Chapter 2 Pacification

  Hu Zhiyong stood steadily, and he saw a devil on the tricycle holding a Type 97 sniper rifle, thinking nervously. A devil who could be equipped with such a weapon in the 1930s was definitely not an ordinary person.

  But he had no way out, and could only take a desperate gamble. When the Japanese lieutenant arrived in front of him, he saw that his index and middle fingers were like a pair of scissors, charging straight at the devil's eyes.

  "Get moving!"

  Hu Zhiyong's movements were extremely fast, and the Japanese lieutenant hastily raised his gun. His wrist was already grabbed by the young man. Holding onto his throat, with a turn of his body, he used the Japanese soldier's body to block the view in front of him. With a fierce exertion of force from his right hand, the handgun was now in his grasp. Before others could react, three bullets shot towards the sniper on the car.

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!" A clean and neat shot, from top to bottom, hitting the head, throat, and chest of that devil who didn't dare believe he was dying. Taking advantage of the devil's surprise, Huo Feng threw out three flying knives in a row. With a flash of silver light, she stuck close to the surprised little devil and swung a short knife at his throat.

  "Hah!" Snow Wolf, unwilling to fall behind, flew up and bit down on the throat of a wounded Japanese devil who had not yet breathed his last.

  The three men, with Liso's coordination, finished off all the devils in an instant.

  "Pour the gasoline from the tricycle into the car's gas tank, and then Little Devil and Smith will lift it onto the tricycle and set it on fire!" Hu Zhiyong calmly gave the order.

  "Master, we can't drive." Silver Dragon watched the young master's every move, his heart still racing: "Master knows martial arts and shooting?"

  "You take care of the people, I'll handle everything else!" Hu Zhiyong quickly walked to the side of the three-wheeled vehicle, picked up the sniper rifle and laughed loudly: "This thing, even with money in the 30s you couldn't buy it!"

  With a sniper rifle and two buckets of gasoline, Hu Zhiyong returned to the car, opened the oil tank to fill up the car, tightened the cap, walked to the back of the car, unlocked it, and saw that the whole box was filled with silver coins and jewels neatly arranged.

  "Master, shall we ignite?" Silver Dragon and Huo Feng have finished moving the corpses, awaiting your instructions.

  "Will you shoot?" Hu Zhiyong turned around and asked his two servants.

  "No." Huo Feng was getting more and more curious about the young master. If it weren't for her frequent interactions with him, she would have thought he was an imposter.

  "Load the guns onto the car, you sit in the back compartment." Hu Zhiyong played with the exquisite lighter found on Smith's body, opened a delicate cigarette case and took out one to light up.

  "Yes!" The young master was full of mysterious changes everywhere, and the two young servants could only suppress their suspicions and act.

  Hu Zhiyong opened the driver's cabin, crawled in and stretched out his hand from the window. Two gunshots rang out, and the fuel tanks of two tricycles were pierced and caught fire. The car started, and after a loud roar, he shouted: "Huo Feng, sit up front and guide me!"

  "Yes!" Huo Feng quickly got into the car and sat in the front passenger seat, while Yin Long squeezed into the back seat. As the car started moving, Hu Zhiyong furrowed his brow and cursed, "This clunker dares to be on the road!"

  "Young master, this is an American product, currently the best car." Huo Feng's eyebrows revealed a hint of a smile as he held that white wolf king in his arms.

  "The engine is still good, go back and refit it!" Hu Zhiyong smiled, a man who had driven cars from the 1920s. Cars like this were almost junk.

  The road was bumpy and uneven, the car bounced up and down. Two dim headlights peered out at the road conditions, like an old ox panting heavily as it galloped along.

  "How much further?" Hu Zhiyong asked, shifting gears and driving with his eyes fixed on the road.

  "Thirty miles!"

  "Do you hear that? There's gunfire coming from up ahead. Is something wrong at the farm?" The formal sound of rifle fire made Hu Zhiyong's brow furrow tightly.

  "It's our farm, what if the little devils -" Huo Feng started to worry, there were over a hundred households living on the farm, with only three people defending it.

