The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 403 Infiltration (Bonus chapter 4850 for the emergence of the Shadow Master)

It was a little past six o'clock that evening, and it was still a while before it got dark.

Old Yu strolled leisurely out of a two-story building bearing a sign that read "South China Newspaper Office," and walked along the ancient street for about half a mile.
They walked straight into a restaurant that wasn't very big and looked like it had been around for a while.

Even though it was lunchtime, perhaps because the Japanese had killed and burned a lot after entering the city, the people in the city rarely went out. There were only two or three tables of customers in the small shop.

Seeing this, Lao Yu didn't take it to heart.

Upon entering, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Boss! The food is the same as usual today, and bring me another pot of wine."

Today, I spent the entire day running around trying to interview the Japanese officer; I'm exhausted.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper, a man in his late thirties who had been calculating accounts behind the counter, immediately looked up and replied with a smile:
"Mr. Wang, you've arrived! Please come upstairs quickly. We've been reserving private room number two for you. Please have some tea first, and I'll have the kitchen arrange the food right away."

To the other patrons in the restaurant, none of the above seemed amiss.

However, after secretly glancing at Lao Yu's back, he silently cursed Lao Yu as a traitorous dog in his heart.

In fact, the restaurant had seven or eight people in total, including the manager, waiters, and cooks, all of whom were members of our party; it was also an important stop of our party's Nanning Special Branch in the city.

Now it is also a place where Lao Yu and Lao Tai communicate with each other and with Hu Biao and the others.

The reason why contacting Hu Biao and his group required going through several intermediaries was...

Although the Japanese at this age have somewhat inferior electronic technology, they still possess a certain level of electronic detection capabilities.

They have a direction finder vehicle that can detect the direction and strength of radio signals within a certain range.

Using a radio transmitter in the city might actually get us discovered.

Therefore, to avoid exposure, Lao Yu and his men did not bring the radio in, but instead had our party members take it and leave it outside the city; they were asked to help receive and send telegrams to Hu Biao and others.

When Lao Yu entered the private room No. 2, he saw Lao Tai and Lian Dao already waiting inside.

Their eyes lit up immediately, knowing that something big must have happened; because unless it was something very important, the sickle would not appear in front of them.

He will only appear in person when he needs to convey something important.

He immediately lowered his voice and excitedly asked a series of questions:

"Comrade Sickle, are we about to attack Nanning? Where is the vanguard? When will the first wave of attack begin? What is the current strength of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, and what tasks will it be responsible for?"

Although Lao Tai didn't speak, his eyes showed anticipation, indicating that he also wanted to know immediately.

It's no wonder they reacted so strongly; ever since the fall of Kunlun Pass, the Japanese have become increasingly strict in their control over entry and exit from Nanning.

As a result, those living in the city have limited understanding of the outside world.

Although I heard many rumors, such as which Japanese reinforcements were surrounded during their withdrawal and none of them returned.

In which place, how many Japanese soldiers were killed by the Nationalist and Guangxi armies, etc.

However, even they knew that such news was largely exaggerated and was merely the wishful thinking and expectation of the people of Nanning.

Faced with their questions, Sickle, with a delighted expression, answered them one by one:

"That's right! We're about to launch an attack on Nanning City."

In the previous five days, the Nationalist and Guangxi armies took the initiative to attack, annihilating all the Japanese troops that were originally sent to reinforce Kunlun Pass, leaving them no chance to retreat back to Nanning.

The Japanese troops in some areas surrounding Nanning were also completely wiped out.

Therefore, our army should appear outside Nanning City by tomorrow morning, completely surrounding the Japanese soldiers inside and trapping them like turtles in a jar.” Having said this, Sickle took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued:
"As for our Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, we have been resting and reorganizing at Kunlun Pass since the Battle of Kunlun Pass; thanks to the great reputation we gained in this battle, villagers are voluntarily joining the army every day."

However, because they were being watched closely by four superiors, Bai, Chen, Li, and Zhang, it was not advisable to expand the organization too much.

Therefore, after replenishing the troops to about 3500, no further expansion was carried out; the main focus was on summarizing the experience of the previous battle and training new recruits with experienced soldiers.

As for its primary task at present, it is to serve as the general reserve force of the National Revolutionary Army; it has not yet been assigned any specific combat missions.

Old Yu, a seasoned transmigrator, naturally knew very well what kind of personalities Hu Biao, Annie, Black Star, and those other transmigrators were.

I know that even if there are no combat missions yet, those guys definitely won't be idle; they must be brewing some big move.

He immediately asked, "Tell me! What exactly does Hu Biao intend for us to do?"
Here's a little secret: since most of the brothers in the reconnaissance company are locals, they've managed to recruit quite a few reliable people these days.
We now have about four hundred people available in the city.

However, only half of the personnel are armed; it would be great if a new batch of weapons could be brought in.

After nodding to show his approval of Lao Yu and the others' work, Sickle relayed Hu Biao and the others' orders one by one:

"First, we need to understand the situation of the Japanese city's fortifications. This is very important for siege warfare and can save a lot of lives."

Faced with this request, Lao Yu felt no pressure at all.

He reached directly into his pocket, pulled out an envelope full of photos, handed it to the sickle, and said:

"Simple! These are photos of the Japanese fortifications at other city gates besides Ying'en Gate."

I also took pictures of all the details of the construction of Ying'en Gate today, but I didn't have time to develop them.

In short, the city defenses of Nanning's five gates have all been filmed. I'll give you the film later; take it out and have Hu Biao develop it. That way, you'll have a clear picture of the city.

After taking notes, Sickle continued, "Second point..."

Before they could even get started, a loud voice came from downstairs: "Online, are you looking for Mr. Wang from the South China News?"
Ah Sheng, Ah Sheng! Quickly take this gentleman to Mr. Wang.

The three exchanged a quick glance, realizing that the person acting as the shopkeeper downstairs was giving them a warning in this manner.

Without daring to delay, Lao Tai and Lian Dao quickly left the room and moved to the private room next door.

About a minute later, Lao Yu saw an unexpected figure appear at the door of the private room: the biggest traitor in Nanning City, and also a family member of Master Yang, the chairman of the puppet regime.

What do you think of Master Yang? He was originally a scholar of considerable status in the city, with an excellent reputation.

Unexpectedly, after the Japanese arrived, he immediately surrendered to them and took on the role of the head of the puppet regime.

Furthermore, relying on the power of the Japanese, in just over a month, they seized many shops and properties in the city, and even took a concubine.

Once they gained power, they immediately tore off their fine facade of many years, revealing their ugly, opportunistic nature.

If this traitor hadn't been still useful, Old Yu would have killed this bastard long ago.

But soon after, Lao Yu's opinion of this traitor changed drastically, because the man immediately spoke as soon as he entered:
"Manager Wang, Chairman Yang wants you to come over immediately. It seems that the matter of interviewing at Xiyuan Hotel has been settled."

Old Yu's biggest worry these days has been not having the chance to go inside the Xiyuan Hotel to take photos, so upon hearing this, he immediately perked up.

"Let's go quickly, we can't keep Chairman Yang waiting." Old Yu said, then got up and left the private room.

However, while paying at the counter, taking advantage of the family member's inattention, he whispered to the shopkeeper, "The negatives are under the bed board. Have Sickle take them out tonight..."

(End of this chapter)