Chapter 4: Recruiting "Bandits"

  Chen Jifang led the Divine Eagle Special Operations Team to retreat from the riverbank all the way northwest. From the map, it can be seen that the northwest direction is mainly mountainous, which is conducive to the concealment and reorganization of troops. Special warfare cannot be fought in a wandering manner, after all, one must find his own nest. The strength of the troops is still too weak, once the devils pay attention to themselves, opportunities like last night will not be many.

  Although there were two large vehicles, everyone was carrying a heavy load due to the sheer amount of goods. The special forces soldiers were fine, but several national army soldiers were not, each one sweating profusely and too embarrassed to complain. After all, they were from the Central Army and had received regular training.

  Zhong Dingcheng also noticed that his partner next to him was not doing well, Wang Dazhuang was injured, so he had a lighter load. Despite this, Wang Dazhuang was still sweating profusely. He asked Wang Dazhuang: "How come, didn't you train in the army before?"

  "The troops mainly practiced formation, marksmanship and bayonet fighting, but this kind of backpacking has never been practiced before." Wang Dazhu tried to answer modestly, but still couldn't hide the suspicion in his eyes.

  "This is your first lesson after joining, and there will be many more of these things later," Zhong Dingcheng said with a smile, patting his shoulder.

  At this moment, Chen Jifan suddenly raised his hand to signal everyone to stop advancing.

  "What's wrong, Captain?" Zhao Jun asked in a low voice.

  "Luohan says there's an ambush ahead." Chen Jifan said as he gestured for the special task force members to hide and disperse.

  "Twenty-one men, one machine gun," Chen Jifan said, looking at Luo Yuguang's gestures, "not devils".

  Actually, when the task force had just entered this mountain pass from the woods, they were already being watched. It was a desolate and barren place, with few travelers passing through, and the two large carts of weapons and equipment that the task force was escorting were more eye-catching than gold.

  Luo Yuguang quietly returned and said to Chen Jifan: "Captain, it seems to be bandits."

  It's not surprising that there are a few bandits in the mountains and countryside, what Chen Jifang can't understand is that this place is not far from Nanjing, the capital of the Nationalist Party, it seems that Chiang Kai-shek's law and order are also too poor.

  It seems that these bandits have set their sights on our guns and ammunition. Chen Jifan found a hidden place to take out his binoculars and look towards the mountain slope in front, while the others remained vigilant without orders.

  "These bandits are not weak in combat, their ambush location is well chosen, and they have also built simple field fortifications. Their firepower configuration is very professional, with almost no shooting blind spots." Chen Jifan explained the situation he observed to everyone.

  "What does everyone think?" Chen Jifeng asked everyone.

  Zhong Dingcheng and Hu Yunfeng meant that it's best to clarify the situation first, as long as these bandits are not extremely evil, there is no need to resort to killing; Luo Yugang said that if they want to fight, the other side with so few people might not be able to withstand a fight, but killing Chinese people is meaningless. Zhao Jun said he would listen to the captain, but he thought it was necessary to send someone to communicate first. Gao Huanjie and Wen Chuanhao didn't speak, but they seemed to agree with Zhao Jun's opinion.

  Deng Fangshun said to Chen Jifan: "Captain, why don't I go over and talk to them? From what you just said, it seems like the opposing side is the National Army?"

  "Huh?" Zhao Jun's face was full of surprise.

  "No way, it's too dangerous." Chen Jifan immediately refused, he didn't want his subordinates to die in vain.

  Deng Fangshun said, "Captain, you don't know that before the devils came, this area was our Central Army's defense zone. It's impossible to have bandits here. The people and horses in front may also be from the National Revolutionary Army who retreated from the front line. Let me try."

  "Head, Deng Ban Zhang said it makes sense. I'll go with Deng Ban Zhang, who knows, maybe we can turn enemies into friends." Zhao Jun took over the conversation.

  "Brother, no need, the more people there are, the worse it will be. Don't worry about it. If we can't come to an agreement, we can fight again later." Deng Fangshun said to Zhao Jun. After last night's battle at the riverbank, he had no doubt about the combat effectiveness of these partners, and from the bottom of his heart, he also didn't want Chinese people fighting Chinese people.

  Chen Jifang ordered someone to make a white flag out of the undershirt stripped from the devils, and had Deng Fangshou carry it over. The weapons were left behind; more than 20 guns were pointed at them, but holding onto their weapons was useless anyway. Since this was a negotiation, they might as well show some sincerity.

  Deng Fangshun ran over with a small trot, shouting as he ran: "Don't shoot, don't shoot, please come out and talk to the master of the house."

  As soon as Deng Fangshun left, Chen Jifan ordered: "Everyone get ready for battle. If they dare to lay a hand on Comrade Deng, we'll wipe them out!"

  Order, machine guns, grenade launchers and other aimed at the opposite mountain.

  "Halt! If you don't halt, we'll shoot!" someone on the opposite side shouted.

