Chapter 31 Missing
The operation of transferring the wounded was carried out in a tense and orderly manner. Liu Zhengfeng looked at Li Rong's disappearing back, and a feeling of melancholy occupied his heart. He felt helpless and lost.
Now the Japanese reinforcements have not arrived yet, and the remaining Yagyu Squadron is under surveillance and alert by three regiments. With nothing to do, Liu Zhengfeng simply took a nap to recuperate and prepare for a good fight.
Liu Zhengfeng slept until three o'clock in the afternoon. He was awakened by Wu Erdan and opened his eyes in a daze.
"Brother Liu, Staff Officer An from the Third Regiment wants to see you."
Wu Erdan said softly.
Liu Zhengfeng then noticed that there was a bespectacled, well-mannered major standing next to Wu Erdan, so he slowly stood up.
"Captain An, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Staff Officer An pushed up his glasses and forced a smile on his face.
"Brother Liu Zhengfeng, the Japanese soldiers on the other side of our defense line have disappeared. Our regiment commander wants you to go and discuss it with them."
"What? The devil is missing?"
Liu Zhengfeng's face turned pale and he jumped up. After a fierce battle, a squadron of Japanese soldiers suffered heavy casualties, but there were still at least fifty or sixty people. How could so many people disappear out of thin air?
"How long have the Japanese been gone?"
Staff Officer An looked at his watch and said, "It's been about two hours. Our regiment commander has already sent out troops to search."
Liu Zhengfeng frowned: "Have you found any clues?"
The other party was just a soldier, but he kept asking questions, which frustrated Staff Officer An's self-esteem and made him unhappy. However, he had no choice but to accept the order , requiring all regiments, from the regiment commander down, to treat Liu Zhengfeng as a guest of honor, listen to his opinions, meet his demands, and infinitely elevate his status. In fact, his power has surpassed that of the regiment commander.
This also caused dissatisfaction among officers at all levels of the Third Regiment, from the regiment commander down. The disappearance of the Japanese army had nothing to do with Liu Zhengfeng, but Fu Bo pretended to obey Guo Wanlin's orders and came to Liu Zhengfeng to discuss the matter. In fact, he wanted to put the blame on Liu Zhengfeng.
Staff Officer An suppressed his anger and shook his head, saying, "There are no clues yet, so Captain Fu asked me to ask you for advice."
There was something sarcastic in the other person's words, and he was full of resentment. How could Liu Zhengfeng not know this? He just didn't bother to pay attention to him.
"Staff Officer An, please go back and tell Commander Fu that you should stop looking for the missing Japanese soldiers and immediately return to your Third Regiment's position and pay close attention to the movements of the Japanese army. Our First Regiment will handle this matter."
Staff Officer An was shocked, he never expected that Liu Zhengfeng would treat the matter in this way. Captain Fu originally wanted to push the responsibility onto him, but Liu Zhengfeng accepted it without hesitation. He did things with a sense of the overall situation, and he was bold and resolute. No wonder the division commander looked at him with such admiration.
"Brother Liu Zhengfeng, are you sure you want to handle this?"
Liu Zhengfeng glanced at him and smiled: "Of course, this is just my suggestion."
Staff Officer An said politely: "The division commander has already said that all regiments must unconditionally adopt your suggestions. I will go back and report to Regiment Commander Fu."
Liu Zhengfeng nodded, watched Staff Officer An leave, and said to Wu Erdan, "Come on, Erdan, take me to find Captain Ling."
Wu Erdan nodded and said as he walked: "Brother Liu, you are really amazing. You even dare to command the regiment commander."
Liu Zhengfeng smiled but said nothing. Since Guo Wanlin trusted him and he knew much more than they did, nothing was impossible in an emergency.
The two men came to the headquarters of the 1st regiment, where the regiment commander Ling Guishan was holding a military meeting. All officers above the platoon level were present, and everyone's eyes were focused on Liu Zhengfeng. Everyone had a complicated look and was full of confusion. They didn't understand why Guo Wanlin valued him so much and almost put his power above that of the regiment commander.
