Chapter 70

From yesterday, I've had a headache and felt weak all over. If I can't update three chapters, I will update at least two. Sorry!

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" THESE Maxim guns are all brand new, and there's also the ammunition supply. Alright, I'll take them. Tell me, what other conditions do your regiment commander and political commissar have?" The fat man stroked the Maxim guns, not wanting to take his eyes off them.

"Hehe, before we left, the political commissar said that you would surely be suspicious when you saw these machine guns, and he was right." Colonel Ma smiled awkwardly. He had hesitated for a long time about whether to mention the political commissar's conditions. Wasn't this making him and the fat man talk about conditions in a very direct way?

Unexpectedly, the fat man had already seen through it, which made him feel relieved. He sighed inwardly; talking about conditions so directly with the fat man always made him feel strange and uncomfortable.

The fat man led them to escort the doctor. Along the way, they had faced the outside world together at Hu Kou Mountain Village, and after so many experiences, Colonel Ma had long regarded the fat man as a comrade. But now, to talk about conditions with a comrade made him feel very awkward.

"Hehe, what did your political commissar say?" The fat man became interested. He preferred to maintain a cooperative relationship without interfering with each other.

This army would absolutely not accept his command, tactics, or personality. Since that was the case, it was better to cut off Colonel Ma's thoughts of recruiting him early.

"He said that you would definitely make some gesture, so he asked me to boldly put forward conditions." Colonel Ma's face turned awkward as he said this. He was a soldier and never engaged in such roundabout dealings.

"Go on." The fat man smiled slightly. Although they had only met once, this political commissar had really figured him out. Sigh, the days ahead would be tough.

"Let me exchange more artillery with you. The political commissar already knows that you have taken several mortars and a Type 92 infantry gun from the Japanese No. 1 warehouse." Colonel Ma said.

"Hmm?" The fat man was slightly taken aback. It seemed that the Eighth Route Army's intelligence capabilities were not to be underestimated. It was probably the underground party in the county, Boss Huang, who obtained the information and then passed it on to the Eighth Route Army.

The fat man hesitated. He wouldn't easily give away what he had obtained.

"Also, the regiment commander put forward a condition, asking you to train a few soldiers in mine clearance. Otherwise, we can't move freely. How can we set up ambushes? The Japanese in the neighboring county are stockpiling grain and preparing to transport it to Qingzhou. Without clearing the minefields, we can't set up ambushes on suitable roads to seize the grain, and the civilians can't harvest the autumn crops, which are about to ripen."

"I myself am already stretched thin, but there is someone else who can help you." The fat man chuckled.

Shallow Field's minefields restricted the activities of the anti-Japanese armed forces. On the other hand, these minefields provided various explosives for the anti-Japanese armed forces. He had been planning to take advantage of this, but he was too busy. He was preparing to go to Shanghai and then bring back the explosives from the minefields to strengthen his arsenal.

Once he left, the only one who could navigate the Japanese minefields was the fierce girl, Saishezhen, with her exceptionally sensitive nose.

Sometimes, even the fat man had to admit that Saishezhen's sensitive nose made her a natural mine clearer.

"Who?" Colonel Ma was stunned. Who else could clear mines besides the fat man?

"Saishezhen." The fat man replied.

"Saishezhen!" Colonel Ma felt a deep pain. It was over. The fat man was already training apprentices in Hu Kou Mountain Village, and the Eighth Route Army had no part in it. If only he had known, he would have forced Wang Yi to stay with the fat man and do whatever. Now, Saishezhen had taken the lead, and Colonel Ma felt he had lost a lot.

But then he thought, there was still a chance. Wang Yi was also going to Shanghai, wasn't she? As the person in charge, he could arrange for the fat man to protect Wang Yi closely, and then he wouldn't have to worry about winning the fat man's body and heart.

"Hehe..." Thinking about this, Colonel Ma laughed to himself.

"Laughing at what?" The fat man suddenly noticed Colonel Ma laughing, and it was a silly laugh. He cursed, "Cannon, I'll consider it, but the Type 92 infantry gun can't be given to you. If you want to learn mine clearance, find Saishezhen. Isn't she recovering at your regimental hospital?"

Why did he send Saishezhen and not go himself?

