Japanese Army Commander Cao and two puppet soldiers were hiding in a crop field, watching the fork in the road ahead.
This fork in the road leads to Xinhe County on one side and Juma County on the other. Japanese Army Commander Cao and others wanted to know which direction the guerrillas were going.
A large group of guerrillas came over. They crossed the fork in the road and continued towards Xinhe County.
The Japanese Army Commander Cao continued to monitor the guerrilla brigade until the guerrilla brigade had passed the intersection for more than a mile. He ordered the two puppet soldiers to continue monitoring the guerrilla marching brigade. He then mounted his horse and headed to Xinhe County to report to the Japanese army.
The captain's report.
The two puppet soldiers who followed the guerrilla transport team saw the guerrillas walking away, and they also came to a fork in the road.
They didn't dare to follow too closely, since this was the only road ahead anyway, so the two of them stayed at the intersection for a while, and then slowly followed.
The sky gradually darkened, and then the vision began to blur. The guerrilla marching group suddenly stopped.
The guerrillas brought a lot of bags and put the 100 kilograms of salt in the cart into the bags, and put 50 kilograms in each flour bag.
There were more than 400 guerrilla cavalry horses, plus the horses brought to carry supplies. Each horse was loaded with 50 kilograms of salt. In a short time, all 20,000 kilograms of salt were loaded on the horseback.
The guerrillas left the country road and embarked on the field path, heading towards Juma County.
The vacated carts were driven by the people from Machang Town who had followed them, and escorted by a cavalry squad of the guerrillas, they turned around and headed back to Machang Town.
The two puppet soldiers in front of the guerrilla brigade were shocked when they saw this scene. They hurriedly wanted to go back to report the news, but they found that at some point, more than a dozen black shadows appeared around them and had already surrounded them.
The puppet soldiers were disguised as ordinary people, and they all carried rifles. When they saw the guerrillas surrounding them, they hurriedly took out their guns, but the guerrillas shot them first and knocked them to the ground.
The two puppet soldiers who were following the guerrillas hurriedly ran back.
They had not run far when they saw a dozen guerrilla cavalry and shot at them randomly, knocking them off their horses.
It turned out that this was Lin Xueying’s suggestion.
Lin Xueying believed that the main purpose of the guerrillas coming out this time was to bring back salt. The guerrillas had so many horses that transporting 20,000 kilograms of salt would not be a problem.
Without the drag of large vehicles, the guerrillas do not have to pass by the road and can completely bypass the enemy's strongholds from the fields, thus avoiding fighting with the enemy.
As for those large vehicles, they can be left in the racecourse town for custody, and then brought back to the base when there is an opportunity in the future.
Considering that the Japanese and puppet troops would definitely intercept the guerrillas on their way back, they would most likely send people to reconnoiter the situation. Therefore, Monk Wei led the special forces team to take a detour and ambush in front of the guerrillas' marching brigade.
After the guerrilla brigade left, some team members followed from a distance and discovered these two groups of Japanese and puppet army scouts.
Monk Wei and others deliberately let Captain Cao of the Japanese army go back to report the news, and then eliminated the other puppet troops to prevent them from revealing the true whereabouts of the guerrillas.
In order to ensure the implementation of this plan, Xu Dalong called the mayor of the town and asked him to send some people from the town to follow the guerrillas and drive the cart back.
The mayor helped the guerrillas buy flour bags to pack salt. He also helped the guerrillas find two guides who were familiar with the terrain in Xinhe County and Juma County to guide the guerrillas around the enemy's roads through the field roads.
Stronghold, return to the Mawu Mountain base.
After the guerrillas escorted the carts back to Machang Town, they gave each of them an ocean as hard-earned money.
The current situation is difficult. This ocean is their monthly income. This money comes so easily. The people are very happy. They express their gratitude to the guerrillas and go home happily to share the good news with their families.
The squad leader of the guerrillas gave the mayor 200 yuan and asked him to arrange for someone to take care of the carriages and horses, and then lead the guide to catch up with the guerrilla marching group.
Xinhe County.
The Japanese Army Commander Cao hurried back to Xinhe County, rushed to the Japanese brigade headquarters, and reported to the brigade leader the news that the guerrillas were heading towards Xinhe County.
The captain of the Japanese army had already made preparations. He immediately led the main force of the infantry brigade and two battalions of puppet troops to ambush the only way the guerrillas would pass.
