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

Three days after the secret base was destroyed, Zhang Yiliang, the commander of the 521st Regiment of the 117th Division of the Central Army stationed in Seoul, also received the news. The senior colonel was overjoyed and held a grand banquet at his residence, inviting his closest friends to celebrate.

"Hahaha, Brother Yiliang, it's rare for you to treat us like this! It's just a Japanese research base, why are you so happy?" After a few rounds of drinks and dishes, Feng Jianxi, the commander of the 341st Regiment, asked the question that had been bothering him.

Upon hearing this, the others at the table put down their chopsticks and looked at the colonel with great interest.

"Hahaha, Brother Jianxi, you figured it out? Then I won't hide it anymore! Everyone has experienced the Japanese poison gas bombs, right? It's said that this base is researching a highly toxic shell called 'Flower of the Other Shore,' which has terrifying destructive power! The Japanese on the other side claim that once they get this Flower of the Other Shore, they will launch an attack on Seoul! Now that the base has been destroyed, we can buy enough time to prepare and give the Japanese a good blow right here in Seoul!" Zhang Yiliang said excitedly, clenching his fist.

“That’s right. The Japanese boasted that they could take over the Chinese mainland in three months, but General Feng shattered that claim. This time, we Huangpu Military Academy graduates will also teach the Japanese a lesson!” Regimental staff officer Liu Zhao chimed in.

"Haha, the reason why Brother Yiliang is so happy is because this news comes from Guya County, right? I remember that Brother Yiliang is from Guya County. It's been several years since you've been home, hasn't it?" Feng Jianxi said with a smile.

“Brother Jianxi understands me! It’s been two years since I’ve been back. I wonder how the old shopkeeper and my little sister are doing? The destruction of the secret base in Guya County is an honor for our hometown! I just don’t know which righteous person did it. We are so proud that our hometown has produced such a righteous person!” Zhang Yiliang said two honors in one breath, which shows that he was really happy.

“Brother Yiliang is truly a man of character! Why not send someone back to visit his parents and learn about this righteous man’s heroic deeds? If we could recruit him into our ranks, wouldn’t we gain another powerful general?” Feng Jianxi suggested.

"Hmm? That's a brilliant idea! Very good, I'll send someone back right away!" Zhang Yiliang's eyes lit up and he sent someone home that very night to visit his parents.

That night, everyone got completely drunk before the party ended. The morale of the defending soldiers was greatly boosted, and they were determined to fight the Japanese devils to defend Seoul and protect the peace and well-being of the people!

……

Compared to the excitement outside, the people of Guya County were much quieter. Many had heard the explosion that day, but the Japanese had blocked the news, and the people didn't know that someone had eliminated a major scourge for them! Apart from the occasional casual conversation about the explosion a few days ago, they continued to live a miserable life under the oppression of the Japanese...

After everyone in Tianma Village reunited, Mancang planned to set off to rescue Professor Song's family. The Japanese had just suffered a great loss and were probably too busy dealing with things at the base to attend to them for the time being. After instructing his brothers to keep a low profile and intensify their training, he took a full suitcase and embarked on his journey north.

There was no train station in Guya County, so the two traveled for a whole day in a horse-drawn carriage to reach Yudu City. They encountered many Japanese checkpoints along the way, but since they weren't carrying anything and had good citizen certificates, they passed through smoothly. The train station staff had already gone off duty, so they had to find a hotel near the station to stay in and book train tickets for the next day.

Transportation was like that in those days. There were no bus stations, and train stations were controlled by the Japanese. Only a few trains passed through each station each day. Often, there would only be one train a few days before going to a certain place. If you missed it, you would have to wait several days for the next one. Therefore, the station staff would go home early.

Their destination this time was Tianjin. According to Zao Hua, Professor Song's family lived in Longya Lane, Erlongqiao, Tianjin. That was the French Concession, but the Japanese had already secretly monitored Professor Song's father, wife, son, and daughter. If they didn't cooperate, they could wipe out the whole family at any time!

It wasn't that the Japanese were unwilling to arrest and imprison the family in the Japanese concession, but rather that Professor Song's grandfather was highly respected locally and could speak with the police in the French concession. It wasn't worth going against the French for the sake of this family, so they simply kept them under surveillance, as long as it didn't interfere with threatening Professor Song.

The next day, the two went to the train station early to buy tickets. After queuing for half a day, they finally managed to buy two tickets to Tianjin for two days later, which made them very depressed.

There was no other way; they still had to stay in Yudu City for two more days. So the two of them simply put aside all other thoughts and began to wander around Yudu with great interest.

“Brother, I don’t think this city is any good. The places we live are cramped and dilapidated. We even have to carry a chamber pot to the toilet. It’s no better than ours! It would be so much more comfortable to just find a secluded spot to relieve ourselves!” Manxiang said, pointing to the dilapidated houses along the street.

"Haha, that's true. The people living here are all poor, so their living conditions are naturally a bit worse. But the city has its advantages; there are more opportunities to make money! Rickshaws, pancake stalls, carrying goods—as long as you're not lazy, you can earn some money to support your family. Even children can sell newspapers to support themselves!" Mancang said, pointing to the newsboys in front of him.

"Newspapers for sale! The Japanese devils are at the gates of Seoul! The Seoul garrison is heavily fortified!"

"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale! The Chamber of Commerce president, Wu Chengde, has betrayed us and become a traitor!"

"Newspapers for sale! The superstar Butterfly will be performing in Seoul soon, and all proceeds will be donated to the war effort against Japan!"

Not far from the two, a boy of about seven or eight years old, carrying a schoolbag and holding a newspaper, was about to drink. His young face was full of hardship, as if he had been bearing burdens that were not his age to bear!

"This...the Japanese don't care that we're openly selling these anti-Japanese war newspapers?" Manxiang couldn't help but ask as he listened to the newsboy's shouts.

"I don't know, they probably can't manage it all! Or maybe the newspapers don't have that much influence, they're always playing guerrilla warfare with the Japanese." As they spoke, the two walked up to the newsboy, bought a newspaper, and started flipping through it.

It's something to be proud of. Even during the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Japanese didn't completely control propaganda in the occupied territories. Major newspapers still managed to publicize the war effort in those areas. In the beginning, the Japanese were quite strict, arresting people, vandalizing newspaper offices, and disrupting newspaper sales channels.

But the bans were ineffective, and many newspapers were forced to go underground and wage guerrilla warfare against the Japanese, or resell their products from other regions. In short, the people accepted and were willing to buy them; the Japanese couldn't possibly execute all the people, could they?

The Japanese also tried to establish newspapers and publish their own periodicals, but the people didn't accept it! Even if the Japanese printed newspapers and gave them away for free, no one would read them. After a while, the Japanese were exhausted from the ordeal and gave up. As long as the reports weren't too outrageous, they would turn a blind eye!

Of course, in certain areas and at certain times, the Japanese were quite strict in their control, so there's no need to argue.