Chapter 45

"Get me a set of Japanese military uniform and a bucket of red paint," the Fat Man said.

This was the Fat Man’s final request. The paint was easy to get, but what troubled Boss Huang the most was the Japanese military uniform. Explosives and such were easy to come by, but finding a fitting Japanese military uniform for the Fat Man was not easy. Given his size, it would be hard to find a suitable one even among the Japanese, let alone with the current time constraints. Boss Huang felt the pressure.

The comrades in Qingzhou were all mobilized to get the Fat Man a fitting Japanese military uniform.

The Fat Man and Dog Bear lay like corpses, snoring loudly. They had to be in good spirits for the night’s adventure. As for whether Boss Huang could get the uniform, it was not within his concern. It would be best if he could, but if not, the Fat Man would find a way to sneak into Warehouse No. 1.

He slept soundly, not worried about oversleeping. The sound of gunfire outside the city would be his signal to get up. Besides, they needed to let Colonel Ma and his men engage the Japanese for a while so that the Japanese would focus all their attention on the West Gate.

What frustrated him was that when he woke up, he still hadn’t heard any gunfire. His ears were very sharp. Just as he was puzzled, Boss Huang walked into the room with a Japanese military uniform, a saber, a pistol, and shoes. Behind him were Saishezhan and a reluctant Monkey.

If it weren’t nighttime, he would have thought Saishezhan hadn’t left the city.

"Brother Liu, things aren’t looking good!" Boss Huang said urgently as he entered the room.

"What’s wrong?" The Fat Man suppressed his various questions and asked. The sleepy Dog Bear also woke up.

"Over three thousand soldiers from two battalions suddenly appeared outside the city. Everyone is hesitant to launch a feint attack on the county town without your detailed plan. It’s a serious matter. Saishezhan and Monkey followed Little Li by water to re-enter the city. Everyone is waiting for your response," Boss Huang replied.

"More people?" The Fat Man was slightly stunned and looked at Saishezhan, saying somewhat dissatisfied, "Why are you back?"

"Can you fight the Japanese, but not me?" Saishezhan rolled her eyes at the Fat Man. She knew the urgency of the situation. This wasn’t the time to argue with the Fat Man. Little Li was in a hurry to return and report the Fat Man’s complete plan. She then explained how the Eighth Route Army had mobilized two battalions to support the feint attack and informed the Fat Man that she had contacted the sixth leader of Hu Kou Mountain Bandit Camp. As soon as the gunfire started at the West Gate, the sixth leader would wait at the North Gate, the closest to Warehouse No. 1, and open the gate for the Fat Man to drive through.

The Fat Man called Little Li and wrote his detailed plan in a letter, then sent him back. He fully understood Colonel Ma’s concerns. The Japanese weren’t fools. With three battalions of the Eighth Route Army and the bandits, the feint attack wouldn’t last long before the Japanese realized the true intent.

The area within a mile of the county town was almost entirely a minefield, not heavily guarded by the Japanese. To minimize casualties, a real charge was impossible. Once the Japanese realized this, it would be tough for the Fat Man, who was the surprise element inside the city.

The most critical point was that as soon as the feint attack began, the Japanese might immediately contact nearby Japanese forces. Whether or not they were reinforcements, the Eighth Route Army would be surrounded. When the Japanese air and ground forces joined in, it wouldn’t be a game.

Based on the information he saw at the Shallow Field Brigade headquarters, the Fat Man knew the strength of the Japanese forces near Qingzhou and calculated the time it would take for the Japanese mechanized units to reach Qingzhou. He gave Colonel Ma and his men two hours for the feint attack.

After two hours, regardless of success or failure, Colonel Ma and his men must withdraw as far as possible.

As a special forces rogue, he was well aware of classic special operations where large forces feinted or flanked to mislead the enemy, creating illusions to allow special forces to complete special missions. Such examples were not rare.

Of course, the guerrilla warfare of the Eighth Route Army and the frontal resistance of the Nationalist Army vividly illustrated the coordination between large forces and special operations. However, thinking about these two made the Fat Man feel heartache. He couldn’t articulate their merits and demerits in the face of the invaders. Many had died, so why compare them?

Before his death, Liu Mingsheng was just a capable rogue soldier with no grand ambitions. His greatest wish was to earn enough money, date beautiful women, and make true friends. Beyond that, fame and fortune were just shit to him.

He died unexpectedly while saving a comrade, and his consciousness awakened in this era. He was very grateful to be alive again. He never intended to change history; such a grand goal was beyond him. He was just a soldier, and all he could do was pick up his gun and kill as many invaders as possible until he fell or the war ended. Otherwise, it would never end.

He was timid but brave; he feared death but was willing to risk his life. This wasn’t contradictory. Being timid made him cautious, and fearing death helped him preserve himself to kill more Japanese. Colonel Ma’s classic evaluation of him was simple: "This kid’s guts and body are both fat."

Dense machine gun and rifle fire, sporadic artillery explosions, and the roar of homemade cannons echoed from the West Gate. The feint attack by the Eighth Route Army and the bandits had begun. Whether it was the few shabby field guns and mortars of the Eighth Route Army or the homemade cannons of the Hu Kou Mountain bandits, they all fired with all their might.

Saishezhan was startled, Monkey’s face turned red, Dog Bear was dumbfounded, and Boss Huang and the other underground party members in Qingzhou were in awe. The Fat Man, dressed in a Japanese military uniform, walked proudly and confidently toward Warehouse No. 1 under their watchful eyes.

The Fat Man didn’t let anyone accompany him. This was his plan, and he didn’t want too many people to die. These people hadn’t learned how to survive in battle. In the bandit camp, he had Monkey and Dog Bear dig a large pit to create a training ground to teach people how to survive and give them the skills to live through the war.

When he learned that he was going alone, Saishezhan almost drew her gun. The Fat Man silenced her with one sentence: "If you want to get me killed, just follow me!"

Don’t think he didn’t know Saishezhan’s thoughts. She watched him like a prisoner. In this situation, only "old" people would watch a man so closely—either a mother or a wife.

Sometimes things are strange. The Fat Man could let Saishezhan lead the way in mine clearance for the large force but wouldn’t let Wang Yi go to the battlefield. In his heart, Saishezhan was there to be used, while he was there to be used by Wang Yi. One was active, the other passive, clearly illustrating a phenomenon—the backup phenomenon.