The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 243: Pickled Pork with Salted Pork (Additional chapter 310 for the color photographer)

In fact, at this moment, among the factions of the Fifth War Zone on the Xuzhou battlefield, not only some grassroots officers took spontaneous action, put aside some selfishness, and took action to win this battle.

Some of the big guys were also very clear at the critical moment.

For example: At around 10 o'clock that night, in Xuzhou City, the former Daotai Yamen served as the headquarters of the Fifth War Zone.

An adjutant, who was considered a close friend, reported the latest situation to the two big bosses of the Gui army, Li Bai, who were sitting across from each other in the office.
"My two sirs, this is the situation; the Subei Independent Regiment has now formed a cavalry company and an infantry battalion of about 300 men.

Among them, 17 officers and 21 non-commissioned officers have volunteered to join, and these personnel are currently being trained overnight.

And considering that this was only the first day, the news that Hu Biao asked people to help out had not yet spread thoroughly, and most people in Xuzhou had not heard about it.

If we continue to let this go, I'm afraid more people will join in tomorrow.

By the time this battle is over, the Subei Independent Regiment will probably really grow stronger; so we have to do something right away to put a chokehold on them in terms of personnel and equipment."

After saying this, the adjutant was ready.

What preparations? Of course, when Li Bai's two superiors praised him for his cleverness and his wholehearted consideration for the Gui army, he calmly said that everything he did was what he should do.

Unexpectedly, after hearing what he said, the two superiors Li Bai looked at him with a cold look in their eyes.

Commander Li frowned even more and said slowly, "Yaxu! Since you are my old friend's junior, I will teach you one last time today.

If you still don't get it, then go to the army.

As commanders of the Guangxi Army, we naturally have to consider and seek benefits for the folks and children of Guangxi; but in addition to being Guangxi people, we are also descendants of the Chinese nation.

Sometimes, we cannot only consider the interests of the Gui army.

Since the war with the Japanese broke out, we have suffered a series of defeats and are in urgent need of a big victory to inspire the people's determination to resist.

Therefore, it is crucial whether Hu Biao can work together with the 131st Division to withstand the Japanese attack in Taierzhuang; if he strangles them now and Taierzhuang is lost, wouldn't it be a tragedy for his relatives and a joy for his enemies?

From now on, don’t mention the matter of Kahu Biao and the Subei Independent Regiment, at least not until the end of this battle.

Oh, right! Don’t they want that anti-tank gun? Send it to them, and it must be delivered before tomorrow morning.”

Because there were no outsiders in the office, Chief Li's words above were absolutely sincere. Compared with the decision to suppress Hu Biao mentioned a few days ago, the contrast was huge.

The reason for this is that people are complex.

Especially the big bosses of their faction, in order to avoid being completely swallowed up by the bald principal taking this opportunity, they often have to do things against their will.

But in his heart, he wanted to win this battle, a crucial war in which losing would mean the destruction of the country and the extinction of the race.

After being reprimanded neither lightly nor severely, the adjutant, who was considered a relative of the emperor, quickly admitted his mistake and prepared to arrange trucks to deliver the anti-tank guns and artillery shells to Taierzhuang overnight.

But before he set off, Commander Bai, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly asked:
"Oh right! Do you know what that Hu Tuanzuo is doing now?"

"Around sunset, the Japanese completely stopped their attack, and then Annie arranged for someone to send a batch of wine, meat, and food to the manor. So they are drinking and eating meat now?"

After recalling it, the adjutant said uncertainly...

******
That's right! With the promise of making a fortune reselling penicillin, the 200-pound deputy director, a colonel, unleashed a tremendous amount of energy.

Before dark, the batch of meat that Anne had requested was found and delivered.

Then, he immediately sent all the good wine and food that others had brought, as well as a batch of cash, to Taierzhuang.

However, these wine, meat and flour did not fall into the mouths of Hu Biao and others as the adjutant had expected, but instead went into the mouths of the defending soldiers in the manor.

Especially tonight, I was included in the death squad and in the stomachs of those brothers and sisters.

