Volume 1 Chapter 1 Da Du Ying Hao (4)
The beards were overjoyed and forced him to go up the mountain to see the great master. The great master was so fat that he could crush a kang, and strong like a bell tower. This man had a strange habit, he didn't like to wield swords or staffs, but instead loved to compete with people in belly size.
The way of competition is unique, eating a bowl of meat and throwing the bowl at a two-foot-high wooden bucket with gold lacquer, drinking a tank of wine and pouring the tank into the wooden bucket.
Two men each occupied a table for eight, with a fierce and menacing expression on their faces. Chen Zizhong smiled and said a few words of courtesy, showing mercy to the defeated party.
He drank wine with a loud "gulugulu" sound, chewed meat with a "ba-ta-ba-ta" noise, his cheeks puffed out as he ate with reckless abandon, his eyes blazing with anger. But Chen Zizhong was different, his mouth moved swiftly without being annoying, like the sound of waves crashing against the shore, pouring wine and shouting toasts, each shout making one's ears ring, this meal made him eat with a swaggering air, killing intent emanating from him, so that outsiders couldn't see any sign of poverty or weakness, but rather seemed like a great general single-handedly welcoming a million enemies.
Two hours later, the wooden barrels of wine and food on the East Ocean were less than half full. Chen Zizhong's barrel was overflowing with wine and meat, but he didn't even run to the toilet once.
For the first time in his life, Chen Zizhong had a bowl of Wonton soup.
The Eastern Ocean was convinced, and Chen Zizhong wanted to stay with him, even thinking of forming a sworn brotherhood. Chen Zizhong had a strong desire for revenge against the Japanese devils, but the Eastern Ocean's methods also harassed civilians, causing chaos in nearby villages. With a soft heart, he couldn't bring himself to bully honest people and politely declined the Eastern Ocean's offer. The Eastern Ocean didn't want to use force, so he made an oath by pointing at the lamp, saying that Chen Zizhong would always have a place with him. Chen Zizhong was forced up the mountain by gunfire, but was sent down the mountain on horseback with great fanfare. Along the way, they encountered two black bears, and the bearded men drew their guns to shoot them. Chen Zizhong took the lead, grabbing the bearded man's large knife and charging forward, killing the two bears with a few swift cuts. He then skinned the bears, removed their gallbladders, and gave the beards to the Eastern Ocean as gifts, keeping the bear meat for himself. Chen Zizhong killed the bears with ease, skinning them with even greater skill, leaving the bearded men staring in awe, their respect and fear for him growing.
Returning to the county town, Chen Zizhong carried his mother and continued to flee south, performing the famous "land grab" of the Wild Army.
Xu Ke and three anti-Japanese soldiers were carrying sacks of steamed buns back to their secret camp on Lao Bai Mountain when a man, as fierce as a leopard, suddenly appeared from the woods. He used a thick branch to block their path and demand that each person hand over ten steamed buns in order to pass through. The anti-Japanese soldiers thought they had encountered a bandit and asked him which faction he belonged to and who his leader was. Chen Zizhong couldn't answer, but instead kept shouting for buns. Xu Ke saw that he was a poor man driven to desperation and invited him to join the anti-Japanese league. Chen Zizhong was so hungry that he only cared about eating buns. Xu Ke tossed him a sack full of steamed buns, and Chen Zizhong first stuffed several into his chest before devouring them like a wolf. In an instant, over ten large buns disappeared into his belly. The anti-Japanese soldiers were having a hard time, and steamed buns were a rare luxury. They tried to stop him, but he knocked them all down, piling them up on the ground like a tower of blocks, and sat on top of them, still eating nonstop. The soldiers cursed and shouted in anger, but Xu Ke just laughed and explained that the anti-Japanese league was different from bandits - they didn't bully civilians, only killed Japanese devils, and were an army of poor people. Chen Zizhong didn't believe him, saying that even if they fought against Japan, they still harmed ordinary people. Xu Ke patted his gun and said, "Have you ever seen any mountain stronghold bandits who let people pass through without taking their guns or food?" Chen Zizhong suddenly came to his senses, turned back to his old life, and joined the anti-Japanese league on White Head Mountain.
Years later, Lao Dongyang died an unjust death. The second master, Hou Fulu, took the throne. By then, Chen Zitong had already made a name for himself in the resistance league. Alone and penniless, he went up the mountain again, and with one meal, he won over more than 120 bearded men. From fighting against Japan to battling Chiang Kai-shek's army, not one of them deserted or betrayed him. Hou Fulu even voluntarily became his squad leader.
