The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 682 Return and Guide (Two-in-One Chapter)

Time: April 6, 1942, three days after the operation against Unit 731, a little after 7 a.m.

Location: Deep in the Lesser Khingan Mountains, in a valley.

In the morning breeze that already carried the scent of spring, Dai Guanglu, along with his 320-330 men, gave Hu Biao and the others a solemn military salute.

Then, the only son of the Dai family said with great excitement:

"Commander Hu, Chief of Staff An, and all officers."

We don't know when we will meet again after this farewell, but we will always remember your help and kindness.

Even if we are separated by thousands of miles in the future, if there is anything we can do to help, just send a telegram via radio.

Even if it costs me my life, I will do it to help you.

"No need for that. We will definitely drive the Japanese away within a few years. Then we will naturally have the opportunity to meet and have a good drink together."

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao and the others solemnly returned a military salute while saying the same thing.

Even though he himself knew that these words of drinking and chatting were just comforting words for the other person.

As Hu Biao and the others returned the greeting, Dai Guanglu decisively turned around, led his more than 300 men in two columns, and strode away.

The figures of Dai Guanglu and his group disappeared as soon as they stepped out of the valley.

Several old acquaintances, including Xie Laoyan, came up and gave Hu Biao a big hug before leading the 270 or 280 people behind him to salute in unison.

He said, "Commander Hu, although you are from the National Army, we have become comrades-in-arms after spending these days together, so please don't hesitate to ask if anything happens in the future."

After saying that, he decisively led his people away.

Immediately afterwards, Xie Heizi, the former leader of a bandit gang in a certain mountain stronghold and now the deputy battalion commander of a certain battalion in KL, walked up to Hu Biao and the others.

He took off the Japanese helmet from his head, scratched his scalp, and then...

He suddenly knelt down and kowtowed several times to Hu Biao and the others. Only after he finished kowtowing did he raise his head and say:

"Commander Hu and other officers, I, Xie Heizi, am not good with words, so I'll just kowtow to you a few times. Don't worry, my brothers and I will definitely fight the Japanese devils well from now on and will not disgrace you."

After Xie Heizi and his group of about 300 people left, another group of white-skinned men walked up to Hu Biao and his group.

The leader, a middle-aged Russian man named Sergei, spoke in barely understandable Chinese:
"Hu! Thank you so much! If it weren't for your rescue, heaven knows what kind of hellish torture we would have suffered at the hands of the Japanese."

When we get back, we will definitely hand over the information you gave us; let everyone know that the Japanese devils are inhuman demons who must be punished..."

That's right! All of the above scenes depicted Hu Biao parting ways with his fellow KL warriors.

To be more specific, that night a huge explosion, clearly audible to the residents of Harbin, came from the direction of Unit 731.

Anne and her group, who had been creating chaos in the city, also began to retreat immediately.

At daybreak, the two sides finally met at a pre-arranged location on the edge of the Lesser Khingan Mountains.

After eating some dry rations, the main force hurried on to safety as soon as possible, and finally stopped in this valley late that night.

After resting for a night, they asked all 2756 rescued people what their plans were.

Perhaps knowing what would have happened to them if Hu Biao and his men hadn't rescued them, these people hated the Japanese to the extreme.

They also knew that the Japanese would be relentlessly pursuing them, and that even sneaking home would result in their arrest.

Of the 2538 people from Northeast China, apart from about eighty who were really worried about their families and seemed to want to go back to visit, the rest decided to join KL to fight the Japanese.

The other two hundred or so white men, the vast majority of whom were Russian, with a small number being Dutch and British members.

They all chose to secretly return to their home country under the guidance of KL soldiers; after some twists and turns, they finally returned to their own country.

However, last night, Hu Biao and his team selected some suitable paper documents from the dozens of boxes of materials they obtained from Shijing.

They also sent several films, shot by Japanese soldiers with cameras, documenting the atrocities of experiments, back to these white men.

Given the depth of hatred these white men have for the Japanese, they will undoubtedly do everything in their power to expose the atrocities committed by the Japanese Unit 731 on the international stage.

