After Lieutenant Chen released the anti-Japanese comrades and progressives imprisoned in the prison, he began to form new troops. But he soon discovered that the newly rescued comrades were extremely weak due to the torture they suffered from the Japanese. It was obviously unrealistic for them to serve as soldiers.

Just when Lieutenant Chen was in trouble, a soldier came in and reported to him: "Comrade company commander, Section Chief Feng is back."

Even though Lieutenant Chen and Captain Feng both have military ranks, soldiers from the International Brigade are still accustomed to calling them by their titles.

Hearing that Captain Feng was back, Lieutenant Chen was immediately ecstatic and asked quickly: "Chief Feng is back. Where is he?"

"I just saw him getting out of the car outside the building and walking towards the building." The soldier replied: "In a few minutes at most, he should be here."

A few minutes later, Captain Feng appeared at the door. When he saw Lieutenant Chen, he smiled and said, "Company Commander Chen, I heard that you released all the comrades in prison. You did a great job."

Hearing what Captain Feng said, Lieutenant Chen had a bitter expression on his face: "Fortunately, with the help of General Sokov, we were able to rescue so many comrades. By the way, you said yesterday that you were going to Xinjing to perform a special mission. How about it? Is the mission accomplished?"

“Yes, Captain Chen, my mission has been completed.”

"Since your mission has been completed, can you tell me what it was?" Lieutenant Chen asked curiously.

Seeing that there was another soldier in the room besides himself and Lieutenant Chen, Captain Feng turned around and said to the soldier: "Comrade soldier, I have something to tell Company Commander Chen. Please go out first."

The soldier knew that the two commanders must have a lot to say when they met. It was obviously inappropriate for him, an ordinary soldier, to stay here, so he turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Company Commander Chen!" Captain Feng said to Lieutenant Chen with a serious expression: "This matter is of great importance. Can you keep it secret?"

"Of course." Seeing Captain Feng's serious expression, Lieutenant Chen immediately realized the seriousness of the problem. He nodded quickly and said in a positive tone: "Of course I can keep secrets. Chief Feng, if you have anything, just tell me Bar."

"Company Commander Chen, I went to Xinjing this time because I heard rumors beforehand that after Commander Yang of the First Army died, the Japs cut off his head, soaked it in bottles with formalin, and sent it to various places. Exhibition to shock our anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians." Captain Feng said: "It is said that the bottle containing the head is stored in the basement of Xinjing Medical College. I went to Xinjing this time to find Commander Yang's head."

Knowing that Captain Feng went to Xinjing to find the heads of the martyrs, Lieutenant Chen's eyes couldn't help but turn red: "Back then, I was once a subordinate of Commander Yang, and was later transferred to another army. After I arrived in the Soviet Union, I had to After hearing the news of Commander Yang's death, I was still sad for several days. I felt that I would never have the chance to see him for the last time." At this point, he paused, raised his hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and then raised his head and asked Captain Feng, "Feng Section Chief, have you found it?"

"Yes, with the help of friendly forces, I have found the bottle." Captain Feng said: "In addition to Commander Yang's head, there was also the head of another martyr, so I brought both bottles back. "

“What, Commander Yang’s head has been brought back?” Lieutenant Chen asked emotionally, “Where is it?”

"In a hidden place." But Captain Feng unexpectedly said: "Before I went to Xinjing, General Sokov once told me that although the Japs had surrendered, with the withdrawal of the Soviet army, what was the origin of the territory here? It’s unclear who will take over. After finding Commander Yang’s head, we must find a place to hide it. When the situation in Northeast China stabilizes in the future, Commander Yang’s head will be taken out so that he can be laid to rest.”

"That's fine, that's fine." Lieutenant Chen expressed his understanding of Captain Feng's statement: "Although the Japs have surrendered now, with the withdrawal of the Soviet army in the future, there will definitely be a power vacuum here. We Now that we don’t even have decent weapons, it may not be easy to control the situation.”

“Company Commander Chen, when I came back, I heard some news.” Captain Feng looked at Lieutenant Chen and asked, “I heard that General Sokov asked you to form a unit. I wonder how your work is going?”

