The weather in July was sultry and hot, and when we finally got some wind, it became even more uncomfortable, as if we were in a steamer.
Even under such circumstances, the commanders and fighters of the 16th Brigade continued to strengthen the defenses outside Shangqiu City under the sun. Big beads of sweat fell on the ground and evaporated in the blink of an eye.
Most of the people and businesses in the city were evacuated to northern Anhui. The entire Shangqiu City seemed empty, and there were no patrolling Eighth Route Army soldiers on the streets.
The only thing that often appeared in the streets and alleys was the carriage responsible for supplying water to the soldiers outside the city. Each carriage was equipped with two bathtubs used by wealthy families, and there were several buckets sandwiched in the gaps. It really used the space of the carriage to the extreme.
Ancient cities were mostly built near water sources, or on major transportation routes, or in places with steep terrain. As an ancient city, Shangqiu City was surrounded by a moat, forming a natural defense system.
There is an extended urn city outside each of the four cities. The city is 10 meters high and 5 meters wide. On the city walls, stomping walls and lookout gates are built as usual. There are turrets on the four corners of the city wall, and there is a horse face protruding from the wall in the middle.
However, the urn city in Shangqiu is more distinctive. It is the rare turning gate, that is, the exit of the urn city is built on the side and is not in a straight line with the main city gate.
The soldier responsible for delivering water left the Gongchen Gate on the north side, headed west with his carriage and exited the small gate of Wengcheng.
Originally there was a row of thatched sheds set up along the outer city wall, specifically for the soldiers who were building fortifications to rest temporarily. In this place to escape the summer heat, neatly arranged guns were leaning against the city wall, with military uniforms hanging on each gun, but there were not many people in sight.
.
"What about people, why don't you take a break on this hot day?"
"What? They are all bathing in the river, and then let us watch the guns here!"
"Okay, you drink, the water pipe is enough, just for a while, let the sun shine, and the coolness is gone again!" The soldier who delivered the water left a cart of water behind, and had to drive the cart towards the moat.
The moat was bustling with activity. Whether it was in the river or on the bank, there was a crowd of people, all shirtless and wearing only shorts.
"Hey, aren't these comrades from the motor camp? Why did we turn into grooms in a blink of an eye? I'm really sorry for you. We are in good health. It doesn't matter if we drink some water from the moat!"
The speaker was sitting cross-legged on the shore, with a smile on his face. He looked like a cadre.
The leader of the car camp is called Chang Hongbao, and the two are old acquaintances: "You damn Liu Shengdong, we have worked so hard to carry you water back and forth, but you are lucky enough to be playing with water here. I will turn around...
..”
"What are you going to do? You don't even look at how many people are in the river. This is an order from the Communist Party members. Hey, are you dumbfounded? Are you looking at who is over there?"
Looking in the direction of Liu Shengdong's finger, Chang Hongbao was really dumbfounded. He saw Zhou Weihan, Li Yunlong and others also naked and soaking in the river.
As a descendant of Sanxiang, it was common for Zhou Weihan to play in the water in summer, but Li Yunlong, who came from the Dabie Mountains, was a landlubber.
Li Yunlong sat on his butt in the water, but grabbed the turf on the shore with both hands: "Old Zhou, it's normal for the soldiers to cool down in the water, why are we joining in the fun?"
"What do you mean by this? You have been a brigade commander for a long time and you are alienated from the soldiers? Are you starting to put on airs?"
Zhou Weihan glanced at Li Yunlong as he spoke, and then plunged into the water. After more than thirty seconds, he showed his head on the other side of the moat, and then swam back again.
Seeing Zhou Weihan come back, Li Yunlong hurriedly explained: "That's not what I meant. You can't just blame me."
"Hey, it's best not to have this idea. Never break away from the comrades below, let alone alienate the people, and always be alert to yourself!" Zhou Weihan played two games, and then sighed: "The power of the people is great.
of!"
"During the evacuation of Shangqiu people, we discovered a group of Japanese agents who were hiding deeply. They found out based on the clues provided by ordinary people. The comrades of the prefectural committee are continuing to dig deeper!"
Li Yunlong was shocked after hearing this and stood up straight: "Is this happening? Why didn't I know?"
"Don't make such a fuss. Shangqiu is the home base of the Japanese and puppet troops. It's normal to have a few hidden agents!"
Although Zhou Weihan said so, in fact the Japanese agent discovered this time was obviously unusual.
According to the clues reported by the masses, this person is a rickshaw puller. He is a kind-hearted man and lives a peaceful life. Like other rickshaw pullers, he pays his share of the money to the rickshaw dealer, eats from a big pot, and lives in Datongpu.
However, the owner of the car dealership was a veteran, and he didn't notice anything was wrong at first. Later, after getting along for a long time, he discovered that this guy knew some kung fu, and the calluses on his hands looked like he had held a gun, so he became suspicious.
From then on, I kept paying more attention to him, and later I discovered that he often worked as a laborer in front of the puppet government office. His boss introduced him to work as a driver for wealthy families, but this guy actually offered it to others.
The boss thought about it for a long time and determined that this guy should be a latent agent, definitely a member of both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Although he had become a good citizen under the rule of the little devil, he still had patriotism in his heart and did not report it.
Until this time when the Eighth Route Army regained Shangqiu, the Eighth Route Army posted notices in the city, asking the people to report those who usually did evil things, oppressed the people, or worked for the Japanese and puppet troops.
The coachmen had a lot of resentment towards the owner of the dealership. The boss was worried that he would be affected. He thought that at least he had protected the lurking personnel, which was also an indirect contribution to the country, so he explained the matter to the Eighth Route Army.
The person in charge of the reception was the person from the Shangqiu Prefectural Committee. He knew that there was no need to hide among his people, as he might be a member of the military commander. As a result, he brought the person back for questioning and found out that this guy was Japanese.
"Japanese? Is this kid's head wet? Shangqiu was the territory of the kid before. Is it possible that the kid still has the habit of staring at his own people?"
Li Yunlong couldn't understand after hearing this. Zhou Weihan laughed and said: "If the person responsible for this is a member of the army, I'm afraid this person will be allowed to get away with it. Fortunately, the comrades of the Shangqiu Prefectural Committee have lurking experience and can see the fishiness in it!"
"Following the investigation of the driver, we found four people in total, one of whom works for the puppet government, and the other three are also among the people. The driver is the liaison officer of the latent team and is responsible for delivering news!"
"These people were lurking in Shangqiu last winter, so they are unusual!" Zhou Weihan's eyes were dark and he didn't know what he was thinking.
While talking, Yang Bo walked quickly, followed by a comrade: "** member!"
"Zhou **, I am Wang Zhiguo from the Investigation Division of the Shangqiu Public Security Bureau. I am the leader of the Japanese army's lurking team and I have an important piece of information to tell you!"