The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 286 So Poor! (Two Chapters Combined)

It should be noted that whether it was the group of thirteen time travelers including Hu Biao, or the nine members of our Party's staff and logistics personnel led by Zhao Zheng, they were all different.

Prior to today, neither side had ever visited Zhangjiayu, this small village nestled in the mountains.

They knew of and chose this place as the planned headquarters of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

However, based on a military map captured from the Japanese that was far more detailed than that of the Nationalist army, this place was chosen after some study.

Under the pale moonlight of the night, they entered Zhangjiayu.

Hu Biao and his group could vaguely make out that this was a small village, with about fifty or sixty households and two or three hundred people.

Amidst a burst of fierce barking, this small squad, impeccably dressed and exceptionally well-equipped, appeared at the village entrance and stopped near an old jujube tree.

The entire village, which had been quiet, was suddenly disturbed, and almost everyone was awakened.

Soon after, an old man carrying a lantern approached with a timid expression.

Behind the old man, among the many houses, were pairs of fearful eyes hiding behind doors and windows.

These reactions were actually within the expectations of veterans like Hu Biao.

This land has been known since ancient times as a place where "bandits pass by like combs, and soldiers pass by like fine brushes."

This means that when bandits and robbers plunder, due to their haste or selective looting, the common people can still retain some of their property; however, when government soldiers plunder, they are thorough and meticulous, leaving almost no property behind.

The people were often more afraid of the army than of bandits.

This is why, even after thousands of years, people still speak of Yue Fei's army with great affection.

Only after the emergence of our Party did their army become known as the People's Liberation Army. Upon seeing them, we felt not fear, but rather affection and warmth.

Having anticipated this situation, Hu Biao and his team naturally had a plan in place:
It's very simple! Just reveal the names of Hu Biao, Commander Hu, and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

How could Commander Hu and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment be compared to those slutty, cheap women outside? No, how could they be compared to the troops under the command of those other warlords in the Republic of China whose military discipline was chaotic?

Anyway, now that Commander Hu and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment have arrived, it will only be a great thing for Zhangjiayu, definitely not a burden.

It is likely that as soon as the villagers of Zhangjiayu hear their names, they will immediately put aside their worries and happily send over good wine and meat to reward the troops.

Of course, Commander Hu and the entire Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment were not the kind of people who would simply take advantage of the villagers.

They will accept all the food and drink when the time comes, but they will pay for everything; they won't take it for free.

And there they were! The old man, who was probably the village chief or clan head of Zhangjiayu, was about to walk up to them with a cautious smile on his face.

Hu Biao raised his chin slightly, his right hand, gloved in white, rested on his belt, striking a cool pose.

Chaozi, the wizard, Lao Yu, and their group stood at attention, their eyes fixed straight ahead, looking quite imposing like strong soldiers.

Only Mr. Nanze, a shrewd tea merchant from the modern world, received a hint from Hu Biao.

They approached with a smile that said the tea cost at most 88 yuan, but was packaged as some famous 'Lao Ban Zhang' tea, and should sell for at least 8800 yuan.

He shouted to the old man, "Old man, and fellow villagers of Zhangjiayu, there is no need to be afraid. We are definitely not some passing-through soldiers."

This is the renowned Lieutenant Colonel Hu Biao, commander of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

When Mr. Nanze introduced this part, Hu Biao finally stopped pretending.

He smiled and nodded at the old man, then clasped his hands in a fist salute, as if to greet the villagers of Zhangjiayu who were watching from afar.

Unfortunately, before Hu Biao could even show his true colors:
Although Mr. Hu is somewhat famous for fighting the Japanese, the villagers should not idolize him too much. Just treat him as an ordinary person who knows a little about fighting, and don't put any psychological pressure on him.

The old man was shocked and puzzled after hearing Mr. Nanze's introduction.

