When the iron tower-like soldier's figure and bayonet stopped in front of Hu Yi under the moonlight, Hu Yi felt... even more angry, because the person who came was the lingering Gao Yidao, and Hu Yi didn't even feel surprised.
Gao Yidao was not surprised to meet the Ninth Company here, because he knew that the Ninth Company was a parade of gods; ever since the people in Xiaojiao Village learned about the detective team's fishing plan, Gao Yidao also started to make trouble. His idea was the same as Hu Yi's, and he was also heading to the remote areas to kill the traitors when he had nothing to do. This is called counter-retaliation. Just as he was about to enter Xiangmo Village at midnight, the scouts ran into the puppet army.
The main force of the Second Company did not engage in a fight with the puppet army in the village, but paused at the west end of the village, because Gao Yidao could not understand why a puppet army would appear in Xiangmo Village in the middle of the night, as he had not heard of any new enemy deployment in Meixian. The fierce gunfire in the village was completely caused by the puppet army scaring themselves, as they were only facing the vanguard squad of the Second Company. When Gao Yidao was considering whether to fight this puppet army of unknown origin and size, Ma Liang suddenly appeared.
The two enemy company commanders stared at each other for a long time under the moonlight at a distance of one and a half meters. Unfortunately, the moonlight was blocked by the darkness under their hat brims, and they could not see each other's eyes clearly.
Hu Yi finally lost his patience: "Can you say something?"
Gao Yidao finally relaxed his shoulders: "I thought you were competing with me in willpower!"
"… "
"Where are the Japanese cavalry? How far away are they?"
"I guess it's north now, I don't know how far it is."
"In that case... why don't we... do it together! Isn't breaking down doors and stealing holes your forte?"
"There are at least 200 puppet soldiers in the village! Do you want to fight here until dawn? You've already left me with nowhere to go, do you know that?"
"More than 200? Ahem... um..."
"Stop coughing. You are in the same situation as me now. Do you understand? I estimate that Li Youde will move eastward early tomorrow morning. Maybe he has already started to move to the eastward range."
"How is that possible?"
"Can you calculate how far a horse's legs can run in half a night?"
There was a brief silence, and Gao Yidao suddenly said, "So it was you who harmed me? How can you say that it was me who harmed you? Why did you flirt with the Japanese cavalry when you had nothing better to do?"
…
The morning glow appeared on the eastern horizon, and the sky had turned into a light blue, still cloudless, heralding another good day.
A busy team was marching across the green fields bathed in the glow of the morning glow, with no intention of appreciating the beautiful morning glow and only focused on heading east.
The Ninth Company, which had not been able to sleep all night, tiredly felt the slight coolness of the early morning, and when they wiped the sweat off their faces they wiped off a layer of dirt, and the mottled blood stains on their uniforms had dried; to the rear, was the Second Company, which had also not been able to sleep all night.
This vast plain seemed to be free and unlimited. Some soldiers wanted to stop and rest, thinking that they could sleep in the sparse woods for several years without being discovered. However, Hu Yi was not so optimistic, because there was a group of devil cavalry wandering around and connecting everywhere, ready to carry out a detailed search. Because this was an enemy-occupied area and a plain, the devil cavalry had plenty of patience. This was what the devil cavalry was here to do! Even this clear and cloudless sky became part of Hu Yi's heavy mood. It was impossible to even hope for a rain.
The most urgent task is to jump out of the enemy's expected range. For Hu Yi, there is no reference for the current situation. He can only guess in his heart, and he cannot guess optimistically. Hu Yi believes that this blockade must be commanded by the Japanese cavalry. Assuming that the Japanese cavalry received the news this morning that the 9th company appeared in Xiangmo Village at midnight last night, then the Japanese would draw a circle with a distance of half a night's pace on the map with Xiangmo Village as the center, and then judge the feasible direction from the perspective of the 9th company, divide the key areas for detailed search, and make corresponding blockades on the periphery.
So Hu Yi turned around again from Xiangmo Village and headed east. This direction should be the most difficult for the enemy to determine, and it would have the lowest priority in search. By doing so, the enemy would be aware of it later, allowing the Ninth Company (and now the unlucky Second Company) to successfully get through the day. Then, tonight, they might be able to completely escape the enemy's expectations.
It was already bright, and although this area seemed sparsely populated, Hu Yi did not want to take any more risks. He decided to use a sparse forest ahead as a resting place.
…
The sunlight that jumped out from the horizon poured horizontally into the woods. The tree trunks facing east were bright and warm, and the mottled light and shadows were particularly distinct.
Several soldiers from the Second Company who had not slept sat near a huge rotten tree stump, their faces exposed to the sun's rays. They were discussing among themselves whether it was the Ninth Company that harmed the Second Company or the Second Company that harmed the Ninth Company. Their conclusions were the same: the Second Company was innocent! It was all the fault of the Ninth Company!
The tone was gradually rising, but suddenly there was silence. Several soldiers from the second company, holding their rifles, stared in the same direction with bulging eyes and grinned: "Oh my God... this... she..."
"Am I dreaming... or did I recognize the wrong person?"
"When did that wicked thing lose his braid? It's what he deserves!"
The one strolling leisurely in the woods was none other than the wicked little Hongying from the Ninth Company! Her dirty little face showed no trace of worry from the previous night. She habitually imitated the unscrupulous regiment commander, with her hands behind her back, swaying with every step. Fortunately, the woods were quite sparse, otherwise she would have bumped into a tree.
As she passed the rotten tree stump with a proud look on her face, she heard a crackling sound. It seemed that the jaws of the soldiers of the second company all dropped, and their eyeballs almost dropped with them. A yellow fluffy little chicken was jumping past their stupid eyes, pecking at grass seeds all the way behind the wicked thing. This incredible scene was more shocking than when she saw the wicked thing wearing a gas mask. What the hell was this? This blind and hellish world!
"A bunch of guerrillas!" She could see the horrible expressions of the idiots in the second company without looking back. She was very satisfied with the effect of her boasting, but forgot that she was also covered in dirty mud from the previous night.
He continued to stroll a few steps smugly, then suddenly saw a man dressed like a rich man sitting in the bushes nearby, with his hands tied behind his back.
"Hey? Who are you? Are you lost?"
The rich man, half asleep and half awake, opened his haggard red eyes and saw a half-grown girl in front of him, with a baby jumping around her feet. He thought he was seeing things and looked around, only to find that it was not a dream. His hands were still tied behind his back. He thought to himself, "How stupid are you, little girl?" But he sighed deeply, "Alas - I am an innocent person, not a traitor. But they... just because a traitor gave me a pocket watch, they suspect that I am also a traitor. I am innocent!"
"You're right! They're always so careless!"
"Do you believe me?" The rich man's eyes almost turned red. What a precious understanding. It sounded like heavenly music to the rich man's ears!
"Why don't you believe it? You don't look like a bad person! Hey, which traitor gave you a pocket watch?"
"Li Youcai."
"… "
Just at this moment, a gunshot was heard from afar, like a wake-up call. All the soldiers who were sleeping soundly in the woods sat up straight, dazed.
Then there was a second gunshot, and then a third, causing all the soldiers to turn their necks collectively towards the east.
An unscrupulous bear collapsed into the bushes again: "What the hell... this... I'll just go to hell!"
…