Chapter 23: The Trip to Wuhan

  The next morning, Chen Jifan had Hu Yunfeng start up the off-road Jeep they had brought from Chuzhou and also loaded a large bucket of gasoline. In order to keep it secret, Chen Jifan did not have his troops escort him; jokingly, if the devils found out that the "Divine Eagle" commander was going out on reconnaissance, there would be big trouble all along the way.

  As Chen Jifan was about to leave, he called Gao Huanjie over and instructed him: "Take good care of Chunxiang, she's a woman and it's not easy for her, don't let her suffer. Pay more attention to the troops' affairs, when I come back I'll get you another radio station."

  Zhao Jun also quietly followed over, this kid, wasn't he supposed to be training troops?

  "Commander, is there nothing more to say between us? Have I offended you somehow? In the past, you always brought me along wherever you went, but this time it seems I've been left out." Zhao Jun looked as if he had countless grievances, and Su Nianhong couldn't help but want to laugh at his side.

  "You little brat, you think this is a sightseeing trip? Besides, the special forces team is the army's sharp blade, entrusting it to you is a vote of confidence. If you mess things up, I'll have your hide when you get back." Chen Jifan kicked him in the foot. Zhao Jun was one of Chen Jifan's old subordinates from his previous unit, and only he would dare speak to his superior in such a tone.

  Chen Jifang and his party set out from Xiao Wangzhuang, taking the rugged country roads directly to Hefei. Originally, they could have taken the main road from Chuzhou to Hefei, but since Quanjiao County in between was occupied by the enemy, it was definitely impassable. So everyone had no choice but to bump along on the dirt road.

  The mountain road was bumpy and everyone had no mood, either looking out the window or closing their eyes to rest, only Chen Jifan stared at the surrounding scenery in a daze.

  "Commander, what are you thinking about?" The clear and crisp voice of the girl pulled Chen Jifeng back from the edge of his daze.

  "Nothing, Miss Su."

  "I'd like to correct Captain Lian's words solemnly, I'm now a warrior of 'Divine Eagle', you're my superior, should address me by name instead of 'Miss Su'." Su Nianhong gave Chen Jifan a soft nail.

  This girl is indeed as notorious as her reputation suggests. Chen Jifan shook his head lightly and simply stopped talking to her.

  The leaves wither outside the car window, and the white snow on the mountain slope appears and disappears from time to time. The dust raised by the jeep is blown away instantly in the cold wind, leaving no trace.

  The car finally got around the Quanjiao County border after a bumpy ride and drove onto the highway to Hefei. The highways of this era are simply incomparable, and Chen Jifan and his two entourage, who were used to riding in tanks, didn't think much of it. On the other hand, Wang Jicai and Su Nianhong, who had just come down from the rugged mountain road, felt like they had gone from hell to heaven.

  Hefei was still in the hands of the National Government, and with the sharp attack of the Japanese army, its fall was only a matter of time. Chen Jifang was not familiar with this history, and his historical knowledge was limited to fragmented memories from his middle school textbooks. He ordered Hu Yunfeng to drive directly around the city and head southwest.

  No longer worried about meeting Japanese people along the way, plus the road conditions were relatively flat, everyone's mood improved a lot and started to chat casually.

  Of course all the topics are centered around Su Ning, "three women and a play", this one woman plus several young men can also have a play.

  Su Ni Hong, although having led student movements and being a prominent figure among young people, was still somewhat immature compared to these soldiers who dealt with death every day. Along the way, she turned all her curiosity about "Shen Ying" into questions, making it difficult for Hu Yunfeng and Luo Yugang to parry.

  Wang Jicai also seemed much younger, smiling with his eyes shining as he looked at the young people in front of him.

  It was a long way from Hefei to Wuhan, and Chen Jifang and his party did not arrive in the suburbs of Wuhan until the next afternoon.

  Outside the car window, crowds of refugees can be seen everywhere, with their families in tow. This scene had a huge impact on Chen Jifan and his companions from the future world, everything was like watching a TV series, only the audience was also in the play at this moment.

  "The country is in distress, what a shame for Chinese soldiers." Chen Jifeng thought.

  The surrounding areas of Wuhan have strengthened their defenses, with fortifications and soldiers patrolling the streets, clearly indicating that a big battle is about to begin.

  "The devils' planes are coming, everyone hide quickly." A shout from an unknown person in the crowd completely dispersed the previously orderly stream of people, who jostled and ran.

  Chen Jifan's car couldn't move any further, as the panicked crowd had completely blocked the already narrow road. Everyone quickly got out of their cars to take cover, after all, a plane flying overhead wasn't something to be taken lightly.