  "It's not a little devil, it must be defeated soldiers breaking into the village to rob! Sit tight!" As a generation of iron-blooded soldier, he was familiar with that unforgettable historical allusion. The army was defeated like a mountain collapse, and the officials and bandits were rampant, making people's lives unbearable. Death was already inevitable, but that was his current property, and he couldn't let the officials and bandits burn it into a scorched earth.

  The broken-down car was still quite spirited, despite the sound being like an old cow gasping for air. Fortunately, it didn't break down halfway. As they approached, Hu Zhiyong saw that there were people everywhere outside the farmhouse, and a large pot of hot stew was being shared among them.

  "Remember, take out all the officials, don't damage the weapons!" Hu Zhiyong slammed on the brakes, his body spinning as he leapt out of the car door, gun raised and firing. The three military officers wearing big ear hats were blown away with a single shot to the head.

  "What a commotion! Halt, whoever dares to move, I'll send you to see the King of Hell!" Hu Zhiyong shouted loudly, his left hand raised high with three grenade-like objects. Silver Dragon and Fire Phoenix rushed forward, grabbing the throats of those holding guns."

  "Old man, old man, what kind of good fellow are you?" A man holding a handgun trembled with his right hand and dropped the gun, looking at these three sudden killing gods in terror.

  "Good guys? Haha, you're too blind, this is my farm! Who's going to tell me why I should take action against the farmers?" Everywhere in front of him were people shaking their heads. Hu Zhiyong's nerves were stretched taut. He knew that one misstep would lead to complete defeat, and he might be shot again by someone hiding in secret. Once bitten by a snake, for ten years afraid of the rope used to draw water from a well. Huh!

  "Grandfather, we didn't kill anyone, can we borrow some grain from your village to fill our stomachs?" The National Army company commander, who looked very astute, calmed down a bit and walked up to Hu Zhiyong: "Good shooting, kid. You killed our regiment commander, deputy commander, and battalion commander with just three shots."

  "Don't flatter, where are you from?" Hu Zhiyong pointed his pistol at the regimental commander: "You, from Dandong?"

  "Yes, yes, Xiao Rikou and we started a war. Commander Shang ordered us not to resist and retreat." The company commander said, putting his hand into his pocket.

  "Don't move, or I'll kill you!" Hu Zhiyong shouted, taking a step forward and pointing the muzzle of his pistol at Lian Zhang's head.

  "Hey, we're all Chinese, why bother with swords and guns?" The company commander stood awkwardly, pointing to his chest and said: "I have an old yellow croaker here, consider it compensation for your meal, brothers."

  Hu Zhiyong shook his head, pointing at the weapons in their hands: "Leave this behind, I'll give you thirty taels of silver and ten catties of dry rations each. If you're willing to stay, I'll pay you five taels of silver as a monthly salary. Those with great skills will get double that."

  "Little brother, little devil is about to arrive, what are we supposed to do staying here?" Lian Chang asked in surprise.

  "To be honest, I have a lot of industries that need workers and guards. Where can you go from here? The little devils' ambition is to occupy our land, and there will be war fires everywhere! Of course, if you are really fighting against the devils, going to find the troops is the most correct thing to do!" Hu Zhiyong looked at the hesitant people and said to Yin Long: "Go, kill a few pigs to entertain them, and let our farmers prepare more dry rations. Those who don't want to stay can be sent on their way!"

  "Little brother, can you swallow the weapons of our entire squad? Besides, if we abandon our arms, we won't be able to explain ourselves when we get back." The company commander said hesitantly, signaling his brothers to put away their guns.

  "A team's worth of weapons? Haha, I can buy those with just a few tens of thousands! To be honest, my family has a grain and cloth business, and we're actually preparing to smuggle arms. Gentlemen, carrying these weapons without fighting is no better than selling them to me for cash. Of course, you can also take the guns and leave. This meal I'll treat, and each of you will get a share of dry rations. Excuse me, I need to head back to the village to take a look." Hu Zhiyong got into the driver's seat and stuck his head out, looking left and right: "Please make way!"

  The crowd automatically dispersed, and the car rushed into the villa. The soldiers started eating again, only a few officials were discussing something.

  "Commander, this place is quite close to my home, I've decided to stay! Damn it, the high-ranking officials have already fled, our Northeastern Army doesn't resist and only cares about escaping. This war doesn't know when it will end, I'm not going to fight anymore!"

