Chapter 71

The name Wang Zifeng was no longer known by anyone, and sometimes even he himself forgot it, because people usually called him by his nickname: "Wang Liangdao."

The reason for this nickname was that he was a businessman who bought and sold goods, so people gave him this nickname.

It was through him that the Russians arranged for the people of Shutou Village to cut timber. He never thought about any secrets behind the Russians building a railway; he just thought that making money from anyone was the same. However, today, when the people of Shutou Village learned that the timber was being sold to the Russians, they refused to work. Wang Liangdao, in a panic, got into an argument with the leader of the loggers. Wang Liangdao was no match for the loggers and ended up exaggerating the situation to the Russians.

Now, more than a dozen Russians, armed with guns, had surrounded the loggers on an open field.

The Russian officer in charge, holding a whip in his hand, shouted at the loggers, "Who is the leader of this strike?"

The leader of the loggers, nicknamed "Old Black Mountain," was in his thirties, dark and muscular, hence his nickname. He had practiced martial arts when he was young and was known for his righteousness, so the loggers all respected him.

Old Black Mountain stepped out from the crowd and said proudly, "It's me!"

The Russian officer forced a smile and said, "Why are you striking? We can pay you more."

Old Black Mountain sneered, "We won't work for you Russians!"

The Russian officer frowned and lashed out with his whip, leaving a bloody mark on Old Black Mountain's face. The Chinese often say, "Don't hit a man's face." Despite the humiliation, Old Black Mountain did not get angry and sneered, "Bastard! We Chinese won't work for you Russians! If you have the guts, kill me!"

The Russian officer swung his fist and hit Old Black Mountain in the face. The officer was tall and strong, and the punch sent Old Black Mountain reeling back several steps. His fellow workers could no longer bear to watch and rolled up their sleeves to charge forward. Old Black Mountain, with blood streaming down his face, extended his arm to stop them and said, "Don't move, they have guns!"

The surrounding Russian soldiers, seeing the loggers' movement, raised their guns and pointed them at the loggers. The Russian officer drew his pistol, cocked it, and walked up to Old Black Mountain, pressing the gun to his forehead and angrily asked, "Tell me, will you work tomorrow?"

Old Black Mountain pushed the gun forward with his forehead and said coldly, "If you're a man, shoot. This is Qing territory, I don't believe you dare to shoot!"

The Russian officer's Chinese was not very good, and although he didn't understand what "a man" meant, he knew it wasn't a compliment. He sneered, "Even if I kill you, your government won't dare to do anything!"

At this moment, Wang Liangdao fell to his knees beside the two men and cried, "Gentlemen, we're all here for money, why resort to violence?"

Old Black Mountain sneered, "We can make money, but not by working for the Russians."

Wang Liangdao, slapping his thigh, said, "Old Black Mountain, brother, work and get paid, why worry so much? They have guns, think about your wives and children in the village!"

Old Black Mountain laughed coldly, and Wang Liangdao, with a sob, cursed, "Old Black Mountain, you damn bastard, you're a bachelor, you have nothing to fear, you can act tough and be a hero, but think about your brothers!"

The Russian officer had lowered his gun. Old Black Mountain spat on the ground and said, "Screw you, don't call me brother!"

The Russian officer didn't understand their conversation but still trusted Wang Liangdao. He thought Wang Liangdao was persuading the workers to resume work, so he said to Wang Liangdao, "Wang, make them resume work. We can negotiate the wages."

Wang Liangdao got up from the ground and said to the officer, "Okay, okay, we'll start work tomorrow, we'll start work tomorrow."

To his surprise, Old Black Mountain didn't say anything. The loggers, seeing this, also didn't say anything. The Russian officer waved his hand, and the dozen Russian soldiers moved into an empty house. They knew the Russians were going to monitor them.

As soon as it got dark, Wang Liangdao invited Old Black Mountain to his house. As soon as Old Black Mountain entered, he saw a roasted chicken, a few dishes, and two small jars of wine on the table. Wang Liangdao opened one of the jars, and the aroma of the wine spread.

Wang Liangdao handed the jar to Old Black Mountain and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, about today... let's not talk about it, I'm inviting you to drink."

Old Black Mountain took the jar and gulped down a few mouthfuls, then said, "Old Wang, you're right, I shouldn't act tough and be a hero."

Wang Liangdao was taken aback by his words and didn't know what to say. Old Black Mountain continued, "You're right, the brothers have wives and children, I'm a bachelor, I should think more about them."

"Old Wang, do you know, I used to have a wife, but one year, the Russians killed her, and even the county magistrate didn't dare to do anything."

Old Black Mountain gulped down a few more mouthfuls of wine and suddenly burst into tears, "My wife was killed by the Russians, and I'm still working for them, I'm a damn coward!"

Wang Liangdao didn't expect Old Black Mountain to have such a tragic past and could only say, "Old Black Mountain, it's all in the past. If you're tired of the Russians, you can go down the mountain and go home tomorrow."

Old Black Mountain laughed, "Do you see the Russians' attitude? Can we leave?"

Wang Liangdao frowned and said, "Is there no justice in this world? If they don't let us leave, I'll go to the county magistrate and ask him to mediate."

Old Black Mountain laughed and said, "Old Wang, don't be naive, the government is useless, we have to rely on ourselves." He laughed again and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this, let's drink."

After a hearty meal and plenty of wine, Wang Liangdao, who couldn't hold his liquor, was already asleep on the table. Old Black Mountain quietly opened the door, went to the workers' shed, picked up an axe, and, under the cover of night, made his way to the house where the Russians were staying.

There was no sentry at the door!

"Heaven is helping me!" Old Black Mountain thought to himself.

Old Black Mountain pushed the door, which was bolted from the inside. He switched the axe to his left hand, drew a dagger with his right hand, and inserted it into the door crack, carefully prying open the bolt. He was extremely cautious, so he didn't make much noise to alert the Russians.

Once the door was open, Old Black Mountain slipped into the house under the moonlight, axe in hand, and found the officer. He looked at the axe in his hand and thought, "If I swing this axe, the noise might alert the others."

He tucked the axe into his waistband, held the dagger in his hand, pressed the officer's mouth with his left hand, and stabbed him in the heart with his right hand. The officer's eyes widened, and he convulsed for a moment before lying still.

He did this to seven Russian soldiers, and there were four left. Just as he was thinking, one of the Russian soldiers opened his eyes groggily and got up. The Russian soldier saw someone standing by the door and thought it was someone else getting up to use the bathroom, so he greeted him softly.

Old Black Mountain, not knowing this, feared that the Russian soldier would call for help, so he lunged forward, dagger in hand, and slashed at his neck. The Russian soldier dodged, and the dagger missed. The Russian soldier then started to scream and reached for his gun.

Old Black Mountain couldn't let him get the gun, so he stepped onto the bed, drew the axe with his left hand, and swung it down, decapitating the Russian soldier!

The remaining three Russian soldiers woke up and grabbed their guns. Old Black Mountain moved quickly, cutting them down one by one.

Old Black Mountain sat among the dead bodies, took a pack of cigarettes and a box of matches from a corpse, lit one, and took a deep drag. The red glow of the flame in the darkness was as striking as blood.

"Revenge is taken!" Old Black Mountain thought to himself.