There were sporadic gunshots.
Pan Zhuzi took off his tattered straw hat and fanned himself with it. He stared at the tall roof of a two-story building in front of him and ordered the soldiers around him, "You three go around to the left, and you two follow me to the right. We'll block him there."
A soldier hesitated and said, "Platoon leader, I think that black shadow just now was Ma Liang from the 9th Company?"
"You see? Are you sure? What if he isn't? Follow the order!"
The soldiers dared not speak any more and divided into two groups to encircle the target building. In fact, Pan Zhuzi also saw clearly that the target on the roof was Ma Liang, not the real dog in black; but it was precisely because he knew it was Ma Liang that he ordered the soldiers to take action.
In the independent regiment, Pan Zhuzi wanted to fight two people the most, Gao Yidao and Hu Yi, but unfortunately he was not at a high enough level and had no chance. As the saying goes, a skilled person is daring. Now that Xinglong Town has become a chaotic battlefield, he still wants to prove his worth. At present, Ma Liang is the number one general under Hu Yi. Pan Zhuzi plans to make the best of a mistake and capture Ma Liang alive. This will become a small misunderstanding, but it can severely hit the arrogance of the Ninth Company and boost the morale of the Third Company, and it can also prove that his ability is definitely above Ma Liang.
Three soldiers tiptoed to block the back window, and two soldiers quietly blocked the front yard. Pan Zhuzi did not go through the gate but jumped over the wall. When he landed, he stepped on a small wooden stick on the ground and broke it with a crisp sound.
There was a sudden sound of the roof breaking. Apparently, the target hiding in the narrow space under the tiles decisively collapsed a piece of the second-floor ceiling and fell into the room on the second floor.
Pan Zhuzi knew that he had been exposed. It was impossible for him to sneak up to the second floor quietly. He decisively changed to an open attack. No longer concerned about the sound, he rushed to the stairs with a revolver in his hand. After a few leaps, he leaned against the wall of the corridor on the second floor. He then took a few steps sideways and leaned against the half-open door. He shouted rudely: "Surrender your weapons and you will not be killed! I will only say this once!"
The two soldiers finally hurried over and quickly guarded the other side of the door, breathing heavily, with bullets loaded and guns nervously clenched in their hands.
After five seconds of silence, a Mauser pistol slid out of the door. Pan Zhuzi, who had a blind eye, kicked it to the feet of the soldier on the other side. He then said to the other side of the door, "Put your hands behind your head, and slowly walk out to surrender. Be slow."
This was a historic moment. The target was caught and surrendered obediently. He was indeed Ma Liang from the 9th Company. He put his hands behind his head with a frown and looked at Pan Zhuzi speechlessly.
Chuckling, "I didn't expect it to be you! I'm sorry, but you still can't put your hands down. Let us search you."
The soldiers next to him were finally relieved. They now understood the platoon leader's intention and smiled with relief.
Ma Liang left without saying a word from beginning to end, and his expression did not show anger. He just left.
Pan Zhuzi had an extra piece of dirty straw paper in his hand. When the paper was unfolded, it had obvious horizontal folds, a pencil sketch of Xinglong Town, and the visible and identifiable enemy fire positions and approximate troop deployment on it. Unfortunately, the sketch was not completed. There was a clear pencil break line that pierced the paper. Perhaps the pencil tip was broken at that time.
"Platoon leader, your kung fu is really amazing! You said he was the best scout, but we still captured him!" A soldier gave Pan Zhuzi a thumbs up.
"He is really cooperative. He lets us search him when we say so! Are you convinced now?" This made a soldier sincerely excited. It seemed that catching Ma Liang was more worthwhile than catching a Japanese soldier.
Looking at the sketch in his hand, Pan Zhuzi's expression gradually cooled and became more and more ugly. He didn't hear a word the soldier said.
The gunfire was still sporadic.
Every street was empty, every alley was empty, and gunshots always suddenly sounded from unknown directions.
