Chapter Thirty-Five: Unfathomable Depth

  Incalculably profound

  The newcomer was Zhang Liugen from the cooking squad. Zhang Liugen gently pushed aside Yezi Chun's gun with his hand and said, "Be careful, don't misfire. I'm here to deliver medicine for the deputy commander. No ill intentions."

  "Qiguo coldly said: 'Eavesdropping on our conversation, and you say there's no malice? Are you taking me for a fool? Since you know our secrets, do you still want to get out of here alive?'"

  Zhang Liugen accompanied by a smile said: "I didn't hear anything, just made a joke, don't blame me, Deputy Mo."

  Ye Zi Chun asked: "You really didn't hear anything? You were just joking?"

  "Shut up, Ye Tepai," Qi Guo snorted. "Don't listen to his nonsense. Our secret has been leaked, and if we let him go, we won't survive till tomorrow. Kill him now, and I'll gather the troops to break out of the camp immediately. Even fleeing to the mountains is better than dying in this godforsaken place."

  Zhang Liugen suddenly smiled and said with a bit of regret, "Becoming a bandit is not a good way out. It's also a waste of the deputy captain's excellent skills. Today, the deputy captain was wrongly punished, which is really chilling. That's why I secretly came to deliver medicine for the deputy captain. I also deeply feel that it's not worth it for the deputy captain."

  Qizhou seemed to have put down his heart, he let out a long sigh and said: "I also deeply know that becoming a bandit will eventually be despised by people. But I now have no way to retreat. I resent Huang Min, who regards the lives of us brothers as worthless. He did not measure his strength, insisted on fighting against the Japanese army, and wasted the lives of his brothers. What a pity, what a pity."

  Ye Zi sprang up and shook his head, saying: "Now it's neither war nor retreat, alas, what to do?"

  Zhang Liugen smiled wickedly and said: "Don't pretend, I heard everything earlier. The Japanese have come to persuade you to surrender, isn't this a path to wealth and glory?"

  Qiguo's eyes lit up and he said, "What did you say?"

  Zhang Liugen said with a hint of pride: "Since the Japanese army entered China, they have been unstoppable, and all heroes have flocked to them. If the deputy commander doesn't want to surrender to the Japanese, he will be rich and honorable in the future, and his wife and children will be protected, isn't that a wonderful thing?"

  Qiguo sighed dejectedly: "It's good that it's good, but carrying the name of a Han traitor, I'm afraid I'll be despised by the world."

  Zhang Liugen said: "Since ancient times, it has been said that 'the winner is the king and the loser is the thief.' As long as the imperial army takes down Lingfeng, when it comes to rewarding achievements, who cares what kind of person you are? It's said that a good bird chooses its tree to perch on, where will you go and where will you stay? The two officials should think carefully about this."

  Ye Zi Chun shook his head and said, "I don't think it's a good idea. After all, we are soldiers of the Nationalist Party, although we are dissatisfied with Huang Min's arbitrary behavior, but that is our own family affair. If we surrender to the Japanese, I'm afraid we won't be able to enter our ancestors' tombs in the future and will be rejected by our clansmen. Let's think about it again."

  Zhang Liugen smiled and said, "Special Envoy Ye, it's a good thing to be cautious, but if the opportunity slips away, it will be difficult to find another one in the future. The Japanese are now eyeing Lingfeng with greed, who knows when they'll suddenly attack? If that happens, we might end up as prisoners of war."

  Qiguo slammed his fist on the bedside, and the intense movement pulled at his wound. He gritted his teeth and said through clenched jaws: "Damn it! What Chinese or Japanese, whoever can benefit me is my kin." Suddenly, he glared at Zhang Liugen and said: "Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you a spy sent by the enemy to probe my bottom line?"

  Ye Zi Chun also became tense, he raised his gun again and said: "Be honest, was it Huang Min who sent you?"

  Another man came in from outside and said: "You are only afraid of the camp commander, but you don't fear me?"

  Qiguo couldn't care about the wound on his butt, got up and shouted loudly: "Guards, guards!"

  The man who came was Second Lieutenant Geng Xi-wang, and he brought two guards with him. The guards aimed their guns at General Qi Guo-jiang and Ye Zi-chun. Geng Xi-wang smiled slyly and said: "Deputy Regimental Commander, don't shout anymore. Your guards have already been invited to drink elsewhere by my men. Even if you shout your throat hoarse, it's useless. I've always felt that you're like a traitor who betrays his country, and today I see that indeed you are. But I didn't expect Ye, the special envoy, to also betray and defect - this is quite unexpected. Gentlemen, do you want to meet with the Regimental Commander or be executed on the spot for treason?"

  Qiguo said angrily: "You this yellow Mian's dog, Laozi today fell down, have the ability to kill Laozi now, otherwise Laozi will not let you go."

  Ye Zi Chun looked up and said with infinite emotion: "First, the trick was to lure someone into a trap, then catch them in the act, and seize both the person and the goods. Huang Min, you've really gone to great lengths to eliminate your rivals."

  Geng Xiwang smiled gloomily and said: "Deputy, you were originally in the same breath as the regiment commander. Why are you opposing him today?"