  Chen Jifan looked in the direction of the plane's flight and soon put his mind at ease. "It's okay, this is a reconnaissance plane of the enemy." Then he shouted to the panicked crowd:

  "Don't be afraid, everyone! It's just an enemy reconnaissance plane, it has already flown away. Let's hurry up and get moving, come on, let's go!"

  The crowd gradually quieted down in the shouting of Chen Jifang, and the devil's plane circled twice in the air before turning around and leaving.

  "Luohan, Yunfeng, what did you see?" Chen Jifan asked, gazing at the Japanese planes disappearing into the horizon.

  Luo Yuguang clenched his teeth tightly, "Let's get things done quickly and head back early. I'm going to find that little devil's nest and screw him."

  Hu Yunfeng's face was expressionless, and he spat in the direction of the enemy plane's trajectory: "It would be great if we had a shoulder-fired missile."

  The crowd gradually dispersed, Chen Jifan patted their shoulders, "Get on the bus."

  Su Ni Hong thought they were scared, after all, they had just crawled out of the mountain ditch, and said disdainfully: "What's the big deal? Before our family was in Shanghai, Japanese planes came to drop bombs every day. What, haven't you seen a plane before?"

  Chen Jifan didn't want to be too serious with this naive girl, so he opened the car door with one hand and made a gentlemanly gesture. Under Su Nianhong's slightly surprised gaze, he got in and started the car.

  The car moved slowly through the crowded streets, and the outline of Wuhan city gradually became clear.

  Wuhan's three towns have finally arrived. After the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, they intended to take the heavy town of Xuzhou from north to south along the Tianjin-Pukou Railway, and once Xuzhou fell, the next target of the Japanese army was undoubtedly Wuhan. After Nanjing fell, the National Government moved to the capital Chongqing, but in fact, most institutions remained in Wuhan. Wuhan became the de facto center of national resistance, with military, political, party, and government agencies, factories, schools, barracks, and various civilian organizations all crowded into this small area in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

  For the Japanese, there was no more tempting military target than this place. The devilish reconnaissance plane that Chen Jifang and others saw was just a microcosm of the Japanese air force's bombing of Wuhan, and the huge gap in national strength was most vividly reflected when the enemy planes flew overhead.

  After entering the city, it was already close to dusk. Chen Jifan naturally couldn't go to Miss Su's house to discuss military uniforms at this time. What they should do now is find a good inn to stay in, wash off the dust on their bodies, and wait until the next day to attend to official business.

  After driving into the city and wandering aimlessly everywhere, Miss Su spoke up first: "Lian Zhang, what are you doing driving around everywhere? Haven't you had enough of driving around for these two days?"

  Chen Jifan thought to himself that this girl was really not letting him off easy, "If you don't take a detour, how will we find a place to stay? We can't go see your father looking all dirty and disheveled, can we?"

  "You guys are really something. Can't find the way, ask me. You think you're superior just because you're older, especially looking down on women." Miss Su said with annoyance.

  How could such a big hat be sent over? Heaven and earth are witness, we come from the 21st century where men and women are equal, and have received regular education since childhood.

  Su Ni Hong pointed ahead like a commander and ordered: "There is an intersection ahead, go left."

  The car passed the intersection and turned left, and Miss Su's command came again: "Go straight ahead, do you see that big sign? There is a hotel next to it, the facilities are quite good, you can stay there tonight, as for me, I will definitely go home."

  Miss Su's tone, as if commanding thousands of troops and horses, left Luo Yuguang and Hu Yunfeng stunned. The two could only make funny faces at the rearview mirror, while Chen Jifan smiled helplessly and shook his head, stopping the car in front of the hotel.

  In this era, not everyone can drive a car wherever they want. Only high-ranking officials, socialites, or wealthy merchants have cars, so as soon as the car stops, attendants rush up to open the door for them with alacrity.

  The name of the inn was Jiang Cheng Inn, a four-story building with a long metal fence around it. As soon as you walked through the fence, you would arrive at the entrance of the inn. Although Wuhan city was not unfamiliar to Chen Jifan and his friends, in this era, Chen Jifan felt that coming to Wuhan was no different from a countryman entering the city.

  Su Ni Hong continued to play the role of a local, and soon she skillfully helped the four people tidy up their room. As they were about to leave, Su Ni Hong specifically instructed them to rest well, as she would come to pick them up tomorrow to go home, but under no circumstances should they mention her participation in the troops to his family members.

  The next morning, Miss Su arrived on time. Despite the long journey being very tiring, Chen Jifan and his four companions still got up early, a habit that had been cultivated in the army for many years. Before getting on the car, Chen Jifan brought the military uniform he was wearing as a sample, and the group carried several boxes filled with gold and silver coins onto the automobile.

