novelden Chapter 1011: Steamed Bun with Pickles
Chapter 1011: Steamed Bun with Pickles
Fuping, the headquarters of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region.
In the low little room, there was a plate of pickled vegetables and a pot of stewed meat on the kang table.
Two middle-aged men sat cross-legged on the kang. One of them, the thinner one, said to the other, the more refined one, "Old Li, you came here in person to guide our work. Logically, I should treat you well. But you know, with the autumn harvest just around the corner, the Japanese are stirring up trouble again. The soldiers need food to fight, and the people are suffering! I originally steamed a pot of steamed buns for you, fried pickles with chilies, and had plenty of oil. But I didn't expect that my little guard actually caught a rabbit! He is more capable than me. If it weren't for his rabbit, today's meal would be so shabby!"
The man sitting opposite him was wearing black-framed glasses and a coat. His beard looked like he had just shaved today, and the stubble was still green.
"A steamed bun with pickles is already a delicious meal, but I didn't expect you to let me have meat today, Lao Lu, I owe you a huge favor!"
The two looked at each other and laughed, eating and chatting.
"Old Li, you see, ever since we conquered Fuping and moved our headquarters here, we can say that the surrounding counties are firmly in our hands. The rest of the country, that is, the county seat, is still in the hands of the devils and the puppet army, but the vast rural areas are also ours. We have opened tobacco factories, cotton farms, transport teams, postal teams, and even printed our own banknotes! It can be said that the situation is very good! But if the devils really want to launch an iron wall encirclement, needless to say, we will have to withdraw from Fuping again. We really don't want to leave!"
"Old Lu, what's the matter? Now that you have a stable life, you can't fight guerrilla warfare anymore?"
"Look at what you said. I'm reluctant to give up the family fortune I've saved with great difficulty!"
"This battle is inevitable. The Japanese are having trouble making new progress in other battlefields. In the Pacific, they're being beaten back by the Americans, with several aircraft carriers sunk. Not long ago, they launched a large-scale sweep along the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway, but I heard it had little effect. Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei is a base right under the Japanese's noses, and it's a thorn in the side of that Okamura. He'll attack you if he gets the chance. So, this battle is better fought sooner rather than later, and better fought now than later!"
Old Li's eyes sparkled. "Look, just as you said, you've accumulated so much wealth. The soldiers eat and dress better than in other places, and the common people pay less rent than in other places, so their lives are better. No one wants to give up such a good life. This is the will of the people, this is their fighting spirit. Give up the county seat and deal with them. How long can the Japanese hold out when tens of thousands of soldiers are starving? If you can hold on this time, it will boost everyone's confidence even more!"
Lao Lu was a little nervous. "Are there really tens of thousands of people?"
Old Li nodded. "Our Hua Xi Que has already entered Peking. Everything is going according to our plan. Coincidentally, that old friend happens to be in Peking right now. Maybe he'll surprise us again. Even if he doesn't make a move, Xiao Yin will be able to get a rough idea of the situation."
"From what you said, Xiao Yin is still in school, still a child..."
"Don't underestimate the kid. Back then, Xiao Duan was also a rich young master. What's he like now? People are tempered and grow up through struggle. The Hua Xi Que I'm talking about was a wealthy young lady who couldn't carry anything when she arrived in Yancheng a few years ago. But now, she can stand on her own."
Lao Lu was silent for a moment, took a bite of his steamed bun, and said, "I hope they can all evacuate."
Old Li took a puff of his cigarette and said, "After all, this time it's about the same. This new Hua Gu Zheng is far worse than the previous ones. This is a good thing for us!"
................
"Mr. Hanagu, you are truly a genius. We have now fully secured the area around Dajiugang. Whether we arrest people now or continue to monitor them, there is no risk at all. This is truly admirable. Even if we can't implicate the person behind this, we can easily destroy a traffic station. This is a feat that several previous military police commanders have failed to accomplish!"
In Hanatani Masaru's office, the military officer was frantically flattering him.
Hanatani Masaru felt very comfortable listening to this.
Even though he came from a wealthy family, Tokyo was a place full of nobles, and he was not considered a top figure, so he had to keep a low profile.
Ever since I became the chief officer of the Peking Military Police Headquarters, I finally understood what it meant to feel comfortable to hold great power, and what it meant to be arbitrary and domineering!
"Alright, you go down first. Let me think about it. At this point, should we continue monitoring or arrest them as soon as possible? Oh, it's really hard to deal with them having a radio. This guy named Wen is also stupid. He went in without thinking. Why didn't he think of them having a radio before? Now he can't go in or out."
The flattering officer tiptoed out of Hanatani Zheng's office, looked around, and actually went downstairs quickly, knocked on the door and entered Qingshui Hao's office!
...........
Lin House.
"Master Lin, Qingshuihao sent a message saying they've detected a signal from the big wine jar. There must be a radio station inside. Huagu is a bit hesitant right now. I don't know whether to arrest them or continue monitoring them."
Lin Ze laughed dumbly. "Alas, Hanatani Masaru, Hanatani Masaru, you're just talking big. Whether it's Matsuzaki or Kitahara, they should have arrested the man and tried him long ago. He's still hesitating. Hesitation will lead to defeat!"
Niu Saner said, "Master Lin, it seems that Editor Wen and Sister Yun are actually in cahoots. They're just trying to distract Hua Guzheng's attention so that the others can secretly attack. But I'm a little confused. Could it be that the Special Operations Department has even won over the entire Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics?"
Lin Ze shook his head. "Don't forget, the Central Bureau of Investigation hasn't been active in the north for five or six years. It's definitely impossible for them to send all new people. They probably sent a representative here to recruit a group of old subordinates. That Kuang Yihong is probably this representative. However, in the past five or six years, the people who stayed behind have seen too much national hatred and family feuds. It's normal for them to turn to the Red Zone. The Kuang surnamed Kuang is still kept in the dark and is dreaming of cooperating with the devils."
Back in the days when the First and Second Divisions were still in operation, many people were sent outside the Great Wall. As a result, the lack of resistance confused many people on the secret front. These people saw the Japanese burning, killing and looting outside the Great Wall, and many of them turned to the Anti-Japanese United Army in large numbers. Later, many of them sneaked back to Shancheng and Nanjing, and made great contributions to the Special Operations Group.
Two years later, when the two sides were on the verge of a falling out, the Central Bureau of Investigation had a stress response. As soon as the Red Zone conquered new territory, the Central Bureau of Investigation would no longer use any of the investigation personnel who had escaped from that territory, and some were even secretly executed.