The rising sun disperses the dark clouds on the horizon. After a night of heavy rain, the blazing sunshine shines on the earth again. The mist rises from the ground and the river and is then dried. Looking at it with a dazzling eye, the water under the bright sun All the scenery seemed to be distorted.
An Yi, Gu Changfeng, and Shen Fengdao stood outside the horse pen at the military camp beside the West Canal in Shaji Town, washing their beloved horses with regret. Due to their desperate escape for several days, their beloved horses could not keep up with their nutrition and forage. Once on board, the originally tall and majestic horse looked much thinner.
During the several days of fighting, all the horses in the division either ran away or were killed or wounded. In addition, the ships were limited when retreating from the waterway in Shawan. Only 17 of the hundreds of horses were left, except for An Yi and the other three. Except for his beloved horse, all the others were assigned to Ding Zhicheng's special brigade.
The thick smell of blood has not dissipated. More than 150 corpses of the defenders were piled randomly in the dense woods to the south. The exhausted more than 4,000 brothers all fell asleep at this moment.
We trudged all the way nervously and luckily managed to sneak here. No one had the energy to speak. The injured brothers ignored the blood stains on the bunks in the two rows of low barracks and fell asleep as soon as they got on the bed. They were replaced by enemy soldiers. Special forces in military uniforms were scattered on the main roads around the town. Brothers from other special forces who had no clothes to change took turns to patrol for the brothers who were resting. There were more than 4,000 people in the division, and they fought boldly in the cracks between the enemy's heavy troops. Snored.
A rush of footsteps came, and An Yi and the others looked up. Deputy Zong Xingzhen of the special brigade and four brothers led two horses and quickly escorted two enemy lieutenants into the camp gate. They saw An coming up to them. Yi, quickly reported in a low voice:
"These two boys are the heralds of the 19th Army of the Sun Army in Suqian. They came here to deliver the order, but they were captured by our brothers at the entrance of the village. They were so tough that they couldn't be interrogated outside and had to be dragged back."
Gu Changfeng, who was full of resentment, didn't say anything. He stepped forward and put his hand on the captured captain's shoulder. With a "click", he crushed his collarbone. He quickly covered his mouth with his right hand and then hit hard with his left hand. He patted the captain on the head and knocked him unconscious in an instant.
Gu Changfeng dropped the captain's limp body, turned to the second lieutenant who was scared to death, and whispered: "Tell me, what order are you here to deliver?"
"Friends... friendly cavalry found traces of large troops coming ashore at the fork. The military commander ordered all ministries to conduct a strict search... We have just arrived. I don't know what part you... you are from..." The captain was so frightened that he could not speak coherently. He didn't dare to look at Gu Changfeng.
An Yi stepped forward, asked Gu Changfeng to lift his head, pointed to the major general nameplate on his chest and said, "If you can be a commander, you probably know how to read. You can see for yourself."
When the second lieutenant saw the word "An Yi", he was so frightened that he lost control of his urine. Before he could scream out, Gu Changfeng punched him in the cheek. Several bloody teeth flew out instantly. The second lieutenant's mouth was full of blood and he was in pain. His whole body was curled up and speechless. Gu Changfeng grabbed his hair again and lifted him up:
"Don't be loud! Thousands of my brothers have been sleeping all night. If you dare to shout loudly, I will cut out your tongue... Seriously, you can ask, especially the distribution of troops in Suqian's counties and towns. We must find out. Clearly, I have to notify the brothers to get up and cook."
"yes!"
Zong Xingzhen calmly ordered his men to take the people deep into the simple barracks.
Half an hour later, the battalion commanders of each regiment gathered around An Yi. An Yi pointed at the map and explained to everyone in detail:
"The enemy has not noticed that we have fled here overnight, so the search area is mainly in the area of Caizhuang and Guowangzhuang in the southwest of Luoma Lake. The enemy guarding Suining is the enemy who killed more than 300 of our injured brothers.
The Luling Division of the Sixth Division of the Lu Army has received the notification of our troops coming ashore and is searching the Liangji and Weiji lines in the north again. If it weren't for their escape, I would really want to cut off his head.