At the same time, he reported this information to Qianye Xunyi
, As for where to conduct the guerrilla ambush, the Japanese army captain had a lot of thoughts.
He believed that the guerrillas would be more careful when passing by a place where a stronghold was set up. Therefore, he led the team towards Fendong County and ambush 5 kilometers in front of the destroyed stronghold.
He believed that the guerrillas would be unprepared and catch them by surprise.
The large group of Japanese and puppet troops had to travel more than 20 kilometers from Xinhe County to the ambush site. Along the way, the Japanese army captain desperately urged the troops to speed up their march.
He rode the war horse very easily, while the officers and soldiers of the Japanese and puppet troops were walking on two legs, and they were all as tired as dead dogs.
When they finally arrived at the ambush site, they all collapsed to the ground.
The Japanese captain showed no mercy and immediately ordered them to set up an ambush position before they could recover.
The officers and soldiers of the Japanese and puppet troops dared not speak out in anger, so they could only drag their exhausted bodies to build fortifications.
Time passed minute by minute, and until 5 o'clock in the morning, there was still no sign of the guerrillas.
The Japanese captain called the Japanese commander Cao who reported the news and asked him if he could clearly see that the guerrillas were indeed coming in this direction.
The Japanese Army Commander Cao saw it with his own eyes, and he cursed and swore that the guerrillas must be coming in this direction. The reason why they haven't arrived yet is because they are driving large vehicles and moving slowly.
Chief Cao volunteered and asked to lead people to investigate again.
The Japanese captain was worried that he would expose his target, so he did not adopt his advice and led his troops to continue to wait patiently.
Lingao City.
That night, Chiba Xunyi did not sleep well. In order to kill time, he listened to the radio there until 5:30 in the morning, but still did not wait for news from the direction of Xinhe County.
He couldn't hold back his anger and had someone send a telegram to the Japanese army captain.
The Japanese captain was also in a bad mood. He couldn't wait any longer, so he called Commander Cao and asked him to lead people to the front for reconnaissance.
He received a telegram from Chiba Xunyi, but did not reply immediately. He was still holding on to a bit of luck, hoping to see the guerrillas appear as soon as possible.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, Chiba Xunyi finally waited for the telegram, but he was very disappointed.
The guerrilla transport team never showed up.
Two days later, Yan Guiwu sent a telegram to Chiba Xunyi from Yinping County, saying that he learned from the villagers around Mawu Mountain that the guerrillas had brought back salt and distributed it to the villagers free of charge.
Chiba Xun was so angry that he threw everything on his desk that could be thrown.
Chiba Xunyi fell ill and spent two days in the hospital bed infused with fluids, but his spirit still hadn't recovered.
The chief of staff came to visit him. Seeing that he was still frowning, he persuaded him: "Your Excellency, division commander, although Xu Dalong has taken advantage of another loophole this time, our blockade is still effective. It has begun to be difficult for the guerrillas to obtain supplies.
As long as we strengthen the blockade and persist, sooner or later they will not be able to sustain it."
Qianye Xunyi now relies more and more on Yan Guiwu. He said: "Send Yan Guiwu a telegram and ask him to come to Lingao City."
Yan Guiwu came to Lingao City and gave Qianye Xunyi some suggestions.
Chiba Xunyi believed that Yan Guiwu's plan was feasible, so he adopted his opinion, continued to insist on the blockade of the Mawu Mountain base area, and then gradually implemented other plans proposed by Yan Guiwu.
Xu Dalong and others brought back salt and distributed it to the villagers for free, which won the favor of the people. The construction of the base area went smoothly. Village committees, militia teams and other grassroots organizations were gradually established in the vast villages.
Due to the continuous expansion of the base area, the original organizational form of the Mawushan base area is no longer suitable.
After research, Xu Dalong and others decided to establish Mawushan Central County with Mawushan as the center, and divide the base area around Mawushan into five districts. Each district would establish a district squadron and be unified under the command of the county brigade.
In order to strengthen the construction of the county brigade, Xu Dalong decided to transfer 120 guerrillas from the guerrillas into the county brigade to serve as backbones at all levels.
Zhao Daman serves as the captain of the county brigade, and Zhu Xiaoshan and Li Jinzhu serve as deputy captains respectively.
