Chapter 22 Chapter 21

Every fine weather is full of danger for Chongqing. The sun was shining hot, and the sky was blue with hardly any clouds.The Japanese bomber formation flew over the mountain city again. The seemingly endless bombing not only made the people of Chongqing feel tired and disgusted, but also made Marukawa, who had been participating in the battle, feel tired.A mechanic who was high on emotions two years ago is bored with his repetitive tasks two years later.Of course, it's not just boredom. In Tomoo Marukawa's heart, he has already begun to have aversion and doubts about indiscriminate bombing.It was a bloody war, but the opposing sides did not meet in battle, he did not know what the enemy on the ground looked like, and the enemy on the ground only saw the shadow of his own plane.What's more, those so-called "enemies" are just ordinary civilians who can't be more ordinary; but their own crew wants to drop the Type 98 No. 25 bomb on these unarmed ordinary people. 250 kg level anti-personnel bomb, loaded with 96.6 kg of explosives, 10,000 pieces of shrapnel fly around at 15-25 degrees at the moment of explosion, killing people within 45 meters and killing people within 200 meters.These well-known bombing technical essentials are just some ordinary parameters to Marukawa Tomoo and his comrades-in-arms, but to the civilians in Chongqing, they are cruel and real deaths and injuries.

At this moment, Tomoo Marukawa was sitting in the cabin, a little depressed.The other members of the crew waited quietly, because the shadow of Chongqing at the confluence of the two rivers could already be seen.The black smoke from the explosion of the anti-aircraft artillery was just below and to the left and right of their plane, and the sound of bang bang kept pouring into the cabin.Suddenly, several anti-aircraft shells exploded in the air not far to the left of Tomoo Marukawa, and the plane shook violently.Immediately afterwards, there was another burst of dense explosions, and some faint smoke rose from the aircraft cabin.The indicator lights in the cabin came on, and the captain's voice sounded: the bombing route has been entered.Has entered the bombing course.bomb!

Bombardier Jigang repeated: Drop the bomb! Immediately he pulled down the bombing handle, and suddenly he yelled: The bombing bay door has a mechanical failure and cannot be opened. The captain turned around viciously: what happened? !Overhaul now! Marukawa Tomoo hurriedly ran to Yoshioka's side, and began to troubleshoot amidst the vibration of the plane. The navigator shouted: Altitude 4000, heading 124, we are going to miss the target! The captain's order: Correct the course and prepare for the second bombing. Marukawa Tomoo worked profusely for a while, and then shouted: Report, the fault cannot be rectified!

Ji Gang complained in a low voice: We can't carry the bomb back, it's too dangerous to land like this! Tomoo Marukawa had already decided to give up, and sat down: the hinge of the hatch was damaged, and it was impossible to fix it right away! The captain ran over from the cockpit and kicked Tomoo Marukawa: Bastard! Marukawa Tomoo looked up at the captain, his eyes were full of stubbornness, and muttered: I can't help it!What does it matter if you can't drop the bomb?I hate this kind of warfare anyway!It's better to die together! Yoshioka was surprised: Marukawa-kun, what did you say? !

Marukawa Tomoo suddenly shouted loudly: I am disgusted, do you hear me clearly, I hate this way of war! The captain immediately slapped him: I order you to shut up! Everyone in the crew heard Tomoo Marukawa's yelling, and they rushed towards him viciously... Tomoo Marukawa curled up on the floor, hugging his head with both hands. The bombing continued.On the antiaircraft artillery positions in the outskirts of Chongqing, soldiers wearing steel helmets and shirtless fired fiercely.Du Zhiguo kept pressing the shells into the bomb bay, while Zhang Xudong rotated the anti-aircraft gun rapidly and fired.As the cannon body vibrated violently, the excited Zhang Xudong shouted loudly: Come on, you bastards!Du Zhiguo, quick, cannonball!

