Chapter 6: A Hair's Breadth Escape

  Yan Ju Fan stroked the big gun, his heart filled with emotion. This was indeed a good thing from those Japanese devils! Although its caliber wasn't large, it was still the best heavy artillery in the country at that time. Its design was ingenious, capable of both direct and indirect fire, making it effective against various targets. The most clever part was that it could be disassembled into several parts for separate transportation - a design that was truly one-of-a-kind at the time, making it particularly suitable for mountain warfare. This time, they managed to get their hands on three of them, what great luck! Back in his previous life, he had seen this famous gun with a bayonet attached in a military museum and had dreamed of bringing it back home. Who would have thought that today, his dream would finally come true? The little rascal couldn't help but wonder if he was dreaming. Sometimes, he wished that one day they could defeat those devils and leave some space for them to design their own weapons and electronics - no matter how bad the Japanese were as people, their industrial level was truly impressive. Hopefully, that day would come soon!

  But the cannon was too heavy, not something he could carry around at his young age. However, the machine gun and small cannons were a different story. Yan Jufan excitedly carried a grenade launcher on his back and held a machine gun in his arms, without even bothering to wipe off the rust-proofing oil still on the gun and cannon barrels. He hummed a tune as he walked at the front of the pack mule team. But this time no one laughed at him, instead everyone joined in singing the "Pest Control Song" along with his humming:

  "We are pests,"

  We are pests

  We make the devils restless and uneasy.

  We are pests of justice

  Wipe out the devils completely.

  Eliminate thoroughly!

  Kill! Kill! Kill!

  The crowd sang excitedly, carrying and hugging these precious weapons, walking briskly on the way home. For a time, Lianhua Mountain was in a state of excitement.

  Chenjiapuzi was also a piece of excitement. Today, the Wu Gong team still had no shadow. Mei Dahangjian said and did, and hung three villagers on the big tree at the village entrance again. In the past two days, the villagers have already seen the bloodiness and are not afraid of the knife falling on their own necks. The crowd is surrounded with great interest, watching how Mei Zhangguan will kill these people who have a grudge against Tongluo Village.

  Mei Huan-yu had a thorough grasp of the psychology of the people, knowing that as long as he didn't stab them with his knife, no one would take other people's suffering to heart. He sat in the shade at a distance, smiling and watching the villagers pointing at the person hanging from the tree. It was very leisurely, he wasn't in a hurry, not even a bit. Even if the martial arts team didn't show up after a few more days, he still wouldn't be anxious, it should be the martial arts team that's anxious. Mei the traitor was delighted with his own idea, he set up a small trap and lured these rioters in.

  "Ma Yi, don't be in a hurry, whether the Wu Gong team comes or not doesn't matter, just make sure your troops are ready. If they charge, you hold them off for the first step and we'll be able to counterattack and defeat them completely. Tell the brothers to be vigilant." Mei Da Han Jian instructed.

  "Alright, you just watch, I'll make sure to get them all rounded up nice and tight, no mistakes. Those rebel elements are all locked up in the courtyard, surrounded by trenches and machine gun emplacements, even on top of the houses. The others are still waiting for us to win so they can drink the wine you promised." Ma Yi said with a smile, nodding his head.

  Mei Huan-yu closed his eyes contentedly, this rocking chair was donated by the village head's family, and judging from its age, it should be an antique. Lying on it is so comfortable, I'll take it with me when I leave, that village head must have been willing to give it up, after all, Director Mei never minds having too many good things at home.

  It was almost noon, and the sun shone strongly on the ground. According to the rules, at three quarters past noon when the yang energy is strongest, these villagers hanging from the trees would be beheaded.

  Zhang Yun Tian anxiously gazed ahead, the agreed-upon time had already passed, yet Chen Jian's signal still hadn't arrived. What situation could have caused the normally wise and brave Chen Jian to be unable to make a move? He furrowed his brow in confusion. What experience with Chen Jian, who he had partnered with for many years, was causing him to hesitate for so long?

  According to the original plan, Chen Jian led the makeup of the Wu Gong team members wearing short guns, carrying hand grenades, creating chaos in the village, diverting the enemy's attention, and then leading the main force to rush out and rescue the trapped villagers. If they were outnumbered, they would disperse and regroup in other villages.

  He gazed intently at the village, where he and several disguised martial arts team members were hiding behind a house, peeking inside. Seeing the heavily guarded pseudo-army, this scene made him lose all will to fight, and he couldn't help but smile wryly. This time, it seemed like they would be outnumbered. Would they be able to rescue them or not?

  For a moment, Chen Jian's mind was in disarray, he stared intently at the many fake soldiers in front of him, some leaning against fortifications, others hiding in the corners of houses, almost everyone was hiding, and there were even several high places where people's shadows were faintly moving. To rescue the hostages here, his own skills might not be enough, as soon as a shot rang out, he would likely be suppressed by firepower, judging from the way the fake soldiers held their guns, these were all old hands, their marksmanship shouldn't be too bad.

  The air is getting hotter and hotter, and in a moment, the three hostages will be executed. If we don't take action soon, it will be too late, but the courtyard where the hostages are being held is heavily guarded, and this situation has made Chen Jian, who usually handles things decisively, think deeply.

  A few horses were galloping over from the village road not far away, and the distant horseshoes startled the pseudo-military guards at the village entrance. Everyone's eyes fell on the newcomer for a while, and it turned out that it was a messenger sent by Taro Kameyama of Tongcheng Mountain, asking Mei Huan to speed up the suppression of bandits, and must strive to return to the garrison as soon as possible, and reported that the Fourth People's Party armed forces attacked the military supply station.

  Mei Huan-yu was shocked by the news, could this be a clever trick of the Wu Gong team to rescue Zhao? He thought again, no way, it shouldn't be them, with their strength, it's impossible for them to attack the military supply station. In the past, even when they were causing trouble, they would often get beaten and dispersed. Has another force appeared nearby? Is it really the Fourth People's Party guerrilla team that did this? Now Mei Da Hanjian has a headache, the Wu Gong team hasn't been dealt with yet, and now there's another guerrilla team popping up, what bad luck!