In the light of the torches, eight people raised their hands and lowered their heads, hurriedly walked out of the wooden house, and knelt on the ground unconsciously.
Platoon leader Hongying stood in front of these people with her hands behind her back, and looked at them one by one. She found that among these eight guys in ragged clothes, there were minors, some in their forties or fifties, some with one eye blind, and some with an arm missing. The little girl was upset. These guys not only failed in action, but also failed in image.
He walked to the last person and kicked him with his shoe: "Stuttering, why are you joining in the fun? Are you addicted to getting caught?"
The one who was kicked was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up: "Yes, eh? Yes. It's none of my business this time. I forgot, forgot, forgot once they messed it up."
We started interrogating them on the spot. It was not difficult at all. The captured guys spoke one after another and answered whatever we asked, even without being asked. They confessed everything.
Strictly speaking, they could not be considered bandits. Some of them had been bandits before, but went down the mountain to live after becoming disabled. Some of them were farmers who were disabled in the fight against the bandits. They were basically from the same village. However, after the Japanese blockade, life in the mountains became increasingly difficult, and the hungry bandits became more rampant, which was tantamount to adding insult to injury.
Bandits were rampant and robbed food everywhere. The people had no choice but to become armed. Since every family had no food and there was nothing to protect, they turned around and robbed the bandits. In the end, it was impossible to tell who were the good guys and who were the bandits. Everyone ignored everyone to survive, and some of the poorest areas on the south bank of the Hunshui River fell into dire straits.
In this deteriorating environment, two forces suddenly emerged. On the one hand, the "Golden Scara" gang took advantage of the worsening situation and relied on their abundant money and food to gather bandits and became bigger and bigger; on the other hand, it was said that there was a new force nicknamed "Black Tiger Army", which relied on its powerful fighting power to destroy villages and strongholds and was rampant. The strength of these two forces frightened the people and bandits in the gap, and they fled from this poor and bad land.
The people who came to the wine station to steal food tonight are the ones who migrated northward to the vicinity of the Hunshui River. There are not only a few of them, but there are more than 30 people on the south bank of the river. They all ran away from the same village. Most of them are the elderly, the weak, women and children. The few who crossed the river are considered to be the strongest among them.
"… We didn't mean to hurt anyone, we just wanted to steal some food. We all have families to support, the children haven't eaten for two days, and some women are pregnant. What do you want us men to do? We have more than 30 mouths to feed!"
Little Hongying listened with a gloomy face and kept silent. After a pause, she suddenly waved her fist and said, "Good job! Good stealing!"
Several prisoners were stunned. This little girl was a high-ranking official in the Eighth Route Army. Her outfit and airs said it all. This alone had surprised them until now. Why did she say this... It seemed like she was praising us? Did I hear it right
The little girl usually seems to be wicked, but she is easily impulsive. Looking at the ninth row, she is actually the softest person! Ma Liang scratched his head and had to cough lightly. He came to the side of the little girl and whispered: "Girl, don't rush to judge. Empty words are not enough, seeing is believing."
She was awakened by this and pretended to turn around and walk a few steps, but in fact she was trying to control her overflowing emotions so that no one could see them. Then she said, "Pick a leader and cross the river."
Ma Liang then began to loudly issue orders: "The platoon leader has ordered that they be tied up first. Squad Nine will stay behind, and Li Xiang will take over as squad leader. Squads One and Two should prepare to cross the river in turns."
…
The sky was beginning to daybreak when the raft was lifted to the south bank. A young man led the way and headed south into the woods. About twenty soldiers followed in two groups, clearly divided into the front and the back.
It was not until two or three miles away from the river bank that we finally saw the simple temporary camp in the dim light.
The old man who couldn't help coughing and wheezing calmly looked at these strange gunmen, the skinny children stared at them innocently, and the women tried hard to cover the exposed parts of their ragged clothes. More than 30 people hugged some tattered tools and leaned together, and what they said was true.
After witnessing this scene, the little girl didn't know what to say for a moment, when she suddenly heard some movement in the woods to the south.
With a loud bang, all the soldiers found hiding places, followed by the sound of gun bolts.
Then a figure appeared hurriedly, and saw the guns pointed at him around the camp, and fell down in shock.
A man in the camp shouted in panic: "Don't shoot, he is one of ours."
The fallen figure seemed to react and immediately shouted to the camp: "Black Tiger Army, Black Tiger Army is coming, hurry up!"
It turned out that this person was standing guard at the south end. Ma Liang immediately asked, "How far away are they? How many people are there? How do you know for sure that they are the Black Tiger Army?"
"It's less than two miles away. We can't miss them. They are the only ones who dare to wander around here right now." After answering the question, the man rushed into the camp to help.
The people packed up their rags and started running north. They were used to living in the cracks between bandits and robbers. Although the old, weak, women and children were frightened, they remained calm and supported each other. The children were sensible and did not cry or shout, as if they had been trained, and they naturally fled north in a line.
"What are you still waiting for? Get ready to stop us!" Liu Jianqiang's voice sounded solemnly.
"Since we are unsure of the enemy's number and firepower, it is appropriate to cover the retreat. Avoid contact and retreat to the river bank first. Even if we don't have time to cross the river, the firepower of Squad Nine can join in!" Ma Liang was not targeting Liu Jianqiang intentionally. He rationally gave a conservative plan.
"Damn it, as an instructor, I have to say that your idea, Staff Officer Ma, is indeed a good one. Girl, do you want me to carry you?" Luo Fugui walked towards Xiao Hongying with a machine gun in his hand.
"This..." Shi Cheng first looked at Liu Jianqiang, then at Ma Liang, and finally followed Luo Fugui to look at the little girl.
