The latest situation has been passed on to the Japanese headquarters in the county town. The clues provided by the villagers are true. More than 30 people from the Eighth Route Army, who should be a whole platoon, invaded the territory yesterday afternoon with unknown purpose. They were successfully ambushed by our troops on their way back to the north early this morning. Thirty of them were killed, and only a few fled to the south. Our troops suffered no casualties and are now in pursuit.
At the same time, another report was sent to the Japanese headquarters. The source was a plainclothes team. The intelligence content was as follows: Yesterday, suspected communist bandits were found in the eastern part of the county. At dusk, we besieged them in the woods east of a certain village. We fought all night and were suddenly attacked by the main force of the unknown Eighth Route Army in the early morning. Our troops were outnumbered and most of them died. Only four people bravely broke through. In addition, a team member disappeared on the way back to report last night.
Because most of the troops were taken into the mountains by the major, there were not many troops in Meixian County and they dared not to send them out easily. However, the news sent by the plainclothes team could not be underestimated. The two things were likely related. Therefore, the detective team in the city was temporarily gathered and followed the four brave survivors out of the city to investigate the woods.
On the plains, spring comes earlier than in the mountains. The mountains have just sprouted, but here the ground is already green. There are not many trees, and the vegetation is sparse. The plain is flat, and you can clearly see the distant mountains in the west. The only place that seems dense and hidden is the banks of the river. In the midday sun, the blue river water ripples, and it quietly meanders along the green banks, like a two-color ribbon.
Hu Yi woke up, his neck hurting from the tree root that he used as a pillow. He opened his eyes and looked at the sunlight leaking through the leaves, realizing that it was noon. Not far away, Xiao Hongying and Dr. Zhou were whispering, occasionally with low laughter. Hu Yi couldn't help but glance at the pigtails, and he knew Xiao Hongying's little thoughts clearly. This girl had a natural affinity, not to mention that she was taking the initiative now. Based on the woman's peculiar personality and the warmth between the two of them, it is estimated that he will become sworn brothers with the little girl before dark!
Hu Yi sat up and looked to the other side. Luo Fugui's tall body was lying on his back with his legs spread out, snoring evenly. The volume was much lower than before. Since he was often kicked in his sleep, he developed a habit. Whenever the snoring got louder, he would wake up unconsciously and check himself suspiciously to see if there were any signs of being kicked.
Ma Liang was not there, he should have gone to the southern sentry post with Liu Jianqiang. This position faced the river to the north, the river was only a dozen meters wide, but the water was very deep and could not be waded, so Hu Yi only ordered a sentry post to be set up at the edge of the open area in the south to monitor the three sides.
Wu Shitou sat by the river, staring blankly at the opposite bank, not knowing what he was thinking. With his brain, he probably wasn't thinking about anything, just daydreaming. When Hu Yi's footsteps sounded behind him, he turned around and quickly stood up, still blankly, quietly, just looking at squad leader Hu Yi without saying a word.
During the training in Dabei Village, Hu Yi heard Ma Liang say that he was very accurate in throwing stones. He asked him to demonstrate in front of him. Unexpectedly, Wu Shitou lived up to his name and was very accurate in throwing, slinging and swinging stones, which surprised Hu Yi. Then he carefully taught him how to use hand grenades. From then on, Wu Shitou always carried four hand grenades and eight hand grenades.
Hu Yi looked at the Mauser pistol holster that Wu Shitou was carrying on his side, stretched out his hand, pulled out the pistol inside, and flipped it over in his hand: "Did the girl give it to you?"
Wu Shitou nodded heavily.
Hu Yi held the gun upright, and in front of Wu Shitou, he slowly turned off the safety: "Remember, when not in use, you must turn off the safety. That's it, do you see clearly? I will check it frequently in the future. If I see that the safety is on, I will beat you up! Remember?" Wu Shitou was not the type to handle a gun, but Hu Yi had no intention of taking the gun back. He had just picked up a bunch of Mauser pistols this morning, so he naturally didn't need this one. He was just worried that he would accidentally discharge it.
"I remember that."
Hu Yi didn't say anything more. He put the gun into Wu Shitou's holster and buckled it carefully for him. Then he turned around and walked to the place where the pile of Mauser pistols were placed. He carefully picked out a good-quality one, checked it, put it into the holster, and came to Luo Fugui, who was sleeping soundly with his legs spread out. He threw the holster on his broad and heavy chest.
Luo Fugui suddenly sat up as if he had received an electric shock. Before he even opened his eyes, he began to utter incoherent words: "You damn girl! Are you done yet? I'm going to fight you this time! Damn it... uh, Boss Hu?" Luo Fugui rubbed his eyes and finally saw the person in front of him clearly. He quickly held back the rest of the words.
Hu Yi pointed at the gun that fell to the ground and said, "This is yours. Go ask the girl for the bullets."
Luo Fugui glanced at the holster beside him, and then he understood what was going on. He couldn't help but grin and said, "A machine gun, a shovel, a magazine, bullets, a kettle, food, ropes, and a bunch of other junk, not to mention the girl's blanket and helmet. Boss Hu, please forgive me, can I not take this stuff?"
Hu Yi stood there without moving or speaking.
Luo Fugui sighed and had to change his tone: "Okay, okay, for the sake of your boss Hu, I'll take this treasure! Isn't it okay for me to take it!"
…
In the bushes, Liu Jianqiang looked around aimlessly. Not far behind him, behind the bushes, Ma Liang was sleeping. Because he was too lazy to run back and forth for the change of sentry, Ma Liang slept directly at the sentry post and went to work directly when the time came.
After beating up those wounded Japanese soldiers, Liu Jianqiang felt that his squad leader seemed to have improved his treatment. He no longer exchanged sentries with Ma Liang in person as he did in the past, but now he was the one who exchanged sentries with Ma Liang. Although it was still not his turn to be a scout, Liu Jianqiang was still very satisfied and happy, which showed that his ability was recognized. Therefore, Liu Jianqiang began to feel that squad leader Hu Yi was not as disgusting as he had imagined. Therefore, Liu Jianqiang carefully recalled some details and found that Hu Yi's ability was not fake, and he was not just a KMT deserter.
The sentry job may seem insignificant, but it is no joke. The sentry determines fate. A careless person may lose his own life, and at the same time, everyone else's life, turning into a disaster. Hu Yi absolutely cannot trust Luo Fugui for this job, and Wu Shitou is not safe either. Although Liu Jianqiang is paranoid, he will stick to the principle and execute the order to the end. Hu Yi knows that as long as Liu Jianqiang is at the sentry post, he will not be absent-minded. Since his hands were stained with the devil's brains and blood, he has become a real soldier, so Hu Yi has completely changed his opinion of him.
Looking far to the south, there were only low ridges and clumps of short grass, and everything in the distance was clear at a glance. Liu Jianqiang's sight was attracted by the black shadows on the horizon. At first, it was a vague line, and gradually he could distinguish dozens of them, and a low black dot swaying in front of them.
Liu Jianqiang's eyebrows finally knitted together, he picked up his rifle, quickly retreated from the grass, hurried through the bushes, kicked Ma Liang hard while he was sleeping, and then ran to the river...