Chapter 41

  A Japanese soldier rushed out of the gun tower, seemingly to relieve himself. As soon as he stepped out, a gunshot rang out, and he fell to the ground clutching his chest. The gun tower erupted into chaos, with machine guns firing aimlessly.

  "Grandma's, didn't you kill him!" Shanwa slapped the soldier holding a sniper rifle on the head next to her, "Didn't I tell you to shoot his belly?"

  "I was aiming for his belly, but this little guy bent down, poor him." The soldier next to him said.

  "No, I clearly saw the muzzle jump just now, it's you who didn't hold it down." Another soldier analyzed the reason.

  "Alright, let's retreat quickly, the devils will be out soon. We're all grown up and can't even shoot guns properly!" Shan Wawa muttered, leading them to sneak away quietly.

  Xiao Ming and others began to look for targets, the Japanese army seemed unwilling to provoke trouble, only sending out security troops to patrol. Xiao Ming and others had no way to start, so they could only begin "hitting birds". What is meant by "hitting birds" is finding a stronghold with Japanese soldiers, lying in ambush, specifically targeting devils. Xiao Ming let Shan Wazi bring two soldiers to the edge of the stronghold, setting up cold guns to practice marksmanship, while he led people to surround and guard the perimeter. If there were any isolated devils going out, it would be a good opportunity to practice fist and footwork.

  The Japanese troops in the stronghold saw three figures flashing and running far away, and when they were out of range of the machine gun, they couldn't help but get angry. One person was left to guard the heavily injured comrade, and the other four brought a platoon of security troops to chase after them. It's strange to say that although they clearly saw the opponent always flashing in front, they just couldn't catch up, and the farther they ran, the stronghold could no longer be seen.

  Take a look at the dense forest ahead, and the police officer who was chasing together with him couldn't help but feel uneasy in his heart. He didn't dare to persuade the imperial army to continue advancing, after all, it was the Japanese who were ambushed. If the emperor thought that he was rejoicing in their misfortune or couldn't catch the culprits and vented his anger on himself, it wouldn't be a joke. Getting slapped would be a small matter, but if things went wrong, he might lose his head! He secretly signaled to his subordinates to be more careful and clever.

  When the hearts of the people were uneasy, someone suddenly shouted "Get down" from a nearby bush. The pursuing troops were startled and quickly got down. By the time the Japanese soldiers realized what was happening, it was too late. Before they could even raise their guns, several fully armed men suddenly stood up from the bushes, firing their shotguns with a series of loud bangs, putting them all down.

  The prone security guards looked at their squad leader, who was nonchalant, got up and dusted himself off, saying slowly: "Which road are the friends on the other side from? Thanks for reminding us earlier!"

  Xiao Ming stepped forward, laughing and saying: "This friend is too polite, we are all family, it's only right to remind each other. I am Xiao Ming of the Flying Tiger Fortress, please forgive me for any disturbance!"

  Pai Zhang was taken aback, and hastily cupped his hands in greeting: "So it's Master Xiao, I've long admired you! I am Wu Yonggui, their platoon leader." He quickly ordered his men, "Put down your guns and get up to pay respects to Master Xiao."

  Xiao Ming bowed his hands in return: "Everyone is too polite, Wu Paichang, I don't know if this matter has caused any trouble today?"

  Wu Yonggui smiled wryly and said: "To be honest, there will definitely be trouble. After all, the dead are Japanese, this is not easy to explain!"

  Xiao Ming smiled and asked: "How many devils are there in your stronghold?"

  "Six! There are four here, and there's another one in the gun tower taking care of that wounded soldier."

  Xiao Ming thought for a moment, beckoned Wu Yonggui to come over, and said in a low voice: "If not, I'll go take care of those two devils too. If you don't like anyone, we can get rid of them together, and it will be clean."

  Wu Yonggui's eyes lit up, and he whispered to Xiao Ming: "In the stronghold, there is a deputy of our regiment. This guy is not a good thing, he deducts military pay, oppresses civilians, and does all kinds of evil things. The brothers are angry but dare not speak out. If you can handle him, I and the brothers will thank you. In the future, if Guizhu has any orders, we will follow them!"

