The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 535 Borrowing a Gun (Two Chapters Combined)

Time: A little after 9 p.m. on September 8, 9.

Location: Li Mansion, No. 9 Taojiang Road, Guilin.

Hu Biao, dressed in a long gown, wearing a top hat, and holding a walking stick, looking every bit the businessman, threw away the stick and picked up a hot towel to wipe his cheeks, neck, and hands.

After wiping, I found that the originally white towel had unknowingly turned black and yellow, and the basin of water had turned into a muddy soup.

Amidst the mix of amusement and exasperation, my understanding of the terrible traffic situation these days has become clearer.

Speaking of which! During the time he was in the modern world, before he was laid down, he frequently traveled between Xinning and Guilin.

It is clear that traveling between the two places is extremely easy.

If you take the highway, it won't take more than two hours without speeding; even if you take provincial roads, winding through picturesque mountain scenery, it will only take three and a half hours at most.

But in this year? From setting off early yesterday morning until now, a total of 39 hours have passed.

He and his guard squad, including all meal and rest time, only used less than 8 hours in total; the rest of the time was spent constantly traveling.

They were still riding two horses, and could change horses frequently, and only entered Guilin City an hour ago.

Then, covered in dust, he went straight to the mansion of Li, the commander of the Guangxi clique, secretly introduced himself and asked to see him. He was invited to wait in the living room.

By this point, even with Hu Biao's formidable physique, he felt noticeably fatigued.

Not to mention the guards waiting outside, and those poor horses, they're practically exhausted.

As for the practice of having someone bring a large basin of warm water and a clean towel to the Li Mansion as soon as one sits down, it is actually a very ordinary thing.

These days, most roads are dirt roads. When visiting relatives and friends, if you walk a little further, you'll be covered in dust from head to toe.

Upon arrival, the host will often immediately bring out a basin of hot water and towels for the guests to wash up; this is the origin of the phrase "washing away the dust" in the old saying "welcoming guests and washing away the dust."

After washing the dust off his face and head, Hu Biao's previously listless spirits lifted.

After drinking a few sips of hot tea, a lieutenant colonel adjutant appeared and said with unusual politeness, "Commander Hu! Commander Li invites you to his study for a chat."

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao stood up straight, his back as straight as a rifle, his eyes gleaming with sharp light, showing no trace of fatigue.

The reason for this was his conversation with Commander Li, which concerned whether the five thousand men he had gathered in his hometown of Xinning could obtain enough weapons and ammunition.

It also relates to whether the second Battle of C-Sha can have a better outcome.

Because this place was the only route the Guangxi clique could take in the limited time available; for Hu Biao, he had to be extremely vigilant...

Five minutes later, he looked at the young man in front of him, who was drinking tea and chatting with him without the slightest bit of embarrassment or restraint.

Although Li Delin outwardly maintained the appearance of a kind and benevolent elder, his inner emotions were anything but calm.

It's quite like the Yangtze River where the new generation surpasses the old, and the old generation is left stranded on the beach.

There was no other way! He remembered that the last time he saw Hu Biao was more than three years ago in Taierzhuang.

At that time, he was already the commander of the Fifth War Zone, one of the three giants of the Guangxi Clique, and a figure that even the bald-headed principal was quite wary of.

Although Hu Biao is somewhat famous, he has also demonstrated considerable military capabilities.

But these empty titles meant nothing to him. The key reason he recruited him was simply because he was interested in the enormous profits represented by the miraculous drug penicillin that the man possessed.

However, more than three years later, he was still the commander of the Fifth War Zone.

However, the area that the Fifth War Zone could control had shrunk considerably under the Japanese attack; and the Guangxi Clique had lost its former strength due to repeated losses.

In comparison, Hu Biao changes every year.

The most crucial point was at the end of last year.

In order to rescue their commander Hu, the guerrilla area in northwestern Shanxi mobilized 80,000 troops and fought a fierce battle with the Japanese.

It directly demonstrated that its combat capability was no weaker than that of the elite troops of the Central Army, and even surpassed that of the three main divisions.

Therefore, it's understandable that Li Delin, who is now 50 years old, would have mixed feelings looking at Hu Biao, who is almost half his age...

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two continued their conversation.

At this point, Hu Biao was too lazy to engage in any more cryptic probing or petty scheming with this seasoned veteran.

He still has a lot of tricks up his sleeve!

If Li Delin, a prominent figure in the Republic of China era, was at the level of a college student when it came to scheming, then I was merely a primary school student.

The two are not even in the same league; it's best not to embarrass themselves.

His expression immediately turned serious, and he cut to the chase:

"Commander Li, I've come here today with a thick skin, seeking your help. I've just started a supply regiment back in my hometown of Xinning and I'd like to ask you for a batch of weapons and ammunition."

Upon hearing this, Li Delin, who had been all smiles and had the air of an elder just a moment ago, turned cold.

The adjutant standing nearby could even sense a murderous intent.

The main reason is that the bigwigs of the Guangxi clique could not accept Hu Biao, a scourge who recruited soldiers in his Guangxi province and eventually turned it into a guerrilla area in northwestern Shanxi, which was a major threat to Yan Xishan.

