Chapter 27

In early April, the Wandashan mountain area was very cold at ten o'clock at night. The ground, where the snow had just started to melt, froze again in the cold air.

In the forest, the bright headlights of the vehicles tore through the night. Three trucks loaded with guns and ammunition roared along the ice of a small river, heading for their distant destination, the First Ridge.

There, there was a very secret cave. This cave was not discovered until the development of the Great Northern Wilderness after the liberation, by the regiment commander Ma Jichang of Wang Zhen's army. The cave was originally created by the local residents to avoid the plundering of the Russians. Later, possibly because all the people in the area had disappeared, the cave entrance was covered by accumulated soil and vegetation over the years.

Dongku, who had been training in this area for nearly a year under various conditions, had the good fortune to read relevant records in the local county annals and had visited the place during his training. Therefore, when he had the idea of seizing the supplies carried by this company, he dug up this memory from the depths of his mind.

An hour later, Dongku led the way, followed by Shanzi and Dog Dan. The three trucks stopped at the foot of the First Ridge at the watershed.

Jumping out of the truck, Dongku looked at Shanzi and Dog Dan, who had learned to drive in less than an hour and managed to get the trucks here, and smiled in satisfaction. He didn't bother with the people unloading the trucks, but instead, carrying the explosives, he walked towards the location in his memory...

After a few explosions, a cave entrance large enough for a person to pass through was revealed on the side of the mountain facing the small river...

As the sky was about to brighten, the three trucks, swaying and tilting, climbed the low riverbank and drove a few dozen meters on the icy meadow before getting onto the road and heading straight for the distant town of Dahu.

In the afternoon, three Japanese soldiers went from house to house, forcibly taking away cows, sheep, and small pigs weighing only a few dozen pounds from some villagers. Six large iron pots were also forcibly removed from the stoves and thrown into the truck.

However, what puzzled the villagers was that although these three Japanese soldiers were fierce, they threw ten silver dollars to each household, leaving the villagers, who were used to being robbed, at a loss.

Putting aside the villagers' confusion, in the Japanese military camp, six large pots were set up, and the firewood was directly taken from the villagers' woodpiles. After dark, the fire burned brightly, and pots of mutton, beef, and pork began to bubble, emitting a rich aroma that drifted to the village a hundred meters away.

"Grandpa, are they celebrating the New Year?"

A seven or eight-year-old child, smelling the tempting meat aroma, stood behind the fence and asked his grandfather, who was smoking a pipe.

"They are eating their last meal, preparing to report to the old headman..."

The old man's dim eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed.

"Sir, no Japanese came yesterday, and I don't think anyone will come today..."

Yang Piguang, a well-known figure in Dahu Town, twisted her plump buttocks and looked in the direction of the military camp.

Damn! She gets itchy if a man doesn't come for a day!

The thin, dark-skinned man cursed in his heart, swallowed a non-existent saliva, and a wicked fire rose in his heart. He smiled lecherously, stepped forward, and touched her plump buttocks, whispering, "I'll come tonight? It's been three months..."

"Are you trying to die? What if the Japanese come..."

Yang Piguang twisted her buttocks, half resisting and half welcoming, pressing closer to him.

"They won't come for a while, can't you smell the meat..."

The lecherous man hugged Yang Piguang and walked into the house...

The night was quiet, with no lights in the entire village except for the faint glow of the charcoal fire in the Japanese military camp.

The puppet soldiers on duty walked back and forth by the barbed wire, faithfully guarding their post.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from the distance, followed by several bright headlights tearing through the darkness before dawn.

"They're here!"

The puppet soldier quickly opened the gate by turning the barbed wire roller and stood aside, waiting for the headlights to arrive.

Creak...

With a series of braking sounds, four sidecar motorcycles stopped in front of the guardhouse.

"Is there any problem here?"

A squad leader asked from the sidecar.

"Sir, there's no problem. Lieutenant Xiaoye has already prepared the meat and is waiting for you at the military camp in the east of the village."

The puppet soldier bowed and said.

"Meat? Good..."

The squad leader grinned, showing his golden teeth, and happily waved his hand, ordering the troops to enter the village.

Watching the four motorcycles drive away, the puppet soldier disguised as Shanzi spat and muttered, "Eat up, I'll take your lives soon!"

Less than ten minutes after the motorcycles passed, the sound of a motor came from the distance, and a beam of light pierced the darkness, appearing at the mountain bend...

In the swaying car, Lieutenant Colonel Kōmoto Kōji looked at the puppet soldier bowing by the road and then turned his gaze to the front...

The rumbling of the motor broke the silence of the small village. The villagers, hiding in their beds, wondered if they should leave their homes to hide. After all, the Japanese stationed here no longer searched houses extensively, but the new arrivals might not be the same. Although there was nothing in their homes, getting beaten up was not worth it. Especially the women who had secretly returned to live, they were even more anxious, quickly dressed, and waited to escape from the village when the vehicles stopped.

