The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 381 A Deadly Affection (Two Chapters Combined)

(After a long battle, here are a few transitional chapters)

...Through numerous journeys and years of battles, my companions and I have traveled to countless places across China.

Among them are the picturesque water towns of Jiangnan, the black soil of Northeast China, the vast plains of North China, the mountains of Southwest China, the boundless Gobi Desert, and the endless grasslands.

But no matter where they were, the ancestors and compatriots they met all had a deep-rooted attachment to the land that gave them birth and nurtured them.

They are willing to give everything to protect this land...

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

"It's like a fairy's ribbon, so beautiful!" Mina couldn't help but cheer loudly as she looked at the rainbow hanging overhead.

My mood, which had been rather low due to being holed up in the bomb shelter for so long, suddenly brightened up.

It is now 2:37 PM.

The heavy rain that had been falling for almost a day and a night finally stopped completely three or four minutes ago. Immediately afterwards, the dark clouds in the sky quickly dissipated, and a fiery red sun appeared.

A beautiful rainbow even appeared in the sky above the Gaofeng Pass position.

After being cooped up in the bunker for almost a day and a night, everyone was overjoyed to see this scene, especially Mina, who cheered loudly.

But the next second, she suddenly found herself holding something quite heavy.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be his brother-in-law, Hu Biao, who had handed him a shovel.

Before the bewildered Mina could react, Hu Biao had already shouted at the top of his lungs: "Attention everyone, immediately drain the water from the trenches and then reinforce the fortifications."

The reason Hu Biao issued such an order was naturally to guard against the possibility that the Japanese attack would resume after the weather cleared up.

Although he knew that the Japanese probably didn't have the energy or manpower to deal with the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, the possibility of launching an attack was extremely low.

But what if the Japanese act up again? It's always good to be vigilant.

Therefore, there was absolutely no problem with Hu Biao issuing such an order.

The only problem was that, just as she was cheering and jumping for joy, someone suddenly stuffed a tool into her hand, leaving Mina feeling both amused and exasperated.

Watching Hu Biao carrying a hoe and walking towards the front line like an old farmer, I couldn't help but mutter a complaint:
"What a tragedy! My cousin has so many suitors, how could she fall for such an oblivious guy..."

Of course, whether Hu Biao is sensual or not is not important for this time travel; what matters is the subsequent development of events. For the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, everything went quite smoothly.

While Hu Biao and his men were covered in mud and busy repairing the fortifications.

In the clear blue sky after the rain, not a single Japanese plane appeared, and the Japanese ground troops below the mountain did not launch an attack.

Even a little after 3 p.m., the artillery unit attached to the ground forces began to withdraw towards Nanning City.

Only less than two battalions, totaling 1,700 to 1,800 Japanese infantrymen, remained.

And while Hu Biao and his men were repairing the fortifications, these Japanese soldiers were also repairing the fortifications.

Judging from their construction, the Japanese planned to build two trenches at the foot of Gaofeng Pass, completely blocking Hu Biao's route to Nanning.

All of the above represents the Japanese reaction, just as Hu Biao and his team had predicted during their meeting that morning:
Despite suffering heavy casualties and consuming enormous amounts of supplies, the Japanese had achieved no real results and finally gave up.

They ceased their relentless assault on Gaofeng Pass, leaving behind a surveillance force to focus their main efforts on the upcoming major battles with the Nationalist army.

In other words, after several days of fierce fighting, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment was finally able to have a precious respite.

The planned recruitment, reorganization, and training can proceed as scheduled.

Even so, Hu Biao continued to lead everyone in working tirelessly until the fortifications on the position were basically repaired before they stopped.

They were prepared to launch a surprise attack if the Japanese tried anything funny.

At this point, Hu Biao glanced at his wristwatch and realized it was 5:07 PM.

Even the slowest-witted brother on Gaofeng Pass can now tell, just by lying on the ground and looking down, that the most difficult time has passed.

As he breathed a huge sigh of relief, a sense of victory and intense pride welled up on his face.

They naturally had the right to such joy and pride, considering that just ten days earlier, they were either defeated soldiers or ordinary civilians.

However, under the leadership of Commander Hu and his comrades, they faced a large Japanese army supported by aircraft and artillery, including elite units such as the 5th Division.

But at Gaofeng Pass, they not only held out until now, but also inflicted huge casualties on the Japanese.

The casualties of the Taiwanese mixed brigade and the two units of the 5th Division could be roughly estimated to be as many as three or four thousand, which is nothing short of a miracle.

After wiping the sweat from his brow, Hu Biao could clearly feel the good mood of his brothers; suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

He beckoned his fellow transmigrators, including Annie, Uncle Bo, and the thugs, who were not far away, over, and began by saying:
"Didn't we say that tonight we were going to treat those two foreign observers to drinks, get them drunk, and then talk about selling technology?"
I was thinking that it wasn't right for us officials to be drinking and eating meat while the brothers were eating coarse rice.

