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

"Jingya! Hmm? You two know each other?" Just then, a long-haired girl ran up from behind and approached the two of them, saying in surprise.

"I suppose so, this is an enthusiastic viewer. What brings you here at this hour, girl? Hmm, you've gotten even more stylish!" Zhang Jingya said familiarly, scrutinizing her best friend, without any intention of introducing the suitcase full of items.

"It's you?" Manxiang stared at the girl in front of him. Who else could it be but the long-haired girl who sprained her ankle on the train?

"Hmm? You two know each other too?" Zhang Jingya asked, looking at the two of them.

"I guess so! He helped me cross the train after I sprained my ankle. I still don't know your name?" the long-haired girl asked.

"I... my name is Zhao Manxiang. Are you friends?" Manxiang was also surprised. So they weren't here to pick her up after all! Hadn't she already written the love letter? Didn't she read it?

“Yes! We’ll be going now. We welcome you and the other helpful citizen to continue providing news leads! Goodbye!” Zhang Jingya said, pulling her friend away.

Manxiang stared blankly at the two figures as they walked away, lost in thought. "Did you even read the love letter? Give me a heads-up about whether you agree or not!"

"Stop looking! They've all gone far away!" Mancang walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Oh!" Manxiang walked back dejectedly, clearly in a bad mood. Mancang could only shrug helplessly; outsiders couldn't help with this kind of thing.

The group spent the night at the inn where they had stored their carriages, and returned to Tianma Village safely the next day. The puppet troops didn't give them any trouble at the checkpoints because of Wu Erdan's name.

"Uncle Cang, you're finally back!" Da Zhao greeted them from afar as they entered the village.

"They're back! This is Grandpa Song and his family. Find a bigger courtyard for them to stay in," Mancang introduced to Dazhao.

"Okay, everyone, this way please!" Da Zhao replied.

"Please rest assured, sir. I'll arrange things for the teacher in the next few days," Mancang said to the old man.

"Alright! Thank you for your trouble!" The old man led his family away with Da Zhao.

This trip to Tianjin took about ten days round trip. I toured the village and saw that the brothers hadn't stopped training, and that land reclamation and mountain produce collection were all progressing smoothly, which put Mancang at ease. In later generations, too many businesses and companies couldn't operate once the boss left—that was a failure of management! Now it seems that as long as no unforeseen circumstances occur, the village can operate normally and is basically on the right track.

Soon, Tiger, Da Zhao, Zhao Renyi, Second Master, Chengzi, and the devastated Manxiang were gathered together to discuss what to do next.

"Uncle Cang, things haven't been peaceful lately! After the incident at the base, the Japanese have increased their troop presence in the two townships quite a bit. You can see Japanese patrols on the streets from time to time, and Japanese puppet troops are checking people's certificates at the market. Even the puppet government is very active. It seems like something big is about to happen!" Hu Zi recounted the changes in the townships over the past two days.

“The wheat is almost ripe. In the past, the village committee was responsible for collecting the grain, so it’s normal for them to be active. With so many things happening recently, it’s not hard to understand why the Japanese have sent more people to issue good citizen certificates. We need to be more careful when we’re doing business, and we can’t afford to expose the village!” Zhao Renyi analyzed.

"At this time of year, the people are most helpless. Most of the grain they have worked so hard to grow throughout the year is looted by the Japanese devils and traitors, and they can only get a pitiful amount!" Second Master added.

"Why don't we try something? It's such a waste that the Japanese have taken so much grain!" Tiger suggested.

"Yes! Steal it! We can't let them get the food so easily!" Da Zhao chimed in.

"We will definitely rob, but if we only rob grain sporadically, the Japanese will definitely escalate their actions and rob the people's food even more frantically, just like they did in Mafang Village last time. They might even massacre the entire village to vent their anger! In that case, we will only be harming the people!"

"Everyone, stay calm. Wait until the Japanese have received enough grain, and the people have dried and hidden their own. Then we'll launch a full-scale attack and plunder the Japanese. After that, it won't be so easy for them to take grain from the people!"

Having learned from the previous experience of attacking the pillbox, Man Cang was much more cautious in his actions. He couldn't let the civilians suffer while he fought the Japanese. This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of seizing grain, and there was even the possibility that some of his brothers would sacrifice their lives, but it was worth it for the sake of the people!

"Hmm? That's good! Let's rob it like that! We can't let something like what happened in Mafang Village happen again!" Hu Zi was the first to express his support. The tragedy in Mafang Village still pained him deeply, and the village was still occupied by the Japanese! Even though they had taken over a secret base, he wouldn't be able to let go of the grudge until he had killed those Japanese soldiers who massacred the village!

“Cangwa’s consideration is very thoughtful. Fighting the Japanese is not wrong, but we can’t let the people suffer. However, this will put a lot of pressure on you. Have you thought about how to fight this battle?” Zhao Renyi asked.

"Not yet. Let's find where the Japanese are storing their grain first, then we can make a decision. If we plan properly, we should be able to minimize the losses! It's nothing for the people, brothers, to suffer a little hardship or fatigue. Even if we sacrifice ourselves for it, it will be an honor!" Mancang continued.

"Pah! What are you saying? It's bad luck! Protecting the people is important, but protecting yourselves is equally important! It's okay to suffer a little hardship or fatigue, but we can't afford any casualties!..." Second Master quickly said.

"Hahaha, Second Master, don't worry! The brothers will all listen to Cang Ye on this! Last time we were able to wipe out a Japanese base with just one rocket, this time we'll definitely be able to seize the grain smoothly!" Da Zhao reassured him.

“Yeah! It was so much fun attacking the Japanese base last time! No matter how strong the Japanese are, they have weaknesses. As long as you find their weak point, it’s a matter of one arrow!” Tiger added.

"Alright! As long as you know what's going on! It's great to watch you fight the Japanese!" Zhao Renyi said.

……

That afternoon, the brothers who were training received an order to all go to sleep, and everyone immediately became excited! There was going to be an operation that night!

Sure enough, at 10 p.m., the group quietly left the village, along with more than 40 hunting dogs!

The purpose of this trip was, of course, to rescue someone. After finishing the meeting in the morning, Mancang went to the tailor shop again. He learned that Zaohua, whom he had been longing to see, hadn't been seen for almost half a month!

This is outrageous! He had just rescued his family, but the real culprit had disappeared. After finding Wu Erdan and inquiring, he learned that the master and apprentice were stationed in a temporary tent on Wangyue Mountain, guarded by only two squads of ten Japanese soldiers, who had been added just two days ago!

What's the point of delaying things? With so few people, why not just take the hunting dogs out for a walk?

Night raids—how can a human compare to a dog!