HBWnovel Chapter 1647 The Japanese and puppet troops moved very quickly.
Chapter 1647 The Japanese and puppet troops moved very quickly.
"report!"
Fuyuko Yamashita's voice rang out in the hallway outside the door.
Kawashima Yoshiyuki hurriedly opened the door, nodded, and left.
The two intelligence lines must not intersect; listening to even a single extra word could lead to one's death.
Yamashita Touko reported: "Madam! According to intelligence, the Doihara Hama's regiment was besieged by the Eighth Route Army in Zhougezhuang. Less than a hundred men remain, and all their warhorses have been lost."
"what?!"
Aoki Renga was startled and stood up. After a pause, she asked,
"Dongzi! Where is the Shadow Bureau Chief now?"
Fuyuko Yamashita laughed and said, "Madam! Are you thinking about the first generation?"
Aoki Renga rolled her eyes at her and scolded, "Who wants him!"
Fuyuko Yamashita took out a telegram and handed it to him, smiling:
“My cousin Jixia sent a telegram. The first generation leader has been with him, studying how the Imperial Army can stop the war and withdraw its troops, get out of the quagmire of the China War, and join the Allied Powers. He wants to write a letter to the leader.”
Aoki Renka looked bewildered, and after a long while said, "The Imperial army has been advancing triumphantly, occupying 550 million square kilometers of land. Why would they stop the war and withdraw? Has he gone mad?"
Fuyuko Yamashita said with a wry smile, "Madam! The First Generation must have his reasons for doing this."
Aoki Renka sneered, "Joining the Allied Powers is tantamount to surrendering, and the military will absolutely not agree to it. I'm too lazy to care about him anymore. Let him be. At worst, we'll just get a divorce."
Fuyuko Yamashita said urgently, "No! The First Generation will be heartbroken."
Aoki Renka said coldly, "It would be better if he were heartbroken, hmph!"
Fuyuko Yamashita muttered, "Saying one thing and meaning another!"
At this time, Awei Mako arrived at the door and reported:
"Section Chief! Doihara Hiroko called, boasting about annihilating 18,000 enemy soldiers, and is now proposing to you."
Aoki Renka and Yamashita Touko exchanged a glance, and then, unable to contain themselves, burst into laughter.
Chengwu, Shandong, Dongyu River.
Xiang Chu led the command post, guards, and artillery battalion, turning southeast along the river embankment.
The five brigades followed in the nearby woods and reed beds, spaced a mile or two apart from each other.
Xiang Chu had five bodyguards and spies around him, all of whom carried radios to monitor the movements of the Japanese and puppet troops.
Lu Zheng spurred his horse to catch up with Xiang Chu and asked in confusion, "Commander-in-Chief! Why are we following this river?"
Xiang Chu laughed and said, "Uncle Lü! This river flows all the way to Weishan Lake, so we won't go astray. The banks are covered with reeds and trees, making it easy to hide. According to the intelligence from the Sixth Reconnaissance Brigade, this is currently the only relatively safe route."
Lü Zheng nodded and said, "That's true! We haven't encountered any Japanese soldiers along the way."
Xiang Chu smiled wryly and said, "It's still early. With so many of us moving, how could the Japanese not notice? Hopefully, Lao Liu and the others can attract some of the Japanese over there, making the fighting easier for us."
At this time, Qian Fu received a telegram reporting:
"Commander-in-Chief! Sun Xing has called to say that Kobayashi Kenzaburo is leading a brigade and five puppet regiments, totaling nearly 30,000 men, toward the Yellow River flood area northwest of Tushan."
Xiang Chu exclaimed in surprise, "Thirty thousand Japanese and puppet troops went after Old Liu?"
Lu Zheng asked anxiously, "How many men did Xiao Liu bring in total?"
Xiang Chu took out a map and said as he looked at it, "In order to cover the transfer of the main force, he volunteered to lead a hundred men to make a show of force and advance westward to attract the Japanese fire."
Lu Zheng remarked with emotion, "Xiao Liu's willingness to sacrifice himself is a role model for us to learn from."
Xiang Chu put away the map and instructed, "Afu! Telegraph Lao Liu that his mission is complete. Find a way to escape from the Japanese and make a detour from the south to advance into the Yimeng Mountains."
"Yes!"
Qian Fu hurriedly accepted the order.
Lu Zheng suggested, "Commander-in-Chief! There are many people along the way who want to join the Eighth Route Army to fight the Japanese. Let's take them in."
