The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 317 Retreat and Delicious Food (Two-in-One Chapter)

"Reluctant to leave the spring breeze beyond the tower, lingering on the cold moonlight over half the mountain peak."

Fujioka Takeo stood in front of the wide-open window of the cave dwelling, gazing intently at the incredibly cold moonlight outside; even though soon after, gusts of cold wind blew his head and face until they were icy cold.

Still speaking in broken Chinese, with an endless sense of desolation, he slowly recited a line of ancient Chinese poetry. For a moment, he felt as melancholy as a poet.

Compared to the coldness on his face, the chill in his heart was even greater at this moment.

There's nothing we can do! The current time is December 7th, 1938, around 7 PM.

If you're not particularly sensitive to this date and time, then put it another way: Today is the 15th night since Fujioka Takeoma led the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade to attack the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

It's like this Japanese major general arrogantly declared in front of Yoshio Shinotsuka: "Within 15 days, we will definitely wipe out the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment." This is the last day.

In reality, although Hu Biao and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment have suffered considerable casualties, their main force has not suffered much loss.

Fujioka Takeo, the Japanese major general, was seriously considering whether he should immediately lead his army to retreat back to Taiyuan City.

That's right! In this exceptionally cold winter in northwestern Shanxi, after 15 days of guerrilla warfare.

The Japanese 9th Independent Mixed Brigade could no longer hold out in the mountain valleys of northwestern Shanxi and had to retreat.

In summary, the reasons are as follows:

First, although the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment did not completely annihilate any of their units during this period.

However, almost every day, numerous battles of varying sizes would break out, along with seemingly endless harassment operations.

In each battle, the Independent Mixed Ninth Brigade suffered relatively few casualties.

However, when you add it all up, the number of losses is terrifying; according to the latest battle report received by Fujioka Takeo, his brigade has now suffered more than 1600 casualties.

In addition to the combat casualties mentioned above, they also suffered more than 300 non-combat casualties due to frostbite.

We can't just ignore all these wounded people, can we?
This has taken up a large portion of their manpower to take care of this, resulting in a severe shortage of mobile forces that Fujioka Takekumura can currently utilize.

Secondly, after half a month of poor eating and sleeping, and having to engage in high-intensity mobile combat every day.

Currently, everyone in the Independent Mixed Ninth Brigade is severely weakened in terms of physical strength, morale, and other aspects, which has significantly reduced their combat effectiveness.

It's hard to say whether the actual combat effectiveness of soldiers today is even half of what it used to be.

Thirdly, with the Subei Independent Regiment's relentless attacks on supply lines, regardless of casualties, their resupply is becoming increasingly difficult.

In terms of military supplies, weapons and ammunition are relatively easy to manage.

But the most important thing, food, is about to run out; if tomorrow's supplies don't arrive, they'll have to kill the horses and eat them.

Fourthly, even if Fujioka Takeo had the audacity to send a telegram to Commander Shinotsuka Yoshio requesting assistance.

We request that the other side provide more troops and equip these support forces.

However, Commander Yoshio Shinotsuka told him this very clearly in his reply.

During this period, the Nationalist army, the Communist army, and a portion of the Jin-Sui army in the Zhongtiao Mountains were unusually active, putting great pressure on the local garrisons, making it impossible for them to spare troops to support him.

Therefore, it is recommended that they retreat first and launch a new campaign next spring.

In short, no matter how unwilling Fujioka Takeo was, he felt a great humiliation whenever he thought about the retreat.

However, the reality no longer allowed him to continue staying in such a godforsaken place with the Ninth Independent Mixed Brigade.

That's why we have the scene at the beginning, where this Japanese major general, who is also somewhat knowledgeable about China, recited those lines of poetry by the window, filled with a sense of reluctance to leave, yet an inability to do so, amidst his profound inner desolation...

After a while, when the biting wind had chilled him to the bone, Fujioka Takeo made his decision.

He turned around and glanced at the adjutant who had been standing behind him without saying a word, or perhaps dared not speak.

He said, "Notify all troops to abandon all unnecessary supplies and immediately move lightly towards Zhangjiayu."

After assembling, we returned to Pingding County overnight; after resting in Pingding County for a few days, we went directly back to Taiyuan.

Whether he should say it or not, Fujioka Takeoma is truly decisive.

After making the decision to evacuate, they actually abandoned most of the supplies that were in the way and left overnight, not intending to stay any longer than necessary.

Upon hearing this order, the adjutant, whose face was covered in chilblains, almost cheered. He had long been tired of this place where even drinking water was a struggle.

However, fearing he might anger his own guild leader, he maintained a completely expressionless face.

After thinking of something, he even asked again in a fawning manner, "Lord Fujioka, when we leave later, should we blow up this cave?"

Actually, the adjutant originally wanted to ask if they should scrape off the 24-character heartbreaking message on the wall before leaving.

But once the words were on the tip of his tongue, he realized that saying them might cause him some trouble, so he quickly changed his wording.

Faced with his adjutant's suggestion, Fujioka Takeo shook his head.

