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

"Mantun, well done! Brothers, you've all worked hard! Everyone go back and continue training. To protect the villagers from the Japanese devils, you need to learn more skills! In the future, when the Modao Regiment recruits more soldiers, we will select from you militiamen!" Mancang said to the militiamen with satisfaction.

"Thank you, Commander! We will definitely train hard!"

"Kill the Japanese devils and protect our fellow villagers!"

"Yes! Kill more Japanese devils to protect our fellow villagers!"

The militiamen were incredibly excited to see the legendary hero! In those days, someone who could kill the Japanese invaders and bring peace to the people was a great hero in their hearts!

The fortified city had collapsed, and Hu Zi was leading his men in the cleanup. They searched the Japanese soldiers' corpses, taking all usable items and discarding them aside. A dozen or so Japanese corpses were already piled up at the gate!

"Haha, Uncle Cang! This time, Flute Old Root and the others really put in the effort! Otherwise, our village would have been in danger!" Tiger said with satisfaction.

"That's good! I didn't expect the Japanese to be so cunning as to pull this trick on us! Luckily, all the wounded are still here; those things in the woods alone wouldn't be enough to make them back down!" Man Cang was also a little scared. He had thought that once the main force of the Mo Dao Regiment diverted the Japanese's attention, it would follow. Who knew the Japanese would be so despicable, trying to control the villagers to blackmail them! This is a problem we must guard against!

"Why don't we send a team to guard the village? No one, high or low, would dare to do this again! It's too terrifying!" Tiger suggested.

"What do you think would happen if we took those two villages near Huluzui?" Mancang asked, seemingly out of context.

"Hmm? That's a good idea! If we take Eagle Gully and Elm Village, the Japanese won't be able to get into the mountains! If the Japanese dare to launch another sneak attack, the militia can hold them off for a while, and the brothers can go to their aid at any time. We can wipe out the Japanese at the entrance to the mountains! That's great!" Tiger said excitedly.

"Alright! Let the brothers clean up the battlefield, and we'll head out this afternoon!"

"Got it!"

Laoyinggou and Yushuzhuang are located at the entrance on the other side of Dayanshan Mountain. If these two villages are held, it would be a pipe dream for the Japanese to launch a sneak attack! Moreover, it also gives them another route to deploy troops, so it can be said that the strategic significance is very important!

"Commander, Company Commander, the brothers found several Japanese soldiers still alive in the pile of rocks. One of them was even holding a sword, so he must be an officer!" A team member came over to report just as the two were talking.

"Then why ask? Just finish them off and send them to meet Amaterasu, right? Keeping them around is a waste of food, isn't it?" Tiger said dismissively.

"Wait a minute! Let's go take a look. This official might still be of some use!" Mancang suddenly said.

"Useless? The Japanese are like sparrows, impossible to keep at home. They'd rather die than betray their own people!" Tiger said suspiciously.

“Let’s give it a try. Maybe he won’t have to betray anyone. A living Japanese officer might be worth some money!” Man Cang said as he walked.

"..." Tiger was puzzled. Could it be that the Japanese could come and pay money to ransom people? Seeing that Mancang had already gone over, he had no choice but to follow.

Outside the gate, four or five Japanese soldiers lay alone on the ground. As the team members had described, one Japanese officer held a sword across his body; aside from being a little pale, he appeared normal. The others were clearly more seriously injured; two of them had their backs deformed from the impact and were clearly not going to survive!

"Leave this guy here, and finish off the rest!" Man Cang said, pointing at Kobayashi Huaijin.

"...Master Cang, what's the use of keeping him around? We still have to feed and treat him well, right?" Tiger still didn't understand.

"No need for that! Just have the two female doctors rescue the piston and take it to the town jail. Two cornbread buns a day, take it or leave it. We can play with it slowly after this period is over!" Mancang didn't know how to use it for the time being, but he felt it would be a pity to kill this little Japanese devil.

"Alright!..." Tiger stopped insisting.

After visiting the wounded and comforting the villagers, Tiger finished packing up and had a quick lunch. The group headed straight for Huluzui.

The situation in these two villages was similar to that in other villages; the village head was the biggest traitor, with more than a dozen of his younger family members working for the Japanese. The brothers of the Modao Regiment easily controlled the traitors and local bullies in the two villages, and convened a trial for the villagers. Those with grudges sought revenge, and those who had been wronged sought justice, scaring these traitors and village heads so much that they were eventually executed.

The confiscation of property and the distribution of land brought considerable benefits to each household. Following this was the appointment of village chiefs and militia company commanders. Naturally, no one wanted to lose the benefits they had already gained, and with the Mo Dao Regiment already renowned in the area, the younger generation of both villages enthusiastically joined the militia! The assembly recruited over sixty militiamen on the spot! Most of them were skilled hunters and quite familiar with firearms and arrows!

After handing these men over to the brothers for training, Mancang and Huzi observed the terrain of the two villages and began to plan their defenses.

Three tributaries extending from Dayan Mountain form two relatively short valleys, with two villages nestled within them, separated only by a single mountain. Further in lies Huluzui, accessible from either valley, leading directly to Tianma Village.

“This place is difficult! Both ditches are like straight gourd mouths, and the Japanese can choose to come in from either one at any time. If we defend this side, we can’t defend the other side…” Tiger looked at the terrain and fell into deep thought.

"What do you think would happen if we built a stockade wall around the two valley entrances and then dug a tunnel through the middle of the mountain?" Mancang asked, pointing to the valley entrance.

"Building a stockade wall? Digging tunnels? That's a huge undertaking! Will the Japanese give us that much time?" Tiger worried.

They're not afraid of physical labor, but what they lack is time! Such a massive project definitely can't be completed in less than ten days or half a month. Who knows, the Japanese might attack before this is even finished!

"We're not in time! The Japanese only sent about two hundred reinforcements this time. They suffered heavy losses in this surprise attack, and with the war in the south raging, they certainly won't have time to deal with small fry like us! As long as we hurry, we can accomplish a lot!"

In the previous life, the revolutionary martyrs in "Tunnel Warfare" used tunnels to defeat the Japanese invaders. Now, it should be no problem for us to dig caves in the mountains to defend against the Japanese invaders!

We live off the land, so it makes perfect sense for us to dig tunnels in the mountains!

"Then there's no problem! Once the stockade walls are repaired and there are caves connecting both sides, and we send a dozen militiamen to guard the area, our area will be an impregnable fortress! A swarm of mortars will surely scare the Japanese away!" Tiger said excitedly.

"That's good! Let's find some jump ropes and make a plan. Let's try to come up with a rough sketch tonight and start construction tomorrow! We need to complete the defense before the Japanese recover!" Mancang said decisively.