Chapter 38

In the forest, more than a dozen figures in padded jackets raised their guns and shot at a truck about thirty to forty meters away. The cotton exposed on their padded jackets had lost its original white color, turning gray and fluttering with their movements as they raised their guns.

"Stop shooting!"

A man holding a Mauser pistol shouted, looking through the bushes at the truck not far away with a puzzled expression.

"Are they all dead? Why aren't they retaliating?"

A man holding a Hanyang-made rifle asked in confusion.

"The situation is wrong. Only the first truck saw figures leaving the cab, but no one was seen in the other trucks, and no one was hit. The Japanese didn't even fire a shot."

"The captain is right, I didn't see any figures either," another man holding a gun and searching for targets said.

"Retreat! Abandon the operation due to the unclear situation."

The man with the polished Mauser pistol ordered.

"Retreat!"

The two men beside him waved to convey the order, getting up and retreating up the mountain.

"Stand still!"

Just as they started to move, with some still not standing up, a low, hoarse voice suddenly sounded.

Before the words had even finished, swish, all the guns were pointed in the direction of the voice.

The man with the Mauser pistol raised his gun with a large open slide, coldly pointing it at a large tree from which the voice came, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

"Who? Step out!"

A man holding a foreign rifle shouted.

"Point your guns down!"

The hoarse voice sounded again.

"Let..."

The man with the foreign rifle was about to curse when suddenly, the rustling of leaves behind him, and several figures appeared behind them, followed by the sound of gun bolts being pulled back.

"You'd better not move. Two light machine guns, you thirteen people aren't enough to handle us!"

The voice became more severe, coldly saying.

There were still Japanese on the road behind, and now they were ambushed, causing these dozen people to panic.

"Don't move, point your guns down!"

The man with the Mauser pistol shouted and lowered his gun.

The moment he put down his gun, a cold pistol was pointed at the back of his head, and a large hand snatched his Mauser pistol, casually throwing it in front of him.

"Who are you? At a time of national crisis, you are fighting among yourselves? Do you think the Japanese haven't killed enough Chinese? Do you want to become traitors to the nation?!"

Although his gun was taken, the man's气势 (momentum) did not weaken; instead, he shouted sternly.

The others wanted to resist, but as two figures in Japanese military uniforms, with faces painted, holding light machine guns, appeared on both sides, they realized the futility and slowly lowered their guns...

"Tell me, who are you?"

Dong Ku slowly stood up from behind a tree, putting away two Mauser pistols, and asked as he walked.

"You're not Japanese?"

Seeing the people holding Mauser pistols, carrying long rifles, and light machine guns, wearing Japanese military uniforms, and with faces painted black and green, the man whose Mauser pistol was taken asked with a changing expression.

"Like you, Chinese with a sense of justice. Tell me, what are you doing?"

Dong Ku glanced at the Hanyang-made rifles and foreign rifles on the ground, and asked.

Dong Ku's words made the man's face light up, and he said in a softer tone, "Since we are both Chinese, our enemies are the same. We are the First Army of the Northeast National Anti-Japanese Army, the Wantu Mountain Detachment, and I am Liu Canghao, the political commissar and captain of the Wantu Mountain Anti-Japanese United Army."

"Oh..."

Dong Ku responded indifferently and said, "In half an hour, the Japanese from Jixi will be here. You..."

Before he could finish, Liu Canghao interrupted, "Fellow countryman, you have machine guns and so many weapons. Why don't you fight the Japanese, but instead come to rob us?"

"Rob?"

Dong Ku understood from his eyes that Liu Canghao mistook him for a bandit.

"I'm not interested in your guns. I just didn't want to hurt you. Now, pick up your guns and leave."

Saying this, he stepped aside.

"Comrade, you have machine guns. Why not join the National Anti-Japanese Army to save the country from peril? With these two machine guns, we can attack Hada, then Jidong, and finally Jixi!!"

Liu Canghao's eyes sparkled with excitement as he said.

Dong Ku waited for the saliva to fall and coldly asked, "Have you been to the Soviet Union?"

"Yes, I attended military school in Moscow."

Liu Canghao's tone was full of pride.

"Listen, I'm not interested in your master, Stalin. You can leave!"

"Comrade, I am a fighter sent back to the country by the Communist International, and a graduate of a formal military school. Joining the National Anti-Japanese Army will allow you to fulfill your ambitions. Don't you want to drive out the invaders? Don't you want to save your homeland?"

"Shut up!"

Dong Ku shouted, took a step forward, and before Liu Canghao could react, grabbed his collar and roared, "I'll say it again, I'm not interested in your master, Stalin! You need to understand who you are fighting for, for your master or for the people of China! When you figure it out, you can call me comrade!"

After shouting, he pushed the stunned Liu Canghao and gestured for Shunzi and the others to relax.

Seeing that Dong Ku had no intention of attacking, Shunzi and the others stepped back and returned to their previous positions, but their guns still pointed at the people in front.