Today's Du Zhiguo has become a standard soldier, fighting bravely and acting resolutely. In the flames and smoke of the anti-aircraft shell explosion, a Japanese bomber flew over the anti-aircraft artillery position at low altitude and dropped two bombs.The moment Du Zhiguo looked up, he saw bombs falling towards their positions with howling roars, and he exclaimed loudly: Bomb!Zhang Xudong also heard the whistling that was getting closer and closer to the top of his head, but he knew that it was too late for him to escape.Du Zhiguo rushed forward, pushed Zhang Xudong down on the cannon emplacement, and protected him with his body.The bomb exploded a few meters away from the gun emplacement, and a powerful blast lifted them up.

After the dust settled, Zhang Xudong found himself on the ground outside the emplacement.He got up with blood all over his face, his ears were buzzing, he looked around, but he didn't see Du Zhiguo, he panicked and shouted hoarsely: Du Zhiguo, Zhiguo! After running to the other side of the cannon position, Zhang Xudong saw Du Zhiguo lying on the ground covered in blood, with his eyes open in a daze on his face covered with blood and mud.Zhang Xudong ran over and picked him up.Du Zhiguo grabbed Zhang Xudong's arm, and the corner of his mouth moved, as if he wanted to say something. Zhang Xudong put his ears up, but he didn't hear Du Zhiguo's words clearly: "Rule the country!"What did you say? !Military doctor!There are people injured!

Du Zhiguo let go of his hand. Zhang Xudong shouted hoarsely: "Rule the country!" Du Zhiguo could no longer hear Zhang Xudong's shout, only those eyes full of hatred were still staring blankly at the sky. After the bombing ended, the whole city became a world of smoke and flames again. On the outskirts, there is a cave used as a munitions warehouse. On the rock wall at the entrance of the cave, there are big words "military important place" and "be careful of fire candles".A bomb that did not explode was planted in the dirt only a few meters from the entrance of the cave.The soldiers in charge of guarding here have set up a cordon to isolate some spectators far away, waiting for the engineers to discharge bombs.

Xia Chengyuan rode a motorcycle and two engineers rushed across the cordon and stopped.An officer ran up in a hurry: You are finally here.A cordon has been set. Xia Chengyuan asked: Is there anyone else inside? Officer: Not anymore.But it was full of ammunition. Xia Chengyuan looked around: set back the cordon another 20 meters.This is the ammunition depot, and no one can escape if there is an accident! Seeing the officer hastily rearrange the police boundary, Xia Chengyuan took out his tool bag from the motorcycle.An engineer stood in front of him and said: Xia Gong, let me go. Xia Chengyuan shook his head: You wait here.

Then, he walked over to the bomb with the tool bag in hand.All the people held their breath and watched Xia Chengyuan squat down from a distance, took out tools from the tool bag, and put them on the ground.He picked up a screwdriver, put it lightly on the bomb, put his ear up, and listened carefully.Xia Chengyuan listened for a while, then stood up suddenly, and shouted to the two engineers: Bring the motorcycle over, hurry up! The two engineers immediately drove the motorcycle to the side of the bomb and asked: What's wrong? Xia Chengyuan whispered: It's a time-delay bomb! An engineer anxiously asked: Can it still be dismantled?

