Ding Zero, the telephone on the desk rang. Zheng Weiguo smiled at Chief of Staff Zhou: "It must be from the 33rd Brigade, and there should be a result for the Guantai Ferry!" Saying that, he picked up the phone: "Hey, I'm Zheng Weiguo!" ”

"Junzuo, I'm Zhao Yunxiang, I want to report a great news to you and the military department!" Listening to the voice, you can see that Brigade Commander Zhao is very excited.

Zheng Weiguo said with a smile: "Have you already taken the Guantai Ferry?" Did the fighters suffer heavy casualties? ”

Brigade Commander Zhao said excitedly: "Take it, take it!" The enemy has been annihilated by our troops! Then his voice suddenly became low: "Commander, our losses are not small. Not counting yesterday, this morning more than 300 people were killed in the various units participating in the battle, and more than 500 others were wounded, of which more than 200 were seriously injured. The devils fight hard, we don't dare to invest too many troops at once because of heavy artillery......"

Hearing this, Zheng Weiguo's heart twitched. He was silent for a moment and said, "Well, I know it!" You should rest first, and the wounded should be transferred to the rear as soon as possible, and the Eighth Route Army promised to help send them back to the base area. ”

Due to the accidental annihilation of the 4th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade, the Japanese troops in the northern part of Henan, the southeastern part of Shanxi, and the southern part of Hebei suddenly became extremely empty, and even the county towns along the railway line were often garrisoned by only one squad or even one detachment of Japanese troops.

The Eighth Route Army has always been a needle, how can it be allowed to let go of such a good opportunity? As a result, armed forces sprung up behind enemy lines, and their main forces also took advantage of the situation to move south, quickly connecting with the 35th Brigade operating in Xinxiang. Zheng Weiguo asked them to help transport the wounded, and the Eighth Route Army did not get so many benefits in vain. Naturally, he agreed without a word.

When Brigade Commander Zhao heard this, he felt as if he had the intention of transferring their brigade to the second line, and hurriedly said: "Junzao, our brigade is not injured, and we can continue to fight, so let's stay on the front line!" ”

Zheng Weiguo thought that it was not good to chill the hearts of the soldiers, so it was good: "Okay, you guys are resting while looking for ferries, the more the better!" ”

Brigadier Zhao said happily, "Yes." Military seat. Mission completion guaranteed! ”

As soon as Zheng Weiguo put down the phone, the communications staff officer brought a telegram and said, "Military seat, staff seat." This was a telegram from the commander of the 20th Army. Said that the troops of one of their brigades were moving west along the south bank. Ask us to send a department to answer. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou hurriedly asked, "Which unit is it?" ”

The communications staff officer said: "It is the unit that retreated from Sanyiji before-the 14th Cavalry Brigade, and the brigade commander Zhang Zhankui (the former general of the Northwest Army, not the same person as Zhou Gong's martial arts teacher). ”

Chief of Staff Zhou smiled: "It's finally here!" Soil and fertilizer. Look where you're running this time! ”

Zheng Weiguo also nodded happily, as long as the 97th Army can successfully cross south, it will be able to divide and surround the 14th Division with all units of friendly forces, and maybe it can become the last straw that crushes the camel.

He thought for a moment and said to Chief of Staff Zhou: "Just ask the Chief of Staff to prepare a reply to Chief Shang, telling them that the Japanese army on the north bank has been completely annihilated by our department, and they are currently looking for a ferry to cross the river, so that they can rest assured that they will go west!" ”

Chief of Staff Zhou said: "Good! However, this ferry may not be easy to find! ”

Zheng Weiguo snorted, and also felt very tricky.

