Political commissar Wang Hong participated in the entire negotiation.
My mood is like a roller coaster, sometimes exciting, sometimes nervous, with ups and downs.
When I heard that Li Hao was going to give twelve heavy artillery pieces to the Jinsui Army for free and let the Jinsui Army make money from the Eighth Route Army, I became anxious at that time.
Winks, kicks, etc. were used in various ways to remind Li Hao to be more cautious and not to be too impulsive, but to no avail.
After being unable to bear it any longer, Wang Hong decided to temporarily interrupt the negotiation so that the group leader could not continue to make mistakes.
But when the words came to his lips, before he could say them out, he was stopped by a very stern look from the group leader.
In the end, I could only swallow my words and hold on until the negotiation was over.
After the Jinsui Army negotiators left the conference room, Wang Hong finally found a chance to speak: "Commander, are you confused? The Jinsui Army has taken advantage of it. What should we do with the Eighth Route Army? Are we going to continue to suffer losses like this?"
"You have to know that the money the Jinsui Army earns from us is probably the head of the headquarters' frugality and savings."
Li Hao shook his head and replied: "Jinsuijun is not a fool!"
"If there is not a big enough benefit, will they take the risk to buy food for us?"
"Don't forget that food is the most scarce thing for us now. Without food, our Eighth Route Army will go hungry, and the morale of the military and people in the base area will be affected. By then it will be too late to talk about anything."
"As long as we ensure that the morale of the troops and people in the base area is stable and we can get the food we urgently need, we will suffer some losses."
"And I can tell you for sure that this loss is only temporary."
"When the deal is over and the food is obtained, I promise to let the Jinsui Army vomit out as much as it eats, and it will be vomited out to the emperor in multiples."
Li Hao is a man who sticks to his word. He will definitely do what he says and will never joke with himself or talk big words on big issues of right and wrong.
Wang Hong's frown immediately relaxed, and his eyes became increasingly hot. He stared at Li Hao and asked: "Captain, do you have any backup plans?"
"Of course!" Li Hao did not deny it.
"You have known me for so long, when have you ever seen me suffer?"
"What back-up plan?" Wang Hong continued to ask.
Li Hao raised the corners of his mouth slightly and answered mysteriously: "Heavy artillery shells and the penicillin we have produced!"
At six o'clock in the morning, it was already dark.
On a road in Datong, a large convoy was heading towards the independent brigade station more than ten kilometers away.
There were a hundred carts in total, and each cart was loaded with heavy grains, and the wheels of the carts creaked under the pressure.
The driver kept waving the cane in his hand to urge the mules and horses to speed up.
There were more than a hundred soldiers guarding the convoy, wearing Shanxi-Sui Army uniforms, rifles slung on their shoulders, and everyone had a sad look on their face.
After the failure of the last counterattack on Datong, in order to prevent the Jinsui Army from attacking Datong City again, more than three planes flew above everyone every morning to confirm that no large groups of Jinsui Army were gathering in Datong.
If there is, it will definitely be a preemptive strike and bombing on the spot.
Therefore, once the grain transport convoy is discovered by them, they will definitely bomb it and destroy the grain.
"Sir, we still have three hours to go from our destination. It's almost dawn, and I'm worried that the Japs' cruising planes are targeting us." The platoon leader walked to the company commander and reminded him, his expression solemn and anxious.
"The troops continue to speed up." The company commander replied solemnly.
Although he didn't say a word, his furrowed brows betrayed his anxiety at this moment.
"Sir, there are troops coming in front, they seem to be ours." A squad leader from the vanguard troops rushed over and reported.
Then I saw a troop appear at the end of the road, marching towards everyone.
Although the nearby Japanese and puppet troops have gathered in Datong City, it cannot be ruled out that a small group of troops will come out to sneak attack the Shanxi-Sui Army.
The company commander's nerves suddenly became tense and he immediately ordered: "The entire army is on alert and ready for battle."
Then he took out his pistol and hid behind the grain truck, staring at the oncoming troops without blinking to prevent any accidents.
A minute later, the company commander spotted a familiar figure among the rushing team, the commander of the heavy battalion of the independent brigade.
The tense nerves immediately relaxed, and he breathed a long sigh of relief and shouted: "The alert is lifted, it's one of our own!"
Ten minutes later, the stopped convoy continued to set off.
The difference is that the escort force has changed from a company to a battalion. The company that originally escorted the grain team turned around and returned to the station.
An hour later, a series of explosions came faintly from behind them.
"Sir, could it be that the food team was discovered by a Japanese plane..." the platoon leader walking beside the company commander reminded.
The company commander flashed a hint of worry, but quickly shook his head and said in denial: "Probably not. The supply camp is the local leader here. They are familiar with the terrain. It will be too difficult for the Japs' planes to find them."
"Relatively speaking, we are still in more danger."
"If we are targeted, we will definitely be attacked. When the time comes, a bomb will wipe out most of our company."
"Order the troops to speed up their march and try to enter the mountains before they find us."
On the road more than ten kilometers away, the independent brigade transport battalion has been turned into a transport company. The grain transport team with a hundred carts has only ten carts of grain left. More than a dozen soldiers gathered around a cart, pushing the grain cart.
Let's march together in the direction of the forward station.
The two kilometers of road behind him was filled with billowing smoke and blazing fires.
A total of nine craters are scattered on both sides of the road. Each crater is at least three meters deep. The impact point is the center. The surrounding area of more than ten meters is full of blown up soil, and it is all burnt to black. If you step on it, it will directly hit you.
It doesn't reach the ankle, which shows how powerful the bomb is.
Around the crater, there were burning cars everywhere, parked on the road in a mess.
It didn't take long for these wooden carts to be burned to ashes.
Around the cart, there was a lot of unburned grain, which looked like it had been scattered when the grain was blown away.
When people who don't know see this scene, they will definitely think of it as the bombing scene just now.
The Japanese planes discovered the food transport convoy protected by the baggage battalion, and then decisively launched an attack.
The baggage battalion desperately grabbed ten trucks of grain. The remaining grain trucks and the remaining two companies of the baggage battalion were killed in the bombing because they did not retreat in time.
This is indeed the case, but the bombing was not an accident, but a premeditated action.
Ninety carts of food and two companies of soldiers from the baggage battalion were not destroyed in the bombing. They were moved before the bombing.
The things seen at the bombing site were all deliberately staged.
On the mountain road one kilometer away from the bombing point, more than 200 soldiers and nearly 600 mules and horses marched deep into the mountains, carrying or carrying heavy loads of food.
Deep in the mountains three kilometers away from them, an entire regiment of the Eighth Route Army was lurking here, eagerly waiting for something.
