Chapter 9: Trial of Lingshan
"This time, the military department is extremely outraged by the surprise attack on the military supply station by the rioters. They have decided to dispatch Lieutenant Ikemura Yamato, who has received professional special agent training, to Tongcheng to investigate this incident. I hope you will all actively cooperate with him." After finishing speaking, Yamamoto Kitaro waved his hand and told them to withdraw. Several people looked at each other in confusion, wondering why their superior officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sasuke, who was notorious for his short temper, had not blown up over such a serious incident. It was unprecedented, but although everyone wondered about it, no one dared to ask him why."
Yamamoto Kamejiro was overjoyed in his heart today. This time, despite the big trouble he had caused, his superior did not severely punish him, and he himself had already prepared to take responsibility by seppuku, but managed to escape lightly. How could this not make him happy? What made him even happier was that the upcoming Lieutenant General Iimura Yamada was the son of a classmate, and also one of the most outstanding graduates of the Imperial Military Academy. It was great news that he had been dispatched to his jurisdiction to suppress the rebels, as it would allow him to see his friend's son again and utilize his counter-espionage skills to stabilize his own defense zone. This good news was bound to make him happy. Therefore, it was no wonder that those few squadron leaders were able to escape.
The villagers of Kuai Shi Village were busy, today was the day for the Anti-Japanese Righteous and Brave Army's drill. The soldiers were ready to depart, but unlike usual, this time the main character was a majestic infantry cannon. After Yan Xiwen brought back the infantry cannon, everyone only realized after their excitement that there wasn't a single person in their team who understood artillery. This made everyone worried for half a day, until Yan Ju Fan suggested that they personally experience the power of the cannon and operate it once. These past few days, Yu Nong hadn't been idle, she drew a large number of diagrams of the infantry cannon's components, and even asked various skilled craftsmen for advice. She actually wanted to replicate the infantry cannon. This made the occasionally informed bad boy take a big surprise, this little girl really couldn't stay still. This time, she excitedly brought her own notebook, pulling Qin Si Jiao along to join in on the fun.
No choice, the bad boy compromised again, and the three young men and women wore the same camouflage uniforms as toads and followed the team. Of course, Qin Si Jiao's camouflage was the princess dress of the thousand-year-old flower demon, which could not be called wrong, this is the bad boy's experience after eating bitter fruit. The team leader Yan Xi Wu specially arranged for them to follow behind the tail of the team, so as not to drag down the marching speed.
At dawn, the fog dispersed, and a team of green-clad troops marched stealthily along the winding mountain path. Several disassembled infantry guns lay obediently on the soldiers' backs, but the sturdy physique of the mountain people was more than a match for these steel behemoths. The group moved skillfully through the mountains, without cutting or slashing, and the vegetation on the road was carefully divided in two and restored to its original state. It would be impossible for anyone but an experienced mountaineer to detect that a team had passed this way, which was also what Yan Xi Wu demanded - "to march without startling the grass and trees". How to identify directions in the deep mountains, how to maintain direction while marching, these were all skills honed by countless mountain people. Today, this mature team performed them with consummate skill.
The three little ones at the end of the team were closely following the team, Yan Jufan walked and chatted with Yu Nong, Qin Siqiao explained the various flowers and grasses by the road and the sudden appearance of various insects and animals. This made the two little girls feel very interesting, and the journey didn't seem so tiring anymore. Qin Siqiao curiously asked: "How do you know so much? I've heard so many names that my head is spinning." She looked at Yan Jufan with a curious expression. Yan Jufan smiled wryly, having lived in these mountains for so many years, how could he not know their names, it's not like they were going on a tour and deliberately memorizing them.
"I know their names because they told me themselves." The bad boy's eyes lit up with an idea. Qin Si Jiao was shocked: "You... how is it that you can understand what they're saying? Did they tell you through a dream?" Qin Si Jiao's mother believed in ghosts and spirits, so she had passed this on to her daughter, who wasn't surprised by the existence of supernatural creatures, but rather by the fact that the little boy beside her possessed such an ability.
Yu Nong saw the expression on Yan Jufan's face and knew he was teasing that silly girl again. She smiled secretly, closely following Yan Jufan's footsteps. Qin Si Jiao asked while walking: "Hey, quickly tell me, how did they tell you, were you born with it, or who taught you?" As she spoke, she sneaked a peek at the little rascal, planning to see how he communicated with plants and insects.
Yan Jufan suppressed his smile and explained seriously: "You just need to calm down and think slowly that they, like you, have thoughts and can speak. If they like you, they will naturally tell you their thoughts." To avoid being discovered, he deliberately added the other party's preferences, so even if Qin Si Jiao couldn't learn it, she would still have a chance to push him away. This was one of his tactics for dealing with women in his two lifetimes. As he spoke, he intentionally imitated the sounds of insects, and both little maids were fooled into believing it was true. Even Yu Nong doubted whether he had wrongly suspected Yan Jufan's brother, perhaps he really could talk to plants and insects.
The easy journey was always short-lived, the troops marched to a pre-selected flat ground, everyone took a short rest, and began to assemble this small cannon, looking at the direction of the black muzzle. The bad boy couldn't help but sigh, the first artilleryman of the Anti-Japanese Righteous and Brave Army was about to be born in these deep mountains.
Yan Xiuwu watched as the warriors assembled the cannons, suppressing his inner excitement and calmly giving orders. "First Lieutenant, you demonstrate how to load and aim. Let everyone see how it's done." This was based on some methods they had seen on diagrams stuck to the side of the cannon while organizing their military equipment, and some knowledge about cannons that they had summarized. So they specially came to this uninhabited deep mountain to personally practice whether the method was correct or not. Although there were some dangers, in order to have a cannon team that could hit its mark and make a loud noise, they didn't care.
After a flurry of activity, everyone retreated to 20 meters away to watch the first shot of the artillery exercise. Lieutenant Colonel Lin Yilong excitedly loaded the shell into the barrel, this was the first shot of the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army, what an honor! In the future, when people talk about it, they will definitely mention his name. Thinking of this, he carefully checked again, confirmed that there were no problems, and took aim at the target once more. Although he had practiced this countless times, he still broke out in a cold sweat. After finally confirming everything was correct, he saluted Colonel Yan Xi Wu and loudly reported: "Report to Battalion Commander Comrade, Lieutenant Colonel Lin Yilong's artillery is ready, target locked. Requesting permission to fire."
