"Liu Liang, the former security chief of Xiaowangzhuang and the current vice-president of the Puppet Maintenance Council, betrayed the country as a thief and his father, and colluded with the water bandits and Japanese invaders to kill our beloved people... He has committed a heinous crime. After a trial, he is now executed for treason and surrendering to the enemy!
"
On the makeshift execution platform outside the heavily guarded Qinghe Town town hall, the brothers in charge of the trial shouted loudly and read out the charges against the traitor Liu Liang.
Surrounding the execution platform was a large, dark mass of common people. The hardships of life had left traces of time on their faces. Compared to the pot-bellied Liu Liang, their skinny bodies made people's noses sore.
Although most of these people are residents of the town, unlike those farmers living in the countryside, most of the people in the town make a living by commerce.
After all, the northern Jiangsu area is close to the junction of North China and Central China, with the Huaihe River flowing into the sea, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through the territory, so commerce and trade has been developed since ancient times.
In ancient times, there was the reputation of Huaiyang, Suzhou and Hangzhou. These four areas were prosperous areas for commerce and trade, and Huaiyin, to which Qinghe Town belongs, has been prosperous since ancient times.
However, since the Japanese invasion, wars have raged, trade routes have been cut off, and the people in Qinghe Town have also lost their source of livelihood. Many people have to rely on their remaining savings to survive.
The raids by the Japanese traitors made their lives even worse. Faced with the Japanese traitors holding bayonets, they struggled to survive.
In order to maintain expenses and enjoyment, the maintenance association deliberately allocated a lot of taxes, which made the people of Qinghe Town miserable and hated the maintenance association deeply.
It's a pity that the maintenance committee has Japanese support behind it, and the people dare to be angry but dare not speak out.
Now that we see the president and vice president of the Maintenance Association, who have always done evil things, being detained and sentenced, the people who have been oppressed for a long time seem to have found an outlet to vent their emotions.
"Kill them! Beat them to death!"
The chests of each of the people in the darkness were burning with hot anger. In their roars, they threw shoes and stones one after another.
Liu Liang and others, who usually show off their power and show off their power, were beaten and howling with unkempt appearance. If the guerrilla officers and soldiers responsible for maintaining order had not stopped them, they would have been beaten to death by the angry people.
"preparation!"
Seeing the agitated people, the guerrilla staff officer in charge of the trial was worried that something would happen. With a wave of his hand, several executioners loaded their guns with bullets, and pointed the black muzzles at Liu Liang and others.
The traitor Liu Liang and others were accustomed to being arrogant and arrogant. Facing the cold execution brothers, their bodies shook like chaff and they kept kowtowing to beg for mercy.
But there is no regret medicine in the world. Since you choose to treason and surrender to the enemy and work as a lackey for the Japanese, you are destined to have a bad end.
"shooting!"
"Bang-bang-"
The whistling bullets rushed out of the muzzle and penetrated the bodies of the president and vice-presidents of the Maintenance Association. The bullets tore out a huge bloody hole in their backs. The unabated Japanese sank into the wall with blood and minced meat.
Then it stopped.
The huddled people were frightened by the sudden gunshots and all retreated. When they saw the two traitors lying limply on the ground, they all burst into loud cheers, and many people cried with joy.
Of course, among these people, there were also some who were so frightened that they retreated quietly and fled far away. They were hidden enemy agents and did not dare to stay here anymore.
"Original security battalion commander Zhang Lezi!" the staff officer waved his hand and asked people to drag down the two executed traitors, and then shouted to the audience.
Zhang Lezi, the disheveled puppet battalion commander, was also carried to the execution platform by two tough-faced guerrillas, one on the left and one on the right. The people onlookers yelled angrily, and many objects hit Zhang Lezi again.
on the body.
The public trial outside the town hall was in full swing. Every time a traitor was pronounced guilty and executed, there was a small stir.