The adjusted county brigade includes one directly affiliated squadron and five district squadrons.
So far, the armed forces in the Mawushan base area include: 832 guerrillas, 618 county brigades, and 1,420 semi-off-the-job militiamen. There are 2,685 ordinary militiamen who are not off-duty and only participate in training during the slack period.
Xu Dalong wrote a summary report on the establishment of the Mawushan base area and sent it to the Independence Regiment.
Soon after, the Independent Regiment sent a telegram, ordering Xu Dalong to lead a special force to report to the headquarters of the Independent Regiment.
Xu Dalong designated Sun Desheng to be responsible for the affairs of the entire base area during his absence. The order of command was Sun Desheng, Wang Chengzhu, Zheng Xirong, and Wang Xiaohu.
Xu Dalong was about to leave. He thought about bringing some gifts to the leader of the regiment, so he called Wang Xiaohu.
Wang Xiaohu said with some embarrassment: "Captain, our guerrillas have had no income for a long time. We built houses in Mantou Peak, helped rebuild homes in Qiligou Village, opened a clothing factory, and purchased salt this time. The money in our hands has already been
There’s not much left, I’m afraid I won’t be able to give gifts to the regimental leaders anymore.”
Xu Dalong said: "I know, forget about the money, you still need to bring some gifts. Let's do this. Prepare 50 mortar shells and give them to Monk Wei."
That evening, Xu Dalong, Lin Xueying, and Wei Monk led the special team to bypass Guancheng County and arrived at the junction of Guancheng County and Ping'an County.
Here the Japanese and puppet troops built a stronghold with a central gun tower and two bunkers, and a blockade ditch was dug outside.
Zheng Xirong's intelligence squadron did not provide this information. It seems that this stronghold was just established by the Japanese and puppet troops.
Seeing that the Japanese and puppet troops also set up a blockade here, Xu Dalong felt deeply worried.
A small group of guerrillas can find a way to get in and out, but it is very difficult for the masses of people to get in and out of Mawu Mountain. If this continues, production and life will be greatly affected.
Xu Dalong is familiar with the terrain in this area. He knows that there are hilly areas on both sides of the road and the terrain is complicated. If he wants to go around it, he has to walk dozens of kilometers more.
Monk Wei said: "Master Long, let's just lay down this stronghold, seize some supplies, and give gifts to the group leaders."
Xu Dalong thought for a while and said: "Forget it, the regiment leader asked us to report. I'm afraid we have important tasks to be handed over. Let's not alert the enemy to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Xu Dalong and others walked for more than an hour, bypassed the enemy's blockade, entered Ping'an County, and then followed a familiar path to the Independent Regiment.
Independent Regiment Department.
When he saw Xu Dalong, Zhang Dabiao slapped him on the shoulder and said happily: "Brother Dalong, well done."
Li Yunlong smiled and said: "Dalong, you are really capable of doing anything. You are a guerrilla, a county brigade, and there are so many militiamen. There are many more people than Laozi's independent regiment."
Xu Dalong smiled and said: "Captain, no matter how many people there are, they are all your subordinates."
Li Yunlong smiled proudly and said: "As expected of the soldiers brought out by Laozi, it really makes Laozi look good."
Zhao Gang said: "Xu Dalong, the report you wrote has been approved by the brigade headquarters. The Mawushan guerrillas have been upgraded to the deputy regiment level, the county brigade to the main battalion level, and the Mawushan Central County to the deputy county level. Congratulations."
Xu Dalong said: "Thank you for your superiors' trust, thank you for the regiment leader, political commissar, and chief of staff."
Li Yunlong was very satisfied with Xu Dalong's attitude. He smiled and said: "Dalong, you are really good. In just half a year, you are only half a level behind Lao Zi."
Everyone joked for a while, and Zhao Gang said: "Old Li, the brigade commander said that when Xu Dalong and others arrive in our regiment, they will report to the brigade headquarters immediately. Let's report to the brigade commander."
Li Yunlong grabbed the phone and called the brigade headquarters. He said: "Brigadier Commander, Xu Dalong and the others are here."
The brigade commander said: "Let Xu Dalong and the others come directly to the brigade headquarters to report, and you don't want to come. This is considered a notice to you. During this period, Xu Dalong will directly accept the command of the brigade headquarters."
Brigade Headquarters.
