Chapter 3: South of the Mountain and North of the Mountain (Part 5)

  The last few sentences, he deliberately dragged on for a long time. If someone were to beat a drum and play the erhu at this moment, it would be enough to sing an entire opera. "Good!" "Second Master is mighty!" "Second Master is formidable!" The villagers applauded and stomped their feet, cheering in unison. Hearing the thunderous applause from all directions, Xiao Guotao felt extremely pleased with himself and was just about to add more flavor to his heroic tale when Eldest Master Wei Zhan Kui suddenly became impatient, clearing his throat loudly several times before speaking slowly: "Hmmm... Hmmm... I say, Second Brother, the grain and meat have been sent out, but what about the gun? Has it been brought back?"

  "Ah! The second master has also arrived! I didn't see you just now!" Second Master Xiao Guotao was choked with anger, but he didn't want to quarrel with Wei Zhan Kui in front of everyone. He smiled and loudly reported, "They're all on the horse carriage! There are 150 long guns and 40,000 sharp-headed bullets. Commander Ji said that as long as we can continue to provide him with grain and meat, there will be more bullets and guns! We can go to Baoding Prefecture to find him at any time!"

  "Colonel Ji, didn't you go to meet Commander-in-Chief Song and Generals Guan and Sun? How could a small colonel like him dismiss you?" Wei Zhan-kui was dissatisfied that Xiao Guo-tao had just stolen the spotlight from him, intentionally picking fault with his words.

  "Others, aren't Commander Song and Generals Sun and Guan busy?! " Xiao Guotao smiled awkwardly and continued to be extremely tolerant, "Besides, who are we? Who is Commander Song? If anyone wants to see him, they can see him. He's busy with nothing else day and night!"

  "Yes, yes. Director Song is in command, and it's hard to say whether he's in Baoding or Beiping at this moment! How can we possibly see him just because we want to?" Vice Chairman Lu Fang was an honest man, seeing Wei Zhan Kui constantly finding fault with Xiao Guotao, quietly spoke up for the latter.

  "Didn't the guns come back? Last time, ten big oceans could only buy one, and it was still an old-fashioned rifle. This time, only 4,000 catties of wheat were used to exchange for 150 guns. In my opinion, no matter how you calculate it, this deal is too good! Yang Dashun also felt that Wei Zhan Kui had been acting too outrageously recently, and he tapped the tobacco pipe on the sole of his shoe, making a "pa" sound as he added."

  Wei Zhan Kui originally wanted to squeeze a few more sentences out of Xiao Guo Tao, to show that he was the most important person in the Iron Blood Society. But unexpectedly, he accidentally offended everyone, causing the three deputy leaders to unite against him. He quickly laughed and rubbed his hands together, loudly agreeing, "That's right, that's right! This deal is too good, too good! Less than 400 yuan worth of grain, exchanged for 150 guns and 40,000 bullets. It's really too good a deal. Second Brother, I calculated that you would be back today, so I instructed the kitchen to stew some pork belly in advance. Let's take a look at the guns first, then we'll all celebrate your success together!"

  Speaking, he didn't care whether others opposed it or not. With his trusted followers Zhao Erzi and others, they rushed to the front of the horse carriage, tore off the oilcloth covering the carriage, and revealed a dozen or so neatly arranged long boxes in front of everyone.

  Seeing Wei Zhan Kui and others' anxious appearance, Xiao Guo Tao shook his head and smiled to himself. Then he handed over an iron crowbar, "The military has strict rules, unused guns are all stored in boxes, not allowed to be scattered around. To open the box, you need this..."

  Wei Zhan Kui snatched the crowbar and shouted loudly, "I know, I know! This thing I've seen before! Isn't it just a crowbar? Think back to when my dad took me to Tianjin Wei to apprentice and learn the trade. What kind of crowbar haven't I seen? Erzi, come over and step on this spot for me. Xiao Wu, Tusheng, you two help me press down here..."

  Four strong men who could knock down a yak, even if they didn't know how to use a crowbar properly, could dismantle a wooden crate. Moreover, the crates were not tightly covered in the first place. In an instant, several planks with nails flew out, followed by four or five pieces of torn oil paper. Wei Zhan Kui threw down the crowbar and held up a long object emitting a strong gasoline smell with one hand, "Hey, it's a Han Yang brand new model! This is much better than the old cylinder thing! Brothers, we've got the real deal this time!"

  "We have guns! We have guns!" Zhao Erzi and others also grabbed a rifle each, jumping and shouting on the horse cart.

  The villagers surrounding the horse cart were extremely excited, rushing forward to grab the rifles on the cart. Wei Zhan Kui quickly turned the muzzle down and gestured back and forth at the crowd's foreheads, "Don't move, don't move! Be careful of accidental discharge, guns can't be casually handed out to you. They must be stored in the warehouse first, until our family heads and the military advisor come up with a plan before distributing them. Don't rush, don't rush, or I'll really fire!"

