Chapter 9

"Why are you so nervous? I was just joking with you. A guy as heroic as me wouldn't stoop to kidnapping people." The fat man glanced at Colonel Zhang, feeling quite disdainful. He thought it was too boring for Colonel Zhang to be so nervous over a joke.

"That's good, that's good." Colonel Zhang felt deeply nauseated by the fat man's shamelessness. He secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and smiled in agreement. If the fat man really had thoughts of kidnapping, he wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Let the team follow me, I'll take you away." The fat man said.

Colonel Ma nodded and immediately instructed the guard, Xiao Li, to gather the team. The previous battle had allowed a few puppet troops to escape, making this place unsafe. Now that the battlefield had been cleared, it was time to leave. If not for the fat man's first shot that destroyed the Japanese radio, the Japanese would have been able to arrive within an hour from over twenty miles away.

There were four doctors in the team, including Wang Yi. Originally, Colonel Ma's Eighth Route Army was not specifically there to escort the doctors, but to lead the old Third Regiment's veterans and backbone to establish another base area. They were also to escort the four returning Western doctors to the divisional hospital. Therefore, more than ten people from the old Third Regiment were brought along, and the Nationalist Army also sent a three-person elite team to assist in the escort.

Unexpectedly, the team was completely baffled by the Japanese puppet army's minefield. Not only did they lose several soldiers, but they also failed to understand the distribution of the minefield. Wang Yi, being strong-willed, had come out to capture a Japanese puppet soldier for information when she wasn't being watched. If not for meeting Liu Mang, she might have been captured by the Japanese puppet army.

"I've been leading troops for ten years, and these past few days have been the most frustrating. I'm not afraid of the Japanese puppet army, but the Japanese are playing dirty tricks this time. Old Xu, Old Guo, and Sanzi all died from stepping on mines. Brother, don't laugh, but we're waiting for the Japanese minefield distribution map." Colonel Ma said as he walked, explaining to the fat man.

"The Japanese mine placement method is somewhat similar to the booby traps you set in the forest. Do you have the Japanese minefield distribution map?" Captain Zhang coldly interjected. He didn't believe that a fat man could break the minefield that even a high-ranking graduate from the Berlin Military Academy couldn't solve. He only hoped that the fat man had the minefield distribution map so they could bypass it and safely deliver the doctors, then quickly complete the mission and return to the unit.

"No." The fat man fanned himself while sweating profusely. It was too hot, and he felt like he was being roasted. Even speaking an extra word felt exhausting.

"You don't have the minefield distribution map?" Colonel Ma's eyes widened. Whether the team could leave this Japanese puppet army's minefield depended on this fat man.

The fat man pursed his lips, unwilling to respond. He was very dissatisfied. In such hot weather, Colonel Ma still insisted on talking to him. Could they still fight the Japanese happily?

"You don't have the minefield distribution map and you're leading us around aimlessly? Do you know that what you're doing could get everyone killed!" Captain Zhang, who already had a grudge against the fat man, spoke without holding back.

"Shut up, if you want to live, follow me." The fat man plopped down under a tree. Although the sun was already setting, the scorching heat had made the ten-mile walk feel like a hellish ordeal.

"Just wait for the Japanese to catch up and kill us all!" Captain Zhang glared at the fat man and walked to the side, his face full of anger.

"Why aren't we moving?" Colonel Ma was unhappy. In this short distance, the fat man had already rested eight or nine times. At this snail's pace, they would eventually be caught by the Japanese.

"Rest for a bit. I'll tell you what's really going on with the Japanese minefield so you two won't keep nagging in my ears. Even if I don't die from exhaustion, I'll die from your nagging." The fat man lit a cigarette, fanning himself as he smoked.

Colonel Ma was slightly taken aback, ordered the sentries to be posted, and let the team rest. He then sat down, waiting for the fat man to explain the Japanese minefield. Captain Zhang also reluctantly walked over.

When Liu Mang first crossed over, the minefield map from his previous life as a fat interpreter appeared clearly in his mind. He hadn't expected that the entire county would be a minefield.

Mine warfare was a specialty of the guerrillas, and he was shocked when he first crossed over to find that the Japanese were also using mine warfare. However, the mines in the minefield were not real mines.

This had to start with the Japanese commander in the county, Asano. Asano had attended the Japanese Army University and the Berlin Military Academy and was said to be a member of the royal family. At the start of the Battle of Shanghai, Asano should have been on the front lines but was stationed in the rear for two reasons: to protect the royal family and because he had studied engineering at both military academies, specializing in mine warfare.

During the Battle of Shanghai, the Japanese were an offensive force, and due to a lack of supplies, they had almost no infantry mines. However, this didn't stop Asano, who used tank mines, hand grenades, mortar shells, incendiary bombs, and any other type of explosive that could be used for mine warfare.

Asano's tactics not only reduced the activity range of the local Eighth Route Army but also tightly controlled the area around the county. Many civilians were injured or killed by the mines. In this era, people who could defuse mines were extremely rare. The only safe route in and out of the county was the main road, which was heavily guarded by a Japanese regiment and a reinforced puppet army battalion. Any movement required risking one's life.

Colonel Ma was tasked with developing the local Eighth Route Army, which had been struggling due to the minefield.

"Damn it, Asano's move is really vicious. It's forcing us to be powerless. There was originally a battalion of the Eighth Route Army here, but due to the minefield, only a company remains!" Colonel Ma took a puff of his cigarette, his eyes bloodshot with anger.

The fat man rolled his eyes. A battalion? What a joke. In the early stages of the Anti-Japanese War, many Eighth Route Army units were understaffed. Did a battalion have two hundred people?

"Asano's minefield is very strange. I've seen booby traps at the Berlin Military Academy and tried to defuse them, but I failed, and three Eighth Route Army soldiers died as a result." Captain Zhang's face was dark, and he was seething with hatred when it came to the minefield.

"Booby traps?" The fat man sneered. When he learned that Asano was also using mines, he was indeed shocked. He secretly went to the minefield and concluded that it was at a kindergarten level.

"Asano has some tricks up his sleeve. The mines are very cleverly placed. Without the minefield distribution map, we soldiers are not afraid of dying, but we are afraid of hurting those precious doctors." Colonel Ma looked at the fat man with concern.

"If we have the minefield distribution map, we can bypass it. If not..." Captain Zhang looked at the fat man meaningfully. As a graduate of the Berlin Military Academy, he had seen the fat man's skill in setting booby traps. He believed that if he tried to defuse the fat man's traps, he would surely die. Therefore, he thought the fat man, who could set such clever traps, should be able to bypass Asano's minefield.

"Man is iron, rice is steel, and hunger is a real pain!" The fat man squinted his eyes, ignoring what Colonel Ma and Captain Zhang said. He stood up, patted his buttocks, and continued, "After eating the Japanese rations all day, they taste like wax. I'm going to get some wild game first."

With that, the fat man took a Type 38 bayonet and a sniper 98K, and wobbled off into the forest.

"Uh..." The two men were stunned. At this critical moment, he was still thinking about wild game. If the Japanese brought military dogs, it wouldn't take long to find their location. The fat man still had the leisure to hunt, and if the Japanese caught up, it wouldn't matter if they died, but the four precious doctors would be in danger.