The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 359 Transformation (Bonus Chapter 2750 for the Emergence of the Color Master)

...After I gained some fame for fighting the Japanese, when I was fighting across China, local people would often come to my door.

Ask me if I know XXX, because he fought alongside me on a certain battlefield, and how he died in battle.
These people are either their sons, husbands, brothers, or even their fathers.

I had never heard of most of these names, and only knew a very small portion of them.

And in this very small number, many died in the bombing by Japanese planes and artillery without even seeing the faces of the Japanese soldiers. Some were even executed for desertion.

But no matter what, my answer will always be: I know him, he was a hero, and he died a heroic death.

Because in this terrible and desperate long war, every predecessor who took up arms and went to the battlefield deserves to be respected and remembered...

...Excerpt from Hu Biao's diary collection "Hu Shuo"...

"I hope Annie and Mina haven't run into any trouble. It's been two or three hours, why haven't they come back yet?"

Raising his wrist and glancing at the time, Hu Biao muttered something under his breath, his voice filled with barely concealed anxiety.

Compared to the other AT, Black Star, and warehouse staff, their expressions weren't much better.

There was no other way! Gaofeng Pass was a strategic point that absolutely could not be lost in the Battle of Guinan; even if it was not as good as Kunlun Pass, it was not much worse.

Therefore, the Japanese seem to have an even stronger offensive force than in history.

The only thing they seem to be able to do right now is to build their positions even stronger, so as to offset the Japanese army's advantages in equipment, manpower, and troop quality.

Unfortunately, the team led by Annie and Mina, who went to purchase tools, still hasn't returned.

As a result, they haven't even been able to start digging the most basic trenches in the defensive works; the thought of the enormous amount of work makes the four of them extremely anxious.

Hu Biao, in particular, was in a state of panic, both anxious about the construction work and worried about the safety of his girlfriend and his mistress. He was like an ant on a hot pan.

After a moment's hesitation, Hu Biao finally made some arrangements:
"Black Star, Warehouse Keeper, you two brothers, start digging trenches; use bayonets, helmets, think of everything, we can't just sit around doing nothing."

"AT, go and pick fifty men with guns, and we'll go check out those villages to the north."

Everyone nodded in agreement, indicating their approval of the proposed solution.

Before long, fifty armed brothers were gathered by the AT.

But before Hu Biao could lead them off in a hurry, and before Hei Xing and the warehouse manager could dig in the dirt with a dagger, a lookout brother had already come running over.

From a great distance, he excitedly shouted, "Reporting to the regimental commander, the chief of staff and the others have returned. They brought a lot of supplies and people with them."

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao and the other three immediately dropped everything they were doing and ran towards the north of the position.

They hadn't run far when they spotted Annie and Mina, leading a group of over three or four hundred men, women, and children, striding towards them.

Besides carrying a lot of hoes, shovels, baskets and other tools on their shoulders, they also carried other tools.

Many people were carrying rice, vegetables, chickens, ducks, geese, and other ingredients, as well as cooking utensils such as pots and pans. In addition, there were seven or eight pigs being herded, and even an old yellow ox, which is extremely precious to farmers, was among the crowd.

Upon seeing this, Hu Biao immediately breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Although the group of people that Annie and her group brought back included men and women of all ages, they were certainly not there to join the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment to fight the Japanese.

Instead, they should be treated like hired laborers, the kind of workers who come to help dig trenches.

However, their addition undoubtedly accelerated the construction speed of the fortifications at Gaofeng Pass, solving a major problem for them...

*****
Soon after, Hu Biao discovered that even bigger surprises were yet to come.

Before Annie, the legitimate girlfriend, could even do anything, Mina, the younger sister-in-law, had already rushed over.

With a 'come praise me' expression on his face, he spoke to Hu Biao:

"Brother-in-law, no! Commander Hu."

These are villagers from two nearby villages. They came to help us spontaneously after they heard that we were from the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

The rice, vegetables, chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle were also gifts given to us to entertain the troops.

We've been delayed for so long because we needed to gather manpower and prepare these things.

These aren't all the people; people from even more distant villages have been notified. So, more villagers will likely arrive later. Following Mina's explanation, Hu Biao straightened his back and underwent a dramatic transformation.

More accurately, after spending a month in the modern world, in such a stable and peaceful environment, Hu Biao's mentality and emotions would certainly be greatly affected.

In the modern world, Hu Biao was just an ordinary person, a cook, and someone who was listed as a dishonest person.

