wind in the dark night

Chapter 249 The entire army was destroyed
"In addition, Zhang Zhaolin's trip down the mountain this time was a secret operation. He must have hoped that as few people as possible would know about it. I guess he was afraid of being discovered, so he didn't dare to come in the first half of the night. He is likely to come in the second half of the night."

Qi Yue analyzed seriously.

Guan Dazhi wrapped himself tightly in his cotton-padded jacket: "If we wait until the second half of the night, we will freeze to death."

Qi Yue said: "Just send one or two people to keep an eye on it. Oh, there is an uninhabited house at the east end of the village. Our people will go there to rest later."

Guan Dazhi thought for a moment and said, "The east end of the village... that's Old Li's home. Old Li went to the city to see his son and is not at home these days. By the way, what if the An Guojun comes? Where will they live?"

Qi Yue was waiting for him to ask this question, so he pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Yes, there are three or four hundred people in a battalion, and the villagers' homes are definitely not enough for them to stay. Moreover, if we move into the villagers' homes and cause chaos, it will be a warning to the anti-bandit forces..."

Guan Dazhi slapped his thigh and said excitedly: "There is a solution! The anti-bandit barracks are empty, more than enough to accommodate three or four hundred people!"

Qi Yue pretended to be relieved: "Yes, it's a ready-made house. I was confused and didn't think of it for a while. Fortunately, you reminded me."

Guan Dazhi said: "Without further delay, I will go to the moon bath now!"

After watching Guan Dazhi walk away, Qi Yue went to Old Li's house, pried open the door lock, entered the house, found firewood to light the stove for heating, added a few pieces of coal, and the cold room quickly warmed up.

……

For "ringleaders" of Zhang Zhaolin's level, the puppet Manchukuo authorities offered a high reward. Anyone who provided important clues would be rewarded 2000 yuan, and military and police personnel would also receive promotions and commendations.

Therefore, when Guan Dazhi came to report the news, the battalion commander surnamed Tong of the An Guo Army was very happy. He immediately gathered his troops and marched towards Kaoshantun.

After entering the village, the An Guo army split into two groups and headed straight for the Binjiang Detachment headquarters and barracks. If Zhang Zhaolin went down the mountain, he would definitely stay in these two places if he didn't want to alarm the villagers.

"The team searched, but no one is there!"

"We searched the barracks, no one's there!"

The soldiers reported to Battalion Commander Tong one after another.

Guan Dazhi came over and said to Captain Tong, "I guess the anti-bandit group is afraid of being discovered, so they dare not come in the first half of the night. They will most likely come in the second half of the night."

Captain Tong frowned, "The question is, how long do we have to wait? Everything else is fine, but the weather is so cold that people can't stand it."

The adjutant also said: "Yes, it's too cold. After waiting for an hour or two, my hands are frozen and I can't even pull the bolt open."

Guan Dazhi smiled slightly, twirling his goatee with his hand, looking like he was planning something: "Don't worry, sir. I have a way that will neither let the soldiers suffer from the cold nor let Zhang Zhaolin escape."

Captain Tong asked, "What method?"

Guan Dazhi said: "The main force will go to the anti-bandit barracks to rest, and send a small team to ambush the anti-bandits on the road they must take to go down the mountain. If they find any traces of the anti-bandits, they will report back immediately. By that time, it will not be too late for the main force to move out!"

"Well, this is a good idea..."

Captain Tong thought for a moment and said to his adjutant, "Just do as Mr. Guan said. Go and make arrangements immediately. Send two groups of scouts to take turns on guard. The rest of you can go to the anti-bandit barracks to rest!"

"Yes!"

The adjutant went to convey the order.

Guan Dazhi didn't need to stay any longer, so he walked home with one foot deep and one foot shallow. Just as he reached the gate, Qi Yue came out from the dark and whispered, "Follow me."

Guan Dazhi didn't think much about it and followed him to Old Li's house, and the two of them entered the house.

"Have the Anguo troops arrived?"

"coming."

"How many people came?"

"The whole battalion is here."

