The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 288 A Good Partner (Two Chapters Combined)

At the same time, under Lao Ma's resentful and helpless gaze, Mr. Nanze picked up a chicken butt with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.

He immediately showed an expression of extreme enjoyment, his face full of 'it smells so good'.

It was still in Shanxi Province, but the location was different. It was in Taiyuan City, hundreds of miles away from Hu Biao and his group, on Sanqiao Street, a commercially developed area of ​​the city.

In a restaurant called "Deyuelou", Annie put down her chopsticks.

Across from AT, who was busy devouring a plate of braised sea cucumber with scallions, he offered a fair assessment: "Chef Cui's cooking skills are quite good. Even if he can't compare to Hu Biao, this whole table of dishes is really delicious!"

That's right! Just as Hu Biao quickly made this judgment after he traveled through time.

Annie successfully traveled through time again this time, but she wasn't teleported with them.

The veteran who traveled through time with him was AT, nicknamed "Consumption Ghost".

Compared to Hu Biao and his group, who were so poor they were practically urinating blood, Annie and AT were in a much better situation, at least in terms of living conditions.

To be more specific, when Annie opened her eyes again, she found herself in an antique-style room. Looking through the open window, she could see that the room was on the third floor of a small building.

She sat upright in a grand chair, having changed into a well-fitting embroidered cheongsam.

Her hair, which had been dyed black and originally intended to be cut short upon arrival, had been transformed into a head of large waves.

Standing at the doorway was not his own scoundrel Hu Biao, but rather AT, the veteran who had died in the time travel.

His disguise, consisting of a black silk jacket, looked remarkably familiar.

After thinking for a moment, he quickly realized that the missing piece was a black top hat and a Mauser pistol. So, AT was exactly like the Japanese plainclothes squad in the movie.

On the floor of the room were two MP28 submachine guns, a lever-action shotgun, two Browning pistols, and some ammunition.

There were also some medicines, pearls, gems and other small items scattered all over the ground.

Taking all of the above into account, Annie quickly made a judgment:
This time travel might be the same as the one at the Sihang Warehouse, where I was once again teleported to a different place by that mysterious entity.

The only difference from last time is that this time I finally have AT as a helper, so I'm not fighting alone.

As soon as this judgment arose in their minds, a large amount of information was suddenly poured into the minds of Annie and AT.

The information was quite substantial, causing a temporary headache for them:
Two weeks ago, AT and I changed our names and came to Taiyuan.

After spending a large sum of money, they secretly took over this well-known Shandong cuisine restaurant in Taiyuan.

The elderly shop owner claimed that he was returning to his hometown in Shandong Province to retire, and that the restaurant would be left to his only niece, "Anna," to manage.

Three days ago, this Shandong cuisine restaurant, which had undergone renovations and been renamed "Deyuelou," officially opened for business.

Because Shandong cuisine was very popular during the Republic of China era, the restaurant did quite well.

Their arrival in Taiyuan, a region under occupation, was certainly not to help the "Deyuelou" restaurant flourish and become a major success during the Republic of China era.

The main force is the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment. From now on, they will be working in Northwest Shanxi. Taiyuan is the most prosperous place in Shanxi Province, and it is also the headquarters of the Japanese First Army.

Therefore, whether it was to raise some key supplies and funds for the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment or to find out some key intelligence, it was necessary for the core members of the transmigrator team to be in charge.

The renaming of the Shandong cuisine restaurant that was acquired to Deyuelou was essentially just a whimsical act by that mysterious entity.

However, on the other hand, Annie is actually quite satisfied with the change of the store name.

In short, Annie and AT were arranged to go to Taiyuan. However, this was not included in the information received by Hu Biao's group.

After realizing what was happening, Annie and AT started working together.

Anne stayed in the shop, posing as a beautiful widowed proprietress, subtly gathering information while interacting with customers.

AT, posing as Anne's housekeeper, wandered around the city.

First, they needed to familiarize themselves with the terrain and gather information; second, they needed to see if they could find a way to get in touch with Hu Biao and his group using a working radio.

After they finished their own business, they finally sat down together at Deyuelou Restaurant after it closed.

