The station outside the south gate was built by the Japanese, so it is also under the management of the Japanese, but the workers hired are all Chinese to work for them. Cheng Tianlei dressed up as a porter and worked with the other two
The porters sneaked into the station together.
There were Japanese soldiers everywhere in the station. They were busy carrying sandbags to build fortifications, or carrying ammunition. Some were moving the artillery just brought by the train to other places.
People like Cheng Tianlei helped the Japanese army carry sandbags and build fortifications and bunkers. They could get half a silver dime for a day's work, but they were usually exchanged for banknotes.
"Hurry up, you pigs!" A Japanese supervisor shouted loudly, waving a whip in his hand. If any of these workers moved a little slower, they would be whipped.
Some workers expressed their dissatisfaction and were either dragged away by Japanese soldiers and beaten severely, or were told that they could leave if they did not want to work. In order to support their families, the workers could only swallow their anger and work hard.
Cheng Tianlei and the others had no problem doing this work. While he was working, he peeked around and memorized the layout of the Japanese positions.
Because he was so lost in thought, Cheng Tianlei felt like he was hit hard by the butt of a gun on his back, which made him stagger and almost fall to the ground.
With anger rising in his heart, Cheng Tianlei jumped up from the ground and was about to give the Japanese who beat him a pinch, but he finally reacted and his outstretched hands turned into grabbing the sandbags that fell on the ground.
The Japanese soldier looked domineering, waving his rifle and shouting, "Quick, quick, you pigs, don't be lazy."
"Boy, I remember you, don't let me see you next time." Cheng Tianlei secretly felt cruel in his heart, remembering this short Japanese soldier.
The little Japanese soldier didn't know that he was already on Cheng Tianlei's blacklist, but he still screamed with all his teeth and claws. His arrogance made people want to slap him in the face.
While Cheng Tianlei was working, he consciously moved closer to the artillery position, but his movements were very careful and did not let the Japanese notice.
At this time, a Japanese field gun was stuck in a pit and could not be freed. The Japanese who were responsible for transporting the gun were giggling and gesticulating in this direction. It looked like this.
Let the people over here come and help.
The Japanese supervisor heard their shouting, so he pointed his whip at Cheng Tianlei and the others, and said, "You guys, go over and help them."
Cheng Tianlei was waiting for this opportunity. He hurriedly came to the cannon with the workers, and then started to push the cannon.
With more people and strength, a few workers and a few Japanese soldiers worked together to finally pull the cannon out of the pit, and then the group of people pushed the cannon toward the artillery position in the distance.
There were several snow pits along the way, so the Japs didn't dare to let Cheng Tianlei and the others go back, otherwise they would need help if they were trapped again.
In this way, Tianlei and the workers pushed the cannon for more than a hundred meters and passed through a dense bush before arriving at the artillery position in the woods behind.
This place was originally a poplar forest, but now the center has been cut down and turned into a large flat open space, with cannons that have been transported lined up on top of it.
Cheng Tianlei glanced at the cannons and found that there were a total of 12 mountain cannons and 4 field cannons, in addition to nine infantry cannons. There seemed to be a mortar position in another corner, with more than 20 mortars placed there.
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Just when Cheng Tianlei was paying attention to the location where the Japanese artillery shells were stored, he was pushed by the Japanese and said, "Leave quickly."
The few people had no choice but to turn around and walk in the direction they came from. After taking only two steps, a Japanese officer with the rank of lieutenant came out of the tent. She saw several workers at a glance, and she immediately frowned.
"You guys, stop!" With a low voice, the Japanese officer stepped towards Cheng Tianlei and the others, and a dozen Japanese soldiers followed him as he waved his hand.
Cheng Tianlei did not look back, but he could still clearly hear the footsteps of the Japanese officer. His heart was beating wildly, and he understood that the Japanese must have some bad intentions, maybe they wanted to kill people and silence them.
The artillery position is a military secret and needs to be strictly protected. Now that these workers know the situation of the artillery position, the Japanese are naturally worried about their leaving, so they are most likely going to kill them.
Cheng Tianlei thought quickly in his heart, now is the time to make a choice, whether to fight hard or take a gamble on whether the Japanese will kill them.
If he fought hard, Cheng Tianlei would be 100% sure to escape safely, but his reconnaissance would also be exposed. The Japanese artillery positions would probably be adjusted or even relocated, and his reconnaissance would be meaningless.
But if you don't resist, if the Japanese really want to take action, Cheng Tianlei will not be able to escape his poisonous hands.
What should I do? What should I do? Cheng Tianlei's brain was running at supersonic speed. Finally, he gritted his teeth and decided to take a gamble.
Pretending not to know anything, they turned around and looked at the Japs. One of them asked, "Taijun, is there anything wrong with stopping us?"
"You already know the secret of our artillery position, so we decided to keep you here for the time being and release you when you come down." The Japanese officer looked serious and waved behind him, and the dozen Japanese soldiers rushed up immediately.