Xia Chengyuan said: I'm afraid it's too late.If there is an explosion here, the consequences will be disastrous.Come and give me a hand!hurry up! Xia Chengyuan calmly directed the two engineers to carefully dig out the bomb from the ground and carry it into the motorcycle's body.Then he stepped on the motorcycle and said to the engineer: You put away all my tools. An engineer said: No way!It's too dangerous! Xia Chengyuan: That's the only way. It's much safer to let it explode in the open than here! Another engineer held Xia Chengyuan: let me go! Xia Chengyuan pushed him away and shouted: "Listen to the order!"Get the crowd out of the way! Driven by the soldiers, the crowd made a way out of the way.Xia Chengyuan drove his motorcycle and rushed out frantically.The two engineers also ran frantically behind, trying to keep up with the motorcycle.Xia Chengyuan was speeding on the road on a motorcycle, his face covered with nervous sweat.It wasn't until he turned a corner along the mountain road that he was slightly relieved.He slowed down and chose a piece of farmland under the hillside on the right.So he turned the motorcycle violently, left the road with bumps, and rushed towards the farmland... Two engineers took a small road and followed. Just as they ran to the corner of the road, they heard a violent explosion. Thick smoke rose into the sky.They saw the wreckage of the motorcycle emitting black smoke in the farmland, but Xia Chengyuan was nowhere to be seen. In the evening, Sun Xiangmeng learned the news of Xia Chengyuan's injury, and his younger sister Sun Xiangying accompanied her to the military hospital in the big warehouse.They passed among the densely packed hospital beds full of wounded, and came to a corner surrounded by white cloth.A nurse greeted them and led them into the white cloth curtain. They saw Xia Chengyuan lying on the hospital bed with his eyes closed. His head and arms were wrapped in bandages, and his lower body was covered by a white sheet. Sun Xiangmeng rushed to the hospital bed all at once: Cheng Yuan! Hearing the sound, Xia Chengyuan weakly opened his eyes to look at Sun Xiangmeng and Sun Xiangying, and smiled hard. Sun Xiangying has already pulled a doctor aside: doctor, how is his condition? The doctor said: My life was saved.As long as no wound infection occurs, there should be no major problems.It's just that his right leg was blown off, and we've already amputated him. Sun Xiangying lowered her voice and called out: amputation? ! Sun Xiangmeng heard everything, and burst into tears immediately.She took Xia Chengyuan's hand that was exposed outside the bandage: Cheng Yuan, you are fine, the doctor said that you will recover soon. Xia Chengyuan said with difficulty: My leg is gone... Sun Xiangmeng held back tears and comforted him: As long as the wound is not infected, you can be discharged from the hospital soon. Xia Chengyuan said in pain: Discharged from the hospital, what are you doing? !My legs are gone, what am I going to do when I leave the hospital? ! Sun Xiangmeng cried.Sun Xiangying came over and gently hugged her shoulder: Sister... Sun Xiangmeng forced a smile with tears in his eyes: Cheng Yuan, isn't this better?You don't have to take part in bomb disposal anymore, and I don't have to worry about it anymore. Xia Chengyuan suddenly closed his eyes in a very bad mood: You go!leave me!leave me alone for a while! Since the beginning of summer, as the Chinese army retreated steadily on the frontal battlefield, the Japanese army shifted its focus to North China and carried out large-scale repeated raids on the base areas behind the enemy.In order to defend the base areas behind the enemy in North China, curb the arrogance of the Japanese army, and at the same time, in order to combat the rising capitulationist sentiment within the Nationalist government under the unfavorable international situation, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a decision to concentrate the main forces of the Eighth Route Army in the North China base areas, on the Ping-Han Railway, The northern section of the Tongpu Railway and the Baijin Railway launched a large-scale attack on the Japanese logistics supply line. In the North China Plain in midsummer, the war is imminent.The boundless green gauze curtains are rippling green waves in the sun.Under the cover of the green gauze tent, the main force of the Eighth Route Army with high morale was rushing to the front line, and trucks drove past with heavy luggage.The frontline headquarters of the Eighth Route Army was located in a small