Liu Zhengfeng looked calm and saluted everyone. Although Guo Wanlin had given him actual power, basic etiquette was still required.
"Captain, Liu Zhengfeng wants to discuss something with you."
Ling Guishan looked at Liu Zhengfeng carefully. He saw that he was tall, with a calm, natural and composed expression. He exuded confidence from head to toe. He did not have the awkwardness of a subordinate meeting his superior, nor the arrogance of a successful villain. He could not help but nodded.
"It's you, just tell me what you want to say. "
Liu Zhengfeng told the story of the Japanese army's disappearance and his own plan.
Everyone was immediately excited and started talking about it.
"Why should we, the first group, clean up the mess caused by his third group?"
"Liu Zhengfeng, I think you have lost your mind. Why do you want to let our brothers die?"
"Liu Zhengfeng, don't take chicken feathers as a token of authority. Do you really take yourself seriously?"
…
Wu Erdan lowered his head, secretly feeling sad for Liu Zhengfeng.
Liu Zhengfeng looked calm, his eyes moving around among the crowd until they stopped talking.
"It's pointless to distinguish between the two sides after the war has come to this point. Moreover, the Japanese army may arrive at any time. The Third Regiment is our army's first line of defense. We must always be prepared to meet the enemy and cannot be careless. Our First Regiment should search for these missing Japanese branches on their behalf."
Although everyone felt that what Liu Zhengfeng said made sense, because of Liu Zhengfeng's identity, they were unwilling to accept it from the bottom of their hearts, so there were still many voices of opposition.
Liu Zhengfeng ignored everyone else and just stared at Ling Guishan.
"Captain, these Japanese troops have disappeared for more than two hours. Speed is of the essence. We must find them and annihilate them immediately. Otherwise, the consequences will be serious. Please think twice before acting."
Ling Guishan was startled. Guo Wanlin asked each regiment to follow Liu Zhengfeng's advice and meet his requirements. The officers at all levels under his command could ridicule and mock him, but he himself could not do so. Otherwise, with Guo Wanlin's ruthlessness, he would probably suffer the consequences.
Who among those who can become the group leader is not a good person at dealing with people?
"Oh, brother, you are right. We should really take this seriously. Tell me, how many people are needed?"
Liu Zhengfeng was about to speak when the battalion commander, Lu Sanguan, said, "Old Ling, do you really take him seriously?"
Ling Guishan said calmly: "I still want to keep my head for food. If you think you have two heads, just keep making trouble."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent and no one dared to speak anymore.
Liu Zhengfeng smiled and said, "Captain Ling, there are about 60 Japanese soldiers. We can just use a company's worth of troops, four Type 99 light machine guns, two grenade launchers, and plenty of bullets."
Ling Guishan smiled bitterly and said, "Four Type 99 light machine guns and two grenade launchers, these are all our regiment's assets. The rest are just firewood sticks."
Liu Zhengfeng smiled and said, "Don't worry, Captain Ling. I guarantee you will make a profit. Once we destroy the Japanese army, your wealth will at least double."
Ling Guishan's eyes lit up. Liu Zhengfeng's combat ability was obvious to all. Perhaps he really had the ability to find and eliminate these missing Japanese soldiers and increase his own wealth exponentially. So he no longer hesitated and ordered the entire Second Battalion to cooperate with Liu Zhengfeng's actions.
In fact, the entire Second Battalion has only a little more than a company's worth of troops, and is led personally by the battalion commander Chen Qingfeng.
Liu Zhengfeng took the lead, holding a sniper rifle, running forward and rushing westward.
He was very anxious, but except for Wu Erdan and a row of bearded men who could barely keep up with him, the others were far behind him. He had to slow down, and by the evening, he finally arrived at the place he wanted - Yuelianggou.
