Lin Fan finished his breakfast, and today he really had nothing to do.

Although he wanted to establish the Langxi organization as soon as possible in his heart.

However, such things cannot be done well in a day or two.

Nor can it be done by him alone. Establishing a primary political power organization requires a group.

Now he intends to let Elder Qian come out to coordinate. He had already expressed his wishes before leaving Jurong.

He could only wait to hear the results after returning this time.

Last night, Lin Fan had revealed his intention to immediately form the Langxi government.

But the local gentry present, while happy and in agreement, also suggested:

Many Langxi gentry have returned to their hometowns to seek refuge, so we can wait for them to return before forming it.

Lin Fan didn't want to disrupt some of the original order here at this time.

With the Japanese devils watching around covetously, he needed internal stability!

He was unwilling to completely destroy the original order here, so he agreed.

Now, Lin Fan was walking in Langxi County, looking at the lively streets.

The crowds were bustling and shoulder-to-shoulder, so lively.

It felt a bit like going to a country fair in later generations.

Lin Fan couldn't help but sigh: People are most adept at forgetting pain.

Today, people have already forgotten the scenes of the Japanese devils wreaking havoc a few days ago.

Who knows how much people will remember the pain of this era in a few decades?

When the people from Xiyang Village walked to the city gate, Yang Jiasi and Yang Jinwei immediately saw the public notice posted on it.

It was exactly the same as the one posted in the village.

The public notice was the same, but the two guards standing at the city gate were quite eye-catching.

The two girls pointed at the two special forces soldiers standing at the city gate, whispering:

"These two soldiers are standing so straight!"

"Yeah! You noticed it too. The way they stand makes them seem especially dignified!"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

When their large group passed through the city gate, the two soldiers just watched them.

Among this group, some were pushing carts with fat pigs lying on them.

Some were carrying vegetables, and most were empty-handed.

They were in groups, talking and laughing, looking very happy.

The two soldiers asked clearly that they were from Xiyang Village, and after confirming again that everyone here was from Xiyang Village,

they let them enter the city.

Without collecting any city entrance fees!

Yang Jiasi and Yang Jinwei were a little surprised and specially ran over to ask, "Is it only people from our Xiyang Village who don't have to pay the city entrance fee?"

The soldier guarding the gate smiled and said, "No one has to pay the city entrance fee.

We ask where you're from and whether you're all from the same village,

just to prevent traitors from sneaking in."

In the current situation, Lin Fan wanted to prevent traitors and Japanese spies from entering the city.

Yet, he also wanted to restore vitality here. It was really a bit difficult.

The local people had not been mobilized, so wanting to completely prevent problems before they happened

was still very difficult! Therefore, they could only use such a method to simply distinguish.

No city entrance fee!

The villagers of Xiyang Village immediately had a better attitude and impression of the Special Forces.

This group of at least seventy or eighty villagers all swarmed in.

Among them, those sending pigs were of course following Hu Jianyuan.

These people had to first send the pigs to Hu Laoliu's butcher shop in the west gate to settle the money for the pigs.

With money in their pockets, they would also go shopping.

It had been a month since they had come to the county town to buy things, and the wives and children at home each had things they wanted to buy.

With money, of course, they had to buy some to take back.

Wang Yi's new pastry shop on East Gate Street also had to be visited. They had to buy some pastries for the family.

This was the only thing the children, who had been cutting pigweed all year, looked forward to.

Some were simply entering the county town to see what was new and went directly to the east gate.

There were several department stores along the way where they could see if there were any new gadgets.

Whether they bought anything or not, at least they could feast their eyes.

Yang Jiasi and Yang Jinwei had come to town today to inquire about school matters.

Of course, they could only get the most well-informed people in the city for such things.

The most well-informed person in the county town was none other than the owner of the North-South Store.

Wang Guoxiang stood behind the counter today, watching the crowds of people coming and going in his store.

His face was filled with a kind smile. There were too many people coming to the store today.

Most of these people were coming to his pastry shop to buy half a jin or a jin of pastries.

Then they would go to his department store to buy some household items.

It seemed people wanted to make up for all the money they hadn't spent in the past month today.

When Lin Fan walked past his shop, he was surprised to see that there were clocks in the store.

So he walked in. When Wang Guoxiang saw Lin Fan walk in, he quickly welcomed him.

