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

"Second Master is right. It would be like throwing eggs against rocks if we fought the Japanese head-on. We finally managed to rescue these young people, so we can't send them to their deaths. It's better for them to hide in the Ten Thousand Caves." Chengzi understood Second Master's thoughts and chimed in.

"Let's go to the Ten Thousand Cave. Fighting the Japanese invaders is not something we ordinary people can get involved in."

"Let's just hide for now. As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback!"

Soon, all the elderly people expressed their choice to take the first option, as they were all their own children and no one wanted to put their children at risk.

“You all go! Without Manqin, there’s no point in me living. I’ll just guard this Zhao Village and wait for the Japanese to come. I’ll risk my old life to avenge my son! Killing one is enough, killing two will be enough to avenge him.” Manqin’s father said after listening to everyone’s opinions, his words full of resentment!

"I'm not leaving! Both my sons are gone... I've lived this long, it's worth it to kill a Japanese soldier!"

"That's right! I'm not leaving either! I'll kill the Japanese devils and avenge them!"

"Kill the devil!"

The others who arrived all expressed their resentment, clearly determined to kill the Japanese. Without their sons, their lives were meaningless; they'd rather fight the Japanese!

“This… Uncles, please listen to me. We are all heartbroken that our brothers were harmed by the Japanese devils. They are not only your sons, but also our brothers! They are family to our entire village! This revenge must be taken!”

"But now is not the time for revenge! The Japanese are on a roll right now, and even the National Army can't defeat them. What can we, a village, do? If you stay here, you won't be able to get revenge; instead, you'll just be throwing your lives away!"

"Have you uncles and elders thought about this? Several of our brothers are already gone. If something were to happen to any of you, how would those orphans and widows survive? Who would help them make decisions when they encounter problems?"

"Striving hard is not difficult; what's difficult is surviving! Making the most of your own life is the hardest thing!"

"We must avenge our six brothers! But not by recklessly risking our lives like you all are doing. Once we've all settled down in Wanrendong, we young people will go find the army and join them. Only by fighting the Japanese alongside the soldiers can we kill more Japanese soldiers and avenge them!"

"Don't you all agree with this, elders?"

Just as everyone was silent and didn't know how to persuade these people, Manxiang stepped forward and said something reasonable and well-founded that made everyone present see the light!

"Join the army?...Yes! Let's all join the army to fight the Japanese devils and avenge them!"

"That's right! This revenge must be taken!"

"I want to join the army too!"

Upon hearing that they could join the army, the young men who returned immediately saw a way to get revenge and expressed their desire to join the army to fight the Japanese invaders.

"Join the army? Where can I join the army? The Nationalist troops guarding the county town have long since fled!"

“Yes! Don’t you know what those scoundrels are like? They’re good at bullying ordinary people, but when they see the Japanese, they’re as scared as mice when they see a cat! Do you want to be like them?” Manqin’s father clearly didn’t believe that joining the army would allow him to fight the Japanese and avenge his family.

“Then we won’t join the National Revolutionary Army! Such a big country must have real troops that fight the Japanese. We’ll find out about them and sign up. If one village can’t beat the Japanese, how can we not beat them with so many people across the country? Don’t worry, the Japanese won’t be able to run rampant on our territory for long. Someone will definitely take care of them!” Manxiang continued.

"That's right! We can't join the National Revolutionary Army! I heard there are guerrillas in Liping County who are really ruthless at fighting the Japanese. I'll go there and ask around. If it doesn't work out, I'll join the guerrillas!"

"I've heard that too. Apparently, the guerrillas in Liping County have won several battles!"

"Yes, that's right! Everyone in the town's caravans has heard of it!"

“Manxiang is right. It’s not a good idea to rely on us to fight the Japanese head-on. Let’s settle down in Wanrendong first and slowly find out about the troops fighting the Japanese. Our ancestors knew that such a big country like ours must have real troops to fight the Japanese. We just don’t know it because we’re stuck in this mountain valley!”

"The revenge for those six must be taken! But not now! A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years. As soon as we find out about the real anti-Japanese forces, we'll select young men from the village to sign up. One day we'll be able to fight our way to Xiahou Town and avenge us!"

"You lot shouldn't be so stubborn as to fight the Japanese. The right thing to do is to live and raise the children! What do you say?"

Zhao Renyi was deeply moved. Man Xiang usually seemed honest and unassuming, but he never expected him to be so reliable in such a critical moment! Given the current situation, this was clearly the best choice.

"This...so be it! I can't lose my grandson after losing my son! I'll listen to the clan leader!" Manqin's father said dejectedly.

"Alright! ...For the sake of my grandson..."

"...Go..."

The group seemed to have come to a decision and would no longer insist on staying to fight. They agreed with a look of dejection on their faces.

"That's right. Everyone, pack up tonight, make sure everything is ready, including food, clothes, supplies, and tools. Tomorrow morning, the whole village will move to Wanrendong! This can't be delayed. If we lose so many dogs, the Japanese will find us very quickly."

"The village has a few horse-drawn carts to carry the elderly and children, and everyone's luggage is being pushed in wheelbarrows. You young people should do your part and not leave anyone behind!"

Once he made up his mind, Zhao Renyi made arrangements so that he could escape as soon as possible and have peace of mind.

Sure enough, on the third day of the battle between man and dog, someone recognized the dog carcasses as belonging to Zhao Village. When Cao Jiagui arrived with a group of puppet Japanese soldiers, Zhao Village was already deserted. After a fruitless search, Inoue Masao, enraged, slapped Cao Jiagui several times and stormed off. Before leaving, he set Zhao Village ablaze!

……

Zhao Mancang and Third Master were unaware of the changes in Zhao Village. In the past few days, they had produced enough weapons and enthusiastically devoted themselves to training. The first training exercise was courage: twelve grown men and four young women, each wearing a Japanese army overcoat, slept alone in the cemetery each night! They could only bring dry rations and water; no fires were allowed, and no two people were permitted to sleep together. Each person had to sleep alone in the cemetery and be able to participate in training normally the next day to pass the test; otherwise, they would have to continue the following night!

When Zhao Mancang made his request, everyone except Hu Zi turned pale and trembled with fear! People have an instinctive fear of cemeteries; in the past, they would even quicken their pace and keep their distance when passing by, let alone spend the night there. Now, being asked to spend the night alone in a cemetery, they would be lucky to even sit quietly for a whole night, let alone sleep.

This time, Zhao Mancang didn't change his mind. He spent the first night with sixteen men in the cemetery. While the others huddled together, shivering, Zhao Mancang slept soundly, his head resting on a grave mound. As the night deepened, nothing frightening happened except for the cold. Seeing this, Hu Zi followed suit and lay down to sleep, while the others sat up all night, not daring to blink!