  "Don't shoot, we're the National Army. We just finished fighting the little devils and retreated down here. Our superior said that he doesn't want Chinese people to fight Chinese people, so he sent me to negotiate."

  "Leave the two carts of things behind and get out!" The mountain shouted again.

  "This I dare not decide for myself, I must go back and report to our superior." Deng Fangsheng shouted while waving the white flag.

  "Alright, go quickly! If you dare to play any tricks, our guys won't show mercy."

  Deng Fangshun ran back and told Chen Jifan the situation, others burst out laughing coldly, twenty or thirty people wanted to rob us, they really took us as soft persimmons.

  Chen Jifan looked at the mountain opposite and turned to say to everyone: "The weapons can be given to them, anyway it's a hassle for us to carry them. I plan to go with Deng Squad Leader in person, and take the opportunity to probe their bottom line."

  As soon as he finished speaking, everyone immediately objected. Zhao Jun said: "Head, it's too dangerous, if anyone goes, I'll go."

  "Alright, it's settled then. The other side doesn't have many people, I was thinking of winning them all over," said Chen Jifan.

  Chen Jifan followed Deng Fangshun to the foot of the mountain, and Deng Fangshun waved a white flag and shouted up the mountain: "Don't shoot, this is our superior officer. If you have anything to say, say it to him."

  "If you want to pass through, leave your vehicle's weapons and ammunition behind." The mountain shouted.

  "Friends on the mountain, these forty or fifty Type 38 Arisaka rifles in the car are what my brothers and I captured from the devils last night. There are also some bullets, if you don't think it's too little, take them all, let's be friends!" After finishing speaking, he beckoned with his hand to the back, and Zhong Dingcheng and Zhao Jun pushed two large carts forward.

  "We rushed all the way here, wanting to ask friends for a drink of water, I don't know what you think. It means we'll give you guns for free, just as a friend, but we have to meet in person."

  Someone else shouted: "This officer is quick with his words, we've made a deal."

  Before long, about twenty people rushed down from the mountain and surrounded Chen Jifang and his men. These people were not dressed like bandits, but were genuine Central Army soldiers of the Nationalist Party, armed with 4 MP18 submachine guns, a Czech-style light machine gun and standard rifles.

  Zhong Dingcheng and Zhao Jun also pointed their 03 rifles at the crowd around them, while the remaining special forces members rushed up from behind, "Don't move, don't move!" The voices of both sides rose and fell.

  Chen Jifan sneered at the other party and said: "How, you welcome guests like this?"

  A man dressed as an officer stepped forward and bowed: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. My name is Song Guantao, may I ask how to address you, brother?"

  "Chen Jifa, these are my brothers." Chen Jifa replied.

  "General Chen's troops are truly powerful, I'm sure they've given the devils a lot of headaches." The leader with the surname Song flattered.

  "My troops may be small in number, but they are all Chinese who refuse to become slaves of a lost nation. We will kill every devil we see." Chen Jifang said fiercely.

  The special task force followed Song Guantou to their so-called mountain stronghold under the vigilant eyes of the mountain bandits. It was called a mountain stronghold, but it was just a few thatched cottages built on a slightly higher mountain, surrounded by steep cliffs, with only one road leading up the mountain in front, and a circle of stone walls about half a person high around it, with a few wooden stakes barely making a gate. The layout inside the stronghold was completely defensive, with sandbags, trenches, and a machine gun position. Compared to the Water Margin's Liangshan Mountain on TV, it was far inferior.

  When Chen Jifan readily agreed to their conditions, Song Guantou and his men were suspicious of a trap. It wasn't until they saw the demeanor and equipment of the people in front of them that they didn't dare make any sudden moves. This group of people, especially the seven among them, were tall and sturdy, with faces painted in a messy manner, but their eyes revealed a thick murderous aura. Looking at the weapons in their hands, not to mention the standard rifles on this side, even those few fancy guns were far from comparable. The steel helmets on their heads were wrapped in cloth, also colorful, with a pattern on the front that might be their emblem. The boots on their feet were unlike anything seen before - not the long tube boots of the National Army, but rather uniform black short boots. In short, to Song Guantou and his men, these soldiers seemed strange everywhere, definitely not the ordinary National Army they had encountered before.

  "After the host and guests were seated, Chen Jifan saw that their eyes were filled with questions, so he decided to reveal the truth: 'Everyone, to be honest with you, we seven people have just returned from abroad. Our country is in trouble, and as soldiers, we cannot shirk our responsibility. These few are from the National Army who retreated from Nanjing and met us while fighting against the little devils. Now that the capital has fallen and the mountains and rivers are broken, we dozen or so people have decided to stay behind and fight the devils to the death.'"

  "Wait a minute, Director Chen said that these brothers are from Nanjing? Has Nanjing fallen?" Song Guantao suddenly asked.