As he was talking, Brigadier Zhao Yunxiang called again and said excitedly: "Junzuo, the ferry has been found, there are a total of eight big wooden boats, and fifty folding boats!" ”

Zheng Weiguo was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Great, where did you find it?" ”

Brigade Commander Zhao said: "The wooden boat was hidden in the reeds by Battalion Commander Meng who guarded the ferry before his sacrifice, and each boat could carry a squad of soldiers. The folding boats were all left on the north shore by the Japanese army, and each boat could only seat three or four people. ”

Zheng Weiguo sighed and said, "Camp Commander Meng has made another great contribution!" He put down the phone and said to Chief of Staff Zhou: "I have an idea, that is, in the places where we have fought, we must erect a monument for the martyrs, and it is good that future generations will know that there was once such a group of hot-blooded men who shed blood and fought hard for our country and nation!" ”

Chief of Staff Zhou nodded again and again and said, "Okay!" Leave this matter to me, Commander! ”

With the ferry in hand, the Yellow River was no longer a moat, and the first battalion of the 33rd Brigade began to cross the river to reconnoitre. Since the southward movement, the 1st Battalion has not been doing well. I finally got the task of attacking Guantai Village, but I didn't expect to lose money overnight, but I couldn't beat it, and the Japanese army finally flattened it with one shot.

Later, Battalion Commander Kang went to grind with Brigade Commander Zhao, and finally grabbed the task of attacking the ferry. The whole battalion was gearing up, just waiting for a shame, but I didn't expect that the second battalion was reorganized to take the lead. This time, the soldiers of the first battalion were holding back their strength and wanted to fight a turnaround, so Brigade Commander Zhao gave them another chance.

A folding boat quietly swam from the ferry port to the south bank, and the commander of the first company personally jumped from the boat with two fighters. One of the soldiers was named Xiao Wu, a young man rescued by the troops, and was sent to be a guide this time.

Xiao Wu pointed to the southeast and said, "Company commander, the front is Chen Liukou." ”

The company commander picked up the binoculars and observed for a while, and said strangely: "Where is the little devil, why is there no movement!" ”

Another soldier said, "Company commander, I'm running fast, you guys wait here first, I'll go and see!" ”

The first company commander thought for a moment and said, "Let's go together, Xiao Wu stays here." Remember, don't turn back and run up the river beach if something happens. ”

The two cautiously touched forward, and soon arrived at the periphery of Chen Liukou. It's quiet, there's no one. The empty crossing looked a little weird, and there was a strong smell of blood.

The soldier whispered: "Company commander, it seems that there is no one!" I'll go inside and take a look! ”

The commander of the first company said: "Well, you be careful, I'll go around again!" He felt uneasy, and went around the ferry, inside and out, carefully examined it, and also reconnoitred the nearby reeds, and indeed did not see a ghost.

At this moment, there was a sudden scream from inside the ferry. The commander of the first company hurriedly took out his pistol and rushed towards the ferry, but it was still empty, and there was no one. The soldier was standing on the dock with a frightened look on his face and shouted, "Company commander. Come here! ”

The company commander said strangely: "What is it?" He stepped forward quickly, and a sudden rush of anger rushed to the top of his head, and his hair was about to stand on end.

There is a row of pillars on the pier, and I don't know what the road is for. There was a corpse tied to each pillar, and its uniforms were all soldiers of the Central Army. They all died very miserably, some were stabbed to death with bayonets, some were cut open and their hearts were cut out alive, and some of their bodies were torn to pieces, as if they had been bitten by some wild beast......

The soldier said with a crying voice: "Company commander, let's find a place for the brothers to be buried!" ”

The company commander thought for a moment. Said indignantly: "Send a signal to the battalion commander first." Let's all come and see how vicious the little devil is! ”

Battalion Commander Kang received a signal of safety on the south bank, was overjoyed, and hurriedly commanded the troops to start crossing the river. Not many northerners know how to water, and even fewer have seen the Yellow River. They all huddled in the boat, their faces pale with nervousness. But. Wait for the soldiers' feet to touch the ground. Immediately became lively again.