They were held up and escorted into an empty tent, and two Japanese soldiers were posted at the door to take a look.
The workers looked at each other, wondering why they were in such a situation. Is it wrong to help others? Only Cheng Tianlei and a young man sat on the ground with calm faces.
It seemed that he didn't expect that there was someone else who behaved the same way as him. Cheng Tianlei and that person looked at each other, then they both closed their eyes and remained motionless.
Several workers were talking among themselves, and it took a while for them to quiet down, but it was obvious that most of them had no intention of taking a break, and were staring at the door with their eyes wide open.
I don’t know how long it took, but the tent door was opened, and a Japanese soldier came in carrying a basket of steamed bread. There were pickles in the box in his other hand. This was their dinner.
The laughter of the Japanese guards came from outside the door. A worker looked out through the crack in the door and saw two Japanese soldiers also eating, but their food was canned beef, braised pork, four large white steamed buns, and a bottle of wine.
In an open space not far away, a Japanese soldier was feeding endless steamed buns to a dog, making the dog jump up and down while the Japanese soldier laughed.
After the worker read it, he couldn't help but cursed, "You stupid little devil, you really treat us like a human being."
Cheng Tianlei sat on the side of the tent, opened his eyes gently, looked at the young man, and saw that he also opened his eyes and stared at him, so he grinned at him, "What's your surname, brother?"
"My surname is Yan, Yan Jingyu!" the young man said with a smile. The two of them came together and started talking in a low voice.
As soon as they spoke, Cheng Tianlei learned that Yan Jingyu's parents died when he was young, and he went to Yenching University with the support of an uncle. However, he was cynical and was expelled for criticizing current affairs many times. Later, he lived in the Shanhaiguan area and lived by working.
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This time I went to the dock to work because I had no money for food. I didn’t expect to encounter such a thing!
Cheng Tianlei looked at him and blinked slyly, "Yes, I can't live anymore. I just have to make a living here."
Yan Jingyu smiled knowingly. Both of them basically understood that the other party's purpose was consistent with theirs, so no one said anything.
The workers just thought the two were chatting, so they didn't pay much attention. They just took two steamed buns and a piece of pickles each and squatted in a corner to eat.
Cheng Tianlei took two steamed buns and walked up to Yan Jingyu. While eating, he asked in a low voice, "Brother, what are your plans?"
"I guess the Japanese will have to kill us in the end, because we are really a hidden danger, and we need to be guarded." Yan Jingyu said in a low voice, taking a bite of the steamed bun.
Cheng Tianlei said in deep agreement, "Yes, the Japs will take action in a few nights, but they probably won't take them all out at once. It's likely that one or two will be taken out at the same time."
Yan Jingyu said, "If the Japanese take someone out later, how about the two of us go together?"
"OK!"
After finishing the meal, it became dark. The Japanese hung a lantern in the tent, and the dim light illuminated the faces full of fear.
Cheng Tianlei and Yan Jingyu leaned in the corner, closing their eyes to recuperate their energy, waiting for a moment of action. Since the Japanese did not want them to live, they were not polite.
According to Cheng Tianlei's plan, if he goes out soon, he can easily destroy the Japanese artillery positions. At least he will blow up the Japanese ammunition depot, which will greatly weaken the Japanese forces.
Just when everyone in the room was drowsy, the tent door was suddenly opened, and a gust of cold wind blew in, making everyone in the room shiver.
Two Japanese soldiers came in from outside carrying a 38-meter dumpling. They looked at the people in the room, then pointed at the two workers and said, "You guys, follow me."
The two workers didn't know what was going on, so they stood up in confusion, followed the two Japanese soldiers out of the tent door, and walked towards a wilderness to the west.
The tent door was locked again, and calm returned to the tent, but this time no one could sleep. Everyone stared wide-eyed, waiting for the upcoming fate.
Cheng Tianlei and Yan Jingyu were huddled inside, but their eyes were shining with excitement.
About ten minutes later, the door of the house opened with a creak, and the two Japanese soldiers walked in from outside the door and walked towards everyone.
Cheng Tianlei smelled the smell of gunpowder on his breath and knew that the two guns had just been fired. It seemed that the two workers had been killed.
Two Japanese soldiers walked into the tent and stood there, looked at the remaining six workers, then pointed their fingers and said, "You two, follow me."
The two workers knelt down in front of the Japanese with a thud and begged, "Taijun, we still have a large family to support. Please show your kindness."
"If you don't obey, you will die immediately!" The two Japanese soldiers stared, pulled the bolt of the 38-cap gun in their hands, and pointed the muzzle at the two workers.
The two workers were so frightened that they couldn't stand up even if their legs were weak.
At this moment, Cheng Tianlei and Yan Jingyu stood up from the corner and walked forward, "The two of us will go with you."