Chapter 081: Secretly Changing into Bright Robes

  As they approached the village, Wang Jia Gui and the others were shocked to find that all the houses along the road had trucks and a small number of military jeeps parked outside. Some of the jeeps were even equipped with machine guns, but there was no ammunition in the barrels.

  "Pan Guangzu asked: 'What if these jeeps run out of fuel when you withdraw?'"

  The officer replied through an interpreter: "We have been ordered by our superiors to burn all these vehicles before midnight tonight, so that they will not fall into the hands of the Japanese."

  "The Japanese are also interested in scrap copper and iron, they will transport these scraps back to Japan, after processing, within two months, they can become planes, cannons or even tanks, and then be transported back to fight us again." Pan Guangzu knew this when he was a military supply officer.

  "Oh, it seems you know a lot about Japanese people." The officer said, looking at Pan Guangzu.

  "Haha... I used to work at the military supply depot for a few years, so I know how to handle some of the military supplies so they won't be left for the Japanese." Pan Guangzu replied.

  "What do you think we should do with these useless military vehicles?"

  "It's simple, play its last performance, even if each car hits and kills a Japanese devil, it is also using things to their fullest." Pan Guangzu replied.

  The officer immediately stopped in his tracks, raised his thumb and said: "If my superiors had your idea, our tank regiment might not be surrounded here!"

  "So Major is right to give us the military vehicles, we can make them perform as they should, save people and kill devils!" Pan Guangzu persuaded the British major logistics officer.

  "Which one do you want, just choose." The British quartermaster said readily: "Anyway, you won't take them away, and we'll have to waste fuel burning them, so let's give the dye for burning them to you."

  "Are these jeeps included?" Wang Jiagui interjected.

  "Uh-huh, including the jeep!" The officer nodded in response.

  The dozen or so people following Pan Guangzu were overjoyed and laughed.

  When Pan Guangzu arrived at the central intersection of the village, he saw that several houses had their doors closed. He estimated that they were mostly ammunition and food warehouses, but there were only two sentries on guard. To confirm, he asked the interpreter: "What's inside? It doesn't seem to be military vehicles."

  "Only the remaining ammunition and some food, as well as dozens of barrels of fuel, all for tonight's breakout battle after midnight."

  "So you knew in advance that there would be National Army troops outside to help you break through tonight?" Pan Guangzu asked again.

  "Uh-huh, it was known several hours ago. When night falls, we will deliver fuel and ammunition to the tank combat units."

  Pan Guangzu's heart skipped a beat: Oh no! We must act before they transport all the fuel and ammunition away.

  Following the quartermaster into a room like an office, there were more than 20 officers and soldiers eating dinner, each with a can.

  "Do you never light a fire to cook?" asked Pan Guangzu.

  "Cannot ignite, the Japanese reconnaissance saw it." The officer replied, then he ordered two lower-ranking officers and a translator to accompany Pan Guangzu to the warehouse.

  Pan Guangzu followed two junior officers and a translator to a warehouse guarded by two soldiers, he whispered to Wang Jiagui: "It seems we can't steal it."

  "What should we do then?" Wang Jiagui asked somewhat anxiously.

  Pan Guangzu said: "Since sneaking doesn't work, let's rob openly! Wait and see me take action."

  At the corner of a village house at the intersection of ten characters, two sentries standing in front of the warehouse door saluted two lower-ranking military officers, one of whom took out a key and opened the warehouse door.

  Inside were dozens of barrels of fuel and stacks of wooden crates. Pan Guangzu asked: "What's in the wooden crates?"

  "It's the only canned food left."

  "Is there no ammunition?" Pan Guangzu asked again.

  "In the warehouse next door," said the translator.

  One of the junior officers said a few words to the interpreter and then handed a set of keys to another junior officer.

  "He told you to go with this officer and drive the car, bring it here for gas, one gallon of dye per vehicle."

  Pan Guangzu saw Wang Jiagui looking at him, seemingly asking if he could make a move. Pan Guangzu shook his head and said: "Wang Paichang, take the men to start the car."

  Then a dozen people followed the lower-ranking officer who held a bunch of car keys and left.

  Before long, the sound of a truck engine was heard, and Wang Jiagui drove the first truck over to park in front of the warehouse door, followed by several trucks and several jeeps equipped with machine guns.

  As the junior officer was siphoning oil from a fuel barrel into an oil can with a spout using a rubber hose, Pan Guangzu walked out of the warehouse and whispered a few words in Wang Jiagui's ear.

  Wang Jiagui stood at the back of the queue waiting for gas, and with a wave of his hand, everyone walked over. He briefed them on something, and four people slowly walked past the sentry standing guard at the warehouse door, exchanging greetings with two British soldiers. Four others followed Pan Guangzu into the warehouse, as if to help the junior officer in charge of fueling, while Wang Jiagui waited outside with the rest.

  The two British sentries at the warehouse gate were taken care of by four soldiers from the special troops, with one soldier responsible for each sentry. They took away their guns and held a military knife to their throats, so that the British sentries could not make a sound.

  Pan Guangzu made the four people who entered the warehouse press the junior officer and the translator to the ground, also placing a military knife on the necks of the two. Pan Guangzu asked the translator to ask the junior officer: "Where is the key to the ammunition depot next door?"

  The junior officer replied with a sentence, and the interpreter told Pan Guangzu: "He said that the ammunition depot next door is not under his management, and the key is not on him."

  "Tie them all up, don't forget to gag them." Pan Guangzu had the four men tie up the junior officer and translator together, and stuff their mouths with greasy rags.

  Another lower-ranking officer who was sent by Wang Jia Gui to fetch the car was also knocked down outside the warehouse and, under the threat of sharp bayonets, walked into the warehouse with the two sentries, all of whom were tied up.

  "Sorry, we need ammunition and enough fuel. You'll have to bear with it for now, after we leave, someone will come to release you." Pan Guangzu smiled and said to the translator, then stood up and ordered:

  "Load three buckets of fuel onto the vehicle, and also load the boxes with canned goods. Don't forget to leave some for the British guys. Add a bit of oil to each vehicle, then we can head out to Lianbu. Hurry up! The rest of you follow me to the adjacent ammunition depot to transport the ammo."

  Pan Guangzu arranged for half of the people to move oil drums and food boxes, while taking the other half with him, carrying a pair of pliers, walked out of the fuel warehouse, to the door of the adjacent warehouse, using the pliers in his hand to snap off the lock on the warehouse.

  The warehouse mainly stored tank artillery shells, Pan Guangzu used to be a military supply officer, of course he could distinguish which type of bullets can be equipped with special troops' rifles and machine guns. He found what he needed and had people move box after box onto the truck. Just as they were almost done moving, his eyes suddenly lit up, seeing anti-tank rocket launchers and wooden boxes marked with rocket shells.

  "Let's move a few more boxes of this onto the truck, it's good stuff!" Pan Guangzu said with a smile: "Damn it! The British army has such weapons and they're stored in warehouses without being used. Let us help them use them!"

  After the goods were transported, each vehicle was also refueled. Then they drove off in their respective vehicles. Pan Guangzu couldn't drive, so he sat in the driver's cab of the truck driven by Wang Jiagui, and with a swagger, he took the truck and the goods loaded on it away.

  At this time, the sky had gradually darkened, and there were less than five hours left before the breakout battle began.