Chapter 53: Troops Do Not Shed Blood

  As Zhong Dingcheng had expected, Chen Jifan was actually worried not about the military aspect, but about what to do next after capturing Zhao Fengou.

  As soon as the news of the special forces arrived, Chen Jifan led the assault team and the second battalion to rush towards Wugang Town. When they arrived at Wugang Town, it was already daylight.

  More than 400 captives sat neatly in an open space outside the town, next to special forces armed with live ammunition.

  "Reporting to the team leader! The captain of the independent regiment's special reconnaissance company is reporting to you! Please instruct!" Zhao Junxi came over with a smile.

  "You young fellow, now that you're a squad leader, how can you still behave like this? Tell me, what did you gain?" Chen Jifan asked as he walked.

  "Deputy team leader is inside taking people lightly, instructing me to wait for you here and take care of these people at the same time." Zhao Jun replied.

  "Where is Commander Zhao? Where is he?"

  "Never mind, this guy is hard to deal with. He claims to be a government official of some party or country, and we're so bold as to dare touch him. Then he says we're openly rebelling against something. In short, we can't kill him and can't let him go either, it's really frustrating. Old Zhong has ordered people to keep a close eye on him."

  "Let's go! Take me to see. By the way, where is Wen Chuanhao?"

  "Feng Chuanhao, don't you understand? There's an ambush waiting on a certain high ground in the town. Do you want to call him over?"

  "Never mind, you arrange things here and take me to see the deputy regimental commander."

  "Yes!" Zhao Jun stood at attention, then turned around and shouted loudly, "Xu Yang, Crow, I'll take the captain in, you keep an eye on things with the brothers for me!"

  Upon arrival at Wugang Town, Chen Jifang had Hu Yunfeng lead the 2nd Battalion to continue advancing and set up an ambush on the highway between Wugang Town and Erlangkou Town. The assault team followed Chen Jifang into the town.

  Zhong Dingcheng had just finished counting the spoils of war and heard that the regimental commander had arrived, so he hurried to greet him. The two men shook hands first, then Zhong Dingcheng didn't wait for Chen Jifan to ask questions before speaking up to report: "After counting, a total of 466 rifles, including formal and three Czech-style machine guns, more than 1 million rounds of ammunition, and more than 400 boxes of hand grenades. There are also countless other materials."

  "Where is Zhao Fengou?" Chen Jifan didn't have time to bother with the spoils.

  "Locked up at home, it's quite dishonest, Captain. He is a registered member of the Nationalist Party and a district commissioner in the fifth ward, this matter is somewhat complicated."

  "Don't worry, I've thought it through before coming," said Chen Jifan, who then walked straight inside.

  Su Jingwei waved his hand and the assault team immediately filled the entire courtyard.

  Zhao Fengru, wearing a silk changpao with bloodshot eyes, was pacing back and forth in the cell like an ant on a hot pot. Hearing someone coming, he shouted again: "Let me out! I want to file a complaint!"

  Chen Jifan walked up to him and asked coldly: "Are you Zhao Fengou?"

  "Hmph!" Zhao Fengyu ignored him and turned her head away directly.

  "I am Colonel Chen Jifan, commander of the 'Divine Eagle' Anti-Japanese Independent Regiment of the National Revolutionary Army. You instructed the security team to forcibly collect taxes and engage in forced buying and selling at their posts. Is this true? With national calamity looming, not only has the security team failed to protect the border and ensure civilian safety, but under your indulgence, military discipline has collapsed and they have recklessly harassed civilians. Do you know your guilt?"

  "Hahaha," Zhao Fengwu burst out laughing, "Do you know who I am? You dare to spout such nonsense without knowing the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth. Do you think your superiors will listen to your one-sided words? This is clearly just an excuse for you to annex my Bao An Tuan. Even if I really did something, it's not up to you bandits to handle it. If you know what's good for you, let me go quickly, and maybe you can reduce your own criminal liability."

  Chen Jifan thought that Old Clock hadn't said anything wrong after all, and Zhao Yanwang was indeed difficult to deal with. However, you're still my captive now, so whatever I want to do with you, that's what will happen to you.

  Chen Jifan made up his mind and couldn't let this guy have any illusions. As the saying goes, "the reckless are not afraid of death", so he would give this guy a ruthless move.

  "How did you manage to survive in the officialdom for so many years? Bullshit! I'm telling you, even if they killed you now, not a fart would be let out from above, believe it or not?"

  This trick is starting to work, after all, Zhao Fengyou isn't the kind of person who can be easily gotten rid of. He turned around and looked at Chen Jifan, seemingly wanting to hear more.