  Song Guanhu just finished asking and saw Chen Jifeng's face reveal a sorrowful and indignant expression. "Now Nanjing is a hell, the Japanese 6th Division and 16th Division are slaughtering the wounded soldiers, prisoners of war and civilians in the city. So yesterday we killed a small group of Japanese devils, using their blood to mourn my dead compatriots in Nanjing." Chen Jifeng said calmly.

  "Only the 12 of you?" Song Guantou said with some disbelief.

  "There are seven of us, and five of you didn't even make it up," Deng Fangshun said, unable to resist interjecting, "Our superiors down the mountain said they didn't want to fight with the Chinese, so that's why I was sent to talk to you."

  Song Guanhu and his men were skeptical, a small team of devils defeated by 7 people, and they retreated unscathed, not even a scratch on their skin, it was too unbelievable.

  But looking at the temperament of these people, it's not impossible. If that's the case, then they're too terrifying. Fortunately, there was no conflict earlier. Thinking about this made Song Guantao break out in cold sweat.

  "Good heavens! I didn't expect my brothers to be so blind, actually daring to lay hands on an anti-Japanese hero. You're dead, you're dead, Director Chen. If I've offended you just now, please forgive me."

  "Mr. Song, don't be polite, these guns and ammunition are more than we can use anyway, they were originally meant to be given to the heroes who fight against the devils. But Mr. Song, it seems that you weren't in the business of being a bandit either?" Chen Jifan asked, staring at Song Guantao.

  "Haha, since Captain Chen has seen through it, I'll be honest in front of you. My brothers and I, along with these twenty or thirty men, are indeed genuine National Army soldiers. During the Battle of Shanghai, our division was battered on the front lines and retreated. Along the way, we were also bombed by Japanese planes. We barely made it here, starving and with low morale. After discussing it together, we decided to take to the mountains and become bandits. This place was originally a den of thieves, but we drove them out. We've only been here for less than two months." Song Guantou scratched the back of his head as he spoke.

  "No wonder I thought you guys looked like regular troops, haha!" Chen Jifan also pretended to laugh.

  "Where are they? Those few sons made Officer Chen and all the friends laugh. Da Fu, go get all the brothers to come over and meet the hero who killed the devils. What's wrong with you, hurry up!"

  "Yes!" The one called Da Fu bowed and ran out in big strides.

  Not bad, with some training, he would be a good hand at fighting the devils. Chen Jifan thought to himself as he watched Da Fu's back.

  In a short while, 26 soldiers from the National Army, dressed in uniform, ran to the house where Chen Jifang and others were staying. The soldier named Dafu rushed into the house and saluted Song Guantao: "Report to the company commander, the brothers have assembled, please give us instructions."

  "Alright, everyone. My brother wants to meet the heroes who killed the Ghost King. Would you mind taking a step and meeting with them?" Song Guantao stood up and invited.

  Chen Jifan didn't dare to decline, so he followed Song Guantao outside. As soon as everyone stood still, they heard Song Guantao say: "Brothers, these few heroes personally took down a small team of devils yesterday and avenged our brothers who died in the Shanghai battlefield. I order you all to salute the heroes who killed the devils!"

  As soon as Song Guanhu's voice fell, the people below him immediately gave a salute to Chen Jifeng and his men. The special forces had been resentful of being robbed by them before, but now they couldn't help but secretly praise their military bearing. Their previous cautious and disdainful expressions were swept away, and they returned the salute one after another.

  "Brothers, we were originally proud Chinese soldiers, but for the sake of survival, we had to become mountain kings in this desolate wilderness. Just now, I heard Captain Chen and his brothers say that Nanjing has fallen, and those little Japanese devils are burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of evil deeds in Nanjing. Our compatriots are suffering, and I, Song Mouren, cannot just sit idly by. I hereby declare a decision: from today on, I will join Captain Chen and his men to fight against the Japanese devils. Brothers, who among you is willing to follow me?"

  After Song Guantou finished speaking, there was a moment of silence. Everyone did not expect that Song Guantou would say such words, although they also privately complained that being a bandit had no future, but fighting the devils was not something to be taken lightly. In the past, on the battlefield, there were so many national troops, but when the devils' planes and artillery came, only a few were left. Fighting the devils? With just these dozens of people and dozens of guns in hand? So no one spoke up.

  The awkward silence that followed made Song Guantou very embarrassed. He thought that after he spoke, there would be at least a few people who would echo him, but no one made a sound. Song Guantou could only use his eyes to ask Chen Jifan for help.

  The looks of these soldiers were all in Chen Jifan's eyes. To be fair, their military demeanor was still passable, but perhaps the defeat on the battlefield had dealt a blow to their confidence. It seems that something needs to be said now.

  "Brothers, when we were studying abroad, our instructor went to Japan for inspection. He told us a story after he came back. He said that the Japanese army is the most hopeless army in the world. We didn't understand what the instructor meant at that time, until yesterday when we faced the little devils and had a fight. Brothers, listen up, without planes and cannons, the little devils are nothing!"