The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 528 The Last Leisurely Moments (Two Chapters Combined)

In the following period, the team held its first meeting for this trek, during which they finalized the personnel for two tasks.

Firstly, Xinning is still too remote, resulting in underdeveloped transportation and limited access to information.

The current situation is better; at least we can get the latest information through the internet.

However, during the Republic of China era, it often took more than half a month for the latest battlefield news to reach Xinning. By then, it would be too late to do anything.

This was almost unacceptable to Hu Biao and his associates.

Therefore, after some discussion, everyone agreed that it was very necessary to send reliable personnel with radios to C Sand City and Baoqing City to be stationed and send back the latest battlefield situation.

Based on these latest developments, Hu Biao, Annie, and others were instructed to make some targeted arrangements and adjustments.

When it came to choosing someone for this task, Hu Biao immediately thought of Lao Yu.

After all, back in Nanning, this guy not only completed the tasks assigned to him by the team extremely well; more importantly, after being captured by the Japanese, he not only did not suffer under severe torture, but he also gained weight.

He looked so plump and fair, as if he had just gone on vacation.

Such a miraculous experience—could an ordinary person encounter it? They'd probably be tortured to the point of near death by the Japanese long ago.

In other words, Hu Biao and his companions had enough trust in their partners; if it were anyone else, they would probably have suspected them of having defected to the Japanese long ago.

Therefore, even if Old Yu were beaten to death, he would never say what exactly happened in the Japanese military police that led to this absurd result.

Old Yu remains the top choice among veteran players for carrying out missions in Sand City.

Unexpectedly, when faced with Hu Biao's question, Lao Yu shook his head vigorously, refusing to go no matter what.

The reason for this is still that strange Leica camera. Before this time travel, Lao Yu couldn't find a trace of it in the modern world, so it seems to be really lost.

Just thinking about these things made him extremely depressed; he even had some psychological trauma from them, and he had no desire to go to C City.

Seeing this, Hu Biao had no choice but to assign the task to someone else.

Xiao Henan was sent to C Shacheng, while Xin Huo was sent to Baoqing City to gather information using a radio.

Secondly, starting tomorrow, the wizard will be in charge of equipment manufacturing, with the cross and the welder serving as his assistants, and they will also be in charge of a large number of blacksmiths.

The main objective is to produce as much equipment as possible before deploying troops, thereby increasing the combat effectiveness of the army.

However, we still need to go to Xinning City to see what kind of machinery and materials we can find before deciding which specific equipment to manufacture.

Hu Biao did not have high expectations for this.

The main reason was that, although he didn't want to admit it, he had to admit one thing: Xinning's mechanical processing capabilities in the modern world were not strong, and it would be even more difficult to say in the Republican era.

There's no guarantee we'll be able to find an old-fashioned machine tool by then.

Having finalized the above two points, the first plenary meeting after the transmigration officially came to an end.

The reason they didn't drive for too long was because they had very limited information, so they could only determine a general direction of action.

More detailed operational procedures will need to be developed and adjusted gradually.

Even so, it was already past four o'clock in the afternoon.

It wasn't too late, but Peizi Garden was deep in the mountains with exceptionally lush vegetation, so it got dark faster here than outside.

At this moment, a large fog suddenly rose, causing the temperature to plummet to around 10 degrees Celsius, making it indescribably cool.

When the mist surrounds the mountains and villages, it looks like a fairyland.

Annie, Mina, Zanana, and other girls, along with a group of transmigrators from the North, had never seen such a scene before, and immediately looked around with great interest.

If I didn't have a phone in my hand, I would have been snapping away like crazy.

Annie and Mina, in particular, had eyes that were filled with the beautiful expectation of being able to live here long-term, often opening the window to look at the misty mountains, drinking tea and reading books.

Seeing this, Hu Biao wisely kept his mouth shut and didn't say anything that would spoil the mood.

For example, if there were any chance, these Dong people would love to move out of the mountains to live.

