The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 169 Xiaguan
The next day, Nanjing, Xiaguan
The wharf on the Xiaguan River can be traced back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty. During the Xuantong period of the Qing Dynasty, a ferry route from Xiaguan to Pukou was opened, also known as the Guanpu Line.

After the death of the former Prime Minister Zhongshan, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the funeral ceremony for the former Prime Minister, the Nationalist Government decided to build a pier on the Xiaguan River to receive his coffin, so the Xiaguan Pier was renamed Zhongshan Pier.

In the following years, the Xiaguan Pier was continuously expanded, adding waiting rooms, large steel trestles, large parking lots and bus stations, and finally formed the large-scale ferry terminal that He Wei sees now.

Standing on the steel trestle of the pier, looking at the vast and tranquil river, feeling the breeze blowing from the river, He Wei sighed in his heart. Before traveling, he had visited here as a tourist. At that time, Xiaguan Pier, or Zhongshan Pier, is also very prosperous and beautiful, but its importance is far less than that of Xiaguan Pier in this era.

Across the river, He Wei could vaguely see the shadow on the other side. The war had not spread to Nanjing yet, and just before the military police blocked the pier, he could actually buy a ferry ticket for not much money and stand on the ferry for a while. After appreciating the beautiful scenery on the river, you can easily cross the river.

But during the historical Nanjing Defense War, hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians crowded at this pier. The vast majority of people did not wait for the ferry across the river. What they waited for was the ferocious Japanese army with blood-red bayonets and machine guns spraying flames. and the Japanese gunboats going up the river.

Countless soldiers and civilians died tragically on the docks and river banks. Their corpses were burned and thrown into the river. Even the river was dyed red with blood. He Wei stared at the river in a daze, as terrifying scenes seemed to appear in front of his eyes. I can't help but hold it tight.

"Brother, brother."

The military police colonel Jin Zhengqiang who accompanied He Wei had a completely different mood from He Wei. He Wei was a time traveler, and Jin Zhengqiang was a native. How could he know the tragedy that happened after the Japanese army came? He Wei looked at the scenery with worry. Thinking about the problem, Jin Zhengqiang was really appreciating the scenery, and he was appreciating the scenery while thinking about the dividends he would get from selling the boat tickets. His mood was different and his feelings were also very different.

Jin Zhengqiang's several shouts pulled He Wei out of his chaotic thoughts. He Wei, who had returned to his senses, realized that he had been rude and quickly looked at Jin Zhengqiang: "Brother, what's wrong?"

"I see that you have been uneasy since you got on the trestle. Young man, don't worry so much. What do you think? After looking at Xiaguan, what do you think?"

Following Jin Zhengqiang's inquiry, He Wei turned his attention to the pier. Now the pier is completely controlled by the military police. With the pier as the center, the entire five kilometers along the river has been blocked by the military police, and the two sides from the pier to Yijiangmen have been blocked. The area more than kilometers deep was also blocked by military police trucks, machine guns, and barbed wire.

This former water and land important road can now be said to have truly achieved complete military control. He Wei could not see a single civilian at all. What he could see were either heavily armed military police units wearing gray military uniforms, or military police with military uniforms. Wooden helmets, Nanjing city walls in black coats or dock workers in blue uniforms.

"Sir Jin, I'd better go and meet with the top officials here first. Let me understand the basic situation before making a judgment."

Jin Zhengqiang readily agreed to He Wei's request and took He Wei away from the steel trestle and walked into the tall waiting room near the pier.

Jin Zhengqiang took He Wei to the second floor of the waiting room and entered an extremely large conference room. In the conference room, He Wei met a military police colonel, a military police major general, a senior police officer, and even , He Wei also saw a naval officer.

Darling, this battle is really big. To be honest, he can understand that the police need to intervene in all aspects of maintaining law and order and coordinating the local area. What kind of way does this naval officer come here?

