Age of Rebirth

The night was dark and the night wind was rising. A convoy quietly left Dalian Field Airport and galloped to the north. The bright lights of the cars pierced the darkness of the night like sharp swords and quickly disappeared into the night. middle!

The convoy went away, and the night drowned the last light. Liu Hanzhang stood in the wind for a long time, his wise eyes sparkled with splendor. He admired the courage of a small army that could not support more than 300 people and rushed to the front line overnight.

Liu Hanzhang knew that in the Liaodong Peninsula area at this time, apart from the tens of thousands of retreating wounded soldiers from the three Marine Corps brigades, there was not a single force strong enough to stop the Japanese attack, and the reinforcements were still at sea. And Tang Qiuli was in danger alone before the reinforcements. This action made him stand upright, and he tried his best to stay in Dalian for the night. It was also out of safety considerations. Who knows, will a Japanese soldier appear near Zhuanghe?

Tang Qiuli, who was sitting on the armored command vehicle, was different from Liu Hanzhang's worries. He did not see how dangerous the overnight rush to Zhuanghe was. If it wasn't for fear of scaring away the Japanese army, with the power of the aviation force, the Japanese army could be blown back to the Fengtian area. He rushed to the Zhuanghe area in order to find a place for the army to establish a blocking line before the arrival of several troops.

What Tang Qiuli didn't know was that almost at the same time as he marched overnight, the 69th Division and 71st Division of the Japanese Third Army, with more than [-] troops, had already arrived in the Liaoyang area without even taking a breath. , Under the order of General Umezu Yoshijiro, the commander of the Kwantung Army, they rushed towards Anton and Gaizhou overnight.

The total strength of the Japanese army assembled on the Liaodong Peninsula battlefield.It has reached about 15 people, and it has become another heavy Japanese army group besides the Kwantung Army heavy army group in the Liaoxi Corridor, Ximan area, and Northeast Northwest border.

After a bumpy night, when the dawn appeared in the east, Tang Qiuli and his party had arrived in the Dazheng area, which is less than [-] kilometers away from Zhuanghe River. The car was driving on the wide dirt road, and the unique mist of the Liaodong Peninsula in early summer rose like a group Like clouds, lingering around.The air is filled with the fragrance of weeds and the unique salty smell of the sea breeze. From time to time, birds are startled by the sound of the engine, and their chirping soars into the sky.

Liu Xinlan lay beside the car window, greedily looking at the scene in front of her.She grew up in Lingnan, after meeting Tang Qiuli.I have only been to Dingbian on the Loess Plateau.As for the Northeast, it was the first time to visit Liu Xinlan. At this moment, Liu Xinlan's mood was definitely not nervous to follow her fiancé to the battlefield. On the contrary, she felt relaxed with a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery.By this man's side, I have never worried about any safety issues!

A military windbreaker, gently patted Liu Xinlan's shoulder, "It's still relatively cool in the morning here, and the fog is heavy, so I'm worried about getting sick!" A gentle and generous voice rang in my ears, a masculine breath, She was overwhelmed in an instant, and when she looked back, she saw a pair of concerned eyes. Liu Xinlan's heart was sweet and indescribably warm, she gave Tang Qiuli a sweet smile, and obediently put on her windbreaker.

When we were about to reach Zhuanghe City, the sun was already high in the sky, and it was another fine and sunny day. Mei Xue, who dozed off along the way, rubbed her sleepy eyes with an indescribably lazy beauty, and was about to Ask Tang Qiuli, where have you been?

At this moment, the jeep in front of the road suddenly issued a signal to get off and immediately defend the air, and the convoy stopped abruptly. Tang Qiuli was taken aback, "Air defense?" Are there any Japanese planes in the northeast sky?Did the troops of the Dalian Garrison who cleared the way ahead misjudge something?

He didn't believe at all that there would be Japanese planes in the sky in the northeast. It was time for Liu Cuigang and Le Yiqin to hang themselves. Shanhu appeared in front of Tang Qiuli immediately, "Huzi, why are you air defense?" ?” he asked, frowning.

Shan Hu was not too nervous, and replied: "The Qianwei car stopped in the air and there was the roar of the engine. I am afraid it is a Japanese aircraft. This is also for your safety, so get out of the car!"

"The roar of the engine?" Tang Qiuli got out of the car suspiciously, followed by Mei Xue and Liu Xinlan, and arrived in a small forest. The special guards hurriedly broke some branches to block him, but, From Tang Qiuli's point of view, it was completely unnecessary, but this was Shan Hu's order, so he had to let it go.

Sure enough, the roar of engines came from the southwest direction, and the movement became louder and louder. After a while, a mixed fleet of aircraft could be seen flying over in the long morning sky. Tang Qiuli held up his binoculars and observed carefully. After a while, he smiled happily, and said to Shanhu: "Huzi, tell the company commander in the Dalian Garrison District, don't be a soldier, this is our plane!"

The fleet flew over rumblingly. After a false alarm, the convoy continued on its way. Two hours later, the convoy approached the south gate of Zhuanghe County. He was a sentinel, but he didn't check the passing vehicles and pedestrians strictly. He even said that he looked a little careless, and he frowned slightly, with a look of displeasure on his face.

