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

“Then let’s watch! If someone’s putting on a show, we’ll watch and see what those little devils are really up to!” Mancang said.

Why not just surround and not attack? If you don't attack, I won't attack either! Let's see who can outlast whom!

I don't believe you're just some old sow wandering around the streets after coming all this way!

……

Not only were they puzzled, but even the Japanese soldiers were baffled!

Kato Oka was participating in his first battle, eager to show off his skills and have a good fight with the Mo Dao Group! But to his surprise, even after setting up their stances, they hesitated to give the order to attack! He looked through his binoculars again and again, but the enemy didn't seem to have many men! Was this newcomer afraid?

That shouldn't be the case! Wouldn't a few shots from that big guy have been enough to finish it off?

An hour later, Kato Oka could no longer contain himself and went to Kobayashi to ask:

"Major, what are we waiting for?"

"Hmm? What are those wooden tubes on the enemy's position?" Kobayashi asked instead of answering.

"Huh?..." Kato Oka raised his binoculars, looking at the wooden tubes scattered across the opposite hilltop, puzzled. In wartime, how could these wooden tubes possibly kill the enemy?

"Major, I don't understand either!" Kato Oka replied.

"Lieutenant Colonel Nagano told me it was for launching rockets! Can a wooden tube really replace a steel cannon barrel to fire such a powerful rain of arrows? Is the wisdom of the Chinese really that terrifying?" Kobayashi asked.

"Why don't we ask a few Chinese people? After all, the locals know the locals best!" Kato suggested.

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense! Call them both over here!" Kobayashi Kaijin said, pointing to the detective captain and the temporary leader of the puppet army.

"Hi!" Kato Oka was in a great mood after receiving the praise, and he went to call the person.

Soon the two of them came over, their faces full of fawning smiles.

"Major, did you call us?" said Jia Renyi, the temporary leader of the puppet army.

"Do you recognize those wooden tubes?" Kobayashi asked, pointing to the opposite position.

"That's the enemy's rocket launcher. I saw it from afar during our last encounter. One shot can hit a huge area; a barrage of arrows that blots out the sky is terrifying!" Jia Renyi, who participated in the Battle of Wanrendong, knew how powerful this thing was.

"Do you understand its structure? Is there any way to crack it?" Kobayashi asked.

"Well... to be honest, we haven't captured a single wooden tube since the start of the war. When Major Inoue was still around, we made clothes filled with porcelain shards that could barely block arrows, but later the enemy invented explosive arrows that could blow up large numbers of arrows at once, causing great suffering to our brothers. We still don't have a good solution..." Jia Renyi carefully recounted what he knew.

"Do you know where this thing came from?" Kobayashi Kazuhito continued to ask.

Through conversation with Nagano Yoko, I learned that in order to take down the Mo Dao Group's rockets, we must deal with them, otherwise they will repeat the same mistakes!

"This... I don't know! I've never heard of such a powerful arrow before," Jia Renyi replied truthfully.

"...You two mobilize all your resources to investigate the rocket. Find out its origins, its wooden frame, its manufacturing process, and so on! Give me an answer within ten days!" Kobayashi ordered.

It wasn't that he trusted the two men that much, but rather Kato's words, "Locals understand locals best," reminded him. The Chinese are prone to infighting; don't be fooled by their greed and fear of death—if used wisely, they can solve a lot of trouble!

"Yes!" The two had no choice but to agree.

After waving the two away, Kobayashi Kazuhito raised his binoculars to observe the situation on the other side again, taking notes as he did so, but he showed no intention of ordering a fight!

Two hours later, Kobayashi gave the order, and everyone withdrew from the valley and returned via the same route. The others were full of doubts, but at least they didn't have to risk their lives anymore, which was good.

……

"They're leaving already? What does that mean? It's like an old sow taking a stroll in the street—just wandering around aimlessly!" Tiger cursed.

"Why don't we charge in and take them all? That big guy is really tempting!" Third Master's favorite thing is still that cannon, and he's been thinking about it relentlessly.

"Let's chase after them and fight! They're all traitors; there aren't many real Japanese devils among them!" Manxiang couldn't hold back any longer.

"Don't even think about it! Didn't you see the Japanese were on high alert the whole time? So many of us haven't even been trained yet. If we charge in headfirst, we'll definitely suffer heavy casualties! Killing any number of Japanese soldiers and traitors won't be enough to compensate for this!"

"Third Master, we'll get a cannon like that sooner or later. Let's just throw this one away!" Mancang knew exactly what everyone was thinking! Do you think you can just come and go as you please in Tianma Village? You think I don't have a temper after you've had your fun?

Things are different now than before; even the biggest temper has to be suppressed. So many people have just joined and have no fighting ability whatsoever. If there are any casualties, it will be too late to regret it!

The Japanese must have had a deeper meaning behind their feint here, but we just don't understand it yet due to a lack of intelligence! Let's focus on improving the fighting strength of these three hundred men first, and at the same time, we should also put the intelligence gathering on the agenda!

The next morning, Kobayashi Kazuhito received a call from Colonel Yamazaki.

"Kobayashi-kun, the first batch of supplies has arrived! The Chinese have changed their usual tactics and are fighting fiercely against our Imperial Japanese Army. The fighting is intense! Your supplies have arrived just in time! They have relieved the troops' urgent needs!"

"Hey! It's all thanks to the colonel's tutelage!"

"Hmm, I heard you personally led the team to surround that Mo Dao Group for this escort mission. How was it? We didn't suffer too many casualties, did we?"

"Hey! I'm just keeping them surrounded to prevent them from interfering with the supply transport. We haven't started a war! We don't plan to confront them head-on until we figure out a way to counter their arrow barrage."

"Hmm, that's not a bad idea. Doing our best to ensure supplies for the front lines and temporarily avoiding direct confrontation is a viable strategy! However, you must not let your guard down over there. This Mo Dao Group is very good at ambushes. They once caused a lot of trouble for Nagano Hengsheng and his men. We should find a way to eliminate them as soon as possible to put our minds at ease!"

"Yes, sir! I will keep your teachings in mind!"

"Yes, the next batch of supplies will arrive in Yudu in half a month. You need to be prepared!"

"Yes, sir! Understood!"

"Yes, I understand! We must ensure supplies for the front lines no matter what. I have faith in you!"

"Hi! Thank you for your trust, Colonel!"

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Lin Huai Ren felt a surge of pride; the delivery mission was successfully completed, and a huge weight was lifted from his heart. The next delivery was in half a month, which was plenty of time to clash with the Mo Dao Group!

It's just a rain of arrows. Even in ancient times, shields could withstand such brutal attacks, let alone now!

A shield?!

Yes! You can make your own shield! Even the most powerful explosion from an arrow can't penetrate a shield!