Nothing is difficult in this world if one sets his mind to it. — Bodhi Patriarch
This morning, the cavalry captain arrived at Xiangmo Village.
The pseudo-battalion commander who was still stationed in Xiangmo Village was very nervous because his troops were still staying in Xiangmo Village without moving. So he repeatedly emphasized to the cavalry captain that after the bloody battle yesterday afternoon and the fierce battle yesterday midnight, his severely injured team needed to rest, so they stayed in Xiangmo until now.
The cavalry captain was not annoyed, but lay on the map and concentrated on it.
The pseudo-battalion commander thought that the Eighth Route Army had already fled and there was no way to find them! It would be best if this operation ended here!
However, the cavalry captain said, "Very good! We still have a direction. The Eighth Route Army must either turn south or return east. Inform Li Youde's troops to move the western blockade line southward, focusing on the section between Hekouying and Meixian County. Send people to the east to contact the remaining troops in Shili Dang. If the guerrillas fail to break through, there is no need to encircle them. It will not be too late to destroy those guerrillas later. Immediately search and march westward. Your troops should move south immediately and suspend camp for 30 kilometers until my next order."
"Thirty kilometers?" The pseudo-battalion commander subconsciously repeated the cavalry captain's order.
"Don't think they can get away. They are within 30 kilometers at the moment, and only a quarter of the 30-kilometer radius."
The fake battalion commander didn't understand what the nonsense of four people sharing a fan was. Think about it, sixty li, that's a huge area! Still want to find the Eighth Route Army? Dream on!
The truth is: at this moment, the straight-line distance between the cavalry captain's mount and Hu Yi's Zhongzheng rifle was 24,395 meters.
…
At noon this day, the cavalry captain appeared in a sparse forest more than 30 miles east of Xiangmo Village.
Here, he met up with a puppet army camp coming from the direction of Shili Dang, and obtained an important informant, the captain of the Meixian detective team, who claimed that the Eighth Route Army was in this woods that morning, including the Second Company of the Independent Regiment, the Ninth Company of the Independent Regiment, and the remnants of the Qiufeng Guerrillas, who later left in the southwest direction.
I thought they were going to capture a company of the Eighth Route Army, but now it has turned into three combined into a battalion!
The cavalry captain's eyes almost glowed green. He quickly spread out the map again, compared and measured again and again.
"If the Eighth Route Army goes southwest, the population will become increasingly dense, and we won't be able to march fast during the day. There are too many areas to avoid. Although it's already noon, this place is no more than 20 kilometers away from them! Moreover, the camp heading south from Xiangmo Village will be even closer to the Eighth Route Army, and they may receive intelligence about the whereabouts of the Eighth Route Army at any time. Captain Shen, thank goodness for you! But how did you get here?"
How could Captain Shen dare to say that he was arrested? Not only would it destroy his glorious image, but how would he continue to wear the hat of the captain of the detective team in the future
"Back then, I had a clever plan in Xiaojiao Village, but I didn't know that I would catch a company of the Eighth Route Army. After a hard fight, I was no match for the endless Eighth Route Army. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter! I was grateful for the Imperial Army's cultivation, so I disguised myself again and again, and kept the Eighth Route Army on my tail, tracking them all the way here. As a result, I sprained my ankle!"
The cavalry captain immediately gave the order: ride fast to Meixian County and request assistance from the Meixian garrison. First, form a temporary motorcycle team to conduct high-density round-trip patrols from Meixian County along the Meixian Highway to the east. Second, send out county troops to conduct an enlarged fan-shaped search to the north, northeast, and east of the county, and blockade the nodes.
The pseudo-military camp from Shili Dang in the woods was ordered to march southward and wait for further orders from the cavalry captain at any time. The cavalry squadron under the cavalry captain was divided into small units and conducted reconnaissance in the southwest, south-southwest, southeast, and south-southeast directions.
It's not that the cavalry captain didn't believe the information provided by Captain Shen, but he was afraid that the Eighth Route Army would turn back or change direction again. He wanted to compress the Eighth Route Army's maneuvering space from north to south!
The truth is: at this moment, the straight-line distance between the cavalry captain's mount and Hu Yi's Zhongzheng rifle was 18,643 meters.
