Chapter 66: Cunningly Obtaining Intelligence

  Intelligence gathering

  At noon, the sun poured fiery passion into the vast and majestic land of Lingfeng, melting the snow that covered the mountains and rivers, and the plum blossoms on the mountain ridges were blooming in defiance of the cold, sending out a subtle fragrance, conveying the news that spring is coming. Yun Xiangtian, Huang Minqi, and Guo Qi walked along a rugged and narrow mountain path, which was not easy to walk but very hidden. Yun Xiangtian told them that this was a small road leading to the back of Li Hua Gou, almost no one knew about it, an old man who collected medicine had told him before they made trouble in Linping, and he had personally checked it out.

  "How is that possible?" Huang Min exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise. "I've surveyed this mountain several times and walked this road before. Less than two miles ahead is a deep gorge and precipice, impossible to cross. You must be mistaken!"

  Yun Xiang Tian smiled and said: "Really? You also came to investigate, but can only walk to the cliff?"

  Huang Min said, "That's right, we can only get to the cliff. This mountain is south of Lingfeng City, and after crossing this mountain, it is Lihua Gou. About five miles south of Lihua Gou, there is a Japanese army stronghold. The stronghold takes advantage of the dangerous terrain and cuts off the entrance and exit of the Lingfeng area and Linping, making our actions very inconvenient. If we could get past the cliff, I would have already launched a surprise attack on the devil's stronghold at the south mountain pass, and pulled out this nail."

  " Ambush? How can we ambush? The little devil's stronghold is built with its back against the cliff, facing the main road. There are hidden forts in the caves on the cliff wall, equipped with two heavy machine guns. The entire area within 300 meters of the stronghold is within their firing range. On the two artillery towers directly in front of the stronghold, there is one light and one heavy machine gun each. It's impossible to get closer than 100 meters. Inside, there are a company of devils and a battalion of puppet troops. This place is not only a fortress for the little devils to defend against the anti-Japanese forces' attack on Linping, but also a transfer station for the devils' personnel and supplies attacking Lingfeng. Moreover, it's a trap. As long as we launch a frontal attack, the devils from the Japanese stronghold at Taohuadong, less than 10 miles away, will surround us within half an hour, forming a pincer movement. Big brother, how many men do you have to feed them? If you want to ambush, let's hear your plan."

  Huang Min was stunned, he didn't expect the enemy's defense to be so tight, the conspiracy to be so vicious, and even more unexpected that Yun Xiang Tian had a thorough understanding of the personnel configuration and defense of the stronghold. He followed behind Yun Xiang Tian's butt and curiously asked: "How did you get this intelligence? Do you already have an action plan?"

  Yun Xiang Tian said casually, "Nothing much, I just ambushed a Japanese translator at the intersection near our base for three days and three nights, he told me. And I'll tell you, there's a way to sneak into the cave where the devils are building a hidden fortress on the cliff. The plan to take down the base is already set, today I'll show you the route, tonight we'll act, don't go in the wrong direction."

  Qiguo said with a mixture of trust and doubt: "I believe the road you're talking about, but the people who pick herbs are in the mountains all year round, every blade of grass and tree on the mountain, every ditch and valley is in their hearts. But can we trust what that little devil translator says? I'm afraid when you use torture, he'll confess everything, and then he'll trick us again when he goes back, waiting for us to fall into his trap."

  Yun Xiang Tian said confidently: "It won't be wrong, it's not me who asked the question, it was his deceased mother who asked. It can't be mistaken."

  Huang Min's eyes widened in shock, and the state of Qi would be even more astonished; "This, how is this possible? His deceased mother will ask?"

  Yun Xiang Tian said seriously: "It was his mother who asked, I was present at the time, and every word was heard clearly."

  "Don't tease Lao Qi anymore, Yun younger brother, what's going on?" Huang Min asked curiously.

  Yun Xiang Tian burst out laughing, he stopped for a moment, turned his head to glance at Huang Min and Qi Guo, then said: "Alright, I won't tease you guys anymore. Let me tell you what happened." Then he turned around and started walking forward while recounting the events.

  After the failure of the Japanese invasion of Qilin Mountain, Chen Jingguo, the commander of the Qilin Mountain Anti-Japanese Brigade, and Yun Xiangtian analyzed the situation of both sides on the map. Chen Jingguo pointed to a stronghold next to Lihua Gou and said: "This is a thorn stuck in our throat, posing a great threat to us. We have not found a good way to remove this thorn for a long time. The first battalion has launched two sneak attacks, but both failed, and paid a heavy price. The deputy commander of the first battalion was also killed in the sneak attack. Comrade Yun Xiangtian, do you have a good way to remove this nail stuck in our heart?"