He Wei thought about how these guys had almost turned Nanjing into a disorderly city by intimidating the people, and he couldn't help but feel alarmed. Suddenly, He Wei had a bad premonition. He seriously suspected that the military police had also pulled the navy. Got into the water.

His speculation is certainly not groundless. What needs to be done to make more money by transporting people across the river?Naturally, the transportation force is increased. The transportation force is all kinds of ships. Who has more ships now?That must be the navy.

Not to mention other things, the small sampan used by the Navy to train cadets to row can carry more than a dozen people at a time. As for such small sampans, there are probably not more than [-] but also [-] in the Navy's warehouse. They are almost like rags. , the sum of a little makes a big number is also a big number.

"He Wei, let me introduce to you. This is Major General Luo Yousheng, the commander of the Second Military Police Regiment. This is Colonel Chen Lielin, the commander of the Tenth Military Police Regiment. This is Mr. Lu Zifei, the director of the Public Security Department of the Capital Police Department. This is, It’s Sun Weilei, lieutenant colonel and staff officer of the Jiangyin Jiang Defense Area of ​​the Navy.”

Even though he had all kinds of calculations in his heart, he still had to save face. He Wei saluted them one by one. Major General Luo Yousheng, who had the highest military rank here, came up and hooked up with He Wei.

"Brother, you don't dare to do this kind of false courtesy. You are a nationally famous anti-Japanese war hero. We just lived a few more years and ate more rice, but we can't stand your military salute. Besides, all our military police have to thank you. No Since outsiders are here, let’s not engage in such false etiquette.”

With that said, the military police major general pulled He Wei to sit down with a smile. Several other officers and police officers also sat down warmly. The atmosphere was quite good for a while. As soon as He Wei sat down, the commander of the [-]th Military Police Regiment Chen Lielin also said: "Brother He, you also know why we came to you. Xiaguan is also a battleground for military strategists. You are from the field army and have rich combat experience. We all think that this place should be To do some defense, that’s why I asked you to come here. You also know that our military police usually catch spies, maintain law and order, and catch field soldiers who do not observe military discipline. This kind of fighting with real swords, real guns, and real postures is incomparable to us. Enter the officers of your field force."

"Sir, Commander Xiao called me here this time for this reason. I will make a defense plan based on the actual situation here. Of course, in addition to military defense, I will also focus on how to organize the transition more efficiently. Jiang gave corresponding opinions, and if you don’t mind it, you can also refer to it.”

"That's great. If you don't mind, Brother He can give us some advice. It's not too late for us to welcome him."

The person who spoke was the police chief, and his words were full of familiarity with several military police officers. Obviously, he was not an "outsider."

"The navy chief will also be involved in this plan to transport people across the river?"

"That's right, brother, let me tell you the truth. Our brothers in the navy also know our background and details, and there are no outsiders. Let's just talk about it. If there is money, everyone can make it. Brothers in the navy are not the same. I dare say that we have more boats. This time our brothers in the Navy will get us a lot of boats. With more boats, we can haul more people and make more money. Why? Are you happy but not doing it?"

He Wei just tentatively asked the reason why the naval officer was here. Unexpectedly, Luo Yousheng didn't even pretend to be pretending and said it directly. The naval lieutenant colonel also spoke at this time: "Yes, Major He, save People, our navy also wants to contribute. To tell you the truth, in the Jiangyin naval battle a month ago, almost all of our navy's capital ships were lost. They either sank into the Yangtze River to block shipping routes, or were sunk by the Japanese navy and air force. Now our navy's The remaining warships are either old small gunboats or torpedo boats. There is not much we can do, but we can do more to save the people. Our navy still has a lot of various transport ships and small sampans."

He Wei nodded, already understanding what was going on, and then the topic returned to how to deploy basic defense in Xiaguan.

Everyone looked at him expectantly, and He Wei didn't hesitate and quickly gave the corresponding answer.