  "Alright, let's do it this way. Bring your men and carry our people in, just say they're injured Japanese soldiers. You don't need to worry about the rest!" Xiao Ming's eyes flashed with a cold light, "But don't try to deceive me!"

  Wu Yonggui was startled and repeatedly said he didn't dare: "I've long heard of your methods, Guizhai. I wouldn't even lend you my brothers' guts, let alone myself. You can rest assured, old man!"

  Xiao Ming decided to go in person, but Shan Wawa strongly disagreed. He found three people himself and didn't even change his clothes, thinking the style was similar enough. They prepared to set off. Wu Yonggui picked up a Type 38 rifle from the ground and fired several shots into the air. He ordered his subordinates to pick up their guns and fire randomly for a while. Then, he found a few strong soldiers, had them carry Shan Wawa and others, and ran towards the stronghold.

  The people in the stronghold were completely unguarded against Wu Yonggui and others, opening the door to let them in. Hearing that the Imperial Army soldiers suffered heavy casualties, the Japanese army sergeant and the security team leader rushed over. Wu Yonggui winked at Shan Wazi, who stood up straight, pulled out a shotgun from behind his back, shouted "Fire", and fired two shots at the sergeant and the team leader. The team leader's subordinates saw that things were not going well, tried to run away, but were killed by three soldiers in a chaotic shooting.

  The mountain doll asked about the Japanese army's residence, and went upstairs with a bang. She saw a devil lying on the bed, his body wrapped in bandages, his eyes tightly closed, looking like he was only breathing out. She walked up to him, grabbed his head, and shook it violently from side to side. The Japanese soldier was already on his last breath, and couldn't withstand such rough handling. In a short while, he let out a final gasp and died.

  The mountain doll looked down and saw that their side had already controlled the situation, so they stretched out their body to explore outside, waving at Xiao Ming and others. Xiao Ming led his men into the stronghold.

  "Is that all?" Xiao Ming asked. Seeing Wu Yonggui nod, he continued to ask: "What's the contact here? How long does it usually take for people to arrive?"

  Wu Yonggui thought for a moment and said: "Lu Ancheng should be here in less than an hour, I don't know why we haven't arrived yet today, it's probably almost there!"

  "Mountain doll, bring some grenades, let's go!" Xiao Ming said to Wu Yonggui again: "Wu team leader, this is handed over to you. However, there is one thing we need to say first, although the Flying Tiger Fort is aimed at the Japanese, whoever does something that hurts heaven and reason, betrays our ancestors, we will not let him go either. Please ask Wu team leader to restrain his subordinates, it's good to meet each other when the time comes, goodbye!"

  Wu Yonggui repeatedly said he didn't dare and saw Xiao Ming and others out the door.

  Shanwaizi asked for instructions on the next action, Xiao Ming said: "Ambush on the highway, the little devils have not arrived for so long, they should be gathering manpower. Remember, we fight and run, don't get entangled in battle, do you all understand?" Some soldiers led the horses, everyone mounted their horses quickly and set up an ambush.

  The Japanese garrison commander, Lieutenant Takeuchi, in Lu'an City has been worried for the past few days. Since the Imperial Army ambushed the Flying Tigers, he hasn't had a good night's sleep. He thinks the Flying Tigers will not give up and that their target of revenge is definitely his own Lu'an City. Therefore, after the main force left, Takeuchi immediately ordered each unit to strengthen patrols. If they were attacked, they were absolutely not allowed to go out of the city to fight back. The day before yesterday, a patrol team was ambushed, and Takeuchi thought it had finally come. He ordered the soldiers' bodies to be brought back and retreated like a turtle, because he really didn't have many men on hand.

  Today, I received a report that one of our outposts was attacked. One soldier was seriously injured and four others went to pursue the enemy. Takeuchi knew it was a bad omen, but he couldn't ignore it either. If he did, not only would his colleagues laugh at him, but also the soldiers' morale would be affected. He sighed, gathered a small team of Japanese soldiers and a battalion of security troops, and reinforced the outpost.

  Takeuchi dispatched a company of vanguard troops, a battalion of security forces to clear the way, and he and the Japanese army split into three trucks in the middle. Along the way, they were extremely cautious, fearing that they would fall into an ambush by the enemy. It wasn't until they saw their own people moving around the artillery tower in the distance that they let out a sigh of relief and ordered the troops to speed up their advance.