Two brigades of the 19th Army in Suqian searched the lakeside area to the north from Suqian City. The formation was very long. Another division was always preparing for reinforcements. On the contrary, the scattered garrison south of Suqian did not pay enough attention. This was a problem.
Good news.
But we can't move. If my guess is right, enemy planes will come over for reconnaissance soon, so we can only stay here temporarily and make all emergency preparations, especially the enemy cavalry brigade rushing north from the Sihong line to help.
, it was a company under this cavalry brigade that discovered traces of our landing at Chakou Village and quickly reported it to the police."
"If we stand still, will we miss the opportunity to retreat south?" Yin Jinan asked.
"It's okay for now, at least until noon."
An Yi explained patiently: "The enemy's two heralds belong to the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Division of the 19th Army. This division has little combat effectiveness and usually serves as a local garrison. They did not expect that Shaji would be captured by us.
.
It was learned from the interrogation that after they had finished delivering orders here, they had to rush to Gaozuo Town to the west to greet the soldiers of the 6th Temporary Division of the Zhilu Allied Forces there, so as to facilitate future mutual cooperation, and we can determine where we are now.
, happened to be the intersection of Sun Chuanfang and Zhang Zongchang's armies.
Just now, Lao Ding has sent two brothers from Anhui, put on the clothes of the herald and took their IDs. They will be back in an hour. By then, they may be able to get some Suining and go to Lingbi in the south.
Information about the enemy’s garrison in Si County.”
Yang Bin nodded and pointed to Sihong: "It's sixty-nine kilometers from here to Sihong. It takes a day and a half to march quickly. The timing is very problematic and the difficulty is not ordinary. Especially the cavalry brigade stationed in Sihong can move very quickly.
Come on, if we are discovered, we won't be able to escape at all, can we go from the direction of Lingbi?"
An Yi shook his head: "Chu Yupu's army went south. It is said that it went to Suining first, then to Sixian and Wuhe. It seems that it will return to Bengbu where he was originally driven away, and Xu Beng has a large number of enemy troops gathering on the front line.
, there are many villages and towns, and the transportation is extending in all directions, we
It is difficult to hide our whereabouts. Therefore, I personally think that it is not feasible to go south or southwest. There are only two directions to go due east and southeast. If we are pressed, we can retreat to Hongze Lake immediately. It is better than being trapped on land.
It is much more comfortable for the enemy to be surrounded by heavy troops.
Hongze Lake is different from Luoma Lake. It is hundreds of miles wide and has many islands. The islands are lush with trees and the terrain around the lake is complex. Even if we have been hiding in it for a year and a half, the enemy can't do anything to us."
Hu Jialin, who is familiar with Hongze Lake, looked at the map carefully, then pointed to the route and asked: "You mean we drive here, here... eh, Taiping Town in the west of the lake?"
"Exactly, I remember you said that Taiping Town on the west bank of Hongze Lake is a very wealthy land of plenty. The three major families in the town not only own steamboats, ferries, and engine tugs, but they also do business in grain, aquatic products, salt, and cloth.
We arrived at Xuzhou, Zhengzhou, Jinan and Shijiazhuang. Think about it, as long as we have steamships and steamships, where can we go in Hongze Lake, which is hundreds of miles away from the major waterways in the north and south?" An Yi said with a smile.
After hearing this, all the brothers became energetic and talked enthusiastically about how to go. Suddenly they heard the roar of airplanes in the sky. They all quickly shut up and looked very nervous. An Yi couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.
Laughing loudly, the brothers then remembered that no matter how loud they shouted, the planes in the sky would not be able to hear them, so they all laughed sheepishly.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Shaji, which was completely blockaded by the officers and soldiers of the Independent Division, was extremely quiet. Under the scorching sun, the cries of summer cicadas and insects could be heard one after another.
In the courtyard of the Xu family in the east of the town, Xu Zhiqiu, a short and fat landowner, was pacing back and forth impatiently in the front hall. The housekeeper and several maids stood aside. After a while, Xu Zhiqiu finally made up his mind, waved all the maids to leave, and called Xiao Xiao
The butler whispered:
"Fourth, you can't leave this matter to others. You have to make a trip yourself, crawl out of the town quietly from the gully in the backyard, and then immediately rush to the county seat to report to the Third Master and ask him to send an army to clear out this gang hiding in the west of the town.