  "Don't you believe me? Don't you see what time it is now? The devils are about to attack, and Hefei, Chaohu, Hanshan, and Hexian may not be safe. Do you know why the Military Commission gave us a first-class regiment number? We can fight! Is your security team any good? I'll kill you, and the higher-ups will investigate, but I'll drag it out until the little devils arrive, and then you'll see who still cares about this broken matter. Alright, that's all I have to say, you weigh it yourself."

  Chen Jifan's words seemed to have an effect, and Zhao Fengyou started sweating on his forehead.

  "Let me go, what conditions do you have." Zhao Fengyu's voice dropped noticeably.

  "Let you go? Let you continue to indulge in the security team bullying ordinary people? Let you go and let you bring the security team to make trouble for me?" Chen Jifan said disdainfully.

  "So what do you want to do? Young man, don't blame me for not warning you, killing me won't do you any good. Locking me up for a long time doesn't seem like a good strategy either." Zhao Fengru changed his expression.

  "Kill you, I can at least win the hearts of the people in Quanjiao. You've done countless evil deeds, and I'll hold a public trial in Wugang Town first. Let the ordinary people who have suffered from your harm come up one by one to count your crimes, then record them one by one, and finally I'll shoot you with one bullet, and send your crimes to the higher authorities for sentencing."

  "Hum! Don't forget that I have over a thousand security guards at Erlang Kou, and Guhe Town also has my men. Do you think it's easy to kill me?" Zhao Fengyu was already almost out of options.

  "Cut! You know how many men I had to bring in last night to capture you son of a bitch? I'll tell you, 120 men. 120 men captured nearly 500 of your Wugang Town guns."

  Zhao Fengyou said that was your sneak attack, have the ability to fight openly and fairly.

  "How does your strength compare to that of the little devils? Let me tell you, in Chuxian County, I alone can take down three battalions of little devils with just 700-800 men. If you have what it takes, write a letter now and let them all come, I'll finish them off first before killing you to offer as a sacrifice."

  "Stop it," Zhao Fengyou said helplessly, "what exactly do you want?"

  "Ask me? I'd rather ask you whether you want to die or live. If you want to die, take him out for a public trial, first ruin his reputation and then give him a bullet; if you want to live, you have to put out some conditions." Chen Jifan didn't plan to show his hand now, the person in front of him was an old slippery fish, so he intentionally kicked the ball over.

  Zhao Fengou now only wants to save his life first, as long as he is released, he will report to the higher-ups himself, and he is not afraid that no one will stand up for him. As the saying goes, "As long as the green mountain is there, don't worry about having no firewood to burn." So Zhao Fengou quickly said: "If the 'Divine Eagle' brothers are short of money, just speak up, I, Zhao Fengou, have always admired anti-Japanese heroes the most in my life."

  Chen Jifan ignored him.

  "Good grief, look at me and my dead brain. I'm writing a receipt for 500 Chinese-made rifles, each with 1000 rounds of ammunition, plus two Czech-style machine guns, imported goods."

  "Hey, Commander Chen, what do you want to do? Just draw a line and let me find a way out." Zhao Fengmo was anxious as Chen Jifan remained tight-lipped.

  Chen Jifang didn't answer him directly, but instead talked about the enemy situation. "The devils haven't gained an advantage in Xuzhou, and next they will definitely launch a direct attack on Wuhan. Now that we've lost Chaohu Lake and He County's Hanshan, what would you do if you were the devil?"

  "That goes without saying, it's Hefei of course!" Zhao Fengyou replied readily, but he still couldn't guess what the other person had up his sleeve.

  "Not bad, Commander Zhao indeed has a strategic vision", Chen Jifan flattered, "My 'Divine Eagle' received the National Government's reorganization grace, naturally I will do my best to resist, don't be fooled, I want to turn all of Quzhou into an anti-Japanese base, all armed forces in Quzhou must obey orders, otherwise they will be disbanded on the spot."

  Zhao Fengwu finally understood, it turned out that they had taken a liking to his security team. Zhao Fengwu thought to himself: "You've made such a big fuss and led me on a wild goose chase, just to swallow up my own thousand-strong army? Hmph, you have quite an appetite!"

  Zhao Fengyu flipped her eyes and didn't say a word.

