The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 356 Division of Labor and Newcomers (Combined Chapter)

On the day I crossed over, it was a little after 3 p.m., at Gaofeng Pass.

Facing a group of fifty or sixty Guangxi Army deserters who had just hastily retreated here, he was a former private first class of the Central Training Corps and a former second lieutenant platoon leader in the Guangxi Army.

Zhong Shidao, now a lieutenant company commander in the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion of the Subei Independent Regiment.

This man, who surprisingly shared the same name as a certain 'old Zhong' gentleman from the Song Dynasty, roared out:
"Stop! The Japanese devils are about to rush into your house, rob your things, kill your parents and children, and rape your old woman on the bed. How dare you run away?"

At his roar, about seventy brothers from the Guangxi Army who had just joined the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment raised their various rifles at the pass.

Perhaps they saw that a mere second lieutenant dared to lead men to block their way.

One of the leading majors among the fleeing soldiers immediately flew into a rage, striding towards Zhong Shidao while simultaneously unleashing a torrent of curses:

"Which department are you from, daring to block my way?"

The way that person walked over, rolling up his sleeves, made it seem like he was about to slap Zhong Shidao a few times on the spot.

Unexpectedly, Zhong Shidao showed no panic when facing a major who was several ranks higher than him; instead, he held an MP18 submachine gun in one hand and pressed it directly against the major's forehead.

His finger was on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

Seeing that he had no way to fool his opponent, the major finally panicked.

He immediately stopped, raised his hands high, forced a smile, and said, "Brother, brother! Don't be impulsive."

I am Yu Hanyong, the training staff officer of the newly formed 19th Division. We're all on the same side.

However, very soon afterward, the major who called himself Yu Hanyong turned deathly pale.

Because Zhong Shidao pointed to Hu Biao, who was standing to the side with a dark face, and said with a smile, "Want to be one of us? No problem."

We are from the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment. See us? Our Commander Hu is right there.

"Now, as long as you stay here with your men and fight alongside Commander Hu to stop the Japanese, then from now on we'll be on the same side, brothers who would risk their lives for each other."

Upon hearing this, Yu Hanyong immediately turned to look at Hu Biao.

When I finally saw that familiar face that I had seen so many times in newspapers that I was sick of it, I was immediately jolted awake and felt a wave of despair wash over me.

He was unaware of the legend that since last winter, after the capture of Pingding County.

It is said that Hu Biao, also known as Commander Hu, had to go abroad to recuperate due to severe injuries sustained in battle. How did he end up in the Guinan region? And what kind of conspiracy does his presence here represent?

But none of the above matters at all.

The important thing is that he knew one thing: Hu Biao's series of victories were indeed brilliant and admirable; but the casualties among the officials and civilians who served under him were also frighteningly high.

Especially on the Shanghai battlefield, his troops were almost completely wiped out, with only a few survivors.

So joining the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment and fighting a blocking battle at Gaofeng Pass almost certainly meant a life-or-death situation; Yu Hanyong's family was rich and powerful, and he hadn't had enough of living a good life, so why would he want to stay?

He immediately gave Hu Biao a solemn military salute, and said in a pleading tone:

"Commander Hu! It is my honor to serve under your command; however, I have urgent military duties assigned by my superiors and cannot stay here any longer. Please allow me to proceed..."

After the guy pleaded, Hu Biao's expression clearly became even more unpleasant.

So, more than an hour ago, he revealed his identity here and gathered a force of 549 people, consisting of 307 defeated soldiers and 242 civilians.

Because time was extremely tight, the members of the time-traveling team quickly divided up their tasks and then went their separate ways.

The specific division of labor is as follows.

First, AT, Black Star, and Warehouse Manager, along with five new recruits (excluding the old man) and nearly 400 brothers, were busy building defensive fortifications on the high ground on both sides of the pass.

There's a reason why they've invested the vast majority of their manpower in this area.

These fortifications were designed to withstand bombing raids by Japanese planes and artillery.

It must have multiple positions, such as the first line and the second line, and the communication trenches between the two positions, as well as many other functions such as reverse slope positions.

It can be said that Black Star and his team have an enormous workload and really need a lot of manpower.

Secondly, Xiao Cui, along with the novice old man and about ten brothers who seemed more capable, formed a sanitation team.

It's less about Xiao Cui helping him and more about finding him a place to settle down.

Otherwise, would you really give him a rifle and let him hold it and fight the Japanese?
Oh, right! Before officially getting to work, Black Star also received a task from Hu Biao: to find out the basic situation of the six new recruits, what each of them was good at, so that they could be used to their advantage.

To make it easier for Hei Xing to communicate, Hu Biao reluctantly gave him six packs of Sha Zi cigarettes and a box of matches.

We'll give a pack to each newbie as a greeting gift, which will also help us get closer to them.

Thirdly, Lao Yu and Uncle Bo led an elite squad of ten men, composed entirely of Guangxi Army soldiers, to conduct reconnaissance and early warning operations in the direction of Nanning.

If any Japanese troops are spotted advancing towards Gaofeng Pass, report back immediately.

