cicada

Chapter 1326 Opening the Mountain Gate

Outside the Harbin Railway Station, many Japanese military police, police from the puppet police department, and special agents from the secret service department were walking among the crowd, stopping suspicious people for questioning from time to time.

Although those being interrogated were dissatisfied, they could do nothing about it. These gendarmes and secret agents were extremely domineering. They would detain and take away people on the grounds of "disturbing public order" or "suspected of being anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese" if they were dissatisfied.

This city and even the entire puppet Manchukuo seemed extremely prosperous on the surface, but in fact, there were undercurrents. In the depressing atmosphere, even breathing seemed particularly heavy.

In the biting cold wind, Gao Bin, deputy chief of the Special Agents Section, tightened his collar, looked at his watch, and turned to instruct his subordinates.

"The train from Xinjing to Harbin will arrive in ten minutes. We need to check the passengers, including the Japanese, and verify their identities one by one."

After the Beiyin River base case, Gao Bin led his team to restore the movements of the Military Intelligence Bureau agents and learned that these Kuomintang intelligence personnel liked to pretend to be Japanese in order to avoid inspection.

Having learned from this lesson, this time he specially invited Japanese spies from the Harbin intelligence agency to be responsible for interrogating suspects holding Japanese documents.

The whistle sounded and the Asia Express slowly pulled into the platform. Before the passengers had time to get off, they were blocked on the train by the ferocious Japanese soldiers.

Gao Bin glanced at his agents and gave orders in a deep voice: "Check each piece of luggage one by one, register the ID of each owner, verify the identity of those who can be verified on the spot, and take photos of those who cannot be verified and write down their addresses."

He was sure that with all the measures he had taken, the Military Intelligence Bureau agents would have no way to escape, even if Zuo Chong was present in person.

In addition to large-scale inspections of transportation hubs such as train stations, the Special Service Department and the Kwantung Army also blocked major traffic arteries in the city. The punitive forces outside the city were also conducting dragnet searches everywhere to ensure that no blind spots were left.

While Gao Bin was using one trick after another, Chen Ming, deputy head of the intelligence group of the Military Control Commission's Harbin Intelligence Station, was walking on the knee-deep snow. Snowflakes were falling heavily, and the outline of the city behind him gradually became blurred.

Although it was early spring in the south of the Republic of China, Harbin was still in the cold winter. Chen Ming was the only one in the wilderness, moving forward towards somewhere with difficulty.

A gust of white wind blew by, and the ice crystals on the birch branches gently collided, making a crisp rustling sound, like wind chimes shaking.

Huh~huh~huh

Chen Ming's breathing gradually became heavy. Traveling in such weather was not a pleasant thing. He brushed off the snowflakes on his dog-skin hat, reached out and grabbed a handful of snow and stuffed it into his mouth.

He repeated the above action every few distances, not to quench his thirst, but to prevent his body temperature from rising and causing him to exhale white air.

Under low temperatures, this white gas will remain for a long time and slowly rise, becoming very conspicuous against the blue sky.

The Japanese expeditionary forces often stood on high places and used binoculars to observe the mountains and forests. As soon as they saw white fog, they would immediately surround the entire area, thus exposing many anti-Japanese guerrillas.

In addition to eating snow, Chen Ming also held a piece of white cotton cloth stretched out by wooden sticks behind him. This not only eliminated footprints, but also served as a camouflage net when necessary.

The strong wind blew the snowflakes across the ground, and the traces left by Chen Ming's footsteps gradually faded, and would disappear completely in no time.

As he walked, Chen Ming paused, lifted the earmuffs of his shit hat and listened for a while, then suddenly fell to the ground and covered himself with the white cotton cloth.

A few hundred meters away, a punitive expeditionary force dressed in Japanese military uniforms and puppet army uniforms and leather jackets whizzed past on their skis.

The so-called punitive force was composed of the regular troops of the Kwantung Army, the puppet Manchukuo Army, the puppet police and some traitors, and was specifically responsible for searching, arresting and encircling the anti-Japanese armed forces.

Most of these people have experience living in high-altitude and cold regions and are good at mountain warfare. They are extremely difficult to deal with and are the biggest enemy of the Anti-Japanese United Army and other guerrillas.

Chen Ming curled up in the snow, his mouth filled with snow. He breathed slowly, letting the cold snowflakes cover him.

The sounds of the punitive team were getting closer and closer. He clenched his teeth, pulled out his pistol, gently cocked the hammer, and was ready to fire at any time.

As for surrendering to the enemy, not to mention the Military Control Commission's rules and military laws, even if it was for the sake of sacrificing his classmates in Shanghai, Chen Ming would not become a traitor. Otherwise, how would he face his old classmates in the underworld?

Fortunately, this expeditionary force might be in a hurry to return or had an urgent mission. They passed by Chen Ming quickly and did not notice anything unusual.

Half an hour later, after confirming that the punitive team had really left, Chen Ming, who was almost frozen, slowly stood up, shook off the snow on his clothes, and continued to walk towards the depths of the dense forest.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Chen Ming arrived at a valley. He looked around and shouted in a low voice.

"Sir, I'm Chen Ming. Are you here yet?"

The sound echoed in the silent forest, but no one responded. Chen Ming was a little disappointed and decided to wait a little longer, but he didn't expect something strange to happen the next moment.

