Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

The next morning.

Zhou Tianyang stood in the courtyard of the regimental headquarters.

Thirty soldiers stood before him.

These are the thirty soldiers in the guard platoon; they are all highly skilled.

Zhou Tianyang's gaze slowly swept across the faces of the thirty people before he spoke.

"Comrades, I've called you here today because I have a mission for you."

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it clearly.

"This mission doesn't require you to charge into battle or take down the Japanese pillboxes."

"Your task is to escort someone safely to Shanghai."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Several soldiers exchanged glances, but none of them spoke.

Shanghai, that's Japanese territory.

It's at least a thousand miles away from here.

The route involved passing through several blockade lines and crossing several Japanese-occupied territories.

The difficulty of this task is no less than that of fighting a tough battle.

Zhou Tianyang's gaze continued to move across those faces, taking in everyone's reactions.

"Your guard platoon has been with me for so long, and we've fought in all sorts of battles."

"This mission doesn't require bravery, it requires meticulousness."

"Once you're on the road, don't say what you shouldn't say, don't look at what you shouldn't look at, and don't ask what you shouldn't ask."

"I will follow orders at all times. I will go when I say go, and I will stop when I say stop."

"Is it possible?"

"able!"

Thirty people answered in unison.

Zhou Tianyang nodded and then looked at the person standing at the front of the line.

Ma Yong.

The platoon leader of the guard platoon.

His old subordinates had followed him since the Long March.

They are skilled, quick-witted, and adaptable to unexpected situations.

"Ma Yong, you lead the team."

"yes!"

Ma Yong took a step forward and stood at attention.

"Check your equipment one last time before you set off."

"Each person has a pistol and a dagger."

"Also, bring dry food and a water bottle, and travel light."

"yes!"

Zhou Tianyang waved his hand.

"Go and get ready."

The thirty soldiers dispersed swiftly and decisively, without any hesitation.

Zhou Tianyang was the only one left in the courtyard.

He stood there, silent for a moment, then turned and went back into the house.

.........

It was a little after 2 p.m.

The sound of horses' hooves came from the village entrance.

As Zhou Tianyang walked out of the regimental headquarters, he saw two people riding horses along the mountain road in the distance.

He knew the one walking in front.

It was Staff Officer Zhao from headquarters; I'd met him twice before.

The person following behind was wearing a long gown and an old top hat.

He looks like a small business owner.

Staff Officer Zhao dismounted, handed the reins to the approaching sentry, and quickly walked up to Zhou Tianyang, giving him a salute.

"Commander Zhou, the person has been delivered."

He turned to the side and pointed to the person behind him who was unsteadily flipping off the horse.

"This is Comrade Liu Ping."

Zhou Tianyang took two steps forward and his gaze fell on the man.

Liu Ping looked to be in his early forties and was thin.

He took off his hat, revealing short hair, and nodded to Zhou Tianyang.

"Commander Zhou, you've worked hard."

Zhou Tianyang reached out and grasped his hand.

"Comrade Liu Ping, you must be tired from your journey. Let's go into the village first before we talk."

Liu Ping nodded and followed Zhou Tianyang into the village.

Staff Officer Zhao did not follow them in; he stood at the village entrance and waved to Zhou Tianyang.

"Commander Zhou, I'm handing the man over to you. I have to rush back to report."

"We're still waiting for a reply from headquarters."

Zhou Tianyang turned around and nodded at him.

"Officer Zhao, thank you for your hard work."

Staff Officer Zhao smiled, mounted his horse, turned it around, and rode off along the route he had come from.

The sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance on the mountain road, and soon could not be heard at all.

Zhou Tianyang withdrew his gaze and led Liu Ping into the village.

In the courtyard of the regimental headquarters, Brigade Commander Chen was already sitting on a stone bench waiting.

Seeing the two men walk in, he stood up and extended his hand to Liu Ping.

"Comrade Liu Ping, your journey must have been tough, right?"

Liu Ping grasped his hand, a smile appearing on his face.

"Commander Chen, it went relatively smoothly; we didn't encounter any major problems along the way."

"That's good."

Brigade Commander Chen released his grip and pointed to the stone bench.

"Sit down and talk."

The three sat down at the stone table, and Zhou Tianyang poured a bowl of water for each of them.

Liu Ping picked up the bowl, took two sips, put it down, and let out a long sigh of relief.

His gaze swept around the courtyard before settling back on Zhou Tianyang.

"Commander Zhou, I'm sure Brigade Commander Chen has already explained the details of this mission to you."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

"I understand the general situation."

"However, the specific route and details still need to be discussed and decided together this afternoon."

Liu Ping nodded, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and spread it out on the table.

It was a simple hand-drawn map with somewhat rough lines.

But the key locations are clearly marked.

Starting from southeastern Shanxi, passing through southern Hebei.

After passing through Shandong, it travels south along the Jinpu Railway and finally enters Shanghai.

The terrain and towns along the route were marked with a pencil.

It is immediately clear which areas were Japanese-occupied, which were Nationalist-controlled, and which were areas where the two sides were locked in a stalemate.

Zhou Tianyang's gaze slowly moved across the map.

His finger traced the route from north to south.

"Comrade Liu Ping, was this route chosen by headquarters?"

"Yes."

Liu Ping nodded, his tone calm.

"After analysis, the headquarters staff concluded that this route is currently the safest option."

"Although we had to pass through several Japanese blockades along the way, the risks were manageable if we made proper arrangements."

Zhou Tianyang did not rush to express his opinion.

His gaze lingered for a few seconds on the locations marked as Japanese strongholds.

Then he asked a question.

"How do we get through Jinan?"

Liu Ping's gaze followed Zhou Tianyang's finger to the location of Jinan, and he remained silent for a moment.

"Jinan was a Japanese-occupied area with a large garrison and strict checks."

"But here is one of our transportation hubs."

"Once we arrive in Jinan, someone will meet us and arrange for us to pass through the lockdown area."

Zhou Tianyang nodded and then asked.

"What about this section of the Jinpu Railway?"

"The checks on trains are very strict, so I don't plan to take the train."

"After leaving Jinan, we took the rural roads in southwestern Shandong, bypassing the major towns."

"This stretch of road is quite long, but its advantage lies in the fact that it is all flat land along the way, with a wide field of vision, making it less likely to be ambushed."

Zhou Tianyang moved his finger slightly south again.

"What if we get to the vicinity of Nanjing?"

"Nanjing was one of the main headquarters of the Japanese army, and the troop density was much higher than that of Jinan."

"So we won't enter Nanjing city proper, but will go around Nanjing from the outside and follow the south bank of the Yangtze River."

"Finally, we entered Shanghai from the Suzhou direction."

Liu Ping paused here, looking at Zhou Tianyang.

"This route has been discussed and analyzed by the headquarters staff multiple times, taking into account the actual situation reported by the underground transportation stations along the way."

"It normally takes twelve to fifteen days to travel from southeastern Shanxi to Shanghai."

"If unforeseen circumstances arise, it could take even longer."