"Where are they now?"

"I went to the anti-bandit barracks."

"You didn't tell them about me?"

"Don't worry, I didn't say a word."

"very good."

Guan Dazhi looked around and said, "Officer Qi, where are your people?" "They are all out..."

Qi Yue attacked suddenly and hit Guan Dazhi hard on the back of the neck. The back of the neck is full of vagus nerves. If the hit is moderate, it can make a person unconscious instantly.

Guan Dazhi rolled his eyes, and without a word, his body collapsed to the ground.

Qi Yue dragged him onto the kang and covered his mouth and nose with a towel. After a while, Guan Dazhi's body twitched, his neck twisted, and he died.

Qi Yue took off Guan Dazhi's coat and shoes, covered him with a quilt, then walked out of the house and pushed his bicycle towards the village entrance.

The An Guo army marched in the middle of the night, walking for more than an hour against the wind and snow. Now they are all resting in the barracks of the Binjiang Detachment. The scouts sent out have gone to the back mountain. It is safest to leave at this time.

Not far from the village, a dull explosion was heard behind me. Almost at the same time, continuous explosions occurred one after another. If you look from a distance, you can see flames shooting into the sky from the direction of the threshing ground barracks.

Qi Yue knew that the cooks were burning the kang to keep warm, which ignited the fuse buried in the stove pit. The Kwantung Army engineers had laid tandem bombs, so if one barracks exploded, the other barracks would also explode.

In fact, even if Guan Dazhi had not come up with his "method", Captain Tong would have thought of letting his troops go to the barracks to rest and sending out a small group of scouts to keep on guard. This was a very normal tactical strategy. In such cold weather, it was impossible for all the troops to stay outdoors and guard the place.

……

When Qi Yue returned to Xingwangtun, it was already past three in the morning. The snow was falling heavier and many sections of the road were covered with thick snow. For safety reasons, he could only push his bicycle and walk.

Zhang San and Li Changgong were still sleeping soundly. They had each drunk a bottle of liquor, and with the effect of sleeping pills, they would not wake up until dawn unless someone called them.

Qi Yue lay on the kang and soon fell asleep.

……

It's seven o'clock in the morning.

The sky is bright.

The snowfall is still continuing, and the mountains and fields are covered with silver and white.

Qi Yue stood in front of the window, looking at the white snow, and was secretly happy in his heart. All the traces he left in Kaoshantun, including the bicycle wheel marks, would be covered by the heavy snow. Even if Gao Kejian came to investigate the case in person, he would not be able to find any clues.

"Pack up and follow me to Binjiang."

Qi Yue wakes up Zhang San.

Zhang San had just woken up and was still a little dazed. He asked blankly, "What are we going to do in Binjiang?"

Qi Yue smiled and said, "Someone wants to confirm something. I think he will be more likely to believe it if you say it yourself."

……

Half past ten in the morning.

In the corridor of the Secret Service Department, Qi Yue looked at Zhang San, who looked terrified, and said to Zhao Zhenhai, "Watch him. I'm going to see Chief Gao."

Ning Zhiyuan came towards him with big strides and said to Qi Yue with a serious face: "You're back just in time, come with me to the meeting room!"

"I have to go see Chief Gao first..."

"Section Chief Gao is also in the conference room."

"What happened?"

Qi Yue asked as he walked.

Ning Zhiyuan sighed, "Something happened to the Anguo Army. A battalion stationed in Yueliangpao suddenly went to Kaoshantun last night for some unknown reason. It would have been fine if they had just gone there, but unfortunately, all of them were resting in the anti-bandit barracks. Sigh... the entire battalion was almost wiped out!"

"How did that happen?"

Qi Yue pretended to be surprised.

Ning Zhiyuan said: "I don't know the details, but Captain Tong, who led the team, survived. He lived in the anti-bandit team headquarters and was unharmed."

"Captain Tong is really lucky..."

Qi Yue vaguely realized that he seemed to have overlooked something. The clues in his mind were disorganized and he couldn't make sense of them for a while.

(End of this chapter)