A figure suddenly jumped out from the snow nearby, covered Chen Ming's mouth and pressed him to the ground.

As a qualified intelligence officer, Chen Ming certainly would not surrender. He raised his chin and pushed back hard, trying to break free, but a pair of big hands blocked his head firmly.

Before Chen Ming could resist again, someone said in the language of the Republic of China: "Captain, it's okay. There are no traces of Japanese around."

As the words fell, Chen Ming felt his body relax. He looked up subconsciously and saw a familiar face in front of him.

"Commander Gui!" Chen Ming was very excited. The other party was none other than Gui Youguang, the operations instructor of the Qingpu class, and also his contact person for this trip.

Gui Youguang was wearing a dog-skin hat, a double-breasted fur coat, a cotton robe, and a Mauser pistol on his waist. He looked very majestic.

"You are late, what happened?" Gui Youguang asked in a cold voice.

When operating in enemy-occupied areas, you need to remain vigilant at all times. No matter how reliable the contact person is, if there is any mistake, it must be investigated thoroughly.

Chen Ming knew the seriousness of the matter, and he swallowed his saliva and explained: "We met the expedition team on the way and waited in the snow cave for a while."

A small spy approached Gui Youguang's ear and reported that a punitive team had indeed passed by nearby not long ago. According to the time, Chen Ming should not have lied.

Gui Youguang's tense face thawed instantly. He helped Chen Ming up with a smile and patted his arm.

"How come your skills have dropped so much, kid? This won't do. Don't forget that you are operating in the heart of the enemy."

Chen Ming rubbed his sore neck, not knowing what to say. If he could beat the top action expert in the bureau, how could he be exiled to the Northeast?

After a few seconds of silence, Chen Ming stated his mission: "Captain Gui, according to the deputy commander's order, I will accompany you to find that gang and persuade them to surrender to the government."

After listening to this, Gui Youguang took off his hat, looked at his tired-looking subordinates, then looked at the gloomy sky, and complained.

"Damn it, we got off the train from Xinjing to Harbin halfway and wandered around in this forest for three or four days. You're here before we can rest. Okay, let's rest for an hour and then we'll set off."

Zuo Chong has never been path-dependent and will never use the same infiltration method in the same place. All the preparations Gao Bin made in Harbin were completely useless.

Chen Ming was secretly shocked. The distance from Xinjing to Harbin is more than 200 kilometers. Even if it is half of that, it is still 100 kilometers, and it is all mountain roads and snow.

It would take an ordinary person at least seven or eight days to walk this 100-plus kilometers, but the people from the headquarters arrived in just four days, which was really fast.

Seeing Chen Ming thinking, Gui Youguang didn't say much. He strode up to the other two and discussed the next itinerary arrangements.

"Old Wu, you have to work harder. I will lead the team in front and clear the way. You will be in charge of the movement of the main force. You must pay special attention to the punitive team on the way. It is better to go slower than to expose your whereabouts."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out."

Wu Jingzhong sat under a big tree, gasping for breath, and his voice was a little weak when he answered Gui Youguang.

He was in his forties, so naturally he could not compete with the big bald guy and the young spies who were in their prime. The exposure to the wind and rain in the past few days almost cost him his life.

Gui Youguang did not laugh at Wu Jingzhong. It was not easy for the other party to hold on until now. Then Gui Youguang gave Colonel Gao a few more instructions.

"Colonel Gao, you are a professional soldier. I am not worried about your physical strength, but please obey orders.

No matter what you see or hear on the road, you must remain calm and not act rashly, otherwise."

The biggest fear when taking outsiders into action is complications. If Colonel Gao sees the Japanese killing people or even massacring an entire village, he might just rush out.

This situation is very likely to happen. After the occupation of Northeast China, the Kwantung Army began to implement the "Three Alls Policy" in order to suppress the anti-Japanese armed forces in Northeast China and the people who supported the Anti-Japanese United Army, which led to the killing of a large number of innocent people.

According to rough statistics from the Military Intelligence Bureau, from 37 to early 42 alone, the number of people killed directly or indirectly by the Japanese exceeded 200 million, not including prisoners who died of exhaustion, starvation, and torture.

Colonel Gao was no fool and immediately understood Gui Youguang's meaning. He was silent for a while and then made a promise that he would not move without orders.

The rest was soon over and the entire team was divided into two teams. One team moved forward lightly and conducted reconnaissance along the way, while the other team carried weapons and ammunition to clean up the traces.

Two days later, the exhausted Military Intelligence Bureau agents arrived at the foot of an inconspicuous hill. Chen Ming told Gui Youguang that this was the gang's lair.

Gui Youguang nodded: "Okay, go contact the hidden brother first and ask him to introduce the big boss to us."

A strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. In this area of ​​white mountains and black waters, the energy that the gangs can mobilize is far greater than that of the Military Control Commission. This help must be utilized.

Chen Ming took the order and walked towards the mountain. Gui Youguang gave a wink, and the accompanying small agents quickly dispersed and hid in a hidden place, holding rifles and submachine guns in their hands and pointing them in the direction of the mountain road.

More than ten minutes later, a group of people appeared on the mountain road. When these people came closer, a man dressed as a legal advisor shouted loudly.

"Open the mountain gate~~"

The sound spread far away in the mountains, causing snowflakes to fall to the ground with a puff. Gui Youguang's face turned dark. Damn, are they afraid that the Japanese can't hear it?