It's not too late yet. You three, boss lady, sister-in-law, and one-eyed dragon, why don't you take some people to the neighborhood and buy some more wine and meat?

Let's all have a good meal and drinks together tonight, brothers of our Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

"How about we celebrate this journey, finally achieving victory in the first phase?"

“Sure! It’s just a good meal and drinks, it’s not like we can’t afford it.” The thug immediately agreed.

The others nodded their heads so hard they were practically flying off, effectively giving the statement unanimously approval.

If they had previously worried that such lavish eating and drinking would lead to insufficient funds, then...

Once they realized they could use some of the technology they possessed to extract huge sums of money from those two suckers—no, I should say, their international friends—they stopped seeing it as a problem.

Just kidding! This shows how much they look down on Uncle Sam and those two big dogs, Russia.

Even a tiny bit of oil leaking from between their fingers could feed the small Subei Independent Regiment to the point that their farts would be so oily they'd get their crotches greasy.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Hu Biao announced that they would have a good meal and drinks that evening as a celebration.

Immediately, a huge cheer resounded from the main position at Gaofeng Pass, and soon after, the two hilltops on the left and right, having received the news, also erupted in cheers.

In such a cheerful atmosphere, Annie, Mina, and One-Eyed Dragon set off.

They gathered several dozen men and set off to the villages to the north to carry out a large-scale procurement mission.

Hu Biao, Lao San, and others, along with many of their brothers, began setting up stoves, lighting fires, boiling water, washing rice, and cooking, making various preparations.

Even Bill Eulton and Andre, those two foreign devils, were inspired by the enthusiastic atmosphere and helped chop wood with axes.

But before Annie and the others had left, and before the pot of water on the stove had even boiled, the sounds of traditional instruments like suonas and gongs and drums faintly reached Hu Biao and his group's ears.

At first, Hu Biao and the others thought they had misheard.

After all, in this chaotic period of war, there shouldn't be any weddings or funerals.

But soon, as the sounds of the instruments grew louder, they realized something was wrong; they immediately ran in the direction the sound was coming from, which was north...

******
After realizing the situation, Hu Biao and his men were all dumbfounded.

Down the mountain, Annie, Mina, and their group returned with a large throng of villagers. If that were all, Hu Biao and his men wouldn't have reacted so strongly, because the villagers had come every night before, even last night when it was pouring rain.

The key point is that not only are there a large number of villagers here today, but the scene is also more grand than ever before.

Whether adults or children, they were clearly wearing their best clothes; they were carrying rice wine, poultry, eggs, fruits, and other best things they could offer.

Accompanied by the sounds of wind and percussion instruments, as well as dragon and lion dances, they joyfully made their way towards Gaofeng Pass.

Upon seeing this, Hu Biao and the others quickly went to meet them.

When the two sides were about seven or eight meters apart, an old man with a full head of white hair, wearing a long gown that had been starched until it turned white, looked like an old private school teacher.

After a sudden wave of his hand, the crowd of people behind him stopped in their tracks, and the musical instruments and the dancing dragons and lions also immediately ceased their movements.

Surprisingly, this old man enjoys considerable prestige among the villagers.

Before Hu Biao could say anything, the old man had already taken a large earthen bowl, about the size of a basin, from a man behind him and shouted:
"Someone! Pour the wine."

At his invitation, another man opened a wine jar and poured the somewhat cloudy wine into a large earthen bowl.

Holding a large earthen bowl of wine, the old man stepped forward and handed it to Hu Biao.

At the same time, he said quite solemnly:
"I am Li Baoyun, a poor scholar from the previous dynasty, but I still have some influence in my hometown. Today, I have been entrusted by my fellow villagers to come and offer a toast to Commander Hu and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment."

Firstly, I want to express my gratitude to Commander Hu and all my brothers for protecting my homeland and saving my life; otherwise, if we had fallen into the hands of the Japanese, I don't know how many people would have died.

Secondly, we pay tribute to Commander Hu and all the brothers for their heroic deeds in striking down the Japanese pirates and Yang Guowei.

Third, we urge Commander Hu and his brothers to continue their efforts and drive the Japanese out completely.

How magnificent! As the saying goes, "Don't laugh at the farmer's muddy wine," so please, Commander Hu, drink this bowl of wine to the brim and accept our small token of appreciation and gratitude.

After receiving the large earthen bowl filled to the brim with at least two jin (approximately 1 kg) of wine, representing the villagers' goodwill, Hu Biao felt a chill run down his spine.

Good heavens! This gesture is too much; it could be deadly.

As someone from Hunan province who grew up on the border of Guangxi province, he could naturally recognize that the somewhat cloudy wine in the bowl was the rice wine later known as the "Guangxi Briefcase".

Moreover, I've drunk it more than once when I was back in my hometown.

