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

"Complete the assembly and change of uniforms within three days, and then parade through the county town with the Imperial Army three days later! Can you do it?" Kobayashi asked in a deep voice.

"Three days? Isn't that too tight? Our weapons and equipment are all short guns... and there's also the military pay..." Hu Xiaowei became worried.

In this way, the detective team will be effectively dead. Why not take this opportunity to make some demands on the Japanese!

"How many people can the detective team muster right now?" Kobayashi asked, trying to suppress his impatience.

“Three hundred and sixty men…” Hu Xiaowei replied. Since the detective team in Xiahou Town was no longer needed as part of the puppet army, it wouldn’t be a problem to bring back three hundred and sixty men to the county town.

"Two silver dollars per person per month! The first month's payment will be made in three days!" Now is not the time to save money; if these people aren't brought under control, no one will dare to follow them anymore!

"Yes! Your subordinate will do his best!" Hu Xiaowei quickly replied.

Previously, the puppet army's pay was only one hundred to three hundred yuan in legal tender per month, and it was often deducted or interrupted. Now, being able to secure two silver dollars is definitely a high salary! What more could he want?

"The taxes collected by the maintenance committee will be collected immediately after the march. Anyone who defaults will be executed on the spot! We must deter these small vendors, understand?" Kobayashi Kazuhito continued to command.

"Yes, sir!" Jiang Dazhuang replied immediately.

It seems the Japanese are serious this time. If those merchants don't voluntarily hand over their share of the money, they might be in for a world of trouble!

"Alright! Go clear that place out now!" Kobayashi Kaijin said, pointing to the mourning hall.

“Hi…Hi!”

Both men knew that the man was Wang Daben's father. Now that his son was dead and their family property had been seized, the old man only had his house in Xiaowangzhuang left. It seemed the Japanese had no intention of showing any mercy; they were discarding him after he had served his purpose!

However, the Japanese still wielded considerable power, so even if they had ideas, they dared not disobey. Besides, they had already seized all of the Wang family's property; dealing with this old man would be no problem at all!

Soon the old man was dragged out and thrown into the street, and Wang Daben's portrait and coffin were smashed to pieces and burned in the street! Wang Shuanzhu sat slumped on the ground like a stray dog, not saying a word for a long time.

……

In the Tianma Village council hall, Li Dadi and Gou Mao, who rarely returned, carefully explained the situation of the two townships.

"Uncle Cang! These days, the deeds of our Mo Dao Regiment are being talked about by the villagers as if we were heavenly soldiers and generals! The taverns and restaurants are talking about our Mo Dao Regiment's great achievements all day long, and even some scoundrels are praising us!" Li Dadi said excitedly.

"Yes, yes, yes, Qilixiang too! Especially after they killed the great traitor Lü Hongzhong, every merchant couldn't help but praise the Modao Regiment! It made Diezi so happy that he couldn't stop smiling every day!" Gou Mao said excitedly.

"Of course! We've killed so many Japanese devils, the people all regard us as heroes! Now, as long as our Mo Dao Regiment beckons, there are plenty of strong young men joining us!" Tiger said excitedly.

"It's good that everyone agrees! All this work hasn't been in vain! I called you back this time to get a feel for the situation at each stronghold. Don't tell me you haven't grasped it yet! Otherwise, I'll have to yell at you!" Mancang asked.

“No way! Our brothers are risking their lives fighting the Japanese, we can’t just sit idly by, can we? We’re all here, we have all the weapons, equipment, supplies and provisions of the Japanese and traitors clearly in our hands! As long as we start fighting here, the movements in the stronghold won’t escape our eyes!” Li Dadi said, taking out a piece of white cloth.

The white cloth was covered with countless drawings of dolls! At first glance, it looked like the patterns on an embroidered pillow! It was clearly the work of Wang Chunhua; no one else could understand it!

"I have some too!" Gou Mao said, pulling out a roll of paper money for burning at graves from his pocket and handing it over.

"Haha, good! It seems you've become seasoned intelligence agents! Get ready in the next couple of days, and after this job, you can head to the county town! Just let us know if you need anything, and we'll prioritize fulfilling your requests!" Mancang took the intelligence reports from the two men and read them through, quite satisfied with their intelligence work!

“Great! That’s what I’ve been waiting for! We’re planning to rent a shop in the county town and open a restaurant. We need a lot of support from our families in terms of staff and money!” Li Dadi said excitedly.

"No problem! We'll provide the money and the manpower you need! As long as you can establish yourself, we'll support you with all our might!" Mancang readily agreed with a wave of his hand.

……

The looting of the Japanese supplies was a huge success! Weapons, medicine, canned goods—everything imaginable—made even the seasoned Platoon Leader Sun incredibly envious! The Japanese had just suffered a defeat and their morale was low, making it the perfect opportunity to seize two towns in one fell swoop!

Intelligence from both sides confirmed this: the former military police compound in Xiahou Town was now only guarded by a dozen or so Japanese soldiers and twenty-odd puppet troops. Cao Jiagui, the chairman of the puppet regime, occasionally showed up, but his rabble of men had absolutely no fighting ability whatsoever.

There were two strongholds in Qili Township. One was in Mafang Village, where a considerable amount of grain requisitioned by the Japanese was stored. There were 23 Japanese soldiers and 36 Imperial Army collaborators stationed there, making it the largest stronghold in both areas.

The stronghold in the market was not a threat; there were only six Japanese soldiers guarding the gate, and not a single puppet army. Li Zisheng, a member of the detective team, was stationed at the stronghold to serve a few Japanese soldiers.

"Brothers! Everyone was mobilized at dawn this morning. By six o'clock tomorrow morning, there will be no Japanese left in these two towns! Can you do it?" Mancang asked in a deep voice after deploying the combat mission.

"No problem! After this battle, the people of both places will never be oppressed by the Japanese again!" Tiger roared.

"No problem!" Da Zhao and the Hunter answered in unison.

"Alright! Now everyone go and rest. We'll depart promptly at one o'clock in the morning!" Mancang ordered.

That night, the three companies of the Mo Dao Regiment split into three groups and launched an attack on three strongholds. Under the cover of darkness, each group surrounded its target. They wiped out all the Japanese soldiers without lifting a finger. Except for Li Zisheng's reconnaissance team, which was recalled to the county town, all the other traitors were imprisoned in a temporary jail to await their final judgment!

At six o'clock in the morning, the Mo Dao gang had completed all the arrests, leaving a small number of people to guard the area, while the rest were deployed to Mafang Village.

Two towns changed overnight!

"Completely crushed! It was a complete crushing of power! These Japanese devils and puppet troops were no match for us!" Tiger excitedly recounted his battle. Apart from taking out the Japanese soldiers on duty with a few shots at the beginning, the rest was as easy as eating and drinking!

“I didn’t even use a gun; crossbow bolts were enough!” the hunter said with a grin.

"Haha, it seems everyone's doing quite well! Good!" Mancang said as he stepped forward. "However, it's always easier to conquer a country than to govern it! Let's stay here in Mafang Village and wait for the Japanese to launch their first attack!"