frightfiction Chapter 1649 The Flag Remains, the People Remain
Chapter 1649 The Flag Remains, the People Remain
Li Deshui shouted, "Yizhou! If you don't surrender, you're asking for death!"
Ding Yizhou shouted, "I'd rather die than surrender to the Japanese devils!"
Upon hearing this, the Japanese captain pointed at Ding Yizhou and roared:
"Baka! You want to die? Go! Kill him!"
The Japanese soldiers rushed up and started punching and kicking Ding Yizhou.
Li Deshui shook his head and said, "Yizhou! You were able to leave the Eighth Route Army, so why can't you surrender? You're just a fool to suffer all this pain for nothing."
Ding Yizhou was afraid of pain and lacked strong willpower, so he cried out:
"Sir, please stop! I surrender!"
"stop!"
The Japanese captain shouted, stepping forward with a smile and saying:
“Ding Sang! A wise man submits to circumstances. From now on, you and Li Sang are friends of the Empire. Which Eighth Route Army unit do you belong to? Why are you here?”
Li Deshui quickly replied, "Sir! We are the 'bait company' of the Luxi Special Task Force."
The Japanese captain asked in confusion, "The decoy regiment?! Where did they go?"
Ding Yizhou pointed in the direction of Tushan and said, "We're going back to the Tushan base."
The Japanese captain nodded in satisfaction and asked with a smile, "Ding-san! Where is the main force of the Luxi Special Task Force?"
Ding Yizhou shook his head and said, "We came out early, so we don't know where the main force went."
Li Deshui said with a grin, "Sir! Ding Yizhou is right."
The Japanese captain drew his pistol, pointed it at his head, and roared, "Baka! You still want to hide it?"
Li Deshui hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy: "Sir! Don't shoot, we really didn't hide anything."
At this moment, the Japanese radio operator rushed forward and reported loudly:
"Captain Ohno! The battalion commander has called to say that the main force of the Eighth Route Army Special Task Force has appeared in the Weishan Lake area. He has ordered my company to annihilate the decoy troops that are impersonating the main force of the Eighth Route Army."
Captain Ohno of the Japanese army hurriedly ordered: "Soldier! Telegraph the battalion commander that the decoy troops posing as the main force of the Eighth Route Army have returned to Tushan."
"Hello!"
The Japanese radio operator hurriedly received the order.
Captain Ohno of the Japanese army pointed to the southeast and loudly ordered:
"Li Sang! Ding Sang! Lead the way to the Eighth Route Army base in Tushan."
"Yes!"
Li Deshui and Ding Yizhou nodded and bowed as they spoke.
Zoucheng, below Jiushan.
Xiang Chu led his troops on a rapid march to this place to rest.
They passed through many villages and recruited a large number of young people to join the fight against the Japanese invaders.
Lu Zheng rushed to Xiang Chu's side and said happily, "Commander-in-Chief! Our troops have not decreased but increased along the way, now numbering over six thousand."
Xiang Chu laughed and said, "Great! We happen to have some extra old rifles, which we can distribute to the new recruits to motivate them to fight the enemy."
Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "Let's not rush. I'll have each brigade conduct a thorough screening to prevent spies from infiltrating."
Xiang Chu praised, "Uncle! You're even more meticulous than I am."
Lu Zheng smiled wryly and said, "I've suffered from espionage before, so I know the importance of counter-espionage."
Xiang Chu nodded and said, "That's true! But don't worry too much. Hu Changsheng is leading the Fourth Brigade at the very back, responsible for clearing away any traces left by spies along the way."
At this moment, Hu Changsheng rushed over and reported:
"Commander-in-Chief! Our Fourth Battalion is behind us and has discovered that someone has left these marks on the ground and trees along the way, pointing in the direction of our march."
After he finished speaking, he picked up a tree branch, squatted down, and drew a few symbols.
Xiang Chu exclaimed in surprise, "This was drawn by a Japanese spy! Is there anyone we suspect?"
Hu Changsheng shook his head and said, "No!"
Lu Zheng suggested, "Commander-in-Chief! Shall we conduct a thorough investigation?"
Xiang Chu shook his head and said, "With so many people, checking them all would take too much time. Qian Fu! Notify all the team leaders to secretly arrange for people to keep an eye on their respective teams, and make sure no more marks are left."
"Yes!"
Qian Fu hurriedly accepted the order and addressed the various brigades in the Bai language.
Xiang Chu opened the map and asked with a smile, "Uncle Lü! Where do you think we should settle down next?"