"Efficient and efficient organization, as well as strong military defense, are two aspects that are indispensable for Xiaguan Wharf. I say this not only for transporting people, but also for the upcoming war. Be prepared, the Japanese will attack sooner or later, and when the Japanese attack Nanjing, Xiaguan will inevitably be affected by the war, and the retreat of the soldiers and civilians in the city will rely on this dock even in wartime, so preparations must be made early." "Let me talk about defense first. It is actually not difficult. Now the military police have blocked the five kilometers of frontage and two kilometers of depth near Xiaguan Pier. This has been done well, but from a military perspective, the depth is far from enough. , according to my observation, the distance of these two kilometers is actually the distance from Xiaguan Pier along Zhongshan Road to Yijiang Gate. I think the depth must be further expanded. You can send troops to classify the entire two kilometers within Yijiang Gate as martial law. We must guard the area and prepare to build fortifications. Basic fortifications must also be built on the Yijiangmen city tower. As for Xiaguan Pier to Yijiangmen, there is nothing to say. All buildings blocking the shooting boundary must be demolished and fortifications must be built on the spot."

"In this way, a three-level defense system can be formed from the outer layer, Yijiang Gate, and the dock to Yijiang Gate..."

He Wei kept talking about his opinions on the defense system near the dock, but was interrupted by Jin Zhengqiang.

"Brother, I have a question. Yijiang Gate is full of buildings. How do we build fortifications and set up defenses?"

"Well, my brother is right to remind me. Look at my brain. I forgot that the military police brothers are usually busy with their duties. Field combat and regular combat are not the focus of the military police's daily training. In fact, it is the construction that is a good thing. We can use these Relying on buildings, street fighting fortifications were constructed. All major street intersections were blocked and blocked. All buildings at street intersections were opened up and fire points were set up. All wooden and flammable buildings were demolished, leaving solid cement concrete buildings as strong structures. Resistance fortifications.”

"Of course, what I said here is relatively simple. If you can trust me, I can be responsible for the construction of the fortifications here."

As soon as He Wei finished speaking, it was Luo Yousheng again, slamming the table and cheering loudly.

"Brother, what I need is your words. We military police don't do such advanced and complicated field fortifications, and we don't understand street fighting. It would be great to have your brother to help."

Luo Yousheng had assigned himself a specific mission, and He Wei also accepted it, because building fortifications near Xiaguan was originally in his plan. To be honest, he was not confident about leaving it to others. Now he has full authority over this matter. Giving him the responsibility suited He Wei's wishes.

Then, everyone's topic turned to how to make transportation more efficient, and He Wei also gave them corresponding methods based on the current situation.

First of all, the exit from the city to Xiaguan must be widened or increased. The current situation is that if you want to go to Xiaguan, you must pass through Zhongshan Road and pass through Yijiang Gate, but Yijiang Gate is not a particularly large doorway. Most of the people in the city come here to take a boat, and just one doorway as an exit is definitely not enough.

If such a hole is used as the exit for peers, not only will the transportation efficiency be extremely low, but He Wei can guarantee that there will definitely be a stampede. By then, there will be no need for the Japanese to kill, and a lot of people will be killed by trampling and hurting each other. .

There are not many ways to expand more passages. It is a fool's dream to open holes in the towers. Those Ming Dynasty city walls are very strong, and a [-]-millimeter-class howitzer can be used to leave a small hole. It depends on manpower and explosives. , the amount of work is really too large.

So He Wei came up with a stupid idea, which was to pile up a large number of sandbags under the city tower at Yijiang Gate to directly create a path leading to the top of the city tower, and then repeat the same trick and create a downhill path. This can be regarded as A passage is a bit clumsy, but it works really well. Every time one of these sandbags is piled up, it is not only an additional passage, but also a diversion road. There are many benefits. Therefore, He Wei Once this stupid idea was proposed, it won everyone's approval.

This group of people are also old men in the officialdom. He Wei has now come up with a good idea. He is now a famous anti-war hero and the creator of their gray income. All kinds of praises are pouring in for a while. What a young hero, mature and prudent, Various hats were placed on He Wei's head. These official clichés made He Wei feel inexplicably "greasy."

