Chapter Eighteen

  After leaving Yong'an City, they rushed south for twenty or thirty miles. Xiao Ming ordered the troops to rest and let the horses take a break. Da Long walked over and whispered to Xiao Ming, "Second Master, my home is just up ahead. I'd like to go back and take a look, but I don't know..."

  "Are you going back yourself?" Xiao Ming asked.

  "Alright, I'll head back myself. If anything happens in the future, please take care of Little Tiger for me."

  Xiao Ming understood, hahaha laughed and said: "Bring the Flying Tiger team, also take the newly confiscated howitzer, give you three hours, is that enough? Alright, hurry up, be careful."

  After Da Long led the men away, Xiao Ming came to the car and hadn't had a chance to see what was on it these past few days. Zhou Yongnian and the soldiers guarding the car were smoking and chatting, someone found Japanese cigarettes in the big truck and shared them with the soldiers.

  Zhou Yongnian saw Xiao Ming and hastily greeted him: "Xiao... Commander is here, want a cigarette?"

  Xiao Ming smiled and shook his head, saying: "Don't be polite, you're welcome to stay. By the way, Old Zhou, how about we have a chat?"

  "Alright, where shall we go?"

  "Right here, brothers get together and chat, what do you all think?" Xiao Ming smiled.

  Everyone was busy saying, "Good! Brothers have a lot of things to ask you." These national army men had been suspecting that they were dreaming for the past few days. Those invincible Japanese troops were actually beaten so badly that they were left searching for their teeth on the ground. If it weren't for what they saw with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it even if they were beaten to death. They wanted to ask how it was done, so they quickly found a place for Xiao Ming to sit down.

  Xiao Ming glanced at everyone and smiled: "I suppose brothers all know our identity? Don't be restrained, just say what you want to say."

  A soldier plucked up his courage and asked: "Hey, Xiao Dangjia, how come you guys went to fight the little devils and were even more fierce than the regular army?"

  Xiao Ming smiled and said, "Our big boss is a regimental commander from the Northeast Army. On September 18th, he disobeyed military orders and fought against the Japanese army, then drifted to this place and became a bandit. He hates the Japanese deeply and hopes to return to the Northeast one day. Therefore, we are completely following the military system. If you don't believe me, you can go ask around. Our Flying Tiger Fort is famous far and wide as a righteous outlaw, with strict rules in the fort, never harassing civilians or good merchants, only dealing with evil people!"

  Among everyone's applause, Zhou Yongnian spoke up: "In my opinion, Xiao Dangjia is probably not an ordinary person!"

  Xiao Ming hadn't even had time to respond when Shan Wawa said with a pout, "That's right, our second master is from abroad and the Flying Tigers were personally trained by him. What do you think?" The Flying Tigers had always been following the motorcade, and their excellent individual quality made everyone especially admire them. Upon hearing that this elite team was from Xiao Ming's hands, they were filled with admiration.

  Zhou Yongnian thought to himself that this Xiao Ming was indeed not ordinary, but he didn't know why he had become a bandit, it was really a pity. Xiao Ming seemed to see through his thoughts and asked with a smile: "Commander Zhou has something on his mind, don't hesitate to speak out and let's hear it." Zhou Yongnian hesitated for a moment before saying: "After returning to the mountain stronghold, will Master Xiao really let us go?"

  "Of course, and I'd like to thank you brothers again for your great help!" Xiao Ming glanced at the soldiers in the distance, and his tone changed. "However, with the frequent troop movements and chaotic battlefield, it's not easy for you to find your old unit. The most likely outcome is that you'll be absorbed into another unit, I'm afraid..." Xiao Ming stopped mid-sentence.

  Zhou Yongnian and the others were all old soldiers, naturally able to hear the implicit meaning in Xiao Ming's words. If they really went to another unit, charging at the forefront of the battle, retreating to cover, it would be a cannon fodder. The crowd fell silent for a moment.

  Xiao Ming smiled lightly and said: "Wherever we go, we eat grain and fight devils. If you don't mind, stay in our mountain stronghold. I, Xiao Ming, will absolutely treat you as my own brothers!"

