Two P-40 fighter jets circled near the train, then lifted up and flew west.
The frightened passengers cheered, thankful that they had escaped.
Looking at the plane flying away, Jiang Xinyu knew very well that the pilot was flying at ultra-low altitude to confirm the bombing target.
The bombing target must be nearby!
Twenty minutes later, the train entered Cangnan, and a long convoy appeared on the road. At the front were more than a dozen military trucks, followed by an endless convoy of mules and horses.
The carriages were covered tightly with tarpaulins, and it was impossible to see what cargo was carried. There were two Japanese soldiers sitting on each mule carriage, wearing knee-length cotton military uniforms, holding Type 38 rifles in their arms.
Behind and to the left and right of the convoy, there was a whole group of fully armed Japanese troops. An officer with the rank of captain on his shoulder straps was riding on a horse, with a command knife on his waist, and he shouted a few words from time to time.
Jiang Xinyu understood it at a glance. Judging from the time, this team must be the Suixi grain transport team. The trucks were all loaded with grain, ready to be handed over to the 11th Division of the Kwantung Army being repaired in Yanjin.
The roar of aircraft engines came from far and near in the sky. Two P-40 fighter jets came back, flying at a lower altitude this time. The aircraft roared past the head of the food transport team.
The American Volunteer Air Force to China, also known as the Flying Tigers, consists of three squadrons, namely the Adam and Eve Squadron, the Hells Angels Squadron, and the Panda Squadron.
Through the car window, Jiang Xinyu could clearly see the iconic shark nose shape of the P-40 and the panda pattern on the fuselage. These two aircraft obviously belonged to the Panda Squadron!
The captain immediately jumped off his horse, drew his command knife and loudly ordered: "It's an enemy plane, prepare to attack!"
The Japanese army often encountered air attacks on the battlefield. In the absence of anti-aircraft weapons, heavy machine guns became the only defensive weapon available.
Just use the anti-aircraft boom stand and the gunner lies on his back to shoot. If he is lucky enough, he may even have a chance to shoot down the aircraft.
The train passed by the grain transport team, and the last scene the passengers could see was two P-40 fighter jets opening their bomb bays, followed by a deafening explosion.
"Empty, empty, empty..."
After the explosion, the 92 heavy machine gun started shooting wildly at the two flying targets.
Jiang Xinyu breathed a sigh of relief, and the doubts in his heart were solved. Chongqing was not sending troops to conduct a raid, but was using aircraft to carry out precision bombing!
In order to prevent the action plan from being leaked, they did not tell the truth even to their own people. The military intelligence agents, including Qin Li, were all kept in the dark, thinking that there was going to be an ambush similar to Pingxingguan.
Two days later, the train arrived in Zhengzhou. Jiang Xinyu got off the train and bought a ticket to Hangzhou at the ticket office. He checked the departure time and saw that there was still one hour left.
At the station post office, I dropped in the letter I wrote on the train, which was a way of sending a message of safety to Hattori Mina.
It feels good to have someone thinking about you, even if that person doesn't really understand you!
There was a stall selling mutton braised noodles on the street. Jiang Xin walked over, put his suitcase in hand, and said, "Let's have some braised noodles and add more chili peppers."
The stall owner was a middle-aged woman in her forties, with very nimble hands and feet. She quickly prepared a bowl of braised noodles and placed it on the small square table in front of Jiang Xinyu.
"Sir, if you don't think it's spicy enough, I'll add more chili oil for you." The landlady said diligently.
Jiang Xinyu took two bites and said, "Houselady, it's spicy enough, but can you tell me where the mutton is?"
The landlady smiled bitterly and said: "Where is the mutton now? I'll give you a spoonful of mutton bone soup and it will be mutton braised noodles."
"That's what I'm talking about...who is the boss lady?"
"I'm from Zhengzhou."
"Let me ask you about a person. There is a blacksmith named Ma Laosan. Do you know him? He used to live near the station."
"Ma Laosan..." The landlady thought for a while and said, "I know, I know, there is such a person. He used to open a blacksmith shop in front of him. His craftsmanship is very good..."
"Do you know where he lives now?"
"You don't know, during the famine years, his mother-in-law let..." The landlady looked around and said in a low voice: "She was killed by the Japanese. In the end, Ma Laosan even sold his daughter. Oh, how pitiful..."
Jiang Xinyu suddenly remembered that Xiao Taohong did not tell him her real name, so he asked: "What is his daughter's name?"
"Let me think about it... Orchid, yes! It's called Orchid. When her mother was alive, she was always called Orchid orchid."
"Thanks."
After finishing a bowl of mutton braised noodles without mutton, Jiang Xinyu picked up his suitcase and walked back to the station.
He had more important things to do. He was just helping out by looking for Xiao Taohong's relative. It would be best if he could find her. If he couldn't find her, it wouldn't waste too much time on this matter.
…………
When he arrived at Jiangshan, Jiang Xinyu carried his suitcase and followed the flow of people outside. There was a line of rickshaws lined up outside, and the rickshaw drivers were working hard to drum up business.
A young man wearing a blue jacket and a peaked cap squeezed over and said to Jiang Xinyu: "Sir, do you want to take a car?"
Jiang Xinyu glanced at him and said as he walked: "How much does it cost to go to Zhangshu Lane?"
"It's five dollars in Zhangshu Lane. If you go to church, you'll get an extra dollar."
Jiang Xinyu got into the car, and the driver pulled the rickshaw for a while and whispered: "At six o'clock in the evening, there will be a car waiting for you at the back door of the church. The license plate is 709."
Jiang Xinyu said: "This is a Kuomintang-controlled area, why is it so mysterious?"
The coachman said: "There are also traitorous spies lurking in the Kuomintang-controlled areas. The higher-ups specifically told us to act with caution and treat them as if they were in occupied areas!"
Half an hour later, the rickshaw stopped at Zhangshu Lane. Jiang Xinyu got out of the car, took out a five-yuan national currency and handed it over, saying: "Thank you."
The driver pulled the rickshaw and turned around and left.
Jiang Xinyu stood on the street with his suitcase, looking at the familiar scenes, feeling quite a bit like a young boy returning home after leaving home. It has been three years since he returned to his hometown.
It is a quaint house with a red-painted iron-clad courtyard door, which has become somewhat mottled by years of wind and rain.
The courtyard door was ajar. Jiang Xinyu looked around, opened the door and walked in.
There was almost no change in the scenery in the yard. Jiang Xinyu looked at everything in front of him greedily, suppressed his excitement, and walked quickly into the house.
In the living room, an old man over fifty years old was holding a cigarette bag and smoking one after another. The sunlight was shining in from the window, making the room seem filled with smoke.
"Dad, the unfilial son Xinyu is back!" Jiang Xinyu put down his suitcase and knelt on the ground with a plop.
The old man, Jiang Xinyu's father, was stunned and speechless for a long time, and remained in a still state for more than a minute.