  Su Nianhong's home was by the Yangtze River, a two-story small villa with a small lawn outside. Although the house wasn't very grand, it gave off an elegant feel. Mr. Su had been waiting at the gate early on and as soon as Chen Jifan and his group got out of the car, he hurried over to greet them.

  "Oh dear, our esteemed guest has arrived from afar and we haven't even welcomed you properly, how rude of us."

  Chen Jifan was already accustomed to the polite phrases of the gentry in this era, and after a few pleasantries, he followed Mr. Su into the living room and took his seat as host.

  Mr. Su was pouring tea while casually sizing up the guests, three robust young men and a slightly short and chubby rural gentleman. The rural gentleman was nothing special, but these three people in Mr. Su's eyes could indeed be described as majestic. In fact, Chen Jifan, Luo Yuguang, and Hu Yunfeng didn't have anything particularly special about them, except for their height and dark skin tone. However, these professional soldiers from the 21st century had much more confidence than anyone in this era. In an era where the country was weak and people were bullied everywhere, people were either worried and fearful of disaster, or extremely radical, with a savior complex. But Chen Jifan and his team didn't take the devils seriously from the moment they started fighting them (of course, they were still very cautious tactically), their strong confidence made them feel different from others.

  Yesterday, Su Ni Hong returned home and mentioned to her father that a friend wanted to make clothes. Mr. Su was still half-believing and half-doubtful, thinking that in this chaotic world, apart from the government army's uniforms, who else would be making so many clothes?

  Chen Jifan asked Mr. Su to dismiss the irrelevant people and began to explain his intention, ordering 2,000 sets of military uniforms and taking out his own uniform as a sample.

  Mr. Su thought he had misheard, military uniforms were always procured uniformly by the government's military procurement department, let alone with his shallow connections in the military circle, how could such a good thing fall on his head?

  "Boss Chen, you're not joking, right? The military uniforms are uniformly purchased from above, what do the few of them want with the uniforms? At a sensitive time, forgive me for being rude, if you folks are from that side, let's just pretend we didn't see each other today." He said, picking up his tea cup to bid farewell.

  Chen Jifan knew what "that side" referred to, but this old man was too impatient. Didn't he have the guts to do business? Seeing Mr. Su's unpleasant face, Chen Jifan calmly said: "Mr. Su is indeed a hot-headed person, we haven't finished talking and you've already decided what we are from which side. I thought we would take care of a deal for Miss Su's sake, but it seems we came to the wrong door. It turns out Mr. Su doesn't do business. We'll take our leave." After finishing speaking, he stood up and made as if to leave.

  Next to Su Nianhong, she saw that it was about to collapse, and suddenly became anxious. Her small mouth pouted high, and she stomped her foot: "Dad! Can't you just listen to what people have to say? Besides, they're all Xiaoyu's friends, what's there to discuss?"

  Mr. Su certainly didn't want to give up the deal, but if he accidentally offended someone with a bad reputation, wouldn't all his years of hard work be for nothing? Seeing his daughter get angry, Mr. Su quickly found an excuse to smooth things over, "Oh dear, Mr. Chen misunderstood, you are our friends from Neon, I, Su, didn't have any disrespect in my heart, let's sit down and continue talking."

  Chen Jifan thought it was better to be straightforward, so he said to Mr. Su: "Mr. Su, we are not from any other place, nor are we government personnel. To tell you the truth, we are the 'Divine Eagle' anti-Japanese special task force from Anhui, and our military uniforms were given by the troops. Don't be fooled, the car we came in today was actually seized from the Japanese commander's headquarters in Chuzhou."

  It turns out that it is the famous "Divine Eagle". Mr. Su had heard of it again in Wuhan. It can be said that this still has to thank the Chairman, his own regular army was defeated and morale was low, so any event that could boost national morale would be widely publicized to save face. The scale of the "Divine Eagle" is not large, but its achievements had already been reported by local intelligence personnel, and it's only natural for the Chairman to write a few words about it in the newspaper after reading it. Mr. Su's daughter was in Chuzhou, so he naturally paid special attention to this news.

  When Mr. Su heard the other party's self-introduction, he also stood up and bowed his hands repeatedly: "It turns out that you are anti-Japanese heroes, I'm really sorry, I didn't believe it when the newspaper publicized your military exploits, but today I have seen it with my own eyes and I deeply believe in your achievements."

  "Oh? How did Mr. Su say that? I'd love to hear more about it." Chen Jifan was also very curious after hearing Mr. Su's words.