Lu Zheng pointed to the map and said, "Mount Yi! There are countless interconnected caves in the mountain. There are 144 famous caves, such as the Fairy Cave, the Ancestral Dragon Cave, the Immortal Cave, and so on!"
Xiang Chu said thoughtfully, "Is Mount Yi the same Mount Dongshan that Confucius referred to as 'climbing Mount Dongshan and seeing Lu as small'?"
Lu Zheng said, somewhat annoyed, "Uncle is nothing like you, who has read so many books."
Xiang Chu smiled wryly and said, "You're too modest! Mount Yi is one of the higher mountains in northwestern Shandong, so there should be Japanese troops there. Chief of Staff! Inform Xiao Liu to send someone to scout Mount Yi."
"Yes!"
Zhang Fei hurriedly accepted the order.
Lu Zheng pointed to the Jinpu Railway line on the map and asked with a smile:
"Commander-in-Chief! Where do we cross the Jinpu Railway from?"
Xiang Chu pointed to a spot on the map and smiled:
"After dark, we rushed to the south of Liangxiadian Station, where Sun Xing led the puppet army to guard this section."
Lu Zheng exclaimed, "Last time we crossed the Jinpu Railway, it was Sun Xing who let us through. That kid is really something."
Xiang Chu said with a wry smile, "You had fewer people last time, but this time there are five or six thousand. I'm afraid he will have a hard time escaping the Japanese's accountability. In order to protect Sun Xing's puppet army, let's use a diversionary tactic and send a cavalry unit to pretend to attack Zoucheng Station."
Lü Zheng praised, "Wonderful!"
At this moment, Qian Fu received a telegram and reported:
"Commander-in-Chief! Deputy Commander-in-Chief Liu called. They have moved to Shanxian County. Li Deshui and Ding Yizhou have slipped away."
Xiang Chu angrily rebuked, "That old Liu must have found it too troublesome to keep an eye on Li Deshui and the other man, so he deliberately let them escape. Those two guys are not of strong will; if they fall into the hands of the Japanese, they will definitely betray us!"
Cao County, west of Tushan.
Li Deshui and Ding Yizhou led the Japanese Ōno Company, gradually approaching Tushan.
Captain Ohno of the Japanese army pointed to the red flag on the large mound and said with a smile:
"Li Sang! It seems that the main force of the Eighth Route Army has withdrawn, but the decoy troops are still on the mountain."
Li Deshui nodded and bowed, saying, "Sir! That should be it."
Ding Yizhou chimed in, "Sir! The Eighth Route Army regards the red flag as their life; as long as the flag is there, they are there!"
At this moment, the Japanese radio operator received a telegram and loudly reported: "Company Commander! The Battalion Commander is calling to inquire about the situation at the Eighth Route Army base in Tushan."
Captain Ohno panicked upon hearing this and ordered, "Report back to the battalion commander! Our army is launching a full-scale attack on the Eighth Route Army base in Tushan. Report the battle situation to him later."
"Hello!"
The Japanese radio operator hurriedly received the order.
Captain Ohno drew his sword, pointed it at the red flag atop the mountain, and roared:
"Imperial warriors! Occupy the Tushan Eighth Route Army base! Kill!"
"kill!"
The Japanese soldiers, guns in hand, charged forward.
Captain Ohno pointed at Li Deshui and Ding Yizhou and gave the order:
"Li Sang! Ding Sang! You two join the assault team."
"Yes!"
Li Deshui and Ding Yizhou reluctantly accepted the order.
Captain Ohno followed behind them, with no chance of escape.
"Boom! Boom!"
The Japanese soldiers at the front triggered landmines and fell to the ground in droves.
The Japanese soldiers lay prone on the ground, not daring to continue their charge.
Captain Ohno shouted, "Sappers, move out! Clear the mines!"
Japanese engineers immediately rushed up and quickly cleared the landmines.
The landmines on the mountain road were buried very shallowly and were quickly cleared.
A Japanese engineer, holding up a cleared landmine, mocked, "Company Commander! You're just a bunch of amateur Eighth Route Army guerrillas. You don't have any decent landmines, and you don't even know how to lay them. You're nothing to worry about!"
Captain Ohno exclaimed excitedly, "Yoshi! Peach, here we go! Charge!"
He took the lead, rushed to the top of the mountain, pointed at the red flag, and gave the order:
"Li Sang! Ding Sang! Take down the flag of the Eighth Route Army Special Task Force. Someone! Take a picture of our two friends from the Empire."
"Yes! Taijun."
Li Deshui and Ding Yizhou nodded and bowed as they accepted the order.
A Japanese soldier took out a camera and pointed the lens at the two men.