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

"Oh? So their hideout is nearby!?" Wang Daben exclaimed excitedly.

"That's probably it! The Japanese were setting up checkpoints everywhere to arrest people; if they were too far away, they'd easily be exposed!" Wang Shuanzhu guessed. Looking back now, those people's clumsy performance was a joke; he had been fooled by their disguise and even sent two large cartloads of grain. Utterly foolish!

"Great! Excellent! As long as they're nearby, we're sure to find them! After dinner, have the men change out of their disguises and start asking around. Finding their hideout will be a huge achievement!" Wang Daben was incredibly excited, as if he had seen a bright future ahead!

But he wasn't disappointed. On the fourth day, one of his men came back and reported that they had spotted a group of people training loudly and enthusiastically at Tianma Village! They didn't dare get too close to be sure if they were the people they were looking for.

Wang Daben thought about it carefully and felt it was very likely. After all, in those days, ordinary people couldn't even get enough to eat, so who would bother with training? Besides, Tianma Village was just an abandoned bandit stronghold, not far from Xiaowang Village, which geographically matched their speculation. Moreover, no one would ever suspect that there were still people in an abandoned bandit stronghold—it was a case of the blind spot right under their noses!

The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed, so I decided to take my binoculars and go check it out myself.

He was terrified when he saw what was happening! Hiding in the woods, he peered through binoculars and saw a dozen or so young men wielding strange broadswords with incredible speed and power! Dozens of hunting dogs were leaping and bounding around them, their movements perfectly coordinated. It seemed that even five of his puppet troops working together wouldn't be a match for those men!

It's them! You deserve to be in trouble if I find your hideout. Just wait for the Japanese devils' wrath!

The Japanese arrived quickly. After Wang Daben returned to the county town to report, Nagano Yoko immediately mustered three hundred Japanese soldiers and two hundred puppet troops, who rushed over in a panic. They were fully equipped with machine guns, grenade launchers, and mortars, and came with a menacing air, as if determined to wipe them out!

……

In the village, Mancang was training with his brothers when suddenly Abe Shiro ran into the village, panting, and kept circling around his legs! Mancang immediately became alert; this was the first time since he sent Gou Mao and the others out to deliver a message home on their own initiative!

He quickly removed the intelligence from the collar and was shocked to discover that their village had been exposed!

"The Japanese are coming! Prepare for battle! Quickly get to the stockade walls!" Without even bothering with troop deployment or pre-battle mobilization, he hurriedly called out to his brothers to engage the enemy!

"Damn it! How did the Japanese find us here?" Tiger asked in a deep voice while carrying a swarm of bees.

"Who knows! Let's drive the Japanese away first! We've been making a bit too much of a move lately!" Mancang said hurriedly.

"It's good that they're here! Let the Japanese devils taste our rockets!" Da Zhao said excitedly.

"Put on your bulletproof vests and Japanese helmets. Our families are behind us. We can't let the Japanese set foot in the village! Tiger, Da Zhao, take your ten-man squads. It's time to test our training results!" Man Cang commanded swiftly.

“Alright! Once you’re here, you’re not leaving!” the two replied.

Soon everyone was on high alert on the stockade wall, and Mancang took out his binoculars and stared into the distance.

Soon, a dark mass of Japanese soldiers and their collaborators appeared in the valley. Two officers rode at the head of the procession on tall horses, followed by neatly lined-up Japanese soldiers and their collaborators. In the center, several sidecar motorcycles were surrounded by soldiers and moved slowly.

Perhaps because they destroyed too many large trucks during this period, there were no large trucks in the convoy.

"Tiger, unleash your ultimate move! Set up the crossbow and take out those cannon-carrying guys! Give the Japanese a preemptive strike!" Mancang shouted, putting down his binoculars.

"Alright!" The two quickly attached their binoculars to the crossbow and searched for the figure carrying the cannon among the dark mass of Japanese soldiers. Following the Japanese routine, they would first unleash a barrage of artillery fire before each major battle, followed by a desperate charge!

Their little village couldn't withstand the Japanese artillery bombardment! So every time they fought the Japanese, they had to find a way to stop their artillery fire first.

"Whoa!"

Two long arrows were fired almost simultaneously. The small, spear-like arrows sliced ​​through the field control and hurtled directly towards the Japanese troops. Through the binoculars, the officer at the very front, riding a tall horse, was pierced through by the arrow! The arrow then changed direction and landed firmly on the front cover of a sidecar motorcycle!

Another group of soldiers descended rapidly behind the Japanese troops, passing through two Japanese artillery units like a string of candied hawthorns before finally stopping. The mortars on their shoulders fell to the ground and rolled away, disappearing without a trace.

The Japanese soldiers scattered in a flash, seeking cover. Two Japanese soldiers from the motorcycle that had been hit quickly helped an officer out of the truck bed and hid behind the motorcycle.

"Ultimate move! You missed! Take out the Japanese artillery first!" Mancang shouted anxiously.

"Aimed too low, try again!" Da Zhao agreed and quickly loaded the arrow and fired again.

The two fired at different times this time. After Tiger's arrow took out two more artillerymen, his ultimate arrow followed closely behind and also took out two more artillerymen.

Just then, the Japanese soldiers stopped their panic. The remaining two mortars were already set up, and the gunner on one side was raising his hand to give the order to fire!

"Boom!"

Two cannon shots rang out, and the shells exploded a dozen meters away from the stockade wall. The sand and gravel that were blown up hit the stockade wall and splashed all over the big guy's head and face!

"Damn it! Take down those artillerymen right now!" Mancang said angrily, having been covered in mud and sand.

This first shot is a reference; if the Japanese attack again, their stockade wall will be in serious trouble! A stockade wall made of stone and mud can't withstand more than a few shots!

"Whoa!"

Two more arrows were fired simultaneously, piercing through the Japanese soldiers who were adjusting their firing angles and pinning them to the ground! The mortar was also knocked over by the corpses and rolled to the side.

"Whoa!"

Two more arrows followed, hitting the gunner and a Japanese soldier carrying a box of shells, with the shells rolling all over the ground!

There was no more sound of gunfire after that!

With a successful strike, all the brothers breathed a sigh of relief. Taking out the Japanese artillery meant half the battle was won; don't underestimate them just because they're outnumbered, they've got a good fight coming from behind the stockade walls!

After discovering their artillery had been destroyed, the Japanese soldiers went berserk, ignoring the corpses on the ground and charging towards the village at breakneck speed. Without artillery cover, they had to rely on speed to launch an attack; once within range, their numbers alone could take the village!

The ballista has a long range and great power, but its rate of fire is too slow! Two ballistae are hardly enough to cause any real damage to hundreds of Japanese soldiers, and taking away a few ordinary soldiers will not have much of an impact on the Japanese army!

After that incident, the Japanese officers hid in the crowd and dared not show their faces. They watched as the Japanese set up their positions on both sides of the road and launched a counterattack!