"Everyone, I will be responsible for the defense of the pier. But I just looked at the river and I couldn't see a boat. The transportation is about to start. How can we transport it without a boat? As the saying goes, it's hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. I saw that not only were there not many boats, but even the original boats were gone. In the past, there were two large steamships and many fishing boats on the river. Now, in addition to the patrol boats of the water patrol, I can see not even a single boat. Not even."

He Wei asked.

Chen Lielin, commander of the [-]th Military Police Regiment, said: "Brother, of course this ship cannot be revealed now. To be honest with you, it is not that the ship is gone, but that it has been hidden by us."

"Hidden? Then you also hid the fishermen's fishing boats?"

The police chief said: "Brother He, that's it. After the military police ordered the blockade of the river, they immediately cooperated with our capital police headquarters to conduct a comprehensive alert. All boats on the river, large and small, whether public or private, were confiscated and controlled. Now they are all hidden in the river. The reeds on the side are covered with reeds and military camouflage nets."

"This... you also robbed the fishermen's boats?" He Wei asked in surprise.

"Hey, brother, for the sake of the country, how can we call it robbery? This is called expropriation, expropriation, but we don't expropriate it in vain. Every fisherman's boat is considered to be bought by us. It costs 30 yuan for a small boat and 50 yuan for a big boat. Yuan Dayang, in addition to Dayang, we also give each fishermen a bag of [-] kilograms of white flour for free. In addition, winter is coming soon. The Military Police Headquarters has a large number of old cotton-padded clothes replaced by the troops. Each fishermen will be given a few pieces. There is no robbery, they are still rushing to give us the ship, of course, compared with the future profits, this small amount of money is nothing."

"That's good, that's good. It's He who was abrupt, but the officers were thoughtful. However, the approximate number of these ships, after all, directly determines our carrying capacity."

"What has been confiscated now include two large ferries, three small barges, two small air boats, 24 large imported rubber boats for the military police's own use, and more than 130 various fishing boats. Tomorrow morning, four small transport boats will be obtained by the Navy brothers. The boats and a hundred wooden sampans will arrive. We made preliminary estimates as follows. The transportation starts at dark and stops at dawn. The transportation volume in one night is about 7000 people, and the number of ships every day is actually about 3 people. They are all increasing, and there will not only be these ships. The Gendarmerie Headquarters has sent people to other provinces upstream to recruit ships. The Gendarmerie troops stationed in other provinces are helping to find ships. I believe there will be more and more ships. When the ship starts, After the shipment, it is estimated that ships from other provinces will be in place within a few days, and it will definitely not be a problem to carry [-] people across the river in one night. As well as the other side, Pukou, everything is ready and there are people to handle it. "

Chen Lielin said, his eyes full of pride, and at the same time, there was also a strange light. He Wei knew that this light was the light of money. It could pass more than 3 people in one night, and it also meant that more than 3 people could pass by. The money for the ferry ticket was obtained.

"Thank you for your hard work, sirs. I didn't expect that your work efficiency was so high and you actually collected so many ships. But I don't know how much the fare is?"

He Wei asked.

The director of the Capital Police Department raised a finger and said: "One yuan, just one yuan, can buy a boat ticket, and only adults, children under ten years old and people over 60 years old are charged. It’s free for seniors.”

Hearing this fare, He Wei felt that it was quite fair. For one yuan a ticket, most people in the city, even the poor, could actually afford it. Moreover, these guys had some conscience and paid for it to children and the elderly. Tickets were waived, but He Wei guessed it wasn't because they were out of kindness, but because the profits were too great, so it didn't matter if the old and weak didn't charge for tickets.

He Wei let out a long breath and sighed: "That's great. The price is not expensive. If 3 people can be transported in one night, it will definitely not be a problem to transport 90 people in a month.

(End of this chapter)