The Japanese army is rushing towards the front line of Zhuanghe, and this place will soon become a battlefield full of artillery fire. However, the soldiers of the independent division here are not at all tense before the battle. With this kind of inspection in the city, Japanese spies can easily sneak into Zhuanghe. Within the city of He County!

Colonel Ge Zhenzhuang, the director of the staff of the same car, noticed the displeasure on the teacher's face, and explained: "Master, according to the usual practice, the staff did not inform the Zhuanghe garrison headquarters that you are coming to Zhuanghe, and, I also warned the Dalian Police Command not to disclose your whereabouts, and it may be because of this reason that they did not strictly check!"

Tang Qiuli gave a faint "oh" without expressing any opinion, but Ge Zhenzhuang could tell that the teacher was very dissatisfied, and he understood the reason for the teacher's dissatisfaction in his heart. The battle was imminent, and as a soldier, one should feel nervous However, he didn't see it at the gate of Zhuanghe City. He secretly sweated for the Zhuanghe garrison commander.

The convoy stopped in front of the sentinel. The company commander escorted by the Dalian Garrison Headquarters took out his ID card and waved it in front of the sentinel. The sentry waved his hand. The convoy was not inspected at all and went straight into Zhuanghe County. Tang Qiuli frowned, "Why are the troops stationed in Zhuanghe so vigilant? According to inspection regulations, at least everyone's ID should be verified, especially when the war is approaching!"

"Director Ge, which unit is responsible for the security of Zhuanghe?" Tang Qiuli asked with a gloomy face.

Ge Zhenzhuang, as the head of the division's staff department, knew the mobilization of each unit well. The division commander asked angrily, and hurriedly replied: "Report to the division commander, the Zhuanghe Garrison Command was established not long ago, and it is the Pingjin Garrison Command. The troops dispatched are for a reinforced regiment, headed by Han Qingfu, with the rank of colonel, from the former 29th Army, after the recovery of the Liaodong Peninsula, there is an urgent need for local troops to maintain law and order in the recovered area, so they were transferred to the Northeast!"

Tang Qiuli did not speak, but the displeasure on his face became more and more serious. Obviously, he had a very bad impression of the Zhuanghe garrison commander named Han Qingfu. By the time the two talked, the convoy had already driven into Zhuanghe County The more he looked, the angrier Tang Qiuli became. It wasn't the garrison command troops stationed in Zhuanghe who did anything wrong and endangered the citizens, and he didn't see groups of soldiers disturbing the people on the street.

On the contrary, the whole town of Zhuanghe County has a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. The shops on both sides of the street are still open, and the pedestrians on the street are all relaxed. If this is in peacetime, Tang Qiuli would definitely like to see the city The peace of the village, the scene of the residents living and working in peace and contentment, and everything in front of them are the goals I have worked hard for!

However, this was during the war, just a few hundred kilometers away, 10,000+ Japanese troops were rushing towards them fiercely, and this place will soon become the front line of artillery fire. Why is there no slightest atmosphere of war in Zhuanghe County? The Ministry of Defense blocked the news of the front line, or this garrison commander named Han Qingfu didn't take the fierce battle that happened hundreds of kilometers away at all seriously?

Zhuanghe's military has this attitude, but what about the Zhuanghe city government?Could it be, also indifferent?Not to mention the distance, in a day or so, tens of thousands of wounded from the three Marine Corps brigades will pass through Zhuanghe County, which is the last supply point leading to Dalian Port. Zhuanghe City Hall and the Garrison Command, Corresponding preparations should be made, but now it seems that Zhuanghe's military and political parties are indifferent to this, or in other words, they have no intention of preparing at all.

"Is it because Liu Hanzhang didn't issue relevant orders to the Zhuanghe Municipal Government and the Garrison Command, or did the Mayor of Zhuanghe and the Garrison Commander not take it seriously after the order was issued?" Tang Qiuli analyzed with gloomy eyes, but no matter what He said that it was no small matter that tens of thousands of wounded people passed through Zhuanghe. The performance of the local government and the military made him angry, very angry!

"The big battle is imminent, the enemy is imminent, and tens of thousands of wounded are about to arrive. The Zhuanghe City Government and the Garrison Command are so insensitive. The town of Zhuanghe County is really promising!" Tang Qiuli gritted his teeth and said in a sinister tone. He said, "Director Ge, immediately send a telegram to ask Vice Chairman Liu Hanzhang, who is the mayor of Zhuanghe?" He ordered Ge Zhenzhuang again.

The convoy stopped on a relatively secluded street. The company commander of the Dalian Garrison Headquarters, who was in charge of the escort mission, ran over and asked for instructions: "Report to the division commander, shall we rest at the Zhuanghe Garrison Headquarters?"

Tang Qiuli got out of the car, just in time to watch, two soldiers in military uniform came out from a shop by the street, they left talking and laughing leisurely, then gritted their teeth and said: "No need, let's go directly Out of town!"

(to be continued) (to be continued...)