Chapter 54

"Son-in-law, you're not going to join the Eighth Route Army, are you?"

Xiaocui and Houzi, who had been taught a lesson by the fat man, naturally didn't dare to ask. It was the simple-minded Dog Bear who asked this question. He never remembered his punishments and would say whatever came to his mind.

"Dog Bear, stick your head over here," the fat man said with a smile.

"Okay." The straightforward Dog Bear obediently extended his head. There was a movable iron plate between the driver's seat and the truck bed of the Japanese military vehicle. When opened, it allowed the driver to communicate with those in the truck bed, and it was just large enough for an adult's head to fit through.

The fat man's smile suddenly froze. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand bent, he struck Dog Bear's head, scolding as he hit: "You damn brat, join what? If your whole family joins the Eighth Route Army, I'll be damned. Which eye of yours saw me, Fat Master, joining the Eighth Route Army?"

In the truck bed, Houzi and Xiaocui, who were taking care of Saichao, were startled when they saw Dog Bear's head full of bumps. Dog Bear was still injured, and this fat man really had the heart to hit him so hard. This was too brutal!

The fat man had his own troubles. With the conditions in the mountain stronghold, even a person with a minor injury could die, let alone be treated. For Saichao's chest wound, traditional Chinese medicine would be slow to take effect, and it was uncertain whether it could save her. Most importantly, it was summer, and wounds were most susceptible to infection. Without Western medicine to clean the wound, the external injury might heal while the internal infection worsened, making it even more complicated.

There were Western doctors in the county town, all Japanese military doctors, and they had antibiotics. However, the Shizawa Brigade was also in the city. After the fat man caused a commotion last night, entering the city now would be like walking into a trap. Besides, Japanese military doctors weren't to be underestimated, and the fat man didn't want to take such a risk.

To find a Western doctor, he could only turn to the Eighth Route Army, not far from Hu Kou Mountain. When he said goodbye to Colonel Ma at Hu Kou Mountain, Colonel Ma gave him the address of the Independent Regiment. The fat man was now seeking help from the Eighth Route Army, and most importantly, Wang Yi was at the headquarters hospital, wasn't she?

Thinking of Wang Yi, the fat man was already driven by desire. He stepped on the gas pedal to the max, and the military vehicle sped down the road like a mad bull in heat, jolting the three people in the back. Fortunately, the seriously injured Saichao was cushioned by many blankets and was not damaged at all.

Er Long Village was not a village but a small town, a village of several hundred people located halfway up a mountain.

An Eighth Route Army sentry was dozing off when he was slapped awake by his squad leader, who scolded him: "All you know is to sleep. You're the sleepiest in the whole regiment. Keep an eye on that Japanese military vehicle on the mountain road, and I'll go report!"

"Okay." The soldier responded, rubbing his sleepy eyes and looking up the mountain road. Hmm, something was wrong. Why was there only one Japanese military vehicle, and why was it rushing over like it was possessed? He had never seen a Japanese military vehicle drive so fast, as if it were rushing to its doom.

The fat man, of course, knew the consequences of this Japanese military vehicle. Saving a life was like putting out a fire; he couldn't afford to be too cautious. If anyone dared to block him, he would crash right through.

Two legs were no match for four wheels, especially when the fat man had the gas pedal to the floor. The squad leader, who had gone to report, hadn't even reached the village entrance when the fat man's military vehicle had already caught up.

Hearing the roar of the Japanese military vehicle behind him, the squad leader ran back to the village, turning his head. This turn was not without consequence; he found the Japanese military vehicle only about ten meters away.

In a flash, the squad leader gritted his teeth, turned around, raised his rifle, and prepared to shoot the fat driver of the Japanese military vehicle. At the same time, he wanted to warn the village, making it clear that he was playing a game of chicken: if the vehicle didn't stop, he would shoot.

The fat man was enraged. He had never seen anyone so fearless, willing to risk being hit by the vehicle to shoot him. The plan was good, but he had met his match. The squad leader instantly aroused his fighting spirit. Fine, you want to play chicken? He had never been afraid of anyone.

If the gas pedal could be pressed further, the fat man would have done so to see who was braver: the Eighth Route Army squad leader or himself. So the military vehicle charged forward wildly...

"Bang..."

The gunshot shattered the tranquility of the mountain village, causing a commotion.

"Who's shooting?" Colonel Ma, who was in a meeting with several officers, immediately became agitated upon hearing the gunshot.

"I'll go check." Guard Li pulled out his pistol and hurried out of the room.

"Colonel, I'll organize the defense. They're all my men, easy to command. You take the civilians and evacuate!" a battalion commander said.

"Just one shot, and you're all scared shitless?" Colonel Ma pulled out his pistol, giving the battalion commander a disdainful look. He suddenly remembered how the fat man had used a doctor as bait to lure a Japanese battalion, and even though he knew that over a thousand Japanese soldiers were just two miles away, the fat man had remained calm, eating and drinking as usual, like nothing was wrong. That calm and composure were the marks of a true hero.

Adding to the plan to feign an attack on the county town, the fat man had single-handedly taken out the Japanese No. 1 warehouse. The strategy, the ability, the courage... Colonel Ma looked at his men in the room, his expression growing increasingly grim.

It was a pity. No matter how much he praised or criticized, the fat man refused to join the Eighth Route Army. Ever since meeting him, Colonel Ma found his men increasingly unsatisfactory, finding fault with everything and comparing them to the fat man, almost becoming a nagging wife.

"Colonel, Colonel..." Suddenly, Li's excited voice came from outside the door.

"Shouting like a madman! Damn it, shouting so loudly, no discipline at all!" Colonel Ma cursed, feeling frustrated that he couldn't persuade the fat man. Seeing his men only made him more frustrated, and he vented his anger on Li.

The battalion commander and the other officers in the room were disdainful, thinking to themselves, "What kind of commander gets what kind of soldiers. You can shout, but we can't? How shameless."

Li, with a face full of excitement, burst into the room, not even saluting, and pointed outside, panting heavily as he said to Colonel Ma, "It's... it's... him..."

"Who is it?" Colonel Ma was angry. Why were his men always so urgent and disrespectful?

"Are you still treating me as your colonel? If even the Son of Heaven were here, you would still have to salute and report properly!"

After being scolded by Colonel Ma, Li calmed down and finally straightened his tongue. He saluted and said, "Liu Mang..."

Colonel Ma was stunned. The two things that affected him the most were the Japanese and the fat man.

Some of the officers in the room had come with Colonel Ma from the old Third Regiment and were excited to hear this name. But some officers who had never met the fat man thought Li was calling Colonel Ma a thug, and they were all stunned. When had the relationship between soldiers and their colonel become so chaotic?

However, Colonel Ma was only stunned for a second or two. Then, he rushed out of the room, knocking over a cup of water and spilling it all over the table, completely disregarding his image in front of the officers.