Resistance against Japan: Starting with the local militia

Chapter 95 Intelligence Mission

"Li Qukou, stay behind for a moment, I need to talk to you about some work," Tang Weiguo said to Li Qukou.

"Yes, Commander." Li Qukou, who was about to walk out with Tang Xiaohu and the others, heard the commander call him. So he stopped, said a few words to Tang Xiaohu and the others, and then turned and walked towards Tang Weiguo.

"Come on, let's talk in the office." After saying that, Tang Weiguo led Li Qukou to the office.

"Weiguo, what brings you here? Is it information about the new commander of the Japanese military police headquarters in the county? Finding detailed information about the new commander is almost an impossible task for our intelligence agency, since the purpose of our intelligence agency is only to gather intelligence on the Japanese forces around Wolong Mountain."

When no one was around, Li Qukou preferred to call Tang Weiguo by his name rather than "Regimental Commander".

"We can't get intelligence on the newly appointed Japanese commander in the county, but we can find someone else to do it. Now that we've joined the Nationalist Army, we might as well use the Nationalist intelligence system. Let them help us find intelligence on the newly appointed Japanese commander."

“This way, you can verify the information from both sides, making it easier to determine whether it’s true or false,” Tang Weiguo said.

“Alright, I’ll contact the Second War Zone Command first thing tomorrow morning through the newly assigned communications officer. As for Commander Li, I’ll go there personally,” Li Qukou replied.

"Okay, but contact the Second War Zone under the name of the Anti-Japanese Anti-Japanese Militia. Based on my assessment, they can only rely on us behind enemy lines right now, so I believe they will try their best to meet our requests."

"Wei State, what if they just do a perfunctory job?"

"If you want a horse to run but don't give it grass, there's no such thing as a free lunch. If they don't show some sincerity, it's absolutely impossible for them to get us to work for them wholeheartedly."

“However, I believe Commander Yan of the Second War Zone wouldn’t do that, unless he’s lost his mind,” Tang Weiguo said.

"Okay, then I'll contact the Second Theater Intelligence Department tomorrow."

"There's one more thing I need to remind you of. Your intelligence department must verify any intelligence provided by the Second War Zone. We can't afford to be misled by false intelligence," Tang Weiguo instructed.

"Wei Guo, I understand. Don't worry, I will definitely consider it carefully."

"By the way, privately contact Commander Li of the Independent Regiment and try to get more intelligence from them. Since the last time we attacked the Japanese military train together, I have already reached a verbal cooperation agreement with Commander Li. I believe Commander Li is very willing to help us. Moreover, the Eighth Route Army is extremely good at intelligence gathering."

"Also, when you meet with Commander Li this time, tell him about our inclusion in the Second War Zone's regular army. Also, tell him that from now on, there should be no open contact between us; all cooperation should be carried out privately and quietly," Tang Weiguo instructed.

“Weiguo, after we join the Nationalist Army, will Commander Li and his men still cooperate with us like before? After all, they fought against the Nationalist government for many years. Although the two sides have reached an agreement on resisting Japan, they are not truly on good terms.” Li Qukou asked.

"That's indeed the case. Do you know why the Second War Zone Command suddenly brought our militia under their command in a semi-coercive manner?" Tang Weiguo asked.

Li Qukou lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying:

"Currently, only the Eighth Route Army is operating anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines, and there is no influence of the Nationalist government. Therefore, the Second War Zone Command intends to demonstrate their influence behind enemy lines through us. The next step may be to have us compete with the Eighth Route Army for territory."

"Yes, that's basically the idea. So we must not have any open contact with the Eighth Route Army; all contact with them must be done covertly."

"As for cooperating with the Independent Regiment, there's no need to worry. During the joint operation to ambush the Japanese military train, we already established a foundation of trust. Even though we joined the Nationalist Army, that trust still exists. Besides, they are now also part of the Nationalist Army. In other words, we are now their true brother unit."