Saishezhen and the Eighth Route Army were incompatible, and she was a destabilizing factor. If he and Colonel Ma went to Shanghai, there would be no one to control the situation here. He was afraid that someone with ulterior motives might cause trouble, and Saishezhen might cause problems.

Therefore, the fat man left this move, making the Eighth Route Army treat Saishezhen like a living Buddha. With the mine clearance as a trump card, he could leave Saishezhen at the Eighth Route Army's regimental hospital with peace of mind.

"Want to learn mine clearance? Fine, go to Saishezhen." The fat man said.

Colonel Ma sighed again. Why didn't they use the beauty strategy earlier? Now it was too late, and the flowers were almost withered.

Although the fat man didn't agree, he didn't refuse, which meant that the few cannons the political commissar was thinking about still had a chance.

Just then, Monkey rushed in, not caring that Colonel Ma and the Eighth Route Army soldiers were nearby, and pulled the fat man to a quiet place to talk.

"Monkey, have the two bosses finished their push-ups?" The fat man asked when he saw Monkey.

"Not yet, they're exhausted like dead dogs. Son-in-law, there's news from the county. Let's find a quiet place to talk." Monkey's eyes flickered. He knew that it was always good to keep a card up his sleeve.

The fat man was taken aback, nodded, and followed Monkey outside.

Colonel Ma saw this and sighed again, feeling regretful. If he didn't seize the opportunity on this trip to Shanghai, this tactical genius would really become the fat man's son-in-law.

The two came outside, and Monkey glanced at the Eighth Route Army soldiers in the distance, making sure they couldn't hear, before lowering his voice and telling the fat man the news from Li Liu.

"A fully equipped company?" The fat man's small eyes narrowed, and his mind started to work. But when he heard that the bandits from Black Wind Mountain were also involved, his brows furrowed. He had long expected that the greedy Commander Wu would not mobilize a large force to find the gun, fearing that the Japanese would find the Emperor's gift and then it would be none of his business.

Commander Wu had the bandits from Black Wind Mountain as a backup, which he had never expected. But it was good that they were coming. He could take the opportunity to resolve all the hidden dangers in Hu Kou Mountain Village.

About a hundred brothers from the mountain village fighting against Commander Wu's fully equipped company would be fine with him there. But if the bandits from Black Wind Mountain and the fully equipped company of the puppet army joined forces, it would be too much for the brothers in Hu Kou Mountain Village to handle.

The fat man, stroking his chin in thought, turned around and saw the thirty or so Eighth Route Army soldiers outside the main hall. A plan formed in his mind.

"Old Ma, I agree to the cannons. I'll give you two small steel cannons, but no shells. If you want shells, you'll have to get them from the Japanese yourself." The fat man walked back to the main hall and said to Colonel Ma with a generous air.

"Really?" Colonel Ma was surprised by the fat man's generosity. The political commissar had told him that if the stingy fat man didn't give the cannons, he shouldn't be difficult. Now it seemed that the fat man was "in the Cao camp but with a Han heart," giving them two small steel cannons.

When the fat man was in the No. 1 warehouse, he insisted on moving the Japanese 97-type 81mm mortar, also known as the small steel cannon, mainly for the defense of the mountain village.

The small steel cannon's nearly 2,800-meter indirect fire range could cover the surrounding area of Hu Kou Mountain Village. Besides, this type of indirect fire cannon was particularly suitable for mountainous areas.

"But I have a condition." The fat man was being generous for a reason. He wouldn't give away what he had obtained without some benefit.

"Brother, as long as you give us the cannons, even if you have a hundred conditions, I'll agree to all of them." Colonel Ma was getting into the spirit.

"Go back to your base now and bring your independent regiment. We'll team up to hit the puppet army." The fat man said.

"Sure, hitting the puppet army is easy!" Colonel Ma laughed heartily. Even if the fat man was setting a trap, he would still go for it.

Cannons! Only the regimental artillery company had them. He had suffered, but he had never seen them. The explosive power of the shells left a deep impression on him. Seeing his comrades turned into a pile of flesh and bones by the shells, or losing limbs, made him feel helpless and angry.

This was the difference in combat power brought by the equipment gap. With cannons, they could also give the Japanese a taste of their own medicine, couldn't they?