With the initial formation of the defense system at the junction of the plain and mountainous areas west of Meixian, and the harassment of the Eighth Route Army in the northern region some time ago, the Japanese finally shifted their attention and prepared to build artillery towers and bunkers in the north. After the defense system was completed, the Eighth Route Army was completely blocked in the mountains, cutting off all their contact with the outside world. It would be difficult for all kinds of supplies, raw materials, daily necessities, medicines, etc. to enter the mountains. The purpose is obvious. Although there is no plan to clear them out for the time being, they want to trap the Eighth Route Army to death. The economic blockade can still kill you.
There are mainly two routes for the independent regiment to connect with the outside of the mountain. One is to go south to Wuming Village and Songjia Village, and then turn east to exit the mountain. This route is now basically abandoned. On the one hand, the artillery towers at the mountain pass west of Meixian have been completed one after another, making it difficult to enter and exit. On the other hand, since the transfer to Dabizhuang, this route is also far away.
Another route is to go east from Dabei Village, pass Qingshan Village, and continue east to Luoye Village to exit the mountain, or turn southeast from Qingshan Village to exit the mountain from Lushuipu. The last two locations that the Japanese in Meixian had to take care of were Lushuipu and Luoye Village. By sealing these two mountain passes with artillery towers, the independent regiment would be isolated from Meixian.
Shi Cheng and Li Youcai set an example of cooperation between the guerrillas and the plainclothes team, and welcomed the glorious inspection of the traitor leader. The whole process was tense but not dangerous, unpleasant but not unhappy. Everyone got what they needed, and afterwards got the nine box guns promised by Li Youcai.
When the two finally parted ways, Shi Cheng said to Li Youcai with disdain: "You are such a failure as a traitor, your life is over, I am too lazy to look down on you."
Li Youcai gave Shi Cheng a sunny smile: "Tubalu, you will never know how to enjoy life, suffer your punishment."
Then the two went their separate ways.
One of them picked up a string of box guns in his hand and looked at them happily as he walked, thinking that he had made a lot of money this time. The other one walked and looked at the bright sky. How could he not go to the gambling house and place a few bets on such good weather
The little girl stayed in the confinement room for three days. During these three days, she did not slack off. At most, she just hummed proudly outside the confinement room for a while, and did not leave the area. However, during these three days, the confinement room was crowded with customers every day. They all came to ask about the little girl's well-being and said they were here to visit her. In fact, they all came to see the bicycle to learn more. Only those who had a good relationship with her would be allowed by the girl to touch the bicycle.
Xiao Hongkuihua led several people from the medical team, Wang Xiaosan led the entire kitchen team, and Xiaodou led the guards and communicators from the regiment. Even Li Suanpan led several people from the supply department to come. They circled around the bicycle for most of the day and were reluctant to leave. After countless fierce ideological struggles, Li Suanpan finally did not speak, and did not dare to express his grand request that the little girl hand over the bicycle to the supply department. The most important thing was that Hu Yi said that the bicycle did not belong to the ninth class, but to the little girl, so Li Suanpan did not dare to mention it. After thinking about it, he felt that his face was not big enough and his level was not strong enough. With the bad temper of the little girl, if he opened his mouth, something would happen. He could only grit his teeth and swallow his saliva and leave.
The regiment commander also came to express his concern and condolences to the little soldier Hongying who was in solitary confinement. He chatted with the little girl about whether she was cold, whether she had enough to eat, and whether Xiao Bing took good care of her. However, his eyes kept turning around the bicycle. Before leaving, he suddenly smiled and suggested that he wanted to push the bicycle to the regiment headquarters for two days and return it after the little girl was released from prison.
As soon as the captain came in, the little girl saw that he was a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken, and had no good intentions. As soon as the captain said this, the little girl changed her face, raised her braids high, and stared at Captain Lu with a pair of beautiful big eyes. Seeing that soft tactics didn't work, Captain Lu immediately darkened his face and took a hard approach.
One of them was taking advantage of his seniority and authority, and was ready to rob and rob; the other was taking advantage of his youth and was ready to rise up and rebel against him, relying on his youth and courage. The two of them were at loggerheads, and they quarreled on the spot, which scared Xiao Bing so much that he hid outside the door and dared not watch. Fortunately, Ding De arrived and dragged Captain Lu away, thus avoiding a crisis for the independent regiment.
In the residence of Class 9, the little girl was furious: "I couldn't sleep well in the past three days. Later, I asked Xiao Bing to install a bolt on the door and told him not to close his eyes at night and to focus on monitoring outside the window. Only then was it safer. I was so angry."