village at the foot of a hill.Peng Dehuai, deputy commander-in-chief of the Eighth Route Army, and Zuo Quan, deputy chief of staff, sat in front of a large table, with a huge battle map hanging on the wall behind them.The sunlight shone on the map, making the red encirclement on the map very eye-catching. Peng Dehuai was dictating a telegram to a secretary: "Chongqing "Xinhua Daily" relayed to all the compatriots in Chongqing: According to the report from the Central News Agency, more than 170 enemy planes crazily bombed the whole city of Chongqing on the afternoon of the 20th, dropping a large number of incendiary bombs. The fire in the district, the essence was burned, and the peaceful residents suffered countless casualties." Zuo Quan added: "After hearing the news, I feel inexplicable resentment!" Peng Dehuai: Yes, "After hearing the news, I felt inexplicable resentment. On the evening of that day, in order to crush the enemy's new attack, our army concentrated our troops and began to attack Zhengtai, Pinghan, Tongpu and other roads... We sincerely respect On behalf of all the soldiers of our army, I extend condolences to our compatriots in Chongqing, and with the victory of the ongoing war, contribute to the victims of the city in Chongqing, to avenge the brutal crimes of the enemy, and to avenge the hatred of the compatriots in distress. I would like to send a telegram to Buda, everyone Weijian photo." Yu Nanping, who was transferred from Chongqing to work in Yan'an, asked to come to the front line during the preparation stage of the raid.Now, she also followed Peng Dehuai to the frontline headquarters, responsible for the telegraph and communication work here.With a file bag in her hand, she hurried in from the outside and stood at the door of the room: report! Peng Dehuai: Ah, Comrade Yu Nanping, come in. Yu Nanping walked to the table and asked: Mr. Peng, is the telegram ready? The secretary handed over the telegram manuscript to Peng Dehuai, who took it over, read it, and signed it.Then he said with a smile: Comrade Nanping, it seems that Mr. Zhu always regrets letting you come here. Yu Nanping looked puzzled. Peng Dehuai said: Yan'an still wants to let you go back as soon as possible. Yu Nanping: For my safety? Peng Dehuai: This is one reason.But I heard that Comrade Enlai is very concerned about your situation.I estimate that you will probably be transferred back to Chongqing. Yu Nanping: I don't want to go back. Peng Dehuai handed over the telegram manuscript to Yu Nanping: Anyway, you should be ready at any time.Isn't your husband still in Chongqing?Alright, send it to Xinhua Daily in Chongqing immediately. Yu Nanping: President Peng, I obey orders.But I won't go until after this battle is over, okay? Peng Dehuai smiled: I can't decide this. A few days later. Jiang Qingdong, who had been recuperating in Hong Kong for more than half a month, finally returned to Chongqing.Two years after leaving Chongqing, the bombed city was beyond his recognition.The iconic buildings of the past have long since disappeared, and the once thriving shops have become a world of rubble and garbage.Everything has changed, and what seems to remain the same is the spirit of Chongqing people and their humorous nature. At dusk, Zheng Juan came home from get off work.She walked through a narrow alley and climbed up the steep steps. She was very surprised to see Jiang Qingdong sitting on the steps in front of his house with a rattan box beside him.Jiang Qingdong was reading a copy of Xinhua Daily.On the first page of the spread out newspaper, there happened to be a telegram sent by Deputy Commander-in-Chief Peng Dehuai and Zuo Quan from North China, expressing condolences for the bombing of Chongqing.Jiang Qingdong didn't notice Zheng Juan's arrival. Zheng Juan froze for a moment in front of the steps, her eyes filled with tears, she softly called: Qingdong. Jiang Qingdong raised his head and saw Zheng Juan.He stood up with a smile and said: I don't have a key, so I can't enter the house... Zheng Juan ran forward and hugged him violently.Jiang Qingdong also hugged her tightly, stroking Zheng Juan's hair with emotion. On the night Zheng Ming returned to Chongqing from Hong Kong, he rushed home. Zheng Xianbo was sitting on the sofa, waving a cattail fan, listening to Zheng Ming talking about meeting Lin Tianjue in Hong Kong.Zheng Ming felt that it might not be a good thing for Lin Tianjue to come and go in and out of a place like Dongfei Yangxing.Zheng Xianbo was obviously not interested in hearing this, so he finally interrupted him