ebookpocket.com #644 - Extra: Anti-Japanese War (I)
#644 - Extra: Anti-Japanese War (I)
A Kun-style fighter jet landed near Shichahai in the deep night. At this hour, Beiping City was already under curfew. Liu Yuan carefully avoided Japanese patrols, quietly approaching Tian Zao's home.
Liu Yuan had been busy for two full days, rushing to the 37 pre-dug cellars before the Eighth Route Army's operation, placing all the previously produced weapons and some refurbished inventory inside. This included 42,000 Type 'Great Wall'-1 rifles, 39,000 Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 Type II rifles, 8,200 Type 38 rifles, 11,000 Warrior-type combat pistols, 980 Yellow River-B5 general-purpose machine guns, 2,100 Degtyaryov infantry machine guns (DP-28, commonly known as 'Big Disc Chicken'), and 370 light artillery pieces such as mortars. There were also approximately 8 million rounds of various bullets and over 13,000 rounds of various shells, along with 80,000 sets of military uniforms and canvas equipment, all modified from Soviet army clothing.
Liu Yuan had really gone all out this time. Producing these equipments would take about a year even with his system workshop. He would have to go to the Bear country again to get some more goods after a while. He heard that the Battle of Stalingrad was going terribly, and he could make them even more miserable. It's been a long time since he went to America, and he guessed there must be a lot of good stuff there!
When the Commander got this detailed list, he was so shocked that he almost passed out. This batch of arms could re-equip one-third of the entire army. With these weapons, the Commander had enough confidence to take on the Japanese First Army. He could crush the Japanese future 'Plan C Sweep'. If he had the ability to directly confront the Japanese army, who would be willing to fight guerrilla warfare?
Unfortunately, they didn't have enough transportation capacity to bring all the arms back. The Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, along with a group of high-ranking officers, secretly discussed the matter for an entire day and finally made a decision. Based on the storage volume at each depot, they would send a corresponding number of main force troops to re-equip. Materials in some sensitive areas would be temporarily sealed. They would formulate a battle plan to conduct a large-scale troop movement, making it impossible for the enemy to figure out the Eighth Route Army's true intentions. At the same time, they would strengthen vigilance in various base areas and construct defense works in key areas.
However, those were not things that Liu Yuan needed to worry about. He twisted and turned, finally arriving at Tian Zao's small courtyard. Although it was just past nine in the evening, the courtyard door was already locked. He stepped forward and gently knocked on the door. After a while, someone came out. The voice was Tian Zhen's: 'Who is it? In the middle of the night, don't you know there's a curfew?'
Liu Yuan whispered, 'Uncle Tian, it's me, it's Liu Yuan.' The door opened with a bang, and Tian Zhen looked at him with some surprise. It had been more than two years since Liu Yuan last left Beiping, and he had changed a lot. He was already one meter seventy tall, and his physique was very strong.
Tian Zhen tentatively asked, 'Xiao Yuan, is it really you?'
Liu Yuan said with a smile, 'Yes, Uncle Tian, it's me. I'm back.' Tian Zhen then remembered something, quickly pulled him into the yard, looked around again, and closed the courtyard door tightly.
Pulling him all the way into the house, Tian Zhen carefully looked him over by the light. Tian Zao in the inner room also came out dressed. She was stunned for a moment when she saw Liu Yuan, but quickly remembered him and rushed to his side: 'Brother Liu, you're back to see me. Didn't you go to Shanxi? Are you leaving again this time?' Her little mouth chattered away, not giving Liu Yuan a chance to reply. He took out a tin box from his satchel, opened it, and there was a cream hazelnut cake inside. He put in a small wooden spoon and handed it to Tian Zao. The girl happily hugged the tin box and went to the side to eat it beautifully.
Hehe, this girl is still easy to coax, and she becomes quiet with something delicious. He took out some gifts for Tian Zhen from his bag. Old Tian never smoked, but he liked to drink. He put out seven or eight bottles of foreign and white liquor, all good stuff. Old Tian smiled so hard that his eyebrows stretched, and the more he looked at this kid, the more pleasing he found him. Tsk, it's still good to have a son-in-law!
Sitting on the kang, Tian Zhen asked about Liu Yuan's experiences over the past two years. Liu Yuan roughly explained that he first went to the Northeast to become a disciple, then accompanied his senior sister to study in Shaanxi, and then went to Shanxi to join the Eighth Route Army. He had been fighting the Japanese in the Taihang Mountains these years.
Old Tian could be considered a martial arts person, so he naturally knew about Grandpa Gong from the Northeast. He never expected that Liu Yuan would become his closed-door disciple. After a long silence, Tian Zhen asked, 'Xiao Yuan, do you have anything to do this time?'
Liu Yuan said, 'Uncle Tian, I can't tell you about this matter. I will stay in Beiping for a maximum of three days, and then I will go north to do some things.'
Tian Zhen said after listening, 'Xiao Yuan! Since you have embarked on this path, you must protect yourself. Uncle has nothing to help you with, but as long as you come back, this is your home.' The two also talked about some trivial things in life. With a 'plop', the cake box fell to the ground. The two looked over, and Zao'er had fallen asleep to the side, with cream not cleaned from her small face, like a little cat.
Thousands of miles away in Yang Village, Li Yunlong, who couldn't sleep, was staring at the map with the newly received order. He couldn't understand why the division commander would assign him such a task. The order was for the Independent Regiment to set off fully equipped, maneuvering irregularly on the outer lines to attract the attention of the enemy's Ninth Brigade. He couldn't figure it out. As far as he knew, it wasn't just the Independent Regiment that had received such orders. Including Ding Wei and Kong Jie's New First Regiment and New Second Regiment, they had also received similar tasks.
Over the past two years, the Eighth Route Army had gradually obtained nearly 20,000 new-style weapons from Liu Yuan through antique exchanges. The battle achievements of Li Yunlong and others showed the importance of a unit capable of fighting tough battles. At least each military sub-district needed to have a fist force. Now was the time to show their importance. These troops would cover other brother units secretly re-equipping.
The news of the large-scale movement of the Eighth Route Army the next morning was already on Commander Iwamatsu Yoshio's desk. Iwamatsu Yoshio looked at the reports submitted by various departments and the intelligence analysis from the Tokko. He frowned and said with great doubt: 'Damn it, what the hell are the Eighth Route Army trying to do?'
Gangcun Ningci had the same doubts as him. A copy of the same information was placed on his desk. This time, it wasn't just the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi that was acting strangely. The Eighth Route Army in Central Hebei, Southern Hebei, Northern Henan, Western Shandong, and even Suiyuan and Rehe were all moving to varying degrees.
Could it be that the Eighth Route Army is planning to launch a raid like the 'Hundred Regiments Offensive' last year? Thinking of this, he immediately instructed the adjutant: 'Please invite General Shinozuka to my office. I have something I need to ask him about.' After speaking, he walked to the window, staring at the street outside and muttering to himself: 'Eighth Route Army, what exactly happened?'