A slight sound echoed outside the west gate of Yuguan City. Although the sound was not loud, it still alerted two soldiers of the 626th Regiment who were patrolling the wall of the west gate of Yuguan City. They hurriedly leaned out from the crenellations.
He turned his head and carefully looked at the place where the sound came from outside the city.
It is now January 1932, and the weather is freezing cold. There have been several heavy snowfalls recently, and the world has been shrouded in white.
The two people closed their eyes and looked outside the city. They found that there seemed to be a black spot moving on a hillside outside the city, so they immediately became vigilant.
Ding Xingyuan pulled the bolt, cocked the rifle, then turned to Yang Shanzi beside him and said, "Go and report to the company commander that there is a situation outside the city."
Yang Shanzi nodded and ran towards the turret not far away with his rifle on his back.
Tonight, the person on duty was the Third Company of the 1st Battalion of the 626th Regiment, and the company commander on duty was working in the corner building.
Because relations with the Japanese have been very tense recently, Commander Shi Shi'an of the 626th Regiment stationed in Yuguancheng requires every company commander on duty to be on the front line in preparation for emergencies.
In the turret, a table occupied almost one-third of the area, with a few chairs placed in the remaining space. A military defense map was placed on the table.
Jiao Xuefei, commander of the Third Company of the First Battalion, a tall Northeastern man, was leaning on the table at this time, carefully observing the map, and marking on the map with red and blue pencils from time to time.
There was a brazier burning in the house, but perhaps Captain Jiao Xuefei had forgotten to add charcoal, so not even a spark could be seen in the brazier. However, he still didn't notice it, being immersed in analyzing the situation on both sides.
"Since the invasion of the Eight-Power Allied Forces in 1900, Shanhaiguan, Qinhuangdao and other places have allowed imperialist troops to be stationed. This so-called Yuguan natural barrier has long been opened up under the constraints of unequal treaties. In particular, the Japanese camp was located at the Fourth Fort.
Less than two kilometers south of there is Yuguan City, and there is also a Japanese garrison stationed at the train station outside the south gate of Yuguan."
"The situation outside the east gate is even more serious. Not far from the city gate is the Japanese Kwantung Army station. Since then, the south gate and the east gate are under the surveillance of the Japanese army, and we can only enter and exit the north gate and west gate." Jiao Xuefei
With a stern look on his face, he said, "The line from Weiyuan City to Wujialing, one kilometer northeast of Guancheng, is in the hands of the Japanese Kwantung Army. The terrain of this line is higher than the Great Wall near Shanhaiguan. It is condescending enough to control the entire city."
"Once the Japanese launch an attack, they can quickly occupy the commanding heights. By then, the fire suppression will be enough to cover the entire city, which will be very detrimental to our army."
Hitting his head irritably, Jiao Xuefei stood up, reached out and grabbed the enamel jar placed on the table nearby and took a big sip.
What was put in the enamel jar was not water, but strong liquor, the famous Northeastern Shao Knife.
Although the Northeastern Army does not allow drinking while on duty, Jiao Xuefei was specially approved by the regiment commander. The more he drinks, the more energetic he becomes and the more flexible his brain becomes. This is also one of the three eccentrics of the 9th Independent Infantry Brigade.
These three big monsters are "Brigade Commander He sleeps with his eyes open", "Captain Shi's strange words", and "Jiao Xuefei becomes more energetic the more he drinks".
In the 626th Regiment and even the 9th Brigade, Jiao Xuefei was a fierce general. He had accomplished many military exploits, but he had a bad temper and offended many people above him, so he was never promoted.
I went up there and am still a company commander now.
However, he doesn't care about this. As long as he is allowed to lead troops, he will be happy, even if it is just a city defender.
Just as he was immersed in thought, a loud shout came from outside the door, "Report."
"Come in!" Jiao Xuefei didn't even raise his head. The strong wine he just drank made his whole body warm. Not to mention it made him feel more comfortable, and it also made his mind work faster.
Yang Shanzi opened the door and ran in, exhaling a long white breath, "Company Commander, there's a situation."
This sentence immediately alarmed Jiao Xuefei. He stood up with a cry, grabbed the shell gun placed next to him, stuffed it into the holster on his waist, and shouted, "Let's go and take a look."
The two men rushed out of the company headquarters one after the other, and Jiao Xuefei's messenger also hurriedly followed behind.
The three people rushed to Ding Xingyuan's side, then stopped. Jiao Xuefei asked in a deep voice, "Ding Xingyuan, what's going on?"
"Commander, look, there seems to be movement in the mountain col, and there are black shadows moving."
Jiao Xuefei raised the telescope in his hand, adjusted the focus, and looked in the direction pointed by Ding Xingyuan. Sure enough, he found that there seemed to be a black shadow shaking there. He couldn't help but frowned, "Who would go out in the snow and ice in the middle of the night."
It's winter now. Although the temperature in the Shanhaiguan area is not comparable to that in the Northeast, it is still very low. Who in this ice and snow would go out and go up the mountain in the middle of the night?
The three people paid close attention to the black figure, wanting to see its movement.
The black shadow flickered and appeared, and seemed to be getting closer. The shadow was getting bigger and bigger, and now a slight cry could be heard.
"What did I think it was? It turned out to be a blind bear!" Hearing the cry of this animal, Jiao Xuefei felt relieved. He heard that it was the cry of a black bear and knew that it would have no impact on Yuguan.
Ding Xingyuan shook his head and said, "Company Commander, something is wrong. Blind bears usually stay away from human settlements. How did it get here?"
Although blind bears are very ferocious in the mountains and forests, they dare not come to human gathering areas. If they are discovered, they will be easily killed.
Whether it’s bear paws or bear bile, they are both very valuable!
Jiao Xuefei stopped when he heard this. He seemed to understand the meaning of Ding Xingyuan's words, so he asked, "Ding Xingyuan, what did you find?"
Ding Xingyuan was a hunter in the Changbai Mountains. He had good marksmanship and was very knowledgeable about wild animals, so Jiao Xuefei heard what he said was wrong and wanted to hear his explanation.
Ding Xingyuan shook his head, and then said, "Company Commander, I haven't found anything yet, but I always feel something is wrong."
Jiao Xuefei cursed angrily, "You idiot, you have no basis for your nonsense. Just stand guard." After saying that, he turned around and left.
Ding Xingyuan was scolded, but he was not angry. He knew the temper of his company commander, so he still focused on watching where the blind man ran from.
There is a gentle hillside. Although there are trees, there are not many, and even the number of Tibetans may not be large.
After staring for a while, Jiao Xuefei didn't find anything, so he shook his head and said to himself in confusion, "Did I guess wrong?"
Yang Shanzi laughed from the side and said, "Old Ding, are you too sensitive? You are always surprised."
While they were talking, several pheasants suddenly flew up from the hillside, making the peaceful hillside noisy.
"There's a situation!" Ding Xingyuan quickly raised his rifle and aimed there.
Yang Shanzi also raised his gun and waited nervously.
A low rumble sounded. It sounded a little distant at first, but as time went by, it became louder and clearer.
Just a moment later, a huge creature appeared from the hillside, and then moved forward.
Ding Xingyuan and Yang Shanzi held their breath, they could already see clearly what was coming.
The wide tracks, the steely body, the black muzzle on the front of the vehicle, and especially the plaster pattern on the turret, all clearly revealed the identity of the visitor.
"It's a Japanese chariot." The two people couldn't help but look at each other.