"Furthermore, they are willing to unite all forces willing to resist the Japanese invasion. In the Wolong Mountain area, the largest armed force is us, so our trend of cooperation with them will not change because of our joining the Nationalist army."

"Drive out the enemy. Don't forget, their wounded soldiers from the Independent Regiment are still in our hospital receiving treatment. They can't easily repay this favor."

"So, our cooperation with them remains the same. The only change is that it has moved from the stage to offstage. As for how it appears on the surface, that depends on how everyone performs," ​​Tang Weiguo explained.

“Wei Guo, I understand. I will tell them the truth when I see Commander Li,” Li Qukou replied.

"By the way, let's discuss future communication with them together. All communication from now on must be conducted covertly, and we must ensure safety and secrecy. We must not let the intelligence organization of the theater command discover our joint operation with the Independent Regiment. If they find out, it will be difficult to handle."

"Okay, don't worry about Wei Guo. I guarantee that the intelligence personnel of the Second War Zone won't be able to dig up any information." Li Qukou was very confident in his intelligence work.

"There's one more thing. While you're there, please discuss the transfer of the wounded with Commander Li. I visited the wounded at the hospital this afternoon, and Dean Tang told me that the lightly wounded in the Independent Regiment have basically recovered their mobility, while the seriously wounded are waiting to recover slowly. However, it's entirely possible to transport them from the hospital back to the Independent Regiment for recuperation," Tang Weiguo said.

“Weiguo, why don’t we take this opportunity to keep these soldiers? Our militia is short of manpower right now. They are all outstanding veterans who survived the battlefield. If we keep these people, we can strengthen our militia. Besides, our militia has much more weapons, equipment and logistical supplies than the Independent Regiment.”

“Expel the enemy, have you forgotten when we went to protest together? Those people were very determined. We can’t keep these veterans here,” Tang Weiguo said with some admiration.

Li Qukou lowered his head and thought about what had happened before, then nodded in agreement and began to speak.

"Okay, I'll go and discuss it with Commander Li later, and try my best to send their wounded soldiers back to the Independent Regiment's garrison."

"it is good."

"Wei Guo, besides this matter, do you have any other tasks for me?" Li Qukou asked.

"What do you think of Zhang Haoshan and his group? Can they be trusted?" Tang Weiguo didn't answer but instead asked for his opinion on Zhang Haoshan and his group.

“They used to be from the Sichuan Army. Given Battalion Commander Zhou’s performance in our militia, I think they can be trusted. However, I’m not sure if the war zone command has planted intelligence agents among them to secretly monitor us. I’m all too familiar with the Nationalist government’s intelligence operations,” Li Qukou analyzed.

“That’s what I was thinking too, which is why I’m talking to you about this tonight. We can’t be too careful about being wary of honest people, but we must be very careful about the Second War Zone’s investigation of us. We can’t let them find out our secrets, otherwise we won’t be able to negotiate with them,” Tang Weiguo said.

"Commander, I understand what you mean. I will arrange for personnel to monitor Zhang Haoshan and his four companions' every move to ensure that we can take immediate action if anything goes wrong," Li Qukou said.

"I want to remind you that you must be careful when monitoring them. Don't let them notice. They are officers who dare to come behind enemy lines to fight the Japanese. We must give them enough respect. After all, being monitored is not a pleasant experience for any military personnel. But in chaotic times, we must use strong measures. For the sake of so many soldiers in our militia, this is something we must do," Tang Weiguo said earnestly.

"Don't worry, Wei Guo, I'll handle this personally." Li Qukou accepted the task.

"I feel much more at ease with you here." Tang Weiguo patted Li Qukou on the shoulder.

"Wei Guo, don't worry, I'll take care of the intelligence. You can focus on commanding the battle," Li Qu Kou replied.

"Alright, I'm entrusting both of these matters to you. Make sure to carry them out as soon as possible," Tang Weiguo instructed again.

"Yes, I will arrange it as soon as possible."

"It's getting late, you should go back and rest," Tang Weiguo said.

"Weiguo, you should get some rest too, and take good care of your health."

"it is good."