In this way, not only will the Japanese suffer an even worse reputation, but...

It is believed that even if the Japanese were to restart the experiments conducted by Unit 731 afterward, they would be more cautious and secretive, and the scale would not be as astonishing.

In a sense, it also reduced the extent of the harm caused by the Japanese in this regard.

After 2538 fellow villagers joined at once, excluding KL soldiers in other areas who were unable to make contact, the number of troops in Northeast KL reached more than 3200.

Compared to the same period in history, when the total number of troops was only about 700, this is a five-fold increase.

The growth in strength that Northeast KL has achieved this time is not just in terms of the number of people, but also in many other aspects that are gratifying.

On the one hand, there is the aspect of equipment.

After almost completely emptying an armory and a special train of munitions belonging to the Japanese, Hu Biao and his men kept only a small amount of weapons and equipment, leaving most of them to the soldiers of KL.

The equipment of the KL warriors is now even better than that of the elite Kwantung Army.

The soldiers of KL were equipped with the Type 38 rifle, the Type 96 light machine gun, the Type 92 heavy machine gun, grenade launchers, and the Type 92 infantry gun.

In addition, these KL soldiers were also equipped with many Czech-made light machine guns and 30-section Maxim heavy machine guns left over from the Northeast Army.

In addition to 60mm and 81mm mortars, there are as many as 21 mortars in total.

In terms of light firepower, KL is now even stronger than the Kwantung Army.

In fact, KL's heavy firepower was still far superior to that of the Kwantung Army's equivalent forces.

With so many artillery pieces and tanks, Hu Biao and his men, numbering only thirty-odd, could hardly possibly use them all in a modern-day island nation operation.

The storage space equipment like the vegetable basket has a limited lifespan and cannot be carried over to the next time travel.

To avoid the regrettable waste of having to throw it into the sea later.

After careful consideration, for the sake of the island nation's operations, they ultimately left behind only one Type 97 medium tank, one 300mm heavy gun, and one 150mm heavy gun.

The remaining tanks, artillery, ammunition, and some fuel were all left to the KL soldiers.

Even after KL's strength has increased significantly, it is still unable to confront the Japanese head-on, and guerrilla warfare will remain the main strategy for the next two or three years.

It's simply impossible to move around with these cumbersome tanks and cannons.

So these bulky pieces of equipment are currently hidden deep in the valley, covered with a thick layer of butter, and will be brought out for use when the time is right.

On the other hand, in terms of the overall environment, improvements and changes in this aspect are even more useful to KL than improvements in equipment.

You should know this! Even in the past.

The Japanese did everything in their power to block news from outside the Great Wall and spread rumors that China was about to be completely destroyed.

More than 30 million compatriots in Northeast China never gave up resisting the Japanese invaders during the most difficult and desperate period.

It was only because of the overwhelming despair that the number of people who actually dared to resist was small.

But when Hu Biao and his comrades appeared, and successively taught the Japanese and the traitors of the puppet state of Manchukuo a lesson in Jiamusi, Changchun and the 731 Unit.

Then they successfully slipped away. The Japanese and the puppet Manchukuo regime mobilized more than 200,000 troops, but they couldn't find a single hair on Hu Biao's head. During this process, the people of Northeast China saw many things.

For example, the Japanese soldiers and their puppet troops were not as powerful as they imagined.

The 400 million compatriots inside the Great Wall have not forgotten them over the years; they were not fighting alone.

Stimulated by the above, various forms of resistance erupted like mushrooms after rain, leaving the Japanese and the puppet state of Manchukuo somewhat exhausted.

This not only reduces the pressure on KL warriors, but also allows them to receive more support and assistance.

In summary, the situation for the KL comrades, who were almost on the verge of collapse during this most difficult year, has improved dramatically...

*****
That said! With over 3000 people gathered together, the amount of food they need each day is terrifying. Hunting and gathering in the old forest might be manageable for a day or two.

If left unchecked, even if the old forests of Northeast China are rich in resources in spring, they can wipe out all the surrounding prey and wild vegetables in just a few days.

