Chapter 19 "What a weird taste of the devil!"

  The sky was just getting light, and Zhangshan was already drenched in sweat as he hurried home. As he approached the entrance to his courtyard, he suddenly saw a group of Japanese soldiers standing at attention, armed to the teeth. Zhangshan's eyes widened in shock, and he slowed down his pace, furrowing his brow in thought. As he reached the entrance to the courtyard, he found that it was also filled with Japanese soldiers, all armed and at attention. Kuroda stood at the entrance, staring intently at him, making Zhangshan even more tense.

  Changshan nervously bowed to Kuroda and forced a smile: "Good day, milord!"

  Kuroda looked at him coldly and Nagayama walked into the courtyard.

  Three or four Japanese soldiers sat on bamboo chairs in the yard, on the steps, some sat on the ground, they all stared at Changshan who walked by them with his head down and entered his mother's room with a frightened heart.

  In the room, Changshan's wife held Taiping on her lap and sat on the bed. Changshan's mother and Dongmei lowered their heads and squeezed onto the edge of the bed. Yanjing wore a military sword and paced back and forth in front of them.

  Qiūn uncle, who was standing aside, saw Changshan come in and exclaimed as if he had seen a lifesaver: "Changshan, where have you been? Two of the Taikun didn't return for the night, and Yamai team leader is looking for you to ask questions."

  Iwai stopped in his tracks, staring at Nagayama, and after a while, asked in Chinese: "You, which side are you on?"

  Changshan exclaimed with a trembling voice: "Captain, I was just on my way to the outpost to report to you, something big has happened!"

  Iwai: "You, speak slowly."

  Changshan cleared his throat and calmed down: "When it was almost dawn, I heard the dogs in the village barking loudly. I didn't feel at ease, so I went out to take a look. At the entrance of the village, I saw more than ten people with guns putting two taikun into sacks and throwing them into the river!"

  Iwai: "Where did those people go?"

  Changshan: "He went into the mountains."

  Iwai stared at Nagayama for a long time, suddenly pulled out his sword and cut off one corner of the table, furiously saying: "You, are you lying? Two Imperial Army soldiers, did you kill them?"

  Changshan Niang and Changshan Sao were both scared to tears.

  Changshan was so frightened that he hastily knelt down, pointing at his wife and children on the bed: "Captain, if it weren't for one of your cavalrymen who saved my sister-in-law in labor yesterday and sent her back home, my sister-in-law and son would not have survived! I haven't repaid this great kindness, how can I harm the imperial army..."

  Changshan Niang, Changshan daughter-in-law and Dongmei all nodded continuously.

  Seventh Uncle also accompanied with a smile: "Yes, captain, yesterday was my elder brother who came to pick up the birth, indeed, it was a knight who sent him back."

  Iwai puts away his sword: "You lead the way, go to the riverbank."

  Changshan hastily stood up: "Hey!"

  Changshan followed Iwai out of the house, and Iwai gave an order to Kuroda: "Go to the village entrance!"

  Hei Tian gathered his troops. Changshan Niang, Dongmei, and Qi Shu followed him out, Dongmei saw Hei Tian, recognized him, and was so scared that she quickly hid behind Changshan Niang.

  Changshan was taken away by the Japanese army and walked out of the village.

  Changshan Niang cried and said to Qi Shu: "Uncle, what can we do now?"

  Seventh Uncle was also at a loss: "Who did it after all? Isn't this causing trouble for our villagers? Auntie, your son hasn't come back yet, has he?"

  Changshan Niang and Dongmei hastily shook their heads in unison, saying: "No, no return."

  Seventh Uncle looked at them with suspicion.

  Changshan brought Iwai's squad to the riverbank at the village entrance, pointing to where the bodies were thrown and said to Iwai: "Captain, it's here."

  Kuroda ordered two Japanese soldiers to jump into the river and after a while, they pulled out two sacks.

  The burlap sack was untied, revealing the bodies of two Japanese soldiers. Iwai walked up close and took a good look, and it was indeed Maeda and Nakamura. He cursed and pointed at Nagayama, saying to Kuroda: "Get going! Let him lead the way! We must catch those people!"

  Iwai finished speaking and rode his horse, Kuroda pushed Nagayama and led the troops to rush into the mountains.

  In the dense forest of Xiangbei, thick fog filled the air. Old Yang, Old Cao and Zhou Guangren walked through the waist-deep grass, cautiously searching their way forward.

  Zhou Guangren walked slowly at the back, looking around nervously, when suddenly a snake crawled onto his foot. Zhou Guangren was so scared that he didn't dare to move, and quickly whispered for help to Old Yang who was walking in front of him: "Old Yang..."

  Lao Yang and Lao Cao stopped in their tracks and turned around to look at Zhou Guangren.

  Old Yang: "What's wrong?"