  "Don't rush, everyone don't rush." Xiao Guotao also opened his arms to protect the carriage and Wei Zhan Kui et al. on it, earnestly advising the villagers not to move their weapons wildly. "That gun isn't new, there might really be bullets inside. If it misfires, it's no joke!"

  Thanks to his reminder, the crowd suddenly realized that the Han Yang rifle in Wei Zhan Kui's hand had signs of wear and tear at the muzzle. This suggests that the gun was retired from the army and it is highly likely that the bullet was not removed before being put into the box. What if Wei Daren's finger really trembled just now...

  The villagers retreated in a hurry, thinking that they had almost been shot. People trampled each other, and some fell to the ground like rolling pumpkins. Hearing that there might be bullets left in the gun, Wei Zhan-kui was also startled, throwing his Hanyang rifle onto the carriage and protesting with a trembling voice, "Second Master, aren't you intentionally trying to harm me? If I had pulled the trigger just now..."

  "The gun in your hand has a safety lock, it won't fire!" Xiao Guotao chuckled and picked up the rifle that Wei Zhan-kui had just dropped, demonstrating to everyone. "It's this thing, turn it forward and the bolt is locked in place. Turn it backward, and the safety is released..."

  Wei Zhan Kui only then noticed that the safety on the gun had not been released earlier. He snatched the Hanyang rifle back, shouting loudly and wildly, "Of course I know there's a safety here! Isn't it the same pattern as the old shotgun?! I was just too excited earlier and didn't notice. Hey, all of you, put your guns away. What are you doing, making a ruckus? If someone gets shot accidentally, I'll be the one to take the blame!"

  The latter half of the sentence was directed at Zhao Erzi and other thugs. Frightened, Zhao Erzi and his cohorts spat out their tongues and hastily put away the Hanyang-made guns in their hands.

  "Second, how come all you brought back are old stuff? Aren't there any new ones?" Wei Zhan Kui asked loudly, pointing at the worn-out marks on the gun barrel to shift everyone's attention.

  "The guns may be old, but they're still usable. Otherwise, would they have given us so many?" Xiao Er nodded in agreement, acknowledging frankly.

  "Yes, old is better than new! The other villagers echoed in agreement. Before this, the Iron Blood Society's total assets, including the hunting rifles, were only over sixty. Let alone the old Han Yang rifle, even the old muzzle-loading rifle can't be touched until you reach a certain level."

  Having learned a lesson from the previous time he had offended many people, Wei Zhan'gui did not dare to entangle himself further in the issue of new and old weapons. He stroked the barrel of the Hanyang-made rifle, his face full of affection, "With this thing, our strength will definitely surge up again. Let alone when we meet the people from Hulu Island in the future, we don't have to lower our heads and put on a flattering smile. Even if Qin Dechun and Yue Jingxiong personally bring their troops, I dare to confront them head-on!"

  "Ah, ah! This time we've really got the upper hand!" The crowd of villagers realized that the guns on the carriage were all locked and loaded, and they pushed and shoved each other to get closer.

  "What are you doing, what are you doing? Get away from the car!" Wei Zhan Kui pushed the insurance made in Hanyang backwards, the muzzle of the gun shaking towards the crowd, "I said it can't be divided, it just can't be divided!"

  Zhuang Ding was afraid of the gun firing, and hastily retreated several steps. One by one, they wiped their faces, gazing longingly at the horse carriage, "That, that great master, fire a few shots, let us hear the sound, it's okay, right? There are over 40,000 bullets..."

  "Yes, everyone has been waiting for more than half a month, and they won't even let us touch it..."

  The crowd's pitiful words made Wei Zhan Kui somewhat soft-hearted. His gaze secretly swept towards the hunchbacked old military advisor, Wei Ding, standing outside the crowd, and saw that the latter did not have a clear expression of opposition. He immediately became pleased with himself, raised the Hanyang rifle in his hand, and loudly shouted: "Alright, I'll open your eyes today! First, let's unload the vehicle, and hand over the guns and bullets to the military advisor for storage. Then we'll go to the back mountain to shoot targets! Take turns coming, each person can fire two shots! Erzi, Xiao Wu, you two don't need to unload the vehicle, bring the iron shovel, and quickly go to the tree stump target in the back mountain!"

  "Good!" "Ah!" Zhao Erzi and Yang Xiaowu, who were called by name, responded loudly and went to the back mountain to prepare the targets. The other villagers also came forward to help, some unloading the carriages, others carrying boxes, and in no time, they had transported the guns and ammunition into the warehouse at the back of the ancient temple.

  Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, Wei Zhan-kui quietly walked to the front of Old Military Advisor and softly pleaded with him to allow himself to fulfill his earlier promise. Old Military Advisor Wei Ding was in a good mood today and didn't want to disappoint the Zhuang Ding too much, so he nodded slightly and whispered: "Bring several more guns, don't always use just one gun, be careful not to overheat the barrel!"

