Vanguards of the War of Resistance! Let's travel back in time together, classmates!

Chapter 74 Chen Jinshan, Snowstorm at the Mountain God Temple

“This…” Xu Wengang frowned slightly and looked at Chen Jinshan.

“Alright, Brother Chen, since that’s the case, let’s go back to Daheishan first. Anyway, our two families will be like brothers from now on, so it doesn’t matter where I am.”

Upon seeing this, Chen Jinshan was overjoyed. "Haha... That may be true, but... how about this, let's go back to Daheishan first, and after we finish dealing with the affairs in the village, Xiaogang, I, your elder brother, will personally accompany you to Songjia Village to pay respects to Chief Shangguan, how about that..."

"Good, good..." Everyone laughed heartily, then formed their own groups and left Wulongkou in an orderly manner.

Shangguan Yun was worried about Song Xiaoyun's injuries and was eager to return home.

Half an hour later, a group of about 200 people from Songjia Village strolled leisurely with seventy or eighty prisoners. Although they had just experienced a great battle, they were all in high spirits and walked with brisk steps.

As night fell, the temperature dropped sharply, and light snow began to fall. The snow then intensified, reaching about 5 centimeters in less than half an hour.

Everyone hurried on their way. As a famous person named Director Rui once said, "The journey home is the best journey."

Thus, Wulongling welcomed its first heavy snowfall of 1931. Shangguan Yun calculated the days and found that it was already November in the lunar calendar, and the Gregorian New Year was just around the corner.

Hehe, this battle was a complete victory. Now we can go back to the mountains to celebrate the New Year in peace. With light steps, the group gradually walked away, and the traces on the snow quickly disappeared, as if no one had ever appeared.

At this moment, the military police squadron at Wulongkou was shouting, "Baka...useless...idiot...Sasaki...you are a complete idiot, you have disgraced the soldiers of the Great Island Empire!"

With two squadrons of soldiers, plus the local armed forces they had incorporated, totaling five or six hundred men, and with the cooperation of Zhuanghe, they failed to capture Songjiazhai and were unable to clear the main transportation route. Now, only a few dozen men remain.

"Hmph...you just wait to be court-martialed...baka..." The newly arrived captain, Abe Mitsusada, was furious.

Lieutenant Sasaki's face was even more ashen than a pig's liver. "Damn it, please calm down. I am incompetent and am willing to make amends by leading the elite troops to re-attack Songjia Village and reopen the transportation lines."

"Baka... Haven't you lost face enough yet? Hmph... You don't need to worry about these things anymore. When you came here, the brigade headquarters already gave you orders. Go to the Longshan Military Horse Farm in the south tomorrow and let the horses graze for a few days. I'll take care of things here for now. You understand..."

"Hai..." Sasaki's face was gloomy, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes. Without saying anything more, he turned and left.

Although Abe Kōdō and Sasaki had the same military rank, the Abe family was quite powerful, while Sasaki was just a commoner soldier with no background.

He naturally felt inferior to Abe Mitsuo, who held the same rank, and since he had suffered a defeat, he felt it was only right to be reprimanded.

"Hmph... idiot..."

Abe Mitsusada gave a soft snort and called out towards the door, "Wang-san, please come in for a moment..."

Then, Wang Yan walked into the command post's operations room with a blank expression, saluted, and said, "Company Commander Abe, this subordinate failed in the operation and deserves your punishment, Company Commander..."

"Haha...Wang Sang, please sit down, there's no need for that. The reason for the failure of the Songjiazhai battle this time was solely Sasaki's fault. He has been punished by the brigade headquarters and demoted for his poor command. Your friend from the Locust Army was very brave in this battle, and his contribution is immense..."

Abe Mitsusada gestured for Wang Yan to sit down, since he had just been transferred here and was unfamiliar with the place, so he really needed a local like Wang Yan to take care of all the trivial matters for him.

"Thank you, Captain. I can stand," Wang Yan said.

"Hehe, Mr. Wang, I heard that your father-in-law is a prominent figure in the area. You are familiar with the local situation. Would you be willing to assist me in continuing to manage Wulongkou and work as the captain of my locust army? Hmm?"

"This subordinate is willing..." Wang Yan's face remained expressionless. He knew very well that he had to agree, otherwise he could leave on his own, but the Zou family would be finished.

"Haha...Yoshi...Wang Sang, your friend is great, the Locust Army won't treat you badly...You'll still be working as the battalion commander. Starting tomorrow, you'll regroup your troops and serve the Locust Army..."

“Yes…” Wang Yan replied.

"Haha...Very good, Wang Sang. From today onwards, we will strengthen our defenses and build fortifications. Without my order, no one may leave the area within ten miles of Wulongkou."

"That Song Family Village is powerful now. We can't act impulsively like that idiot Sasaki. Once the New Year is over and the Imperial Army's troops are replenished, they'll all be dead, dead, dead! Heh heh... Hahaha..." Abe Mitsusada's sinister laughter echoed through Wulongkou...

At this point, Chen Jinshan and his group had already crossed the Shenjiatai mountain ridge and were less than three kilometers away from Daheishan. The wind and snow were getting stronger and stronger, and everyone was struggling to move forward in the face of the north wind and heavy snow.

Xu Wengang stepped forward and said, "Brother, the Mountain God Temple is just ahead. With so many wounded among us, why don't we lead everyone to the Mountain God Temple to rest for a while, and I'll send someone back up the mountain to deliver a message so that Wang Fuyong can bring people to pick us up..."

Chen Jinshan glanced at the seventy or eighty brothers around him, many of whom were injured. Because they had not received treatment, many of their wounds were becoming infected, and they were groaning in pain. His heart sank, and he nodded.

The group arrived outside the mountain god temple. The temple had been in disrepair for many years, with most of the walls collapsed and it was in a state of disrepair. Only the main hall could barely provide shelter from the wind and rain. Chen Jinshan ordered everyone to go inside and rest, and at the same time sent someone up the mountain to report the news.

A wave of exhaustion washed over Xu Wengang. He casually wiped the blood off his face, dusted himself off, leaned against a pillar, closed his eyes to rest, and felt himself drifting off to sleep.

Suddenly, someone outside shouted, "Boss, Brother Xu, come quick... come quick!" Xu Wengang immediately woke up.

Some people had already rushed out of the main hall, and then, supported by several others, a disheveled person covered in blood was carried in.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Jinshan was immediately shocked. "Wang Fuyong, what happened? Who injured you like this...?"

A young scout said, "I was just returning to the mountain stronghold to deliver a message when I found Captain Wang. He was unconscious at the time, but he has just woken up."

After a flurry of questions, Wang Fuyong slowly woke up and hissed, "Master, Brother Xu... you must leave quickly... Pang Xuecheng has rebelled and wants to seize the stronghold. He has already wiped out all our men."

The villagers, young and old, have been taken hostage by his men. I risked my life to escape down the mountain to deliver a message, but unfortunately my sister couldn't escape and fell into their hands.