Chapter 164: Instructions
The three sat on the sofa talking.
“This time I came to Suzhewan region, first to convey new instructions from the organization, and second to meet you, this legendary comrade.
At that time, the cotton yarn matter was telegraphed to Yan’an, Old Chen came to ask me, do you want Shanghai’s cotton yarn?
I was shocked when I heard it, who is it, actually daring to think of transporting Shanghai’s cotton yarn all the way to Yan’an.
I thought he came to tell me how many comrades in Shanghai care about Yan’an, only after talking did I realize he was purely here to boast to me.”
“Haha.” Shen Linshen couldn’t help laughing, “I was almost worried to death at the time, not only did they want to transport the cotton yarn to Yan’an, the key was there were thousands of bales, I was racking my brains thinking what to do about this, how to handle it, too difficult.
“Let bygones be bygones.”
Gu Yansheng felt a bit embarrassed from the teasing, but this matter still needed a slight explanation, “Because we were directly sent out from Yan’an, our thinking at the time was to move good things to Yan’an, thinking of overcoming difficulties if there were any, although knowing it was very hard”
Gu Yansheng explained the origin of their group’s thinking at the time, and after later connecting and learning the situation, the mental journey of realizing it was a misunderstanding.
Mr. Wu listened carefully, actually he already knew the full story, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to hear it again.
Some things may seem stupid and impractical at first glance, but after understanding, one realizes that this kind of heartfelt idea of treating Yan’an as home is the most precious foundation for an agent behind enemy lines.
“Hard to achieve now, but not necessarily in the future.”
After Gu Yansheng finished, Mr. Wu picked up the conversation, mentioning Gu Yansheng’s matter of building their own transportation routes by relying on Military Statistics Bureau network and Gendarmerie network.
“For large items like cotton yarn, completing transportation may take a relatively long time, but for western medicine, I think it will soon be achieved with your efforts.”
Mr. Wu praised Gu Yansheng for expanding channels, Gu Yansheng just listened, then they discussed issues and suggestions on how to develop the routes.
Although Mr. Wu didn’t say it explicitly, Gu Yansheng knew that these specified routes meant the local organization had already developed stations, he just needed to direct the Green Gang to pass the routes through, and the existing transportation network could connect.
And as long as he did that, the remaining unconnected parts, Mr. Wu’s subsequent work would naturally connect him.
After finishing talking about the smuggling routes, Mr. Wu took a sip of water and brought up the big matter.
“This time I came to Suzhewan, both to convey the organization’s meeting spirit to the New Fourth Army in Southern Anhui and Southern Jiangsu, and to synchronously convey it to you.
After the fall of Wuhan, the war situation has undergone new changes, the Anti-Japanese War will begin to enter a new stage, shifting from strategic defense to strategic stalemate phase.
The meeting firmly refutes the defeatist theories, quick victory theories, and capitulation theories existing outside, especially within the Kuomintang.
Additionally, the organization has decided to abolish the Yangtze River Bureau, establish the Southern Bureau and Central China Bureau, the Southern Bureau is under my responsibility, including regions among which is Suzhewan.
For Suzhewan, the organization has studied and decided to adjust the strategic direction, develop Central China, requiring the New Fourth Army to boldly mobilize the masses, independently conduct guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines.
After discussion, we set the twelve-character strategic guideline: consolidate to the south, develop to the north, fight to the east.
Fully recognize where our advantages lie, where the enemy’s weaknesses lie, on the battlefield behind enemy lines, fight more guerrilla warfare, ambushes, disperse into small units, concentrate into large units, in the strategic stalemate phase, constantly attack the Japanese Army’s rear, making the Japanese Army exhausted in coping but having to cope.
Make the forces behind enemy lines an important force restraining the frontal battlefield, shattering the Japanese Army’s dream of relying on wealthy regions like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai to provide endless military supplies.
The betrayal by Kuomintang forces behind enemy lines like He Xingjian certainly brings new challenges to the Anti-Japanese forces in Suzhewan, but as long as the troops behind enemy lines properly employ the thinking of guerrilla warfare, dispersing into small units, the Japanese’s gains from these traitor armies will absolutely be more loss than gain, thus becoming a new force dragging down their own logistics”
Gu Yansheng and Shen Linshen listened carefully.
Shen Linshen raised specific questions about the twelve-character strategic guideline of consolidate to the south, develop to the north, fight to the east, Mr. Wu gave clearer answers, which pointed the direction for the future development of underground work.
“Comrade Yansheng, regarding your development speed, whether in the development of personal relationships or in the collection of supplies, it has greatly exceeded our expectations, otherwise Old Chen wouldn’t have come to boast to me specifically.
For your efforts, I represent the organization in expressing thanks to you, hard work.”
“Thank you for the organization’s care, actually we don’t talk about hard work, not much hard work, the truly hardworking ones are the warriors fighting in the mountains, even eating and keeping warm are problems, the efforts they pay are actually far more than what I pay.”
“Then you brought them a big surprise.” Mr. Wu blinked and smiled, “Linshen, you say.”
Shen Linshen looked at Gu Yansheng and smiled: “Just last night, the guns shipped by Sha Shun arrived in the hands of the New Fourth Army!”
“Really?” Gu Yansheng’s eyes lit up, now that it’s in hand, he could completely relax.
“Of course it’s real, the New Fourth Army sent a thank-you telegram overnight!
I tell you, looking at that telegram, my mind was full of the excited expressions of New Fourth Army warriors touching their new guns, one gun per person! Can you imagine their mood now?
They must be itching to take the troop out and fight the Japanese right away!”
“Hahahaha.” Gu Yansheng and Mr. Wu both laughed heartily.
“We’ve put up with these little devils’ bullying with weapons for too long!” Shen Linshen added.
“Good, looks like Sha Shun is indeed reliable, we can give him more orders in the future.” Gu Yansheng said, “At least we definitely need to equip some light machine guns again, do we know how Sha Shun transported them?”
“The telegram didn’t say, wait for our people to return, I’ll ask him in detail then, see if there’s anything to learn from.”
Gu Yansheng nodded with a hum, “I’m really much more relieved that this batch of weapons has been delivered, our luck is really good, I was a bit worried originally that the Japanese would pull out the Loyal and Righteous National Salvation Army troop to fight the New Fourth Army, now with weapons, survival capability will be much better anyway.”
“More than just better, sending charcoal in snowy weather doesn’t fully describe the importance of this batch of supplies.” Mr. Wu smiled and emphasized, “You sent ten thousand tons of charcoal into a pile of snow, filling empty granaries with grain.
Especially at this moment of low morale caused by the Kuomintang traitor army, the arrival of this batch of firearms can greatly boost the army’s overall morale, you have made a good start for the twelve-character guideline!”
Gu Yansheng immediately looked at Shen Linshen, “Old Shen, write it down, write it down, you be the witness, after the war ends, have Mr. Wu write down these five words ‘made a good start’ and give it to me, I’ll hang it at home.”
“Hahahaha.” The two laughed heartily.
Then Mr. Wu asked about the Wang Puppet Regime matter, now it was Gu Yansheng’s turn to speak, Mr. Wu listened carefully.
Gu Yansheng talked about the personnel arrangements he knew, mainly revolving around the factional struggles within the Wang Puppet Regime revealed through the personnel arrangements, and Minister Zhou’s ambitions.
Mr. Wu asked questions from time to time, possibly verifying against some intelligence he knew.