He had someone serve Lin Fan tea. Lin Fan looked at the business in the store, which was indeed good.

He smiled and said, "Boss Wang, your business is really good!"

Wang Guoxiang smiled obsequiously, "It's all because Commander Lin drove away the Japanese devils that the folks nearby can finally come to town to buy some things.

The folks haven't been to the county town for almost a month, so of course they're buying more things this time.

However, the villages further away don't know the news yet. They'll come up in a couple of days."

Lin Fan pointed to the watch and asked, "Do these things sell well in Langxi?"

Wang Guoxiang smiled and said, "This thing is considered the treasure of our store.

A store always has to have two more valuable things.

Since opening the store, we've only sold two watches."

This was in line with Lin Fan's guess.

Just as the two were talking,

two students dressed as girls walked in and greeted Wang Guoxiang sweetly, "Hello, Uncle Wang!"

"Yang Jiasi, Yang Jinwei, it's you two! Why are you free to come to the county town to play today?"

"Uncle Wang! Is Wang Xing at home?"

"She's gone back to her old home in the countryside. You're looking for her to play!" Wang Guoxiang said with a smile.

"We wanted to ask her if school has started yet."

"School hasn't started yet! Many of the teachers have withdrawn to the rear," Wang Guoxiang said.

Lin Fan looked at the two young girls, feeling that they should be around seventeen or eighteen years old.

He asked with a smile, "Boss Wang! Are these two in college or high school?"

"They're in the same grade as my daughter. They're both high school sophomores.

They study at Wuxi Girls' High School, but haven't the Japanese devils come?

So the school has been closed, and many teachers and students have retreated to the rear.

They didn't go!"

Lin Fan said with a smile, "Oh! After our new government is established, we're going to run several schools well.

They can come to the school to be teachers then."

Yang Jiasi and Yang Jinwei looked at Lin Fan in confusion, then looked at Wang Guoxiang.

Wang Guoxiang introduced, "This is Commander Lin! Commander Lin led his soldiers to recapture Langxi this time.

These two are Yang Jiasi and Yang Jinwei. They live in Xiyang Village outside the city.

They're in the same grade as my daughter."

The two girls, Yang Jiasi and Yang Jinwei, sized up this Commander Lin.

He was so tall when he stood up!

Lin Fan nodded with a smile, stood up and said, "If you two are willing,

you are welcome to contribute to the entire country."

Yang Jiasi asked, "We're only high school sophomores, how can we be teachers?"

Lin Fan said with a smile, "Letting you teach college students, of course, you can't be teachers.

But letting you teach elementary school students and junior high school students is completely fine.

We are preparing to universally popularize junior high school education, so that everyone can read, write, and understand principles.

You are completely competent!"

Lin Fan's words not only shocked the two students, Yang Jiasi and Yang Jinwei.

Wang Guoxiang was also stunned: "Commander Lin! You want to popularize it to junior high school?"

"Yes! For our citizens, we must civilize their spirits and toughen their bodies!

All of this must start with children.

So we have to run many schools, and we also need many knowledgeable and cultured young people to join.

At the same time, we will also open free night schools for the parents of the children.

So that they can also read, write, and understand principles.

I have a plan to let everyone in the area we control be able to read within five years!"

Yang Jiasi and Yang Jinwei did not dare to make a decision on such a big matter.

Lin Fan said with a smile, "Go home and discuss it with your parents.

At this time of national crisis, young people are the future of the entire country, and we should bravely stand up.

Do our best and shoulder the heaviest burden.

Bear the greatest responsibility."

The two girls said goodbye with red faces and ran out.

Lin Fan also walked out of Wang Guoxiang's place.

The city was getting more and more lively now.

Yesterday afternoon, they learned that the Japanese devils in the county town had been killed.

The news that Langxi had returned to the hands of the National Army.

People from Zhoujiawei, Qianxu Village, and other villages had come to the county town to find out the situation.

This made Langxi County even more lively today.

Just as Lin Fan was focused on resting in Langxi, preparing to attack Guangde,

the Japanese 18th Division and 114th Division had actually moved along the Yangtze River.

They had actually launched an attack on Hangzhou yesterday.

This was something no one had expected.

The Japanese had gathered two divisions, plus puppet troops, totaling more than 70,000 people.

