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

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Gunfire erupted, instantly knocking down those who hadn't run far, their cries of agony filling the air. The Japanese soldiers on the train roared and swaggered, like demons descended to earth, ruthlessly reaping the lives of the laborers!

"Run! The Japanese devils are really coming!"

"I regret it! Why didn't I run away with those soldiers!"

"Dead! All dead!"

……

As the train sped by, many more corpses appeared on both sides of the road. People cried out and wailed, filled with regret. If only they had followed the soldiers and run away earlier, they would have survived.

"Boom! Clang, clang, bang..."

Just then, the train suddenly made a loud bang followed by a series of crashing sounds. The Japanese train ran over the stones that were held together by strips of cloth and derailed!

"idiot!"

"How do you work?"

My back is broken!

"Dead, dead!"

……

Now it was the Japanese soldiers' turn to scream. The train derailed and the Japanese soldiers on it were thrown off balance. With the carriage doors wide open, many Japanese soldiers were thrown out of the carriages and hit the embankment, their fate unknown!

"Attack the Japs!"

The sudden overturning gave these laborers who had escaped the disaster an opportunity for revenge, and they picked up stones from the ground and hurled them at the truck.

The reversal happened so quickly; just a moment ago, the Japanese soldiers were incredibly arrogant! In the blink of an eye, they were being thrown around, injured and battered, as if mocking their ignorance...

"My goodness! Is this the show you were talking about? How could those few little stones be so powerful?" The soldiers hiding on the other side of the hill were stunned by what happened in that instant! This reversal came too fast!

"Haha! Isn't that amazing! Want to take advantage of this opportunity to make a quick buck?" Wu Zi said smugly.

"Of course! It would be a waste of the suffering we've endured these past few months if we didn't take this opportunity to kill a few Japanese devils! Let's do it!"

"Let's go! I'll take you guys to kill some Japanese devils!"

"for sure!"

As they spoke, four or five men returned and joined the fight against the Japanese. Unlike the laborers who used stones, they picked up guns from the ground and targeted the more agile Japanese soldiers. As for those who had already broken limbs, they left them to be hit with stones!

……

By this time, Zhao Mancang and the others had arrived at Yangjiagou. They found an abandoned house outside the village to rest, and shared some food. In those chaotic times of war, such houses were not hard to find, especially in villages like Yangjiagou, which were close to the Japanese mining areas. The Japanese often started conscripting men from nearby villages. If able-bodied men were taken away, the elderly and women would also suffer, either having to leave their homes to find another way or enduring the abuse of traitors and waiting bitterly for their loved ones to return. In short, it was "difficult!"

"Everyone wait here. I'm going into the village to find some villagers to change into clean clothes. You'll be easily spotted looking like this." With that, Zhao Mancang took out two silver dollars and headed towards the village.

“I…I’ll go with you!…I’m from Chenjia Village and I often visit people here, so I’m familiar with this area…” the girl with braided pigtails said.

“Alright! Do you know Heiwa? Who else is in his family?” Zhao Mancang asked, taking out another ten silver dollars.

“I…I know!…His parents are still alive and he has a child who is a little over a year old…His wife ran away not long after he was taken to the mine, afraid of being harmed by the Japanese…” the girl with the braided hair said.

Everyone was filled with indignation upon hearing this. This family had been torn apart by the Japanese invaders! How were the elderly couple supposed to survive with just a child?

"...What's your name?" Zhao Mancang was also feeling bad. The TV dramas of later generations had already portrayed the lives of people back then as miserable enough, but he only realized after coming here that reality was even more difficult than the TV dramas!

"My name is Chen Mengdie, but everyone calls me Diezi..." Diezi said timidly.

A plate? Okay! Plate it is, the two characters look quite similar!

"Let's go!" the two said, and they went out the door together.

The village is a typical mountain village, with each household having a small courtyard built of earthen walls. Thick trees are already sprouting buds—Chinese toon, elm, cork oak, locust, and osmanthus trees abound, creating a vibrant scene. However, few people are out and about; everyone's doors are tightly shut, and no one seems to be busy with anything.

"...Before the Japanese invaders, it was quite lively. Old people chatted under the trees, children ran around, and women did needlework in the sun..."

"After the Japanese came, everything changed completely! After finishing their work in the fields, no one wanted to go out. All the able-bodied men were taken away, and young women and wives dared not stay at home. Everyone who could leave left. Only the elderly and children were left to struggle on, and no one knew when it would end..." Diezi's eyes were filled with sorrow as she spoke of the changes over the past few years.

"...Things will get better!..." Zhao Mancang knew how hard it was for ordinary people in this era. Seeing the deserted village, he became even more determined to fight the Japanese. No one could live a good life until the Japanese were driven out!

"Let's hope so! This is Heiwa's home, let's go inside."

The two arrived at the gate of a house with an earthen wall and knocked on the gate with a plate.

"Aunt Yang, it's me, Diezi from Chenjia Village! Open the door!"

"The plate? Oh, it's here!" An old woman answered and opened the door. Seeing that it really was the plate, the old woman's eyes lit up. Now that this girl could swagger out and about, could her daughter-in-law also come home?

"Diezi! It really is you! Come in quickly, it's windy outside!" The old woman welcomed the two into the courtyard.

"Auntie, this is..." Diezi was about to introduce Zhao Mancang when he was interrupted.

"I'm Heiwa's coworker. I'm out running errands, so I'm giving you and your child some money so Heiwa can check on you!" He handed the old woman ten silver dollars from his pocket.

This family has had a miserable enough life; it's best to keep Heiwa's situation a secret from them.

"Huh?... This... so much money... They even get paid for working for the Japanese?..." The old woman had lived in the village her whole life, so she wasn't some clueless child. Working for the Japanese was hard enough to get enough to eat, so how could they possibly get paid?

"Haha, this wasn't issued by the Japanese! We often find some Chinese herbal medicine and such for the traitors after work, exchange it for some money, and send it out to help their families. The traitors are very stingy, this is still a small amount!" Zhao Mancang didn't even believe this reason himself, but it was barely plausible, and he hoped it would fool them.

"Oh, those damned bastards... Is Heiwa alright?" The mother was still most concerned about her son and asked without bothering to verify the truth.

"It's alright. Working for the Japanese is tiring, but at least we get enough to eat. I can also find some herbs to exchange for some money with the traitors when I have a spare moment. It's just that the Japanese are very watchful, so it's not easy to get out!"

"That's good! That's good! You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go cook for you right away. Your grandfather will be back soon! We'll have noodles for lunch!" the old woman said with concern.