The reconnaissance team sent by Wu Zijian to Wencheng and the towns along the Nantongpu Road finally rushed back to Hekou Village exhausted after many setbacks.

Due to the lack of means of transportation, the reconnaissance group could only rely on foot, and they successively walked around the line of Wencheng, Lingshi County, and Hanxinling, observing the local Japanese troops' garrison and activity patterns, and also caught up with the main force of the Japanese Sena Division and the 15th Army of the Central Army near Hanxinling.

The deputy commander of the second battalion of the Eighth Route Army sold the information brought back by the reconnaissance team almost completely to Xiao Junping, a staff officer of the Jin army, who listened to Wu Zijian's account with a blank face, and couldn't help but feel emotional.

There are three things that make Xiao Jun's heart like a knife. First, it has been ascertained that the 570th Regiment of the 12th Brigade of the Jin Army stationed in Fengdian fled to Wencheng without a fight when the offensive and defensive battle of Fengdian was at its most intense, which directly led to the collapse of Fengdian's city defense. Second, the main force of the 12th Brigade received the 570th Regiment that had fled in Wencheng, but when the Japanese army attacked Wencheng next, the whole brigade abandoned the city again and fled, losing Wencheng, an important gateway to Nantongpu Road, to the Japanese. Third, after fleeing south along Tongpu Road to Lingshi County, the 12th Brigade fled from the suburbs of Lingshi County for the third time without a fight under the newly launched offensive of the Sena Division, and its whereabouts are currently unknown.

These are all messages brought back by the reconnaissance team of the second battalion.

In Hekou Village, in the house with a hot kang, the staff officer of the Jin army hung his head and was silent, and Wu Zijian was no longer silent, and he was concentrating on fiddling with his shell gun, wiping and wiping. After a long time, Xiao Junping raised his hand and wiped his eyes, then raised his head and sighed. Wu Zijian followed the sound and saw that there were still tears in the corners of the eyes of the staff officers of the Jin army.

"Staff Officer Xiao, uh, I really don't know what to say......" Wu Zijian felt a little cramped, he knew Xiao Junping's courage and resourcefulness, but as an old unit of the Jin Army's staff officers, a series of performances of the 12th Brigade inevitably made people's teeth cold.

"Don't say it," Xiao Junping waved his hand at the deputy commander of the second battalion, didn't look at him, and choked up: "The 12th Brigade is afraid of the enemy like a tiger, and has repeatedly escaped from the battle, which is really insulting to the name of Chinese soldiers, and Xiao is ashamed!" ”

Seeing Xiao Junping blaming himself like this, Wu Zijian couldn't help but slap the shell gun on the table and retorted passionately: "Staff Officer Xiao, what you said is not right!" Although the 12th Brigade has fled repeatedly, no one says that you are a bad seed! Our 5th company commander Li Tianlin is a famous tiger general in the battalion, and he is the first to give you a thumbs up! I admit that the 12th Brigade is a shameful deserter, but I can't put on all the officers and soldiers of the 12th Brigade. ”

Xiao Junping was facing the sky with his back, two lines of clear tears welling down, and this time, he didn't raise his hand to wipe it.

"In addition to you Staff Officer Xiao, there are many heroes in the 12th Brigade!" Seeing the Jin army staff in tears, Wu Zijian said louder and louder: "The last time I fought the devil cavalry in Dawangyu, I knew a bearded platoon commander named Li Mancang, who was the company that escorted you and the communications squad. I heard that in his early years, he was from Zhao Dengyu's 29th Army Broadsword Team, and he fought against the Japanese Kwantung Army at Xifengkou! ”

Xiao Junping turned his gaze to Wu Zijian, he didn't remember that there was such a number one person in the infantry company that escorted him (in fact, he was already in a coma at that time), but at this moment, the deputy battalion commander of the Eighth Route Army tried his best to excuse him and the anti-Japanese brothers of the 12th Independent Brigade, which really moved him.

"Besides, you can't be regarded as an old man of the 12th Independent Brigade," Wu Zijian continued to talk eloquently: "Last year, you were still in Sun Chu's 33rd Army to participate in the battles of Northern Jin and Xinkou, and Yan Laoxi's main force was scattered before he was exiled to the 12th Independent Brigade. Really bloody soldiers, wherever they resist Japan, they are all heroes - I, the 5th Company, recruited an artillery officer of the 14th Army of the Central Army in Xinkou last year, Zhao Yejiao, and the artillery was called accurate! This time, the cavalry of the puppet Mongolian army killed the opponent's machine-gun position with one shot, and the three crooked handles were taken over like this! ”

Wu Zijian said this scene, Xiao Junping saw it with his own eyes, at that time he was outside this room by the courtyard wall, condescendingly witnessed the moment when the artillery of the Eighth Route Army destroyed the machine gun position of the cavalry of the puppet Mongolian army, which was indeed extremely wonderful. It was only at this time that he learned that the gunner who operated the artillery was also recruited by the Eighth Route Army into the artillery of the Central Army.

The room was quiet for a while, and the deputy commander of the second battalion, who was spitting stars, seemed to be tired of talking, panting and no longer talking, but secretly aimed his eyes at the staff officer of the Jin army, who was also silent. He had a hunch that a fruit was about to ripen and land.

