The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 229: Making Tea to Welcome Guests
Two minutes before 11 o'clock in the evening, Hu Biao and his group walked into Taierzhuang from the north gate.

Since entering Taierzhuang, the soldiers of the 185rd Battalion of the 3th Regiment who were traveling with Hu Biao and his men have been introducing themselves to the other Northwest Army brothers guarding the north gate with great enthusiasm:

Everyone opened their eyes wide. Did they see that young lieutenant colonel? That was the legendary Hu Biao, the commander of the Hu regiment.

Those well-equipped soldiers were equipped with various submachine guns, as well as the Type 38 rifles, grenade launchers, and Type 96 light machine guns.

They are Commander Hu’s famous companions and the people from the Subei Independent Regiment.

After introducing the above, they talked about how brutal and professional these people were in the previous battle at the artillery position, and how beating the Japanese was as easy as killing chicks.

In short, it was thanks to the hard work of the brothers in the 3rd Battalion.

In just a short while, hundreds of Northwest Army brothers stationed at the north gate surrounded Hu Biao and his men, asking them all kinds of questions.

The enthusiasm of the scene was no less than that of fans in modern times seeing their idols.

And as time passed, more and more brothers from the Northwest Army came over.

They surrounded the area at the north gate entrance, and it was so crowded that no one could get in or out. Every one of them came to see Commander Hu and his companions, as well as the Subei Independent Regiment under his command.

There was no other way! Hu Biao was already famous, and everyone had heard of him.

Some time ago, a bloody battle took place in Teng County for several days, which won extremely valuable time for the mobilization and deployment of the armies in Taierzhuang and Xuzhou.

Nowadays, in the hearts of these low-ranking officers and ordinary soldiers, there really is a sense of "If you have never met Commander Hu, it would be in vain even if you are a hero."

So the current situation seems to be a natural thing.

The situation continued like this until the crowd around suddenly quieted down and took the initiative to open a passage, allowing a man of about 34 or 35 years old, accompanied by seven or eight officers, to walk in.

Just seeing the rank of lieutenant general on the leading man, Hu Biao and others couldn't help but feel excited, knowing that it was Commander Chi Fengcheng who came.

Because according to their understanding, the troops currently stationed in Taierzhuang are the 131st Division of the Northwest Army.

The commander of the 131st Division is Lieutenant General Chi Fengcheng. Since receiving the order, he even set up his division headquarters directly in the manor.

He declared to his men that they must defend this place and would fight to the death if they failed.

After confirming the identity of the person coming, Hu Biao immediately shouted a command at the top of his voice: "Subei Independent Regiment, salute with all your strength."

After shouting, there were more than 150 of them, and they all gave a standard military salute to the visitor.

The reason for this is that, firstly, time travelers such as Hu Biao all know that in the bloody battle of Taierzhuang in history, Commander Chi made great military achievements and was hailed as the general with the greatest merit.

This is a worthy ancestor, and there is no shame in saluting him.

Secondly, although Hu Biao is more famous than Commander Chi in terms of fame, there is no subordinate relationship between the two.

But their current identity is soldiers after all. If they want to stir up some trouble in Taierzhuang, they must abide by the basic rules and discipline.

This naturally includes saluting when you see a higher-ranking officer.

After seeing Hu Biao and others salute proactively, the visitor's expression immediately became more friendly.

After earnestly returning the military salute, he smiled and said, "Captain Hu, you're too polite. I'm Chi Fengcheng, the commander of the 131st Division. I'm about eight or nine years older than you. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Chi.

Ever since I read in the newspaper about Captain Hu's outstanding deeds during the Battle of Shanghai, I have been longing to meet him.

Now, Captain Hu had just returned from a bloody battle in Teng County. On the way, he generously helped our army and successfully destroyed an important artillery position of the Japanese.

If you don't mind the shabby conditions on the battlefield, why don't you go to my division headquarters for a few drinks and let Chi express his gratitude?"

The idea of ​​being able to have a drink with a senior like Master Chi was naturally a very tempting one for Hu Biao and the others. Unfortunately, they had already made a lot of plans before leaving Hulutao Village.

As time is pressing, they need to start executing immediately after arriving in Taierzhuang, and they really have no time to drink and chat with Commander Chi.

For this reason, Hu Biao shook his head and refused, but said meaningfully:

“Thank you Master Chi for your kindness, but unfortunately we have some urgent matters to attend to tonight.

But please believe that we will be able to meet again soon; then, Master Chi, you will provide the wine, and I, Hu Biao, will provide the snacks, and we will all have a good meal together."

After saying this, Hu Biao waved goodbye to the Northwest Army brothers who were surrounding him.

Then, he led the Subei Independent Regiment and headed straight for the south gate at the other end of Taierzhuang, intending to leave the village first...

As we walked along the narrow streets in Taierzhuang, stepping on the ancient stone slabs that may have been laid during the Tang Dynasty.

Lao Yu, a native of Xuzhou, took out the Leica camera from the backpack behind him.

Regardless of the fact that he only had half a roll of film left in his hand, he still took pictures of his surroundings under the moonlight.

Taierzhuang is located at the junction of Shandong and Jiangsu, connected to Yimeng Mountain in the east, Weishan Lake in the west, the transportation hub Xuzhou in the south, and Qufu, the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, in the north.

Relying on the Grand Canal, it has become a key node for water transportation between the north and the south.

Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, relying on the dividends of water transport, it has gradually become a prosperous place; now it is a large village covering an area of ​​two square kilometers, and is also known as the first town in southern Shandong.

As a local native, Lao Yu naturally knew the above information and statements a long time ago.

Even the modern Taierzhuang Ancient City is a national 5A-level tourist area.

The crux of the matter is that the original ancient city of Taierzhuang was destroyed in the war long ago; the rebuilt ancient city may be more exquisite and beautiful, but it does not have the charm accumulated over thousands of years that it has today.

When Lao Yu looked around, he saw that the streets in the village were narrow and the buildings were not very tall.

However, it has a variety of architectural styles that combine northern courtyards, Hui style, Jiangnan and Lingnan water towns, combining defensive and living functions, and has a strong commercial atmosphere.

Theaters, various temples, shops, etc. can be seen everywhere, as beautiful and vivid as a painting.

Unfortunately, all these beautiful and vivid things were about to be destroyed in the war; the only thing he could do was to leave behind a few more photos.

Finally, when there were only three frames left on the film, he stopped.

*****
After the group left Taierzhuang from the south gate, Hu Biao had no intention of moving forward.

After looking around, he saw an old and exquisite pavilion on the bank of the canal a few miles away, and a bamboo forest next to the pavilion. His eyes suddenly lit up.

He immediately spoke and issued a series of commands:
"Chen Tang, Huang Yizhi, Xufeng, Nanze, Zanana, and Van Gogh, take the brothers to the bamboo forest to settle down. We will spend the night there.

Although there are friendly forces all around, vigilance still needs to be arranged.

Mo Shuiyan, Wizard, Lao Yu, take some brothers and feed the horses; Annie, boil water and make tea, and wait for the guests to arrive."

That's right! Hu Biao planned to meet guests from various nationalist forces in that pavilion tonight and discuss some business.

As it is already late at night, is there still anyone coming to see him?
All they could say was that there was no need to worry at all, because while they were still walking in Taierzhuang, the news of Hu Biao and the Subei Independent Regiment's arrival had already been known to the numerous miscellaneous troops around them.

The news was quickly spread through telephones and telegrams, waking up important figures one after another, including members of the Japanese Special High Section...

(End of this chapter)