and said bluntly: Don't talk about that Lin Tianjue.Tell me about your trip to Hong Kong this time, is there any new progress? Zheng Ming smiled, lowered his voice and said: I got something. Zheng Xianbo looked at him without speaking. Zheng Ming took out a very small film and put it in front of Zheng Xianbo: This is a memorandum of secret negotiations between China and Japan obtained from Lao Zeng, and there are instructions from the chairman of the committee. Zheng Xianbo took the film: You were not discovered, right? Zheng Ming: No, don't worry. Zheng Xianbo thought for a moment, then said calmly: Zheng Ming, I want to talk to you frankly.This "memo" is definitely important.I am ready to hand it over to the Communist Party. This surprised Zheng Ming: The Communist Party? !Dad, are you crazy? ! Zheng Xianbo said calmly: Don't be surprised.I've been thinking about this for a long time.Have you ever thought about it, if the chairman really wants to make peace with the Japanese, there is nothing we can do.Once an agreement is reached with the Japanese, what will it mean for China?Although the secret negotiations between the chairman and the Japanese have been going on for a while, the reason why there is no result is that one possibility is that he did not really want to negotiate with the Japanese, and the other possibility is that he has to take all aspects into consideration. Among them, the existence of the Communist Party cannot be ignored.Therefore, if the Communist Party knows the chairman's true intentions, whether it is good or bad, it will create a kind of political pressure and make him dare not act lightly. Zheng Ming reminded: This is very dangerous. Zheng Xianbo smiled faintly: I know.Right now, this is our only option!As long as I can prevent the chairman from reaching an agreement with the Japanese, I have no scruples.Zheng Ming, you have to be prepared. Zheng Ming: How do you contact the Communist Party? Zheng Xianbo: Don't worry about it, I'll do it. Zheng Xianbo immediately contacted Xia Xinli.According to the agreement, Zheng Xianbo handed over the film to Xia Xinli himself. At noon that day, the enemy plane did not come to bomb.Zheng Xianbo appeared on a street in the city center with a briefcase in his hand.This is the busiest street in Chongqing. In the middle of the street, the "spiritual fortress" later called "Jiefangbei" is under construction.Around the construction site, people come and go, bustling.After Zheng Xianbo came here, he stood for a while, and then walked slowly towards the "spiritual fortress" construction site, observing the surroundings calmly.From the other direction, Xia Xinli and Sun Xiangying also mixed in the crowd, walking towards the "spiritual fortress".Sun Xiangying held Xia Xinli's arm, and the two looked more like a father and daughter walking the street together.The place they agreed to meet in advance was right next to the construction site. Zheng Ming originally wanted to go to the joint with his father, but Zheng Xianbo flatly rejected him.In the end they reached an agreement, Zheng Xianbo went to meet with Xia Xinli, and Zheng Ming was secretly watching to prevent any accidents. When Zheng Xianbo approached the "spiritual fortress", Zheng Ming hid behind a window upstairs on the street and observed quietly.He first saw Zheng Xianbo's figure, and then he saw Xia Xinli coming from the opposite side.He didn't know Xia Xinli, but he knew Sun Xiangying who was holding Xia Xinli's arm.Seeing them walking together, Zheng Ming immediately realized that Xia Xinli and Sun Xiangying should be the ones who came to meet his father.However, Sun Xiangying's appearance still surprised him a little.But what surprised him even more was that not far behind Xia Xinli and Sun Xiangying, there was another spy following them.The spy, wearing sunglasses, followed unhurriedly.Sun Xiangying and the others didn't seem to be aware of the existence of this spy.Zheng Ming felt that something was going to happen, thought about it, and left the window. Next to the construction site, Zheng Xianbo stood down and looked at his watch. It was already the appointed time.He looked around again, and saw Xia Xinli and Sun Xiangying not far away.Zheng Xianbo was about to move forward when Zheng Ming suddenly appeared beside him and whispered: "Give me the things!" Zheng Xianbo asked puzzledly: Why? Zheng Ming said: The person who connected with you has been targeted!give it to me! Zheng Ming's tone was already commanding, Zheng Xianbo stopped asking, and quickly took out a small envelope from his