  Everyone had a good impression of Xiao Ming, who was at the forefront during the charge and covered the rear during the retreat. If you followed such an officer, it would be a blessing. Zhou Yongnian sighed and said that his brothers should think about it again. Xiao Ming nodded and walked towards Ma Liu.

  Ma Liu stood guard with two others over the three vehicles, not moving an inch. The cars were loaded with goods from Yong'an City. Seeing Xiao Ming walk over, Ma Liu quickly stood at attention and greeted him: "Second Master, why aren't you sleeping for a while?"

  Xiao Ming laughed and scolded him: "You damn well stop flattering, you little brat. If you make progress, I won't have to waste my breath." Xiao Ming had unknowingly learned how to scold people since he went up the mountain stronghold, and was getting better and better at it.

  Ma Liu didn't have a bit of temper, nodded and bowed, almost with a flattering smile: "Yes, yes, the master's teachings are that after going back, I will definitely train well, and in the future, you old man just sit and watch."

  Xiao Ming cursed with a smile and said: "Cut the crap, what did the Japanese bring?"

  Ma Liu Mei opened his eyes and laughed, excitedly saying: "This time we've really struck it rich! On the car there are shells, bullets, gasoline, hand grenades and guns. On the horse cart there are quilts, cotton-padded jackets, cotton shoes, canned goods, biscuits... and some things I don't recognize. Damn it, if only I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have gone to loot from under the devils' feet, stinky and smelly, just smelling it makes me want to vomit."

  Xiao Ming smiled and said: "You're so despicable, you even strip the clothes off a dead person. However, this war will last for who knows how many years, it's better to prepare more things." Ma Liu nodded repeatedly, completely convinced by this second master.

  Xiao Ming went to the scattered soldiers again and chatted with them for a while. During his time in Flying Eagle Fort, he heard from the soldiers of the Automobile Regiment that Xiao Ming had single-handedly taken on over 100 Japanese cavalrymen after being cut off, and these scattered soldiers all thought they could take him down with just one company. Unexpectedly, five people took down an entire Japanese cavalry squadron in three days and retreated unscathed - it was simply unbelievable. Xiao Ming became a legendary figure in their hearts, and they all came forward to express their admiration for him. Seeing that the soldiers' emotions had stabilized, Xiao Ming slightly relaxed and dozed off in the car for a while.

  Da Long led the Flying Tiger Team, rushing all the way, and arrived home in more than half an hour. When they arrived at the gate of the rich man's mansion, Da Long ordered his men to set up machine guns and mortars. The rich man thought he had encountered a military disaster and sent someone out to negotiate, preparing to give them some money to get rid of them. But when he saw clearly that it was Zhang Da Long, he knew things couldn't be settled peacefully, so he hurried back to report to his master.

  The rich man was frightened out of his wits, thinking to himself when this young fellow had become a soldier. He climbed up the wall and repeatedly begged for mercy. The big dragon gritted his teeth and said: "Injustice has its source, debt has its owner, bring out all your wealth! I only want your life, otherwise, I'll kill your whole family!"

  The landlord also calmed down and said loudly: "Zhang Dalong, you are the government's army, how can you shoot at civilians? Which unit are you from? I will report you to the county!"

  The big dragon coldly laughed twice, shouting: "Go to your mother's army, I'm a bandit, the good man of Feihu Fort! Brothers, open fire!" Although the 60 mortars had a bit less power, they were more than enough for such a mansion. The walls were quickly blasted down and the Flying Tigers rushed in.

  The cannon fired, the courtyard was in chaos with chickens flying and dogs jumping, people were thrown into disarray. The wealthy owner's leg was crushed by the collapsed wall, Da Long pulled him out, his eyes red with rage, gritting his teeth saying: "You have your day too!" The wealthy owner was quite bold: "Alright, one person does something and one person takes responsibility, take the money and let my family go, what do you say?" Da Long nodded: "Quickly call them to bring things out, leave one child behind and I'll kill one person."

