The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 313 It's all just the beginning

At 11 p.m. on November 22, after three days of marching.

Apart from the artillery and supply units, which moved relatively slowly, all other units of the Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade 9 arrived in Ping'an County.

By nightfall, all 5378 people had arrived without exception.

That evening, at a welcome banquet organized by Major Akita, the local military commander.

Fujioka Takekuma, the brigade commander, confidently addressed some local traitors and unscrupulous gentry attending the banquet in broken Chinese:
"Hu Biao and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment are nothing but a few minor scabs; the locust army can easily quell them wherever it goes."

When Major Akita suggested that the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade rest and recover from the fatigue of several days of continuous marching, they resolutely refused:

"It's alright! This little bit of fatigue from traveling is nothing to my warriors."

"I will launch an attack on Zhangjiayu early tomorrow morning and take it completely. Lord Xiaozhong is still in Taiyuan City, awaiting news of our victory."

Then, in the evening of the following day, Fujioka Takeo actually succeeded in fulfilling his wish.

Escorted by a group of elite soldiers, they entered Zhangjiayu, the headquarters of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Compared to the smug satisfaction he displayed the previous night, the Japanese major general now frowned deeply, his expression quite grave...

Nothing more! Don't be fooled by this Japanese major general's arrogant demeanor ever since he received the order to suppress the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

However, due to Hu Biao and others' previous series of brilliant achievements.

The number of Japanese soldiers who died at the hands of Hu Biao and his men had long exceeded the number of their independent mixed brigade.

In his heart, Fujioka Takeo was always very careful and cautious; today, not only did the entire army move out, but they also advanced very carefully, for fear of stepping into a trap set by the Tiger of Shanghai.

They also instructed the air force units in Taiyuan to refuel and replenish their ammunition in advance, making preparations for deployment at any time.

The objective was to call in air support and launch a devastating air raid on the North Jiangsu Independent Regiment as soon as the situation became slightly unfavorable.

What happened? The situation was completely different from what he had imagined.

As they advanced, they encountered no opponents or resistance; more accurately, they didn't even see a single living person along the way.

All the villages were empty and deserted.

Furthermore, the houses were demolished, the wells were blocked, and the cave dwellings were all destroyed.

Therefore, their biggest challenge today was the physical exhaustion from walking sixty miles of mountain road, and the fact that they had to search for firewood to melt the snow so they could get a drink of water.

I originally thought that when I arrived at Zhangjiayu, the old stronghold of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, the situation would be different.

However, a report just received from the advance troops indicated that the situation in Zhangjiayu was no different, and it was easily captured.

Because it snowed at noon today, the ground is now covered in white snow, and you can't see a single extra footprint. It's as if the Subei Independent Regiment and the people of Zhangjiayu have vanished into thin air.

Fujioka Takekuma, who was fully prepared for a fight, completely missed with his punch and couldn't even find his opponent.

This unusual situation made Fujioka Takeoma worry again that Hu Biao and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment were plotting something.

Therefore, the Japanese major general's mood worsened.

However, he soon realized that this was only the beginning, and the real annoyance and frustration he felt had not yet occurred.

Sure enough, soon after, he arrived at a cave dwelling, led by a major.

This is also the only building in the entire Zhangjiayu area that has not been destroyed and is still well preserved.

At this point, the major who had led the way spoke up: "Lord Fujioka, based on the analysis of some items left inside, this should have been Hu Biao's room before."

Before he left, he left you a message that was 24 characters long.

However, according to the translation, the content of this message is quite unfriendly, so I suggest you don't go in and read it.

As he said the next sentence, the Japanese major's expression became somewhat hesitant, clearly indicating that Hu Biao's 24-character message was far more than just unfriendly.

However, Fujioka Takeo became even more interested after hearing this.

He asked the crucial question: "Is it safe inside?" After receiving assurances that the place had been thoroughly searched several times and was absolutely safe, he pushed open a door and strode inside.

It was shabby, extremely shabby! The residence of the mighty Tiger of Shanghai was actually inferior to that of a rural landlord.

This was Fujioka Takeo's first thought after seeing everything in the room.

He even felt a touch of respect for this Puritan-like opponent.

Unfortunately, after seeing the crooked handwriting on the wall of the cave dwelling, Fujioka Takeoku lost all respect for Hu Biao.

On the wall, written with a brush:

Wu Xiong came to Zhangjiayu, but he was caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. What could he do?

This Japanese major general naturally wouldn't know that the above 24-character passage was actually a message left by Hu Shoushan and Commander Hu, the bald principal's favorite generals, in the Great Man's cave after they entered the Pagoda area.

The current actions are nothing more than Hu Biao, that shameless bastard, imitating a great man.

But what Fujioka Takeoku knew was how filled with grief and indignation he felt at that moment, and how he almost collapsed to the ground as his vision blurred.

If his adjutant hadn't reacted quickly and caught him, he would have fallen to the ground on the spot.

After he regained his footing, the adjutant quickly said:

"Lord Fujioka, you must be tired from your journey today; how about I have someone set up a tent for you to rest, and I'll bring you dinner later."

"No need, I'll live in this cave tonight—no, from now on!"

After waving his hand in refusal, Fujioka Takekuma gritted his teeth and rattled off a series of arrangements:
"My command post was located in this cave before I could completely defeat the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment and successfully capture or kill Hu Biao."

Relay my order: let the warriors rest early. Tomorrow, in units of two kilometers apart, conduct a dragnet search. We must find Hu Biao and his men.

Believe me, they won't completely escape; they're hiding somewhere nearby watching us.

With a shout of "Hai!", the adjutant accepted the order, but before leaving to deliver it, he whispered one last question:
"Sir, shall I have these comments removed?"

"No! Keep it. After we capture Hu Biao, I want to personally watch him take him down!" As if his tail had been stepped on, Fujioka Takekuma yelled...

******
And so, Fujioka Takeokuma began living in the cave dwelling that originally belonged to Hu Biao in Zhangjiayu.

Shortly after checking in, the Japanese major general adjusted his mood, and even drank some sake to warm himself up because the nights in the mountains were particularly cold in winter.

After getting drunk, he fell asleep on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) that had been built just two months prior, and he slept quite soundly.

Just as I was sleeping soundly, I suddenly heard a gunshot.

Fujioka Takeo, who was already worried that Hu Biao and his men were plotting something, was immediately awakened and pulled out his sidearm from under his pillow.

Twenty minutes later, a captain covered in snow reported to him:

"Lord Fujioka! Please rest assured."

Just now, it was only those opponents who dared not confront us head-on who secretly fired a few shots at us. Only one soldier was grazed by a bullet, but his life was not in danger.

"The main problem is that we're not familiar with the surrounding terrain; otherwise, we would definitely have been able to capture these attackers."

After the captain left, Fujioka Takeo didn't sleep at all for the rest of the time.

Not only because every now and then, there would be a faint gunshot or a clear explosion.

In the middle of the night, a strong wind suddenly blew up. The mournful howling of the wind reminded the Japanese soldier of the innocent people who had died at his hands since the start of the war.

It was as if a scream demanding his life was right next to his ear.

Although Fujioka Takeo was not afraid, he was inexplicably troubled.

In short, when the Japanese soldier woke up the next morning, he had noticeable dark circles under his eyes; and for Fujioka Takekuma, this terrible period was only just beginning...

(End of this chapter)