The front line continued to retreat, the Chinese army suffered heavy losses in the first battle of Kunshan, and the heavy army group composed of multiple divisions of the Japanese Shanghai Dispatch Army successively descended to Kunshan and other important towns, and the troops had already approached the city of Suzhou. An imminent war will start at any time, and the second line of defense built on the first line of defense in Suzhou is now in urgent need of all kinds of supplies, and it has become an urgent matter to open up the supply line of heavy industry in the west as soon as possible.

For a long time, the transmission lines of China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression relied on the two routes of Yunnan, Burma and Longhai, which were like two blood transfusion arteries connecting the brain and the heels. Before the hijacking of the military train, high-level officials, including Huang Ke himself, were more worried about the safety of the transportation of the Yunnan-Burma route, after all, the route is long, the terrain is complicated, and one of the departments is located abroad, so it is easy to be blocked and cut off. To this end, the Ministry of National Defense has sent heavy troops to maintain patrols, and at the same time formed a large number of transport troops to carry out transportation.

On the contrary, the line that started from Xi'an and other places in China did not pay much attention, after all, this is a large rear, and there are heavy troops stationed and all railways, and the safety is naturally incomparable to the Yunnan-Burma line.

But what everyone didn't expect was that it was this road that was the first to go into trouble. As soon as this road went into chaos, it was like a major artery being cut off, and the impact on the front line can be imagined.

As the persons in charge of the investigation team, Chiang Ching-kuo and Chen Liewen knew better than anyone the importance of dredging this railway line, and they did not need to issue this at all, and the Ministry of National Defense issued repeated orders to Henan Province and the region to restore the smooth operation of the railway as soon as possible, and at the same time recover the looted military materials as soon as possible.

The former is easy to do, Cui Wu directly sent heavy troops from Xi'an Station to escort, Henan Provincial Office also immediately organized personnel to repair the corresponding road section, the next day here was restored to traffic, but it was difficult to recover the materials.

When Tang Enbo was in a hurry, a bullshit investigation team came to Kaifeng again, at first he thought it was the Ministry of Defense that wanted to investigate him, but after seeing the list of responsible personnel of the investigation team, he laughed heartily, and his subordinates asked him what was going on? He waved his hand, "It's out of the way, try to chase the supplies, but there won't be any major problems." ”

The staff officer asked him why? Tang Enbo showed the staff officer the list of members of the investigation team that he had secretly obtained, and after reading it, the staff officer suddenly realized that one of the responsible persons was Chiang Ching-kuo, that is, the son of Chiang Zhongzheng, the minister of the army.

Lao Tang is Jiang's confidant general, so such an arrangement is naturally of great use.

Therefore, as soon as the investigation team arrived in Kaifeng, Tang Enbo sent people to set off for Kaifeng in advance.

When Tang Enbo's subordinates arrived in Kaifeng, Chen Liewen, Chiang Ching-kuo and his entourage had already learned in detail about what had happened at the Administrative Office. The investigation team came to Kaifeng with a total of more than a dozen people, including the government, the military, finance and other departments, among which the responsible persons were Chen Liewen and Jiang Jingguo.

Li Zhiwen, chairman of Henan Province, was dressed as a Confucian in a robe, and he looked at Chen Liewen and the others carefully reading the information, so he suggested: "You have been tired all the way, I will have a light meal here at noon, rest for a while, and then send a car to the place of the incident." ”

Jiang Jingguo tugged at the military uniform on his body and said: "Thank you Chairman Li for your kindness, it's just that the matter is urgent, we can't rest, and it's hard to obey our fate!" ”

Li Zhiwen was a little embarrassed when he said this, he was also a veteran of Beiyang and the lord of a province, how could he allow this young man to refuse so much?

Chen Liewen, who was still standing on the side, said with a smile: "I think it's better to have lunch before leaving, after all, you have to eat anywhere." ”

After saying this, the aura eased a lot, and Jiang Jingguo had no choice but to agree. When they went to the banquet, they found that the so-called banquet was so simple, a few coarse dishes were piled up with some extremely coarse vegetables, and there were some large pieces of fatty meat, and the staple food was naturally rice, but the rice was steamed so badly that the members of the investigation team put down their chopsticks after a few bites.

Li Zhiwen smiled awkwardly and said: "I don't greet you well, in fact, there is a lot of pasta in Henan, I thought that you are from the south, so I prepared some rice in a hurry, I didn't expect it to be like this, if you don't mind, I think it's better to try our master's noodles!" ”

"I want to try Henan's noodles if I follow the customs." Chiang Ching-kuo said with a smile.

Li Zhiwen ordered people to go above. After a while, the people below made several bowls of braised noodles and brought them up. Everyone was hungry for a long time after a long journey, and everyone who had food didn't pay so much attention to it, so they all picked up and pulled the pasta and ate it.

Li Zhiwen finished eating first, and he still felt a little unfinished after eating, but when the person next to him asked him if he wanted to add more food, he said that he didn't need to.

After eating, he took out the handkerchief in the pocket of his robe and wiped his mouth, and said, "To tell the truth, my people in Henan have not eaten this kind of meal for many years. In the past few days, many places in Henan have been hit by a major drought, and they have been attacked by grasshoppers in groups, plus the military rations have been rectified, not to mention the common people, and now even the fish, meat and eggs supplied by our provincial office are gone. In such a situation, what do you let the common people do? ”

Chen Liewen and Jiang Jingguo put down the chopsticks in their hands, and they glanced at each other, only then did they understand that Li Zhiwen's meal was not a simple meal, but something to say to them.