"Chief Wu,"

Finally, Xiao Junping raised his head and opened his mouth with difficulty, and Wu Zijian met the other party with eager eyes-

"If I decide to stay in your army now...... Is it too late to resist Japan together? ”

"Welcome! Welcome!! Wu Zijian jumped in front of the staff officer of the Jin army with a brisk step, grabbed his hands excitedly and shook them vigorously: "We have been looking forward to this day for a long time!" ”

"Welcome! Welcome!! An equally loud voice suddenly sounded from the door, and before the words fell, Li Tianlin, the commander of the 5th Company, opened the cotton door curtain and rushed in, grabbed Xiao Junping's side, snatched a hand from Wu Zijian's staff officer of the Jin Army, and shook it vigorously: "On behalf of all the commanders and fighters of the 5th Company, I warmly welcome Staff Officer Xiao to join the Eighth Route Army!" ”

Wu Zijian couldn't help but laugh angrily: "When did you kid come, hiding at the door and eavesdropping on my conversation with Staff Officer Xiao?!" ”

"I've been here a long time ago, and I've been listening to it in the outhouse," Li Tianlin said triumphantly: "Deputy battalion commander, Lian Shan was promoted to cavalry company commander and transferred, I am lacking a deputy company commander here; If Staff Officer Xiao doesn't feel wronged by me as a deputy, let him stay in the 5th Company as a deputy company commander! ”

Wu Zijian waved his hand with a smile: "It's easy to say, it's easy to say, Staff Officer Xiao's rank is captain of the national army, and it is said that he should be a company commander!" ”

"Chief Wu, Chief Li—"

As soon as Xiao Junping opened his mouth, Wu Zijian interrupted him: "Hey, don't call the commander, our Eighth Route Army doesn't want to do this, in the future, you can call us deputy battalion commander, company commander, Lao Wu, Lao Li, it's okay, anyway, we are both older than you!" ”

"Okay, deputy battalion commander, Company Commander Li, the two of you value me so much, Xiao is grateful," said Xiao Junping, who was half-leaning on the fire kang, and bowed to the two of them: "However, I really have no experience in leading troops to fight, and Xiao Mou never dares to take up the position of deputy company commander." I would like to make the best use of my strengths and make my modest contribution in the fields of intelligence, reconnaissance, and telecommunications, so as to live up to the high expectations of the two of them! ”

When Wu Zijian heard this, he was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth - this is exactly the plan he has been calculating! Ever since he was determined to keep the staff officer of the Jin Army, this plan has always been spinning in his mind, and it is getting better and better, and at this moment, Xiao Junping recommended himself, it couldn't be better!

Wu Zijian's plan was to set up an enemy engineering team in the second battalion. Xiao Junping served as the captain. The so-called enemy engineering team came from the enemy's engineering department under the Political Department of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, and the enemy's engineering department was mainly responsible for collecting and analyzing the enemy's military intelligence and plotting against the Japanese puppet army. This is exactly in line with Xiao Junping's background and expertise as an intelligence and telecommunications staff officer.

During the period when the staff officers of the Jin army stayed to recuperate from their wounds, they took the initiative to talk to Wu Zijian many times about the lag in the intelligence work of the second battalion, which not only lacked military maps, radio stations, and other equipment, but was also almost "completely blind" to the distribution of surrounding villages, towns, and county towns and the situation of the enemy's stationing. As a result, Wu Zijian secretly planned to set up an enemy engineering team, which would be directly subordinate to the second battalion headquarters. He also quietly discussed with Li Tianlin whether the new team should be named "Special Service Company" or "Enemy Engineer Team" - during the Red Army period, the army had the establishment of a special service regiment; After being reorganized into the Eighth Route Army (Eighteenth Group Army) of the National Revolutionary Army, the headquarters of the 115th Forest Division also directly governed a special service battalion.

In the end, Wu Zijian still decided to name it the enemy engineering team, because he recalled that the main function of the special service group during the Red Army period was not to reconnoiter the enemy's situation, but to guard the chief and assist in key battles, attack fortifications, and so on. More importantly, if it is named "company", then Xiao Junping's position will undoubtedly be the company commander, Wu Zijian is worried that this will stimulate the instructors of the second battalion, Liu Shu has always been prejudiced against Xiao Junping, and will never agree to the staff officer of the Jin Army who has just joined the Eighth Route Army as the company commander! But named "team", Xiao Junping's position corresponds to the captain, and the level sounds vague. In fact, Wu Zijian directly subordinate the enemy labor team to the battalion headquarters, and he had already secretly placed its rank at the company level.

At this moment, Wu Zijian used Xiao Junping's confession to explain the establishment of the enemy labor team. Xiao Junping listened, and a smile of approval appeared on his face: This is completely suitable for the current weak links of the second battalion, and it is also very suitable for himself to take the lead.

"Congratulations, Captain Shaw! Starting today, the intelligence staff officer of the 12th Brigade of the Jin Army has disappeared, and Captain Xiao of the enemy engineering team of the second battalion of the Eighth Route Army Forest Division has officially taken office! Wu Zijian said excitedly.

Li Tianlin slapped his face on the side.

"Don't slap your hands!" Wu Zijian poked his old subordinates in the shoulder: "Captain Xiao can't be the commander of the light pole, the first batch of members of the enemy engineering team will be all out of your 5 companies, and the whole company will have six platoons, and each platoon will pick out two people first, a total of 12 people, and allocate them to the enemy engineering team, all of whom must be shrewd and strong!" ”

Li Tianlin was unequivocal: "No problem!" Twelve people ensure that Yishui is an elite soldier, and I will assign a deputy platoon commander to Captain Xiao to assist in the work! ”

Wu Zijian was so happy that his mouth opened widely: "The commander of the 5th company is interesting!" However, you help people to the end, don't send any deputy platoon commanders, just send a platoon commander over, and I will appoint him as the deputy captain of the enemy engineering team! ”

"Okay, that's it!"

Watching Wu Zijian and Li Tianlin sing and harmonize with a smile, Xiao Junping, the new captain of the enemy workers, felt a warmth in his heart - the death of a confidant, he felt that the choice he had just made was correct.