On the road south of Jieshou, a Japanese convoy like a long dragon was parked on the road. A large number of armed Japanese soldiers were scattered in the fields on both sides of the road to guard, and machine guns were also set up at some dangerous commanding heights.
Major Nishihara Tengxiong, captain of the artillery battalion under the Sano detachment, was ordered to lead the artillery battalion from Gaoyou to the north to support the Hirayama Infantry Battalion, which was blocked from attacking.
Unfortunately, the road leading to Baoying has been completely destroyed by the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps. A huge horizontal trench will be dug out every one or two hundred meters and filled with water.
Convoys dragging heavy mountain artillery faced such eroded roads, and had to send engineers to repair the dug-out roads to allow the convoys to pass.
However, the destructive power of the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps was too great. The Japanese engineers had been conducting emergency repairs for a whole day, but their convoy had only advanced less than ten kilometers.
However, the Nishihara Brigade cannot abandon the convoy, because they are an artillery unit. If they cannot transport the artillery to the front line, they will lose their livelihood.
Although the progress was slow due to the severe damage to the road, they had to move forward step by step with patience.
In order to speed up the emergency repairs, the Nishiyuan Brigade specially sent some troops to the surrounding villages to arrest civilians to help.
The Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps retreated in a hurry. Although the local people were evacuated, some people still hid because they were nostalgic for their homeland and did not follow the retreat north.
The people who were hiding came out of their hiding places after watching the officers and soldiers of the Northern Jiangsu Corps who came to evacuate, thinking they were safe.
But what I didn't expect was that the village was soon surrounded by Japanese soldiers with guns. Anyone who could move was driven here to help build roads.
"I think the little devils are not as bad as those guerrillas said. We are building roads and taking care of the food."
Under the surveillance of the Japanese, these people who were unwilling to evacuate their homeland continued to fill the dug trenches with bags of sand and talked while talking.
"I think so. That prince just rewarded me with a candy." Another farmer carrying a sandbag said proudly.
When the people around carrying sandbags heard this, they all swallowed their saliva. They were all poor people and how could they afford candies on weekdays.
Because the Japanese army has a balanced nutrition, all soldiers in the army can receive these candies on time to replenish their physical fitness.
"What does it smell like?" The people around looked enviously.
"Looking at what you're asking, it must be sweet. It's sweet, much sweeter than honey." The person who spoke still licked his lips with unsatisfied thoughts.
"Don't look at me, work hard for Taijun, and maybe you will be rewarded with one each." The man who got the candy smiled and comforted the envious villagers.
"What's so delicious about the Japs' food? Only traitors eat the Japs' food!" As these people were talking, a discordant voice came from beside them.
"Are you saying the grapes are sour because you can't eat them?" The man who had eaten the sugar turned his head and said something sinister.
"Bah, you traitor!" The person who spoke was a young man, carrying a bag of soil on his shoulders and smashing it into pieces with dissatisfaction, his handsome face full of disdain.
"Zhang Dagen, do you want to beat me up?!"
Seeing this young man provoking himself in this way, the man who had eaten the candy suddenly turned dark, threw the sandbag on his shoulder to the ground, and said that he was about to roll up his sleeves and hit someone.
When the young man faced the strong man walking towards him with a sinister face, although a trace of fear flashed in his eyes, he stood firm and did not flinch.
"Baga Yalu, what are you... doing?!" Just when a fight was about to break out, several Japs in charge of overseeing the work came over with guns.
Seeing the bright bayonets held by the Japanese soldiers, the two sides looked at each other with disdain, but they did not dare to make the same mistake again.
"Taijun, it's okay, it's okay." Seeing that the Japs were about to intervene, neither party dared to act rashly. If the Japs were offended, it would be no joke.
"Yours, work quickly!" The Japanese soldiers didn't want to cause trouble, so when they saw everyone dispersed, they gave a loud warning and turned around to leave.
"Zhang Dagen, you boy, just wait for me and see how I deal with you when I get back!" The rough, strong man waited until the Japanese soldiers left and glared at the young man who was dissatisfied with him.
"Who is afraid of whom?!" Although the young man was handsome and looked weak, he was tit for tat and showed no weakness.
But such a small incident among the people who were driven to repair the road was witnessed by the Japanese artillery battalion captain Nishihara Tengxiong and a group of officers standing on the road.
"The Chinese people always like to fight among themselves, and now they still dislike each other. It is really a tragedy for the Chinese nation." A staff officer with sharp eyes shook his head with regret.
"Although it is the tragedy of the Chinese people, it is our opportunity. Let the cowardly Chinese people fight among themselves. It would be better if they all die from the internal fighting. They do not deserve to have such a vast land, and this place will eventually become owned by the Yamato nation.
"Yes." Tengxiong Nishihara, captain of the Japanese artillery battalion, said with a sneer on his lips.
"Captain is wise, let the Chinese fight among themselves. Victory will eventually belong to us." The Japanese staff officer smiled and flattered, and the surrounding officers nodded in agreement.
One of the reasons why they look down on the Chinese is that the Chinese cannot unite as one, so they are beaten back and forth.
"Nakamura-san, we must continue to reward candies, which can enhance the efficiency of the Chinese people in repairing roads, but those who are lazy must also be punished." Japanese artillery battalion captain Nishihara Tengxiong ordered a Japanese captain next to him.
"Hi Yi!" The Japanese captain next to him bowed his head heavily and agreed.
"Report, telegram from Chief Sano!" At this moment, a Japanese communications soldier strode over, stood in front of the captain Tengxiong Nishihara, saluted, and handed over a telegram.
The Japanese officers around them all looked away from the Chinese people who were repairing the road. They looked at the message in Nishihara Tengxiong's hand and wanted to know what happened.
Japanese artillery battalion captain Nishihara Tengxiong quickly read the message. After reading the message, he had a cold snort on his face and handed the message to the surrounding officers to pass on.
"The Hirayama Infantry Brigade is so incompetent. It is simply a disgrace to our Imperial Japanese Army! It asked for help again and again!" Captain Nishihara Tengxiong cursed angrily.
The Hirayama Brigade kept asking them for help, which annoyed them so much that in the end they simply ignored the telegrams from the Hirayama Brigade.
The detachment leader Sano Taro, who was currently in Gaoyou, sent a telegram saying that he had lost contact with the Hirayama Brigade and urged them to move closer to the Hirayama Brigade immediately. This made Nishihara Tengxiong very unhappy with the Hirayama Brigade.
It was originally very warm for them to stay in Gaoyou, but in order to support the Pingshan Brigade, they had to march against the cold wind. This made them full of complaints. It was really embarrassing that they couldn't defeat a mere capital city and still needed reinforcements.
"Captain, will Pingshan Brigade and the others encounter any accident?" A Japanese officer held a telegram and had a bad feeling.
"When was the last time we contacted them?" Japs Captain Nishihara Tengxiong asked.
"Last night at midnight," the Japanese staff officer replied.
Hearing the Japanese staff officer's answer, Nishihara Tengxiong felt his heart skip a beat and realized the seriousness of the problem.