  Mr. Su stroked his beard with satisfaction and said, "The country is in trouble, the government army is not doing well, first losing Shanghai and then Nanjing. It's not surprising that civilians spontaneously organized armed forces, but most of them lack training, only having enthusiasm, and their threat to the enemy is minimal. However, your army has repeatedly used weakness to defeat strength, not only eliminating the invaders but also boosting the morale of our Chinese people. This shows that your army is a well-trained and well-led team, and I believe that with time, you will bring even greater surprises to our nation. To mention just one thing, the fact that several officers traveled long distances to Wuhan to make military uniforms is not something that ordinary guerrilla forces would think of, which shows that from the very beginning, your army has positioned itself as a regular army. I'm no expert in military matters, but an army that can annihilate hundreds of Japanese soldiers must be a powerful one. I wonder if what I've said is correct?"

  Just this remark, Chen Jifang and others looked at Mr. Su with new eyes, a businessman actually had such insight, who dares to say that my China has no one? In response to this remark, Chen Jifang immediately politely said: "Sir, you are overpraising me, we are ashamed and dare not accept it, the country is broken like this, as military men, we should go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, fighting devils is just doing our duty, as for uniforms, this is the most basic dignity and honor of a troop, even if we have to sell pots and pans, we must have our own standard uniform. This time in Wuhan, please help us with the matter of uniforms, Mr. Su."

  "Don't worry, I'll take care of the military uniform matters. What style does your esteemed army want?"

  "Sir, Japanese spies are everywhere and we don't have an official government number yet, so please keep this matter confidential. Also, please let a trustworthy person do the measuring for the tailor. When producing in the factory, absolutely do not reveal that these are military uniforms, just say they are clothes to be sold elsewhere."

  "Haha, Director Chen is indeed meticulous! Don't worry, I know what to do."

  When Chen Jifan took out the camouflage uniform, he gave Mr. Su an even bigger surprise. Mr. Su had never seen clothes of this color before, just like the discarded fabric in his own dyeing factory, but the material and workmanship of the clothes were absolutely first-class domestically, no, there was no domestic manufacturer that could produce such exquisite military uniforms. Mr. Su stroked Chen Jifan's camouflage uniform with admiration, even Wang Jicai and Su Nianhong's eyes were drawn over, as if everyone was looking at a treasure.

  Chen Jifan didn't explain much, just repeated the requirements and delivery time. Then he asked for a quote, Mr. Su said that the quote had to wait until the tailor measured the sample, calculated it, and then reported back, asking them to wait a bit. Chen Jifan followed the usual practice and paid 1000 yuan as a deposit first, Mr. Su didn't decline, directly took the money and gave him a receipt.

  After finishing the proper business, Mr. Su instructed his subordinates to keep Chen Jifan and his party for a simple meal, and Chen Jifan reluctantly agreed.

  As they clinked their cups together, after the third round of drinks, Mr. Su suddenly asked Chen Jifang a question: "What's your view on the current war between China and Japan, Director Chen?"

  Chen Jifan couldn't help but laugh in his heart. What else could he think? It was already written clearly in the history books.

  Then Chen Jifang explained the views of Chairman Mao's "On Protracted War" to Mr. Su, and finally said sternly: "Japan must be defeated, and surrender is only a matter of time. The question is the attitude of the government after Japan surrenders. Given the National Government's habit of looking back and forth, it will not send troops to occupy Japan after Japan surrenders, nor will it demand how much compensation from Japan, let alone hold independent trials for many war criminals one by one. Sir, think about it, which country in the world has its capital occupied, half of its rivers and mountains lost, but still does not declare war on the aggressor?

  "This old man had not thought of it, the government explained that not declaring war could gain international sympathy and obtain foreign material assistance, which would be beneficial to the cause of resistance against Japan."

  "Hmph, the Chairman is fond of internal strife and his understanding of international relations is simply at a primary school level. He should know that the law of the jungle prevails internationally, where only strength is the deciding factor. When invaders come, instead of mobilizing the people to resist, he puts on a show for the international community. The three eastern provinces didn't fire a single shot or bullet, and are willing to hand over this good land; they say they're waiting for international mediation. The Battle of Shanghai was fought with great fanfare, but it turns out it was just for show for the international community. It's strange if such a battle isn't lost."

  "Hmm, Mr. Chen's remarks are something my son has also said before. At that time, I thought it was childish talk and didn't pay much attention to it, but hearing it today makes me feel enlightened."

  "Oh?" This time it was Chen Jifan's turn to be surprised, he didn't expect that the Su family would have such a knowledgeable person. So he asked: "May I ask what is Mr. Su's full name and where did you receive your high appointment?"

  "Quanzi Su Jingwei is a squad leader of the Taxation Police Brigade. During the Battle of Shanghai, their troops suffered heavy casualties, and most of the wounded soldiers and scattered soldiers retreated to Wuhan for reorganization. But in fact, no one took care of them, especially those wounded soldiers. Yesterday, Quanzi went to visit his comrades at the wounded soldier's shelter. When he returns tomorrow, I will have him come over to pay a visit."