Cicada Moving

Chapter 710 Locust Tree

 It’s half past two in the morning.

The wind and snow didn't show any sign of letting up. Thick dark clouds completely blocked the moon, and the visibility became worse and worse. Combined with the howling wind, the woods looked extremely eerie.

Zuo Zhong moved behind a fallen tree and stared intently at the exit of the secret passage, calculating the straight-line distance from here to Beiyin River. The answer surprised him.

 One kilometer, at least one kilometer. This is a big project. Even if it is a tunnel like the Annan War that can only accommodate one person, the amount of earth dug out is astronomical.

 Besides, the basement laboratory is 100% a permanent fortification, and cement and steel bars are definitely indispensable. I don’t know how much money it will cost and how many construction workers will be hired.

What about these people?

　Where did you go?

 Why didn’t any news leak out?

Zuo Zhong thought of a problem. For this kind of high-intensity physical labor, the Kwantung Army would definitely not use soldiers or expatriates. It was most likely that they would use villagers from surrounding villages.

Mr. Hong of the Anti-League League said before that one of the reasons why the Japanese chose to build a bacterial weapons base in Beiyinhe was cheap labor, but the real villagers of Xiaoniujiaogou

He was stunned for a moment and turned his attention to a forest not far away. Unlike other places where pine trees were planted, the trees there were all small locust trees, which were at most two or three years old.

In other words, these trees were planted after the establishment of Puppet Manchukuo, and when he just passed by, he found signs of turning on the ground there, as if something was buried.

 locust tree,

 Suspected burial site.

An ominous premonition lingered in Zuo Zhong's mind. The locust tree is a shadow tree. According to ancient superstition, if a locust tree is planted in a cemetery, the ghost will never be reincarnated.

With the cruelty and cunning of the Japs, will they deceive the villagers into using their wages to build underground laboratories and secret passages? After the project is completed, they will be massacred and silenced, so as not to reveal the secret of Beiyin River.

This not only eliminated the insiders, but also made it easier for fake villagers to occupy the magpie's nest. The village had no adult labor force and was unable to resist the massacre by the Kwantung Army and could not even escape.

Because he was afraid of being killed and suppressing innocent villagers, the Japanese planted a locust tree at the massacre site. Although he didn't want to believe it, he understood that this was probably the truth of the matter.

  Japanese,

What a bunch of beasts.

Zuo Zhong was expressionless. This was not the first time, nor the last time. In fact, the Japanese would do this for all the defense fortifications they would build in the Northeast in the future.

 The bones of the Chinese people lay beneath each bunker and fort. Decades later, those who shouted for Japan to help the development of Northeast China turned a blind eye.

Perhaps in the eyes of those traitors who have forgotten their ancestors, the lives of Chinese people are not counted as lives, but just consumables. In response to the massacre of the Japanese, they have to bow their heads and say "Aligado".

At this moment, Zuo Zhong heard a slight friction sound coming from behind him, and immediately rolled away from his original position, holding a pistol in his hand and pointing it in the direction of the sound.

 “Don’t shoot, Tiger.”

Zhou Mingshan crawled closer in the darkness, and at the same time there were some rustling sounds nearby. The operators were in place, and they could start taking action at any time when the fake villagers came out.

 The difficulty is to deceive the guards of the secret passage. If the command is a one-time use, then they have no choice but to give up. Fighting in a narrow and long secret passage is definitely a nightmare.

Space limits the range of activities of the operators. The Japanese only need to set up a few corners and equip them with a few machine guns. It will be useless even if a thousand people come, let alone a hundred people.

In short, it is necessary to control the entrance without alerting other people, and then quietly infiltrate into the underground laboratory and breach the Beiyin River from the inside out. The operation is very difficult.

"How about it?"

After the two of them met, Zhou Mingshan pushed his hat with the barrel of a gun and asked if anything happened while he was away. Zuo Zhong shook his head and talked about the locust tree and his speculation.

“All the villagers in Xiaoniujiaogou should have died here. This proves that the place connected by the secret passage must be very important, otherwise the Japanese would not use this method to keep secrets.

Peacock and I will be responsible for sneaking in later. We both understand Japanese. You will cover on the outside. Remember to tell your people not to hold back when moving, and kill everyone you encounter. "

He was worried that the anti-Union fighters would become soft-hearted when they saw female researchers. Once these people were asked to press the alarm or fire a gun, all of them would be trapped in the underground laboratory.

 “Don’t worry, it won’t happen.”

Zhou Mingshan looked at the locust tree and gritted his teeth and replied, "Don't worry, there is no one here who doesn't have a deep hatred for the Japanese. Even the whole family was brutally killed by the Japanese."

Everyone is afraid that the Japanese die too quickly and cannot avenge their parents and relatives, so how can they be so merciful? The fools with such thoughts will not survive until now.

Besides, anyone who can appear in the underground laboratory, whether they are male or female, old or young, must have Chinese blood on their hands. It is absolutely not wrong to kill every one on sight.

Having fought against the Japanese and puppets for such a long time, he knew very well that being soft to the enemy was cruel to oneself. In a life-and-death battle, either you die or I die, and there is no such thing as a woman's kindness.

 “Where are the weapons?”

Zuo Zhong suddenly asked. In order to ensure safety, they did not carry weapons with them. Instead, they handed over the weapons to the Anti-League and used the other party's channels to transport them here.

