The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 352 Changed Location? (Combined Chapter)

When Hu Biao opened his eyes again, he found that his environment had changed from the brightly lit boss's office in Deyuelou to a cave with a considerable space.

Their current location should be deep inside the cave.

Several bonfires had already been lit in the cave. In the light of the bonfires, Hu Biao could see that there were two distinct groups of people in the cave.

His own group was on the left, and there were more of them.

There are 12 people in total, including him, Annie, AT, Mina, Lao Yu, the warehouse manager, Xiao Cui, Lao Ma, and Xiao Henan, who survived the last mission.

Now, three more people have joined: Uncle Bo, Black Star, and Mo Shuiyan. At this moment, all three of them are overjoyed because after several months, they have finally regained the qualification to travel through time.

Oh, right! Old Ma's current look is a bit special, making Hu Biao take another look.

Mingming's left eye, which had gone blind, was perfectly restored after he traveled back in time last time.

But when Hu Biao looked over, he could see that the guy was wearing a leather eye patch over his left eye, making him look blind again.

What the hell is going on here?!
Could it be to maintain a semblance of legitimacy, so that the brothers of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment wouldn't be surprised to see that the deputy battalion commander of the independent battalion had suddenly regained his eyesight?
After thinking about it for a moment, Hu Biao figured that this was probably the reason.

Because AT and Chaozi, who had both died in battle before, were clearly altered by that mysterious entity after they traveled back in time.

Hu Biao and the others looked unchanged, but the natives of this world only saw about 80% of their original appearance.

Their identities also underwent a slight change, becoming their twin brothers.

In short, there will be no suspicion that Hu Biao's fallen comrades have actually come back to life, thus avoiding any unnecessary trouble.

The group on the right side of the cave was significantly smaller, consisting of only six people.

Although these people, like Hu Biao and his group, were dressed in coarse cloth long and short shirts, looking like ordinary people in the Republic of China era.

However, judging from their reactions at this moment, whether they are bewildered and confused or trying to appear calm, it's clear they are not.

Hu Biao immediately became extremely certain of one thing in his heart: these six lucky ones, or perhaps unlucky ones, were the new recruits who had been assigned to join this time...

For Hu Biao, this was his sixth time traveling through time.

Therefore, they were already completely unfazed by the scene and situation they had just experienced, and even felt a sense of warmth as if they were returning home.

Kang Kang coughed a few times, attracting everyone's attention, and then said, "Old Cucumber, Big Fool, and Crippled, welcome back, you three."

Unfortunately, before Uncle Bo, Black Star, Mo Shuiyan, and the other two could say anything to express their excitement, they were left speechless.

Hu Biao spoke again, making a series of arrangements: "Silent one, warehouse manager, one-eyed dragon, blind man, the four of you go out and scout."

We need to find out where this cave is, how far it is from Zhangjiayu, and whether there are any Japanese strongholds there.

Boss lady, sister-in-law, cripple, tuberculosis patient, and Xiao Cui, the five of you go and take stock of the supplies, and make a rough statistical table while you're at it.

"Big oaf, old cucumber, come with me and chat with these newbies for a bit, let's calm them down first."

The above arrangements by Hu Biao are the normal routine after each time travel; all the veterans mentioned above have experienced them, and some have even experienced them more than once, so naturally they have no objection.

Following Hu Biao's instructions, everyone got busy with their own tasks.

One point that needs to be noted is that none of the nine people who participated in the previous journey showed any concern about finding themselves in a cave after this time.

The main reason is that there are a great many karst caves in Pingding County, a fact they were already quite aware of when they were fighting guerrilla warfare against the Japanese.

Therefore, it's not surprising that these people appeared in the cave this time.

Immediately, the four men who were chosen to go outside to scout each pulled out a Browning M1911 pistol from the backpack brought by the warehouse manager.

There is also a spare magazine, which can be used as a self-defense weapon.

They picked up an old-fashioned flashlight for illumination and walked straight to their right; a breeze was blowing from there, which must be the direction of the cave entrance.

As they walked, Old Ma glanced at Xiao Henan, who was still wearing glasses and hadn't had any vision correction surgery during his rest period, and couldn't help but ask:
"Blind man, why didn't you get corrective surgery? Did you bring your spare glasses? Don't let this mess happen again."

"I originally planned to do it, but when I got to the hospital, I found that two of the doctors were also wearing glasses, so I suddenly didn't want to do it anymore."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Henan gave a reason that was both speechless and surprisingly reasonable.

As he spoke, he took out a wooden glasses case from the pocket of his left shirt and the pocket of his right pants.

Seeing this, Old Ma was about to suggest that two spare pairs of glasses would be enough when...

Xiao Henan took out two more identical wooden boxes from the satchel at his waist.

Goodness! Wearing five pairs of glasses at once, it seems the psychological trauma from the last incident in Henan is no ordinary matter...

******
When Hu Biao led Uncle Bo and Black Star toward the six novices, it was only then that they had time to take a closer look at their situation.

All six people were men, ranging in age from youngest to oldest.