Speaking in a dialect with a very heavy nasal tone, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Hu Biao, Commander Hu? Never heard of him. Is he famous?"
"Northern Jiangsu is probably a thousand or two miles away from our Pingding County; what are those independent regiments doing in our Zhangjiayu?"

Hearing the old man's mutterings, Mina and Xiao Cui, knowing they shouldn't laugh, still burst out laughing.

Zhao Zheng and the others exchanged a secret glance and decided not to step forward and say anything at this moment.

The main reason is that their superiors had a serious talk with them before they arrived:

Hu Biao and his group of companions all rose from humble beginnings and have a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts and chivalry) spirit; this is something that needs to be corrected, but the methods and approaches must be carefully considered.

Mr. Nanze, Chaozi, Lao Yu, and veterans like Wizard and Van Gogh were so embarrassed that they almost dug out a three-bedroom apartment from the ground with their toes.

With only one thought in mind: What kind of place is this? I've never even heard of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment. It's far too remote.

Hu Biao couldn't help but recall a story he had read when he was still a student.

After the reform and opening up, a reporter went to a remote mountain village for an interview. When he arrived, an elderly villager came up to him and solemnly inquired about something.

Hey buddy, have the Japanese devils left the city yet?

At the time, he completely regarded the story as a joke; now, based on the current situation, he realizes that it might actually be true.

In short, as soon as Hu Biao and his men arrived at Zhangjiayu, they immediately established it as the headquarters of their future Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

They gained an extremely clear understanding of the circumstances of limited access to information and harsh conditions.

But soon, through some firsthand experiences, they realized that they were only at this stage.

At the same time, I realized one thing: the process by which our Party, under such circumstances, not only had to contend with the Japanese invaders but also established base areas was incredibly difficult...

******
"Sir, may I ask your name? How old are you?"

Since the other party had never even heard of him or the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, Hu Biao was too lazy to keep pretending and asked Mr. Nan Ze to help with the communication.

They set aside their airs and began to communicate personally.

He took out the Sand Brand cigarettes that had been disguised as Old Knife brand by that mysterious place after he traveled through time. He first offered one to the other party before asking the question above.

The old man took the cigarette with both hands, glanced at it, tucked it behind his ear, and then carefully replied, "Reporting to the officer! My name is Zhang Baozhu, I am 56 years old, and I am the village head of Zhangjiayu."

I wonder what these officers are planning to do in Zhangjiayu.

"If there's anything we can do to help, just let us know. But Zhangjiayu is poor and dilapidated, and we've never seen much of the world, so there's only so much we can do to help."

Good heavens! Look at this old man's wrinkled face and how he's missing several teeth.

If you didn't know he was only 56, Hu Biao would have thought he was at least 70.

It seems that his aged appearance is due to the difficult living environment and conditions.

However, Hu Biao also knew that now was not the time to worry about these things. It was already too late, and everything could be dealt with after they had settled down.

He immediately raised his voice and solemnly promised:
"Village Chief Zhang and fellow villagers, you haven't heard of me and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, and you don't have any connection with them. There's no need to worry that it will be a disaster."

We came to Zhangjiayu, naturally to fight the Japanese invaders. Here, I, Hu, would like to make three agreements with you.

First, no conscripts were recruited.

The Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment did indeed need to recruit soldiers to fight the Japanese, but everything depended on the villagers joining voluntarily, and they received no shortage of resettlement allowances, monthly military pay, or compensation for casualties.

At that time, we will need to ask everyone to send their best men to our army.

Secondly, no grain was levied.

Our soldiers and horses naturally need food, but we will not forcibly requisition a single grain from you. We will only purchase it at the normal price. Whether you are willing to sell or not is entirely up to you, and there will be no coercion whatsoever.

Thirdly, the military discipline was strict, and they never violated the local people's rights.

From now on, if any officers or soldiers of my Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment engage in any acts of extortion, bullying, or oppression of the villagers, feel free to come to me, Hu Biao, and I will stand up for you.