The deputy battalion commander said with a smile: "The brothers who have never been on the boat can be regarded as returning to foreign meat!" He also said to Camp Commander Kang: "Camp seat, it's not safe here, I suggest sending a platoon to search south." Let's see where the Japanese army retreated. ”

Battalion Commander Kang said: "Okay, let's let the battalion guards platoon, and bring a few local soldiers as guides." ”

The commander of the first company suddenly hurried over and said, "Battalion seat, deputy seat!" He was ordered to cross the river to reconnoitre, but no trace of the Japanese army was found nearby! ”

Camp Commander Kang patted him on the shoulder with a smile and said, "Good job, this time you can successfully cross the river to take your first credit!" ”

The first company commander's face was a little stiff, and he said, "Camp, brothers, I will show you something. As he spoke, he led everyone to the place where the Japanese army tortured and killed the anti-Japanese soldiers. When everyone saw it, they were so angry that they almost vomited blood.

Battalion Commander Kang's face turned pale, and he said to the battalion clerk: "Didn't you get a camera?" This is ironclad evidence that the little devils slaughtered my anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians, and I will take pictures of them all! ”

The news soon spread to the north bank, and the officers and men of the entire 97th Army were filled with righteous indignation, and asked to fight one after another, asking to cross the river to find Tufeiyuan for revenge.

Chief of Staff Zhou said approvingly: "Morale is available!" It's a pity that there aren't enough ferries! ”

Zheng Weiguo was also worried about this matter, and all the ministries were looking for boats in the upstream and downstream and in the homes of ordinary people, but unfortunately only a dozen peas were found. The slightly larger ships were requisitioned by the Japanese, and most of them were sunk while the Japanese were retreating, and it would take a long time to repair.

When they were in a dilemma, the First War Zone suddenly sent a telegram, one was to commend the 97 Army for successfully winning the ferry, and the other was to inform them that a senior staff member of the First War Zone would come to inspect and ask for proper reception.

Zheng Weiguo didn't know much about the twists and turns of the national army, and said strangely: "Why did you send a senior staff member here at this time?" You might as well send me dozens of big ships! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou said with a smile: "Maybe it's a good thing, military seat, we can also mention the matter of ships to the First War Zone, they must have a lot of big ships in their hands!" ”

Zheng Weiguo said: "Okay, you go and contact immediately!" ”

In the afternoon, a convoy of twenty large boats sailed down the river and soon arrived at the port of Guantai. The first person with two gold stars on his shoulders was Lieutenant General Zhang Xuxing, who was then the deputy chief of staff of the First Theater. He is a native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province and graduated from the Baoding Military Academy. Historically, he was unfortunately killed by a Japanese plane on March 7, 1939, and was posthumously awarded the rank of army general by the national government.

Knowing that it was the general who was visiting, out of respect for the martyrs of the anti-Japanese army, Zheng Weiguo rushed to the ferry to meet him in person, regardless of the danger. This came as a special surprise to Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang. At that time, the Chinese army did not attach great importance to the profession of staff officers, saying that staff officers did not lead commanders, and they did not make a sound. So what about the long belt? To be honest, I can only come up with ideas, and I don't want to let out a loud fart.

Zheng Weiguo took a step forward, respectfully gave a military salute, and said with a smile: "Chief Zhang, I didn't expect you to visit in person, the department is really brilliant!" ”

Zhang Xuxing was a little flattered, and hurriedly said: "Don't dare to be, don't dare to be!" Then he pointed to the back and said, "Sir Zheng, I heard that your department has taken the ferry, and I thought that there must be a shortage of boats, so I borrowed twenty big boats from Zhengzhou, hoping to help!" ”

Zheng Weiguo was overjoyed when he heard this, and said: "Chief Zhang, you are really in a hurry, we are in a hurry about the ferry!" ”

Zhang Xuxing was very happy when he heard it, and said repeatedly: "It's good to be useful!" ”

Back at the headquarters, Zheng Weiguo specially set up a table of banquets for Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang to wash the dust, and the high-level leaders of the 97th Army came to accompany him, which was considered to be enough face.

Taking advantage of the wine, Chief of Staff Zhou asked tentatively: "Chief Zhang, I don't know what happened to you to work?" ”

Zhang Xu Xing smiled and said, "Don't worry, this time is a good thing!" (To be continued......)