The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

Upon hearing this, Xu Wenqing was puzzled, wondering what it meant. He also blamed himself, as the pistol he carried made him look like an officer.

When the innkeeper heard that a Red Army officer was coming to eat, he panicked. He was afraid that if he was slightly negligent, the officer might be unhappy and smash up the restaurant. After thinking it over, he came up with the idea of ​​giving money to avoid disaster.

Thinking of his terrible handwriting, Xu Wenqing shook his head and refused:

"I won't embarrass myself by showing off. Actually, you don't need to worry. Our Red Army protects peasants and industrialists."

Despite the innkeeper's reluctance, Xu Wenqing left the restaurant after paying for the meal. Seeing that Lan Hua and the other person still seemed unsatisfied, Xu Wenqing knew that they hadn't had enough to eat.

Without saying a word, I led everyone to a roadside snack stall and ordered three servings of Wenzhou's unique local snack—fried eggs. The fried eggs were sweet, soft, and delicious. The flavor spread from the back of the tongue to the sides of the mouth, making everyone very happy.

Everyone burped contentedly and went home.

Upon receiving the order, Reconnaissance Battalion Commander Luo Jinsheng immediately sprang into action. He prepared to lead several companies of reconnaissance soldiers into immediate combat. Besides a plainclothes reconnaissance company and an armed reconnaissance company, Luo Jinsheng's battalion also included an action company capable of petty theft, murder, and arson, as well as a fully armed and heavily armed action company. The plan was to confront the enemy head-on if soft tactics failed.

Generally, reconnaissance personnel operate in disguise when carrying out missions, and this time was no exception. The plainclothes reconnaissance company members disguised themselves as fortune tellers, peddlers, and pot menders, and formed several groups to go directly to the Shahe area to investigate the enemy situation.

Shahe Town is located in the southern part of Wenzhou, bordering Ruian. The Dasha River flows through the town, dividing it into east and west sections. It enjoys a superior geographical location and convenient transportation, and has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times.

Eastern Zhejiang has always been prosperous, with many wealthy people and a large number of local tyrants and bullies who could afford guns and cannons. They organized a great many reactionary militias, which were present in almost every village. Although these militias were no match for the regular army, they would not easily let go of small Red Army units and scattered personnel.

Therefore, Luo Jinsheng came up with a unique idea: the small detachment he led was a platoon of the armed reconnaissance company, all dressed as Zhejiang soldiers. The platoon leader, Wu Guisheng, nicknamed "Little Zhejiang," disguised himself as a lieutenant colonel staff officer and was considered the leader of the detachment.

Although they encountered several militia groups along the way, they managed to evade them without serious harm, and even helped a scout disguised as a peddler avoid enemy harassment. Around noon, Luo Jinsheng's reconnaissance team arrived at Zhulin Village, southeast of Shahe Town.

At the village office in Zhulin Village, Luo Jinsheng learned that the Wenzhou militia was still stationed in the town. He knew that the division commander was planning to disguise himself as enemy troops and seize Shahe again, so dealing with the militia became the reconnaissance team's top priority. After leaving Zhulin Village, they discussed their plan of action as they walked, and soon arrived at the town office of Shahe Town.

The militiaman on guard at the gate spotted someone approaching from afar and hurriedly raised his gun, ready to intimidate them and try to make some extra money. When the reconnaissance team swaggered in and came close, he realized they were wearing Zhejiang Army uniforms and carrying large rifles. Panicked, he quickly raised his hand in salute.

Wu Guisheng didn't even look at him, and asked indifferently:

Is your town mayor in?

The guard, bowing in fear, stammered in reply:

"Yes...sir, he's inside!"

Just then, a fat, big-eared man came out from inside. His already small eyes were now even narrower, and he bowed and scraped as he said:

"Please come in, sirs! I am the town mayor. Please feel free to make any requests you may have."

Wu Guisheng stood at the door, peering around, but didn't go in immediately. He merely glared contemptuously at the fat town mayor and asked:

"May I ask your surname, Mayor?"

“My humble surname is Song, the Song of Song Jiang.”

To show his respect for his superior, the portly mayor explained his surname.

"I am a lieutenant colonel staff officer at the headquarters of the Zhejiang East Garrison Division!"

After Wu Guisheng swaggered into the room, introduced himself, and then gave orders,

"Our troops will be coming early tomorrow morning to escort those poor bastards from Jiangxi out of the country and take over the defense. The division commander sent me to inform you to prepare houses and food immediately."

Just as the portly town mayor was about to reply, another soldier from eastern Zhejiang sitting next to Wu Guisheng spoke in a mysterious tone:

"Mayor Song, our Staff Officer Wu is the division commander's maternal uncle's cousin. He carries a lot of weight in the division!"

Upon hearing this, the town mayor hurriedly ordered water to be boiled and tea to be made. He kept offering cigarettes to Wu Guisheng's face, saying repeatedly:

"Welcome, a warm welcome! Your officers have driven out the Jiangxi army, which is truly a great service to the people, eliminating evil and restoring peace. Your hard work and contributions are immense. On behalf of the local people, I am deeply grateful!"

The reconnaissance soldiers, who dared not speak, listened to the fat town mayor's nauseating nonsense and looked at his servile demeanor. A group of them wanted to give him a few resounding slaps.

Just as the portly town mayor sent someone to order food at a restaurant in town, a middle-aged man in military uniform suddenly walked in from outside. As soon as he entered the room, he greeted Wu Guisheng with a smile and gave him a military salute.

When Wu Guisheng looked up, he was almost scared out of his wits. The man was tall and thin, like a stick, with lifeless eyes that were deeply sunken in their sockets. He had a flat nose, high cheekbones, and a sallow complexion without any color in his eyes. He looked like a hanged ghost!

Seeing that the senior staff officer from the division headquarters was frightened, the chubby town mayor quickly explained from the side:

"This is Ma Pijing, the captain of the town's militia."

Everyone laughed when they heard this; the nickname "sycophant" was really funny!

After sitting down, the hanged man quickly apologized to his superior.

"Chief Advisor Wu, I'm so sorry. I just went out to catch a few deserters, which delayed my arrival to welcome you. Please forgive me!"

Wu Guisheng found it strange that the local militia in eastern Zhejiang were all locals, so why were they deserting? He then asked:

"Captain Ma, do we have deserters in our militia too?"

"You're too kind. I'm no captain in front of you, I don't deserve such an honor! If you don't mind, you can call me by my name."

Ma Pijing has truly become a sycophant, and flattery comes out of his mouth effortlessly:

"In your eyes, I am just a little ant."

Wu Guisheng asked impatiently again:

"Stop talking nonsense and answer my question!"

"Yes Yes!"

The sycophant quickly replied:

"Reporting to Senior Advisor Wu, they are not militia, but new recruits from the Jiangxi Army who have deserted from the supply depot!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Jinsheng became interested and quickly gave Wu Guisheng a wink, signaling him to find out the truth and see if there was any loophole.

"Someone escaped from the military post. How are you going to help them catch him?"

Wu Gaocan asked, drawing out the words.