Chapter 42 Entering Town

  Zhongguan Town, Longhua County——Located 30 kilometers north of the Summer Resort, it is the confluence of the Wulei River, Parrot River and Xinglong River. It controls the strategic passes of Shidongchuan, Lüegou River, Maogou River, Wulei River and Tougou River. It is known as a place where roads converge, with a very important strategic position. There are ten major scenic spots within its borders: Parrot Stone, Chessboard Mountain, Horseshoe Mountain, Silk Hat Wing, Lama Cave, Ice Pillar Cave, Linglong Peak, Cloud Light Cave, Double Stone Man and Elephant Nose Mountain. During the Qing Dynasty, this area was part of one corner of the Chengde suburban scenic area.

  Lama Cave is located in the east mountain of Dapu Village, Zhongguan Town, about 6 or 7 li from the town. The east mountain of Dapu Village is like a natural screen standing in the east, and the Ice Pillar Cave opposite to it is like two pearls inlaid on the south and north sides of the screen, about 2 kilometers apart.

  The cave is 25 meters deep, 10 meters high and 6 meters wide. It got its name because a lama used to live here. The scenery can be summarized with the two words "danger" and "strangeness". "Danger" - it is located in the middle of a cliff that is about 100 meters high, with a narrow top and a wide bottom, very similar to the Egyptian pyramids. The entrance of the cave is 40 meters above the ground, and visitors can only climb up and down through a half-natural, half-man-made stone staircase. The narrowest part near the entrance is only one foot wide. "Strangeness" - first, there is a tree with a trunk diameter of nearly 1 meter and a height of about 15 meters growing out of the cave, which is called "Shanba Mu" by local people. The tree trunk grows along the cave and its large crown almost covers the entire entrance; second, there is a one-meter-square well at the root of the stone wall in the cave, with a depth of about 2 feet and clear water that can be seen to the bottom.

  ……

  However, the place Qin Yang and his group were heading to was not that small cave, but a vast open area in front of Lamas Cave. To get there, the only way is to pass through Zhongguan Town and then take the dirt road from the north of the town to reach Dapu Village.

  Everything was ready, Qin Yang led the way with Qing Ye and Wan Lai Sheng, walking from the foot of the mountain towards Zhongguan Town. The three of them were dressed as villagers. Qin Yang wore a coarse linen jacket, old cotton pants, and had a pistol tucked into his waistband. He carried a shoulder pole with two large baskets suspended from either end, containing some mountain goods and small trinkets made by Qing Ye. When they set out, after hearing Qin Yang's plan, Qing Ye suggested bringing these things along, which could be used as cover if necessary.

  Wan Lai Sheng was wearing a black satin hat with a red trim on top, a cyan satin jacket with a team flower pattern, and a blue satin long gown underneath. He had cyan satin pants, leg wraps, and a pair of leather round-toed formal shoes made of woolen fabric. This outfit made him look like a wealthy Chinese merchant. Originally, Wan Lai Sheng already had a dignified appearance and a sturdy build, but with this outfit, he looked even more majestic. Even Qin Yang wouldn't have recognized him if he hadn't known his identity.

  Unlike them, He Qingye had her hair tied up and wore a woolen hat on her head. She also applied some mud to her face and wore the same coarse cotton-padded jacket as Qin Yang, making herself look like a relatively handsome young man from the countryside. She dressed this way to avoid trouble.

  Zhongguan Town has strengthened its guard since being occupied by Japanese soldiers. A checkpoint was set up on the bridge at the town entrance, where people were inspected 24 hours a day. Although those passing through were not subjected to body searches, their belongings were checked.

  Far away, Qin Yang saw that on both banks of the river at the town entrance bridge, sandbags were piled up to form a half-person-high bunker. On top of the sandbags, Japanese machine guns were placed, and two Japanese soldiers crouched inside, their eyes constantly scanning the people preparing to enter the town.

  Between the two shelters, directly opposite the small bridge, a baffle over one zhang long was placed horizontally, and people passing by passed through the gap of about one person wide left on both sides. Two Japanese soldiers stood on one side, holding rifles with bayonets, glaring fiercely at the passersby.

  In charge of inspecting the passersby were several pseudo-Manchukuo policemen wearing black uniforms, white puttees and big caps, also known as "black dogs". They wore their hats askew, dragged their rifles backwards, and carelessly searched the pedestrians' belongings, making a mess of things. From afar, you could hear their arrogant shouts and the cries of adults and children.

  The inspection is very slow, some pedestrians carrying luggage and bags are moving forward slowly with the crowd.

  A middle-aged man who was preparing to pass the checkpoint had his ushanka hat accidentally fall onto the bridge, and he hastily squeezed out of the crowd to chase after it. Japanese soldiers rushed over, gesturing with the bayonets on their rifles in front of him. The middle-aged man was frightened into continuous retreat, and sat down on the ground with a thud. His ushanka hat was also kicked by the Japanese soldier into the river.