She raised her beautiful big eyes and looked at the sky, which was already slightly blue; she glanced around and saw lush greenery; she turned her head with her pigtails crooked, and the people had disappeared into the bushes.
Hehe… hehehe… hahahaha… finally he tilted his little face up and grinned.
The soldiers were all stunned on the spot. It was over. This kid was 100% possessed by a ghost. He was possessed by a demon!
Black Tiger Army? Great! Very good! This is what fighting is all about! I am so lucky, no one can stop me. How can I let go of this opportunity? Becoming the Five Tiger Generals of the Independent Regiment depends on this!
Before everyone could finish their idleness, the childish laughter stopped abruptly, and the little girl's face suddenly turned serious, making everyone think that the smile they had just seen was an illusion: "Don't block the attack, don't cover the retreat, set up an ambush!"
“Ah?” Ma Liang shuddered. “Girl, this is not the time to fool around. We can’t set up an ambush with so few people, and we don’t have enough time to make arrangements. We have to hurry…”
“What is there to arrange? We’ll fight here! The ambush is not to attack the Black Tiger Army, but to attack the Black Tiger Army leader’s black gun! Do you understand? Capture the leader first. As long as this bastard is dead, I don’t believe they have the ability to remain calm in the face of danger like the Japanese! By then… hehehe, whether to continue fighting or turn around and run is another matter. Don’t you see how big the forest is? Anyway, if they chase us, we can’t chase those civilians.”
After saying this, she stretched out her little hand and said, "Silly boy, give me the gun."
Wu Shitou took off the Type 38 rifle on his back and handed it over without hesitation.
After taking the gun, he found that the audience was still in a daze, and immediately said unhappily: "A bunch of fools, why are you in a daze?" He raised his little hand and pointed to an inconspicuous hill about a hundred meters away: "That's it, get ready for battle. I'll fire the first shot, why don't you hurry up?"
Ma Liang, who was the first to digest Xiao Hongying's idea, was the first to react. This idea may sound like nonsense at first, but it is feasible. It is indeed feasible. So he gave the order: "Shi Cheng, take your people and follow the girl. Runny Nose, your second squad is 50 meters south of the girl's position. If the first squad starts to fight, you start to fight. If the first squad retreats, you retreat. Mule, your machine gun follows the first squad to the high ground."
Luo Fugui rolled his eyes and replied: "I'm not an instructor at all, I'm just a bystander!"
As long as it was a fight, Liu Jianqiang had no objection and immediately ran to the battle position with his men. Shi Cheng ran past Ma Liang and whispered, "We did the right thing."
…
A bayonet hanging under the muzzle of a gun pushed aside the branches blocking the way, and a man in ordinary black clothes appeared between the leaves. He saw the messy temporary camp in front of him, carefully confirmed the environment, and finally walked into the area where people had rested before, but he didn't know that he was being monitored by a telescope a hundred meters away.
Then, seven or eight people appeared, dressed in various styles, but their equipment was not bad, and they all had rifles with bayonets. They searched the camp carefully, and finally one of them pointed to the north, whistled in the direction, and then the seven or eight people continued to move north with their guns, gradually disappearing among the leaves.
Ma Liang frowned. This group of bandits were not easy to deal with. Not only were they well-equipped, but they also moved very cautiously. These few were obviously the vanguards, and they were methodical and unhurried. He could not help but whispered, "I'm afraid... it will be difficult to fight them."
Xiao Hongying, who was standing next to him, had not put down her telescope and replied in a low voice: "No matter how good the gun is, it is useless. We only have one life. I will shoot with my rifle and the mule will fire with my shuttle, and we will turn those mountain kings into sieves."
Soon after, someone appeared again, and the follow-up team followed. They looked at the camp where someone had stayed, followed the signposts left by the scouts ahead, and walked through it slowly.
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty... Ma Liang's eyes widened as the stream of troops passed by endlessly. Fortunately, he did not block them. He watched nearly a hundred people pass by, and the mountain king of the Black Tiger Army had not appeared yet. Could he stop them? The more he watched, the more frightened he became.
Finally, a most stylish guy appeared in the telescope. The little girl immediately locked onto this target. She didn't rush to pick up the gun, but wanted to confirm that this unlucky guy must be the bandit leader. The light was not very good, and her face could not be seen. He was tall, carrying a rifle, and leisurely walked out of the queue to check the shabby camp.
"Girl, is that the one? It should be the one. Why aren't you aiming yet?" Ma Liang also noticed the target. Seeing that the little girl had not put down the telescope yet, he turned his head and whispered to Luo Fugui on the other side: "Do you see that tall guy? Get ready to shoot!"
"Don't worry, this whole burst of bullets belongs to him. How about I shoot first?" Luo Fugui responded in a low voice.
The telescope was finally put down, but the little girl didn't grab the rifle. Instead, she pounded her little fist into the dirt and suddenly opened her little voice and shouted angrily into the distance: "Gao Yidao! You big bastard! What are you doing here? You're leading a bunch of little bastards around! Shameless Gao Yidao! You're making me die - ah -"
As soon as the words fell, the petite figure rushed out of the hiding place and headed straight for the camp.
The ninth row of soldiers were all dumbfounded, and the team that had stopped in panic was also dumbfounded. They stood in a daze, looking at a petite figure running towards them angrily, not knowing what to do.
The little girl rushed to the big guy in one breath, panting and swinging her little fists like a storm. When her fists were hurt, she kicked wildly with her little feet.
The big man with a frown on his face didn't move. After being beaten for a long time, he said in astonishment: "You wicked thing, what did I do to you?"
The exhausted little girl sat down on the ground and shouted at him unwillingly: "You ruined my future! Give me back the Black Tiger Army!"
…