How to describe this stuff? It's quite mild on the palate, but the alcohol content is unknown. It could be in the twenties or the forties, and people often get drunk without even realizing it.

Given his alcohol tolerance, even if it were a liquor with an alcohol content of around 20 degrees, such a large bowl of alcohol would cause him to pass out immediately.

So this guy knew he had to find a way to refuse.

So, while frantically searching for a solution in his mind, he asked, as if trying to make conversation:

"Old sir! Since you know that the Japanese are ruthless and have no humanity whatsoever, why didn't you escape earlier?"

Faced with this question, the old man's face was full of bitterness and helplessness: "As the saying goes, people are cheap when they leave their hometown. These days, there are Japanese devils everywhere. Where can we escape to?"
Besides! Our ancestors were born here and are buried here.

Our houses are here, our land is here, and our descendants will also flourish here. It's better to die on this homeland than to die elsewhere.

Indeed, no other ethnic group has ever had such a profound affection for their homeland as the Chinese; they would not want to leave this place if there were even the slightest possibility.

Just like these people from Guangxi, they are used to the warm weather here.

Accustomed to two harvests of rice a year, and to the fragrance of melons and fruits all year round; this land is their most precious possession.
This is why, recently, these villagers have been bringing food and helping to repair the fortifications every day.

Even the head of the household, his son who had just come of age, was sent to join the army, following Hu Biao and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, which was the biggest reason for fighting the Japanese to the death.

After thinking about all this, Hu Biao felt the bowl of wine in his hand become even heavier.

During this process of being urged to drink, Annie, Old Ma, and many other time travelers were almost driven crazy with anxiety.

Annie, one of them, knew her husband's alcohol tolerance; if he were to finish this bowl, he would definitely be passed out on the spot.

The subsequent hangover will take a long time to recover, and just thinking about it makes me feel sorry for the person.

But this amount of alcohol was nothing to her, not a piece of cake, and certainly not a big problem.

Although she was Hu Biao's girlfriend and the chief of staff of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, it was not appropriate for her to stand in for him to drink at this time, which made her quite anxious.

Old Ma winked repeatedly, signaling Hu Biao to pour the wine on the ground.

They were exchanging glances so fast, my eyes are practically cramping up now.

To be more specific, it's because Lao Ma watched a classic TV series called "My Chief and My Regiment," in which the regimental commander named "Sila Sila" also encountered a similar situation.

However, that commander kept pouring wine on the ground under the pretext of "paying tribute to the heroic spirits who died in battle" and "paying tribute to the Holy Spirit who caused suffering."

In the end, he only kept a little bit at the bottom of the bowl to drink, thus managing to get away with the situation.

Therefore, he believed that Hu Biao could easily imitate him, pouring out most of the food and leaving only a little to drink.

Hu Biao was completely unaware that Annie had an amazing alcohol tolerance, but he could tell that the girl was worried about him; so he secretly gave her a look to let her know that he was fine.

Hu Biao had also watched the classic TV series "My Chief and My Regiment" more than once.

After seeing the look in Lao Ma's eyes, he naturally remembered the method of offering a toast, pouring wine on the ground, and then getting away with it.

However, in the time that followed, under the watchful eyes of many people, Hu Biao still picked up the wine bowl and drank the whole bowl of wine in one gulp.

Or rather, he was telling everyone present this in this way:

Hu Biao and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment accepted the gratitude and goodwill of the people of Guangxi; having accepted it, they were determined to drive the Japanese out, no matter what difficulties they faced.

Then Hu Biao loosened his grip, and the large earthen bowl, now completely empty, fell to the ground and shattered on the spot.

Meanwhile, this guy, whose neck was completely red, fell over like a wooden stake; you could say he was knocked over instantly, at an astonishing speed.

Fortunately, at least Hu Biao didn't vomit up the wine he had just drunk on the spot like a fountain.

In addition, every veteran bird foresaw that the deadbeat would be knocked out immediately after drinking a bowl of that.

Therefore, the moment Hu Biao fell, several arms reached out to support him, preventing him from falling directly to the ground.

"He's bad at the game, but addicted to drugs. This guy is a real headache."

As Annie continued to complain, she still hoisted Hu Biao onto her shoulder like a large sack, preparing to find a quiet place for him to rest.

Incidentally, she also remembered that there was still some honey she had brought from modern times that she hadn't used up, so she could make a cup of honey water for this guy and put it by his bedside.

As for the negotiations with the two foreign devils that night, only she, the boss lady and chief of staff, could handle it.

Oh, right! After talking with the two foreigners, I also need to talk to that translator, Shen.

I used to think this person not only had the aura of the Military Intelligence Bureau, but also looked somewhat familiar. Later, I finally figured it out. This person was actually Shen Zui, one of the four famous generals of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Considering that this person later saw the situation clearly at a crucial moment and took the initiative to switch sides, I felt that there should still be a way to persuade him and reach some cooperation between the two sides...

(End of this chapter)