After calming his emotions, Dong Ku said in a deep voice, "Your master, Stalin, wants to set up a puppet government in China. That's a dream! As for your life, it has nothing to do with me, but if you use the blood of the anti-Japanese fighters to test your textbooks, I will kill you myself the next time we meet!"

"You..."

Liu Canghao's pale face turned red. He didn't understand why Dong Ku reacted so strongly, but the insult to Stalin made him glare, yet he didn't know how to counter.

"Listen, you are first and foremost a Chinese. What you learned from your textbooks may not be suitable for China. Before you take action, consider their lives, don't just follow the book!"

"You..."

Liu Canghao's face turned red, but he couldn't find the right words to argue. The frustration of being disarmed without seeing anyone in the ambush extinguished the flame of excitement in his heart.

"Take some time to read 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu. The wisdom of our ancestors is more practical than your textbooks." Dong Ku said coldly, seeing the dejected look on Liu Canghao's face. He then added, "Now, take your people and leave quickly. When the Japanese from Jixi arrive, I will kill you all before they even get a chance!"

Saying this, a cold killing aura enveloped Liu Canghao, making him shiver involuntarily.

Liu Canghao took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. He bent down to pick up the Mauser pistol and put it in his waistband, saying, "I have learned a lot and will reflect deeply. As a Chinese, I will not slack in the fight against the Japanese, until I shed my last drop of blood." He then waved his hand and ordered, "We retreat!"

The others, under the threat of Shunzi and the others' guns, felt dejected. After Liu Canghao's order, they picked up their weapons listlessly and prepared to leave.

"Hold on."

Just as they were about to leave, Dong Ku lightly called out.

"Do you have more to say?!"

Liu Canghao turned around and coldly stared at Dong Ku.

Dong Ku ignored him, made some gestures, and said, "Since you are fighting the Japanese, as a Chinese, and as an enemy of the same enemy, I have no reason to stand by. I hope you use these weapons wisely and don't fantasize about attacking cities."

As Dong Ku spoke, long rifles were thrown at Liu Canghao's feet, followed by grenade bags, and then Shunzi and the others turned around, each taking out three hundred rounds of ammunition and fifty rounds of pistol ammunition, along with a Mauser pistol, and threw them on the pile of guns.

Mangzi, after taking the ammunition, picked up the light machine gun, looked at it reluctantly, and placed it on the pile.

"This..."

The sudden change left Liu Canghao at a loss. He looked at the guns and ammunition at his feet in disbelief, then turned to look at Dong Ku, not knowing what to say.

Dong Ku ignored Liu Canghao's reaction and said calmly, "Today, you saw nothing. You successfully ambushed and obtained these guns and ammunition."

As Dong Ku spoke, Liu Canghao suddenly understood. The information from Liu Tou said that several Japanese were escorting various supplies they urgently needed, but these Chinese had obtained them from a store.

"Who are they?"

After a moment of thought, Liu Canghao took a deep breath and said, "I will use these weapons well and reconsider the applicability of what I learned in China. Today, we part ways. I hope to meet you again on the battlefield against the Japanese. If I survive."

After saying this, Liu Canghao loudly ordered, "Take all the weapons, we return victorious!"

"Yes!"

Confirming that the weapons they coveted truly belonged to them, the previously dejected group responded loudly, quickly picking up the guns and ammunition. When they looked at Shunzi and the others, their eyes were full of gratitude.

"Ah..."

Watching the figures disappear into the forest, Dong Ku sighed inwardly. These young people, influenced by the Soviet Union, were originally good, but had been brainwashed. He had no time to change their minds, hoping they would realize on their own.

Dong Ku, with memories from the future, knew the hidden intentions of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and even modern Russia. However, he was not good at political work and was not skilled in mental games, or rather, as a soldier, he was unwilling to waste time on such things.

"Let's go, we still need to put on a show for the Japanese." Gathering his thoughts, Dong Ku ordered.

Shunzi and the others, though confused, didn't question Dong Ku's actions. Even though they were reluctant to give the weapons to the anti-Japanese fighters, they had no objections, even after almost being ambushed. Hearing the order, they quickly left the forest, washed the paint off their faces in a ditch by the road, and prepared to return to the truck to wait for the Japanese. At this moment, Shanzi suddenly said, "The car tires are flat."

"Huh?"

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw that the rear tire of the truck driven by Sun Tao was flat, clearly punctured by the gunfire.

"What do we do now?"

Not having experienced this before, everyone looked at Dong Ku.

"No problem, the repairman will be here soon. Mengzi, get in the car, two magazines, target the direction where those people were lying. Everyone else, one magazine, return to your cars, also target that direction."

Saying this, he pulled out a Mauser pistol and fired several shots at the direction where the ambushers were, until the magazine was empty.

In the gunfire, Mengzi quickly climbed onto the roof, set up the machine gun, and opened fire.

As his machine gun roared, dense gunfire suddenly echoed through the forest...

PS: This is the last week of the ranking push for this month. I'm begging for votes and support, I want to be on the homepage!! The book's success depends on you, thank you, thank you!!

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