While eating their late dinner, they exchanged information about what they had learned.

After combining the information from both individuals, the following information was compiled:
The current Taiyuan city is far smaller than it was in later times, with a total population of only a few hundred thousand. However, its industry and commerce are extremely developed, with 40% of its population employed in these sectors.

Unfortunately, due to unfair competition and suppression from Japanese businessmen, most of them can only barely hold on at present.

Currently, the Japanese have stationed the 5th Division, the 20th Division, the 109th Division, and most of the Independent Mixed 9th Brigade in Shanxi Province, totaling tens of thousands of troops.

Among them, 10,000 to 20,000 people were stationed in the city.

Furthermore, the Japanese also established numerous puppet troops and intelligence agencies for traitors, making it arguably the most powerful in the city.

However, although Yan Xishan has now led his troops across the Yellow River and fled to Shaanxi Province, his years of hard work in Shanxi Province have not been in vain.

They still wield considerable influence in Taiyuan City and have a large number of lurking agents, making them arguably the second strongest force in the city.

In addition, the city was also home to numerous other forces, including the Kuomintang's Taiyuan station, underground members of the Communist Party, and local gangs; they were all intertwined for their own purposes and interests, making the situation extremely chaotic.

Finally, after finishing their belated dinner, the two had exchanged most of their information.

Annie asked the crucial question: "AT, have you found out where the radio station is?"

Annie didn't have high hopes for this problem, since it was only their first day there and they probably wouldn't find a way out so quickly.

Unexpectedly, AT received a pleasant surprise:
"I heard that in the black market of Taiyuan, a gangster boss named Xie Da Kua Zi should have one or two radios that were lost by the Jin-Sui Army."

However, this person is not only extremely greedy, but also has a very bad reputation; it's said he enjoys double-crossing others.

"It's alright! We're not even afraid of the Japanese, so why should we be afraid of some black market gangsters?"

If he's honest, then it's fine; it's just a normal transaction. Otherwise, we'll make a good profit. Hu Biao and his men in northwestern Shanxi are probably dirt poor; it'll be a good opportunity to get some more valuables.

Upon hearing this, Annie gritted her teeth and said this.

It just goes to show that birds of a feather flock together. On her first day after transmigrating, Annie, just like Hu Biao, was already preparing to pull off a heist...

******
On September 6th, the third day after this journey, it was a little past 7:30 pm.

When Zhangjiayu, nestled among the mountains, came into view, with its dim starlight after nightfall, Van Gogh licked his lips, which were dry and peeling from the wind and sun.

He couldn't help but curse out, "Damn it! I'm finally back."

In my entire life, I've never walked from morning till night like I have these past few days. I feel like my legs have gotten so thin from all the walking.

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao, Lao Yu, Mr. Nan Ze, and others who were traveling with him originally wanted to agree, but once they opened their mouths, they found that they even had difficulty speaking.

In the end, they simply shut their mouths and silently continued to advance towards Zhangjiayu with mechanical steps.

The reason this happened is quite simple.

On the very night they traveled through time, didn't they all agree to pick a fight with the Japanese and establish the reputation of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment to make it easier to recruit soldiers later?
Early the next morning, Hu Biao, Van Gogh, Lao Yu, and Mr. Nan Ze disguised themselves as ordinary people again and went out to look for their target.

The rest of the people stayed in Zhangjiayu to take care of other things.

For example, they hired a large group of villagers to start digging cave dwellings in preparation for solving the problems of accommodation for the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment and the availability of facilities for repair shops and other facilities.

After all, winter in northwestern Shanxi comes much earlier and gets much colder than in the south. Without enough housing, people would freeze to death.

They even planned to dig another well in the village, otherwise there wouldn't be enough water for daily use when the number of people in the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment increased.

Not to mention Chaozi, Zanana, Mina, and others who stayed behind, they were busy from morning till night with all the above-mentioned matters, which was quite hard work.

Zhangjiayu, a remote mountain valley, is 60 li (approximately 30 kilometers) away from Pingding County. Without any means of transportation, Hu Biao and his group often had to walk over 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers) a day.

After walking back and forth for two consecutive days, my legs feel like they're going to give out.

