Chapter 60

Dong Ku took a deep breath, calmed his agitated emotions, and silently blamed himself for his abruptness. He then said loudly, "I heard about it. I know Commander Yang is a hero of the Anti-Japanese War."

The burly man with thick eyebrows glanced at Dong Ku, not hiding his thoughts, and said frankly, "Hero, not really. It's just my duty to fight the Japanese and protect our country."

Dong Ku didn't waste any more words and said directly, "General Yang, there are a total of fifty-seven Japanese and Korean puppet troops here. Take as many weapons as you can. We can't clean up the battlefield; Japanese reinforcements might arrive soon."

"You don't want the weapons? You are..."

Yang Jingyu hesitated. Weapons were in short supply at the moment. He had been tasked with forming an anti-Japanese unit and had gone to great lengths to acquire guns and ammunition. These fifty or so rifles and pistols could significantly boost the strength of his unit.

"We don't lack weapons, General Yang, take them."

Yang Jingyu glanced at the two shiny pistols on Dong Ku's belt, the backpack on his back, and the long gun in a cloth bag. He chose to believe that Dong Ku really didn't need the weapons and knew time was urgent. He put his hands in his mouth and whistled sharply, the sound echoing through the mountains.

The dozens of people running heard the whistle and paused. The man with the rifle stopped and said, "It's the Commander. The battle is over; let's go clean up the battlefield."

"How do you know it's the Commander? What if it's someone else? How do you know he wants us to clean up the battlefield?" The man who had ordered them to leave earlier asked coldly, his tone aggressive.

"I know the Commander very well. This is the whistle we agreed on. It has one turn, not a long or short note. It can't be wrong," the man replied calmly.

"It can't be wrong?"

The man in the Soviet uniform hesitated, looked at the others, and then said, "Let's go confirm it. You take three people."

"Yes, sir!"

The man with the rifle stood at attention, waved his hand, and said, "You three, follow me." He then crouched and ran back.

After they disappeared, the man in the Soviet uniform hesitated and said, "We should check it out too. Without Commander Yang, it will be difficult to reach Fengtian." He then took his pistol and ran in the direction the others had gone.

As they approached, Yang Jingyu wanted to ask Dong Ku but held back. Instead, he ordered, "Go check, clean up the battlefield, and move quickly."

"Yes, sir!"

The two men next to him slung their rifles and ran forward.

"Damn!"

Seeing the bodies on the ground, one of them couldn't help but exclaim.

The other man was initially calm, but when he saw the heads blown apart and the throats cut, he was also secretly shocked. These people were too efficient, finishing off anyone not killed by a headshot with a knife. There were no wounded or captured, and those not killed by a headshot had two or three bullet wounds, clearly from the machine guns they had heard.

"Are their shooting skills that good?"

He quickly collected the weapons and ammunition, pondering to himself.

Dong Ku stood there silently, considering how to talk to Yang Jingyu. Saying he wanted to join him in the Anti-Japanese War seemed inappropriate; there wasn't enough trust yet. But standing in front of him was the person he most admired, and not following him would be a great regret.

Seeing Dong Ku's silence, Yang Jingyu didn't break it either. He analyzed the situation, wondering if calling them to clean up the battlefield was the right move. If something went wrong... But on the other hand, these people were the type he liked—disciplined, no nonsense, and highly trained. They communicated with gestures and moved swiftly, making them excellent soldiers.

He secretly wanted to recruit them. If they joined the anti-Japanese unit, that...

He had never been caught off guard before, and clearly, someone was nearby. Otherwise, he would have heard the slightest sound in the grass. The reason he called them to clean up the battlefield was that few people knew Zhang Guanyi's alias. This person had either been in contact with the party's upper echelons or was a traitor. He chose to believe the former.

Dong Ku broke the silence first, saying, "General Yang, you only have three people. Take as much as you can. If there are more, and they are far away, forget it. The Japanese might send reinforcements at any time."

"Ha! I can't bear the title of General. If you really don't need these weapons, I'd like to take them all. We are very poor," Yang Jingyu said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Take what you can. If there's any left, destroy it," Dong Ku said casually.

"Destroy it?"

Yang Jingyu looked at Dong Ku deeply, finding his generosity hard to accept.

"Let's go, General Yang, let's take a look." Dong Ku walked toward the two men cleaning up the battlefield.

Yang Jingyu hesitated, his hand on his pistol, and followed Dong Ku. Before they reached the battlefield, the sound of branches rustling and a whistle came from behind.

"Over here."

Yang Jingyu stopped, turned, and waved a signal.

"Commander, is the battle over? Which brother unit supported you?" the man who ran over asked.

"Yes, it's over. Clean up the battlefield quickly. Take all the weapons and ammunition," Yang Jingyu ordered without hesitation.

"All of it..."

The three men who had just arrived and the two cleaning up the battlefield were stunned. These twenty or so rifles, thirty German pistols, and all the grenades and bullets—did the brother unit not want them?

While the three newcomers were stunned, Dong Ku turned around.

The leader of the group was surprised to see this colorful figure with a ghost-like face and a helmet with tattered cloth.