  "Right, I'm done too!" A squad leader pulled out his handgun: "My military pay hasn't seen a single cent for several months, and this gun is going to be sold too!"

  "Commander Lian, now you hold the highest position, and your brothers still trust you. But if you run to the capital and are taken in by someone else, we'll become stepchildren."

  After hesitating for a long time, he said to several officers: "I won't stop you, but I want to warn everyone. If the young man can agree to bring his family here, it might not be a bad idea to stay."

  Huzhuang is located at the foot of Bucun Mountain, and the villa is built in a deep fruit garden. The unique mountain and river landscape, beautiful natural scenery, dense forest vegetation, and the small river in front of the villa flows with clear water. Hujia Courtyard is located in the central part of Huzhuang, and the three-entry quadrangle courtyard is both unique and beautiful.

  Driving into the courtyard, Hu Zhiyong ordered Yin Long to stay and watch. He took Fire Phoenix on a tour of the vast estate, saying with great enthusiasm: "The layout is not bad, gather all our people together, I want to meet them."

  "Master, these three are Liu Xingdou, Hu Yaowei, and Ma Qingde. Our farm's steward, Hu Da, and accountant Li Hansheng. There are thirty-seven households in total, with a population of one hundred and forty-two people." Huo Feng introduced them one by one, and everyone exclaimed in surprise: "Master, we all know you!"

  "Is that so?" Hu Zhiyong snorted twice: "This foolish young master of mine seems to have slept for over a decade, and today he suddenly woke up. Alright, let's have a night of feasting and merriment, and let the military officers indulge in their craving for meat!"

  "Master, I'll accompany you to change your clothes first. You'll catch a chill with just your vest on." Huo Feng saw the master's clever appearance and happily raised an eyebrow with a smile.

  "It's strange, this October is freezing every day, but I don't feel the cold at all?" Hu Zhiyong waved his bare arms and followed behind Huo Feng into the third courtyard.

  At the entrance, there were two men holding handguns. Seeing Huo Feng and Hu Zhiyong approaching, they hastily stepped forward and said: "Young master, Feng sister, too many soldiers have come, the steward is afraid that this place will be harassed by them, so he ordered us to stand guard here and prepare for the worst!"

  "Huo Feng nodded: 'No one is allowed in, anyone who disobeys will be killed without pardon!'"

  "Yes!"

  Hu Zhiyong nodded in appreciation and patted their shoulders, saying: "There are two machine guns set up in the courtyard, your equipment is not bad. How many people?"

  "Master, we are a small squad of thirty-six!" The two men stood up straight and replied in unison, both surprised and delighted by the master's praise.

  "Alright, I'll meet everyone after I come out. I'm going to put on some clothes." Hu Zhiyong walked towards the inside with satisfaction, and saw that the guards everywhere were frequently greeting him.

  The remote farmhouse was built like this, and Hu Zhiyong couldn't figure out what kind of person his old man was. He walked into the central hall, approached the back bedroom. Huo Feng fumbled at the door for a while, only to see the incense case suddenly move, revealing a deep hole.

  "This——" Hu Zhiyong was even more surprised, never expecting such a construction in the farm.

  "Young master, our house is actually built inside the mountain, and only Master, Madam, Silver Dragon and I know about the secret entrance and exit!" Huo Feng's words were meant to warn Hu Zhiyong not to reveal the secret.

  "What advice do you have for me regarding those who stayed behind as soldiers?" Hu Zhiyong did not enter the hidden cave in the rear mountain, seeking Fire Phoenix's opinion.

  "Young master, with so many people left behind in this chaotic world, I'm worried that trouble will arise." Huo Feng had thought about it long ago, but she didn't dare to say it out loud.

  "Oh." Hu Zhiyong nodded: "Get a set of clothes out, let me think quietly for a while." Hu Zhiyong retreated to the bedside in the bedroom, sat down with his eyes closed, and began to consider his plans from now on.

  "Master, let me help you take off your pants." Huo Feng walked out with a few clothes in her hand. Seeing the master close his eyes, she respectfully reached out with her nimble hands to touch Hu Zhiyong's waistband.

  "Ah! Don't move!"