The operational area of the National Army's Third War Zone was Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

The commander of the Third War Zone was Chiang Kai-shek.

It was under the jurisdiction of Zhang Fakui, commander of the Eighth Army Group.

Zhang Zhizhong, commander of the Ninth Army Group.

Liu Jianxu, commander of the Twenty-third Army Group.

Chen Cheng, commander of the forward assault.

Xue Yue, commander of the Nineteenth Army Group.

These troops had all fought in the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Nanjing.

Now there was a newly established Fourth Army.

The Twenty-third Army Group, with Commander Tang Shizun, was defending Hangzhou in the Third War Zone.

After the Japanese Tenth Army landed in Hangzhou Bay, in order to attack Nanjing as soon as possible, after capturing Jiaxing,

they went directly to Nanjing along Wujiang, Nanxun, and Huzhou.

They let go of Hangzhou, which was close at hand.

After capturing Nanjing, the Tenth Army and the Shanghai Expeditionary Army separated.

The Shanghai Expeditionary Army crossed north to pursue the main force of the National Army.

The Tenth Army transferred two divisions back along the Yangtze River, preparing to occupy Hangzhou.

This was because Hangzhou was an economically developed place with very important economic and strategic significance.

Chiang Kai-shek had begun preparing to defend Hangzhou during the Battle of Nanjing when the Japanese attacked.

He built a defense line along Linping, Deqing, Wukang, and Mogan Mountain.

Destroying highways, railroads, and bridges, these transportation lines.

At the same time, he transferred all of Hangzhou's industry and population to the rear.

By the time the Japanese launched their attack on December 19, there were 100,000 remaining people in Hangzhou, and 100,000 National Army soldiers defending.

The Japanese army attacked Hangzhou in three routes: one route attacked by sea.

One route attacked Hangzhou along the railway line, and the other route started from Wuxing and attacked Mogan Mountain.

Lin Fan, Deng Longguang of the Eighty-third Army, and Ye Zhao of the Sixty-sixth Army, who were unaware of this, set out for Guangde at dawn on the 21st according to the original plan.

The straight-line distance from Langxi to Guangde was seventy *li*, and the actual distance was about one hundred *li*.

This time, the Eighty-third Army was still in the lead, with the Sixty-sixth Army following behind.

The 154th Division of the Eighty-third Army, Sheng Feiwen's regiment, was in the lead as the vanguard.

Regiment Commander Sheng sent a small team ten *li* ahead to scout.

The entire Eighty-third Army set off from Langxi County at seven o'clock in the morning.

Quietly, without disturbing the people in Langxi County.

They left quietly like this.

Platoon Leader Ping Taining led a team of cavalry, rushing in the front.

They were to rush ahead to check the road safety for the more than 20,000 troops behind.

The entire Eighty-third Army was leveling the road as they walked, just like the march a few days ago.

Guangde was originally a very important strategic stronghold for the National Army.

There was also a military airport here.

After the Japanese occupied it, they restored the airport.

The Japanese troops stationed here had one infantry battalion and one flying squadron.

This flying squadron had eighteen aircraft of various types.

Among them were nine fighters, three bombers, two reconnaissance planes, and four transport planes.

Battalion Commander Ando Daisuke had not received any news from Langxi for two days.

Feeling a little suspicious, he finally couldn't help but order, "Hashii Haruto, go to Langxi and see Captain Inoki Seitaro.

Ask them what the situation is there?"

"Hai!" Sergeant Hashii Haruto, who received the order, set off quickly.

He was not alone. Mochida Kazuya was his driver.

The two Japanese soldiers drove a three-wheeled motorcycle and set off for Langxi.

The 50-kilometer journey was only a three-hour trip for a motorcycle.

Corporal Mochida Kazuya specially filled the motorcycle with fuel and carried a bucket of spare fuel on the motorcycle for safety.

The two Japanese soldiers then set off from Guangde, talking and laughing. In their opinion, this was actually a trip they took on a whim.

Since they occupied Guangde, although there were still National Army troops active in the more distant countryside of Guangde,

these National Army troops did not dare to come around Guangde County.

In fact, since this battalion of Japanese soldiers had been stationed in Guangde, they had never seen a shadow of a National Army soldier again.