Fortunately, although their trip was arduous, it wasn't a complete waste of time; they successfully found a perfect target to target...

After returning to the cave dwelling where he was temporarily staying, Mr. Nanze washed up, turning a towel into a filthy rag, and then washed it until it turned black.

After changing into clean clothes and having several blisters removed from the soles of my feet with a steel needle, I finally felt halfway back to life.

The remaining half, he estimated, would fully recover after a good meal. He sat cross-legged with Hu Biao and the others at a small table on the earthen bed, his hair still wet, waiting for the meal to be served.

But then they saw Mina and Xiao Cui, one carrying a bowl of millet porridge with very few grains of rice, and the other carrying a bowl of sweet potatoes.

They just put it on the table and that was it; there wasn't even a dish of pickled vegetables.

Upon seeing this, Mr. Nanze immediately became displeased, and began to tease and complain to Mina:

"Sister-in-law, we've had a tough time eating and sleeping on this trip, and now that we're finally back, is this all you're going to give your brother-in-law and us?"

"Little sister-in-law!" This was naturally the nickname given to Mina by the group of veteran transmigrators, excluding Hu Biao.

It's nothing more than a bunch of lecherous old men trying to take advantage of a girl verbally.

Of course, that's not important.

The important thing is that after hearing this, Mina said in an annoyed tone, "Eat it or don't, it's good enough that we have this much to give you!"
If things continue like this, it'll be difficult to even eat sweet potatoes in a couple of days.

"What's going on? Are we really that short of food these days?" Hu Biao asked, frowning, after taking a bite of a sweet potato.

While eating sweet potatoes, they also showed a strong expression of disgust.

The main problem is that the sweet potatoes of this era, in terms of taste and variety, are far from as soft, sweet, and fragrant as those in modern worlds; plus, when cooked with poor-quality well water, they really don't taste very good.

More importantly, if this stuff is eaten as a meal, it can cause heartburn, acid reflux, nausea, malnutrition, and many other problems over time.

Eating this stuff will at least keep us from starving, but how can we fight the Japanese in this state?

Facing her brother-in-law, Mina's attitude softened somewhat, and she began to explain earnestly:

"In the past two days, we have hired most of the villagers in Zhangjiayu to work. In addition to paying them wages, we also promised to provide them with meals, right?"
Good heavens! You have no idea how terrifying they look when you eat them.

Even a half-grown boy could devour a whole basin of cornbread; the rate at which food was consumed was alarming.

Unfortunately, we had already made the promise of providing free meals when the project started; we couldn't just break our word after making those three agreements with them, so we had no choice but to grit our teeth and continue providing meals.

In addition, there is at least half a month between the harvest of millet and other crops, so it is now a time of food shortage.

Anyway, we've basically squandered all the grain stored up in each household in the village, to the point that even if you have money, you can't buy it anymore.

Now we only have five or six pounds of millet and two large bags of sweet potatoes left.

There's no more pickled vegetables, because even getting salt is usually difficult for people in Zhangjiayu.

After hearing Mina's explanation, Hu Biao and his men felt a strange sense of urgency; their next operation had to succeed, not fail.

Otherwise, we might not even be able to eat sweet potatoes.

Having accepted the harsh reality, Van Gogh closed his eyes tightly, his mind filled with images of the fragrant roasted lamb leg from the frontier province, and took a big bite.

The next second, he clutched his cheek, looking like he had a toothache.

What a tragedy! Letting him eat sweet potatoes is one thing, but couldn't they at least wash them a little cleaner before cooking? A huge pebble landed on him, almost chipping off his back teeth...

After eating more than a pound of sweet potatoes and three bowls of thin porridge in one go, Hu Biao finally managed to satisfy his rumbling stomach.

Before he could even finish a cigarette, he gathered the group of transmigrators together to discuss and assign specific plans for their next mission.

Someone knocked on the wooden door of the cave dwelling. Turning around, I saw that it was Zhao Zheng.

Before Hu Biao could say anything, Zhao Zheng spoke up: "Commander Hu, I have some things I need to discuss with you privately."

Seeing this, Hu Biao had no choice but to abandon his plans to hold the meeting, and verbally agreed, "Okay, let's go for a walk then..."

