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

"What? A clever trick? Don't even think about it! I know these soldiers well enough. They're good at smoking opium, frequenting brothels, and bullying ordinary people. When they encounter the Japanese, they're like mice before a cat! Don't count on it. If they were really capable, they wouldn't have been caught!"

"Besides, there were only four of us with me. When we encountered the Japanese while they were collecting grain in Dongping Town, we were caught without even firing a shot and brought here. Do you know what our squad leader said when we talked about going out? 'When we were hungry, we drank water; when we were hungry, we fanned ourselves. Trying to pull any tricks under the noses of the Japanese was like a cat wagging its tail—just looking for excitement!'" The soldier got angry just thinking about it. He had told his squad leader about deserting countless times, and every time he got the same answer. He was sick of hearing it!

"Hehehehe, your squad leader is from Northeast China, right? This little rhyme is quite catchy!..." Zhao Mancang couldn't help but burst out laughing. It seems that these soldiers are unreliable; they've long been scared out of their wits and are no better than ordinary civilians!

"Aren't you literate? Show me your tricks! I can't stand this place for a second longer. If we really get out, I'll entrust my 100-plus pounds to you. I'll go through fire and water without batting an eye!" Luo Xiang hadn't forgotten about escaping. He'd finally met a cultured man who believed this guy couldn't stay here, and following him might just lead to their escape!

You know what, this big, clumsy guy might not seem particularly capable, but his ability to judge people is commendable. Just because Zhao Mancang recognized the badge on his chest, he concluded that Zhao Mancang also didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place, and with the hints in his words, it seemed he was trying to defect to Zhao Mancang.

"Getting out won't be easy! Ask any of the laborers in here, who doesn't want to get out? But have you seen anyone actually do it? You can't rush this; you have to wait for an opportunity!" Zhao Mancang said casually. He had a slight liking for this big guy, but he wasn't quite at the level of trust yet, and he couldn't let him know his plans. However, it was necessary to give him some hope; the team needed some people who could handle guns.

"Hmm?... What opportunity are you waiting for?... Do you really have a way?" Luo Xiang asked eagerly, seeing a glimmer of hope.

"Let's wait a little longer! No one will have a chance if the Japanese don't let their guard down!" Zhao Mancang said.

"Huh?..." Luo Xiang felt a surge of joy upon hearing the other person's words. He thought that if he followed the other person, he might actually be able to escape! He wanted to ask something more, but the other person had already turned and left, leaving him with only a thin back view.

……

Through these few days of observation, Zhao Mancang had gathered a considerable amount of information. Located on the edge of the Funiu Mountains, the Japanese had specifically laid a railway line directly to the mining area to transport iron ore. A train would come every ten days to haul away the ore. During loading season, they wouldn't stop work until the train was fully loaded, day or night!

At this point, the Japanese soldiers would become even more ruthless. If there was any sign of weakness, they would whip the laborers to work faster! Even though it would take more than 20 hours for more than 300 people to work and load the entire train, by then everyone was so tired that they would fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the ground!

The Japanese soldiers were in the same boat, working non-stop from loading the trucks to escorting the train away. A few puppet army cooks brought them food along the way. After more than twenty hours, these guys were exhausted, like dead dogs, at their weakest point in terms of combat effectiveness!

After careful observation, it was found that there were 43 Japanese soldiers in the entire mining area, plus the captain and deputy captain, making a total of 45. There were also 13 puppet soldiers—the cook, the translator, and a few others—who fawned over the Japanese like lapdogs and were extremely annoying!

After loading a truckload, the laborers could rest until the next morning, and they would also have an extra meal of cornbread and porridge. After eating, they would naturally have more energy than usual. If the plan was right, more than 300 people could actually seize an opportunity to launch a counterattack against more than 50 people.

However, the prerequisite is that these 300-plus people must unite as one. If they fight on their own, it's just a gamble, and any of them who manage to escape will depend entirely on the protection of Guanyin Bodhisattva!

I've saved up more than a dozen steamed buns over the past few days. Tonight, I plan to test the attitudes of my roommates, get the team up first, and then worry about other things.

The first target was Hu Zi, who was lying on the other side of Third Master. Hu Zi was a little older than Zhao Mancang, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. It was said that the day after their wedding, the Japanese invaded the village. All the able-bodied men in the village ran away as soon as they saw the Japanese coming to conscript men, but he was slower because he was protecting his wife and taking care of his parents, and was captured and brought here. Fortunately, his wife and family escaped and weren't caught by the Japanese, otherwise he would have fought them to the death!

The reason he was chosen was because of his hatred for the Japanese. Several times, I saw his eyes burning with rage when he looked at the Japanese, as if he wanted to devour them alive! Once such a person gains trust, he will not easily betray us!

"Dude, every time I see you looking at the Japanese, I feel like I'm grinding my teeth in hatred. Do you have a grudge against the Japanese?" In the same toilet, when Tiger came in to squat, he followed him and squatted down to the side, chatting casually.

"A grudge? A huge grudge! These damned bastards are inhuman! I finally got a wife and was arrested the very next day. I don't even know how my wife is doing. And my parents, have they escaped yet?..." Tiger said a few more words to this kid. Although they hadn't exchanged many words, they were still acquaintances, so he didn't need to hide his own affairs. He had also told Third Master the same things.

"Those little devils are truly despicable! We're so young, how long will it take for us to stay cowardly like this? We still have decades ahead of us, I can't even bear to think about living like this!" To quickly close the distance between the two, they would curse each other together. Zhao Mancang, coming from the future, knew the secrets of this.

"The Japanese devils are more than just hateful! They're not even human! I just hope that one day God will open his eyes and strike these beasts dead with a thunderbolt! Then I can go home and reunite with my wife and family! ... Raise two cows, cultivate the few acres of mountain land we have, and have a warm bed with my wife and children... That's the life a human being should live!" Tiger closed his eyes and started daydreaming.

"Haha, brother, that's a great idea! But we can't rely on God for this; we have to figure it out ourselves!" Zhao Mancang was secretly pleased to see the other party's firm belief and prepared to guide him step by step.

"Find a way yourself?... What way? The Japanese are strong and well-equipped, and they have guns. Fighting them is certain death! I heard from the cook that a group of people caused trouble at the mine before the New Year, and they were all mobbed by the Japanese! Their bodies were dumped in the back mountain, and many of them were beaten to a pulp like rotten persimmons!..." Tiger said in horror.

“I’ve heard that too. This mining area is a den of devils, where hundreds or even thousands have died! If you want to succeed, you have to use your brain, like Zhuge Liang, right? You have to use strategies! Blindly going through the motions will definitely not work, and you might end up getting yourself killed!” Once the conversation got to the point, Zhao Mancang tried to express his intentions in a way that the other party could understand.