The War of Resistance Against Japan: Special Operations Battalion Traverses Shanghai and Slaughters

Unexpectedly, the group of people the sentry brought were all old acquaintances of Long Fei.

This group includes Chen Yiding, Zhu Ci, Wang Yaowu, Ding Zhipan, Zhou Zhengqiang, Yi Anhua, Zhong Chongxin, and Zhou Weiguo.

"Why are you all here?" Long Fei asked with a smile and surprise.

"Commander Long, we were worried about your safety, so after crossing the river, none of us left and stayed to wait for news from you."

Seeing that Long Fei was unharmed, Chen Yiding hurriedly explained on behalf of everyone.

Indeed, as Chen Yiding said, the facts are true.

After the troops crossed the river, according to the Nationalist government's arrangement, they were to march towards Anhui first and then wait for further orders.

After the fall of Nanjing, the Japanese will soon cross the Yangtze River and then march into Anhui.

The Nationalist government made this arrangement in order to build a new defensive line in Anhui Province to stop the Japanese advance.

Although everyone understood the Nationalist government's strategic intentions and was prepared to obey orders.

But after everyone learned that Long Fei was leading his troops and the 57th Army on the important task of providing cover, they were all worried about his safety.

They were even prepared to cross the Yangtze River again to rescue Long Fei if forced to do so.

So after crossing the river, everyone met and expressed their intentions to each other.

So, everyone decided to stay on the north bank for the night and wait for Longfei to cross the river safely.

When everyone saw that the pontoon bridge had been burned down, they guessed that Long Fei had already crossed the river, so they all rushed over to meet him.

"Thank you all for your concern. My Longyan troops and the 57th Army have crossed the river safely. I've prepared a meal, so please don't be shy."

Liu Wei, Xu Peng, Gao Hong, Xie Qiang, and others hurriedly brought everyone delicious food.

Since everyone was already quite familiar with Long Fei, they didn't stand on ceremony and took the food one by one, sitting on the ground and wolfing it down.

Everyone sat around Long Fei, eating and chatting.

Seeing that the weather was cold, Long Fei brought a lot of Moutai for the soldiers during the meal so that they could drink some to warm up.

At this moment, Long Fei picked up the Moutai again and poured a glass for each of them.

"Everyone, have a couple of sips to warm up."

But Chen Yiding and the others picked up the military water cups that had been filled with wine, and all shook their heads and sighed.

"Sigh, Nanjing is lost, and the troops are decimated. This drink is so frustrating."

Feeling down, drinking was a good way to relieve the stress, so everyone gulped it down in one go.

Zhu Ci put down his cup, wiped his mouth with his hand, and began to grumble.

"Damn it, Commander Tang and Commander Gui actually abandoned their troops and ran across the river shortly after the meeting."

"Such an officer really chills the hearts of the brothers below."

Zhu Ci's words drew disdain from the others, who also sighed in dismay.

Yi Anhua, being a straightforward person, immediately echoed her sentiment.

"That's right, it's heartbreaking. The brothers are fighting the Japanese to the death in front, but the commander abandons the troops and runs away without a word."

Zhou Weiguo downed his drink in one gulp, lit a cigarette, and then said resentfully.

"I discovered that the Nationalist government didn't really want to defend the capital; they just wanted to maintain a facade of pretense."

Zhou Zhengqiang sighed, "It was so much more fun fighting the Japanese with Commander Long. The most enjoyable battle I've fought since I joined the army was at Qianjiadu."

Long Fei silently drank with everyone, letting them vent their frustrations.

After a few drinks and having vented their frustrations, everyone started talking about serious matters.

Chen Yiding asked, "Commander Long, what are your plans next?"

Long Fei smoked a cigarette and said slowly, "Although the people in the city have evacuated in advance, they can't go very far in these three days. Once the Japanese send planes to pursue them, the casualties will definitely be heavy."

"Therefore, we plan to remain on the north bank for the time being, and shoot down all the Japanese planes once they send them out."

No one doubted Long Fei's bold words, but Zhu Ci continued to press for answers.

"Commander Long, what happened after we shot down the Japanese planes?"

Long Fei exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Afterwards, I will lead my troops to Shanxi."

After hearing this, Wang Yaowu kindly offered some advice.

"Commander Long, most of Shanxi has now fallen into the hands of the Japanese. With your small force, you'll likely be in grave danger if you go there."

"I suggest you head southwest, because the southwest is the rear area designated by the Nationalist government for the War of Resistance, and it is relatively much safer."

Unexpectedly, Long Fei shook his head: "Commander Wang, thank you for your kindness, but I am going to Shanxi because it has an extremely important strategic location and is rich in mineral resources."

"I plan to recruit soldiers and expand the army, and then wipe out the Japanese devils in Shanxi within a year."

"What... bang..."

Long Fei's bold words really startled everyone; several people dropped their wine glasses.

"Commander Long, you're not kidding us, are you...?"

Do you think I'm joking?

The group exchanged glances. Although Long Fei's goal was too ambitious, they had all witnessed how formidable he was in battle.

Therefore, in the end, everyone chose to believe Long Fei.

Especially after hearing Long Fei say that he wanted to recruit soldiers and expand the army, many people immediately had ideas in their minds.

After thinking for a while, Chen Yiding asked, "Commander Long, you said you want to recruit soldiers and expand your army. What do you think about me leading my troops to join your Dragon Flame Army?"

Long Fei was naturally more than happy to accept, but he still asked calmly.

"Brigade Commander Chen, you're a member of the National Revolutionary Army. Are you sure you want to join my Dragon Flame Army?"

Chen Yiding appeared somewhat agitated at this point.

"What Nationalist Army? The Nationalist Army has never won against the Japanese. In the final battle to defend the capital, the Commander-in-Chief was the first to abandon his troops and run away."

“I’ve figured it out now. I’ll follow whoever is good at fighting the Japanese. In my heart, you, Commander Long, and your Longyan troops are invincible and unstoppable in fighting the Japanese. So I’m willing to follow you to kill the Japanese.”

Faced with Chen Yiding's sincere feelings, Long Fei would certainly not refuse.

"Alright, Commander Chen, welcome to the team."

Seeing the two shake hands warmly, the others couldn't contain themselves either.

Zhu Citeng stood up abruptly and said loudly, "Commander Long, I, Zhu Citeng, am also willing to lead my troops to join."

Long Fei smiled slightly: "Haha, then I'll give you a warm welcome too."

Following closely behind, Ding Zhipan, Zhou Zhengqiang, Yi Anhua, Zhong Chongxin, and Zhou Weiguo also expressed their desire to join Long Fei's troops.

Of the group, only Wang Yaowu remained silent.

Although he admired Long Fei's command skills, he was also willing to fight alongside the Longyan troops on the battlefield and kill the Japanese devils.

But he really can't leave the Nationalist Army and abandon the leadership of the Nationalist government right now.

However, Long Fei did not force him. Although Wang Yaowu was later captured alive during the Liberation War and became a prisoner of war, he was reformed as a war criminal.

However, during the current stage of the War of Resistance against Japan, Wang Yaowu was genuinely fighting the Japanese and was definitely a brave and skilled general.

Therefore, it would be better to let him continue fighting the Japanese in the Nationalist army, and then find a way to recruit him when the opportunity arises in the future.