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

It's no wonder Lü Hongzhong immediately thought of Cao Jiagui. The closest town to Qili Township is Xiahou Town, a two-hour round trip by horseback. Moreover, he had run into Cao Jiagui in the county town when he went to pick up the goods. If someone wanted to investigate, it wouldn't be difficult for him to acquire such a large quantity of goods. Money can be a powerful motivator, and it's not impossible that the other party might sneak over and pull off a heist if they really wanted the goods.

"Master, Lord Watanabe has arrived." Just as the two were speculating about the mastermind behind the scenes, Butler Fu came over and said.

"Watanabe? What's he doing here?... Let's go." Lü Hongzhong was very impatient. At this moment, he really didn't want to see this little Japanese soldier, but he had no choice but to patiently meet him because of the Japanese soldier's intimidation.

Watanabe Sando was the head of the Japanese stronghold in Shichiri-kyo. He was short, and his small mustache was quite unpleasant. He often flaunted his power and extorted money from Watanabe Sando in front of Watanabe Sando, the head of the puppet regime. Now that something had happened, Watanabe Sando had come over, but no one knew what his purpose was.

"Haha, what brings you here so early, Watanabe-sama? Do you want to take a bath? I'll have Xiao Cui come and serve you right away." He suppressed his displeasure and greeted her with a smile and a cupped hand.

"Lu-san, I heard firecrackers going off everywhere in the market early this morning. Is this your festival?" Watanabe Sando asked with a curious look.

"Uh... those lowly people are just setting off firecrackers casually, don't worry about them. If they disturb the Japanese, I'll have someone warn them!" Lu Hongzhong really had a bitter pill to swallow. Of course, he knew that those people were celebrating his misfortune by setting off firecrackers, but he couldn't say that to the Japanese.

"Oh, no need for that. I came here because I heard your bathhouse is having some trouble. How is it? Do you need the Imperial Army's help?" Watanabe Sando's expression was calm, making it impossible to tell whether he genuinely wanted to help or was planning something else.

"Very well! To be honest, all the guards in the shop were killed last night, and all the opium, pipes, oil lamps, and other smoking paraphernalia were taken away..." Lu Hongzhong pondered for a moment and decided to tell the Japanese soldier what had happened. Perhaps with the help of the Japanese soldier, they could quickly find out about the bandits and recover their losses.

"Oh? You mean a group of bandits using bows and arrows robbed this place? Are there such bandits in the entire Guya County?" Watanabe became curious again, wondering how such a force could have appeared in his jurisdiction without his knowledge!

This is not a good thing! Although the Japanese wouldn't take the Chinese army with its primitive weapons seriously, this information must be obtained. If necessary, it's not impossible to help Lü Hongzhong eliminate the enemy.

“Yes! My guards all died with a single arrow! And judging from the fact that they took away all the opium and smoking paraphernalia, it is very likely that it was done by someone in the trade!” Lü Hongzhong said, stating his speculation.

"An insider..." Watanabe Sando thought with even more disdain. Just a big-time opium dealer, nothing to worry about. But he had to find this person; this highly profitable business had to be controlled! What's the big deal about having another opium den if he could be loyal to the Imperial Army?

"Yoshi! I'll have the detectives investigate this immediately, and once they find the person responsible, I'll definitely get justice for you," Watanabe said, squinting his eyes.

"Thank you, sir! If we can find these people and recover our losses, we will definitely reward you handsomely, Watanabe-sama!"

"Yoshi! You, a friend of the Imperial Army! We won't treat you badly, you understand?"

"Yes! I am willing to serve His Majesty the Emperor!" Lü Hongzhong quickly bowed and saluted.

"Okay! You go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll go back and tell the detective team to get things moving sooner."

Watanabe Sando originally wanted to take a bath here and have some fun with the two girls, but unfortunately, something happened at the shop and they couldn't turn on the stove to boil water. Looking at the messy bathhouse, he lost interest and turned to leave.

Seeing that the Japanese had left and that the detective team would help with the investigation, he felt a little relieved. He planned to recruit some more guards, clean up, and reopen the business. One robbery hadn't brought him down!

……

Having slept all morning, Zhao Mancang was naturally unaware that his actions had aroused suspicion among these people that he was a competitor stealing goods. As long as he could hide himself, they could think whatever they wanted. Right now, their team had just been formed, and being careful and discreet was the best course of action.

However, this operation also exposed some problems. The operation went smoothly, everyone was very enthusiastic and efficient, which was the result of their training over the past period. However, most of them were not well-educated and lacked a clear understanding of opium or why they were fighting the Japanese. Rules needed to be established to guide everyone on what they could and could not do. Otherwise, they would be like a disorganized bandit group, easily broken.

A tenacious team must have a sound management system. Li Yunlong would never have been able to lead such a powerful independent regiment without Zhao Gang's assistance!

That evening, Tianma Village came alive with excitement as everyone gathered to celebrate their successful completion of the mission. The liquor was strong liquor bought at the market, and the dishes were naturally home-style cooking prepared by the four women. Several of the men who were good at cooking also showed off their skills. The stewed chicken, braised pork, and stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar all turned out quite well.

"Brothers, how was your first job?" With the food and drinks served, Mancang raised his glass without hesitation and was the first to toast.

"Good! That's great! Those guards are as weak as clay!"

"That feels great! These traitors are really despicable, they're just lousy cowards!"

"The haul is incredible! I've never seen so many dollars in my entire life!"

"Hahaha, look at you, so pathetic! There will be even more to come!"

"Exactly, this is nothing!"

"Haha, it seems everyone is feeling good. That means the training we've been doing has paid off! Unlike last time at the mine, when you were all trembling like quails, all shivering like dogs, are your hands still shaking this time?" Mancang continued.

"No way! Otherwise, we would have slept in the cemetery for nothing those few days!" Dadi said embarrassedly.

“If we’re afraid of dealing with these lackeys, are we still men? Don’t worry, we won’t be afraid of them!” Dog Hair chimed in.

"Hahaha, you two aren't real men, are you? How about we find a couple of girls to give you a taste of the good life?" Da Zhao teased from the side.

"Hahaha, that's a great idea!"

"Dog hair, what kind do you want?"

"Haha, it's good that you're not afraid. Whether they're lackeys, traitors, or Japanese devils, they're all human. If they get hit by an arrow, they won't survive! We all have two shoulders and one head, so what's there to be afraid of? If you're a man, just do it!"

"Given everyone's performance in this operation, I've decided to award a hundred yuan to a few outstanding individuals. From now on, every victory will be rewarded accordingly. We are all ordinary people with families to support; if you want your families to live a good life, fight hard and earn more rewards. What do you all say?"