Newborn 1927

Bai Lang met up with the two groups at the east end of the village and inquired about the results. They had also taken down two sentries at the east end, but were unharmed themselves. Everyone said they had had enough and wanted to continue. Bai Lang thought for a moment and said, "Let's check the west end of the village." So, one group sneaked around to the west end of the village. At this time, the west end of the village was bustling with people, and a group of soldiers were searching everywhere. Since no one had been sent to attack from the west, they naturally found nothing. Bai Lang and the others watched from a distance, patiently waiting. Meanwhile, soldiers were searching outside the south and east ends of the village. After nearly half an hour of searching, they finally found nothing and had to return to the village.

The sentry posts at the west end of the village were redeployed, this time cleverly replaced with concealed sentries instead of visible ones. The two sentries found cover and hid inside. Unfortunately, Bai Lang and his men saw them. Therefore, they avoided the east and south sides of the village, unsure of the hidden sentries' locations, fearing they might fall into their trap. Bai Lang arranged for two groups to bypass the blind spots of the hidden sentries and approach the two sentries. He led the other two groups closer to the village entrance road, the only way in and out of the village, but dared not get too close, as the two sentries were watching that spot.

At this point, everyone was alert and not drowsy, so sneaking over to take out the two sentries with knives was unrealistic. Therefore, once everyone was in position, the two groups opened fire on the two sentries, who immediately returned fire, resulting in a firefight. It was pitch black, making aiming difficult, and both sides fired by feel, resulting in no one being seriously injured.

Soon, another small squad of soldiers rushed out of the village, clearly coming to provide backup after hearing the gunfire. Bai Lang immediately shouted, "Fire!" A volley of bullets flew from the six men, the first soldier falling to the ground, the rest quickly taking cover. Seeing that the enemy outnumbered them, Bai Lang knew he couldn't linger, so he didn't fire a second shot and immediately ordered everyone to retreat. The soldiers chased for a distance but caught nothing and had to retreat.

Bai Lang led his men in a circle, returning to the east end of the village. Unable to pinpoint the enemy's hiding place, they figured it couldn't be too far from the village. Not daring to get too close, Bai Lang and his men fired two shots into the village from a distance. This provoked the sentries to return fire, revealing their position. However, it was useless; a squad of soldiers quickly emerged from the village and joined in the firing. Remembering Yang Jiefang's instructions—to harass but not enter the village—Bai Lang avoided engaging the soldiers and led his men to the south of the village. They again fired two random shots, prompting the sentries to return fire, and withdrew without waiting for the village soldiers to appear. They moved to the west side of the village and fired two shots again. The sentries returned fire once more, but had changed positions. Clearly, the enemy wasn't stupid and wouldn't stay in the same spot forever.

Bai Lang retreated a short distance but didn't run away. The village soldiers only came out briefly before going back inside and didn't pursue them. Bai Lang thought for a moment and arranged for two groups to go to the east and south of the village respectively. He instructed everyone to take turns firing, and after firing, to retreat but not withdraw, making the village soldiers think they were constantly moving. This went on for several rounds, and another hour or so passed. Later, the soldiers stopped searching, and the sentries stopped changing positions. Bai Lang and his men fired, and the sentries returned fire; both sides were firing blindly, and neither could hit the other. Bai Lang felt it was getting boring, and seeing that it was about time, he led his men back to their temporary camp.

Yang Jiefang was pleased with his report, as they had wounded seven enemy soldiers, a significant achievement. He told their squad to rest well, then summoned Liu Heizi and instructed him to continue using the same tactics Bai Lang had employed to wear down the government troops. He wasn't concerned with any specific gains, just keeping them at bay. Finally, he specifically instructed him to only harass from the outside and not to enter the village.

Liu Heizi led his men in several rounds of fire, but eventually the sentries stopped returning fire, letting them fire indiscriminately without paying any attention. Although Liu Heizi had received orders, he was still furious. He knew the positions of the three hidden sentries; they were on high ground, out of range of gunfire, and it would be difficult to get close enough to stab them. After thinking for a moment, he decided to send someone back to ask for three grenades to see if they could kill them. Yang Jiefang had been saving the fifty-two grenades captured during the day, deciding to use them only in critical situations. After hearing Liu Heizi's idea, he agreed and directly granted them six grenades.