This ethereal mist actually indicates extremely high humidity, resulting in blankets and clothes remaining damp for most of the year and never drying out.

Rheumatism and arthritis are quite severe for most older people.

In addition, this place is too remote. It would take at least half a day to buy a bag of salt and return. If you get sick, there is no way to treat it except to find some herbs yourself. You also often have to face attacks from wild animals.

Farmland is scarce, and there is never enough food to eat, etc.

Instead, he perked up and prepared to show off his culinary skills, treating his companions to a meal of hometown delicacies. This would also be considered an advance payment for their extra effort in fighting the Japanese during this journey.

Turning his head to look around, he saw the village elder, Yang Sangui, craning his neck to examine the area.

I guess he had something he wanted to say, but was worried about disturbing Commander Hu and his colleagues' important business, so he was a little hesitant to come over.

Hu Biao quickly waved to him, and when Yang Sangui strode over to his side, he asked, "Is there something you need?"

Yang Sangui, his face filled with shame, began to speak:
"Replying to Grandpa Hu! The person with the best skinning skills in our village went to the city this morning and hasn't returned yet; although we sent people to look for him, he probably won't be back until tomorrow."

Dinner is almost here, but conditions in the village are limited, so please don't mind the simple meal.

Frowning, Hu Biao asked a series of questions:

"There's no rush to skin the tiger. The weather isn't hot now, so it won't spoil even if we leave it for a day or two longer."

Do you have any cured meats in the village, such as cured pork, sausages, pig's blood sausage, and beef jerky? Are there any glutinous rice cakes left? Also, are there any pigs, sheep, chickens, or ducks raised in the village? What kind of wild game have you hunted?

The shame on Yang Sangui's face became even more obvious: "There's still some cured meat, sausages, and glutinous rice cakes left."

They did raise pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks, but the pigs and sheep were too thin to be presentable; the wild game they had were just some pheasants, rabbits, snakes, and mushrooms.

Oh! There's some tofu that was made yesterday; it's been hanging in the well to preserve it, so it shouldn't have spoiled yet.

When Hu Biao was in the modern world, he had a lot of contact with these Dong people.

Of course, they know that if they treat you as a distinguished guest, they will be truly generous; so when they say they don't have any, they really don't. The excuse that the pigs and sheep are too thin to serve is not a matter of being reluctant to part with them.

Although he felt somewhat regretful about the severe lack of ingredients, Hu Biao knew he couldn't force it.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out some pounds, and stuffed them into Yang Sangui's hand before solemnly saying to him:
“I know that there is absolutely no reason for the host to charge money when we come to eat in the Dong village; so the money these foreigners have is definitely not for the meal, but rather some gifts that I, Hu Biao, am giving to my friends.”

If you consider me, Hu Biao, a friend, then accept this quickly; otherwise, I'll leave with my men right now.

"Then I thank you for your reward, Uncle Hu." After hesitating for a moment, Yang Sangui accepted the hundred-pound note.

"It might be inconvenient for you to use this foreign money directly, but you can still exchange it for silver dollars and legal tender at the money shops in the city," Hu Biao advised first.

Then, considering that he wasn't exactly freeloading, but rather had actually overpaid, he immediately and boldly began making arrangements:
"You just mentioned that you have some food in the village, except for pork and mutton; get me some of everything else; enough for all of us, and enough for the village to eat as well."

Tonight, I, Hu Biao, will host a long table banquet, where everyone will drink and eat meat together.

Also, send someone to the paddy fields to catch some eels, loaches, and yellow frogs, and to the bamboo forest to dig up some bamboo shoots.

Under this arrangement, Yang Sangui immediately led his men to get busy with various tasks; Hu Biao took charge in the kitchen, and often even personally wielded the ladle.

Soon after, the enticing aroma of delicious food wafted through the village.

As the children in the village swallowed their saliva, the entire village was filled with a joyful festive atmosphere...