Based on this consideration, we have the KL warriors we have today.

Groups of two to three hundred men, each carrying a radio captured from the Japanese, split up and headed to different areas of Northeast China to begin subsequent guerrilla warfare operations.

And the scene of solemnly saying goodbye to Hu Biao and the others before leaving.

Around 7:30, only Hu Biao and the other transmigrators remained in the vast valley, along with more than two hundred soldiers who would be conducting guerrilla warfare in the vicinity and therefore did not need to leave.

He let out a long sigh, wondering if he would ever be able to travel to Northeast China again in his future travels.

Even if they could come back again, they didn't know how many of their old friends would still be alive. They forcibly suppressed their complicated feelings on the spot.

Hu Biao addressed the other surviving transmigrators, whose expressions were also somewhat complicated:
"Let's go! It's time for us to leave and return to the modern world."

Upon hearing this, no one said much. They picked up some luggage and equipment and prepared to leave towards the entrance of the valley.

The main thing is that just half an hour ago, a familiar synthesized female voice suddenly rang in their minds:
"Attention all time travelers, your time travel journey will end in two hours, at which time you will be directly teleported back to the modern world."

To avoid any trouble, please find some remote places where there are no people who have traveled through the world beforehand, and wait patiently for your return.

Friendly reminder: It's best if your return isn't seen by others.

So they need to leave here quickly and find a safe place to wait for their return.

To avoid the situation where they disappear in a flash, which could cause trouble and speculation if seen by the KL warriors.

Just as they were about to set off, a man...

That is, the one who knelt down in front of Dali in a prison cell of Unit 731 and asked if he had seen his pregnant wife.

With a look of ecstatic joy on his face, he rushed to Hu Biao and the others.

He stammered, "She gave birth! My wife gave birth to a big, healthy boy weighing seven pounds and three ounces."

"Commander Hu and all officers, my wife asked me to come and thank you properly. Also, if possible, it would be even better if you could help us name our eldest son."

As he spoke, the man was about to kneel down, seemingly to express his gratitude by kowtowing to Hu Biao and the others several times.

Just as the man was about to kneel down, Hu Biao stopped him, saying, "We are all compatriots, how can we stand by and watch someone die?"

No need to kowtow, otherwise I'll forget about naming your eldest son.

Upon hearing this, the man abandoned his plan to force himself to kneel down and kowtow several times; with a look of surprise, he waited for Hu Biao and the others to name him.

"By the way! What's your surname?" Hu Biao asked first.

The man, whose name hadn't even been mentioned before, quickly answered Hu Biao and the others: "My name is Xie Qingshan, my wife's name is Zhou Ya, and the child can take my wife's surname."

After stroking his chin and pondering for about a minute, Hu Biao spoke to Xie Qingshan:
"Great virtue is vast and profound, and profound virtue is like the earth."

I hope your eldest son will grow up to be a broad-minded and virtuous person; so what do you think of the name Xie Guangkun?

"Xie Guangkun, Xie Guangkun." This name was repeated several times by Xie Qingshan.

His expression grew even more joyful, and he slapped his thigh hard before excitedly shouting, "This name is great! Commander Hu is truly a master. From now on, our eldest son will be called Xie Guangkun."

Although Annie felt a strange sense of familiarity and unease about Hu Biao's statements.

However, seeing that Xie Qingshan, the father, did not object and was even extremely satisfied, he suppressed any further thoughts of complaint.

He reached into his pocket as a cover, but in reality, on a whim, he released a jade pendant that could be considered a trophy.

He shoved it into Xie Qingshan's hand, saying:
"It seems we have quite a connection with your Xie Guangkun, so please take this; consider it a small gift from us to the child..."

Afterwards, without mentioning Xie Qingshan's profuse thanks, he finally accepted the jade pendant.

After this little incident, Hu Biao and the others left the valley directly.

Despite the fact that the KL warriors who left in different directions numbered in the thousands, they quickly disappeared after dispersing into the dense forests of the Lesser Khingan Mountains.