Xiang Chu nodded and said, "Send them in! But keep a close eye on the new recruits; we absolutely cannot let anyone leave any trace of our whereabouts for the Japanese."
Lu Zheng solemnly said, "Don't worry! I'll lead the Third Brigade to follow behind and eliminate any potential threats."
Xiang Chu waved his hand and said, "There's no need for you to keep an eye on it personally. Radio No. 1! Telegraph the Fourth Brigade to conduct thorough checks in the rear and strictly prevent spies from leaving any marks along the way."
"Yes!"
The guards and spies at Radio Station No. 1 hurriedly accepted the order.
Northwest of Cao County, on the edge of the Yellow River flood plain.
Liu Zhengxiong led a cavalry company, carrying red flags, and moved northward.
The radio operator stepped forward and reported: "Deputy Commander-in-Chief! The Commander-in-Chief is calling."
Liu Zhengxiong took the telegram, read it, and said happily:
"Comrades! Our covering mission is complete. We're turning south."
"Yes!"
Everyone accepted the order in unison.
Liu Zhengxiong turned his horse around and led the group south.
Li Deshui and Ding Yizhou deliberately followed behind the group, preparing to break away from the troops.
Ding Yizhou whispered, "Deshui! Should we continue to follow the decoy team?"
Li Deshui shook his head and said, "I'm not following anymore! Following them any further will only lead to our deaths."
Ding Yizhou nodded and said, "Yes! If I weren't part of this decoy force, I wouldn't have even considered running away."
Li Deshui sneered, "They've always distrusted us. If we don't leave, they'll get us killed sooner or later. But before we leave, I want to kill that Deputy Commander-in-Chief surnamed Liu. He's been watching us all day long; it's driving me crazy."
Ding Yizhou asked in confusion, "What is Deputy Commander-in-Chief Liu's full name?"
Li Deshui shook his head and said, "I don't know! This group of people is too mysterious. I really want to expose their secrets."
Liu Sen, who was also behind, turned around and scolded, "What are you two whispering about? Hurry up and move!"
Li Deshui hurriedly clutched his stomach and cried out:
"Captain Liu! My stomach hurts, I need to use the restroom."
Ding Yizhou exclaimed, "My stomach hurts too! You go first, we'll catch up later."
Liu Sen nodded and said, "Okay! You two hurry up, we'll be waiting for you in Tushan."
Li Deshui asked in confusion, "Shall we go back to Tushan?"
Liu Sen, who was merely making up a place name, shouted, "Do you two still want to use the restroom?"
"I want to! I want to!"
Li Deshui and Ding Yizhou said in unison.
"hurry up!"
Liu Sen shouted, spurred his horse to catch up with Liu Zhengxiong, and whispered:
"Deputy Commander! Li and Ding have fallen behind, pretending to have diarrhea."
Liu Zhengxiong was overjoyed and said happily, "Great! We've finally shaken off those two weak-willed guys."
Liu Sen said with a wry smile, "It wouldn't be good if the two of them were caught by the Japanese and revealed our unit's secrets."
Liu Zhengxiong waved his hand and said, "They don't know any secrets, they're nothing to worry about."
Liu Sen laughed and said, "That's good! It saves me the trouble of keeping an eye on things; I'd be exhausted."
Liu Zhengxiong shook his head and said, "Are you tired? I've been keeping an eye on them for so long, do you think it was easy? I've been dreaming of shaking off those two. Urge everyone to speed up the march, so they don't catch up with us, otherwise you'll have to keep an eye on them again."
"Yes!"
Liu Sen readily accepted the order.
Yutai County, where the Dongyu River flows into Weishan Lake.
Under the cover of night, Xiang Chu led his troops on a rapid march to this place, where they rested by the lake.
Lu Zheng walked up to Xiang Chu and asked, "Commander-in-Chief! Are we going to cross the lake?"
Xiang Chu shook his head and said, "Of course not! There aren't that many boats. I'm waiting for Xiao Liu to come over so we can see if there are any Japanese or puppet troops in the area between Taibai Lake and Weishan Lake."
Lü Zheng nodded and said, "Yes! Going through there is better than going around Xuzhou from the south."
Xiao Liu rode over at full gallop, dismounted, and reported:
"Commander-in-Chief! The passage between Taibai Lake and Weishan Lake has been blocked by a newly built fortification of bunkers and trenches by the Japanese and puppet troops, cutting off our eastward advance. A rough estimate suggests that there is about a regiment of puppet troops and a company of Japanese soldiers."
Xiang Chu exclaimed in surprise, "The Japanese and puppet troops are really fast!"