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

These four locations were all near the county seat, so once the flour was milled, it could be directly loaded onto trucks and transported to the front lines. With established bases in each location, security wasn't an issue, and there was ample space to set up mills.

From that day on, the Japanese soldiers and their collaborators in various towns and villages began to busy themselves. Under the protection of the Japanese puppet troops, the members of the puppet regime went from village to village collecting grain. Anyone who resisted was brutally beaten. More than 70% of the wheat that the people had just harvested was forced to hand over to the Japanese, leaving each household with pitifully little grain…

At the Mafang Village stronghold, the courtyard where Ma Baozhang had once lived was now a hive of activity. More than twenty millstones whirred day and night, while the captured villagers, their faces numb, mechanically repeated the actions of pushing the millstones and sifting the flour. Japanese soldiers and their collaborators watched closely, ready to whip anyone who slacked off!

In order to complete the task of producing 100,000 catties of flour, Inoue Masao gave a strict order to the heads of the two township maintenance committees: they must complete the task assigned to their respective strongholds within a week. To this end, a small team of fifty men was dispatched to guard the Mafang stronghold, while the others continuously brought over the grain collected from various villages to be milled into flour.

"Yoshi! At this rate, we'll be able to complete the task assigned by the lieutenant colonel in two more days. You've worked hard!" Inoue Masao praised Lu Hongzhong and Cao Jiagui, the two heads of the maintenance committee, as he looked at the various rooms in the courtyard filled with bags of flour.

"Yes, sir! I am willing to serve the Imperial Army!" the two lackeys replied, bowing.

"The grain requisition cannot be interrupted. The grain quota increased during the Battle of Seoul cannot be reduced, and the previous quotas cannot be reduced either! In your Chinese saying, 'With grain in hand, one is not afraid,' do you understand?" Inoue Masao said.

"Yes, sir!" the two lackeys replied again.

"Yoshi! Get to work! We need to collect as much grain as possible during the harvest season!"

"Hi!"

Looking at the pile of flour, Inoue Masao felt much relieved. He had received a lot of criticism for the gold mine issue! Morigen Bussan and Lieutenant Colonel Nagano took turns criticizing him, and he almost lost his position as a major because of it!

If he can complete the grain requisition task on time this time, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief!

……

The brothers of Tianma Village naturally knew that the Japanese were blatantly requisitioning grain. When they learned that the Japanese traitors were transporting grain to Mafang Village to be ground into flour, the brothers couldn't sit still!

"Uncle Cang, let's do it! We can't let the Japanese keep looting like this. How will the people survive without food?" Tiger was the first to lose patience. After all, Mafang Village was where he used to live. The last time he attacked the pillbox, the entire village was slaughtered, and he hadn't gotten over that hurdle yet!

"That's right, Uncle Cang. Now that the wheat harvest in each village is more than half complete, the Japanese won't be able to collect much grain after taking this stronghold!" Da Zhao chimed in.

“Brother, I also agree to take action now! The Japanese have been busy requisitioning grain and haven’t been able to keep quiet lately. Once we fight them, their attention will definitely shift to investigating and finding people. The caravan can also take this opportunity to make another trip. The furs and mountain goods they’ve collected have been sitting on the market for quite some time!” Manxiang also advised.

"Don't rush, everyone. Have you thought about why the Japanese were requisitioning grain and transporting it to Mafang Village to be ground into flour? Isn't wheat easier to store than flour? What's going on here?" Mancang analyzed calmly.

"What? Isn't wheat used for grinding into flour?"

"That's right! Isn't it normal for the Japanese to collect grain and grind it into flour?"

"You mean the Japanese are going to transport the flour out of the country?"

“Right! Grinding so much flour at once is definitely not for our own consumption! We need to figure out where to deliver it and how to deliver it before we start! You guys continue training at home, I'm going to Xiahou Town! We'll talk about everything when I get back.” Mancang said, getting up and walking towards Xiahou Town.

At dinner time, the Japanese soldiers and traitors who had been busy all day gathered together in the only restaurant in Xiahou Town, making a ruckus, toasting, playing drinking games, and pointing at each other in a lively atmosphere. Wu Erdan was pulling Cao Jiagui along, pouring drinks for each other, the two of them arm in arm, looking like best buddies!

"Old Cao! I admire you the most in Xiahou Town! Look at your business, restaurants, opium dens, brothels, all of them are yours! Even Inoue Taijun doesn't earn as much as you!" Wu Erdan said, his breath reeking of alcohol.

"Brother, you wouldn't dare say such things! We're all just trying to make a living under the Imperial Army; everything we have is a gift from them!" Cao Jiagui said, equally drunk.

"Hehe, I know! I know everything! This is called hiding your talents, you have to hide everything!"

"Brother, you've had too much to drink. I'll arrange for you to rest right away. Little Peach Blossom has been waiting for you for a long time!"

"Hmm? Little Peach Blossom! Let's go!..."

Cao Jiagui gestured to two servants to help Wu Erdan away, his eyes filled with disdain! Could some old lecher really turn the world upside down?

Two servants helped Wu Erdan out of the restaurant, and as they passed a teahouse stall, a voice came from behind them.

"Commander Wu, you've had too much to drink! Come on, have some tea to sober up!"

Upon hearing the voice, Wu Erdan was jolted awake, sobering up considerably. He broke free from the two servants and headed towards the teahouse.

"Alright! I'll just have a bowl of tea to sober up! You two go back, I'm fine, I'll go back to find Xiao Taohong myself in a bit!" Wu Erdan said to the two servants.

"Alright!" The servant naturally dared not argue and turned to leave.

"You've been living quite carefree lately! Aren't you tired of having sex every night?" Mancang said, pouring him a bowl of water.

"You're joking! This is the only hobby I have after putting on this skin," Wu Erdan said respectfully.

"Tell me what you've been busy with lately? What's the deal with all that flour in Mafang Village?" Mancang asked, getting straight to the point.

"It's all because of the Japanese! The county has issued a strict order to gather 100,000 catties of flour and send it to the front line as soon as possible. Inoue has been assigned 30,000 catties..." Wu Erdan recounted the information he knew.

These were no secrets; Inoue Masao launched a large-scale grain requisition campaign as soon as he received the mission, without any attempt to hide it.

"100,000 jin?..." Mancang gasped in shock. He knew that in this era, the wheat yield per mu was less than 200 jin, so 100,000 jin of flour was the output of more than 700 mu of wheat!

This number might not seem too alarming at first glance, but it doesn't hold up when you calculate it! Guya County is located in the Funiu Mountains, where arable land is already scarce. Wheat isn't even the main crop; barley, sorghum, sweet potatoes, and millet are the staple foods for the locals. White flour is only used for dumplings and steamed buns during the Lunar New Year! In other words, the total wheat planting area in the county is at most 1,500 mu (approximately 100 hectares)! If the Japanese suddenly requisition 100,000 jin (approximately 50,000 kg) of flour, how are the people supposed to survive?

"That's not all! Inoue, that old devil, means that after completing the mission, we also need to requisition grain. The Battle of Seoul can't be won in a short time, and we'll need a lot more grain later!" Wu Erdan continued.