It's also not feasible to develop in a place like Xinning.

Because Xinning is located right next to several counties in Guilin, it would be a huge threat if it grew too large.

You should know that since the Battle of Guinan, the people and soldiers of Guangxi Province now regard Hu Biao and his comrades as their own.

The Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment under his command was also regarded as one of his own.

Fortunately, Hu Biao's subsequent explanation put his mind at ease:
"Commander Li, please rest assured, I have absolutely no intention of developing in my hometown in the future. I have hastily gathered a small force, but I am not optimistic about the large-scale offensive by the Japanese 11th Army."

They just wanted to pull out an army to do something at a crucial moment; they'd leave naturally after the battle was over.

Upon hearing this, Li Delin immediately stood up, called his adjutant, and together they spread out a map on the desk and began to study it seriously.

Given his status and position, he naturally knew more about the battle situation.

For example, the Japanese 11th Army has been moving a large number of troops quite frequently recently. Yesterday, the 6th Division launched a fierce attack on the Dayunshan defense line held by the National Army's 4th Army.

According to the latest news, the Dayunshan defense line has been breached and occupied by the Japanese.

Even so, it is said that Commander Xue Boling of the 9th War Zone judged that the Japanese only wanted to seize the newly harvested autumn grain.

However, according to Hu Biao, the situation seems to be completely different.

After some thought, he asked Hu Biao, "Is the Japanese's goal this time to take down C Sand City?"

Hu Biao shook his head, but his answer was no better: "No, their goal is to severely weaken the strength of the 9th War Zone."

"By the way! Commander Li, please also be aware that the Japanese Special Higher Police now have the capability to intercept and decipher our military telegrams. Keep that in mind from now on."

Upon hearing this statement, Li Delin couldn't help but gasp.

He had a vague feeling that Xue Boling and his 9th War Zone were likely to suffer a great loss this time, and even the core force of the 74th Army might suffer heavy losses.

He immediately made up his mind to agree to Hu Biao's request for help.

As for why not advise Hu Biao to report the above analysis to Principal Baldy and Xue Boling of the 9th War Zone, and remind them to be more careful?
It can only be said that he had an extremely thorough understanding of Xue Boling's personality traits and the National Government's impenetrable secrecy.

Don't be fooled by Hu Biao's somewhat naive act of hastily assembling a unit and then planning to do something.

Ironically, given his previous illustrious record, he seems to be the best choice.

After all, he believed that Hu Biao, in a sense, belonged to the same kind of people as him: those who wanted to control everything themselves, rather than relying on their allies.

Afterwards, Li Delin rummaged through his desk and found a document detailing the latest arms inventory and troop statistics for the Guilin area. He quickly glanced at it and then spoke to Hu Biao:

"Jiansheng promised you during the Battle of Guinan that my Gui clique would owe you, Hu Yitong, a favor; I am of the same ilk as Jiansheng, and will naturally honor that promise."

Now that you've spoken up, I'm sure I won't let you down.

Alright then! Last month, the Ordnance Department just received a batch of brand-new equipment, including 500 Type 24 rifles, 1000 Type 52 rifles, 6 heavy machine guns, 25 light machine guns, 300,000 rounds of ammunition, and 8,000 hand grenades.

I've already decided on these weapons and ammunition; I'm transferring them all to you now, as a way of repaying that favor.

The above number of weapons is enough to completely arm a regiment from scratch, and it is a reinforced regiment with at least 2500 people.

After all, even the bald-headed Central Army soldiers didn't all have guns.

Many of the logistics and civilian personnel in the team are not armed.

In short, Li Delin's expression remained relatively normal after saying the above; mainly because, with his experience, he naturally knew that since he was already doing a favor, he should go all the way and not be stingy, which would be a bad thing.

From then on, Hu Biao ended up owing him a favor.

He also believed that by bringing out so many weapons and ammunition at once, and after the news spread, everyone would probably say: "He is so generous and magnanimous."

The adjutant beside him, however, looked rather dumbfounded.

On the day of the Battle of Taierzhuang, his Commander Li only provided the Sichuan Army with 500 new guns; Wang Mingzhang was so moved that he repaid this kindness by defending Tengxian to the death.

Unexpectedly, Hu Biao frowned and said:

"Hu Biao thanks Commander Li in advance, but this quantity is not enough. The firearms barely meet half of the needs, and the bullets, due to the need for training, can only meet one-third at most."

"Commander Hu, how many people have you recruited?" Even though he knew that it was best for a nobody like him to keep quiet at this time, the adjutant couldn't help but ask.

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao said in a nonchalant tone:
"It's just a supplementary regiment attached to the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment. How many people could there be? A little over 5000 in total."

Upon hearing this, not only was the adjutant speechless, but even Li Delin felt a sharp toothache.

Holy crap! A reinforcement group of just over 5000 people, what was this guy thinking?

Currently, many miscellaneous military units have a division with fewer than 5000 soldiers.

Fortunately, Hu Biao took the initiative to speak up, breaking the awkward silence: "Commander Li, I have a suggestion, do you think it's okay?"