  Just then, a loud gunshot was heard, and the Japanese machine gunner on top of the carriage fell down with his head tilted. Then, more than a dozen hand grenades flew over in mid-air, one after another, three waves in total, with deafening explosions echoing back and forth. Several of them accurately flew into the carriage, and the Japanese soldiers inside were blown to pieces before they could even dodge. Next, the sound of gunfire erupted from the side of the road, and another wave of bullets swept over, causing the soldiers to fall to the ground in a bid to avoid being hit, unable to return fire.

  Xiao Ming and others did not go far, but instead lay in ambush near the artillery tower. When the Japanese army relaxed its vigilance for a moment, they opened fire. After seeing that the soldiers had finished firing a burst of bullets, Xiao Ming shouted "Quickly withdraw" and then he and Shan Wazi fired their submachine guns while retreating. Before the Japanese could come to their senses, they mounted their horses and ran away without looking back.

  His subordinates asked if they should pursue, but Takeuchi waved his hand and ordered them to clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded. Don't bother with him: who would believe that a dozen or so people would dare to attack the base and his own three or four hundred men? If they fell into an ambush, it wouldn't be worth it.

  The Japanese army didn't seem to be pursuing them, so everyone reined in their horses. Xiao Ming said, "Alright, let's take a break here for now, we still have things to do later!"

  "Shall we give him a taste of his own medicine?"

  Xiao Ming smiled and said, "Good kid, you've grown clever! The enemy is over there making a fuss, it'll take at least half an hour for them to return. We'll head west from here and be on the highway in ten or so minutes. Let's hit them again and then we can wrap things up. Remember, hit and run!"

  Shanwa was very humble, and as soon as she had a question she didn't understand, she immediately asked Xiao Ming for guidance: "Commander, how did you choose this place?" The others were also puzzled, looking at Xiao Ming with eager eyes.

  Xiao Ming looked at Shan Wawa's silly appearance and sighed, "The old cat has figured out the situation here clearly. Moreover, since this place borders Qing Shui County, if the garrison of Lu An City doesn't come, it would be a loss of face. Do you understand?"

  Shan Wa Zi and other warriors nodded in unison, Xiao Ming thought that he had just praised him, but the kid started to pretend to be stupid. In fact, Shan Wa Zi was clever and intelligent, but after a change at home, he became silly and confused. Xiao Ming didn't expose him, but instead carefully guided him, hoping he could become independent soon. Shan Wa Zi also knew Xiao Ming's thoughts, but didn't want to leave Xiao Ming, so every day he just pretended to be stupid and muddled through the days.

  As expected, Takeuchi didn't think that they would encounter another ambush near Lu'an City, and the tactics were almost a repeat of earlier. This time, however, Takeuchi was thoroughly enraged, not only leading the pursuit himself but also ordering machine guns to be set up in the rear, scaring the security troops into a desperate charge forward, clinging tightly to Xiao Ming's group without letting go.

  Xiao Ming and others were at a disadvantage due to the range of their weapons, and they didn't open up a distance. Seeing that the enemy was chasing them urgently, Xiao Ming hastily ordered his men to throw hand grenades, using the smoke as cover to escape. It wasn't until they had almost used up all the hand grenades and explosives on them that they were barely able to shake off their pursuers, by which time they were all disheveled and in a sorry state.

  Takeuchi chased for a while, and began to mutter in his heart: At this time, he was getting farther and farther away from Road An City. What if the other side had an ambush? He was isolated and helpless. This small team of over ten people was so difficult to entangle. It was said that Feihu Fort had thousands of people! With a sudden burst of energy, his head cooled down a bit, and he ordered one company of the Security Army to continue searching, while he led the remaining troops back to the city.

  The sky gradually darkened, and the crowd easily got rid of the pursuing soldiers. After catching their breath, they found a hidden place to rest for a night. Xiao Ming was not discouraged and continued to search for the target everywhere the next day. However, those Japanese troops suddenly became cunning and hid in their strongholds, refusing to show up.

  After turning for a few days and seeing nothing gained, Xiao Ming had no choice but to order a retreat back to the mountain stronghold.