In the sunlight, the alley was illuminated with a dim color. A figure suddenly flashed in at the end. It seemed very wide, tall, and huge, and it was panting like a bear, looking back from time to time with a thief-like look. As a result, he was tripped by a corpse and cursed in embarrassment before getting up. After a while, he stopped. Looking clumsy, he actually jumped a few times on the spot flexibly. He saw the back window of a money house not far away on the side of the alley, proving that this was the back alley not far from the money house.
So Xiong half-crouched down, carefully observed both sides of the alley, and then slowly moved forward in small steps, as if he had lost something and wanted to find it back. Who else could he be? Of course, it was Luo Fugui.
"I just don't believe it! Is there no fish that slipped through the net?"
He muttered, his bear eyes wide open like copper bells, observing every detail as he passed by the wall. He would stop in a secluded place from time to time, then stretch out his big hands and dig hard in the soil at the edge of the ditch without caring about anything.
The next moment, the bear stopped moving suddenly, and the golden edge of a corner of "small yellow croaker" flashed in the hole dug by his bear paws, and the bear's eyes were clicking like drunkenness.
Suddenly there was a sound from behind the corner not far away. Xiong was so frightened that he hurriedly took out the gold bars from the pit, then pulled out his gun and leaned against the wall. He knew that there was not a single bullet in his gun, but he didn't care about that. He tried to make the sound of the bolt opening clear, so that the other party would know that it was a gun. He just had to pretend not to be nervous.
"Damn it, if you don't say anything, don't blame me for being rude!"
Either they are from the Third Company or they are the enemy. Xiong doesn't want to speak in the tone of the Eighth Route Army. It is safest to speak in the same group as the enemy.
After a brief silence, a voice came from the corner: "Brother, why do I feel like it's that jerk?"
Xiong couldn't help but prick up his ears, and suddenly cursed: "You grandma cut off the dick! Who cheated who in the end?"
"I was lost! Come on, try to talk nonsense to me again!"
"Bah, stop saying you know me! You shameless coward!"
"Fuck you..."
Behind the corner, Xiong and Kanjiu were too lazy to show their faces. They cursed at the air, wishing they could smash the friendship into pieces. At the same time, they rubbed the mud on their hands left by digging the pit.
…
Captain Maeda looked at his watch. It was exactly two o'clock in the afternoon.
I didn’t expect that they were really the Eighth Route Army, I didn’t expect there were so many of them, and I didn’t expect that the battlefield was the Xinglong Town in front of us!
He has a squadron of about 200 people, a battalion of security forces with more than 300 people, and a detective team of more than 50 people. It is said that there are still security forces in the town, and the sporadic gunshots prove that this is true. At present, there is no need to worry that the Eighth Route Army will escape, so Maeda does not want to launch an attack, because he has a headache looking at Xinglong Town. Once he breaks in, all the advantages will be gone and it will be a pure battle of manpower.
Suddenly he turned his gaze to Li Youcai: "What do you think?"
Li Youcai thought he had misheard. How could he be asked about such a thing? He was not cut out for it. He was stunned, but he understood Captain Maeda's hesitation, so he replied: "I think... if we call for reinforcements and surround Xinglong Town, the Eighth Route Army will not dare to come out in broad daylight. They will definitely wait until dark to break out."
A sneer caused Maeda to turn his head to the other side, and he saw Captain Wang, who reacted quickly and made appropriate arrangements this time.
Captain Wang dared to laugh at Li Youcai because Li Youcai was a member of the detective team, not the security forces. Or he thought he was still a soldier, so of course he had to be proud: "Taijun, Xinglong Town is not big. There is only one north-south road running through it, and a cross street in the center. It is not complicated. Secondly, I have fought with the Eighth Route Army before, and I feel that this is not a mature team, and I have already suffered heavy casualties. It is still early before dark, and I am confident that I can take down Xinglong Town!"
The newer they are, the more eager they are to show off, and the rebels are even worse, because they have to show their loyalty!
…