Afterwards, once almost all the villagers had fallen asleep, the two began to walk through the unusually quiet Zhangjiayu.

Faced with the cigarette Hu Biao offered, Zhao Zheng shook his head and refused: "Thank you! But I don't smoke or drink."

After refusing, Zhao Zheng's expression immediately became extremely solemn, and he said with unusual seriousness:

"Commander Hu, I object to your next operational plan to pick a heist on the Japanese."

My objection is that you and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment have too great a reputation. If the Japanese find out too early, they will definitely send troops to suppress you.

We will not have developed by then, and it will be very difficult to cope with it.

Based on my experience working in other bases, my advice is as follows.

First, target those unscrupulous local gentry, traitors, and small puppet troops, or even ruthless bandits, and in the process, temporarily conceal your and the identities of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Once our regiment has sufficient strength, we will officially establish the name of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

As for the villagers of Zhangjiayu, don't worry. My comrades and I will go and talk to them one by one; they should still be able to keep your identity a secret.

Upon hearing Zhao Zheng's objection, Hu Biao felt not the slightest bit annoyed, but rather an indescribable joy.

On the one hand, Zhao Zhengzhen truly deserves to be called an elite talent of this era, having been sent by our Party to help.

The questions and suggestions raised were quite well-organized and included valuable experiences that our Party had learned from establishing base areas in various regions, which had proven to be quite excellent.

If this suggestion is followed, it is believed that in time, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment will be able to successfully grow and become an important anti-Japanese force.

On the other hand, it was also to give considerable consideration to Hu Biao's face and prestige.

Even if opinions were raised, they were pointed out privately after he was identified, without embarrassing him.

Taking both of these points into account, he can be considered a good partner for the future.

If there's anything that Hu Biao feels is somewhat lacking, it's that Zhao Zheng doesn't smoke or drink, something that seems like it needs to be cultivated later.

However, Hu Biaobing did not show any of the above feelings of satisfaction.

Instead, he kept a straight face and asked, "If I don't accept the advice and insist on picking a fight with the Japanese, what will you do?"

Zhao Zheng replied without hesitation:
"The Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment is in charge of all military matters. If you decide to proceed according to the original plan, I will fully cooperate, but I will reserve my opinion."

Upon hearing this answer, Hu Biao's last remaining concerns vanished, and he was very satisfied with the Party's magnanimity.

After a smile appeared on his face, he explained why he wasn't going to pick on the weaker targets, but instead insisted on taking action against the Japanese:

"Your suggestion is fine, but the pace of development is a bit too slow."

Currently, the Japanese army has committed its main forces to strategic offensives, and even a large part of its energy is currently being drawn to the Battle of Wuhan.

As a result, the number of troops stationed in Shanxi Province is limited.

Even if they know about me and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, they won't commit too much power to deal with us, so even if they send troops to suppress us, we can still handle it.

Instead, they waited until the Japanese offensive weakened and the two sides entered a stalemate.

In order to achieve the goal of sustaining the war through war, they will devote a lot of energy to suppressing the resistance forces in the occupied areas; if they do not have enough strength, it will be very difficult to deal with them.

Therefore, I would rather take some risks to quickly establish the reputation of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment and rapidly expand its strength.

That's right! Hu Biao had considered first targeting the puppet troops and then gradually expanding his power.

However, considering the Japanese army's "Three Alls Policy" and "Cage Tactics" that would be implemented in North China, as well as the enormous losses suffered by various base areas in the process, he decided to take the risk.

It's unclear whether the above explanation completely convinced Zhao Zheng, but there were no further objections afterward.

After returning, Hu Biao discussed the action plan with everyone briefly before going to bed early.

The next morning, before dawn, the 13 time travelers, along with Zhao Zheng and nine others, set out together.

The entire group of 22 people drove donkey carts out of Zhangjiayu.

When we set off, because we remembered the last bit of millet, we cooked it up for breakfast and ate it all. The remaining sweet potatoes were also cooked and used as dry rations.

For a moment, everyone felt a sense of tragic grandeur, like the line from the poem "The wind howls, the Yi River is cold."

(End of this chapter)