“It’s right at the back. Thank you very much to our chairman this time. Golden Hook and Shui Lianzhu are not suitable for close combat.” Zhou Mingshan chuckled and patted Thomson in front of him. The Golden Hook, the Japanese 30-year-old rifle, the Shui Lian Zhu, and the Belarusian Mosin-Nagant rifle are all old-fashioned. The Anti-Japanese Alliance uses them to fight enemies who are armed to the teeth.

Zuo Zhong felt a little uncomfortable, nodded and climbed to the weapons storage area, skillfully assembled a Thomson and Browning M1911, and installed a silencer on the pistol.

 “Is this thing easy to use?”

Seeing his actions, Zhou Mingshan raised his head and asked curiously. They had discovered the silencer when they were cleaning the gun oil. A soldier from the Northeast Army briefly introduced it.

"It's not easy to use in an open space. You can hear it from a long distance away. It's better to use cold weapons. But once you're in a confined space and the people are scattered, it's better than nothing."

Zuo Zhong pulled the slide to make sure that the gun was not frozen. He turned his head and said with a smile: "What, you like it? I'll keep it for you after the operation. Anyway, it has a service life."

Zhou Mingshan sneered when he heard this, with a look of disdain on his face: "Pull him down, it's too expensive, and we can't afford it for the Anti-Japanese Alliance. If you are really serious, you might as well keep your submachine gun and pistol."

As the two of them were talking, the secret passageway opened again. The fake villagers got out and walked along the path to Xiaoniujiaogou Village without making any stop. The entrance was immediately closed.

All this was seen by the action personnel, especially the anti-alliance fighters whose eyes widened. Unexpectedly, Agent Gou from the Secret Service guessed correctly that there really was a secret passage.

Everyone in unison gently pulled the bolt of the gun to load the weapon, then lay down on the snow and slowly crawled to a favorable terrain, guarding against the enemy's sneak attack, without relaxing at all.

 After waiting quietly for more than ten minutes, Zuo Zhong made sure that the color of his clothes was the same as that of one of the fake villagers. He stooped to He Yijun and patted him on the shoulder.

“Disguise the target’s characteristics, gray cloth jacket and cotton trousers, old-fashioned coiled head, black cloth shoes, plump body, height 1.55 meters, no jewelry, I’ll give you two minutes.”

"yes."

He Yijun did not hesitate. He took off his clothes in the biting cold wind, took out the corresponding clothes from his luggage and put them on. He neatly pulled up his hair and inserted a hairpin.

After quickly finishing her disguise, she stood up and followed Zuo Zhong toward the entrance of the secret passage. She carried the Browning pistol in her right hand behind her back with a calm expression and extremely firm eyes.

It is useless to be afraid at this time. There is only one way to survive. Kill the Japanese to complete the mission. Fear will only deform the tactical actions and allow the enemy to find weaknesses.

Before arriving at the entrance, Zuo Zhong glanced at He Yijun. This task was very important and he and Wu Chunyang were supposed to perform it together. The problem was that two men would easily be suspected if they entered.

 The natural camouflage of women can better confuse the Japanese. He hoped that the other party would not disappoint him. Zuo Zhong bent down, took a deep breath and pulled the iron ring, and an iron plate was lifted.

 A bright light will come on.

 Somewhat dazzling.

Zuo Zhong squinted his eyes and observed closely. An alleyway extending downward appeared in front of him, with a height of more than two meters and a width of more than two meters. It was sealed with cement on all sides.

An explosion-proof light is installed every few meters on the wall. Looking down, the end of the tunnel is a 90-degree corner, which is almost seven or eight meters from the entrance to the corner.

 A very standard tunnel defense method. This can effectively prevent the enemy from advancing straight in, as well as smoke and even poison gas attacks. The only disadvantage is that it is expensive and takes a long time to build.

As expected, the underground laboratories and secret passages are permanent fortifications. The Japanese are planning to use this place for a long time. Zuo Zhong just took a look at it when someone inside asked in Japanese.

 “The password is the emperor’s bright light, the sun and the moon.”

 The password did not change, and Zuo Zhong breathed a sigh of relief. However, passwords often change and it is easy to make mistakes. The secret passage is so hidden and safe that the Japanese do not need to ask for trouble.

 And people are inert. The bacterial weapons base has been established for so long and has not been attacked. No matter how vigilant the defense is, there will be a certain degree of laxity.

Why did Lao Qiang agree without thinking about attacking the Baoyin River through a secret passage? This is the reason. They are all veterans who are accustomed to fighting and understand that this loophole is easy to exploit.

 Even if the upper levels of the base want to maintain a high-pressure situation, will the lower levels cooperate obediently? Don't forget, the Kwantung Army has a tradition of overcoming the upper levels and always acts without authorization.

 “To respond to the order, all one needs to do is pledge oneself to the country.”

Outside the entrance, He Yijun replied in a low voice. After speaking, he walked inside and lowered his head to explain: "I'm really sorry. When I went out, I realized that we had missed a few clothes."

“Nani, you civilians are troublesome. If you make such a mistake again, I will personally report it to your village chief.” After hearing her words, a Japanese soldier appeared around the corner.

This man has a beard and has the rank of corps commander. As expected, the Kwantung Army in the secret passage has at least one detachment, and the person speaking should be the deputy of this detachment.

Zuo Zhong, who closed the entrance smoothly, made a quick judgment, followed He Yijun towards the other party, quietly pulled the hammer of the pistol behind him, and his whole body was cleverly hidden in the shadow of the light.

The easter egg is the original intelligence file on Northeast China in the first lesson of the second part of the Japanese General Staff Headquarters.

 (End of this chapter)