Chapter 49

Any battle plan turns to waste paper upon contact with the enemy — the battlefield Murphy's Law.

Fat Man had already memorized this foreign military principle from his previous life. War, he knew, had no rules to follow; it was a business of death. However, at Fat Man's place, the enemy would die, and die again, and still die. To achieve this, he understood a truth: strike first, or suffer the consequences.

The enemy will attack under two circumstances: when they are ready; or when you are not.

"Stop the car!" The Japanese lieutenant shouted from his cover. The machine gunners in the fortifications only symbolically aimed their guns at the convoy, not really prepared for a serious confrontation. They had received orders from the regimental headquarters to strictly check all passing vehicles to prevent the enemy who attacked Warehouse No. 1 from escaping. However, no one knew who had blown up Warehouse No. 1, and besides, the lead vehicle in the convoy was full of Imperial Japanese soldiers.

Seeing the Japanese soldiers in the vehicles, the guards naturally felt reassured and thought it impossible for them to be Chinese soldiers.

Fat Man, however, felt a bit uneasy. Although there were about half a squad of Japanese soldiers in the vehicles, if he encountered a full squad and couldn't defeat them, he would be in trouble. Most importantly, if all the Japanese died, how would he transport the food and weapons?

Fat Man could only open the car door and get out, ready to bluff.

"Which unit are you from? Show your identification," the Japanese lieutenant asked, somewhat stunned when he saw a fat lieutenant colonel get out of the lead vehicle. Rank, after all, was a matter of life and death.

"Who is the highest-ranking officer here?" Fat Man looked at the Japanese lieutenant with disdain, exuding the air of a superior officer.

"It's me," the Japanese lieutenant replied, his voice lacking confidence.

"Damn fool!" Fat Man slapped the lieutenant twice, one on each cheek. The lieutenant stumbled, his face red and swollen, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He covered his face, looking at Fat Man with a hurt expression, as if to say, "Why did you hit me? How unjust!"

"Did you hear the gunfire?" Fat Man glared at the lieutenant and shouted.

"I heard it," the lieutenant replied, his voice even less confident, full of resentment.

"Did you receive the notification from the regimental headquarters?" Fat Man's small eyes bulged, and he shouted again.

"I received it," the lieutenant said, his confidence waning. "We were ordered to intercept all passing vehicles..."

Fat Man's anger boiled over. He grabbed the lieutenant by the collar and dragged him to the first military vehicle. "Damn fool, look, look! The vehicle is full of Imperial soldiers. The Sakata Battalion in the neighboring county needs supplies. You, damn fool, dared to stop the reinforcement convoy!"

"Sir, please forgive me!" The lieutenant, seeing his fellow soldiers, hurriedly bowed in apology. He also felt that his actions were not quite right; how could he suspect Japanese officers and soldiers of being Chinese?

"The enemy disguised as Imperial soldiers blew up Warehouse No. 1 and will soon be here. To support your defense, I will leave the Imperial soldiers on the vehicle to eliminate these Chinese who dared to impersonate Imperial soldiers!" Fat Man saw the lieutenant's submission and inwardly laughed. Damn, once on Fat Man's boat, it's not easy to turn back.

"Thank you, sir!" The lieutenant, understanding the situation, quickly bowed in gratitude.

"Hey, Kitagawa, Yaguchi, lead your Imperial soldiers off the vehicle!" Fat Man continued to bluff. With two squads of Japanese soldiers escorting him, he was worried about how to get rid of these Japanese. If he still had his previous body, he could easily take out these twenty-odd Japanese soldiers bare-handed. Now, with his fat body, he could only resort to trickery to harm the Japanese.

"Hey!" The two Japanese sergeants nodded and led the soldiers off the military vehicle, joining the defense at the checkpoint.

"Sir, without our escort, your safety is a matter of great concern," one of the Japanese sergeants, skilled in flattery, said after leading the soldiers off the vehicle.

"Damn fool!" Fat Man slapped the sergeant, who had been shouting to kill the "Chinese soldiers." This slap was light; Fat Man wanted to kill him but decided to let the Japanese kill each other.

Fat Man had already guessed that although the explosion at Warehouse No. 1 was powerful, the Japanese guarding it couldn't all have died. The Japanese would trace the last vehicle that left and send reinforcements. Even if they couldn't confirm whether these vehicles were the ones that blew up Warehouse No. 1, they would still investigate the direction of the supplies.

Since he couldn't fight them head-on, he would use some cunning. Besides, Fat Man's Japanese had a Tokyo accent, which made the Japanese recognize his high status, at least not a country bumpkin. His physique also added to his nobility in the Japanese eyes.

This made Fat Man reassess his new body's predecessor, who had studied in Tokyo, Japan. He was quite good, and in his previous life, Fat Man had mastered many languages, but his Japanese wasn't as fluent. This guy filled in the gaps.

"You defend the checkpoint with peace of mind. I will ensure the regiment commends your service. You are role models for Imperial Japanese soldiers, and promotions are assured," Fat Man patted the two sergeants on the shoulder. Since he was sending them to their deaths, he had to give them some sweet words. He felt he was quite kind.

Leaving two drivers, Fat Man drove a grain truck himself, leaving the military vehicle with the Japanese soldiers. The three trucks drove away, and the two sergeants tearfully bid farewell to Fat Man, their hopes of promotion resting on him. They didn't know that this fat lieutenant colonel was a fake.

The direction of the military trucks was Tiger Mouth Mountain. The two Japanese drivers following Fat Man's grain truck were puzzled. Weren't they supposed to support the Sakata Battalion in the neighboring county? The route Fat Man was taking didn't seem right.

Halfway, gunshots "bang bang..." came from behind, in the direction of the Japanese checkpoint. It was definitely the checkpoint and the Japanese reinforcements fighting. In the dark, many Japanese would die.

Fat Man's lips curled into a smile, and he laughed out loud. "Good Japanese are those who fight other Japanese."

Thus, the three military trucks leisurely arrived at the foot of Tiger Mouth Mountain, where the inn where Xi Chaozhen had drugged Fat Man was located. The grain truck stopped, and the two vehicles carrying weapons and ammunition also stopped. The doors opened, and the two Japanese drivers, looking anxious, hurried over.

Fat Man got out of the car and heard one of the Japanese drivers say, "Sir, we've taken the wrong route. This is Tiger Mouth Mountain, where bandits are rampant, and these bandits are enemies of the Empire. For your safety, we should leave quickly."

"Leave?" Fat Man coldly said in Japanese, his lips curling into his trademark evil smile.

"Yes, sir, we have no Imperial soldiers to escort. It's not safe to stop here," the Japanese driver said, unable to see Fat Man's evil smile in the dark.

"Leave your grandmother's chest. This is your final destination!" Fat Man suddenly burst out in loud Chinese, pulling out his pistol and the hidden twenty-shot revolver. Two shots, one for each, and the two Japanese drivers were sent to the afterlife, never understanding why helping someone deliver goods could cost them their lives.