He earnestly told his adjutant, and even more so, as if telling himself, "No need. This time, it's not so much that Hu Biao repelled us, but rather that the terrible winter in northwestern Shanxi caused us to suffer a shameful defeat."

But winter always passes, and we still have a chance.

When we return next spring, better prepared, the battle between the two sides will not have this outcome…

In the following period, the Japanese troops in Zhangjiayu used various means to gather their scattered troops in the surrounding area and quickly assembled here.

The Japanese artillery, medical, and logistics units stationed here began their final preparations before withdrawing.

During this time, Takeoka Fujioka hid alone in the cave, silently drinking sake to ease his extremely bad mood.

To his surprise, he had only drunk less than half a pot of sake when the cave door was pushed open from the outside.

The adjutant walked in excitedly and immediately delivered some great news: "Brigade Commander, I have some good news to share."

A young master named Li, who claimed to be from a landlord family in Lizhuang, said that his father and brothers had been killed by the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment the previous month, and his family property had been looted.

Now they deliberately come to report that they know a village called Lizhuang, and where the people there are hiding.

He was willing to lead us to arrest people, on the condition that we give him a sum of money afterwards and send someone to escort him to Taiyuan City.

"Wouldn't that allow us to extract information from these civilians and find out the whereabouts of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment?"

Upon first hearing the good news, Takeo Fujioka's face was filled with ecstatic joy, a sense of pleasant surprise at the unexpected turn of events.

After figuring out the key points, he shook his head and gave a wry smile:
"It's no use! Once night falls, Hu Biao's men are everywhere in the mountains. They will find out and get the news as soon as our army moves out."

By the time we find their location, they will have already moved.

That's why I told everyone to travel light and retreat overnight; if we leave during the day tomorrow, the journey might not be so easy.

Upon hearing this, the adjutant said dejectedly, "We've finally encountered an informant, and all they're doing is doing nothing?"

"Of course not." Fujioka Takekuma spoke again, his face contorted with a ferocious expression.
"The retreat will continue tonight, but you must immediately take the brigade headquarters' directly subordinate company and have that young master Li lead the way."

Ignore the sniper attacks along the way and find the villagers of Lijiazhuang as quickly as possible.

Then, using them as examples, let the people of other Pingding County and northwestern Shanxi know that if they dare to continue supporting Hu Biao and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, they will pay an unbearable price.

Although the Japanese major general did not specify how to deal with the villagers after they were found.

But the adjutant clearly understood what his brigade commander was thinking, and as he agreed, his face was filled with an indescribable cruelty.
It was a little past ten o'clock at night, in an underground karst cave called Yuhuang Cave in the northern mountainous area of ​​Pingding County.

Mina, who had just taken a nap, sat up from the soft straw and stretched.

He exclaimed with great admiration, "This place is so comfortable! Compared to other places, it's like the presidential suite of a top-tier hotel."

If Fujioka Takeokuma were still in Zhangjiayu, shivering in the cold wind, and knew we had such good accommodations, he would be furious.

As soon as the words fell, the surrounding crowd burst into loud laughter, looking quite pleased.

It's no wonder that everyone reacted so strongly; the main reason is that this large cave, which even locals know very little about, has such perfect conditions inside.

The entrance to the cave is small and difficult to spot.

The interior space is truly astonishing, with five large, interconnected caves reaching a depth of 600 meters and a total area of ​​8000 square meters.

Even after tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians took refuge inside, it didn't feel too crowded.

More importantly, even though the outside temperature was a terrifying -20 degrees Celsius with howling winds, the temperature inside the cave was a warm 14 degrees Celsius.

So much so that Hu Biao and his group, who had long been navigating the low temperatures of the wilderness, sleeping on ice and drinking snow, felt like they were in paradise when they arrived at the Jade Emperor Cave today.

That's right! The transmigrators and all the main forces of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment have now arrived here.

Among them, Lao Ma and Xiao Henan, two injured rookies, spent some time recuperating here, and their mobility has basically recovered.

The fact that so many people rushed here shows that they clearly sensed that the Japanese independent mixed brigade was nearing its limit.

So we came to this golden land, intending to rest for two days before launching a final offensive against the Japanese and completely crush them.

If there's anything to be dissatisfied with about Jade Emperor Cave, it's that while the ventilation is decent and you don't feel stuffy at all, it's not good enough to make a fire for cooking.

Otherwise, the cave would be filled with thick smoke that lingered for a long time, making it impossible for anyone to stay there.

So when Mina woke up, although she felt so hungry she could eat a whole cow, her only food was still a multigrain steamed bun with some pickled vegetables. She didn't even have Shanxi Province's aged vinegar.

It's remarkable because the temperature is higher inside the cave, so the multigrain steamed buns aren't as hard.

After eating whole grain buns for so many days in a row, Mina felt a little uncomfortable picking up one.

Should I not eat? I'll feel unwell when I'm hungry. But should I eat? I can't bring myself to do it.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Mina suddenly had an idea: the ancients could quench their thirst by looking at plums, so she could also talk about delicious food while eating multigrain steamed buns, which would probably taste better.

He immediately greeted everyone: "Brothers, you all know my brother-in-law, no! I mean Commander Hu, he's a great cook, right?"
Since we're all free anyway, why not share in advance what our favorite dishes are?