…
In the afternoon, the sky suddenly became cloudy and a breeze arose. The scorching sun occasionally entered the clouds, casting a large shadow obliquely across the vast green fields. The shadow moved slowly, and it seemed as if the green fields were floating rather than the clouds moving.
Many soldiers' water bottles were empty, but Hu Yi's water bottle still had one third full. This was his old habit. Even though his lips were covered with dust and his military uniform had turned dark gray with sweat, sticking to his spine, he still didn't intend to unscrew the lid of the water bottle, because he had now learned to think about someone heartless instead of just living a little longer for himself. Sooner or later, she would come running behind him and cry out for thirst, and then he would happily drink only a small sip at a time!
They have been marching almost all night until now, and no matter whether it is the 9th Company in the front, the 2nd Company in the back, or the guerrillas in the middle, they are all the same and cannot speed up at all. The team marching in the green fields is already exhausted and marching intermittently, and speed is most needed at this time.
Everyone wanted to rest. No one in the 9th Company spoke, because Hu Yi didn't speak, which meant that it was still not the time to rest. No one in the 2nd Company spoke, because the 9th Company didn't speak. Let's see who can last the longest! Let's see who dies of exhaustion first!
Gao Yidao suddenly used all his strength to speed up and strode past Captain Meng without saying a word. Looking at the stern black face, Captain Meng felt that something must have happened, so he quickly followed Gao Yidao and rushed forward.
"We've been discovered! I think I saw the Japanese cavalry behind us just now!"
Hu Yi turned around, glanced at the distant horizon, and then looked directly at Gao Yidao: "Are you sure?"
"At least I'm sure it wasn't dust from the telescope! It looked like three or four."
Panting, he helplessly frowned under his curly hat brim: "Stop moving and take a rest!"
The exhausted team was unable to even react on the spot. They swayed for more than ten meters before falling back like dominoes.
Hearing this news, Captain Meng looked the most anxious. He was really scared by the Japanese cavalry. The haunting horror caused him to turn around and stare at the horizon behind him without blinking, but he could see nothing but a faint sense of desolation. He wanted to remind the two company commanders of the independent regiment that it was not the time to rest. No matter how tired they were, they should continue to walk. One more mile is one more mile. Maybe in the next mile they can find a suitable place to hide, just like when he led the team to escape into Shili Dang. Unfortunately, he was embarrassed to speak.
Gao Yidao understood Captain Meng's expression, so he said, "Sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. Gather enough strength, so that I can use the bayonet to knock the devil off his horse!"
Unexpectedly, Gao Yidao still had the mind to tease Captain Meng. Hu Yi sighed: "This is a cavalry scout. There are no flares flying, which means we still have time. At least there are no large enemy forces nearby. We still have to go. No need to go southeast anymore. Go directly south. We must cross the Meixian Highway tonight!"
"With the tail behind us? How far can we go?" Gao Yidao looked at the back of the team unwillingly.
"I don't want to be followed by a tail, so I stop to rest and consider whether I can get rid of the cavalry scouts behind me!"
Hearing Hu Yi say this, Captain Meng looked the most frustrated. How could it be solved? The Japanese scout had a fast horse and was watching from a distance with a telescope. If you turned around, he would run away. If you walked away, he would continue to follow you. There was no solution on this large plain. The two company commanders of the independent regiments in front of them, one arrogant and the other gloomy, had one thing in common: naivety!
However, Hu Yi and Gao Yidao were not interested in Captain Meng's expression and fell silent. After a long while, Gao Yidao suddenly looked at Hu Yi and said, "Why don't you go first? I will lead the Second Company to stay here and fight the devils!"
Hu Yi didn't even shake his head: "It's not just one scout."
After a long while, Gao Yidao looked at Hu Yi again and said, "Let's just disband here! There are only three or four devils. Let's split into ten groups. How many can leave?"
Hu Yi shook his head: "This is a bad idea! It's not the right time to do this yet."
After a long while, Gao Yidao looked at Hu Yi again and said, "Since we can't catch up with these Japanese scouts, can we ambush them?"
Hu Yi finally raised his head: "This is a feasible idea. The problem is the surrounding environment. I have been thinking... How can the ambush be successful?"
Looking at the endless green, Gao Yidao also shook his head: "How should I know?"
"Then keep thinking!"
At this moment: the straight-line distance between the cavalry captain's mount and Hu Yi's Zhongzheng rifle was 12,986 meters.
…