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

However, it's obviously not acceptable to do nothing after an iron mine has been bombed! Given the Japanese's past behavior, they would massacre two villages to vent their anger if they lost even one or two iron mines. Now that so many people have died and the iron mine is gone, even a fool would see that something is wrong if they didn't make some noise!

So, early the next morning, all the puppet troops, along with the hundred-odd Japanese soldiers they had brought, plus Kato Oka's dozens of men, and the hundred-odd good-for-nothing detectives, formed a hastily assembled force of over five hundred men and marched menacingly towards Tianma Village!

The weaponry was incredibly sophisticated! All the traitors were equipped with Type 38 rifles, and machine guns and mortars were densely packed together. There were a huge number of soldiers carrying ammunition boxes. There was even a Type 92 infantry gun on a truck behind them!

They seemed determined to raze Tianma Village to the ground!

……

"Uncle Cang! Uncle Cang! It's terrible! The Japanese are coming!" Gou Mao ran into the village, panting.

"Why did you come back? Wouldn't it have been better to let Abe make a wasted trip?" Mancang asked, puzzled, looking at the panting Gou Mao.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to draw clearly, and I’m no slower than that dog! Hurry… hurry, get the brothers ready! There’s a huge horde of Japanese devils, and a cannon!… They’ve already reached Mafang Village!…” Gou Mao said breathlessly.

"Damn it! It's just an iron mine that's been blasted, why are they making such a big deal out of it?" Tiger suddenly panicked. He had just recruited more than 300 people and hadn't even trained them yet! If the Japanese sealed off the village again and then bombarded it with cannons, that would be quite a show!

"Quickly seize the valley entrance! We can't let the Japanese blockade the village again!" Da Zhao was also anxious!

"There's also the entrance to the back mountain; we can't let the Japanese cut off our retreat!" Manxiang reminded them.

"Alright! Da Zhao, take the whole company to the back mountain, the rest of you go to the valley entrance! I want to see what the Japanese cannons look like!" Man Cang ordered.

Yesterday, we divided the 300-plus men into three companies, with Tiger and Hunter serving as company commanders respectively. Manxiang is still in charge of logistics, and the dozen or so brothers from before have been promoted to platoon leaders or squad leaders. Everyone is enthusiastically throwing themselves into training; sending them out to fight now would be unwise. However, since the Japanese are practically at our doorstep, we can't afford to let them fight, or it will damage morale.

Soon, the brothers gathered and quickly arrived at the valley entrance, ready for battle. Dog Hair was dismayed to see so many extra people; he felt like he had missed out on a thousand dollars! He was even more regretful when he learned that his brothers had all become leaders!

"Haha, don't be jealous of these people. After they finish their training, the four of you will go to the county town to develop your careers. Then the responsibilities on your shoulders will be even heavier!" Mancang said, patting Gou Mao on the shoulder.

There are already plans for the future of Mancang. With more people, they can no longer operate haphazardly as before. They need their own territory to develop better. Xiahou Town and Qili Township are undoubtedly the most suitable places. As long as they protect Mafang Village and Dayanshan Mountain, maintaining peace in the area will be a piece of cake!

Intelligence work would then have to infiltrate the county town. Without any information, they wouldn't even know when they'd be wiped out by the Japanese. Therefore, sending Gou Mao and his three companions to infiltrate the county town was quite necessary; it wasn't just a rash idea on his whim.

"Going to the county town? What for? To buy pancakes again?" Gou Mao asked, puzzled.

“This is what you need to worry about! There’s only one requirement: send back intelligence in a timely manner to ensure your own safety. As for how to do it, you can discuss it yourselves! This is much more difficult than fighting the Japanese with a long-handled sword, so don’t be careless! You are at the same level as the company commander!” Mancang said.

"Company commander?! Great! I'll do it! Once we get to the county town, we'll be city folks too!" Gou Mao suddenly became excited. During his time lying in wait in the market, he had already figured out the tricks of intelligence work. The county town was where they could truly put their skills to use!

Before long, the group of Japanese and puppet troops arrived menacingly at the edge of the valley. They quickly dispersed and completely surrounded the valley entrance, while the Type 92 infantry gun was adjusted to its angle and ready to fire at any moment.

"Damn! Such a thick cannon! It makes my mouth water just looking at it!" The Third Master, unusually excited, swore in front of the younger generation.

"Haha, Third Master has taken a liking to this cannon! You can sleep with it after the battle!" Tiger laughed from the side.

"Third Master, you should find a mistress sometime! What's the point of sleeping with a cannon? You have one of those too!"

"Yes, yes, yes, Third Master's cannon is no smaller than this! And it has plenty of ammunition and its firepower is absolutely formidable!"

"With forty years of accumulated firepower, of course we're fierce! We'll definitely make the enemy scream in terror!"

"Go away! How old am I to compare myself to you young men? Lots of girls have come to the village, so single men should hurry up and make their move! Stop making fun of this old man all the time!"

"Cangwa! You have to get your hands on this cannon! Together with those dozen or so mortars, let's form an artillery company or something! As soon as the fighting starts, we'll bombard them with cannons! Let's see who dares to mess with us then!" Third Master said.

"It will happen!" Mancang's eyes lit up. Third Master's suggestion was completely feasible! More than ten mortars, if we could take down this big guy and form an artillery company, it would be no big deal!

However, after the Japanese troops took their stance, they fell silent! I originally thought that with such a large-scale operation, the Japanese would launch a preemptive strike with heavy artillery fire, or at least launch several fierce charges like last time!

But half an hour later, the Japanese soldiers still didn't move an inch, standing ready as if waiting for them to charge!

"Uncle Cang, something's not right! What are the Japanese doing? Are they going to surround us without attacking again?" Tiger also figured it out. Everyone was ready to fight, but you didn't move an inch. What does that mean?

"Send someone to check the back mountain to prevent the Japanese from launching a sneak attack!" Man Cang was also puzzled. What were the Japanese up to?

"Probably not! If a fight breaks out later, we'll hear the sounds! It just depends on whether there are Japanese soldiers surrounding us!" Tiger analyzed.

Man Cang was momentarily confused about the Japanese intentions. If they were to be trapped here from both sides like last time, they would have to find another way to break through. The three hundred-plus men were newly recruited and hadn't yet formed a fighting force; if that happened, it would be the veterans who would have to charge in. Clearly, this time the difficulty was much greater!

Soon the brothers who went to the back mountain returned and reported that they had not found a single Japanese soldier there. Da Zhao and the others were just idly complaining in their fortifications!

What the heck? What's going on? Do the Japanese think they can scare them away by flexing their muscles? Did they come all this way just to stroll around?

"Uncle Cang, what are the Japanese up to? All bark and no bite, that's not like them!" Tiger was even more puzzled!