Even after time travel, one's mindset will still be affected to some extent; specifically, one will be more emotional, more irritable when facing difficulties, and less decisive in doing things.

But when I saw these villagers who came to help with their tools and without charge, I was deeply moved.

Looking at the rice, chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, and sheep, it's clear they were squeezing out every last grain of rice from between their teeth.

The scenes that had occurred in Shanghai, Taierzhuang, and Pingding County that were familiar to Hu Biao brought back a flood of memories, which finally transformed him into the decisive and ruthless Commander Hu.

Then, Commander Hu gave a very solemn military salute to the approaching villagers.

At the same time, he said aloud, "I thank you all for your kindness."

"I have no way to repay you, but I can assure you that until the entire Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment is wiped out, the Japanese will not be able to cross Gaofeng Pass and have any chance to harm you."

Faced with Hu Biao's guarantee, the villagers naturally cheered loudly.

Only one old woman, supported by another woman, walked out of the crowd, followed by a toddler of only three or four years old.

After stepping forward, the old woman asked with a mixture of anticipation and caution:
"Having met Commander Hu, this old woman has a question for you."

Two years ago, my son Zhou Asheng was also a private first class in the 1021st Regiment of the Guangxi Army. After the outbreak of the Battle of Shanghai, he followed Commander Bai on a long journey to reinforce the city and eventually died in battle at the Dunwu Temple in Shanghai.

I heard that the regimental commander also fought the Japanese at Dunwu Temple back then. I wonder if he knew my son, and whether my son was brave in battle?

To be honest, even if Hu Biao had joined the 1020th Regiment of the Guangxi Army, it was only for a few days, and he only knew a few dozen people by name.

As for the friendly forces of the 1021st Regiment of the Guangxi Army, I only vaguely remember the names of a few of their military commanders.

In a regiment of over a thousand people, how could he possibly know one of the privates?

But when faced with the old lady's question, especially seeing the expectant look in her eyes and that of the woman who was supposed to be her daughter-in-law, she was overwhelmed.

Hu Biao nodded vigorously, and said earnestly with absolute certainty:
"That's right! I do know Brother Zhou Asheng; he's exceptionally brave in battle."

On that day, he joined the army in a bayonet charge against the Japanese position. Despite being shot three times, he continued to advance. He eventually reached the position and killed two Japanese soldiers before collapsing from exhaustion.

Before his death, he shouted "Charge! Charge!" He was worthy of his Chinese ancestors and the honor of the Guangxi wolf soldiers.

After listening, the old lady and her daughter-in-law exchanged a glance and murmured, "That's good, that's good." By the end, they were both sobbing uncontrollably.

A short while later, Annie and Mina were about to go up and try to persuade them.

With red eyes, the old woman shouted, "A-Mian (a local dialect in Nanning, often used by elders to address younger people), come out here."

After the voice fell, a thin boy who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old led an old yellow ox out of the crowd. The old yellow ox was the only one in the crowd.

The old woman held the boy's hand in one hand and the old ox's rope in the other, and handed them to Hu Biao.

He said, "Commander Hu, although our Zhou family is not wealthy, we are a virtuous family that has passed down the tradition of farming and studying. We naturally understand the principle that without a country, there is no home. We are now entrusting the ox and the child to you."

We can slaughter the cows for meat, and after the brothers have eaten their fill, they can fight the Japanese invaders.

"The child's name is Zhou Yaozu. He is the eldest grandson of my Zhou family. You will take him with you to serve in the army, firstly to protect our country, and secondly to kill the Japanese devils and avenge his father."

Having traveled through time so many times, Hu Biao and Commander Hu have certainly seen a lot of things.

But when faced with a boy's slender hand and a patina-covered cow-leading rope being handed to him, he felt it weighed a ton and dared not accept it.
That old ox is probably the Zhou family's most important asset, as well as their key source of labor for farming.

Although Zhou Yaozu is not the only male in the Zhou family, his younger brother is only three or four years old, so what can he do?

But the old woman, without saying a word, forcibly stuffed Zhou Yaozu's hand and the cow-leading rope into Hu Biao's hand.

Regardless of what Hu Biao was thinking, AT, the warehouse manager, and Black Star exchanged glances and had only one thought in mind:
This time, it doesn't matter if I die or fall apart during this time travel, but Zhou Yaozu must live well.

At this moment, they also completely broke free from the influence of the peaceful life and environment of the modern world, successfully transforming into iron-blooded warriors...

(End of this chapter)