mesbooks Chapter 450: Reorganizing the Guerrillas
Chapter 450: Reorganizing the Guerrillas
In this thatched hut, several people were smoking, drinking Coke, and eating canned food. Outside, the waves were crashing against the shore and the wind was howling.
Harriman paused and whispered, "Over in Palembang, you guys are going to take action."
Lin Laisheng's expression froze, and he put away his smile: "That's right."
Considering that Harriman was white and unlikely to defect to the Japanese, and that he had happily accepted the reorganization, Lin Laisheng decided to reveal a little more:
"But we need your people to cooperate. Provide maps, contact local villages, and guide troops through the jungle. Especially the specific location of the oil field facilities, we also need to conduct reconnaissance."
At present, Queen Minna of the Netherlands is still living in the British royal family's home, looking forward to the Hans leaving the Netherlands so that she can return to restore her country.
As the only jewel in the crown of the Netherlands, the colony of the East Sindhu Islands is naturally of great significance.
Zhang Chi's attempt to land on Sumatra Island naturally could not get any help from the Dutch.
After all, his ambition was known to almost everyone in the Allied camp, no matter how nice Zhang Chi said, such as "helping the Dutch allies to restore their rule", "using the route to eliminate the devils and rebellious natives", and "returning the jade intact to Zhao after the task is accomplished".
Queen Mingna knew very well that if the Anmin Army was allowed to go ashore, it would be like Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou - borrowing but not returning. By then, the Anmin Army would have occupied Sumatra Island, so how could they go back?
But whether Queen Mingna was willing or not, Zhang Chi was determined to land.
The White Eagles also took a tacit attitude towards this behavior. After all, the former Southeast Asian colonial system was impenetrable. How could they intervene without causing chaos?
Therefore, the detailed local topographic maps and hydrological data necessary for the landing of the People's Army had to be provided by local guerrillas such as Harriman.
After Harriman finished his luncheon meat, he wiped his hands with the airdropped toilet paper and experienced the joy of the civilized world for the first time in a long time.
He said directly, "Don't worry, I've asked Karen to bring people to prepare intelligence. He knows that area better than I do. Speaking of which, he also married the daughter of a local clan leader. Do you want to meet her?"
"It's gone." Lin Laisheng rolled his eyes.
Harriman smiled like a child who had been given candy: "Don't say that. That woman can catch alligators in the swamp with her bare hands. If you saw her, you might want to stay here and settle down."
Lin Laisheng waved his hand and left.
Lin Laisheng must report the matter of Karen marrying a local by radio as soon as possible.
He was keenly aware that if the local Dutch were like Karen, they would have already lived and multiplied in the East Sindhu Islands colony for several generations and even intermarried with the locals.
Then their interests are completely inconsistent with those of the local Dutch. Perhaps this is a breakthrough for the National Security Army to absorb the local Dutch?
As a liaison officer, the specific method of winning over Dutch people like Karen naturally needs to be decided by his superiors, and Lin Laisheng's task is to report all useful information.
That night, many people tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. In Lin Laisheng's room, the beeping sound of the wireless radio continued until the early morning.
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A few days later, Lin Laisheng stood in front of the temporary dock beside the island, looking at the assembled "speedboats" in front of him, with a complicated expression on his face.
At this time, Lin Laisheng smelled the sweet smell of salt and soil in the humid air.
The breeze blew across his cheeks, and in the distance, the sea breeze was blowing layers of mist from the sea into the heart of the island.
This was not the kind of speedboat he had in mind, one built on an assembly line in a military factory. Instead, it looked more like a fishing boat and an engine mixed together by a few lunatics.
Upon closer inspection, the hull is a traditional Nanyang fishing boat structure made of local wood, but a small air-dropped diesel engine is welded to the tail, and it is also equipped with a propeller for propulsion.
Various reinforcing steel and wooden boards were patched all over the boat, and Harriman built five such boats.
Harriman patted the stern and said, "Free modification, whatever you want."
Lin Laisheng narrowed his eyes: "Do you dare to sit on this thing?"
"Of course I do. I'm an engineer," Harriman grinned. "An electrical engineer. Not a naval engineer, but I read Popular Mechanics. Every issue."
"The last time I heard someone say this was in the armored corps. Someone wanted to install a motor and a fan in the tank, and it ended up exploding." Lin Laisheng shook his head and resigned himself to his fate and got on the boat.
Several native guerrillas put the fuel into iron barrels, muttering to themselves and covering their noses with handkerchiefs. They were obviously a little afraid of the smell of the fuel.
"Let's go!" Harriman suddenly stepped on the accelerator and the engine roared like a beast.
The speedboat rushed out of the shallows like an arrow, cutting through the waves towards the rising sun.
The waves hit the bow of the boat. Lin Laisheng held the side of the boat with his hands. His trouser legs were already wet with sea water, but he still tried hard to suppress the urge to complain.
A few hours later, these "speedboats" finally entered a shallow bay protected by an atoll.
This is the main base of Banga Island that Harriman painstakingly built.
This is no longer that messy seaside island, but a carefully built stronghold.
Several rows of huts are neatly arranged in an orderly manner on the open space, with a military atmosphere; the watchtower is made of bamboo and wood, and the sentries are wearing uniform grass-green uniforms and patrolling with guns. There is even a temporary shooting range and training ground.
As soon as Lin Laisheng stepped onto the dock, he saw a group of soldiers lined up for drill. A tall Chinese sergeant was giving them a lecture, shouting, "What do you mean by fighting spirit? If you don't even know how to hold a gun, how can you fight? Either learn it or get out!"
Harriman patted Lin Laisheng on the shoulder and said, "See? This is Zheng Yongchun's doing. He had trained the team well before you came."
Lin Laisheng glanced at the ammunition boxes and guns neatly stacked next to the shooting range in the distance. He knew clearly that those were the results of the airdrop by the Security Army.
This is what a regular army looks like.
It seems that this is where Harriman's main force is located.
At this time, Karen also walked quickly out of a shed in the base, with an expression of unconcealable pride.
He was wearing a brand new White Eagle uniform that had been airdropped, but the shoulder straps had been replaced with the shining Silver Star Colonel insignia.
"Welcome to the '277th Special Operations Regiment', Lieutenant Colonel Lin." Karen spoke in broken Chinese with a strange tone, but he saluted in a standard Dutch military salute with his fingers between his eyebrows.
"How do you feel about the adaptation?" Lin Laisheng returned a military salute.
"Excellent," Harriman grinned. "We've been appointed by the Southeast Asia Theater Command. We're now a regular army."
Both Harriman and Cullen were promoted to the rank of colonel by Stevenson, one as regimental commander and the other as deputy regimental commander.
The organization of the 9th Company of the 3rd Battalion, and officers such as Zheng Yongchun were also appointed.
However, what Harriman did not know was that although his 277th Special Operations Regiment was under the command of the Allied Southeast Asia Theater Command, his rank of colonel was only a wartime rank.
Once the war is over, the people in the White Eagle Pentagon will not recognize him as the "Island Colonel". If he and Karen want to receive pensions and retirement benefits in the future, they can only follow Zhang Chi all the way.