Spy Wars: I can get rewards by being a bully!

Chapter 1041 The Security Forces Recapture the County Town

Xiao Duan traveled by car from Tianjin to eastern Hebei.

Last night, a temporary transfer order transferred him to the "Special Supervision Committee of the Jidong Bandit Suppression Command".

Xiao Duan was both happy and worried about the transfer order. He was happy because it must have been Lin Ye's doing, that Lin Ye hadn't forgotten him, and hadn't abandoned him because of his previous troubles.

What worries him is his criminal record, and the anti-bandit command is a crucial department. He wonders if his visit might attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.

This worry vanished after he arrived in eastern Hebei, because Xie Quan personally came to receive them, and when he shook hands with Xiao Duan, he made a point of increasing the pressure.

Xiao Duan felt a warmth in his heart, and then couldn't help but start thinking more.

Even the security forces are full of Master Lin's men...

If that's the case, then this bizarre "banditry" in eastern Hebei and the security forces...

The Jidong region has a strong tradition of resistance. If this situation can be utilized, could the Red Area gain a foothold here?

Just as Xiao Duan was lost in thought, Xie Quan came to his side again and said softly, "Xiao Duan, we're all on the same side. You can tell me anything, and you should also report to Master Lin more often."

Xiao Duan nodded hurriedly, "Chief of Staff, I understand."

Xie Quan smiled, patted Xiao Duan on the shoulder, and said nothing more.

On that day, Xie Quan, on behalf of the General Headquarters of the Security Army and the Bandit Suppression Command, informed everyone of the next operational plan, which was to use several times the number of troops as the resistance fighters to encircle them from several directions.

Those in the know immediately recognized that this plan had many problems.

Because the area of ​​eastern Hebei is a well-connected plain, even without motorized marches, it's hard to imagine how far one could travel on foot alone.

Heading east, one can cross the border; heading north, one can reach the Rehe and Chahar areas; heading west, one can bypass Beijing and reach Pingxi; heading south, one can bypass Tianjin and reach central Hebei and even Shandong Province.

If we don't actively capture the enemy's main force and rely entirely on encirclement by heavy forces on the outside, how many troops would we need?

Moreover, the resistance fighters were loosely organized and scattered in all directions, so where could they be caught?

However, some people realized that for the security forces, victory was simply to disperse the resistance fighters.

That evening, Xie Quan prepared a banquet to welcome everyone. Everyone toasted and drank, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

....................

Fengrun County.

Xihuanggezhuang.

Old Huang squatted in the corner, hands in his sleeves, looking at the sky.

The four Huang brothers were named Da Fu, Er Fu, San Fu, and Si Fu.

Later, the eastern Hebei region was plagued by frequent wars. My second brother died during the Zhili-Fengtian War, and my third brother was conscripted into the army when the Yin family was trying to establish autonomy in eastern Hebei. After that, we lost all contact with him.

Last year, my fourth brother fell ill and had no money for treatment. He asked an old man in the village for two doses of herbal medicine, but after drinking them, he died. I don't know if he was supposed to die from the illness or if he died from drinking the herbal medicine.

As Huang Dafu grew older, he began to be referred to as Lao Fu (Old Fu).

The sun shone on his face, and Huang Laofu closed his eyes, beginning to enjoy this equal warmth.

There was a knock on the dilapidated wooden door. "Old Fu, Old Fu!"

A young man entered the room, led by a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man frowned and said, "You should call him Lao Huang, not Lao Fu."

The young man smiled and said, "Director Li, I understand. I'll be more careful next time."

Director Li is one of the newly emerged resistance fighters in eastern Hebei. Three days ago, he led more than a dozen people to Huanggezhuang.

The people of Huanggezhuang showed neither excessive enthusiasm nor excessive indifference in response to this matter.

The local headman received them and showed them the survival wisdom of ordinary people.

The village head presented two barrels of homemade corn wine, two chickens, and a sheep, then said, "General, we've heard you're part of an anti-Japanese force. We warmly welcome your resistance. This is just a small token of our appreciation, but please accept it. However, General, I must make this clear: the harvests have been poor these past few years, so we really can't provide any grain, and we can't conscript men either. We have young men in the village serving in the security forces or the city's security teams, but we will never tip them off and ruin your plans."

These words, while respectful, carried a hint of warning: We don't object to your great undertakings, but you absolutely mustn't drag us into it!

Some young people couldn't contain themselves and said, "Old folks, resisting Japan is everyone's business!"

The village head smiled. "It's everyone's business, everyone's business. How many days are you all going to stay here? The villagers are terrified. Aren't you fighting the Japanese for the villagers' sake? If the Japanese find out you're staying here permanently, they might massacre the entire village..."

Director Li said solemnly, "We won't stay for many days. We'll leave once we've learned about the situation."

The village head muttered to himself as he left, to find out what was going on.

Director Li began leading people to conduct door-to-door investigations, checking how many people were in each household, whether anyone was serving in the military, and whether anyone was struggling to make ends meet.

Of course, "not being able to make ends meet" refers to the imminent food shortage, and the possibility of starving to death this winter.

In reality, the farmers here rarely get a full meal throughout the year; it's considered a good year if they don't starve to death.

Huang Laofu remained squatting in the corner, unwilling to expend any energy to say a word. He belonged to the kind of person who was about to starve to death, but he no longer had the strength to struggle.

Fleeing from famine? I heard the disaster is even worse in the south, so the only way to escape is to go beyond the Great Wall.

With his physique, can he even make it to the border?

The young man squatted down in the corner. "Old Huang, you have no children, no ties, why don't you come with us? Once you're in the army, you'll have food to eat and be able to do great things. If we conquer this area of ​​eastern Hebei, won't everyone be able to live a good life?"

Huang Laofu grunted, but it was impossible to understand what he said.

The young man sighed and followed Director Li away. In the afternoon, the young man brought over another bag of grain.

"Old Huang, we're leaving tomorrow. We don't have much food with us, so this is all we can give you. Eat it sparingly, and maybe it will help you get through the winter."

Huang Laofu looked at the grain, then at the young people.

That evening, Huang Laofu went to report to Director Li.

Such scenes are playing out in various parts of eastern Hebei.

Quietly, the "Loyal and Patriotic Army" grew rapidly. Unlike the Loyal and Patriotic Army that started an uprising in eastern Hebei a few years ago, this army had undergone strict selection. While its combat strength was not particularly strong, it was at least able to hold its own against the security forces.

More importantly, the security forces won't come to attack them.

After the main force of the security forces was deployed and several victories were quickly announced in a short period of time, the people of eastern Hebei realized: Oh, so they had planned this all along!

The rebels withdrew from the county town, giving the security forces a "great victory," while in the countryside, the rebels appointed new township heads and village chiefs.

A new power structure began to take shape in eastern Hebei.