Liu Heizi was overjoyed to have obtained six grenades. He immediately ordered three groups, each carrying two grenades, to infiltrate the vicinity of the sentry post and await orders. They were to use his gunshot as a signal to throw grenades simultaneously, regardless of whether they achieved any results, and then immediately retreat. The three groups obeyed, and Liu Heizi patiently waited for over ten minutes, estimating they were all in position, before drawing his pistol and firing three shots. Immediately afterward, six explosions rang out. Soon after the explosions, gunfire erupted from the east end of the village. Liu Heizi's heart sank; he knew they hadn't succeeded there and something bad was about to happen. He quickly circled around to the east end of the village. When he found the combat group attacking the east side, he found that something had indeed gone wrong. The group leader reported that they had missed with both grenades and were caught off guard during their retreat; Zhang Heizi had been shot. The two sentries, not daring to remain outside, retreated back into the village.

Liu Heizi was incredibly frustrated; after fighting all day, this was the first time there had been any casualties. He lost all interest in causing trouble and had Zhang Heizi carried back to their temporary camp. Yang Jiefang, hearing that someone was wounded, rushed over to check. Zhang Heizi had been shot in the back—a penetrating wound at close range—and the wound had been simply bandaged. Whether from blood loss or pain, Zhang Heizi was unconscious. Yang Jiefang remembered that among the supplies they had captured during the day, there seemed to be some medicine for treating gunshot wounds. They quickly found it and had Liu Heizi apply the medicine to Zhang Heizi in the dark. As for whether Zhang Heizi would survive, he had no idea.

It was already midnight. Yang Jiefang summoned Yan Donglai and instructed him, "We've been harassing the village from outside, so the soldiers must have thought we wouldn't enter. Now even the sentries have been withdrawn. You two go into the village and patrol. How you attack depends on the situation. My principle is to protect yourselves, harass the soldiers, keep them awake, and make them constantly worry about being attacked." Yan Donglai nodded and said, "I understand. Don't worry, we're like living devils, fearless even ghosts. Sneaking around in the dark is our specialty." Yang Jiefang thought for a moment and said, "I'll give you six more grenades for use in critical moments." Yan Donglai was even happier. He took the grenades and set off with a small squad.

The first two teams chose to attack from the east, west, and south of the village because the north side of the village was backed by mountains, steep, densely forested, and covered in shrubs, making it difficult to traverse even during the day, let alone at night. Yan Donglai, however, defied this and chose to enter the village from the north. Of course, a direct northward approach was impossible, but a northwest or northeastward approach was feasible, allowing them to avoid potential sentries in the other three directions. Therefore, he decided to split his forces into two groups: he and Gui Liqiu would attack from the northwest, while the Tie brothers would lead the other group from the northeast.

Both groups, after considerable effort, successfully entered the village. This small mountain village had a main road running east to west, with most of the houses built along its sides. A squad of soldiers patrolled the main road. Yan Donglai had no intention of attacking this patrol; he and Gui Liqiu preferred to sneak into houses, slit their throats with daggers, and send these bandits to their deaths in their sleep. Therefore, the two decided to lead their respective groups to choose a courtyard and infiltrate it.

Iron Hammer and Iron Egg, however, had a different idea. After discussing it, they decided to eliminate the patrol team first, deterring the soldiers from patrolling. So, the men ambushed the patrol team at a roadside corner, each drawing a pistol. When the patrol team came within range, they opened fire. The patrol team consisted of eight men, lined up in a single file. The two in front were hit, but the men behind reacted quickly, immediately taking cover at the corners on either side and returning fire. Both sides had six men, but in this situation, the pistol's firepower was far greater than that of the rifle. Two more soldiers were hit, and the other four cowered in the alley, too afraid to show their faces.

Hearing the gunfire, the soldiers inside the house quickly came out to provide support. Having been disturbed all night, these soldiers dared not take off their clothes and slept with their guns, allowing them to quickly assemble as reinforcements. Seeing this, the Tie brothers dared not linger and hastily retreated. But they had only taken a few steps when they encountered a group of reinforcements. The Tie brothers fired two shots, knocking down one of them. Just as they were about to fire again, their guns were empty; one magazine was gone. The two brothers quickly changed direction and retreated, reloading as they went. Soon, they encountered another group of soldiers. The brothers fired a few shots, forcing the enemy to dodge. They continued to turn, but the Tie brothers quickly realized something was wrong; no matter which way they turned, they would encounter soldiers. So they focused on one direction and charged forward relentlessly. But as they ran, they suddenly found themselves in a dead end. When they turned back, the path they had come from was blocked by soldiers. Iron Hammer knew he was in trouble and tried to lead his men out, but the soldiers kept coming, their firepower relentless, trapping them in the alley.

