The moment the gunshots entered the reed marsh, Wei Ran and Zhou Houpu stopped what they were doing.
"What's wrong?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice.
"Take the fishing line," Zhou Houpu said, and at the same time, he quickly put away the incense string waiting to dry in front of the two of them, and then used the small wooden boat to squeeze through the dense reed swamp.
Wei Ran, who was sitting at the stern of the boat, pulled out a foot-long crucian carp by pulling on the thin hemp rope. Before he could take the fish off the hook, Zhou Houpu had already stopped the boat.
Looking across the edge of the reed marsh, Wei Ran was surprised to find that a large number of cargo ships were parked quite far away from their reed marsh. And behind the dock surrounded by these ships seemed to be the Dongguan City Gate.
! Turning around and looking to the left, less than a kilometer away at most was the heavily guarded Nanguan City Gate.
"Are we outside the county town?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice, knowingly.
Zhou Houpu nodded imperceptibly and squinted his eyes to look for the spot where he had just fired. Seeing this, Wei Ran took out the telescope from the metal book and handed it to him while the other party was not paying attention.
"You still have this treasure?" Zhou Houpu took the telescope in surprise.
"This is a gift from Qiu Er Mazi." Wei Ran consumed another handful of Qiu Er Mazi and said casually, "I'll give it to you if you need it."
Zhou Houpu said nothing, but raised the telescope and looked around. After a long time, he returned the telescope to Wei Ran and motioned him to look in the direction of Nanguan.
Wei Ran followed the other party's guidance and raised his telescope, and then he saw a figure in a suit hanging directly above the gate of the south city gate. And directly above the hanging man, there was a figure standing there.
With a command knife on his waist and a gun in his hand, he kept waving it around as if he was angry.
Zhou Houpu explained in a low voice, "The one on the city wall is probably Gui Ben."
"It's a pity that the anti-tank gun can't be taken out..." Wei Ran muttered to himself. If the anti-tank gun could be taken out, he was confident that even if he couldn't hit Guiben with one shot, he could at least get him half a shot.
disabled.
Seeing that he could not figure out the source of the gunfire for a while, Zhou Houpu carefully and quietly returned the boat to the reed swamp. Under Wei Ran's watch, he parked the wooden boat and lowered the fishhook again, and took out the small boat again.
The wooden board continued to make incense, as if it was not worried about the situation outside.
Gradually, the sky became completely dark, but Uncle Zhou never came back. However, compared to Wei Ran, who was becoming more and more uneasy, Zhou Houpu was also particularly calm. He looked up at the stars looming in the night sky, and finally stopped again.
Working hard, slowly rocking the boat continued to travel through the reed swamps.
After a long time, the boat once again docked at a small shack hidden deep in the reed marsh. After calling Wei Ran to get into the shack, Zhou Houpu took out the two pancakes left in the lunch box and the pickle dumplings that had not been eaten at noon and put them on the bed.
He whispered on the dried lotus leaf, "Eat something and take a nap after eating. My father should be living in the city today."
While talking, Zhou Houpu lit a stick of incense around the small shack to smoke out mosquitoes. Then he picked up a sickle, cut a handful of reeds around the shack, carefully folded them and tied them into two small pillows.
"Is this how you usually guard?" Wei Ran asked in a low voice, taking a bite of the dry pancake.
Zhou Houpu took a bite of the pancake and responded in a low voice, "This is already good, at least there is a shack. Last winter, the little devils went to various villages to raid over and over again, and everyone could only hide in the reeds. At that time, there were no shacks.
There was none, so everyone could only put reeds on the ice to survive. Throughout the winter, they didn’t dare to light a fire, and they had no shelter or even food, so many people suffered from the disease.”
"Alas..." Wei Ran, who was listening on the side, became more and more uncomfortable and didn't know how to continue this topic.
“I don’t know how long the fight will last.”
Zhou Houpu tore off a small piece of pickle and threw it into his mouth, chewing it loudly, "These little devils have guns and cannons, and planes that drop bombs overhead at every turn. If we can't drive them away, the future will be terrible."
It’s just a little rush and nothing more.”