Liu Jianqiang said: "The leader has a mean heart. Do you think he can be the same as you?"
The little girl glared at Liu Jianqiang and said, "You've only known him for a few days? The water is deep. To tell you the truth, he led me astray."
"What? How can you say that about your own leader?"
"He is the captain, not from Class 9, so why don't you speak up for me? Captain, captain, captain, you only know that I said he is a bad rice ball, what do you think?"
Ma Liang couldn't help laughing, thinking that it was no wonder that the squad leader sent the bicycle to the detention room as soon as he came back. He was really far-sighted. If it was placed in Class 9 at that time, it would definitely not escape the clutches of the regiment commander. Only the little girl could keep this thing.
Seeing Liu Jianqiang pouting and no longer paying attention to Xiao Hongying, Ma Liang stopped laughing and turned to ask Hu Yi: "Brother, since we are now the ninth platoon, did the regiment say how many new recruits we will be allocated this time?"
Hu Yi sat at the table, holding a clean rag in his hand, and carefully wiped the compass in his hand: "No, it doesn't matter."
"Then... could it be that we are a platoon?"
"We'll talk about the future later. We have two classes now." Hu Yi didn't even raise his head and continued to work.
Everyone in the room was stunned by this. Two classes? There were seven people in total, so they were divided into two classes? Did I hear it wrong? Even the little girl turned her eyes to Hu Yi, and everyone stared at him, waiting for Hu Yi to give an answer.
Hu Yi felt the sudden silence around him, and looked up at the guys around him: "Squad 9 is still Squad 9. Even though we have platoon 9 now, it won't change. It will be squad 9, platoon 9. The other one is squad 1, platoon 9. If the regiment assigns new soldiers in a while, it will be squad 2, platoon 9. Do you understand now?"
"Row nine, class one, row nine, class two, row nine, class nine... where is this class one?" Ma Liang, with a confused look on his face, asked the question on behalf of everyone else.
The compass in his hand had been wiped clean until it sparkled. Hu Yi closed it and carefully put it into a black leather box before continuing, "I made a request, and the regiment commander and political commissar have agreed. Shi Cheng from Qingshan Village will be the squad leader of the first squad of the ninth platoon, and his people will be the first squad of the ninth platoon."
Some of the audience suddenly understood what was said, but Ma Liang and Liu Jianqiang could not help but look at each other, a little dumbfounded. Originally, they thought that the ninth platoon would have three squads sooner or later, and this time at least they both had a chance to be squad leaders, but unexpectedly, the ninth squad remained unchanged, and the first squad leader had already been selected, so there was only the second squad left to be formed after the new recruits were added.
Liu Jianqiang couldn't hold it in any longer and asked directly, "Squad leader, uh... Platoon leader, what do you think of the selection of squad leader for the second squad?"
Hu Yi wiped his hands with a rag, took the broken teacup and placed it in front of Ma Liang, signaling him to add water. Then he looked at Liu Jianqiang who looked anxious, and said calmly: "Don't change your words, I'm not used to it. Keep calling me squad leader. As for the candidate for squad leader of Class 2... choose one from among you."
With a puff, the person who laughed this time was Luo Fugui. Damn it, this is fate, Runny Nose and Ma Liang, a pair of unlucky people born together. The bear, who was eager to see the joke, was about to take a closer look at the expressions of Liu Jianqiang and Ma Liang, when he suddenly found Hu Yi looking at him expressionlessly. He quickly raised his big hand to cover his mouth, but still couldn't help laughing.
Ma Liang and Liu Jianqiang no longer had the energy to pay attention to Luo Fugui. There was only one spot left for the second squad leader, so their eyes met again.
It was not until Hu Yi's eyebrows showed a tendency to rise that Luo Fugui's movements completely stopped. He was so depressed that his face turned red and his neck became thick, and his expression was extremely painful.
Hu Yi no longer paid attention to the bear, nor to Runny Nose and Ma Liang who were staring at each other, and suddenly asked Li Xiang: "Your outfit... Is it time for you to think about it yourself?"
Until now, Li Xiang is still empty-handed, not to mention weapons, he doesn't even have a leather belt, and looks more like a stretcher bearer in the medical team. Although he met Li Xiang in the hospital, Hu Yi didn't know him very well, and didn't know what he was thinking and what he was suitable for. The generous conditions offered by the little girl when she tried to bribe Pan Zhuzi were not the case. She just wanted to trick Pan Zhuzi into the ninth squad, and then sell Pan Zhuzi to the third company for a gun. Those conditions were all empty promises. De girl, you are not in vain. Now the ninth squad is really rich except for bullets and grenades.