Revolutionary Army!"
"But...but..."
The housekeeper Xu Xianhe was extremely frightened.
Xu Zhiqiu scolded in a deep voice: "But what? Have you forgotten how your son died? Have you forgotten how my two sons died? I spent tens of thousands of dollars to send my three nephews to the Army Middle School and then to the martial arts hall.
He went to Baoding for another three years to study before getting an official position. Even your son became a major and battalion commander. We eagerly expected them to achieve great success and honor their ancestors, but they were all killed by the revolutionary army in the Battle of Gaoyou. This Qiu Fei
Unable to repay!
Now that the opportunity for revenge is right in front of you, are you willing to let it go? Have you forgotten how your son died?"
Xu Xianhe cried bitterly, and for a while he quickly wiped away his nose and tears, shouting a little hysterically: "Second Master, I'm going!"
"Okay! Okay! When I come back, I will marry Cuier to your youngest son."
Xu Zhiqiu patted Xu Xianhe's thin shoulder movedly. Xu Xianhe turned away and walked quickly through the central courtyard and disappeared into the large woods in the backyard.
Just after four o'clock in the afternoon, the soldiers of the Independent Division who were ready to leave were eating wherever they could to hide in order to prevent enemy reconnaissance planes from discovering them. The three hundred soldiers of the special brigade were still blocking all the traffic arteries in Shaji.
, Sun Xiaowang, captain of the fourth team, led eight brothers walking in the town, closely monitoring possible changes. A child of about seven years old, in shabby clothes, looked nervous but reluctant to leave, which immediately caught Sun Xiaowang's attention.
Sun Xiaowang strode towards the child, squatted down and asked with a smile: "Little thing, you followed me for half a street. Are you interested in the gun on my body?"
The child shook his head quickly, looked around and hesitated to speak. Sun Xiaowang asked strangely: "If you have something to say, just say it, a manly man, don't act like a girl, tell me, there is no food at home?"
The child shook his head and seemed to muster up a lot of courage before timidly saying: "My sister...my sister asked me to tell the revolutionary army to run away...my sister said that the housekeeper has secretly gone to the city to file a complaint against the army.
They are coming soon to beat you, my sister said..."
Sun Xiaowang turned pale with fright and held the child's hand tightly: "Tell me, child, who is your sister? Who is the housekeeper?"
"My sister's name is Cui'er, and my name is Zhuzi. The housekeeper is from Xu Yuan's wife's family. My sister said that the housekeeper left for the city in an hour. If you don't leave, it will be too late. My sister... oh..."
Sun Xiaowang couldn't stay any longer. He hugged the pillar and rushed towards Zhenxi like flying. Several subordinates were shocked and quickly followed.
Ten minutes later, An Yi and the generals were extremely angry. Gu Changfeng pulled out the sword from behind and strode away. An Yi immediately stopped him, turned to Ding Zhicheng and Chen Zhibiao and hurriedly ordered:
"Old Ding, Zhibiao, gather your team and move forward immediately. Overcome all difficulties and run fifty-seven kilometers along the canal. You must capture Taiping Town. Then collect all the ships and sail to the three docks north of Taiping Town to meet the large forces at any time.
, I authorize you to use all means!"
"yes!"
Ding Zhicheng and Chen Zhibiao almost roared in agreement, and both saluted and ran away.
An Yi turned to Gu Changfeng, who had a murderous look on his face, and waved to Sun Xiaowang who was standing outside: "Hutou, you lead your three regiments to rush into the Xu family compound for me. Not a single man is left behind, and all the women are driven out.
Then set me on fire!"
"clear!"
Gu Changfeng replied in a deep voice.
An Yi grabbed Gu Changfeng who was about to leave and told Sun Xiaowang: "You can go over with Zhu Zhu and take Zhu Zhu's sister Cui'er away with you. Follow Hu Tou's three regiments to escape quickly to the southeast. Let's take the lead.
Brothers from other regiments will meet you three kilometers south of the town!"
"yes!"
Sun Xiaowang picked up Zhu Zhu, who was too frightened to speak, and followed Gu Changfeng away.
An Yi let out a heavy breath: "Requisition all the horses in the town to transport the injured brothers and set off!"