"Hey, Chief Feng, don't mention it." Lieutenant Chen finally found someone to complain to, and then he told Captain Feng endlessly about a series of problems faced in forming a new army. Finally, he said: "I don't have suitable soldiers. How to form an army?"

After hearing this, Captain Feng did not express his opinion. Instead, he lit a cigarette and thought seriously.

After finishing the cigarette, Captain Feng put out the cigarette **** in the ashtray, and then said to Lieutenant Chen: "Company Commander Chen, I think you have chosen the wrong person to form the army, that's why you feel that forming the army is a very important task." Difficult things.”

“What’s wrong?” Lieutenant Chen asked puzzledly.

"Most of the anti-Japanese comrades and progressives who were imprisoned by the little devils were weak scholars. Even if they were not in poor health due to the torture of the little devils, they were not suitable to serve as soldiers in our army."

 “Then what can you do?”

"Look here," Captain Feng pointed to the map on the table and said to Lieutenant Chen: "There is a coal mine more than 20 kilometers away from Fengtian. Except for a very small number of local residents, the miners inside They are all captured national soldiers, our soldiers, or some kidnapped workers. If you can arm these people, you can become a reliable force in a very short period of time."

“Miner?!” Lieutenant Chen asked in an uncertain tone, “Can it be done?”

“Do you know Qi Jiguang, a famous anti-Japanese general in the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years?”

Lieutenant Chen thought for a while, then nodded and said, "I heard that Mr. Shu told him about him."

"Most of the members of the famous Qi Army in history came from the miners in Yiwu." Captain Feng said to him: "After rigorous training, the miners became an elite force with strong combat effectiveness and went to the anti-Japanese front line. In the subsequent anti-Japanese battle , this team is brave and good at fighting, intimidating the enemy, and has repeatedly made military exploits. If you rescue the miners from the coal mines near Fengtian, arm them, and undergo rigorous training, I believe that in the near future, they will also become An elite force." Hearing what Captain Feng said, Lieutenant Chen couldn't help but start to think about it. If there were really prisoners of war from the national army and our army in the nearby coal mines, then if they were rescued and armed, I believe it won't take long for combat effectiveness to be established. Thinking of this, he slammed the table and said: "Chief Feng, you are right. If we can really rescue all the miners in the coal mine, they can become the main force of our new army. However, here Before that, we still had a problem to solve.”

"what is the problem."

"Since it is a coal mine controlled by the Japs, even if the Japs have surrendered, they must have their own weapons inside." Lieutenant Chen said in embarrassment: "There are only a dozen or so people around me. With this number of people, I will definitely not be able to defeat the Japs." Seize the coal mines in your hands.”

"This is not a problem." After hearing Lieutenant Chen's concerns, Captain Feng said comprehensively: "I will talk to General Sokov later and ask him to send troops to go with us to the coal mine and put it there. The miners were liberated."

 “Without further ado, let’s set off now.”

Half an hour later, Sokov listened to the reports of Captain Feng and Lieutenant Chen in his new headquarters. He turned to ask Yakov: "Yasha, since there are large coal mines near the city, what about our Why didn’t the troops go to liberate it?”

"Misha, it's all because we have too few soldiers." Yakov said: "Think about it, the only troops stationed in Fengtian in the early stage were General Ye Liaoming's 4th Guards Airborne Division. Fengtian is so big, even if it is If the division is fully deployed, it may not be able to maintain law and order in the city, let alone the coal mines dozens of kilometers away from the city."

“So that’s it.” After Sokov figured out what was going on, he turned around and asked Captain Feng and Lieutenant Chen: “If you want to receive the troops without seeing them, how many troops are needed?”

“One company.” After Captain Feng and Lieutenant Chen looked at each other, they stretched out a finger and said to Sokov: “One company is enough.”

Sokov didn't know the size of the coal mine, but he felt that the manpower required to send a company to cooperate with Captain Feng and Lieutenant Chen seemed to be a little short, so he said carelessly: "Let's do this, Captain Feng, I will give you a battalion." How about using our troops to help you take over the coal mine?"

Captain Feng was stunned for a moment, and then said with surprise on his face: "Comrade Commander, it would be great if you could really send a battalion of troops to accompany us."

Sokov picked up the phone, dialed a number and said: "I'm Sokov. Ask Major Bezikov to come to my place."