  Zhou Guangren hinted with his eyes towards the ground: "Snake—"

  Old Yang and Old Cao looked down and saw that the snake was crawling over Zhou Guangren's feet and into the grass.

  Old Yang sneered: "A single snake has scared you into this state."

  Lao Cao slung the Czech light machine gun over his shoulder: "You go back and report to Director Sun, tell him we didn't discover any enemy situation, but then we found a snake, haha!"

  Old Yang hurriedly gave Old Cao a punch on the shoulder: "Keep your voice down! You'd better change this habit of having such a loud mouth, sounds travel far in the mountains!"

  Old Cao covered his mouth and nodded slightly.

  Old Yang: "Hurry up and go!"

  The three continued on their way forward. Zhou Guangren looked around and asked with some concern, "Old Yang, the fog is too thick, won't we get lost?"

  Old Yang: "Less nonsense, just follow me."

  Zhou Guangren quickly walked a few steps and ran between them.

  Old Yang walked in front with a Thompson submachine gun, suddenly he seemed to smell something, he stopped and sniffed the air with his nose.

  Lao Cao walked forward and curiously asked: "What's that smell?"

  Old Yang had an inscrutable expression: "There's a strange smell."

  Lao Cao: "What's that weird smell?"

  Old Yang: "It's the devil's strange taste."

  Zhou Guangren sneered: "Can you smell the stench of a ghost?"

  Old Yang continued sniffing in the air with his nose.

  Lao Cao: "What does 'ghost' taste like?"

  Lao Yang thought for a moment: "It's hard to say, it's the smell of rotten eggs and raw fish mixed together. Lao Cao, open the insurance! It won't hurt to be more careful, a careful sailor sails for ten thousand years."

  Old Yang said as he opened the safety of his submachine gun, Old Cao also held the light machine gun on his shoulder and opened the safety.

  The three of them continued to move forward cautiously, Zhou Guangren becoming increasingly tense, always keeping himself between Old Yang and Old Cao.

  Old Yang smelled the real smell of the devils.

  In the depths of a dense forest shrouded in fog, Yoshimura led his squad of Japanese soldiers struggling to make their way through.

  Yoshimura wiped the sweat from his face and ordered the squad leader: "Take a break for a while."

  The exhausted squadron leader was full of grievances and said with a tone of dissatisfaction: "Staff Officer, we've been searching on the mountain for over ten days, it's like looking for a needle in the ocean. It seems that your sister is more evil than good, shall we head back first——"

  "Bastard! Yami is still alive! We must find her! Do you dare disobey my orders?"

  The squad leader hastily stood at attention and replied loudly: "Yes!" He turned around and ordered the soldiers, "Rest in place!"

  After dispatching the sentry, the squad leader sat down with the other soldiers, some of whom were muttering under their breath:

  "What an arrogant guy!"

  "Isn't this what all strategists are like?!"

  "The boxed lunch is almost gone."

  Everyone soon fell fast asleep.

  Yoshimura couldn't sleep, his heart thinking of Yumi. He walked alone to a big tree and took out a yellowed family photo and Yumi's letter from his upper pocket. The photo was a group portrait of Yoshimura, his parents, wife, daughter, younger sister Yumi.

  Yoshimura looked at the photo of Yumi and muttered: "Yumi, I won't be able to explain to my parents if I can't find you!"

  At this time, Ya Mei was lying on the bed, thinking of her brother in her heart, "Brother, where are you now? You must be anxious and looking for me everywhere."

  At this time, Old Man Peng came in with a bowl of medicine: "Second sister, drink the medicine."

  Yāměi: "Eh."

  Yamei sat up and took over the medicine bowl, drank the medicine, and Old Man Peng nodded in relief and went out.

  Lao Yang, Lao Cao and Zhou Guangren were walking in the thick fog when they suddenly heard Japanese voices coming from nearby.

  Old Cao was about to speak when Old Yang hastily covered his mouth and whispered: "I heard it, it's the devils."

  Three people crouched on the ground, Old Yang turned back, gestured to Zhou Guangren to stay in place, he and Old Cao crawled forward, Zhou Guangren trembled with fear as he lay on the ground.

  Old Yang and Old Cao were crawling forward cautiously, when suddenly through the thick fog, Old Yang saw the legs of a Japanese sentry right in front of him. The sentry also spotted Old Yang, who swiftly pulled out his dagger and pounced on the sentry, cutting his throat. The sentry let out a blood-curdling scream, and the Japanese soldiers who heard the commotion all stood up.

  Zhou Guangren looked forward in surprise.

  Soon, the Japanese soldiers rushed up, and Old Yang and Old Cao quickly stood up, firing their machine guns and submachine guns at the same time, knocking down several Japanese soldiers who were rushing forward.