  Chen Jifan had expected this, so he wasn't in a hurry. He slowed down his tone and said: "After the devils arrive, let's guess how many roads this security regiment can take. First, fight hard with the devils and be completely defeated; second, withdraw to the rear and be forcibly incorporated into the regular army; third, surrender and become a traitor, and of course, we will eliminate them cleanly. However, these few roads have nothing to do with Commander Zhao anymore, Commander Zhao has already been publicly tried and executed by us."

  "Spare my life, Commander Chen. If you spare me, from now on if your army needs anything, just give the word and I'll risk everything to help, even if it means certain death." Zhao Fengyu still didn't give up, solemnly guaranteeing this.

  Chen Jifan was too lazy to listen to his nonsense, and shouted loudly: "Zhao Fengou! You've been in the official circle for so many years, but you still dare to talk nonsense! Hand over your gun and save your life, or be shot dead? It's up to you!"

  "Yes, yes." Zhao Fengyu's cold sweat flowed freely, and his mental defenses completely collapsed.

  "After the brothers of the security team surrender, those who are willing to join the 'Divine Eagle' Independent Regiment will be welcomed and treated equally. Those with military achievements can also be promoted in the future. As for you, Commander Zhao, you can return to your position as the head of the 5th district, and your family and property will not suffer any losses. If this battle against the devils goes smoothly, I can even recommend your contributions to the resistance war to the Military Commission. You have five minutes, Commander Zhao, the last five minutes." Chen Jifan said, then sat down in his chair, closed his eyes, and stopped speaking.

  Zhao Fengyou finally had no choice, in any case, it was urgent to save his life first. As a result, Zhao Fengyou compromised within five minutes.

  Chen Jifan took Zhao Fengyou to the town government office and had him call the troops of Erlangkou and Guhe Town, saying that there was an urgent matter that required them to rush to Wugang Town immediately.

  Then Chen Jifang drafted a "Protocol of the Anqing County Security Regiment joining the 'Divine Eagle' Independent Regiment" for Zhao Fengzuo to sign.

  Zhao Fengwan's last hope was shattered, and she completely lost her temper. Others had considered all aspects and were flawless. It was only fitting that she would be unlucky when encountering such an opponent.

  The words written on the agreement are beautiful, saying that as a local security team in times of national crisis, in response to Chairman Chiang's sacred decree of "unity and sincerity", the security team decided to join the National Revolutionary Army's "Divine Eagle" Anti-Japanese Independent Regiment, united against Japan and defending the country.

  The next day, when the security team entered Wugang Town in a mighty manner, they found themselves surrounded. They were surrounded by a group of troops wielding submachine guns and exuding an aura of murder. Just as the troops were in a state of extreme panic, Chen Jifan appeared before them with Zhao Fengzhu.

  Zhao Fengou cleared his throat and roughly told the troops about joining the "Shenying" team, saying a lot of things like fighting to the death on the battlefield, protecting the family and defending the country. In short, from now on, the Security Team officially joined the "Shenying" Anti-Japanese Independent Regiment.

  The commander's words caused a commotion below, and no one believed the commander could say such a thing. Who would willingly hand over their own guns, some officers had already guessed the problem inside.

  Chen Jifan saw that the situation was not in his favor, so he took out the "Agreement" personally signed by Zhao Fengyou and began to read it aloud. Chen Jifan read very slowly, with each word falling like a drop of water into the hearts of the security team officers.

  Everything has been settled, the disturbance of the security team slowly stopped. Some guns have been put down. For most of the security team members, they still knew the reason for fighting against the devils, and they had also heard of the reputation of "Shenying". These people responded first, immediately standing aside with their guns. As for others, being a soldier in the security team was just to make a living, now that their livelihoods were gone, they were hesitant and stood still on the spot. A few refused to participate, Chen Jifan waved his hand and let someone bring over a tray of silver dollars, 10 yuan each, to exchange for their guns and leave.

  The special forces team then brought up the "captives" for selection. Similarly, those who were willing to fight stood on one side, while those who refused to fight surrendered their guns and left.

  Zhao Fengou was escorted out of the border, taking his dozens of dead parties away with a sullen face. Ready to return to their own territory and appeal to the higher-ups for grievances.

  At this moment, Chen Jifa is in a great mood. He reorganized the security team of over 1,000 people at a very small cost. There are also more than 1,700 formal rifles, 6 Czech-style machine guns, 1 Markov water-cooled heavy machine gun, more than 1,200 boxes of hand grenades, and more than 5 million rounds of ammunition, as well as countless other combat materials.

  After the disbandment of the security team, "Shenying" greatly increased its strength, and there were no other armed forces in the entire prefecture. Chen Jifan was preparing to stock up on food and await the arrival of the devils.