Also, please allocate me 300 submachine guns, 300 Mauser pistols, 1200 rifles, 4 heavy machine guns, and 20 light machine guns.

The total number of bullets is 50, and the amount of explosives is no less than three tons.

As for the reward! Although I still have a lot of penicillin and other drugs on hand, the Ninth War Zone is about to start a major battle, and we urgently need medicines.

So, I can only give you 50,000 doses of penicillin right now. Consider the rest as a loan from me, Hu Biao.

"I'll lend you a gun this time, and in the future I'll return at least three better guns, how about that?"

Faced with Hu Biao's statement, the adjutant almost blurted out a rebuttal: "What good are you thinking? I'm afraid Liu Bei borrowed Jingzhou and will never return it."

Even if I force myself to hold back, I'm prepared to wait and see how I make a fool of myself.

He planned to watch as his superior, Li, rejected Hu Biao's outlandish suggestion, and perhaps even reprimand him.

However, Commander Li's answer far exceeded his expectations: "Since you've already spoken about unification, how can there be any question of it being impossible?"

Even if the armory doesn't have enough stock, I'll get you the rest from the military first.

There's no need to talk about lending or not lending; just take it and use it.

In the future, if you have any spare weapons or equipment, please don't forget me, Li Delin, and the brothers of our Guangxi clique.

If you have any other requests, just say so. I certainly won't let you ask for nothing if I can fulfill them.

Not to mention the adjutant who was serving tea and water to the two of them, who had a look of utter disbelief on his face.

Hu Biao naturally knew why Li Delin was so easy to talk to; it was because he knew Li Delin's ability to exchange advanced technology for a large number of weapons and equipment from the foreigners.

This can be seen as acknowledging his abilities and making a sale in advance, hoping for even greater returns in the future.

In this situation, to put it in a modern context: when you are powerful enough, everyone around you will be full of goodwill.

Therefore, Hu Biao didn't hold back and actually made even more demands:

"There are indeed a few things that I need to trouble Commander Li with."

First, please keep our conversation today, as well as my presence in my hometown of Xinning and the fact that I have raised an army, strictly confidential.

Our regiment's strength and combat effectiveness are limited; we can only catch the Japanese off guard by surprise.

If the Japanese had anticipated this, then all our efforts would have been in vain.

Secondly, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by Commander Li, but the men under my command are waiting for these weapons for training; so please help transport them, and keep it a secret along the way.”

He had already agreed to lend weapons, so why wouldn't he hesitate to agree to transport them over 200 kilometers?

"It's no big deal, I'll arrange it tonight."

Tomorrow morning, once you've unified the map, you can set off with your equipment.

Having finally dealt with Hu Biao, who was facing the biggest challenge, Hu Biao was relieved of his biggest worry. Overwhelmed by the fatigue from the continuous journey, he wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed and sleep.

Even so, he still mustered his spirits and accompanied Commander Li for a meal.

I now have a clearer understanding of the point that 'the martial arts world is not just about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions'...

The next day, after eating a bowl of Guilin rice noodles that seemed even more delicious and authentic than it had been over eighty years ago.

Hu Biao then joined the convoy and began the return journey.

To be honest, people like Li Delin, bigwigs from the Republic of China era, were incredibly pleasant to be around, both in their words and actions, as long as they were willing to befriend you.

Not only did all the weapons, equipment, and ammunition arrive overnight, but they were all in place at once.

Some of the weapons were even urgently transferred from the active-duty troops of the Guangxi Army. These firearms were not only in good condition (70-80% new), but also showed signs of recent maintenance.

What delighted Hu Biao even more was that Li Delin also arranged a convoy of vehicles, which was extremely rare these days, to help with the transportation.

Even though Lao Ka's truck had too little power, when it was loaded with two tons of equipment, it was as slow as an ox when climbing the mountain, and Hu Biao and others even had to get out and push the truck from time to time.

However, just a few minutes before 3 p.m. that afternoon, the convoy still arrived in Ziyuan County.

Once they arrived at this point, the convoy was unable to proceed because there was no wide enough dirt road.

Fortunately, the county government had received the news in advance and had organized a large number of wooden boats and rafts to wait on the banks of the Zi River, which flows through the city.

When the Zi River enters Xinning County, it changes its name to "Fuyi River," but the two are essentially the same river.

So what happened that night was something that the people living along both banks of the river would tell their descendants for many years to come:

Oh my! On that day, many boats and rafts on the river stretched as far as the eye could see; they carried pine resin torches, and it looked as if the Milky Way had fallen into the river. It was a beautiful sight.

Many days later, we learned that it was Commander Hu who was transporting guns and cannons.

If we had known earlier, we would have gone to help.

Finally, after a long 32-hour journey downstream, during which they overcame the difficulties of 36 beaches and 33 bends, they finally made it.

The fleet appeared in the military camp on Liushan Sandbar, in the sight of Chen Tang, Huang Yizhi and others.

In their sight, that damn guy was covered in mud, but his expression was inexplicably radiant...

(End of this chapter)