  Two Japanese soldiers laughed triumphantly at this scene.

  Qin Yang and they looked at each other, secretly holding back the anger in their hearts, trying to slow down their footsteps as much as possible, without revealing any military movements.

  As they approached the checkpoint, Qin Yang and Wan Lai Sheng's vigilance also increased. Although they knew that if they were exposed, it wouldn't be difficult to escape, but if they startled the snake in the grass, completing their mission would become much more difficult.

  He glanced sideways at Gang Qingye following closely behind him, seeing that she still had a calm and composed expression. Qin Yang admired her greatly; it was truly rare for a woman to have such good mental quality. Unfortunately, if he knew that Gang Qingye wasn't unafraid but rather had a blank mind, mechanically following him as he walked forward, he would feel sorrowful about his own thoughts.

  The team slowly moved forward, about the time it takes to smoke a pack of cigarettes, and finally it was Qin Yang's turn. The Wan Lai voice in front passed the check very easily and walked towards the town.

  "Put it down!" a loud and arrogant voice shouted.

  Qin Yang hastily put down the carrying pole and forced a smile on his face: "Boss, you've worked hard!"

  A thin, crooked-mouthed little fake policeman walked over, glanced at Qin Yang and Gang Qingye with a raised eyebrow, then kicked the large basket on the ground with his foot: "What's inside?"

  "It's just some animal fur and some embroidery done by a woman, don't you believe me? Take a look!"

  Qin Yang said as he bent down and lifted the cover of the big basket, revealing a dozen or so rabbit skins and some cloth shoes, bellybands, insoles and other things underneath.

  Wai Zui picked up the rifle in the big basket and fiddled with it for a while, seeing that what Qin Yang said was true, lost interest. Irritated, he cursed: "Damn it, what a poor bastard without any oil or water, get out!"

  Listening to this traitor who sells out his ancestors and country for fame, Qin Yang gritted his teeth, suppressing the anger in his heart, covered the basket with a cloth, and reached out to grab the carrying pole on top of the basket.

  At this moment, a one-eyed fake policeman walked over, wearing a brand new police uniform, with a shoulder badge on his shoulder and white gloves on his hands. The heel of his large leather boots made a crisp sound as he stepped on the ground. His remaining eye stared fiercely, emitting a menacing glow. His newly shaved chin had a dark blue mark, and his lips and lower jaw were covered in bruises.

  A one-eyed fake policeman was walking by and happened to glance at Qin Yang's hand holding the carrying pole, suddenly shouting: "Hey, you with the bamboo basket, come here!"

  Qin Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he didn't expect trouble to come knocking. Now, he had no choice but to put on a brave face and stand before him, asking: "Boss, what are your orders?"

  A one-eyed fake policeman sneered and looked Qin Yang up and down, asking in a sinister tone: "You little brat aren't a farmer, are you?"

  "Boss, you're really good at joking. I'm not a farmer, what can I do?" Qin Yang gave him a confused look.

  One-eyed glared at Qin Yang with a fierce gaze, grabbed his right hand and held it up in front of him: "You're not a farmer, you're a soldier!"

  Qin Yang's broad right hand had each joint swollen much larger than normal, and the palm was covered with thick calluses. These could be explained as being caused by years of doing rough work. But on Qin Yang's second segment of his right index finger, there were also hard calluses, indicating that he often used his index finger to press something.

  A one-eyed fake cop certainly knows what it is. What else can be pulled besides a trigger?

  Qin Yang's face changed, but he immediately calmed down and said: "Oh, you're talking about this. This is what I got from hunting in the mountains for years, using a bow and crossbow all the time. Don't believe me? Take a look!"

  As he spoke, Qin Yang took down a hunter's bow and arrow from his back, held it level in front of him, aimed at a distant pine tree, pulled the trigger, and the arrow shot out, hitting the trunk of the pine tree with precision.

  For Qin Yang, this special shooter, all kinds of shooting weapons are familiar with, sniping is very skilled, and such primitive bows and crossbows are naturally nothing to mention.

  "This, this——" A fake policeman was speechless for a moment, but then his eyes rolled and he came up with a wicked idea. He sneered at Qin Yang: "You're right, now take off your cotton-padded jacket and let me see your shoulder. If not, I'll let you go immediately."

  If Qin Yang took off his clothes, even if there were no long-term marks of carrying a gun on his shoulders, the scars all over his body could not be explained either, and it was impossible for a hunter to have so many scars.

  A fierce glint flashed in Qin Yang's eyes!

  ……

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  Today is the second chapter, in order to let readers have a good read, Ling Tian has made an effort to code words, and the update speed is not slow either. If everyone thinks it's okay, please collect and recommend, Ling Tian thanks you here. In addition, this book is currently being recommended for voting at Sanjiang Pavilion, please take some time to vote, hehe!

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