An hour later, Hu Biao and his men found a deserted pine forest.

Stop and find a place to sit down.

Since they were all seasoned veterans who had experienced this situation at least once before, no one was in the mood for idle chatter and they quietly waited for the return time to arrive.

Anne, who had been deep in thought the whole way, seemed to have finally figured something out.

He slapped his forehead, leaned closer to Hu Biao, and muttered under his breath, somewhat amused and exasperated, "Boss Hu! You're a real dog."

I said, "Isn't Xie Guangkun's name so familiar? Isn't that the name of the character played by Nicholas Zhao Si in 'Country Love'?"

Besides, is "Daxing Deguang" also an advertising slogan of a major bank?
"You can actually come up with something like this? Does the Hu family have a family tradition of bamboo weaving? Otherwise, how could you be so good at making things up?"

"You've been to Old Hu's house before, and you've often seen him carrying a big bowl around the village while eating. Don't you know if he's a family heirloom bamboo weaver?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao also made a comment.

Then, with a rather smug expression, he continued speaking:
“I admit that I didn’t put much thought into choosing the name Xie Guangkun; but I put a lot of thought into choosing the names of our son and daughter.”

"What are their names! Tell us quickly."

Upon hearing this, Annie immediately perked up and eagerly pressed Hu Biao for answers, completely forgetting about Xie Guangkun's name.

Hu Biao: "Our son will be named Hu Anqi, which means that he is a unicorn born from the union of Lao Hu and Lao Anjia."

Their daughter is named Hu Anqi, meaning the little angel born from the union of Lao Hu and Lao Anjia.

However, Hu Biao underestimated Annie. Sometimes her thought process was astonishing. After pausing for two seconds, she suddenly blurted out:
“They are called Hu Anqi and Hu Anqi, and I am called Hu Anshi. Aren’t we now of the same generation?”

Faced with Annie's astonishing thought process, Hu Biao was momentarily at a loss for words.

Fortunately, at this moment, after the mysterious entity upgraded once again, that cold, emotionless, electronically synthesized female voice rang in Hu Biao and the others' heads once more:
"Congratulations, fellow time travelers, your journey is about to come to an end."

Except for the newcomer Bao'er, all participants experienced a comprehensive improvement in their physical abilities during this transmigration.

After this upgrade, Hu Biao has upgraded his physical fitness a total of nine times, while Annie, AT, Uncle Bo, Dali, and others have upgraded a total of eight times.

Newcomers such as Awei, Hanshuang, Yutou, Dongzi, Tony, and Xiaobai have been promoted once in total.

No matter, as long as they participate in another time travel, these newcomers can become awesome from now on.

In addition, there are some bonus rewards. First, in addition to the reward for improved physical fitness, Hu Biao will receive an extra reward of mastering Northeastern cuisine.

Secondly, the additional rewards for the Chinese family in the modern world 83 years later have been determined and will be distributed subsequently.

Please note that the above number of times physical attributes have improved only represents the number of times and data that the transmigrator has improved, and does not represent the individual's final strength.

An individual's ultimate strength must also include their physical attributes, individual combat skills, and so on.

After the electronic sounds completely ended, the surviving transmigrators discovered that their bodies were slowly turning into countless specks of light.

The process of returning to the modern world has already begun.

During this process, Hu Biao focused his mind on the award he had just received for his Northeastern cuisine.

After all, his girlfriend and future father-in-law and mother-in-law are all from Northeast China, but he only knows a very limited amount of Northeast cuisine, only a few dishes.

Now is a good time to learn about the classic dishes of Northeastern Chinese cuisine.

In an instant, Hu Biao's expression became incredibly interesting, because among the ingredients for many of the main dishes, he saw bear paws, red-crowned cranes, Siberian tigers, sika deer, and wild geese.

Good heavens! Every single one of them is at least a Class II protected animal.

So the system didn't reward him with a master-level guide to Northeastern cuisine; it was more like a guide on how to get into jail and work the sewing machine until it's smoking...

(End of this chapter)