"We will definitely be able to drive them away," Wei Ran whispered with great certainty, "it will only take four to five years at most."
"Four or five years?" Zhou Houpu's eyes lit up, and when he was about to say something, several strange frog calls came from outside the reed marsh.
"Someone is coming." Zhou Houpu quickly swallowed the pancake in his mouth and responded to a few frog calls.
After hearing another response from outside, Zhou Houpu immediately pushed out with his boat, and then saw a man pushing a bicycle on a dirt road next to the reed swamp, carrying a bamboo basket in his hand.
man.
"Captain Zhao? Why are you here?" Zhou Houpu asked unexpectedly.
"I'll bring you some food on the way." As Captain Zhao spoke, he handed over the bamboo basket covered with floral cloth.
After Zhou Houpu took the basket, Captain Zhao took the initiative to extend his hand to Wei Ran, "Are you Comrade Wei Ran?"
"It's me." Wei Ran quickly jumped from the boat onto the road and shook hands with the other party.
"Brother Wei has done something big, and now all the devils in the county are looking for you!"
Captain Zhao admired in a low voice, "I went to the county town at noon to have a look. My dear, I heard that the water in the Xiaonanmen bathhouse was dyed red, and six or seven dead traitors were carried out from inside."
"so much?"
Zhou Houpu looked at Wei Ran in surprise. Even though he and Wei Ran had not been separated since they met in the morning, the other party never detailed what he did in the county.
"Thanks to Qiu Er Mazi for giving birth to a good son. Without his help, I wouldn't be able to do so much." Wei Ran smiled modestly, "Captain Zhao, what is the situation in the city now? Also, the owner of Dongguan Teahouse has not been affected by the epidemic.
Implicated?"
"The city is in chaos. The owner of the tea shed hasn't left his stall for a long time today. I heard that when the little devil went to find him, the storyteller owner ran away long ago. Before leaving, he went to your yard to set some food.
If we started a fire, if the neighbors hadn't reacted quickly, a large area would have been burned."
"I guess that boss almost hates me."
Wei Ranhun said nonchalantly, "Can you not hate me? He killed his cousin He Translator who protected him from the wind and rain, and also let his tea shed burn down. Just lighting the fire and burning the shabby courtyard was already considered a light thing."
Even if the other party scolded him when he wrote a story about himself, Wei Ran would not be surprised at all.
"Then you have to be careful not to bump into him again in the future."
Captain Zhao was joking as he lit up the cigarette pot, took two strong puffs and pushed it toward Wei Ran. When the latter waved his hand to refuse, he glanced at the camera hanging around his neck and continued, "Brother Wei, I'll drop by.
I came here mainly because I wanted to ask you if you killed a Japanese in the Xiaonanmen Bathhouse?"
"It seems his name is Fujii, he is a reporter." Wei Ran picked up the camera hanging around his neck and shook it, "This thing belongs to that little devil."
"That's right"
Captain Zhao suddenly realized, and before Wei Ran could ask, he took the initiative and said, "During the darkness, the commander of the Japs, Gui Ben, killed a traitor from Jingu at the south gate. I heard that he got very angry.
, the news I received seems to be that a relative of Kamemoto also died in the bathhouse."
"A traitor from Jingu?"
Wei Ran became interested, "When I killed him, there was a translator He next to me. Qiu Ermazi told me that the reporter was taken over from Jingu by translator He. Why is there another one?"
"Translator He is Er Mazi's man. I guess Er Mazi invited the Japs reporter to take a bath and picked a Japs son-in-law for his daughter." Captain Zhao chuckled softly, "This Er Mazi has always wanted to be the father-in-law of the little Japs.
Where are the people."
Wei Ran also laughed when he heard this, "Did you stir up a happy event by co-writing it with me?"
"Not only did it disturb their happy event, but it also caused two more funerals for the Qiu family." Captain Zhao continued, "According to the long-term worker of the Qiu family, Mr. Qiu is still not awake yet, and even Uncle Zhou has been invited over.
Look sick."
Hearing this, Zhou Houpu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "No wonder my father didn't come back."