If we could capture a Japanese soldier alive and bring him back, that would be the best-case scenario.

Based on their previous experience traveling through time, Hu Biao and his fellow veterans already knew that the historical materials they found in the modern world were indeed of great reference value, and even their greatest advantage.

It's unclear whether too many truths have been lost to the annals of history, leading to inaccurate records, or if there are other reasons at play.

If we rely entirely on historical data, we might suffer great losses.

Fourth, cousins ​​Annie and Mina led a team of ten to purchase supplies.

Go to the area north of Gaofeng Pass, to the villages where the Japanese haven't appeared yet, and do a big shopping spree; if there's no one in the village, just leave some money and take it.

Because at Gaofeng Pass, there is a severe shortage of everything, from farm tools for digging and building fortifications to pots and pans for cooking, as well as food, meat, vegetables, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar for so many people.

Don't underestimate these seemingly insignificant things; they are extremely important.

Fifth, Xiao Henan led his twelve brothers to the cave where they had first crossed over, intending to move all the parts, steel pipes, knives, and other items over in one go.

Meanwhile, Mo Shuiyan led a group of people to search for any secluded or hidden places in the vicinity.

Once found, they took the workers from the Guinan Machinery Factory and reassembled the machines on the truck, processing the seamless steel pipes into equipment.

Some equipment that will play a significant role in the future Battle of Kunlun Pass.

Regarding the question of how these machines are powered, one can only say that Hu Biao and his team were lucky, because there were actually several French-made generators on the truck.

Unfortunately, the amount of fuel was limited and couldn't last long.

Sixth, Hu Biao, along with his remaining dozens of brothers, armed themselves and began recruiting people at the pass.

After all, 549 soldiers were far too few. In such a large-scale battle, they were far from enough to accomplish anything.

What to do? Of course, we continue to recruit more people.

In particular, it is important to recruit defeated soldiers, as they have more military experience.

In short, all twelve veterans of the time traveler team took on important tasks and began their busy takeoff.

As for the process and the outcome, it's hard to say in a few words.

Sure enough! Hu Biao has been trying to recruit people at Gaofeng Pass for an hour, but the result is definitely not optimistic.

What do I mean? First, so much time has passed that the peak of the exodus of Nanning residents has passed; and many others have fled in other directions.

They stayed here to follow up, but not many people came anymore.

Secondly, even if someone came, they were terrified by the sight of the Japanese soldiers rushing into the city and the sound of gunfire, and had little courage to fight. Even when they heard that Commander Hu was there, their eyes lit up briefly, but then they seemed to remember something and their spirits sank again; in the end, they lowered their heads, not daring to look Hu Biao in the eye, and left.

After recruiting people for an hour, including militia members, civilians, and defeated soldiers, Hu Biao had only managed to recruit about a hundred more.

After taking a deep breath to suppress his agitation, Hu Biao lashed out at Yu Hanyong, who claimed to be the training staff officer of the newly formed division, and said something rather unpleasant:
"Get out! Leave all your weapons and ammunition behind, and then get the hell out of here."

That's right! Hu Biao's idea was that even if these defeated soldiers were unwilling to join, their weapons should still be left behind.

Rather than letting these defeated soldiers either secretly sell them, or simply throw them away because they find them too troublesome, or even use them to plunder civilians, it would be better to leave them to the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment to fight the Japanese.

They currently have over 500 men, but only about 200 rifles of various types.

There wasn't a single heavy machine gun left, and only three light machine guns and submachine guns combined.

Upon hearing this, Yu Hanyong surprisingly remained remarkably straightforward, showing no sign of anger or any intention to bargain.

He loosened the belt around his waist and placed a pistol and a small ammunition box on the side of the road.

Seeing this, the group of defeated soldiers he led immediately did the same, and soon they were all empty-handed.

At this point, Zhong Shidao led his brothers to clear a path, allowing these people to leave.

After walking about twenty steps, Yu Hanyong finally breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that his underwear was soaked with sweat without him noticing.

All I can say is that Hu Biao is terrifying; I hope we never see each other again.

Just then, Hu Biao called out from behind again: "Staff Officer Yu, stop."

Upon hearing this voice, Yu Hanyong almost burst into tears. It seemed that Hu Biao was determined to kill him here.

Unexpectedly, when Hu Biao spoke again, he didn't ask them to stay, but instead offered an incredibly tempting offer:

"I have various drugs such as penicillin, sulfonamides, aminopyrine, and aspirin, as well as various supplies such as nylon stockings and pearls. Do you want them?"

"If you want it, bring something in exchange: gasoline, diesel, weapons, ammunition, explosives—anything is fine."

A moment later, Yu Hanyong suddenly felt that meeting Hu Biao a few more times afterward wasn't such a big deal; because all of the above represented astonishing profits.

In particular, penicillin, a drug, is said to have attracted the attention of many foreigners since the Battle of Shanghai.

The amazing thing is that two years have passed now, and despite the advanced technology of those foreigners, they still haven't found the technology for large-scale industrial production.

But then Britain and France went to war with Germany, making this life-saving medicine even more valuable...