briefcase and handed it to him: What are you going to do? Zheng Ming took the envelope and said: No matter what happens, you have to meet with the other party normally, meet normally, understand? Following the direction Zheng Ming left in a hurry, Zheng Xianbo saw Xia Xinli and Sun Xiangying walking towards him.Xia Xinli also saw Zheng Xianbo, but he didn't show anything on his face.Among the crowd, Zheng Ming had already walked quickly to meet Sun Xiangying and Xia Xinli.Sun Xiangying was a little surprised when she saw Zheng Ming.Just as she was about to say something to Xia Xinli, Zheng Ming had already walked up to them, like a robbing thief, while passing by, he snatched the satchel from Sun Xiangying's shoulder and ran away. Sun Xiangying screamed involuntarily, then turned around and chased after him, shouting: Someone snatched my bag! ! Xia Xinli stood there in astonishment.There was some commotion in the crowd on the street, and the spy who was watching was a little at a loss when they saw this sudden scene, not knowing whether they should chase Sun Xiangying or not.Afterwards, he decided to keep staring at Xia Xinli.At this time, Zheng Xianbo had already arrived in front of Xia Xinli, and there was a subtle content in his eyes.Xia Xinli understood his hint. Zheng Xianbo greeted: Mr. Xia?What happened? Xia Xinli said: A thief stole my daughter's bag.This world is really chaotic.Mr. Zheng is also out for a stroll? Zheng Xianbo: Yes, the Japanese did not come to bomb after a long time. Let me see how this "spiritual fortress" is being repaired. The spies following them were not far from them, paying attention to the exchange between the two, but they couldn't hear anything unusual. After Zheng Ming snatched Sun Xiangying's bag, he frantically passed through the crowd.He turned his head and saw that Sun Xiangying had already caught up, so he turned into a relatively secluded alley and slowed down. Panting, Sun Xiangying ran into the alley, but unexpectedly saw Zheng Ming standing there waiting for her.Zheng Ming handed the satchel and the envelope containing the film to Sun Xiangying: This is your bag and the things you want.Seeing Sun Xiangying's surprised expression, he quickly added: I am the son of Zheng Xianbo, and my name is Zheng Ming.You are being targeted, so that's all I can do. Sun Xiangying still couldn't believe it and asked: What do you do? Zheng Ming smiled: Leave it alone.I've got what you want, so hurry up and go.goodbye. Before she could speak, Zheng Ming turned and left.Sun Xiangying opened the envelope and saw the film inside. The large-scale raid of the North China Eighth Route Army has begun.In the small village under the hillside hidden in the green gauze tent, several houses were hit by Japanese artillery fire and smoked, and the sound of guns and guns continued to come from a distance. The report room of the Eighth Route Army Frontline Headquarters was located in a small farmyard.People are constantly coming in and out of here.In front of several wireless telegraphs in a room, operators are working nervously.A shell fell and exploded not far outside the courtyard, shaking the radio room, and some dust fell from the ceiling. A staff officer ran in and handed an order to Yu Nanping: Send it to Commander Liu Bocheng and Political Commissar of the Communist Party immediately! Yu Nanping took it, and immediately turned around and handed it to a radio operator.A person was calling her: Director Yu, urgent call from Yan'an to Mr. Peng! Yu Nanping glanced at it, picked up the telegram and ran out of the yard.A carriage outside the yard was overturned by the shell just now, still smoking, and a horse fell in the blood.Yu Nanping ran towards the headquarters through the gunpowder smoke.A shell came down with a howl, and a guard outside the headquarters saw it from a distance, and shouted at her: Director Yu, take cover! The cannonball exploded beside Yu Nanping who was running, and the dust raised up covered her figure. In the evening, when Xia Xinli was called into his office by Zhou Enlai, Zhou Enlai was writing something at the desk. Seeing Xia Xinli coming in, he put down the pen in his hand: Lao Xia, are you here?sit, sit. Xia Xinli sat down on the chair and asked: Vice Chairman Zhou, is the thing you got from Zheng Xianbo last time valuable? Holding a piece of paper in his hand, Zhou Enlai walked over and stood in front of Xia Xinli: Of course it is valuable.It lets us know Chiang Kai-shek's cards.Judging from this document, the negotiation between Chiang Kai-shek and the Japanese, the so-called "Tong work", is at least currently a strategy for Chiang Kai-shek.The Japanese asked for a high price, which was too high for Chiang Kai-shek to accept.Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek's contact with the Japanese was a strategic move.As for his intention, I think it is still necessary to hold back the Japanese.First of all, the Japanese cannot go all out to support Wang Jingwei's puppet government in Nanjing, and they must feel that there is still a possibility of persuading the surrender in Chongqing.Secondly, it is to give Britain and the United States a sense of urgency.Although the British government also wanted Chiang Kai-shek to make peace with the Japanese, the situation is different now.Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek may have deliberately talked to the British and American governments in order to obtain what he wanted. Xia Xinli laughed: Lao Jiang is playing tricks? Zhou Enlai nodded: This is good news for us.Although Chiang Kai-shek's approach is very risky, it is beneficial for us to continue to adhere to the principle of the whole people's war of resistance, emphasizing the united front, emphasizing unity, and unitedly resisting the Japanese invaders. Zhou Enlai suddenly paused for a long time, and his expression became a little heavy: Lao Xia, I asked you to come to talk to you about another matter. Xia Xinli looked at him.Zhou Enlai continued slowly: We received a telegram from Boss Peng, and there is very sad news that your wife, Comrade Yu Nanping... died on the front line. Xia Xinli looked at Zhou Enlai as if he couldn't believe it, and slowly stood up. Zhou Enlai regretted: I originally asked Yan'an for instructions and wanted to transfer her back to Chongqing, and Boss Zhu and the others also agreed.Lao Xia, you must be strong. Xia Xinli couldn't say a word, but just stared blankly at Zhou Enlai. After Jiang Qingdong returned to Chongqing, he rested at home for two days, and then reported to the Air Defense Command.Of course Liu Zhi was very happy to see Jiang Qingdong again, and immediately reinstated him as the deputy chief of staff of the headquarters. On the second day after Jiang Qingdong resumed work, Chongqing was again subjected to four hours of heavy bombing.As soon as the bombing was over, Jiang Qingdong took a group of people to the city to inspect the air-raid shelter.Because the headquarters received a report that there was a suffocation incident in an air-raid shelter. Jiang Qingdong rushed to the accident site in a jeep and stopped in front of the air-raid shelter where the accident occurred. Before the car stopped, he jumped off.The first thing that came into sight was a piece of houses that had just been blown up, the ruins were still burning, and some firefighters and citizens were fighting the fire.The owner of the house, a middle-aged woman, was crying and holding a child in her arms.Jiang Qingdong looked away from the woman helplessly, and walked towards the air-raid shelter behind the civilian house with a few accompanying staff officers.Several corpses have been parked at the entrance of the air-raid shelter, and some corpses continue to be carried out of the cave.There were no traces of trauma on the body, but the expression on the face was quite terrifying.Jiang Qingdong looked at the corpse lying on the ground, and walked into the cave. A man who looked like a policeman came forward in the air-raid shelter: Is it Jiang, Deputy Chief of Staff? Jiang Qingdong asked: Air Defense Command received the report, what is going on here? Police: I'm not very clear. I heard from ordinary people that suffocation occurred during the bombing.There were too many people in the cave, and the weather was so hot that everyone found it difficult to breathe.A few weaker people couldn't bear it, so...Jiang Qingdong: What about the ventilation equipment in the cave? Police: There are two blowers, but both are broken.Probably due to the poor ventilation in the cave, and the fact that the devils bombed for a long time, the people inside did not dare to go out. Jiang Qingdong turned around and asked his staff: Have you overhauled the ventilation equipment here? The staff officer said: It should have been overhauled, but with so many air-raid shelters in Chongqing, it's hard to say.It would have been even worse if the Japanese bombing had damaged the power plant. Jiang Qingdong walked over and looked at the iron fence door at the entrance of the air-raid shelter: the design of this door is also unreasonable.The door opens from the outside to the