"Your father will probably have to stay at Qiu's house for a few days for a while," Captain Zhao reassured, "Thank you for your hard work and wait here for two more days. I guess news will come out from his side soon."
"Leave it to me" Zhou Houpu promised without thinking.
Captain Zhou knocked his pipe pot on the sole of his shoe, "Brother Wei, let's talk alone?"
Wei Ran was stunned when he heard this, nodded happily, and followed Captain Zhao a few steps further along the dirt road. It wasn't until Zhou Houpu and the bicycle behind him were completely invisible that they stopped one after another.
Captain Zhao put the cigarette pouch on his waist and asked in a low voice after a moment of silence, "Brother Wei, I want to know who you are. In the afternoon, I robbed the tea shed owner who ran away. He said you were him and he defected from his hometown.
We met He Yi on the road and came here together."
Wei Ran hesitated for a moment, then stood up straight, and solemnly reported a number that almost disappeared, but still haunted him, "Former Pistol Company directly under the 364th Brigade Headquarters of the 122nd Division of the 41st Army of the National Revolutionary Army
1st platoon, 1st squad, Guards, rank...rank of second lieutenant, my squad leader is Li Hexian."
"The 122nd Division of the 41st Army?"
Captain Zhao muttered something and then his eyes widened, "The 41st Army that defended Teng County three years ago?! You...how did you survive?"
Wei Ran smiled sadly, but did not answer. What he just reported was the number of Li Hexian during the defense battle of Teng County in 1938. It was also that battle that made the first page of his metal book
There is an additional rank of second lieutenant.
"Stay." Captain Zhao solemnly patted Wei Ran on the shoulder and extended the invitation in a particularly sincere tone.
Wei Ran nodded without hesitation, and at the same time made his request, "I want to fight the Japanese."
"Let's fight the Japanese together!" Captain Zhao solemnly stretched out his hand and clasped Wei Ran's hand again.
After solving the identity problem, the two chatted for a few more words, and then walked back to the side of the bicycle one after another.
"I have to go to other villages to make some arrangements." Captain Zhao kicked off the leg braces of his bicycle, "Hopu and Wei Ran, I'll leave this to you. News from the city will be sent back in time."
"Captain Zhao" Zhou Houpu called to Captain Zhao who had already turned the bicycle around.
"What's wrong?"
"If you have a chance to fight the Japanese this time, can you take me with you?" Zhou Houpu asked seriously.
Captain Zhao glanced at Wei Ran, thought for a moment and said happily, "Okay! If there is a chance this time, I will take you with me!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already jumped into the car and ran along the dirt road under the starlight, disappearing from sight.
When Wei Ran jumped onto the boat again, Zhou Houpu, who looked excited, quickly hid in the small shack deep in the reed swamp, holding on to the bamboo pole.
"Brother Hopu, this Captain Zhao is..."
"Yan Ling Team, have you heard of Yan Ling Team?" Zhou Houpu asked in a sure tone.
"I've heard of it, of course I've heard of it!"
"He is a veteran of the Yan Ling Team, and he is also the captain of our reconnaissance team. He usually leads us around the county to detect the movements of the Japs. Even though my father and I, as well as Morita, have no chance to fight against the Japs, the Yan Ling Team wants to.
Japs, we can't do this without the information we got."
As Zhou Houpu spoke, he took out some food and a large pot of tea from the basket.
Wei Ran's heart moved and he asked in a low voice, "What's Captain Zhao's name?"
"Zhao Bo!" Zhou Houpu said with deep admiration in his tone.
"It's him?!"
Wei Ran was secretly surprised. The name Zhao Bo may not be heard by many people in later generations, but the guy who blocked the chimney is known to everyone, and the former is the prototype of the latter!
"I knew you must have heard of him."
Zhou Houpu leaned against the pillar of the shack, his tone full of hope, "I begged Captain Zhao several times to fight the Japanese, but he didn't agree. This time I finally have the chance to fight the Japanese."
"Yes, I finally have a chance to fight the Japanese." Wei Ran lay down against the edge of the shack, looking at the bright night sky above his head, his tone also full of expectation.