The youngest newcomer among them is probably not even 20 years old; however, this kid is probably not just 1.9 meters tall, much taller than Hu Biao who is 1.83 meters tall.

He was also quite strong; under his linen shirt, his muscles bulged out.

The oldest newbie was probably in his sixties or seventies, and at first glance, he looked rather sickly.

Upon seeing the old man, Hu Biao and the others all frowned.

Those involved in the arrangements made by that mysterious entity harbored unspeakable resentment.

Damn it! That old man has probably worked hard his whole life, and now it's time for him to retire and enjoy his later years. Why did you have to bother him like this?
The key issue is that his sickly appearance not only prevents him from being of any help when fighting the Japanese, but also requires everyone to take extra care of him.

Perhaps because there was such an old man in the novice transmigrator's world, Hu Biao's voice was gentler than usual when he spoke after he walked up to the six people:

"Everyone! Stop speculating and letting your imaginations run wild."

You have now traveled through time to the War of Resistance against Japan; but don't worry, you can still be teleported back in a month to half a year.

The premise is that in this world, you should not try to change history, and you should not reveal anything about time travel.

We need to follow his arrangements to get us to this mysterious place and participate in the process, instead of thinking about running away, which would cause us a lot of trouble.

As for whether I lied to you or not, we are all adults and should have our own ability to discern.

If you think carefully about where your people were before you opened your eyes, what they were doing, and what outrageous things happened during that time, you can basically make a judgment.

So, I'm not asking you to make any decisions right away. Just stick with us for a while, see how things develop, and then we'll see. Is that alright?

Faced with Hu Biao's question, the six people nodded in agreement after recalling their miraculous arrival at this place.

In the past, the matter of these novice transmigrators would have been temporarily resolved, but this time Hu Biao was still quite worried and asked the old man a question:
"Grandpa, are you alright now? You look a bit unwell?"

"It's nothing serious! It's just that I'm getting old, so I have high blood pressure, diabetes, rheumatism, and other ailments. Right now, I feel dizzy and have some tightness in my chest."

"Don't worry about me, I'll feel much better after a rest."

The old man replied, then tightened his clothes and lay down on some dry grass by the campfire, flattening himself out on the spot.

Faced with such an answer, especially the gesture of lying down, Hu Biao was completely bewildered.

What a tragedy! It seems that just having high blood pressure alone requires taking antihypertensive medication every day.

According to his understanding, the first antihypertensive drug was invented in the 50s, and they did not have any of the medicines they brought, nor could they bring any.

These days, what kind of blood pressure medication can they possibly conjure up?
Fortunately, while Hu Biao was distracted, Annie, Mina, and the others had already compiled a list of the supplies they had brought.

After quickly reading it, Hu Biao discovered two pieces of good news.

The first piece of good news is that the maximum amount of supplies they can carry each time they travel through time has been increased. Previously, each person was limited to carrying 100 kilograms of supplies, and items such as medicine, food, cultured pearls, and nylon stockings were only allowed a total of one kilogram for everyone combined.

However, during this journey, the taciturn Lao Yu prepared a total of 17 bearings of various sizes.

All these bearings together weigh 120 kilograms.

If it were according to the previous carrying limit, a few should have been randomly reduced, but when everyone counted just now, there were 17 of them, not a single one missing.

In addition, the quantity of medicines such as penicillin, as well as small items such as pearls and nylon stockings, reached 1.5 kilograms.

Don't underestimate the seemingly small quantity of 0.5 kilograms. Given the near-absence of drug resistance these days and the high purity of this penicillin powder, it could potentially save countless lives.

Fortunately, they had intentionally prepared extra supplies during the procurement and preparation process; otherwise, they would have really lost a lot of money.

The second piece of good news came from three veterans—Uncle Bo, Black Star, and Mo Shuiyan—who had regained their time-travel privileges.

Although they weren't sure if they could make it across before the journey began, they still purchased and prepared a large amount of supplies, which turned out to be an unexpected bonus.

For example, among the things Uncle Bo prepared, there was a whole bunch of mirrors.

These mirrors are not the kind used for makeup, but rather various types of optical sights, such as sniper scopes for rifles, vertical sights for mortars, and telescopic sights for rocket launchers.

A significant portion of these are high-end products from Zeiss.

These scopes will undoubtedly greatly enhance the accuracy of this equipment, making them highly desirable items that are currently difficult to buy even with money, or even impossible to obtain.

Black Star prepared four seamless steel pipes, each weighing 25 kilograms and with a diameter of 80 millimeters.

This means that the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment will have another artillery company equipped with four 80mm mortars.

Mo Shuiyan brought a high-precision lathe, along with some crucial components.

With these key components, the Zhangjiayu Arsenal can acquire another core processing machine by simply producing bases, shells, and other parts from cast iron.

In short, Hu Biao was in a very good mood after reviewing the list of supplies in his hand.

Thinking that if he could be given three months to develop and then figure out how to overcome the Japanese air superiority, then he would have the confidence to attack Taiyuan.

With the cooperation of our Party, we will occupy Shanxi Province, which is known as a land of strategic importance.

