At the end of the Beijing-Shanghai Road, in the fields on both sides of the road, a team is marching cautiously, some wearing gray military uniforms, some wearing grass-green military uniforms. The British flat-bottomed steel helmet and the German M35 steel helmet are mixed together, and there are many people who do not have a steel helmet.

The weapons in their hands are also different, some people hold Mauser 1924 and its Chinese imitation - Zhongzheng, and others hold 38 rifles and domestic Hanyang-made.

After the fierce battle at the Qilin Gate, this team fought many fierce battles with small groups of Japanese troops on the way to break through.

The size of the team also became larger and larger, at first there were only Zhang Wei, Qiu Qingquan's men and the troops of the Cantonese army, and later, they encountered the stragglers of various units, the second army and the 88th division.

These people were naturally placed together by Zhang Wei and Qiu Qingquan.

"Now it's time for us to get to Jurong" Zhang Wei asked, Qiu Qingquan beside him took the map and searched carefully, the chief of staff for such a long time is not in vain, and the terrain near Nanjing must be well understood.

"Well, it's near Jurong, and further on, it's Ningguo."

"Our commander's order to break out is to tell us to gather in the area of Ningguo and Jurong." The one who spoke was a lieutenant colonel of the Cantonese army, with a big and wide face, and he was the highest-ranking lieutenant colonel and deputy regiment commander in this group of Cantonese officers and soldiers.

It was precisely because of his continuous cooperation with Qiu Qingquan and Zhang Wei that there was no rout in the team, and the lieutenant of the Cantonese army carrying a machete followed behind the deputy regiment commander, who was the lieutenant of the Cantonese army who had broken through with Zhang Wei just now.

"Your Guangdong troops are okay, they really broke through." Qiu Qingquan said with a little emotion, the teaching corps was not able to bring out all of them, which really made him very distressed, at least, now he learned from the mouths of the Cantonese officers and soldiers that only a part of the teaching corps of the Ma Weilong Brigade broke out, and the rest of the people still flocked to the riverside.

Qiu Qingquan shuddered from the bottom of his heart when he thought of the few poor boats and the large rubber boats that the corps had stored only about 20 pieces.

When he arrived in the Jurong area, Qiu Qingquan gave the first order to rest, after all, everyone needed to rest after fighting for half a day.

Moreover, it was getting late, and if the troops were on guard and hid in the fields and grass, the possibility of a head-to-head confrontation with the Japanese troops would be greatly reduced.

The chaotic team immediately hid in the fields and grass on both sides, and the soldiers who had been running around for a day finally got a rare opportunity to rest at this time, without replenishing supplies and food, for these people, resting their feet is the greatest gift, and fighting for survival consumes too much physical strength and energy.

The lieutenant of the Guangdong army carried a snake knife and cut open a clump of weeds, and a small open space immediately became the temporary headquarters of this unit, Qiu Qingquan, Zhang Wei, and the deputy commander of the 919 regiment got together in this open space, Zhang Wei glanced at the lieutenant of the Guangdong army, according to the rank, he can actually come over, after all, Zhang Wei is only a second lieutenant rank.

Obviously, he was not interested in these things, and Zhang Wei didn't bother to care.

"Our breakout route still has to be set again." Qiu Qingquan started to talk, from Jurong to Ningguo, first, we can advance to Liyang, Yixing, so that it is possible to find the troops of the three theaters, second, we can advance to Langxi, enter Zhejiang, and then wait for an opportunity to cross the Yangtze River. It really didn't work, so we went directly to the Anqing area and crossed the river to Anhui.

"Sir, our chief wants us to assemble in the Ningguo area, and we must obey the order." The deputy commander of the Guangdong army said.

Qiu Qingquan nodded in understanding. In the case of the Chinese army, which is full of factions, for the army that is maintained by the local and teacher-student relations, once it leaves the original system, it enters another faction.

It is a matter of time before they are annexed, and Zhang Wei and Qiu Qingquan understand this very well, Zhang Wei and they dare to go to other troops, because no one dares to eat the troops of the teaching corps whether it is the central army or the local army, but once a local army like the Guangdong army enters the territory of other troops in the form of rout and rout. Hmph, the possibility of being annexed is enormous.

Zhang Wei also expressed his opinion in a timely manner: "The first two plans are good, but they are too far, if they are implemented, then we will be equivalent to jumping to the back of the devil, which is too dangerous."

Although the third option may encounter danger in a short distance, if we can fight it, we still have a good chance. ”

Qiu Qingquan nodded: "The assembly place of the corps is in Chu County, Anhui Province, if possible, we still try to take the Anqing line, after all, we still have to find troops, and the brothers of the Cantonese army who went to Ningguo also stop by and have a care." ”

"Well, it makes sense." Looking at Qiu Qingquan's attitude, he had already planned to take the line of Anqing. Zhang Wei has no objection to his decision.

The lieutenant colonel of the Yue Army beside him nodded and said, "Well, since this is the case, let's move forward together, so that everyone can go to the vicinity of Ningguo together, and your Central Army can find Anqing along the Jiangnan Line to the Yangtze River." ”

"Well, so be it." Qiu Qingquan nodded with satisfaction.

The few men stopped discussing the retreat and began to rest and chat.

"Your Central Army's weapons are really good, and you still have this outfit." The lieutenant colonel of the Yue Army glanced at Zhang Wei's tweed coat and steel helmet.

"Your Guangdong army is not bad, the weapons in your hands are the same as those of little Japan, in the early years when I came back from Germany, I inspected and visited the troops of the Guangdong army, Mr. Chen Jitang ran it well, Guangdong's army, navy and air force have it, I don't understand anything else, take your army as an example, the guys in your hands are either made in Japan or Belgian goods, and the artillery is also powerful, and your French artillery, the Central Army does not have a few." Qiu Qingquan said.

"Alas, now the fight is almost over, the brothers who went out of Guangdong back then, there are not a few left now, no matter how good the weapons are, what is the use, people die too fast, Shanghai to now, too many brothers in the army have died."

The lieutenant colonel of the Guangdong Army remembered the scene when the Guangdong Army left the province, and then thought about the current step of the field, and his heart was not good for a while.

Zhang Wei saw that the atmosphere was a little heavy, and quipped: "Everyone is a soldier, born and died, laughing and facing it, fighting a devil is to die in order to kill him."

By the way, I heard that your Cantonese army's combat fleet is good, and I really want to go and see it if I have the chance. Zhang Wei was talking about the convoy in Nanyue, and the atmosphere was really heavy, so he could only say something else to ease the situation.

"Those convoys? It's just a show, I can't practice my own skills well, I take such a high military salary every day, eat and drink nonsense, hum. The lieutenant colonel of the Yue army was quite disdainful.

Zhang Wei suddenly thought of the fate of these chariots, when the Japanese hit Guangzhou, these chariots abandoned the chariots to the Japanese without fierce resistance, and almost all of them were "capital enemies."

It seems that this is the consequence of the usual lax training. Zhang Wei could only smile bitterly and stopped talking.

Qiu Qingquan said: "Any unit, no matter what branch of the army, can only win if it integrates teaching and warfare and has strict combat training, otherwise it will be empty talk." ”

Zhang Wei and the lieutenant colonel of the Yue Army nodded, Qiu Qingquan said the simplest truth, but how many people can really do it?