0p0 Chapter 207 Counterattack 2
Chapter 207 Counterattack 2
"Speak more quietly! Don't let others hear you!" Qian E heard her son's voice was a little loud and hurriedly reminded him not to speak loudly.
Now, many refugees have eaten up the relief food distributed by the government. They were promised that they would be given another 20 kilograms of food after they disembarked, but in the end there was no news.
Some people couldn't help but make a fuss, but all they were greeted with were batons and the black muzzles of guns.
What's worse is that many of the refugees' remaining food rations and belongings were robbed by local thugs when they passed through some villages and towns.
These poor people not only have to face the torture of hunger, but also have to endure the pain of losing their property.
"I know, mother!"
"I know too, mom!"
The son answered, and even the daughter who was carried on his back answered in a baby voice along with her brother.
Qian E stretched out her calloused right hand and caressed her son and daughter's heads affectionately for a few times, but when she looked at her daughter's sparse, dry, and yellow hair, her heart couldn't help but tighten.
The child may not know the hardships of life, but as a young lady from a wealthy family, her life has gone from heaven to hell over the years.
She has fully experienced what it means to survive so hard, and now she can only hope that the three of them can return to Qianjiazhuang safely.
Of course, the premise is that Qianjiazhuang is still there. Since the outbreak of the war, she has been unable to escape with her husband's family and has long lost contact with her family.
But even so, she would still pray every day, asking God to bless her family and let them return home safely.
Although the road is long, she will not give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope.
During this long journey, Qian E thought of her past happy life countless times. Those beautiful memories seemed to be right in front of her, yet out of reach.
However, the reality is so cruel that she has to face the current predicament and try to survive.
She believed that as long as she persisted, one day she and her children would be able to return to that warm home.
She couldn't help but think of her parents and younger brother, her heart filled with longing and worry.
Over the years, she often saw them in her dreams, but every time she woke up, she could only face a pillow soaked with tears and endless sadness.
She still remembers that she had gone to the National Central University, which had moved to the mountain city, many times to look for her brother. According to the teachers there, her brother Qian Wei dropped out of school and joined the army shortly after arriving in the mountain city.
However, which unit he joined and where he is remains a mystery.
The letters she sent home fell into the sea without any response.
She had also asked around, trying to find the whereabouts of her family, but since her husband's unfortunate death, the burden of life left her no time to take care of other things, and the search for her family had to be put on hold temporarily.
"Everyone, let's take a break here today! We're about to enter the Central Plains Province, which is not easy to travel through!"
As the sky gradually darkened, a strong voice came from the front of the team.
After hearing the sound, everyone immediately collapsed on both sides of the road and lay down to rest!
After resting for a while, some men started taking machetes to cut down some trees around. It was already November and there was no fire at night. For many of them who didn't even have a decent piece of clothing, it was very difficult!
"All the children are gathered in the middle! The men have to work harder outside!"
The rough voice came again, and as the voice fell, everyone consciously began to follow the man's instructions.
This man is the strongest among the group, and he has a kind heart and hates evil.
Thanks to his command and coordination along the way, the team has not been in any major trouble so far.
"I heard that some other refugee groups have been fighting over food and clothing. Many people have been robbed by local people, and many women have been harmed. Oh! What a sin!"
Several women gathered around the fire, holding their children, warming themselves by the fire and chatting!
Qian E and her two children were at the end of the team. They only lit a small fire and did not want the sweet potatoes on their bodies to be seen by others.
They also had a tattered quilt, which was the only support for the three of them to get through the night.
This also allowed them to escape from emergencies that occurred at night.
These refugees slumped on both sides did not know that on a low mountain behind them, a group of more than a hundred bandits were staring at these people.
"Boss! I just went down to take a look! They are all poor refugees! They don't have anything valuable on them!"
"We won't get any benefit even if we take action!"
The second in command of the bandits looked at the big boss in front of him with a face full of fat and whispered in his ear!
"Monkey! I know there's nothing much to be gained from these people. My brothers and I have been hiding in the Dabie Mountains and becoming bandits. We drink a lot of wine and eat a lot of meat every day. We don't need this little bit of food, but do you know how long it has been since you brothers played with a woman?"
"Boss, what do you mean?"
"There must be women among the refugees down there. If we catch them, we can have some fun!"
"Boss, this isn't a good idea. After all, these people are already pitiful enough..."
"Fuck them! It's their bad luck to run into us!"
"But what if we are discovered by other forces?"
"Don't be afraid! This is my territory. If anyone dares to mess with me, I will kill him!"
"Okay! Then I'll take my brothers down the mountain and grab those women!"
"Wait, don't be in a hurry, wait until dark before taking action to avoid causing unnecessary trouble."
"Okay, Boss!"
As night fell, a group of bandits quietly came down the mountain and approached the refugee group at the foot of the mountain. They were armed with weapons and had fierce looks on their faces, ready to rob those poor women.
"The boss!"
"How about it?"
"Several women were caught, but one got away."
"Damn it, go chase him!"
"Yes!"
The bandits continued to chase the fleeing woman, and she ran desperately, her heart filled with fear. She didn't know if she could escape this nightmare, and she just hoped to survive.
Qian'e noticed the attack as soon as it happened, mainly because she only dared to take out the sweet potatoes and roast them secretly late at night.
When the attack happened, she immediately hugged her two children and rushed into the woods behind her, without even having time to take the tattered quilt with her.
There were only two pieces of roasted sweet potatoes in the hands of the son and daughter, which became their only food.
It turned out that this group of guys were just puppet troops who defected to Japan. Some time ago, all the Japanese forces in the Central Plains were withdrawn to North China for reinforcement.
As a result, when the Nationalist army returned to the war zone later, these die-hard traitors had no choice but to hide in the Dabie Mountains and become bandits.
"Hehe! Brothers are so lucky today. These people down there look a little darker and thinner! But they are women after all!"
After hearing what the boss said, the younger brothers nearby all showed lewd smiles.
At this moment in the Kuomintang-controlled area of Zhongyuan Province, "General! Those guys from the 78th Army are too overbearing! They forcefully entered our Nanyang City without even saying hello!"
Luo Guang frowned as he listened to the Chief of Staff's angry words, but in fact, it cannot be said that he did not say hello at all.
After all, the theater command had issued an order before, saying that troops from the 78th Group Army would move south and enter their defense zone in the near future.
Its main task is to receive the refugees returning home. However, Luo Guang is not very familiar with the 78th Army Group, so he does not understand their style of operation.
Of course, he had to obey the orders of Commander-in-Chief Wei, but what he did not expect was that these arrogant soldiers of the 78th Army were so arrogant and domineering that they directly ignored their Nanyang defenders.
Not only that, they even drove a team of tanks into Nanyang City in a swaggering manner, and then forcibly occupied all the warehouses in the city.
Looking at the tanks that were waiting for them hungrily, the soldiers guarding the warehouse no longer dared to have the slightest thought of resistance and they all obediently handed over control.
Nanyang City was his defense zone, and now it had been occupied by someone else. How could he, a highly-valued lieutenant general who graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy, swallow his anger?