Look! Seeing the female soldier Ling Lanfang who had just put down the big bowl in her hand, Zanana hurriedly asked with concern: "Are you full? If not, there's more, as much as you can eat. You're a dead loser, that's not right! Our commander Hu is really not bragging, his skill in making oil-splashed noodles is really good.

I'm usually too busy to cook, so this is a rare opportunity. You must eat a full meal so you'll have the energy and spirit to regain the ground you lost during the day."

Just as Zanana said, after today's battle, the Subei Independent Regiment suffered heavy casualties.

So when it came time to sign up for the suicide squad tonight, and even Ling Lanfang, a female soldier, volunteered to participate, he had no choice but to agree with reluctance.

However, even though they agreed, Hu Biao and other modern people still felt an indescribable sense of guilt and wanted to compensate her as much as possible.

But there is very little that can be done. It seems that the only thing that can be done is to let her have a good meal that is equivalent to a "last meal" before she leaves.

Because Ling Lanfang was assigned to the suicide squad under Zanana tonight, this girl was even more concerned.

This is why we show such concern and care for each other, fearing that the other person may not eat well, not eat enough, or be dissatisfied with the food.

After hearing this, Ling Lanfang quickly replied: "Hu Tuanzuo's oil-splashed noodles are indeed delicious. They are definitely the best noodles I have ever eaten. However, I ate a large bowl and I am already full."

But with Zanana's keen observation, she could still notice a hint of regret flashed across Ling Lanfang's eyes after she finished speaking.

Seeing this, she knew that the other party did not really enjoy or feel satisfied with his last meal.

He immediately said, "I see. You're from the south and you're not used to eating noodles, right? I just heard that Hu Biao can also make authentic Guilin rice noodles.

There's still time, ask her to make you a bowl right away."

After finishing speaking, he ignored Ling Lanfang who kept saying "Sir, it's not necessary" and walked straight to Hu Biao who was not far away. He said:
"You idiot! Hurry up and make a bowl of authentic Guilin rice noodles for Ling Lanfang to have a bite."

Before our ancestors participated in such a life-threatening mission, if they wanted to eat a bowl of Guilin rice noodles, it had to be something that was difficult and must be accomplished.

Hu Biao didn't think much about it, and immediately put down the half-eaten oil-splashed noodles in his hand and walked towards a temporary kitchen not far away.

Seeing that there was no way to refuse, Ling Lanfang, who had been following all the way, could only say embarrassedly:

"Thank you, Commander Hu and Commander Zha. If it's convenient, please make me a bowl of pickled mustard greens with preserved vegetables. My mother is from Shanghai, and her pickled mustard greens are delicious. I just haven't had the chance to eat it since I joined the army."

"Pickled pork with preserved vegetables, right? It's no big deal. Just save your stomach for later." After hearing this, Hu Biao agreed with an unusually relaxed expression.

But after entering the kitchen, I became a little worried.

During the time he was lying around, he worked as a screwdriver in Kunshan for a while. He had eaten the dish of pickled pork with preserved vegetables and knew how to make it.

It’s just that all the other ingredients are there, but the soul ingredient, bamboo shoots, is missing.

Fortunately, when he thought about it for a while, an idea suddenly came to his mind.

I thought: Isn't the place where Annie and the others are temporarily stationed in a bamboo forest? Now is the time when bamboo shoots are produced, so I think I can definitely find them.

He immediately went to the 131st Division's telecommunications office and sent an urgent telegram using the radio.

Ten minutes later, Annie, who was busy with various things, received a telegram from the village.

After quickly reading the message "Urgent, send a pound of bamboo shoots to make pickled pork with preserved vegetables, Hu Biao immediately", he asked a signalman in surprise:
"How can you say this? Is it translated wrong?"

"No, Commander Hu sent the message in plain text, there must be no mistake." The communications soldier said with great certainty.

After hearing this, what else could Annie say? She picked up a flashlight and said to the signalman, "Come on, follow me to pick bamboo shoots."

While walking, the girl thought of something and couldn't help but complain in a voice that only she could hear:

"I like pickled pork with preserved vegetables, but not only did they make it for someone else, they also asked me to pick bamboo shoots. Isn't this just a waste of money? I even need my wife to help me bargain for it.
Scumbag..."

(End of this chapter)