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

The battle between humans and dogs didn't last long. Over a hundred people with their weapons were no match for a few dozen dogs, and the fight ended after most of the dogs were killed. The remaining few fled the battlefield amidst the gunfire of the Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese also suffered heavy losses; seven died, and the remaining twenty-odd were almost all wounded. The puppet troops fared even worse, with over twenty dead and every single one wounded. Nearly half of the laborers untied their ropes and broke away from the ranks, but only twenty or thirty managed to escape; the rest were all killed by machine gun fire. Those who didn't escape were terrified by the Japanese machine guns, crouching on the ground, trembling and covering their heads with their arms…

Inoue Masao quickly arrived at the scene of the battle, his face turning extremely grim as he looked at the dog carcasses scattered on the ground. Imperial soldiers being mauled to death by a pack of mutts while so many laborers escaped—this was likely the first time since the invasion of China that such a thing had happened. If word got out, wouldn't outsiders say his men were less capable than a bunch of mutts?

"Investigate! Investigate where these stray dogs came from, who is raising them, and who orchestrated this war between humans and dogs!" Inoue Masao said angrily.

"Hi!" the soldier next to him quickly responded.

“Chairman Cao, you should know which families in town can keep so many dogs, right?” Inoue Masao said, glancing at Cao Jiagui beside him.

“Hey! Almost every household in the countryside keeps dogs, but no one keeps so many at once! Nobody is rich, and people can’t even feed themselves, so how can they keep dogs?” Cao Jiagui answered cautiously.

"...So someone directed the dogs of the whole village or several households to carry out this operation, is that right?" Inoue Masao continued to ask.

"This...this is impossible. Dogs only listen to their owners and won't listen to anyone else, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless this person is an expert in dog training and has lived with these dogs for a long time."

"Yoshi! Find him! This kind of person must be brought under the control of the Imperial Army!"

This battle between humans and dogs showed the major a new way of fighting. Dogs, when used properly, can be just as powerful as humans!

"Hey! Can I take these dog carcasses with me? Maybe someone can recognize their owners by the dogs."

“Go!” Inoue Masao nodded in agreement. He had been wondering who could train such a pack of dogs with such fighting prowess? Even zookeepers couldn't control so many dogs to risk their lives to save people, could they?

Such people are terrifying!

……

That day, Man Gui and the others only dared to cautiously return to the village after it was completely dark. They didn't even have time to let their families know they were safe before they all went to Second Uncle's house to inquire about the situation.

Second Uncle had woken up and was sitting back in his chair, covered with a small quilt. His wife was talking softly beside him.

"Father! Mother! Your son is back!" The two brothers, Zhao Qingshui and Zhao Qingquan, stepped forward and knelt before their parents, tears streaming down their faces.

“They’re back!…They’re all back!…It’s good that they’re back!…” Second Master sat up straight, looked at his two sons, then at the group of people who had returned with him, and gave a slight smile.

The old man seemed to want to laugh, but his face was quickly overwhelmed with bitterness.

"Second Master, you saved us all! We kowtow to you!" These dozen or so people were all the old couple's grandsons according to their seniority. Having escaped death, they quickly knelt down and kowtowed to their saviors.

"Get up, all of you! ... Go to the ancestral hall and call the clan chief and the old folks over... We probably can't stay in this village any longer..." The old man said, lifting the blanket as he tried to stand up, and the two kneeling brothers quickly stepped forward to help him up.

Soon everyone gathered in the ancestral hall. Zhao Renyi, all the elders of the clan, and these young family members all came to the ancestral hall to assemble.

"Manxiang! You're back! Where's Manqin?" Manqin's father asked, pulling on Manxiang, after not finding his son among the returning crowd.

"Yes, what about Manyi and Manyang?"

"They didn't even come back for my family's full moon celebration..."

"Tell me! Where are the others?" Full-time dad suddenly became anxious, a bad feeling welling up in his heart.

“He…they…were shot…and won’t be coming back!” Manxiang said, his face full of guilt.

The six men, who were some distance from the others, didn't hear Manxiang's call and ran into the ravine with the majority of the group. Machine gun fire swept through, and many were hit and fell to the ground, never to return. But looking at the eager eyes of the others, none of them dared to speak out.

"Ah?...My son! You've made your father, an old man, bury his son!..." Manqin's father took two steps back and collapsed to the ground, bursting into tears.

"Manyi! Manyang!...How will your father live without you!..."

"Full moon..."

The single stone stirred up a thousand ripples; the other families finally understood, and a chorus of wails filled the ancestral hall. The others were also deeply saddened, especially those who had just escaped, each silently shedding tears…

Zhao Renyi and several other respected elders in the clan watched silently, their faces filled with sorrow. How could they not be saddened by such a tragedy? They all knew that Second Master and Chengzi had done their utmost!

After a long while, it was finally the clan chief, Zhao Renyi, who spoke:

"Stop crying! Now is not the time to be sad! Second Master and Chengzi have already been very lucky to have rescued so many people from our clan with the help of the village's hunting dogs. Those six young men won't be coming back, but fortunately, they all left behind children. These six families' children are the children of all of Zhao Village. We will take care of them together as they grow up!"

"We'll hold this grudge against the Japanese devils, and we'll definitely get our revenge when we get the chance!"

"We are now facing a dilemma. This operation will not be kept secret for long, and the Japanese may find our village soon. We have two options. The first is for the whole village to flee into the Mass Cave and hide until things calm down before returning to our lives."

"The second point is to fight the Japanese to the death, with the entire village, young and old, joining forces to ensure that the Japanese never return!"

"Let's all discuss how to choose. You young people, speak up. Whether to fight or flee, you are all key players."

As a family of swordsmen, they were all men of blood. In the past, handing over grain and goods to the Japanese was merely a temporary measure. This time was different. The Japanese killed their clansmen, and their clansmen killed the Japanese in return. This was a blood feud! An irreconcilable blood feud! Even if they didn't pursue the Japanese, they would never be spared. Fighting or fleeing were both difficult choices.

"Run! With so few of us, fighting the Japanese with broadswords and spears is suicide! Wanrendong is secluded enough. If we cause trouble in that area for two years, it will be another Zhaozhuang. We can wait until the Japanese are finished before we kill them and take revenge!" Second Master said, looking at the old and young people in the room.

It's not that the old man is a hero in his twilight years, trying to boost the morale of others while diminishing his own. After this battle between humans and dogs, he has already witnessed the ferocity of the Japanese. Letting these young men fight the Japanese head-on is tantamount to suicide! If the entire Zhao family line is cut off, then they will be sinners!