When the time comes, I, Hu Biao, will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation.

"If I fail to meet any of these three conditions, may I, Hu Biao, be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!" Hu Biao spoke these three rules with absolute conviction. Upon hearing this, Zhao Zheng and the other members of our party breathed a sigh of relief, realizing something in their hearts.

That is to say, although Hu Biao has a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts and chivalry), he is very decisive when it comes to key matters, which will make their work much easier in the future.

Unfortunately, even though Hu Biao swore a solemn oath, Zhang Baozhu, the old man, had a look of surprise on his face and kept saying "good, good, good."

However, a sly glint flashed in his eyes, a glint of cunning typical of an old farmer, indicating that he considered the above words to be nothing more than empty flattery.

Seeing this, Hu Biao didn't take it seriously, because making such a light promise, or even swearing an oath, was quite easy.

It is indeed very difficult to persist in this long term and achieve all of them.

As time goes on, once the villagers discover that Hu Biao and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment can fully abide by the above three rules, their thinking will naturally change completely.

He then said, "Village Chief Zhang, do you know who the biggest household or landlord in the village is? Could you please take us there?"

Don't overthink it! We've just been traveling all day and want to ask to stay at his house for the night.

Actually, Hu Biao's request for lodging was secondary; the main issue was that they only had twenty or thirty silver dollars and a little over a hundred yuan in legal tender, and their dry rations were only enough for two days.

Although he has a large amount of valuable medicine, he probably won't find a way to sell it in this remote place anytime soon.

However, recruiting soldiers requires a lot of money and food, so it seems that the only option is to borrow some from the local landlords.

After all, for the sake of the united resistance against Japan, they weren't really going to fight the landlords and redistribute the land, and they would return the borrowed land later; borrowing from him was a sign of respect for him.

Faced with this request, Zhang Baozhu's expression became complicated again, but he finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Officers, please follow me."

In the time that followed, Hu Biao and his group of 22 people walked around the village with Zhang Baozhu.

Others observed the village, noting the pale-faced villagers, the mud houses (mostly made of earth), and the cave dwellings.

While silently complaining to myself: This place is really poor.

Hu Biao also learned some basic information about the landlord's house in Zhangjiayu, where they were going, from the old man Zhang Baozhu.

The man's name was Zhang Youcai, and he was in his forties.

His family owned 30% of the land in Zhangjiayu. They had a wife, a concubine, three sons, and two daughters, making them one of the wealthiest families in Zhangjiayu.

"It's good to live with a wealthy family!" Hu Biao thought to himself with satisfaction...

However, five minutes later, Hu Biao swallowed back all the words he was about to say about borrowing money and food.

Why? Because at this moment, all the transmigrators had only one urge to curse: Damn it! With such terrible conditions, how dare he call himself a landlord, or a wealthy family?
After following Zhang Baozhu, they finally arrived at the end of the village and saw some of the best buildings in the village: several brick cave dwellings.

Perhaps because they lived at the end of the village, they did not hear the news of Hu Biao and the others entering the village.

When Hu Biao and his family opened the door, Zhang Youcai's family was already sitting around the table eating.

Under the dim light of a small oil lamp, the food on the table consisted of thin porridge that reflected one's image, hard cornbread, and some pickled vegetables; there was not a trace of meat or fish in sight.

The appearance of Zhang Youcai's family was also completely different from the landlords and rich people they had in mind.

He wasn't wearing silk or satin; his clothes were better than Zhang Baozhu's and the others, but they were still patched.

They weren't fat and big-eared like other animals. Zhang Youcai himself had rough skin and calloused hands, which showed that he had done a lot of manual labor.

Other family members also showed obvious signs of labor.

Even at first glance, the so-called concubine of the landlord was just a village girl who could barely be described as pretty.