Chen Liewen said: "Chairman Li, we are about to start the investigation of this incident, do you have any other instructions before leaving?" ”

Li Zhiwen waved his hand and smiled: "Li has no entrustment, it's just a complaint." In any case, our Henan Provincial Public Office cannot escape the blame for this matter, but this matter cannot be solved by arresting a few people and cutting off a few heads. The disaster in Henan was worse than in previous years, there was no grain harvest, and the army forcibly confiscated grain. Millions of people have not had anything to eat, and those who have not eaten have become refugees, and refugees are on the move, some have died, some have become bandits. ”

Speaking of this, he sighed, then stood up and arched his hand: "Both of you are prefects from Nanjing, although you are younger than me, but you want to be worshiped by me here, millions of victims and 30 million people in Henan are here to thank you!" ”

After speaking, he bowed his hand and continued: "Since the central government has said that the investigation team will handle the case independently, I will not send anyone to follow. ”

Chen Liewen, Chiang Ching-kuo and others also shook hands with them one by one and said goodbye.

After leaving the Provincial Office, Chen Liewen and his entourage prepared to go to the scene of the incident to conduct an on-the-spot investigation. Li Zhiwen said that the escort team and mule and horse vehicles had been prepared, and Chen Liewen and the others were about to leave by car when Tang Enbo's pick-up team arrived.

A group of officers and soldiers driving a Yellow River jeep respectfully came to greet them, and a major ran to the front and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, my subordinates have come to meet you on the order of Commander Tang, please follow me." ”

Chen Liewen glanced at the jeeps and the officers and soldiers escorting them and said, "Where is Chief Tang now?" ”

After hearing this, the major put down his tense posture and said with a smile: "Chief Tang originally wanted to greet him personally, but now he is personally organizing the encirclement and suppression in the mountains, and I can't come here to ask for your forgiveness." ”

As he spoke, the major turned around and stretched out his hand and said, "Sir, please get in the car, let's go to the mountains now." ”

Chen Liewen and Jiang Jingguo glanced at each other, both of them nodded and got into the car, after all, the wheels of a car are always faster than mules and horses, and the most important thing for them at the moment is the problem of speed.

After the group got into the car, the convoy began to drive out, and as soon as they stepped on the accelerator, they ran far away. However, out of Kaifeng City, the road conditions are much worse, there are few repaired roads outside, they are all unprocessed dirt roads, and the speed of jeeps is fast, and the five chapters and six intestines of people are going to be turned upside down along the way.

When I arrived at the mountain headquarters, it was already more than eight o'clock in the evening, and Chen Liewen and Jiang Jingguo, who didn't often sit outside the car, were tossed and choked enough, and they almost couldn't stand when they got out of the car.

At this time, a group of people in military uniforms came out of a private house in the distance, and the one in the middle was wearing a thick tweed military uniform and a pair of leather boots on his feet.

"Fellow investigators, you've worked hard all the way!" Tang Enbo walked over briskly and said enthusiastically.

The major next to him whispered, This is our Commander Tang.

During the brief introduction, Tang Enbo had already walked over, he shook hands with Chen Liewen, Jiang Jingguo and others one by one, and after a few polite words, he said: "It's windy outside, let's go into the house first, and just let people report to you the specific situation of the recovery." ”

Tang Enbo was wearing a neat tweed military uniform, and the boots on his feet were shiny, and he had accidentally been stained with dust and mud just now, and he didn't forget to pat it when he entered the house.

This house is the house of the villagers, it looks like a solid family, the room is hung with a wood-carved nave, and the Taishi chair is placed in it, but now it is like a war room, the table is covered with densely marked maps, and the radio station is set up next to it constantly making a ticking sound.

"Someone, make tea!" As soon as Tang Enbo and Chen Liewen and their entourage arrived in the house, a staff officer shouted loudly. After a while, the orderlies brought a corresponding amount of tea, and it seemed that they had already made tea and waited here.

"You all have a taste, this is tea from Xinyang, Henan, not as good as Tieguanyin and the like, but it's not bad." Townsend picked up his teacup and smiled.

Jiang Jingguo didn't take the tea, but said solemnly: "Commander Tang, I think it's better to wait for a while, please introduce the latest situation of the recovery first." ”

Chen Liewen also nodded and said, "Yes, let's introduce it first." ”

Tang Enbo was a little bored by this, he put the teacup on the table and said, "Okay, let's introduce it first." Staff Officer Lee? ”

"Yes!" A neatly draped officer stepped forward.

"You give the commanders an update on the encirclement and suppression." Townenberg said.

The officer led the group to the map and talked about it. Chen Liewen, Chiang Ching-kuo and other members of the investigation team came over, and all of them were from the army, so they were naturally no strangers to the introduction of the staff officers. By the time the introduction was over, everyone had already understood that now the bandit leader had been surrounded in the Laoniu Mountain place, and was currently shrinking the encirclement.

After the officer's introduction, Tang Enbo put his hand behind his back and said: "I hereby promise you that within three days, our department will recover all the stolen guns. ”