  Qiguo sneered, "He's arrogant and disobedient, often violating military orders, treating his comrades' lives as worthless. Following him will only lead to a tragic end. You, with the surname Geng, don't be smug either. I'll be your future downfall." After finishing speaking, he reached out to grab the guard's gun. However, due to his injuries, his movements were severely hindered. Not only did he fail to snatch the gun, but he also aggravated his wound, causing him to groan in pain.

  "Brother Qi, I'm just a fish on the chopping board, about to be slaughtered at will. Save your energy, the road to the underworld is still long ahead. Don't end up not even making it there?"

  Geng Xiwang suddenly changed his expression, and with a laugh said: "Deputy Qi, seeing you being punished, I'm also feeling quite distressed. For so many years we've been working tirelessly for Huang Min, what have we gotten? Watching our old brothers leave one by one, it's heart-wrenching. Now we're going to use you as a scapegoat, I really feel it's not worth it! Now I'm thinking of changing my allegiance too, does Deputy Qi have any good connections?"

  His transformation left the Qi state momentarily stunned, and the Qi general looked at Geng Xiwang in confusion, saying: "You, what do you mean? Are you playing another trick? What good path could I have?"

  Geng Xiwang said with a smile: "Deputy Qi, don't cheat me, I just heard it outside the window, the Japanese sent you a letter, what's written on it? Is it a surrender? If Deputy Qi has a good place to go, don't forget to bring your brother along."

  Qiguo will say in a bad mood: "You are like a chameleon, sometimes east and sometimes west, confusing me. Tell me, what is your intention? How can I trust you?"

  Geng Xi Wang smiled and said, "Deputy Commander Qi, if I were really a Huang surname person, would I still be chatting with you here? I would have tied you up with a rope long ago and sent you to the Huang surname's place to ask for credit. What do you think?"

  Ye Zi Chun asked with a slanting gaze: "What do you really want? You were so bold and stirring in front of Huang Min, advocating for resistance against Japan. Just now, you said we should surrender to the enemy and betray our country, and that we should be executed on the spot. Now, you want us to help you out. What exactly do you want?"

  Zhang Liugen suddenly spoke up: "What do you mean? Geng Lianzhang and I want to surrender to the imperial army, to enjoy endless wealth and glory. Just now I heard you mention a letter from the imperial army, which must be closely related to the imperial army. When the time comes for Vice Qi to rebel, so I hope you can take us with you."

  Qiguo let out a sigh of relief, as if he had finally put down his tense mood. He slowly lay back on the bed, paused for a moment and said: "Letter, I did receive one. They want me to launch an uprising in the city, to coordinate with the Japanese army's attack from the direction of Linping. Although I'm just a deputy commander, I only have a single company under my command. By the time it starts, I'm afraid I'll be wiped out before I even make a move. How easy can it be?"

  Zhang Liugen flashed a cunning glance, saying: "What's difficult about this? As long as the deputy commander of the Qiying camp is willing to surrender to our great Japanese Imperial Army, when you make your move, there will naturally be someone to respond from within."

  Ye Zi Chun and Qi Guo were stunned, Ye Zi Chun tentatively asked: "Are you Japanese?"

  Geng Xiwang pointed at Zhang Liugen and said: "He is Lieutenant General Honda Masaji of the Imperial Japanese Army, the leader of the 'Fishing Old Man Action Plan'. You two want to surrender to the Japanese, no need to go far, with me, old Geng, we can eliminate Huang Min together. The deputy commander of the regiment is the highest commander of Lingfeng, when the time comes, the deputy commander will call out and hundreds will respond. Cooperating with the Imperial Army to clear obstacles and point directly at Fengling Mountain, uncovering the secrets of Fengling Mountain. Wouldn't that be delightful?"

  Qiguo turned his head to one side, humming a disdainful tune and saying: "You few people can also make things happen? The Fisherman's Action Plan is a joke."

  Geng Xiwang said with a smile: "In this regard, Vice Qiying can rest assured that Lieutenant Honda and seven Japanese warriors have been lurking in the cooking squad of my second company, ready to control all officers of the second company at any time."

  Ye Zi Chun hummed and said, "Unexpectedly, the Second Company actually has a platoon of Japanese soldiers. At mealtimes, they control each squad leader with one move. If anyone resists, they will be executed on the spot, which is also convenient. Then, Lieutenant Colonel Geng and Deputy Commander Jia waved their arms and shouted, changed flags and surrendered, who in the Second Company dared not to follow?"

  Geng Xiwang said angrily: "Jia Zhongyong, that stupid pig, I've been hitting him on the side several times, but he's only thinking of obeying Huang Min's orders and going against the imperial army. This time, I'll take care of him first and vent my anger."

  "Let's think about it for a moment," said Qi Guo. "Changes can happen suddenly, so let's all get a good rest tonight and observe the situation tomorrow. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll make our move at midnight tomorrow night. What do you all think?"

  Honda Masaji crossed his arms in front of his chest, lowered his head and narrowed his eyes, saying: "Okay, let's do it as Vice Qi said." He suddenly raised his head and stared at Geng Xi Wang, saying: "Before the special envoy Ye and Vice Qi take action, they will be served by you. Don't neglect the two officials."

  Ye Zi Chun smiled self-deprecatingly and said: "It's easy to get on the boat, but hard to get off. It's like a pirate ship, I'm afraid it's not possible to not participate."

  A fierce ghost on the roof heard this and revealed a ferocious smile.