  The other Japanese soldiers quickly lay down in the grass and fired at us with their rifles.

  The bullet flew over Zhou Guangren's head, scaring him into hugging his head and crouching in the deep grass.

  Upon hearing the gunfire, Yoshimura hastily put the letter and photograph into his pocket, drew out his pistol and rushed over to direct the soldiers' fire.

  Old Yang shouted loudly at Old Cao: "Withdraw quickly!"

  Old Yang and Old Cao took off in a sprint, running past Zhou Guangren's side, soon disappearing into the thick fog.

  Zhou Guangren slowly lifted his head and looked around, only to find that Old Yang and Old Cao had already disappeared, leaving him alone.

  In the thick fog, Zhou Guangren crouched down and stood up, turned around a few times, and lost his direction. He ran for two steps in a panic, but was tripped by something. When he sat up to take a look, he found that what had tripped him was a Japanese soldier's corpse. It was only then that he realized there were Japanese soldiers searching and advancing in the waist-deep grass around him. Knowing he had run in the wrong direction, he hastily lay down in the grass and didn't dare get up.

  Ya Mei, who was lying in bed, heard the gunshot and sat up with a start. She rushed out of the thatched cottage and looked towards where the shot came from. Peng Lao Die also ran out of the house, looking worriedly into the distance.

  Changshan led the soldiers of Iwai's squad in a search through the mountains, and upon hearing gunfire, Iwai hastily drew his pistol and ordered the soldiers: "Quick!"

  Zhang Yu, who was hurrying back to his unit, also heard the gunfire and quickened his pace.

  Sun Zanmou and Qin Zhīyǒng, leading the scouting troops, also heard the gunfire. Sun Zanmou ordered the soldiers to "advance at a run!"

  At this time, Old Yang and Old Cao came running towards them, panting heavily.

  Old Yang: "Sun advisor, there are devils in front!"

  "How many men?"

  Old Yang: "The fog is too thick, can't see clearly."

  "Hey! Where's the second Japanese soldier?"

  Lao Yang looked back and asked Lao Cao: "Where is the second devil?"

  Old Cao shook his head: "Didn't see it."

  Sun's advisor pulled down on the sling of the submachine gun hanging from his chest and shouted at the soldiers behind him: "Disperse!"

  The warriors quickly dispersed their formation.

  In the thick fog, Yoshimura led his squad soldiers to search forward in the waist-deep grass. At this time, Zhou Guangren had changed into the upper garment and hat of a Japanese soldier's corpse, but he didn't have time to change his pants. He pressed down on the brim of his hat and held a Type 38 rifle, blending in with the Japanese troops.

  Suddenly, gunfire erupted and several Japanese soldiers in front fell down after being hit.

  Zhou Guangren hastily hid behind a large tree.

  Sun Zhenmou directed the soldiers to shoot at the Japanese soldiers who had entered the encirclement, and the soldiers' Thompson submachine guns fired dense bullets. Old Yang and Old Cao swept the enemy with machine guns, and the Japanese soldiers were knocked down in an instant.

  Other Japanese soldiers shouted "Banzai! Banzai!" and charged forward.

  Zhou Guangren hid behind a large tree, shouting "Long live! Long live!" in Japanese, and took two hand grenades from his waist, throwing them into the crowd of Japanese soldiers who were shooting straight, killing seven or eight Japanese soldiers.

  At this time, Yoshimura ran to the back of the big tree where Zhou Guangren was hiding. Zhou Guangren was startled and Yoshimura fired his pistol while waving his military sword, shouting "Charge!" to the Japanese soldiers.

  Only four or five surviving Japanese soldiers stood up and charged, and the desperate Yoshimura hastily took out the "troop deployment map" and other documents from his file bag, and then took out a match from his pocket and squatted on the ground to burn the maps and documents.

  Zhou Guangren quietly made his way behind Jixiang and raised the gun butt, fiercely smashing it into Jixiang's head...

  Qin Zhiyong and scouts of the reconnaissance platoon killed the last few Japanese soldiers.

  Suddenly, a shout came from the front: "Director Sun, Captain Qin, stop fighting! Stop fighting! The devils have all been killed, it's me! I'm Zhou Guangren!"

  Qin Zhiyong was shocked: "It's a Japanese devil! Don't shoot!"

  "Cease fire!"

  The warriors all stopped firing, and Old Yang, Old Cao, and Huang Xintian also looked forward in surprise.

  "Is it the Japanese devils?"

  Behind the big tree, Zhou Guangren tied up Yoshimura who was knocked unconscious with a rope while loudly answering: "It's me! Don't shoot!"

  Qin Zhiyong: "Alright! Come out!"

  Zhou Guangren threw away the Japanese military cap on his head, holding Kijima's turtle shell box in his hand, with Kijima's military sword hanging from his waist, and walked out from behind a big tree with a spirited appearance. However, he had only taken a few steps when his leg was caught by the sword hanging from his waist, causing Zhou Guangren to stumble and almost fall over.

