuura's car stopped right on the bridge, and the entire convoy came to a halt. Junrokuro Matsuura, who was looking at the beautiful scenery outside the car, stepped out of the car and watched as the soldiers went to pick up the ox cart and get it away.

Suddenly, a flash of fire flashed under the stone bridge, followed by a loud "boom", Matsuura's car was blown up, and other cars were also blown up to the fire. Matsuura, who stepped off the stone bridge, was hit hard by the blasted rocks on his back, and then was swept over by a huge wave of air to the river, and by the time his men came down to the river to find him, Matsuura Junrokuro was already dead.

Xiao Xiong, who was on the mountain, saw the fire flashing, and after the explosion was successful, they immediately quietly moved away from the mountain unconsciously. They came to Bai Yu's house in Miao Zhi Pu, ready to drink the celebration wine prepared by Bai Yu.

……