Chapter 17: I can’t eat alone, I need help
"Please come in, bosses!"
The tea shop owner warmly welcomed the puppet soldiers into the shop, smiling, handing them cigarettes and pouring them tea, fearing that he would neglect them.
After a few people left, Yang Lin also came in with Niu Dadan and sat at the table next to them.
Several puppet soldiers first talked about the girl in Qiuyue Building, and then began to complain indignantly.
"Damn it, the officials here live a life of debauchery, eating and drinking the best food, and letting us do all the dirty and tiring work.
I finally went to Qiuyuelou to relax, but I still have to pay on credit."
"That's right, those bastards withheld our military pay and used it to support their mistresses."
"Hey, if you count the time, it's been three months since we last received our military pay. When will this end?"
"Okay, brothers, stop complaining. Let's drink some tea and calm down. Just live day by day. It's better than those refugees anyway."
…
Yang Lin heard the conversation of these puppet soldiers clearly. Through the information inadvertently revealed , he could basically infer that the puppet army battalion commander was a good-for-nothing.
It is said that if one soldier is incompetent, the whole army will be incompetent as well.
Even if it was originally an elite force, under the leadership of such a commander, it would inevitably become a mob.
The superior officer withheld military pay to support his mistress. When the battle begins, will the soldiers fight to the death?
"Oh! I'm so sleepy. I have to go back and rest."
The puppet soldiers chatted for about 10 minutes, then slammed their tea bowls and walked away.
"Shopkeeper, bookkeeping style!"
"Boss, take care!"
After several Imperial Army soldiers walked away, the tea shop owner immediately put away the smile on his face and started cursing under his breath.
"Shopkeeper, check out!"
The tea shop owner's expression changed 180 degrees again, and he walked towards Yang Lin and the others with a smile.
Yang Lin took out five silver dollars from his pocket and handed them to the tea shop owner.
"Oh, boss, two bowls of coarse tea won't cost that much. Two copper coins will be enough."
The four tea shop owners were honest men and they said they would return the money.
Yang Lin was not pretending to be a rich man. He had a purpose in giving money to the tea shop owner.
He waved his hand and said, "Shopkeeper, don't be nervous. I just want to ask you something."
"Okay, boss, you decide!"
The roadside shopkeepers were always well-informed. When they saw that there was money to be had, they agreed readily.
Yang Lin lied that he was from another place and asked the other party for information about the commander of the puppet army's cavalry battalion on the pretext of doing business.
The tea shop owner didn't think much about it and told all the information he knew, of course, including the matter about his mistress.
The commander of the puppet army's cavalry battalion was named Yuan Liang, nicknamed Yuan Datou.
After getting the information he wanted, Yang Lin did not stay, but took Niu Dadan away from the tea shop.
It was still early, so they first conducted a reconnaissance in the city to get a clear idea of the puppet army's troop deployment and terrain in the city.
Then we went to Qinghe Town, 7 or 8 miles north of the city.
Although Qinghe Town is not big, it is much more heavily guarded than Wanjia Town.
Not only puppet soldiers but also Japanese soldiers were on guard duty. Pedestrians would also be strictly checked and even body searched.
Yang Lin did not enter the town, but took Niu Dadan to climb a nearby hill.
Standing on the top of the mountain, you can have a panoramic view of Qinghe Town Railway Station.
Yang Jing observed through the telescope for a few minutes and finally understood the significance of the existence of this train station.
This is actually a transfer station. If you follow the railway further ahead, you will enter a steep mountainous area.
Sometimes, a train cannot climb the hill due to being overloaded and overweight, and the cargo needs to be temporarily unloaded.
So, the Japanese built a railway station and a strategic warehouse here.
Putting down the telescope, Yang Lin lit a cigarette and thought carefully about how to defeat the enemy. It was not difficult to deal with the puppet cavalry battalion in Wanjia Town, but the difficult part was to deal with the Japanese and puppet troops in Qinghe Town.
A reinforced squadron, more than 200 devils, plus a battalion of puppet troops, together had a total force of nearly 600 people.
The independent battalion's strength alone is obviously not enough, and it would be useless even if the three Italian cannons were moved out .
We must find help!
Reporting the news to Chu Yunfei is undoubtedly a good choice.
But the problem is that in this way, the spoils Yang Lin obtained would be very limited.
Moreover, Chu Yunfei is a principled man. Even if the matter is reported to him, he will not rashly send troops without instructions from his superiors.
Li Yunlong, you can't rely on him at all. He is still in the bedding factory.
We can't let him bring a group of women from the bedding factory to join the fight, armed with scissors.
Suddenly, Yang Lin thought of Ding Wei who had just gotten strong yesterday.
It’s him!
Yang Lin fiercely extinguished the cigarette in his hand and ordered Niu Dadan beside him: "Second Platoon Leader, you must return to the base immediately and tell the First Platoon Leader Ma Gan.
Just say, I order him to find the whereabouts of the New 1st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army within two days, no matter what method he uses! "
"yes!"
Niu Dadan agreed loudly, and then asked, "Captain, what about you?"
Yang Lin said: "I still need to find out something useful!"
Then, the two of them split into two groups.
Niu Dadan rode his warhorse back to Luotuo Ridge, while Yang Lin returned to Wanjia Town before the city gate was closed.
…
In the evening, Yang Lin came to the alley where Yuan Datou's mistress was and hid there.
At 8 o'clock in the evening, Yang Lin did not wait for Yuan Datou, but waited for a guy who was peeking his head out.
The man looked around like a thief, and after making sure it was safe, he started knocking on the door.
After a while, the gate of the courtyard opened, and this guy slipped in like a loach.
"Not Yuan Datou?"
Looking at the courtyard door that closed again, Yang Lin was a little stunned.
The reason why he was sure that the other party was not Yuan Datou was because he learned from the tea shop owner that Yuan Datou was fat and had big ears and looked like a pig.
But this person has a quite slim figure, of course, compared with Yuan Datou.
