Courtyard House: Home Alone

Upon hearing this, Kong Jie's playful expression vanished. He stood up and gave Lin Yifan a solemn military salute: "On behalf of all the soldiers of the North China Military Region, and on behalf of all the people of North China, I thank you and 'Ghost' for your trust."

"Don't worry, as long as I, Kong Jie, am here, I will keep a close eye on these factories, make sure the machines are running and the shells are produced, and I won't let you waste your time."

Lin Yifan quickly reached out to support his arm, waving his hand with a smile: "There's no need for this between us. Our goals are the same: to drive the Japanese out of China and let the people live a peaceful life."

Just then, the sound of a communications officer's footsteps came from outside the door. The officer then pushed the door open and came in, holding a telegram he had just received. He reported to Kong Jie, "Deputy Commander, the armored battalion blocking the south has sent a telegram."

The two Japanese battalions have been surrounded by us in the Langyuan area. The armored battalion has cut off their retreat to the south. Now we are just waiting for the follow-up infantry to encircle them. We should be able to finish them off by noon at the latest.

News also came from the city that the last group of Japanese soldiers had been wiped out, and the entire city of Tianjin had been captured!

After listening, Kong Jie snatched the telegram, read it, and couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Good! Good! Well done! Tell the comrades at the front to rest well after cleaning up the battlefield. I'll treat them to extra meat and vegetables tonight to celebrate our capture of Tianjin!"

The communications officer responded and turned to leave to relay the order. Only then did Kong Jie turn to Lin Yifan and say, "Look, in just half a day, Tianjin has been completely taken over. If this had happened before, we might not have been able to take it over even after besieging Tianjin for half a month. Your tanks and artillery are really useful!"

Tomorrow morning, we will advance towards Dezhou. Dezhou has lost two battalions, and now the remaining defenders probably can't even muster one battalion. We can take it down in one fell swoop.

After that, as long as we hold onto a few Yellow River crossings and railway bridges, we can focus on dealing with Shicheng. Once we take Shicheng, we will have opened up the land route between North China and Shanxi.

"At that time, the pressure on the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi will be greatly reduced, and we will be able to allocate more troops to advance into the Northeast."

Lin Yifan nodded and pointed to the contents of the telegram, saying, "You acted quickly, so the Japanese didn't have time to react. Take advantage of the fact that their reinforcements haven't arrived yet, and open up the transportation lines in one go. By the time the Japanese realize what's happening, most of North China will already be in your hands."

By the way, what's the situation at Dongjuzi Airport right now?

Upon hearing this, Kong Jie immediately stopped smiling: "Those despicable Japanese devils, before launching the general offensive against the Japanese in Tianjin, I had already divided a tank battalion and two infantry battalions to directly attack Dongjuzi Airport."

But when my three battalions arrived, all they found at the airfield were three transport planes and three reconnaissance planes; not a single fighter jet or bomber.

Lin Yifan looked at Kong Jie, who was so angry that he was blowing his beard and glaring at him, and found it amusing. He said with a smile, "Alright, alright, why are you so angry? It's not that you're stupid. It's normal that there are no planes at this airport."

"Ah...! It's normal that there are no planes at the airport. I don't understand." Kong Jie looked at Lin Yifan with a puzzled expression.

Lin Yifan continued, "Do you know how many Japanese planes 'Ghost' stole in Beijing and Tianjin? These Japanese planes were parked at the airports in Beijing and Tianjin, which is tantamount to sending planes into 'Ghost's' pocket!"

I reckon these few planes were left behind by the Japanese to transport wounded soldiers and important supplies. They just happened to run into us, so it wasn't a wasted trip.

If you feel it's a pity, once we take over Fengtian Airport and Xinjing Airport, there will definitely be a lot of Japanese warplanes parked there. At that time, we will take over the planes and facilities together. Isn't that better than these few scattered planes?

Besides, the runway and hangar were saved for us. Our own aircraft will need them for coastal defense later, which will save us the trouble of finding a new location to build them.

Kong Jie slapped his forehead and suddenly realized, "Oh! So that's how it is. I was wondering why there weren't many planes left at the Japanese airports in Beijing and Tianjin. It turns out that the 'Ghosts' had already taken over all of them."

So, does that mean we got a ready-made nest at Dongjuzi Airport, but didn't get any eggs? No worries, having a usable airport is good enough. It'll give our own planes a place to land when they come later.

After saying that, he slapped his thigh and said, "Look at my memory! I was so busy talking about the battle situation that I forgot to tell you that we also raided the airport's oil depot and warehouse. We found nearly a thousand barrels of aviation gasoline, as well as a lot of remaining aerial bombs, which are all piled up in the hangar. They'll be just enough for the planes coming from the base."

Lin Yifan smiled and nodded: "Alright, I'm not going to chat with you anymore. I have to go back to Beiping. There are still a lot of things waiting for me at home!" After saying that, he turned around and left the temporary command post.

Kong Jie watched Lin Yifan's retreating figure and muttered to himself: "Thank goodness he's not our enemy, otherwise..."

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of a car engine starting up came from outside the courtyard. A few seconds later, the car drove away along the bumpy street, leaving only a cloud of dust that slowly settled.

Kong Jie suppressed his emotions, turned around, picked up the hat on the table, put it on his head, and hurried out to check the city's defenses and the collection of supplies, waiting for the army to set off for Dezhou early the next morning.

Lin Yifan drove towards Beiping. He was already twelve years old and had grown quite a bit taller. He no longer needed to put something under his bottom while driving, unlike the previous two years.

He looked at the traces of battle along the way. Destroyed Japanese armored vehicles and cars were everywhere. The dirt roads still bore clear tank tracks. Many weapons and equipment abandoned by the Japanese were scattered along the roadside. Soldiers cleaning up the battlefield were carrying the captured guns and transporting them to the rear in teams.

Lin Yifan slowed down the car and looked through the window at the soldiers working on the roadside. Everyone had a look of joy on their faces after winning the battle, and even though their faces were covered in dust, their spirit could not be hidden.

He gently turned the steering wheel to avoid the craters on the road, thinking to himself that the New Year was just around the corner. The last time he saw his sister was during the New Year last year. Another year had passed in the blink of an eye, and he wondered if Yu'an even recognized him as her brother.

Thinking of his clingy younger sister, Lin Yifan's lips curled up, and as he thought about it, he pressed the accelerator even harder.

Back in Beiping, Lin Yifan had just parked his car in front of the east courtyard when the gate opened. Xia Yan opened it, and upon seeing that it was indeed him, she turned around and called out, "Sister Wenxiu, I'm back!"

Then she ran to Lin Yifan, who had just gotten out of the car, grabbed his arm, and shook it: "Young master, did you bring us any good stuff this time?"

Lin Yifan smiled and ruffled her hair: "Just remember to ask for the things. I'm going to Tianjin on business this time and I'm in a hurry. I'll make it up to you when I get back from Chongqing."

"What? You're going to Chongqing for the New Year this year?" Xia Yan's delicate face showed a hint of surprise.