Li Xiang was new here, Hu Yi knew he was being bullied, but he didn't care, just pretending not to see it. Whether he could integrate into the small circle of Class 9 and how to find his position in Class 9 was his own business, survival of the fittest, that was the rule. So even though Hu Yi had two Mauser pistols in his hand, he didn't plan to give one to Li Xiang. Since he didn't know him, he should let him decide his own position.
Li Xiang hesitated for a moment before looking up: "I... understand."
Although Li Xiang had worked as a landmine dismantler and wore a military uniform, he had never been to the battlefield or lived in a front-line army. After he arrived at the ninth shift, everything was a new beginning. Everything was different. In the factory, except for the factory director and his master, no one cared about him. He dared to do whatever he wanted. Now it was different. His treatment was even worse than that of the fool Wu Shitou. He was just a new soldier, and no one cared about his past.
Li Xiang had chosen his own path and he had no regrets. Because no one in Class Nine cared about his past, he was free from the pressure that tormented him and he didn't mind having to lower his profile in Class Nine and being bullied.
In the sunshine, Li Xiang quietly walked into the supply department of the independent regiment.
Li Suanpan looked Li Xiang up and down, and said in confusion: "Li Xiang, you are from the ninth squad, why are you coming to me to look for equipment? Besides, my supply department can be searched by those three company commanders eight times a day, and only rags are left, haha."
"If it doesn't work... I'll pick one and go back to fix it myself."
Li Suanpan was stunned. He had heard from the regiment commander that Li Xiang used to work in the division's factory. He might really have the ability. Anyway, they were all useless things, so he would just deal with them one by one. So he nodded and said, "Since you don't mind the food being rotten, then fine. That guy... take him to the back to pick one."
A soldier from the supply department led Li Xiang into a warehouse. At first glance, there were quite a few guns here, not to mention long and short ones, there were even two machine guns. Unfortunately, they were either too old to be used or completely damaged in the battle and could not be used at all.
Li Xiang can indeed repair some gun failures, but that was in the factory, with tools and equipment to repair them. Now, this is an independent regiment, with nothing, how can we repair it
His idea was to pick the best from the worst, and try to find a gun that could be repaired without special tools. In theory, this idea should be feasible. Unfortunately, many people who came here to ask for weapons before him also thought so. When it was Li Xiang's turn to come, there was no gun that could be repaired.
The soldier from the supply department stood at the door, looking at Li Xiang's disappointed expression after he carefully walked around for a long time, and said with a smile: "Haha, you thought Director Li was lying to you, give up now."
Putting down a damaged rifle and standing up helplessly, Li Xiang's eyes suddenly fell on the corner. There were two ammunition boxes stacked there, with three grenade launchers on top.
After hesitating for a moment, he walked over and picked up the three grenade launchers one by one to check them carefully. One of them was broken, but the other two were in good condition. The operation of this thing was not complicated, but unfortunately no one in the Eighth Route Army could understand it. It couldn't hit the target even if it was used. It was not as practical as a grenade. In addition, the source of grenades was not stable. It was purely based on occasional captures, and the number was very small. Who would want this burden? The grenade launchers and grenades that were occasionally captured were sent to the small factory in the division for processing. Since the factory in the division was gone, these things naturally became scrap metal in the warehouse of the independent regiment.
Li Xiang had dismantled this but never used it. However, he definitely couldn't find the gun. Was he going to continue wandering around the Ninth Class empty-handed, and continue to be an idler who couldn't help at all? At least this weapon was usable, not scrap metal; at least with a weapon, he could be considered a soldier, not a useless person with nothing in his hands.
With a deep sigh, Li Xiang checked the three grenade launchers again and put them on the ground. He opened the ammunition box and found two layers of 50mm grenade launcher grenades. He pointed to another box underneath and asked the soldier at the door, "Are these two boxes full of grenades?"
The soldier frowned and nodded: "I said... you are not going to use that, are you? That thing can't hit anyone."
Li Xiang was silent. Nothing could hit people, but nothing could explode. If he didn't take this, then he wouldn't have to take anything else. He bent down and picked up the best grenade launcher in his hand: "I want this, and these two boxes of grenades. Also... do you have any grenade equipment?"
"Are you serious?" The soldier's eyes widened. "I don't care if you want to take the grenade launcher, but those two boxes of grenades..."
"I want all the grenades... You can... go directly to the commander for instructions."
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