After we wipe out the Japanese 9th Independent Mixed Brigade, we'll choose a few dishes that everyone likes and have Commander Hu and the cooks prepare them. We'll have a good meal to celebrate our victory.

Upon hearing this suggestion, everyone cheered enthusiastically.

An old man standing nearby immediately opened his mouth, which had only a few teeth left, and spoke with a thick Shanxi accent, his face full of anticipation:

"Celebrating victory? Of course, we have to eat mutton knife-cut noodles!"

The noodles must be of uniform width and thickness, smooth on the outside and chewy on the inside, soft but not sticky, and become more fragrant the more you chew them; add a big spoonful of the broth made from mutton, various spices and vegetables.

A bowl of this in the dead of winter is something I wouldn't trade for even a county magistrate.

As soon as the old man described the mutton knife-cut noodles, Mina couldn't help but drool.

However, Xiao Cui, who was on the other side, did not feel so good about it.

How so? Although she was also tempted, she was ultimately a girl born and raised in the South, and naturally preferred rice to noodles.

Especially since this time travel, I haven't eaten rice much at all. Now that I'm really craving it, I could probably eat two big bowls of plain rice.

He immediately said, "Sir, since it's a celebration, we'll definitely be drinking. Why don't you suggest a few hearty dishes so we can have them with the drinks and rice?"

As soon as the words fell, several voices with strong Shanxi accents began talking about what they considered to be the most delicious dishes.

"The braised pork is delicious, and we must have a bowl of it at the celebration banquet!"
It's best to use pork tenderloin, cut into small slices slightly thicker than a coin; marinate with eggs, salt, and pepper for about 15 minutes before frying.

The oil doesn't need to be fried for too long. When the oil is about 60% hot, just stir it briefly in the oil. Then add some scallions, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Finally, add garlic sprouts and onions and stir-fry evenly.

The finished product was golden in color, with tender meat and a rich flavor…

Goodness! The guy who told us about this dish must have been a chef before, because he even described the detailed steps, making Mina's mouth water even more.

I took a bite of the multigrain steamed bun and it was indeed a bit tastier than before.

Perhaps influenced by this brother, the others also described some Shanxi delicacies with exceptional clarity.

Or, to put it another way, they are describing the beautiful life they expect and hope for.

"I'm thinking of adding a bowl of sweet and sour fish to the celebration banquet!"

"You must use authentic Yellow River carp and our Shanxi aged vinegar to make the sweet and sour sauce. It will taste just the right balance of sweet and sour, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside..."

"Astragalus stewed with mutton is delicious. Eating a bowl in winter will keep you warm all winter long. You must use astragalus from our Shanxi province and high-quality mutton, and stew it slowly over a low flame..."

When the above heated discussion began, Hu Biao initially wanted to stop it.

Because he thought of his second time travel, when he was still on the Shanghai battlefield, when they were still part of the Sichuan Army, before they filled in the positions.

I seem to have also tried this kind of cloud-based food with a group of Sichuanese brothers.

What was the result? Of that company of Sichuan soldiers, only a few survived the battle and had to be carried off the battlefield. So he instinctively felt that this discussion was somewhat ominous and wanted to stop everyone from talking about it.

However, upon reflection, the Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade 9, having been worn down to this point, had no chance of turning the tide.

Because by now, they only have a little over two thousand people who can participate in the war.

According to the intelligence sent by Annie and AT, the other Japanese troops would not send reinforcements to Fujioka Takekuma.

Therefore, Fujioka Takekumura and his Japanese troops were unable to cause any trouble this time, so they simply shut their mouths and gave up any thought of opposing them.

When he saw Zhao Zheng standing to the side, smiling and smoking as he watched, but with a look of homesickness in his eyes, he realized that Zhao Zheng was a stranger to the world.

Suddenly I realized something: when Chinese women really want to eat a certain dish, it's not because they're craving it.

More accurately, he misses the taste of his hometown and the mountains and rivers of the land that nurtured him.

He immediately turned to Zhao Zheng and asked, "Old Zhao! Look at my stupid brain, we've been partners for so long, but I've always forgotten to ask where you're from."

Anyway, you promised me we'd have a big drinking session after the fight, so tell me where you're from and what kind of food you'd like to eat, and I'll arrange a few dishes for you.

Hu Biao was right; Zhao Zheng was indeed homesick.

So much so that when he finally spoke, his voice was much gentler than usual: "I'm from Jicheng in Shandong Province, famous for its braised pork intestines and sea cucumber with scallions..."

As he recounted the names and cooking methods of the dishes, Zhao Zheng's eyes were somewhat lost in thought.

He could almost picture all that was so familiar and nostalgic in his mind, but he hadn't seen it in so long and didn't know when he would see it again.

Seeing Zhao Zheng's reaction, Hu Biao hesitated to interrupt Zhao Zheng's recollection.

Unfortunately, at this crucial moment, a man rushed over and hurriedly reported: "Commander Hu, the brothers who were harassing Zhangjiayu urgently telegraphed that the Japanese are planning to flee tonight..."

(End of this chapter)