After attacking the patrol, they didn't retreat immediately, missing a crucial opportunity to escape. Furthermore, unfamiliar with the terrain, they wandered around aimlessly like headless flies, further increasing their danger. Now trapped in a small alley, the soldiers were delighted, shouting that they would capture them alive. This only fueled the brothers' fighting spirit. Iron Hammer said, "Brothers, what's the big deal about dying? We're all just men standing up to piss; let's die like men!" Several men around him echoed, "Then let's fight them!" Each man pointed his gun at the alley entrance, firing a shot at any soldier who peeked out. The soldiers dared not show themselves easily, only blindly firing into the alley, naturally missing their targets, creating a stalemate.

Just when the Tie brothers thought they were doomed, a hole suddenly appeared in one of the walls, revealing someone inside hammering away at it. The earthen wall wasn't sturdy, and a large hole was quickly created. A head poked out and whispered, "Good sir, this way!" before retreating back inside. Without hesitation, Tie Chui was the first to crawl in. It was pitch black inside, and they didn't know what they were doing. They could vaguely make out a man standing there, but couldn't discern his features or age. Judging from the voice, he was probably quite old. After the others had followed, the man said, "Follow me. We'll go out from the front and circle around behind them." He then led them forward. As they walked, Iron Hammer asked, "Brother, why did you save us? We're not good people." The man replied, "I know you're heroes from Yang'er Mountain. Those soldiers talked to you. These damned men! Do you think it's easy for an old man like me to raise a pig? From the beginning of the year to the end, how much effort did I put in? And they just kill it like that, without giving us a single penny..." As he spoke, he reached the front door, opened it, looked outside, and said, "Nobody's outside, let's go!" Before he could turn around, Iron Hammer punched the man, knocking him unconscious. Iron Egg angrily said, "Brother, what are you doing?" Iron Hammer said, "I'm saving him. He can't be implicated by us. Let's go!" He went out first. Iron Egg quickly understood, glanced at the man on the ground, and followed him out. Iron Hammer identified the direction, walked a distance, then turned back and fired a few shots at the soldiers from afar before quickly leaving the village. By the time the soldiers caught up, he had vanished.

Meanwhile, Yan Donglai and Gui Liqiu had originally planned to sneak into a courtyard, but gunfire from the Tie brothers' side attracted the soldiers. The two had no choice but to hide in the darkness with their men, fortunately without being discovered. After the soldiers left, the courtyard gate was wide open and not closed. The two seized the opportunity to sneak in with their men and hide in a corner of the courtyard. Rural courtyards are usually piled with a lot of clutter; even during the day, let alone at night, it's not easy to find several people hiding there—perfect for rural children to play hide-and-seek.

The soldiers, having failed to find the Tie brothers, returned to their houses, none of them suspecting that two courtyards were hiding people. Yan Donglai waited patiently for a while, and only emerged from the shadows when he heard snoring coming from inside. He first quietly opened the courtyard gate, peeked out, and saw Gui Liqiu already waiting outside the other courtyard gate before retreating back inside. This was something the two had agreed upon to ensure simultaneous action.

Yan Donglai had the other two men draw their pistols and stand guard on either side of the door. He then took out his dagger and gently tried to pry open the bolt. The bolt opened quickly, and Yan Donglai was secretly pleased. He gently pushed the door open. The door creaked open with a jarring "who is it?" in the quiet night. Yan Donglai was dumbfounded. What bad luck! How did he end up with such a broken door? Sure enough, the person inside was awakened. One of them shouted, "Who is it?" It was no longer possible to secretly slit his own throat. Yan Donglai yelled, "Your grandpa!" He forcefully pushed the door open, but quickly backed away. The two men on either side of him slipped into the doorway and began firing wildly at the person inside.

Gui Liqiu was a little slow; before he could even open the door, gunfire erupted from Yan Donglai's direction. Gui Liqiu cursed inwardly, "They said they'd use knives, why the guns first?" Now that the gunfire had started, a sneak attack would be much harder. Gui Liqiu kicked the door open and, like Yan Donglai, quickly retreated, shouting, "Fire!" The people inside, awakened by the gunfire, sat bolt upright. Gui Liqiu, like Yan Donglai, opened fire indiscriminately, and screams filled the room; it was unclear how many people had been hit. Both knew they couldn't linger, and before they'd even finished a magazine, they urged everyone to run. The group met outside, and Gui Liqiu couldn't help but complain, but Yan Donglai, without time to explain, simply replied, "Let's run first." Fortunately, they had chosen relatively secluded locations, and before the soldiers could catch up, they had escaped the village and disappeared into the night.