Seeing the guerrilla officers and soldiers executing these arrogant and domineering traitors, the people of Qinghe Town, who had been oppressed for a long time, let out a fierce sigh of relief.
Although there was a din of gongs and drums outside, inside the walls of the Qinghe Town Hall, the vigilant guerrilla brothers had their bullets loaded, as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
In the dark meeting room of the town hall, on the long benches on both sides of the old long table, more than a dozen staff officers from the guerrilla detachment headquarters and the main officers of the army were sitting silently.
Zhang Liechen, the deputy detachment leader who had just arrived from Xiaowangzhuang to Qinghe Town to take over, was still wiping the sweat from his forehead as he hurried all the way.
"Wang Huzi has sent back the news that the main force of our guerrilla column was ambushed by the Japs outside Huaiyin County. It is estimated that there is more danger than danger. Let's discuss what we should do next."
From time to time, cheers from the people could be heard outside the town hall, but after hearing Yang Ling's words, the staff officers and battalion and company commanders remained silent and looked solemn.
They had just eliminated the Japanese and puppet troops in Qinghe Town, and they were still thinking of joining forces with the main force of the column to eliminate the Japanese in Huaiyin and recover Huaiyin.
Who would have thought that this unit would receive such bad news just after it was deployed? The main force of the column was actually ambushed by the Japanese.
"Damn it, are their scouts blind? Can't they even detect the Japs' ambush?" Deputy Battalion Commander Zheng Gang immediately scolded his mother with a dark face.
In fact, this was because the main force of the guerrilla column was too careless. They thought they were the attacking party and had the initiative.
But who knew they had stepped into the trap dug by Japanese Captain Yamaguchi Akamatsu. The asymmetry of intelligence made them paralyzed and careless. They were surrounded by Japanese soldiers in the middle of the night and suffered heavy losses.
"The main force of the column has several thousand brothers anyway. Even if they are ambushed by the Japanese, I guess the situation will not be too bad. They may have broken through and moved to a safe place by now." Staff officer Lei Xiong was very optimistic.
Staff officer Liu Sheng shook his head and said: "I can't see it. I heard from the news that there is at least one Japanese infantry brigade surrounding them, as well as a large number of puppet troops. The puppet troops are nothing. It's not like you don't know the combat effectiveness of the Japanese...
....”
Although everyone knows that the Ninth Guerrilla Column capsized in the ditch this time, they really don't know the specific situation.
"Now, no matter whether they are sudden or not, we should take countermeasures immediately, otherwise we will fall into a passive situation."
Deputy detachment leader Zhang Liechen had just arrived from Xiaowangzhuang. He didn't even bother to eat lunch, so he came to attend the meeting and revealed the current situation of Yang Ling and others.
It would be better if the main force of the Ninth Guerrilla Column was transferred and the Japanese's attention was attracted, and they would be safe for a short time.
But once the main force of the Ninth Guerrilla Column suffered a devastating blow, the surviving Third Guerrilla Detachment became the number one target for the Japanese.
It is very likely that their third guerrilla detachment will have to independently deal with the Japanese encirclement and suppression on all sides, and the good situation just established will be lost again.
Everyone was cursing in their hearts. They were really unwilling to give up the situation they had finally opened to the Japanese.
"I think we should concentrate our efforts to advance in the direction of Huaiyin immediately. Firstly, we can cover the main force's breakout, and secondly, we can lead the upcoming battle to the outskirts of Qinghe Town to seize the initiative and avoid passive defense." the combat staff suggested.
"But there are a large number of Japanese and puppet troops in the direction of Huaiyin. The enemy is strong and we are weak. If we advance head-on, it will be very risky. Who will be responsible for the losses?"
"I suggest that what we need to do now is not to push forward, but to quickly withdraw Battalion Commander Wang and others to preserve our strength. If it doesn't work, we can give up Qinghe Town. At the worst, we will return to the countryside to fight guerrillas. After all, preserving our strength is important."