Mochida Kazuya and Hashii Haruto completely regarded this as a trip, and they had also traveled back and forth between Guangde and Langxi five times.

Each time, Battalion Commander Ando Daisuke sent them to inquire about Captain Inoki's situation.

Captain Inoki was always late in reporting the situation.

At ten o'clock in the morning on December 21, 1937, Mochida Kazuya and Hashii Haruto walked to Yaojia Village.

This was still more than twenty *li* away from Langxi County.

Ping Taining and his thirty-odd Eighty-third Army scouts, who were scouting in the mountains and forests,

suddenly heard the roar of an engine in the distance.

For these National Army soldiers, the appearance of such a sound at this time

was ninety-nine percent the enemy's troops.

Platoon Leader Ping Taining pointed to the hillside, and his group of thirty-three cavalrymen immediately dismounted.

Leading their warhorses up the hillside, they hid in the mountains and forests.

After the warhorses and people were all hidden, they carefully looked into the distance.

The peaks rose and fell here, and they could hear the sound, but they could not see anyone.

However, Platoon Leader Ping and the soldiers under his command were still relatively calm.

Because they could tell from the sound that there were not many engine roars coming from the distance.

There should only be one vehicle. Platoon Leader Ping ordered in a low voice, "Prepare for battle!"

He was prepared that if the Japanese devils coming were really only one vehicle, he would prepare to fight the Japanese devils.

On the 19th, they had personally witnessed how easy it was for the Special Forces soldiers to attack Langxi.

Platoon Leader Ping was no longer as afraid of the Japanese devils as he used to be.

After a while, they finally saw the thing that was making the bombing sound on the winding mountain road in the distance.

It turned out to be two Japanese devils riding a motorcycle, coming in their direction.

One Japanese devil was driving, and one Japanese devil was carrying a cylinder.

It seemed that these were Japanese devils delivering a letter.

Behind this motorcycle, there was nothing.

This was very safe.

Platoon Leader Ping ordered, "Let's get closer to the road.

We must kill these two."

These soldiers had been somewhat influenced by the Special Forces.

They also believed that the Japanese devils were very stubborn and generally unwilling to take prisoners.

In addition, they couldn't speak Japanese devils, so even if they caught a living Japanese devil,

they wouldn't be able to get any news.

A full ten minutes passed before Mochida Kazuya and Hashii Haruto drove their motorcycle into their ambush.

Platoon Leader Ping Taining gave an order: "Fire!"

He fired the first shot himself.

To be able to be the scouts sent out by the Eighty-eighth Army, these people's combat qualities and combat effectiveness were quite good.

Thirty-three National Army soldiers ambushing two Japanese devils.

In the first round of gunfire, they saw the motorcycle's front wheel swerve and rush up the hillside.

The two Japanese devils in the car were obviously not going to survive.

The thirty-three National Army soldiers who were lying in ambush rushed towards the motorcycle.

Platoon Leader Ping picked up the cylinder carried by Hashii Haruto and poured out a sealed letter from it.

He didn't recognize the words on it.

After tearing open the letter, there was only one piece of paper inside, and there were not many words written on it, it looked like a short paragraph.

He still didn't recognize it and put the letter back as it was.

Platoon Leader Ping ordered, "Tao Mingyuan! You immediately send this cylinder back to the regimental commander.

Report to the regimental commander that we killed these two Japanese devils.

We will continue to scout ahead."

Regimental Commander Sheng Feiwen listened to Tao Mingyuan's report and looked at the letter.

He didn't recognize it!

He told him to continue sending it back.

In the evening of the 21st, Battalion Commander Ando Daisuke was even more puzzled.

Usually, the person delivering the letter could return before five o'clock in the afternoon.

Why hadn't he returned at this time today?

In Langxi, the Japanese devils had neither installed a telephone nor arranged a radio station.

The only way to transmit information was by running.

It was getting dark, and now he had no way to send out a signal soldier again.

Even if he wanted to ask Major Kanishi Kosuke of the Guangde Airport to send out a reconnaissance plane to check the situation, it wouldn't work.

It was already late, and even if he wanted to send out a plane, it could only be tomorrow morning.

[Author's extra words]: Today is my niece's wedding, and I went to another place to send her off. It was really busy and tiring.

There is only this chapter at midnight, so don't stay up late waiting for it after reading this.

There will be another chapter in the morning.