20demayo Chapter 1139 What is meant by "surprise attack"?
Chapter 1139 What is meant by "surprise attack"?
More than twenty days ago, a small singing group came to eastern Hebei.
The so-called "small troupe" is one where the gongs and drums are incomplete, and the troupe of male, female, painted-face, and clown roles cannot be assembled. There are only one or two actors who can barely sing, and they cannot perform a full-length opera.
These kinds of opera troupes either went to the countryside to earn a living through hard work, or they used their looks to please men.
The lead role in this small troupe is Xiao Tangchun, who is accompanied by a maid, a drummer, and a stringed instrument player. They have borrowed a space in a teahouse, where they sing during the day, share some money with the teahouse owner, and rest in the backyard at night.
In fact, this teahouse was a liaison station established by the Special Branch in eastern Hebei. Originally intended to contact guerrillas in the countryside, it has now become much more important to Xiao Duan, and is now poised to become the Special Branch's intelligence center in eastern Hebei.
Gu Wenxin, whose stage name is Xiaotangchun, is the liaison officer sent by her superiors to be specifically responsible for Duan Wenxuan's line.
As for why a beautiful young woman was chosen, the higher-ups had their own reasons.
Xiao Duan is too important right now, and he's still very young. He's definitely full of enthusiasm, but young people are afraid of not being able to overcome the hurdle of love. The fact that the higher-ups sent Gu Wenxin here may not be without the intention of bringing the two of them together.
After Gu Wenxin arrived, she didn't think much of this short story.
So this is what a capitalist's son looks like!
Not only did he come from a wealthy family, but he also joined the puppet army!
Judging from his usual demeanor, he never wears his clothes properly, just draped them over his shoulders and swaying back and forth. He looks like a scoundrel, always with a cigarette in his mouth. He smokes either Sanpaotai or Qianrenzhen, or at the very least, Daqianmen—all good cigarettes.
He's been coming to listen to music these days, so what information has he sent back?
Gu Wenxin couldn't help but secretly suspect that this bad guy had lied to his superiors; he didn't seem like the kind of person who could obtain important intelligence!
"Alright, alright, Miss Gu Wenxin, let's get down to business."
Gu Wenxin also became serious at this moment and said earnestly, "Go ahead and tell me, I remember everything."
"Contact the higher-ups as soon as possible. The North China Area Army Headquarters has already mobilized grain and fodder towards Shimen under the orders of Okamura Tsuji. They are now gradually transferring troops from various places to Shimen. It is estimated that it will not be long before they launch a sweeping operation against the Jizhong base area during the busy summer harvest season in the western provinces, Chahar, and Hebei base areas!"
Qingyuan is Baocheng, and the main base area was the vast rural area east of Shimen and south of Baocheng, with Anping, Raoyang and Suning as the core.
Historically, the mopping-up operation launched by Okamura caused considerable losses to the Jizhong base area. The Japanese established more than 1,700 strongholds in this area, and basically all county towns, market towns, and large villages were occupied. In addition, the Japanese dug more than 4,000 kilometers of blockade trenches, dividing the area into more than 2,000 sections and creating a large number of no-man's lands.
The troops in the Jizhong base area suffered a loss of nearly 20,000 men, many senior commanders were killed, and more than 50,000 civilians were arrested or killed.
"Remember, emphasize to your superiors that the Japanese are coming in a fierce attack this time, and we must prepare early!"
Gu Wenxin's eyes widened. She really didn't expect that this "young master" could provide information of this level!
She wasn't exactly a newcomer to the Special Operations Front, and knew how difficult it was to obtain strategic intelligence.
Duan Wenxuan must have endured countless hardships and suffering to obtain this information!
"Comrade Wenxuan... I apologize for my prejudice against you. Please be careful and take good care of yourself. If you encounter any danger, we will do everything in our power to cover your evacuation. I will pass on the intelligence as soon as possible!"
After saying that, Gu Wenxin's eyes reddened, and she turned her back to him.
Duan Wenxuan looked completely bewildered.
What is all this?
.....................
In Yancheng, inside a cave dwelling.
"An urgent telegram from eastern Hebei! An urgent telegram from eastern Hebei!"
The telegram was brought in, and the bespectacled hunky man and several others examined it together.
"It seems our young comrade has once again made a great contribution. We were right to place the intelligence center for North China in eastern Hebei!"
"Yes, Okamura Tsuji is restless and wants to take action against the base area again. In recent years, he has been trying to strengthen security, but we have thwarted his plans time and time again. It seems that this time, he is dreaming of uprooting the Jizhong base area again."
The bespectacled, muscular man sat back down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and said in a deep voice, "The Japanese have suffered repeated defeats in the Pacific theater and are now at their last gasp. The dawn of our victory is just around the corner. But the more this happens, the more frantic the enemy will become. They have lost so many men and women in the Pacific theater that they have even sent child soldiers to the battlefield. They have already plundered the country to the limit, so naturally they will set their sights on North China. The Jizhong base area is a thorn in their side. As long as they can take down the Jizhong base area, they can conscript men and seize resources. Just watch, this time Okamura Tsutomu will go all out. The intensity of the sweep may be unprecedented. We must be mentally prepared."
Another person reminded him, "How could our young comrade in eastern Hebei have obtained this kind of intelligence? I think it must be that person again..."
The muscular man with the glasses nodded. "It seems we've developed a considerable understanding with him. We should remember this favor."
He then looked up and instructed, "Send the telegram to the higher-ups and ask the relevant military commanders to make a decision. Also, continue to strengthen support for the Jidong intelligence station. Send people where necessary and provide funds where appropriate. If this line is used well, it is worth far more than any number of troops!"
..................
It is late at night.
The lights were still on in Okamura Tsuji's office at the North China Area Army Headquarters.
A huge military map of the central Hebei region hung on the wall, and Okamura Ninji stood with his hands behind his back, quietly looking at it.
He did indeed want to eliminate the Hebei-Central base area before leaving North China.
This isn't about the manpower and resources there, but rather the current situation on the Japanese side.
Rumors circulated that Italy was on the verge of collapse, and that if Italy surrendered, it would be a huge blow to the empire's confidence!
With repeated defeats in the Pacific theater, the Tojo army was in a state of utter disarray. Because of this, the Japanese high command was eager to change the stalemate in China in order to reduce the consumption of resources and troops.
If Okamura could destroy the Hebei-Central base area in one fell swoop at this time, and truly turn North China into a single, impenetrable entity, becoming a second Manchuria, would that prompt the Japanese top leadership to abandon its maritime expansion strategy and return to its continental expansion strategy?
If that were the case, let alone becoming the commander-in-chief of the dispatched army, he could easily oust Tojo and become prime minister!
Okamura secretly made up his mind that no matter what, he would succeed this time!
We need to work hard not only on food and pay and troop arrangements, but also on preventing leaks!
He wanted to show those peasants in the west what it meant to strike unexpectedly!