The Pinghan Railway lies across the plains from north to south.

A locomotive was panting with heavy air. The searchlights in front of them tear apart the darkness. The chimney spewed out Mars and broke through the darkness and slowly came along the south side of the railway.

The violent collision between the wheels and the rail joints made continuous rumbling sounds, and the earth was trembling.

Not far away, more than a dozen pairs of eyes were hidden in the darkness under the moonlight, watching the train heading towards the vast north of the night.

Hu Yi and Captain Geng came to investigate mainly to confirm whether the situation of the enemy on the blockade line had changed.

On the other hand, it is to grasp the details of the blockade terrain.

This time, after passing the blockade line, there were a squadron of Japanese soldiers following behind.

They may catch up at any time and have to act carefully.

The district requires the independent group to return to the mountain overnight, which must have other purposes. Hu Yi is very clear that he has no choice at all.

The Ninth Battalion forcibly broke through the Japanese Railway blockade in the previous few times.

This time, the Japanese happened to launch a large-scale cleanup operation of the National Army in the south during this period, and the troops and materials were mobilized frequently. In order to prevent the destruction of the Eighth Route Guerrillas, the blockade of the railway was greatly strengthened.

Hu Yi is not a person who likes to talk.

Next to him was Vice Captain Geng, who had been active on the plain for a long time. Vice Captain Geng had to do propaganda work in the plain, so he naturally had to talk a lot.

The two got together, and most of the time Captain Geng was talking and Hu Yi was listening.

Captain Geng murmured in a low voice: "...After the Kuomintang left, only our people were left to destroy the railway day and night. It was very difficult to pass the railway blockade during this period."

Hu Yi quietly stared at the long railway in the west, the artillery towers with searchlights shaking along the railway and the stronghold hidden in the darkness, and finally couldn't see the stronghold clearly. He finally became curious: "Why should the Japanese think that such a long railway line can be defended?"

"It is said that only a thousand days of thieves can be used, so how can a thousand days of thieves be used to defend against them? The Japanese are not stupid either. If there are thousands of miles of railway lines on the plains, if you passively defend, there are too many troops invested and the Japanese cannot afford it at all, so the Japanese recruited traitors along the railway to set up a road protection team."

Hu Yi withdrew his gaze and leaned his back against the ditch wall: "It's a traitor again!"

Captain Geng was silent for a while, feeling helpless: "In order to ensure this railway transportation line for transporting troops and materials, the Japanese established a multi-level defense system. They used traitors to organize the "Ailu Village" along the railway, mobilized everyone in the village within ten miles of the railway to help the Japanese defend the railway, and each village had to send people to participate in the patrol!"

"Villages participated in the patrol?" Hu Yi was even more surprised.

Captain Geng nodded: "We have arranged for people to conduct long-term reconnaissance of railway lines, and have also developed many activists along the county. The previous section of the patrol was ours. After you passed, he would beat the gong again, and we sent people to pretend to be prepared to be discovered on the railway line to confuse the enemy."

"Call it directly...can't it?"

"The Japanese dug deep trenches on both sides of the railway, and unlike before, they only used to defend without depth, they randomly stationed their troops in villages far away from the railway. Even if we can successfully break through the railway blockade, we may be bitten by the enemy on the opposite side."

"We just hit the blockade last time..."

"Uh, the last time you came here, the Japanese had not launched a large-scale operation against the southern Kuomintang army at that time, and the railway line was not strictly defended. The situation was tense during this period, and the Japanese strengthened their defense."

Hu Yi suddenly asked a question he had wanted to ask: "The district let us enter the plain, saying it was the armed forces of the Suppression Association, but now he suddenly ordered us to go back overnight, in between..."

Captain Geng shook his head: "This matter... I can guess some of it, but it's a big deal, and I really can't tell you..."

Hu Yi understood discipline and did not ask anything that shouldn't be asked, but if he didn't know any information, he was a little stumbling in doing things: "You mean, the district is preparing for a big operation?"

Captain Geng hesitated for a moment: "This matter has nothing to do with the division, just know."

"Okay, you need not say it, I probably understand." Hu Yi is not stupid. It is definitely not as simple as it seems. With such a big disturbance, things will definitely be small.

As for what is, there is almost no difference between knowing and not knowing.

For the Ninth Camp, just execute the order.

...

About ten miles east of the railway.

In the darkness under the moonlight outside the village.

Ma Liang sat leaning against the wall and murmured to the soldier who came to report the situation.

The scout sitting on the ground pulled the kettle away from his mouth and continued to breathe: "...If they were left alone now, he would definitely go to inform the Japanese, which would cause our troops to be leaked and our whereabouts."

Ma Liang hesitated for a while and made a neck wiping with some difficulty.

The divisional armed team members next to the scout were startled: "These are just a dozen children! Besides... you are about to pass the blockade line. Even if they report to the enemy, what losses can they bring to you?"

The eaves covered the moonlight, and Ma Liang's tone was a little depressed: "In my opinion, it is a traitor."

The team members were anxious: "But, they are still children! Can't you take them away?"

Ma Liang said lightly: "What if someone suddenly yells when they pass the blockade line?"

The scout next to him also sarcastically said: "So many ordinary people along the railway are almost starved to death. They have to surrender to the Japanese in order to survive. Why don't you take them all away?"

Isn't this a bullshit? The team members were angry: "My surname is Ma, don't forget our discipline..."

"I remember clearly that there is no such thing as not killing enemy spies..."

"You..." The work team members were stunned for a moment: "They are now prisoners!"

"No, they are spies!" Ma Liang shook his head and stopped Rosso: "Execute the order!"

"What are you going to do?" Seeing the soldiers sitting next to them getting up one after another and hang bayonets into the muzzle of the rifle, the team members quickly reached out to stop them.

The scout next to him thrust a loud noise and pulled the bolt of the rifle: "Hey, brother, don't force me to attack you!"

"Who dares to do it?" The team members immediately took out the crest and said to the tit-for-tat: "You will make mistakes when you do this."

Ma Liang struggled to stand up from the bottom of the wall and came directly to the work team members:

"I can take them away, are you sure you can?"

"We have arrested a total of sixteen enemy scouts!"

The work team members knelt down directly: "I beg you... They are not enemy scouts, they are villagers, just half-year-old children!"

Ma Liang stretched out one hand to pull the work team up and whispered: "You can ask him again! If they are just ordinary children, I will twist my head off as a chamber pot for you!"

"You...I will report it to my superiors!"

"Whatever you want!"

The team members pointed the shell gun at Ma Liang's chest: "They were all forced by the enemy..."

Ma Liang was silent for a while: "If you want us all to die at the hands of the enemy, I have nothing to say."

The team members were anxious and said, "I can do their ideological work!"

"In such a short time, why do you think I believe you?"

The two fell silent.

Ma Liang continued to stare at the work team members, and the two looked at each other for a long time.
Chapter completed!