While Hu Biao and his group were busy, AT, Chen Tang, and the other time travelers did nothing.

They all sat around the fire pit, warming themselves by the fire, drinking local tea, and cracking roasted pumpkin seeds, chatting idly as they waited for dinner to be served. They didn't intend to help, not because they were too lazy.

The main reason was that they knew this was probably the last and only moment of leisure they would have during this journey.

After this meal, we'll have to get really busy starting tomorrow; otherwise, we'll really think that we can easily get our hands on that damned Hu Biao's food.

No, that's not right! It refers to Hu Biao's stuff, which would make it easy to get food.

Rather, it means that not all time travelers besides Hu Biao were able to leisurely drink tea and eat melon seeds at this time.

In the next room, under the light of an oil lamp, Annie was in front of a high-powered radio, sending and receiving messages with a 'drip-drip' sound.

Mina helped by quickly converting the incoming and outgoing messages according to the codebook.

That's right! In the previous meeting, they had indeed decided to appear on the Chunhua Mountain battlefield east of C Sand City, completely exposing their previous lack of contact with Baldy.

They kept their whereabouts in Hunan Province strictly confidential, aiming to achieve their goal of surprise.

However, this does not mean that they cannot analyze their current movements, deduce that the Japanese are about to launch a second attack on C Sand City, and report their rough battle plan to the Pagoda area and that man in advance.

This is a detail that Hu Biao and his team realized they had overlooked before during this rest period.

We can't expect our Party to only find out about these events through other channels after the fighting has already started, can we? What kind of organization and discipline would that leave?

Another crucial point is that we can still trust the secrecy of our Party; there is no need to worry about exposing their plans and whereabouts.

What Annie and Mina didn't expect was that the man arrived at the telecommunications office immediately after receiving the telegram.

After dismissing the others, with the help of two telegraph operators and a cipher machine, I managed to have a sort of online chat with Annie and Mina.

Wow! Upon learning this, both girls jumped up and cheered.

During the conversation, the man first agreed with the preliminary action plan formulated by Hu Biao and others, and offered some very instructive suggestions, which greatly benefited Chief of Staff An, a modern military enthusiast.

Indeed, this kind of great figure, who appears only once every thousand years, has vision and ideas that need no doubt whatsoever.

Next, the man asked Anne and Mina for their names.

He already knew the reason why the two girls died in the previous mission, and now he thought that the two girls were Annie and Mina's sisters, and that they had inherited their will and continued to fight the Japanese with Hu Biao.

Therefore, Annie gave herself a new name, 'Anna', while Mina gave herself a new name, 'Piggy'.

Unexpectedly, the man told them that they could continue to use the names Annie and Mina from now on; the same was true for the other veteran transmigrators who died in battle.

All of this was to prevent the news of their deaths from affecting the determination of the Chinese military and civilians to resist the Japanese invasion.

Therefore, in their external propaganda, he and the bald-headed principal consistently denied the Japanese side's claims of killing a particular of Hu Biao's comrades in any particular location.

Finally, the man gave them the contact information for the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China; he told Hu Biao to contact them if he encountered any difficulties, and that the Committee would do its utmost to cooperate.
In short, this online chat lasted until after 7 p.m. before it ended.

For Anne and Mina, it was a truly special experience, one they could boast about for years to come...

******
After a flurry of activity, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening. Everyone, who had eaten a big meal before their journey, was getting hungry again when Hu Biao's long table banquet finally began.

Under the illumination of numerous torches, several low tables were lined up one after another.

The stone-paved road in the village stretched for a long distance.

On the small table, there were many earthen bowls of various sizes filled with all kinds of food.

The key feature is a round hole in the middle of the table, below which is a brazier, and on top of the brazier is an iron rack with a pot on it.

The food being continuously heated and kept warm in the pot is a soup made from pheasant and pine mushrooms.

Before stewing the pheasant, Hu Biao stir-fried it first, which, combined with the natural and high-quality ingredients, gave the chicken soup a golden color.