Therefore, Zhang Youcai, this so-called landlord, at best lived a better life than Zhang Baozhu and others thanks to the hard work and management of several generations.

Perhaps they have some money and grain that would be a great deal for the villagers.

Even if all of them were borrowed, it wouldn't be enough to support the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment's recruitment efforts.

Therefore, they were genuinely too lazy and uninterested to take action against such stingy landlords and wealthy people.

Finally, Hu Biao said with a smile:

“Mr. Zhang, there’s no need to worry. Please continue eating. We’re here tonight simply to borrow two cave dwellings for a while. We won’t stay for free; we’ll pay you rent when the time comes.”

Despite what Hu Biao said, Zhang Youcai's family still couldn't eat.

The family immediately sprang into action, either busy tidying up the two cave dwellings or going to the kitchen to prepare food to reward these intimidating soldiers.

Finally, Zhang Youcai's wives and concubines finished their work in the kitchen.

They also made some freshly steamed white flour buns, two chickens, some cured meat, and several bowls of scrambled eggs, stir-fried vegetables, and other side dishes; they set up several tables in the courtyard, opened a jar of liquor, and invited Hu Biao and other officers to dinner.

Incidentally, they also invited Zhang Baozhu, the village chief, to come and keep them company.

During this process, Mina clearly saw that the eldest son of the Zhang family, Zhang Youcai's sixteen or seventeen-year-old son, was obviously swallowing his saliva.

But he wasn't lusting after her and Xiao Cui's beauty; rather, he was drawn in by the aroma of the meat dishes when they were served.

Judging from this, the eldest son of the Zhang family has never eaten any good pork.

Old man Zhang Baozhu arrived soon after, but with several young men behind him; the young men left behind a small amount of flour, millet, eggs, and a skinny sheep.

They were saying they wanted to reward Commander Hu and the officers of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

After several unsuccessful attempts to delay, Hu Biao simply told Van Gogh to accept everything, and he ate the food without hesitation.

However, it did make Zanana pay some legal tender for each type of supplies, which could be considered as fulfilling Hu Biao's vow in the three-point agreement not to take a single grain of food from the villagers for nothing...

It was already 9:30 p.m. when it was time to eat.

After walking such a long way through the mountains today, everyone is extremely hungry. Even the newbies among the transmigrators are eating with great relish.

The only different character is Old Ma, the newbie.

It's not that he doesn't eat; this guy moves his chopsticks so fast while eating and drinking that they're practically sparking.

They were all calling out for stewed chicken, scrambled eggs, and green vegetables, but no one touched the bowl of oily cured meat on the table.

The reason is simple: he is a Hui Muslim and does not eat pork or pork products.

After devouring two large steamed buns in one go, Old Ma, who was like a starving ghost reincarnated, finally slowed down his eating pace.

It was at this moment that he noticed that the man opposite him, a man in his early twenties who was probably a logistics staff member who had come with Zhao Zheng, was not eating the cured meat at all.

He couldn't help but ask, "Brother! Are you also a Hui?"

"Yes!" the young man replied, his accent thick with Shandong province accent, which made Old Ma, who was also from Shandong province, feel particularly close to him.

Unexpectedly, on the very first day of his transmigration, he encountered a Hui Muslim brother, and the two were even from the same hometown.

However, he didn't talk to the other person much in the following time.

Why? Because he clearly saw Nan Ze next to him pick up a chicken butt with his chopsticks and devour it in one bite with a smug expression.

There were hardly any pieces of stewed chicken left in the bowl on the table.

The key point is that he actually likes this dish too. He didn't finish it right away because he thought others didn't like it, so he could save it for last and eat more of the other dishes.

So, what happened? I never expected that Mr. Nanze, that old bird with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would also like this kind of thing. I was careless.

Thinking that in this godforsaken place, it might be a long time before he could eat chicken again, he started waving his chopsticks around.

As for chatting with that brother and fellow villager, there'll be time later...

(End of this chapter)