Relying on the abundant coal and iron resources here, as well as the industrial base that Yan Xishan had painstakingly accumulated but which is now occupied by the Japanese, and advanced technology from the modern world.

Given a few years to develop, Hu Biao couldn't even imagine how much strength they could grow.

Just as Hu Biao was filled with wonderful fantasies, the warehouse manager rushed in, panting heavily from a distance, shouting:
"Damn it! This is terrible!"

Seeing the warehouse manager's anxious and flustered expression, Hu Biao didn't even bother to pay attention to the ambiguity in the man's words, and said in a deep voice, "Don't rush! Speak slowly."

When the warehouse manager opened his mouth, he seemed unsure of how to begin.

Finally, he slapped his thigh hard and yelled, "Hey! Go out and see for yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao could no longer contain himself; without even grabbing a flashlight, he hurriedly picked up a burning piece of firewood to use as a torch and rushed toward the cave entrance.

Upon seeing this, the others quickly followed suit.

Even the old man who claimed to feel dizzy and have chest tightness quickly got up from the haystack and caught up with the others.

This cave was quite deep; it took the group five or six minutes to walk to the entrance.

However, compared to what they saw outside the cave entrance, the fact that the cave was quite deep was nothing, because they saw a large bamboo forest.

A mountain breeze blew, causing the bamboo tips and branches to sway, creating a scene reminiscent of the Jiangnan region.

Of course, the artistic conception isn't the point; the point is that such a large bamboo forest and scene are simply impossible to see in the northern regions.

Therefore, they are not currently near their base in Pingding County.

They didn't even go to Shanxi Province or the north, but to a certain place in the south.

So here comes a crucial question: they clearly had their own base of operations, and it was the perfect time for them to make their mark, so why did they come to this unknown place in the south?

Such a great foundation, just throw it away like that?
What right did that mysterious being have to bring them all here? Is there no logic or reason behind this arrangement at all...?

Hu Biao and his group were quite puzzled.

While filled with bewilderment and anger at the arrangement of that mysterious place, a sudden realization dawned on him; the content of the realization was an explanation of why these people had to leave Pingding County.

To put it simply, the situation is like this:

When the outcome of this major battle, which took place in Pingding County in the winter of 1938, was quickly spread, the Chinese people naturally celebrated nationwide.

Countless newspapers proclaimed it a great victory in great detail.

Commander Hu and his comrades, along with the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, recaptured Pingding County, marking the official start of the campaign to recover lost territory and drive out the Japanese invaders.

But as the old saying goes, experts see the details, while laymen just watch the show.

Some insightful people have indeed seen some very bad things that might happen soon in this victory.

Given the Japanese's vengeful nature, they will likely mobilize a large number of troops from North China, or even Northeast China, after the spring to eliminate Hu Biao.

The humiliation we have suffered will be washed away right here.

If that were all, it wouldn't be a big deal. Victory is never achieved through compromise; it would just mean another major battle.

The crucial point is that Yan Xishan might actually be considering defecting to the Japanese.

Since losing Taiyuan and most of Shanxi Province, his greatest reliance has not been the remnants of his Jin-Sui Army, but the enormous reputation he has built up over decades in Shanxi Province.

They believed that the vast majority of gentry and common people in Shanxi Province still only recognized him, Yan Laoxi.

Once the Japanese are driven out, this territory will still be his.

However, Hu Biao and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment managed to build such a large force in just a few months and won the full support of the surrounding people.

These situations are completely digging up the roots of Yan Xishan.

If things continue to develop like this, I'm afraid that in two or three years, the entire Shanxi province will only recognize Hu Biao and won't remember Yan Laoxi at all.

Even if the Japanese are driven out in the future, it won't be of any use to him, and he absolutely cannot accept such an outcome.

Therefore, according to reliable intelligence, Yan Xishan, who values ​​Shanxi Province more than anything else, has been having several private discussions with the Japanese since the Battle of Pingding County.

With both sides willing to compromise, it seemed that they were about to reach an agreement on all matters related to surrender.

This situation is precisely one that no force in China can accept.

Given Yan Xishan's status and position, if he were to defect to the Japanese, it would deal a terrible blow to the Chinese people's confidence and morale in the war of resistance.

What to do? First, both parties sent capable personnel to work on Yan Xishan.

Tell him this seriously: if he dares to defect to the Japanese, he will not only be infamous for eternity, but they will also kill him immediately.

The bald-headed principal hoped that Hu Biao could lead the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment to immediately withdraw to the Zhongtiao Mountains and from now on accept the command of the First War Zone Commander.

If Hu Biao agrees, he can not only be awarded the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun, but also enjoy all the honors he deserves.

The Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment will be directly upgraded to a Class A division; Hu Biao will serve as the lieutenant general division commander, and his subordinate officers at all levels will be able to appoint their own officers.

More importantly, from now on, all military equipment, provisions, and pay will be supplied by the Ordnance Department, which is a real benefit.
Under these circumstances, Hu Biao and his group quietly left...

(End of this chapter)