  Yun Xiangtian slammed the pen in his hand onto the table and said, "I must pull out this nail and remove the stumbling block that hinders our entry and exit from Linping."

  After returning to Fengling Mountain, Yun Xiang Tian visited the local herb collectors and an old herb collector took him to a shortcut that led directly to the enemy's stronghold. To get a clear understanding of the enemy's firepower configuration and defense deployment, he brought Wang Qi, Feng Tianxiong, and Yan Xue to a hotel on the road from the stronghold to Linping, where they staked out for three days and nights, finally giving them hope.

  Yun Xiangtian continued to speak, saying that he had long been probing the situation inside the stronghold. As soon as the Lethal Ghost Brigade was formed, he sent Liang Dayong and Wei Sanxi secretly into Linping to investigate personnel related to the stronghold. Their efforts were not in vain, and they discovered an important figure, the Japanese translator Fanshitong. Fanshitong's mother had passed away, and he returned to Linping to handle her funeral, intending to stay for a few days. Yun Xiangtian originally planned to take action in Linping, but was afraid of alerting the enemy, so after the big commotion in Linping, he let the soldiers of the Lethal Ghost Brigade cross over Taohua Ridge and return to the mountains, while he himself led his men to guard a restaurant by the side of the road.

  Three days later, Fan Sheng brought two fake soldiers and passed by the restaurant. When they were warmly invited to the elegant room of the restaurant, they were served with fine wine and delicacies. The owner of the restaurant respectfully poured them wine and dishes. The three men did not decline, eating and drinking wildly, resulting in a state of intoxication. Fan Sheng woke up later to find himself sitting in an unfamiliar yet familiar room. The light in the house swayed with the wind, and wisps of smoke rose like dancing snakes, while the white flags hanging from the ceiling added a sense of eeriness and terror to the room. From time to time, mournful wails and long sighs could be heard, making one's hair stand on end. "This is a mourning hall," Fan Sheng thought to himself. "Whose mourning hall is this?" He suppressed his inner fear and got up from the ground, wanting to figure out what was going on. He looked around and was startled by the coffin behind him. He wanted to escape but found no doors or windows, only bare walls. He was extremely frightened, pounding against the wall and shouting for help. There was no response, leaving only terror. Helpless, he leaned against the wall in despair.

  A creaking sound came from the top of the coffin, and Fansheng Tong stared at the place he feared most with eyes that were bloodshot from terror. The coffin lid suddenly flew open, and a figure sat up with a thud. Fansheng Tong felt his heart explode, and he curled up into a ball, holding his head tightly in his hands as he screamed desperately.

  "Gou Zi, Gou Zi." Fang Shengtong heard a voice from hell, no, a more terrifying voice than that of hell, calling out his childhood name. He didn't dare to listen, yet he couldn't help but listen. The gloomy and frightening voice with a hint of weakness continued to shout: "Gou Zi, I am your mother, I died with my eyes open. I died with my eyes open."

  Fans Tong heard the voice say it was his mother, he was so scared that his whole body trembled, and cold sweat soaked through his collar. He stuttered: "You are my mother? Are you scaring me? Mother, don't scare me, you know I'm born timid, this will scare me to death, hurry up and leave."

  The person in the coffin let out a long sigh and said, "Alas, Mother just can't put her mind at ease about you. Now that you're working for the Japanese, how many people want to kill you? How can Mother possibly rest easy?"

  Fans Tong was no longer so tense, and he begged: "Mother, go back, I really have nothing to hide in the stronghold every day. If you don't leave, maybe I'll really be in trouble."

  Van's mother said: "You only know how to talk about safety, what if the people who want to kill you break in? Unless you tell me about the layout of the stronghold?"

  "Are you a mother? Why do you want to know about the configuration and defense of the stronghold?"

  "Ah," said Mrs. Vanstone, "you don't tell me, I'll take you away now, so as to avoid being separated from each other in the future and leaving me no face to meet our ancestors."

  Vanston saw his mother standing up in a puff of green smoke. A chill ran down his spine, and he tensed up again, waving his hand and saying, "No, no, don't come any closer, I'm telling you, I'm really safe, I'll tell you the configuration of the stronghold's defenses right now." But in his heart, he thought: "Is this a trap? Who cares if it's my mother or not, I'll just bluff my way through and she won't know the difference anyway."