I used the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to fight the Japanese.

I fell asleep as soon as I finished work that night, only feeling a little better in the middle of the night. Those Japanese devils are inhuman! So many corpses nearby, and they don't even seem afraid! I don't know what they're thinking; if they get infected with the plague, they'll be in big trouble!

Fear? ...Could we make something out of this? Judging from the behavior of those two Japanese soldiers this morning, they weren't truly unafraid. If handled well, we could definitely make a big deal out of it!

Alright! Let's go get some food to fill our stomachs first. The more things are like this, the faster we need to find a way out, otherwise who knows when we'll end up lying in a pile of rocks!

He got up, went to the toilet, and while the searchlight wasn't shining, he easily slipped into the kitchen, found some peanuts and a few large white steamed buns, and returned to the thatched hut. His round trip didn't alert any of the Japanese soldiers.

He woke everyone up to share the food, and while eating, he talked to everyone about his plans.

"Everyone knows we went to dump the bodies this morning, right? Guess what we saw at the rocky outcrop?"

"Goodness, Uncle Cang, stop talking! It's too scary at night!" Hu Zi stopped Zhao Mancang as soon as he started to speak, too frightened to sleep just thinking about the scene at Luanshigang!

"Yes, yes, stop talking! We finally have something good to eat, don't talk about such disgusting things!" Third Master also spoke up to stop him from saying it.

"What? It's just a corpse. Didn't we sleep in the same room last night? What's there to be afraid of!" the puppet soldier said nonchalantly.

"Yeah! What's there to be afraid of? We've all seen it before!" Dog Hair chimed in, joining in the fun.

"What's there to be afraid of? You haven't seen that scene! Hundreds of corpses were thrown together haphazardly, some missing limbs, some covered in hair, some with eyes missing from one side, you name it, just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle! Even those two little Japanese devils were scared pale!..." Tiger didn't want others to say it, but after a few people questioned him, he spoke up first!

"Oh my god! Please stop talking! It's disgusting! Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Do you know how hard it is to make this little bit of good food? If you keep talking, all these peanuts will go to waste tonight!"

"Stop it! If you really want to talk about this, wait until I finish eating!"

"Shut up! I dare not say another word!"

……

Tiger had barely begun speaking when people stopped him from saying anything more, huddled there trembling and trying to suppress their discomfort.

"I'm not telling you this to scare you. Those people were the former laborers, just like us now, working hard in this mine! Their present is our future. If we don't resist and continue to stay here, that's what will happen to us!"

"So we have to unite and fight the Japanese devils! Only by defeating them and escaping can we find a way out! If we want to reunite with our families and live a life with our wives, children, and warm beds, we have to pick up our weapons and kill the Japanese devils! We're doing this for nothing else but to live a better life!" Zhao Mancang took the opportunity to persuade everyone to muster their courage and fight the Japanese devils.

"That's right! It's a life-or-death struggle now! You tell us what to do, and we'll do whatever you say!" The puppet soldier realized that this was an attempt to boost morale by using the rocky hill incident! He had to quickly agree!

"That's right! Let's fight the Japanese! Either way, we'll fight to the death, and if we fight two, we'll make a profit!"

"Damn it! This is no place for a human being!"

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Yes, we'll listen to you! If we escape, we'll repay you by serving you like a slave!"

……

"Alright! As long as we all work together, there is still a good chance of escaping! However, we can't fight the Japanese with our bare hands. We need to find the right opportunity to strike a fatal blow! I'll tell you a few things to hide in your clothes and bring back to work!" Zhao Mancang was waiting for everyone's attitude. Seeing that everyone's enthusiasm had been mobilized, he began to assign tasks.

"Okay! What do you want?"

"Just tell me what you need to prepare!"

Zhao Mancang gestured for everyone to stop and continued, "First, let's talk about the iron sheets. When we're working, our shovels and picks will break. Bring back any usable ones, sharpen them, and use them as daggers. Let's try to make sure everyone has one!"

"Then there's white clay; you don't need to fill all the pockets on your clothes with it."

"And there's rope and a broken wooden handle; these are perfect for ambushing people!"

"We also have explosives. We can collect some when we blast the mountain. It will definitely be difficult to get these under the noses of the Japanese, but we have a lot of people. If we have the opportunity to create some trouble to attract the Japanese's attention, it shouldn't be too difficult to secretly store some."

"Be careful, and absolutely do not let the Japanese find out. When we're in pairs, it's best if we stick together, and the others shouldn't alert anyone for now. Leaking information is very dangerous; we can't control another third leader! Do you all understand?"

"No, even a metal handle can be used as a weapon in a critical situation. But what's the point of white clay? That stuff isn't something you can eat or drink, it's useless, right?" Tiger asked, puzzled.

“Yeah! White clay is everywhere, right? What can you do with that stuff?” Da Zhao asked.

"Haha, that thing is the key! Don't ask anymore, you'll find out when the time comes. If used properly, it's much better than the Japanese guns and cannons!" Zhao Mancang didn't explain, and a bold idea gradually formed in his mind.

"Alright! It's just a handful of white clay, right? We'll bring it back!"

"No problem, I'll do whatever you say!"

"Got it! The only tricky thing about these things is getting the explosives. Tomorrow, Gou Mao and I will drill holes and set off the explosives. One of you will help out and we'll definitely get some!" Hu Zi said, pulling Gou Mao beside him.

"Alright! I'll pretend to fall down to attract the Japanese soldiers' attention!" Da Zhao said.

"Alright! It's settled then! Everyone, finish your food and go to sleep. We'll continue tomorrow night!" Zhao Mancang told everyone to go to sleep after they finished eating. After all, the stolen food was limited; it could only feed two or three people, and sharing it with so many people would only satisfy their cravings and wouldn't fill them up.

There's no other way; if we steal too much and the Japanese find out, we're doomed!

Nothing was said that night, and the next day they went about their work as usual, except that the people in the room were noticeably more united.

At noon, when Tiger and Dog Hair were working together to destroy the mortar, Big Shot, who was not far away, stumbled and fell to the ground, clutching his leg and howling in pain!

"Baka! Get up and get to work! Hurry up!" A Japanese soldier nearby walked over and lashed out with his whip, making the soldier wince in pain.

"T-Tai-Jun, I twisted my ankle!... I can't stand up!... Is there a doctor?... Please treat me quickly!" Da Zhao shouted dramatically.

"Baka! You're so lazy! Get to work!" The Japanese soldier, of course, didn't call a doctor for him and shouted at the top of his lungs.

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of the Japanese soldiers on Tiger's side, who looked up and watched as the gun barrels were pointed at Da Zhao, on guard.

"Fireworks! Fireworks! Everyone get out of the way!" Hu Zi shouted at the top of his lungs, and people quickly ran to the side.