  The valuable things were quickly loaded onto the vehicle, and Da Long ordered the chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep to be driven on as well. He himself dragged the wealthy landlord to the village entrance, where he killed him with one knife. Facing the sky, he knocked his head several times: "Dad, I've avenged you!" Wiping away tears, he led the team on their way.

  When he saw Xiao Ming, Da Long's eyes were filled with hot tears and he was about to kneel down. Xiao Ming pulled him back and said seriously: "What are you doing? A man's knees have gold underneath. Besides, this is our duty, the master has already said that we will find an opportunity to avenge your hatred, if you want to thank someone, thank the master." He looked up at the things Da Long and others brought back, smiled and said: "Good job, you've made progress, you know how to live now!" Da Long's face turned red. Xiao Ming gave the order: Set off, tonight when we set up camp, kill pigs and sheep, improve our lives!

  The journey went smoothly afterwards, with both armies focusing on the two sides of the railway. The bandits didn't dare to provoke the soldiers, and Xiao Ming took advantage of the situation to gather many scattered soldiers. By the time they arrived at the mountain stronghold, there were about 400-500 people, including a lieutenant colonel.

  The lieutenant colonel, Lin Xiūqīng, was a combat staff officer who had been left on the front lines to direct the retreat after his superior officer fled. The regiment fought alone for half a day and almost had its rear cut off by the enemy, but Lin Xiūqīng led his soldiers in a desperate breakout and managed to avoid complete annihilation.

  Lin Xiūqīng was disheartened and led his remaining hundred or so men aimlessly through the mountains until they stumbled upon Xiao Ming's convoy, which was camped out and feasting on roasted beef and mutton. Lin Xiūqīng's troops initially thought it was a Japanese army and prepared to launch a surprise attack to obtain some food and weapons. However, when they approached closer, they discovered that it was actually Chinese soldiers.

  Fortunately, they did not engage in combat, as the Flying Tigers had already snuck up behind them and were on the verge of attacking due to a misunderstanding. After confirming that they were friendly forces, Lin Xiūqīng met with Xiao Ming, briefly explained their situation, and accepted his invitation to join him for dinner. Xiao Ming also arranged for them to have tents.

  The next day, after breakfast, Lin Xiūqīng led his troops to follow Xiao Ming at his insistence.

  As they passed by Er Long Ling, Xiao Ming felt as if someone was lurking in the shadows. His heart skipped a beat and he ordered Da Long to be on high alert. When they arrived at Hei Feng Xia, Xiao Ming said to everyone: "We're almost home now, you all take a rest while I go ahead and greet my brother."

  Wang Jinlong received the news and arrived early at Heifengxia to welcome him. At first glance, he was surprised by the long queue, but when he saw Xiao Ming walking towards him, he was both shocked and delighted. He stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Ming's shoulders with his hands, and exclaimed: "Ah, I said brother, you're finally back! It's been almost half a month, I thought I'd die of worry!" Xiao Ming smiled, but didn't say anything.

  Wang Jinlong let go of his hand, looked him up and down, and saw that Xiao Ming's beard was messy, his eyes were sunken, and he had lost weight. He couldn't help but feel a little heartache: "I'm telling you, brother, if there's anything like this again in the future, you have to let me go. If you exhaust yourself, what will happen to the mountain stronghold?"

  Xiao Ming smiled and said, "Big brother, I'm fine! But there's something I want to discuss with you." Wang Jinlong said casually, "What's the big deal? Just say it!"

  Xiao Ming pointed to the troops behind him and said: "These are all defeated soldiers I took in on the way, I want to keep them in the mountain stronghold, big brother what do you think...?"

  Wang Jinlong waved his hand and said, "You make the decision, let them go up the mountain, those who stay are their own brothers, don't force those who don't want to stay, let them rest for a few days before leaving!"

  Xiao Ming was overjoyed, and brought Lin Xiuzhen, Zhou Yongnian and others to introduce them one by one. Wang Jindong was originally from a military background, and seeing these people also had some familiarity, they exchanged a few pleasantries. Wang Jindong said: "Alright, let's talk later, the mountain stronghold has already boiled hot water, wait for you brothers to wash up and change clothes, I'll treat you!" After finishing speaking, he led the troops up the mountain stronghold.