  "Let's go! Take your guns and go! Second Master, Old Three, Old Four, Deputy Zhang, each of you carry one too. Everyone take aim and fire at my command. Whoever wastes bullets, I'll kick his butt!" Turning around, Wei Zhancai once again became the sole leader of the Iron Blood Society, holding up a Hanyang rifle and shouting loudly.

  "Let's go, let's go!" The crowd of villagers responded in unison, surrounding the Second Master Xiao Guotao, Third Master Lu Fang, Fourth Master Yang Dashun, and Deputy Officer Zhang Songling, who had just taken office not long ago, and rushed to the back mountain with great enthusiasm.

  Zhang Songling didn't expect to have one for himself, and he was a little overjoyed. Holding the Hanyang Arsenal rifle handed over by Xiao Er's father, he walked towards Hou Shan under the crowd's escort, carefully admiring the shape of the gun.

  The gun is about four feet long, polished to a spotless finish. The front half of the barrel is made of fine steel, with a black-blue color in the sunlight, giving off a cold aura. The rear half is made of high-quality hardwood, coated with orange-yellow varnish, and together with the fore-end wood, supports the barrel. Underneath the wooden stock, there is a semi-elliptical iron ring protecting the trigger. In front of the iron ring, there is a triangular iron box with relatively rough workmanship, estimated to be the magazine.

  In addition to these essential parts, under the handguard, a bayonet is folded and placed. It's already very old, with rust marks on the blade. On the rear side of the stock, there is a round iron cover, don't know if it can be opened, also don't know what can be taken out from inside the stock after opening.

  When people are happy, their feet have extra strength. Before you know it, the back mountain has arrived. Zhao Erzi, Yang Xiao Wu and others set up a wooden board as a target at a distance of about 50 steps, drew several concentric circles on the center of the board with charcoal, and then quickly ran back to respectfully ask the master to fire the first shot.

  "Before firing, you need to adjust the sight, that is, this iron piece on the gun. The foreign code above says how far away the enemy is! Wei Zhan Kui had one leg in a bow shape and the other half-kneeling on the ground, looking serious, "After adjusting the distance, you need to aim. You need to align your eyes, sight and target, then take a deep breath and pull the trigger..."

  "Bang!" He fired a shot, then pulled the bolt and fired again.

  "Good!" Cheers erupted from all directions. Wei Zhan Kui smiled and handed the gun to Zhao Er Zi, who was eager to try it out. He stood up, bowed four times to everyone, "Like this, have you all learned? Learn..."

  Suddenly, his smile froze on his face. His gaze was fixed intently on the shiny target fifty paces away, and a flush of blood rushed from the base of his ears to his forehead.

  "Oh no, I forgot to tell you that this gun is an old one. When fired, the recoil is big and the bullets tend to deviate!" Although he didn't get along with Wei Zhan Kui, Er Dang Jia Xiao Guo Tao still took the initiative to help him save face. "It's my fault, it's my fault! Let Big Boss shoot again, I'm sure every shot will hit the bullseye!"

  "What I said, how can you aim so well but not hit the target?! You guys should take this as a warning! Later on, all of you must use your brains a bit more, don't be like me and waste bullets!" Wei Zhan Kui reacted quickly, following Er Dang Jia's lead, he swiftly slipped away.

  "Yes! The great master!" Everyone suppressed their laughter and responded in unison.

  "Lao Er, teach them how to aim!" Wei Zhan Kui's mind turned several hundred times in an instant. He pushed away Zhao Erzi who was aiming and let Xiao Guotao take the shooting position.

  Xiao Guotao smiled and held the gun on his shoulder, imitating Wei Zhan's earlier pose, half-kneeling on the ground. "This gun, I'm also touching it for the first time. Not very confident!"

  "Fire!" As soon as the words were spoken, the first bullet flew out and made a small black hole in the bullseye.

  "Missed, missed!" Xiao Guotao shook his head and smiled humbly. Then he pulled the bolt again, aimed, and pulled the trigger. "Bang!" The second shot of flame came out of the barrel, but the target in the distance didn't move at all. A yellow smoke rose from the left side of the target on the ground, and it rolled out very far away.

  Note 1: The old sleeve gun, early Han Yang made, was made by the Hanyang Arsenal in imitation of the German 88 rifle. In the original design, to prevent the barrel from bursting, an additional layer of iron pipe was added. Hence the nickname "old sleeve".

  Note 2: Hanyang Type, refers to the improved Type 88 rifle after 1904 by Hanyang Arsenal. The second barrel was removed and replaced with a handguard, the bayonet lug was moved under the front sight base, the rear sight was improved, and the bolt handle was placed in the middle of the handguard. Commonly known as the Hanyang Type, it went through the Xinhai Revolution, the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Korean War, becoming the longest-serving rifle in Chinese history.