After a moment of shock, seeing that Yang Jingyu didn't say anything, they didn't waste words and, like men who hadn't eaten in a long time, quickly pounced on the bodies, slinging rifles over their shoulders and packing bullets and grenades.

Dong Ku watched them, feeling a pang in his heart. These were the backbone of the resistance, the seeds of the future, but they were fighting very hard due to a lack of logistical support.

As he was thinking, he heard the sound of movement in the forest nearby. He looked over suspiciously. Liu Zhong and Shunzi didn't give any warning, so it wasn't the Japanese. Could Yang Jingyu have brought a large force?

Before he could finish his thought, a group of people appeared in his field of vision.

Hmph!

Seeing the figures in Soviet uniforms, Dong Ku's face turned cold, and he lost interest.

"Old Zhang, how's the situation?"

The man in the uniform looked around and asked.

"The battle is over. It was... " At this point, Yang Jingyu realized he didn't know their affiliation or their names. He felt guilty and looked at Dong Ku, continuing, "They eliminated the Japanese and puppet troops that had been pursuing them for a day."

"Ha! Well done! Thank you! Which unit are you from?" the man asked with a smile, extending his hand.

"Just a coincidence. I fight the Japanese."

Dong Ku glanced at the man, ignored his hand, and said coolly.

The man's face turned red and then white, clearly embarrassed, and awkwardly withdrew his hand. "In this time of national crisis, men should fight the Japanese and serve the country. We need to unite and fight together. Without organization, how can we retake the cities occupied by the Japanese? How can we..."

Dong Ku looked at him coldly, interrupting his rambling, and asked harshly, "Did you just return from the Soviet Union?"

Before the man could speak, Yang Jingyu, noticing Dong Ku's attitude, quickly interjected, "Let me introduce you. This is Comrade Fei Lei, a Comintern fighter who just returned from Moscow. Comrade Fei Lei in Moscow..."

Dong Ku waved his hand, interrupting Yang Jingyu, and said, "I have no interest in his master Stalin. He's just a nobody. General Yang, please leave quickly to avoid any trouble."

"What did you say?! Say that again!!" Fei Lei, enraged, pointed his pistol at Dong Ku's head.

"Comrade Fei Lei, put down your gun!!"

Yang Jingyu's eyes widened in anger, and he roared.

The five men cleaning up the battlefield were stunned by the sudden change, holding their pistols unsure of what to do. The young faces following Fei Lei raised their guns, clearly following his lead. The other seven or eight men with short guns and pistols stood there, unsure of what to do.

Dong Ku looked at Fei Lei coldly. He didn't subdue him immediately to save face for Yang Jingyu, but when the gun was pointed at his head, he was furious. A cold, murderous aura enveloped Fei Lei, and if his finger moved, Dong Ku would have killed him instantly.

At that moment, the sound of machine guns and pistols being readied echoed, and figures suddenly appeared, two machine guns and fourteen pistols pointing at the thirty or so people.

Everyone was stunned. These figures had been right next to them, and they hadn't noticed. With guns pointed at them, they didn't dare move, and the scene became tense.

As Liu Zhong and the others appeared, Dong Ku's eyes narrowed, and his hand moved in a blur. Before Fei Lei could react, the gun was in Dong Ku's hand.

Dong Ku looked at Fei Lei coldly, his murderous gaze making Fei Lei shiver. Fei Lei took a step back, opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"Is this your idea of unity? Is this how a Comintern fighter behaves?!" Dong Ku said coldly, disassembling the pistol into parts and throwing them on the ground.

Before Fei Lei and Yang Jingyu could speak, Dong Ku stepped forward and punched Fei Lei, sending him flying two meters away, landing like a shrimp in the bushes.

Yang Jingyu roared again, "Everyone, put down your guns!!"

The young faces in clean uniforms, under Yang Jingyu's stern command, obediently lowered their guns.

Dong Ku looked around and understood. These were the cadres Yang Jingyu had just received, or rather, brainwashed cadres. Seeing that a dozen or so people didn't move, Dong Ku knew these were Yang Jingyu's unit.

Dong Ku slowly walked to Fei Lei, ignoring the fully alert Yang Jingyu behind him, and said to the suffering Fei Lei, "Don't bring your master's ways to China. If I find out you're bringing Stalin's purges into the anti-Japanese units, I'll kill you, even if you hide in Moscow!!"

With that, he kicked Fei Lei's cap into the air, caught it, and threw it like a frisbee. He then pulled out two pistols and fired a rapid series of shots. The cap, spinning in the air, turned into shreds.

Ignoring everyone's shocked expressions, Dong Ku quickly reloaded, put away his guns, and made some gestures.

Seeing the gestures, Liu Zhong and the others put away their guns, came to Dong Ku's side, and, under the watchful eyes of the others, took out half of their ammunition, left the two machine guns and rifles, and Liu Zhong and Shunzi took out the gold from their backpacks and handed it to Dong Ku.

Dong Ku solemnly handed the gold to Yang Jingyu and said, "General Yang, the guerrilla warfare strategy is correct. Take this and leave quickly..."

PS: Bowing in gratitude to Sichuan Fat Brother and Xiao Xiao for their generous support. Thank you, thank you!

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