After sitting down and taking a sip, even though Shizi and Boshu were both from Guangzhou and extremely picky about soup, they instantly became beaming with delight.

Unable to resist, they even blurted out in Cantonese, exclaiming, "So fresh it's amazing!"

"So fresh it'll make your eyebrows fall out!"

Of course, Hu Biao put in his best effort today, and he'll probably put in just as much effort when he visits his future father-in-law's house, so the other dishes were equally delicious.

Stir-fried cured pork with bamboo shoots! It is said that the villagers have been reluctant to eat this cured pork, which has been roasting over the fire pit for at least three or four years. It has been cut into a large piece, but it is not greasy at all.

Because the tenderest tips of bamboo shoots were added during the stir-frying process, the greasiness of the cured pork was effectively balanced.

After tasting it, all that remains is the smoky flavor with the aroma of pine and cypress, as well as a salty, mellow, and rich yet not greasy taste.

After being soaked in the oil from cured pork, the bamboo shoots became crisp and delicious, even more so than the cured pork itself, for the transmigrators who were not short of oil.

Blood sauce duck! This is a traditional famous dish of Xinning.

Through processes such as stir-frying and braising, the duck blood is evenly coated with duck meat, creating a complex taste that is "sweet, sour and spicy, tender and crisp, and delicious".

This thing alone is enough to make you eat two bowls of rice.

Panlong Eel! It's made by pan-frying plump eels in oil until they are arranged in a spiral shape; then stir-frying them with Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, scallions, ginger, and garlic before serving.

It features a spicy and savory flavor, and also offers a dual texture of crispy and tender.

Loach burrowing into tofu! The flavor is mainly fresh and fragrant, the soup is delicious and spicy, the tofu is white and tender, and the soup is rich and savory. The taste can be summed up in one word: delicious.

In addition to the above, there are many other dishes, each with its own unique flavor and characteristics.

Paired with the village's homemade rice wine, everyone ate and drank to their heart's content, with Annie feeling the most satisfied.
There was no way around it! Ever since she agreed with Hu Biao to go back to his hometown in Hunan Province for the Mid-Autumn Festival, this girl had seen countless videos of these delicious dishes online, and she had been thinking about them for a long time.

Now that we've finally got to eat it, it's even better than we imagined.

After eating and drinking their fill, a long table banquet was finished, and it was already 9:30 p.m. By this time, most of the time travelers, except for a few wine connoisseurs, were a little tipsy.

I had originally planned to have a good night's sleep while still tipsy, but little did I know that tonight's show was just the beginning.

At the entrance of the village, piles of firewood had already been laid out in a threshing ground; once the long table feast was over, the firewood was lit.

Before long, it burst into flames and became a dazzling bonfire.

Then, instruments such as the xiao and lusheng were played, and to the melodious music, the men and women of the village, dressed in their finest attire, immediately began to dance around the bonfire.

In this atmosphere, Hu Biao bowed and extended his hand, making an inviting gesture to Annie beside him.

After giving a reserved smile, Annie placed her small right hand in Hu Biao's large palm; led by the man, she walked to the campfire and began to dance along.

Mina pouted and muttered something unintelligible before extending a hand to Zanana, mimicking Hu Biao's invitation to Annie.

Then the two girls also joined in the revelry.

Suddenly, only a group of men who had traveled through time remained on the outer perimeter. They looked at each other, hesitant and eager to make their move, yet unsure of what to do next.

Fortunately, at this moment, some young girls and women from the village jumped to their side and forcibly pulled them off the dance floor, making them start dancing as well.

To be honest, every single one of these men is incredibly capable in a fight.

But when it comes to dancing, forget it; their movements are incredibly stiff and terribly out of shape.

But that doesn't matter at all. What matters is how happy and joyful they are at that moment; in the glow of the blazing fire, their rosy faces and shining eyes seem to be glowing.

They believe they will remember everything that happened tonight very clearly, even long afterward…

(End of this chapter)