*****
Yu Hanyong, who was timid and hesitant just a moment ago but became radiant when talking about business, exchanged pleasantries with him and saw him off.

With a "pui," Hu Biao spat out a mouthful of saliva, his mood growing increasingly worse.

His main concern was that soon the Japanese would cut off China's largest overseas supply route, making the war effort even more difficult for the Chinese people and soldiers.

The increasingly greedy parasites fueled my inner turmoil.

In a bad mood, he made a decision: "From now on, as long as any defeated soldiers come up, whether they want to or not, I will forcibly keep them and reorganize them."

Even if it means using the methods of the supervisory team, we must make them fight the Japanese to the death on the front lines.

For the sake of the overall war effort, as long as one is a soldier, one cannot consider whether they volunteer or not.

Five minutes later, he saw another group of people in strange uniforms, about fifty in number; they were fully equipped and maintained good marching formation as they marched toward him.

Compared to the other defeated soldiers, these men's performance was simply amazing, which made Hu Biao even more determined to keep them.

Before Hu Biao could even speak, Zhong Shidao led his men to block them with guns at the ready and gave them the same routine speech.

Without hesitation, the leading lieutenant snapped a salute to Hu Biao.

He said, "Lieutenant Tan Li, deputy company commander of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the Marine Corps, has met with Commander Hu."

We swore long ago that we would live and die as members of the navy. We may not be able to join the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, but we are willing to stay and fight the Japanese together.

"This time, more than 600 people were mobilized. There were people of all kinds, including Guangxi Army soldiers, militia members, ordinary people, and veterans of the Central Army. Now there are even rare marines. It's a real hodgepodge."

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao couldn't help but mutter a curse in his heart.

However, this didn't bother him. He solemnly returned their greetings, saying, "Whether you join or not is fine! Anyone who fights the Japanese is my brother in life and death..."

After that, Hu Biao instructed Zhong Shidao to remain at the pass to continue his mission.

That is, he encountered officers of the rank of colonel or above who let him go, but except for leaving him two bodyguards, he blocked all the other defeated soldiers and forcibly incorporated them. After that, Hu Biao held up the sky.

They led the more than one hundred new recruits who had joined in the past hour or so, along with a batch of weapons and ammunition on the ground, toward the area where AT, Black Star, Warehouse Manager, and others were building fortifications.

This is meant to replenish some manpower for them first.

Upon arrival, Black Star immediately greeted Hu Biao and introduced the situation of the six novices one by one.

The situation of these six people is roughly as follows:

Code name: Third Brother, 33 years old this year, with no military experience, his profession in the modern world is a cook who prepares large banquets for weddings and funerals in rural areas.

Fortunately, Hu Biao was also a cook and knew that cooks actually had quite good physical strength, especially in their arms.

So, the third son isn't as bad as he seems; he can still play a significant role.

Code name: Thug, real name Wu Xuanyi, 19 years old, from Sichuan Province, is the muscular guy Hu Biao saw before.

He is 1.9 meters tall and weighs 100 kilograms, with excellent physical fitness.

Despite his young age, he practiced kickboxing for four years and then learned Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) for two years. Now he is a professional athlete in domestic MMA competitions.

So the nickname "thug" for this guy is truly fitting.

Because Hu Biao thought highly of this young man, he immediately planned to train him to be a powerful fighter for the team; after all, this young man was not only good at fighting, but more importantly, he was young and didn't have many tricks up his sleeve.

Among so many novices, he was the only one who was completely unsuspecting and revealed his real name.
Code name: Old K, around 30 years old, also from Sichuan Province, served two years as a conscript in the PLA, and now works in a state-owned enterprise.

The fact that he was a PLA veteran was considered a guarantee of quality by Hu Biao.

It's not that ordinary people in the modern world are bad. Many of the veterans in the team, such as AT, Xufeng, and Huang Adi, are ordinary people who performed exceptionally well in previous time travels.

However, it is undeniable that PLA veterans can unleash their combat effectiveness more quickly.

In addition, Old K has hobbies and expertise in radio and electromechanical repair, which are undoubtedly a plus, making him an outstanding talent in this time travel.

Codename: Guardian, 27 years old, in the modern world his profession is a criminal investigator.

My self-assessment is that I am good at trace examination, interrogation, and adaptability in complex environments. In addition, I am also a good shot, but this is limited to pistols.

After all, as a police officer, even if he has the opportunity to practice his marksmanship, he will mostly choose a pistol.

Even so, the appearance of this police officer still made Hu Biao feel that this newcomer was quite good and useful.

Especially given the situation Annie and AT were working on the covert front in Taiyuan during their last time travel, his professional skills should allow him to play an even greater role.

Code name: Lao Qian, 46 years old, an ordinary middle-aged company employee who looks like he's been beaten down by society and is now honest and simple.

As for my special skills, I wonder if having a considerable capacity to withstand being scolded by my boss and wife counts.

Code name: Old Tai. This is the old man, 73 years old this year. Before retiring, he was said to be a boiler operator in a factory. Black Star didn't know much more about him, anyway, he didn't expect him to do anything...

(End of this chapter)