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

That night, after discussing their plans, everyone went to sleep contentedly. For nearly two months, they had lived in constant fear at the mine. Now that they were safe, they all fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Tiger even laughed out loud in his sleep!

Unlike them, Wu Zi and Luo Xiang, who were also escaped laborers, were not so lucky! After the train derailed and overturned, these laborers had the upper hand for a while, killing and wounding many Japanese soldiers with stones, and many of them even managed to steal guns.

But the good fortune didn't last long, as the number of dead Japanese soldiers was limited. Soon, the Japanese soldiers snapped out of their daze, crawled out of the carriages, and began to fight back! As soon as the gunfire started, the laborers were thrown into chaos, especially when they saw the people around them being shot and falling to the ground one after another. They became frightened and turned around, running as fast as they could to both sides of the railway!

However, the Japanese soldiers naturally wouldn't let them go, continuing their pursuit and firing relentlessly! In the blink of an eye, the once dense crowd thinned out, and people fell to the ground, turning into corpses...

Wu Zi and his five comrades were the first to notice the Japanese counterattack and turned to flee without a word. Their numbers were no match for the Japanese!

Fortunately, they retreated early and weren't spotted by the Japanese. They ran all afternoon, traversing mountains and valleys, before finally resting in a mountain hollow. It was completely dark, and after a long day of activity, they were starving, exhausted, and utterly drained.

"Don't sleep! Let's take advantage of the darkness to find some food in the nearby villages, and while we're at it, find some clothes from the locals to change into. Once it's light, we'd better leave here and head to the county town," Wu Zi urged the group.

"What are we going to the county town for? We're penniless right now, and if we walk there, it'll take forever!" the junior officer asked, puzzled.

"How can we not find a carriage once we're in the village? Hurry up! If word gets out, it'll be hard to even get into the village!" Wu Zi urged.

"Let's go! It'll be troublesome if the Japanese devils and traitors find us! I remember there's a village called Wangzhuang this way, let's go get some food!" Luo Xiang said, pointing to the side.

"Alright! Let's fill our stomachs first!" The group got up and headed in the direction Luo Xiang pointed.

Hiking through the mountains at night was obviously dangerous, but these men were all former soldiers, far superior to ordinary civilians. By the time they reached a valley and followed it to Wangzhuang Village, it was already late at night.

They scaled the wall, broke into a small courtyard, pried open the door, and woke an elderly couple from their sleep. They forced the old couple to cook them a large pot of noodles, which they ate one by one, steaming hot. The old couple trembled with fear, hiding behind the stove fire, too afraid to make a sound, while the group of thugs ate and drank their fill and then ransacked the house.

……

The next morning, the Japanese soldiers and their collaborators in several towns and villages in the northern part of Guya County were all busy. Roadblocks were set up at important intersections and streets, and Japanese patrols, led by the collaborators, searched and questioned people house by house. This caused chaos and unrest, leaving the people in a state of utter disarray!

"What are those Japanese devils looking for? Why are they making such a commotion?"

"I don't know! Such a commotion at dawn, has the Nationalist army attacked again?"

"It doesn't look like it. When the Nationalist army attacked, they should have been busy on the battlefield. What would they be doing ransacking our homes?"

Did you hear anything last night?

No! What happened?

"I heard that the coolies at the iron mine rioted. Apparently, the train derailed and the miners took the opportunity to kill a lot of Japanese soldiers!"

"They killed some Japanese soldiers? Good riddance! How many died?"

"A few dozen, I suppose! These Japanese soldiers are probably searching for the miners!"

"Good! Good riddance! It would be better if all these damned bastards were wiped out!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down, or the Japanese will hear you."

"I wonder how those miners are doing? All the able-bodied men in the village went to work in the mines, I wonder if they're alive or dead..."

……

The group of people in Tianma Village slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up. The four women had prepared breakfast early, and the group was enjoying their meal.

"Huh? Where are Dog Hair and Earth?" Everyone was eating, but the two were nowhere to be seen, which made Zhao Mancang's heart tighten.

"They got up a long time ago. Last night we discussed that since the four of us and the two of them were all homeless, we didn't plan to leave. This morning we sent the two of them to the market to buy some bedding and such, and the six of us will wait here for everyone to come back and fight the Japanese together!" Diezi said.

"...Alright!" Zhao Mancang felt a little relieved. He dared not reveal himself easily now that he had just settled here.

While eating, everyone discussed going home. Tiger had just gotten married and was immediately put to hard labor at the mine. Now that they had some free time, everyone teased him.

"Tiger, be careful going back so suddenly! Absence makes the heart grow fonder, don't lose control and break your gun, that would be a real problem! You can't fix that thing!"

"Mind your own business! We men know what we're doing, unlike you who's completely clueless!"

"That's hard to say. You finally get to see your wife, can you really resist? Or is it that your body can't handle it?"

"Go away, when have we men ever held back at work? Don't worry, we'll make sure you're all uncles next year!"

"You're just being stubborn! Do you know what that's called? Being as stubborn as a mule!"

"Yeah! We have to take it easy!"

……

"Uncle Cang! Uncle Cang!...Something's wrong!..."

Just as everyone was chatting excitedly, Li Dadi and Gou Mao came running back, panting heavily. Their shouts from afar immediately alerted everyone.

"What's wrong? Don't rush, tell me slowly!" Zhao Mancang quickly went up to him and asked.

"The Japanese devils...the Japanese devils have blocked off many places, streets, village entrances, and roads leading into the mining area have all been set up with roadblocks!...They're checking everyone one by one!"

"I also heard that patrol teams in every village are searching every house for miners, and those traitors are shouting that anyone who harbors miners will be executed on the spot! We're afraid we won't be able to go back anytime soon..."

"What? We can't go back?... We finally escaped, how come we can't go back?"

"Yeah? What happened? Everything was fine yesterday...?"

"The Japanese know we did it? That shouldn't be the case! How come they've suspected us out of so many miners?"

"Yeah! Why should I?"

"We inquired about the remaining laborers from yesterday..." Gou Mao and his companion recounted the information they had gathered to everyone, and the group relaxed somewhat after hearing it.

"Alright! Since that's the case, let's not rush home. We can go back after things calm down in the next couple of days. The Japanese won't be able to find us for a while. We can use this time to tidy up the village and prepare for living here long-term."

"Alright, after we finish eating, everyone go to the village gate. Let's start by setting up the defenses..." Zhao Mancang thought for a moment and began to make arrangements. Since they had decided to set up camp here, they should get the preparations done first!