inside.If there is an accident in the cave, such as suffocation, the people inside will definitely run out.Once everyone panics and crowds here, the door cannot be opened from the inside at all. The policeman nodded: That's right. Jiang Qingdong said to the people around him: Write it down and let them solve it immediately.Also, there must be something wrong with these ventilation equipment, and a comprehensive inspection must be carried out immediately, and the factory that provides the ventilation equipment must also be inspected. A staff officer hesitated to speak: deputy chief of staff, this... Jiang Qingdong looked at him: what do you want to say? The staff officer said: All the ventilation equipment for the air-raid shelters seems to be contracted to a company.I heard that this company also has some background. This surprised Jiang Qingdong, but he still said firmly: I don't care!No matter which company it is, these problems must be solved!This is a matter of life and death! A total of 104 regiments participated in the big raid campaign launched by the Eighth Route Army in North China, so it was later called the Hundred Regiments War.At the end of the battle, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued a battle report in Yan'an, announcing to the whole country that the Hundred Regiments War had achieved an important victory.This immediately aroused widespread concern from all walks of life.According to Yan'an's instructions, Zhou Enlai held a press conference at the Zhou Mansion in Chongqing on behalf of the Eighth Route Army Office to answer questions from Chinese and foreign journalists. Zhou Enlai first briefly introduced the basic situation of the Hundred Regiments War. He said: The Hundred Regiments War was a major battle in North China by the Eighth Route Army led by the Communist Party.Commander-in-Chief Zhu De and Deputy Commander-in-Chief Peng Dehuai directed the battle.Our Eighth Route Army's 115th Division, 120th Division, 129th Division, the main forces of the various ministries of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, and a total of 104 regiments formed three group armies, consisting of Nie Rongzhen, He Long, Guan Xiangying, and Liu Bocheng. Commanded by Deng Xiaoping, they fought fiercely against the Japanese invaders in North China.For now, the fight is still going on.However, judging from the various news sent from the front, our army is making rapid progress and dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese invaders.It can be predicted that the Hundred Regiments War will surely end with the victory of our army.This is the largest battle launched by the Chinese army in North China since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War.I think that the smooth progress of the Hundred Regiments War will greatly boost the morale of the people of the whole country to unite and resist the war. All the Chinese reporters present applauded enthusiastically. After the applause stopped, a foreign reporter began to ask: Mr. Zhou, in Chongqing, there are many rumors about the secret contacts between the Nationalist government and the Japanese government.If the Nationalist Government was indeed conducting secret peace negotiations with the Japanese, how would the Communist Party respond? Zhou Enlai smiled slightly: I have also heard this rumor.However, it's just a rumor right now.Our party's attitude has always been very clear, that is, we firmly oppose any form of capitulationism.The heroic battles of the Eighth Route Army in North China have demonstrated this point.We firmly believe that all Chinese people are willing to unite and fight against the enemy together.Chairman Mao Zedong has said that the suppression of the Communist Party will inevitably lead to the collapse of the party and the country, while surrender will inevitably lead to the collapse of the National Government.We also believe that Generalissimo Chiang and the Nationalist Government also realized that surrender would be harmful but not beneficial.So, I personally don't pay much attention to these rumors.You probably don't fully believe these rumors either. Some reporters laughed. Zhou Enlai added: Although the indiscriminate bombing of Chongqing by the Japanese aggressors has caused us huge sacrifices and losses, it also shows that the Japanese aggressors are now very eager to end the war in China in order to turn southward.As long as we are united and adhere to the policy of the whole people's war of resistance, the Japanese invaders will be in a stalemate.The final victory must belong to us.