Soon, Bezikov appeared in the headquarters. He came to Sokov and asked cautiously: "Comrade Commander, do you have anything to do with me?"

"Major Bezikov!" Sokov pointed to Captain Feng and Lieutenant Chen next to him, and said solemnly: "They will go to the outside of Fengtian City to take over a coal mine owned by a Japs. Your task is to lead a guard battalion. , act with them.”

Bezikov turned his head and glanced at Captain Feng, whom he knew, and then asked Sokov for instructions: "Comrade Commander, I don't know who will command whom?"

Sokov wanted Captain Feng to command Bezikov, but he could only think about it. Not to mention that Bezikov's military rank is higher than that of Captain Feng. Even in terms of rank, Bezikov would crush the opponent. One is a commander of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from the Kremlin, and the other is a commander from friendly forces. Which one is more important and which one is more important can be distinguished by any individual.

However, he did not simply assign duties, let who command whom, and who would follow whose command, etc., but said tactfully: "Major Bezikov, you don't have a problem with who commands whom. This operation , is commanded by Captain Feng and Lieutenant Chen, but in order to successfully take over this coal mine, the cooperation of your troops is indispensable. Therefore, in your joint operation, who has the final say, I think it is better to discuss it with each other. "

Captain Feng was a smart man. He saw Sokov's embarrassment from his ambiguous words, and took the initiative to say: "Comrade Commander, I think Major Bezikov has a higher rank than me. They will command us." , is obviously more appropriate.”

Bezikov originally wanted to fight for the command of this operation. At this moment, when he saw Captain Feng voluntarily handing over the command to him, he felt somewhat uneasy. He said humbly: "Comrade Commander, since this time The operation is led by Captain Feng and the others, and the guard battalion I lead is only cooperating, so it is Captain Feng who has the final say."

Seeing that both sides suddenly became humble and wanted the other party to command the troops, Sokov said smoothly: "Okay, everyone, please don't give in. Since this operation was initiated by Captain Feng, he should Come and command the troops.”

After the person in charge of the operation was determined, Sokov said to Captain Feng: "I guess those miners are in the hands of the little devils, and they must not have enough to eat or wear warmly. When you go, remember to bring a few carts of clothes." and food so that the enslaved miners could have a full meal.”

"Misha." As soon as Sokov finished speaking, Lukin reminded him: "I once stayed in a German prisoner of war camp for several years, and I know the feeling of starvation. I think the miners in the coal mine The situation may be similar to mine. But I need to remind you that people who are chronically hungry must not let them eat too much at one time, otherwise someone may be strangled to death."

"Yes, yes, Comrade Deputy Commander, you are right." Lujin's words reminded Sokov that the miners working in the Xiaoguizi Coal Mine had no chance of having enough to eat. If Captain Feng and the others had provided them with too much food when they went to rescue the miners, they would probably have ruined a lot of them. He quickly turned around and said to Captain Feng and others: "Have you all heard what Comrade Deputy Commander said? After the absentees are rescued, don't give them too much food to avoid getting sick. Give them a small amount of food first. , let them eat at the bottom first, and then increase the amount of food given to them after their gastrointestinal adaptation."

"Comrade Commander." After hearing this, Captain Feng immediately expressed his position and said, "I understand this truth. After the absentees are rescued from the hands of the **** Japanese supervisors, I will first provide them with a small amount of food to let their stomachs Adapt gradually so that you don’t overeat and become exhausted.”

"Yasha." Sokov turned to Yakov and said, "You now notify the logistics department and ask them to prepare a batch of food and supplies for Captain Feng and others, ready to be transported to the coal mine and distributed to the miners there."

"Okay, Misha." Yakov nodded and said, "I will call the director of the logistics department and ask him to prepare enough food and supplies for Captain Feng and the others, load them into the truck, and send them to the coal mine. area."

“Comrade Commander,” Bezikov reminded Sokov from the side: “Our guard battalion needs thirty trucks to travel to the area where the coal mine is located faster.”

"No problem." Sokov said cheerfully: "Yasha, tell the logistics department again that in addition to the trucks loaded with food and supplies for Captain Feng and others, thirty more trucks must be prepared to carry the guards. The battalion went to the coal mine and participated in the operation to rescue the miners.”

 (End of this chapter)