At the entrance of the military camp, the two soldiers on duty had been replaced by the soldiers who arrived on motorcycles. Other soldiers, with their mouths full of oil, directed the convoy to turn into the adjacent parking lot.

With the rumbling of the motor, Kōmoto Kōji got out of the car and stood at the gate, looking around.

When he saw that there was no one on the four-meter-high guard towers on both sides of the gate, a surge of anger rose in him. Before he could find Xiaoye, Dongku had already greeted the squad leader who arrived earlier.

"Sir, Lieutenant Colonel, you have worked hard!"

Dongku stood at attention and greeted in standard Japanese.

"Why is there no one on the guard towers?"

"Sir, Lieutenant Colonel, I have already set up the machine guns on the roof, which is more concealed and better protected."

Dongku stood at attention and pointed behind him.

"Good..."

Kōmoto Kōji nodded in satisfaction when he saw the machine gun positions on the roofs of the side buildings, constructed with sandbags.

"Sir, Lieutenant Colonel, please come in. The kang is already warm, and there is a bottle of sake from Osaka..."

Seeing no one who recognized him, Dongku's heart eased, and he immediately began to implement his plan.

"Good!"

Kōmoto Kōji nodded in satisfaction, looked at the row of large pots in the courtyard, and waved his hand, ordering, "Have the soldiers eat and rest quickly. We will replenish supplies and repair the vehicles in the afternoon."

"Hai!"

A lieutenant next to him loudly acknowledged the order.

Kōmoto Kōji, carrying his command sword, slowly walked towards the military camp building.

In the courtyard, groups of Japanese soldiers poured out of the trucks that had just stopped, forming ranks and running towards the front of the camp building. On the parade ground, they neatly stacked their guns and stood in formation, waiting for further orders.

More trucks continued to enter the courtyard, totaling about sixty. When the last truck carrying soldiers entered, the road became quiet.

Several lieutenants inspected each of the large pots during the formation of the soldiers and finally chose a pot of mutton.

When the last driver ran into the formation, a lieutenant loudly ordered, "Form a line and get food!"

After giving the order, he ignored the soldiers and turned to scoop a whole leg of mutton from the pot, sitting by a lantern hanging on the guns, eating heartily with a few lieutenants and squad leaders.

The soldiers took out their lunch boxes, avoiding the pot of mutton, scooped large pieces of meat, and found a place to sit and eat ravenously. As more and more soldiers sat down, the parade ground became noisy, filled with chatter and laughter, a cacophony of sounds.

Dongku left the camp building and soon saw the lieutenant eating heartily by the lantern. He approached and saluted, asking, "Sir, Lieutenant Colonel, did you tell all the soldiers to come and eat?"

The lieutenant politely returned the salute and turned to look at the courtyard, now dark, and said, "They have all come. You are responsible for the safety around here."

"Hai!"

Dongku saluted and walked towards the gate. At the gate, he told the four soldiers on duty, "Go and eat. You have worked hard. Our people will take over the duty here."

The four soldiers, who had been drooling and hungry, immediately cheered and ran to the large pots on the parade ground.

Seeing the four soldiers run over, Dongku walked to the courtyard and confirmed that no one was left. He then turned to the lieutenant and said, "Sir, Lieutenant Colonel is waiting for you!"

The lieutenant, who was eating heartily, stood up immediately, put down his lunch box, wiped his mouth, and followed Dongku without hesitation towards the camp building, where the door was closed and the lights were on.

"A room will be prepared for you, and the girl inside has already warmed the bed..." Dongku said as he walked, with a lecherous look on his face.

"Good! You are a good person!"

The lieutenant's eyes sparkled, and he praised Dongku, extending his thumb.

"Yes, I am a good person."

As he spoke, he put his arm around the lieutenant's shoulder and pushed open the door.

"Uh..."

His throat was clamped by fingers like an iron clamp, making it difficult to breathe. The lieutenant saw two light machine guns and two people lying in wait at the door. A sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

Before he could struggle, his vision went black, and he was knocked unconscious by Dongku.

"Quickly!"

Dongku pushed the lieutenant to one side of the door, took a step forward, bent down, and grabbed a rope from the ground, turning around.

Following Dongku's order, Liu Zhong grabbed the noodle-like lieutenant and, with Dog Dan's help, quickly tied him up. Then, they dragged him through a hole in the east wall of the room, and explosions sounded from the east and west rooms.

The Japanese soldiers, who were eating meat, were startled by the sudden dust and explosions. Before they could see what was happening in the dust, they felt a jolt beneath them. Before they could react, they saw the ground moving away from them, and they fell into the darkness.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions continued to sound on the parade ground, and the firelight illuminated the still dark dawn, like peach blossoms blooming.

On the parade ground, countless Japanese soldiers were sent flying into the air by the explosions, mixed with flying shrapnel, and were quickly shredded...