  Sun Zanmou, Qin Zhīyǒng and others all rushed up to welcome him.

  Zhou Guangren sang a folksong from his hometown with a smile: "Here comes the Japanese devils, their knives hitting our thighs."

  The crowd surrounded Zhou Guangren in the middle. Sun Zanmou said to Qin Zhongyong: "Be careful to search for the remaining enemy."

  Qin Zhiyong: "Yes."

  Qin Zhiyong led several soldiers to clean up the battlefield.

  Old Yang pretended to be anxious: "Ah, Second Ghost, where have you gone? Old Cao and I are worried to death, looking for you everywhere."

  Old Cao echoed: "Yes, look everywhere."

  "Never mind, once you two encounter devils, you run faster than rabbits."

  Old Yang awkwardly smiled: "Hehe, it's an emergency, in that kind of situation, who can take care of whom."

  Old Cao mediated: "Second Ghost, you're lucky and have a great life, I knew you'd be fine. Was it you who threw the hand grenade?"

  Zhou Guangren was very proud: "If it wasn't me, who else could have done it? I even knocked out a Japanese military officer."

  Sun's advisor was delighted and asked: "Where?"

  "He's been tied up by me."

  "Tell me earlier! Hurry up and take me there!"

  Zhou Guangren led everyone to the back of the big tree, where Qin Zhiyong and several soldiers were also standing. Kijima, bound by a rope, lay on the ground with blood flowing from his head, and he groaned.

  "Great! Still alive! Well done! Second Ghost, you get a merit. Quickly bandage him."

  A warrior took out a first-aid kit and bandaged Yoshimura.

  Qin Zhiyong gave a thumbs up to Zhou Guangren, who smiled complacently.

  Sun's advisor picked up the "troop deployment diagram" and documents from the ground and took a look.

  Lao Cao patted Zhou Guangren's shoulder: "Alright, Second Ghost, you're really praiseworthy!"

  "Fortunately I didn't run with you guys."

  Lao Yang took the "turtle box" from Zhou Guangren's hand, admiring it lovingly. He looked at the gun and then at Yoshimura, asking Zhou Guangren with a mixture of doubt and suspicion: "Did you really knock him out?"

  "Are you still not convinced?"

  Old Yang looked at Yoshimura who had fainted and muttered: "This kid didn't hit the tree, did he?"

  Old Cao nodded and deliberately said: "Uh-huh, like."

  Angered, Zhou Guangren snatched "turtle box" back from Old Yang's hands.

  Old Yang and Old Cao both burst out laughing.

  Sun's advisor crouched beside him, carefully examining the "troop deployment diagram" and documents. Qin Zhiyong asked in a low voice, "Is it useful?"

  Sun's advisor nodded excitedly: "Assemble the troops, return to the headquarters!"

  Ya Mei had a bamboo basket on her back and a machete at her waist, running quickly through the dense forest.

  She suddenly heard voices not far away, and hastily bowed down, gently parting the grass in front of her eyes to see a fully armed troop walking along the forest path.

  In the team, Old Cao and Old Yang were still teasing Zhou Guangren.

  Lao Cao: "...... Second Ghost, why did you run over to the enemy's side?"

  "In a desperate situation, one can come up with clever ideas. If you don't enter the tiger's lair, how can you catch its cubs?"

  Old Yang: "Stop bullshitting, are you out of your mind?"

  Lao Cao: "Haha! Or maybe he wants to be a traitor and ran over on purpose."

  Many warriors also burst out laughing.

  Zhou Guangren's face turned red with anger: "Look at me making contributions, are you all jealous?!"

  Ya Mei looked at the team with suspicion as they walked by, suddenly she discovered that there was a bound Japanese military officer in the middle of the team. She took a closer look and recognized it was her brother, Yoshimura, and couldn't help but be shocked.

  Sun's advisor carried on his back the file bag seized from Ji Village, holding the documents and "troop deployment map" while carefully walking and looking at them.

  Ya Mei stared at the file bag on Sun's back and the map in his hand, thinking nervously.

  Old Yang walked out of the team and went to the grass by the roadside. Old Cao said: "Old Yang, what are you going to do?"

  Old Yang head also did not turn around: "Go and relieve yourself."

  Ya Mei watched as Old Yang walked towards the bushes, and when she saw the machine gun on his shoulder, her eyes lit up.

  Sun Zimou looked at it and said excitedly to Qin Zhīyǒng: "I didn't expect the task to be completed so smoothly! Qin Pai Zhang, this intelligence is very valuable!"

  In the grass by the roadside, Ya Mei slowly pulled out a machete from her waist and quietly approached Old Yang who was urinating...