The brigade commander met with Xu Dalong and others. Accompanying the brigade commander were Zhang Wan, the logistics director, and Li Changshui, the enemy engineering section chief of the brigade headquarters.
The brigade commander praised Xu Dalong and others for their achievements in Mawu Mountain, and then asked Zhang Wanhe to explain the mission to Xu Dalong.
☆☆☆☆☆☆
It turned out that the headquarters arsenal obtained two machine tools in Taiyuan through connections and mobilized two technicians from the former Taiyuan arsenal. The Taiyuan underground party spent a lot of effort to send them out of Taiyuan City.
Unexpectedly, an accident occurred when passing through Yangcheng County, and both people and supplies were detained by the Japanese military police of Yangcheng County.
Yangcheng County is only more than 40 kilometers away from Taiyuan City and is the hinterland of enemy-occupied areas. It is very difficult to rescue people and materials.
After Zhang Wanhe received the report, he recommended Xu Dalong to the head of the headquarters.
The headquarters assigned this task to the brigade commander. The brigade commander decided that the enemy engineering section chief and Xu Dalong would complete the task together.
Xu Dalong accepted the task and said: "Thank you for your trust, chief. I will work hard to complete this task."
In the ranks of the underground party in this era, when subordinates accept tasks assigned by superiors, they usually promise to complete the task, which represents the determination of the person performing the task to complete the task.
Xu Dalong never guarantees anything when doing things. When the brigade commander, Zhang Wanhe and others heard what Xu Dalong said, not only were they not unhappy, but they showed happy smiles. Because they trusted Xu Dalong, he always fulfilled the tasks assigned to him by his superiors.
Completely completed.
That afternoon, Li Changshui, Xu Dalong and others left the base area and headed for Yangcheng.
Xinzhuang, the headquarters of the New Second Regiment.
After leaving the Taihang Mountains, Xu Dalong and others passed by the New Second Regiment stationed at the edge of the base area and went to visit the regiment leader Kong Jie.
"Hello, Captain."
Seeing Kong Jie, Xu Dalong respectfully saluted and said hello.
Kong Jie laughed loudly, held Xu Dalong's hand and said, "Brother Dalong, you are so good. Those battles in Mawu Mountain were so beautiful."
Kong Jie was very enthusiastic and wanted to keep Xu Dalong, Li Changshui and others no matter what. He wanted to host a banquet to show the friendship of the landlords.
At the banquet, Kong Jie introduced to the cadres at battalion level and above who attended the banquet: "Brothers, this is the one I often mentioned to you. My old comrade in arms in the Independent Regiment, my old subordinate Xu Dalong, he is the hero of our Eighth Route Army.
I can’t count the number of great merits and special merits with both hands stretched out.”
Xu Dalong's name is very resounding, and everyone in the Eighth Route Army knows it.
The most respected people in the army are heroes who can win battles, and everyone burst into warm applause.
The banquet began, and the cadres of the New Second Regiment were very enthusiastic about Xu Dalong and toasted to him one after another.
Xu Dalong said with some embarrassment: "Captain, I came in a hurry this time and didn't bring a greeting gift. Please forgive me. When I come back, I will definitely give you a generous gift."
Kong Jie smiled and said: "Brother Dalong, you are too polite. I know your character, so don't prepare gifts for me. When you complete your mission and come back, you must pass by me.
, let’s go and do it together, brothers.”
Xu Dalong smiled and said: "It's a deal."
When Kong Jie was in the independent group, he was very close to Xu Dalong. He truly admired Xu Dalong.
Seeing Lin Xueying sitting next to Xu Dalong, he whispered: "Brother Dalong, this girl is so beautiful. Is she your partner?"
Although Kong Jie's voice was soft, it reached Lin Xueying's ears clearly, and her face immediately turned red.
Seeing Lin Xueying's appearance, Xu Dalong was worried that she would be embarrassed and said with a smile: "Commander, this is not a joke. We are just comrades-in-arms and revolutionary comrades."
Kong Jie is someone who has been here before. He has been paying attention to Lin Xueying for a long time. He felt that Lin Xueying had a good impression of Xu Dalong, so he said this deliberately.
Hearing Xu Dalong's explanation, he laughed and stopped mentioning the topic.
That night, Xu Dalong and others put on Japanese military uniforms, left the New Second Regiment, and continued to Yangcheng.