The Flames of Resistance Against Japan in Jiangnan

Thus, everyone reached a consensus: deal with the Qian family first. Xue Geming also analyzed that since their small team had arrived in Huang'an, the Qian family should be unprepared, and by taking advantage of their unpreparedness, they could probably succeed. However, being from the future, he still didn't want to make a mistake, so he insisted on personally leading the team down the mountain to gather intelligence and ensure accuracy. Of course, everyone also had their own roles:

Xue Geming, He Changgong, and a few others went to investigate the Qian family's armed forces, while the other three groups prepared escape routes, at least three in total. Cai Zhongnong secretly mobilized some people to provide flanking support. With the work arranged, everyone had a hearty meal and a good rest before preparing their weapons to descend the mountain.

On the evening of the third day, everyone returned to the cave, and the situation was roughly clear.

First, all the evidence shows that the Qian family are indeed evil people, and they should be eliminated both publicly and privately.

Second, Xue Geming and his men have found out that the Qian family has 22 guards, including 10 long guns, 1 short gun, and 10 each of broadswords and spears. Their house is surrounded by a large wall with two gates, one in the front and one in the back. The house is divided into three sections. The Qian family lives in the innermost third section, the guards live in the second section, and other laborers such as cooks and farmhands live in the first section.

Third, Yang Guisheng and others had already prepared the escape route and drawn a map according to Xue Geming's instructions. Yang Guisheng was a hunter and quite familiar with this area, while Xue Geming had taught them how to draw the map. Everyone understood the map immediately; moreover, the people who had scouted these areas were very familiar with them, so they understood the situation even better and felt more confident.

Seeing that everything was ready, Xue Geming calmly considered the matter again before issuing the order to act:

First, this afternoon, everyone will secretly enter the city in batches. Local comrades, in particular, should disguise themselves as well as possible to avoid being recognized. We will meet at the Junyue Inn at the south gate of Huang'an County around midnight. All the guns will be smuggled into the city by Liu Fusheng, Yang Guisheng, and Guo Dage, disguised as woodcutters selling firewood. Bianjing and Cai Zhongshan will be responsible for coordination, while Lu Xiaoshan, Yan Dongzi, and Guo Ergou will be responsible for covert protection. If any incident occurs outside the city gate, they will immediately seize the guns and retreat; otherwise, they will continue according to the operation plan.

Second, during the operation, Bianjing led Yang Guisheng, Lu Xiaoshan, and Yan Dongzi to guard the back gate; Xue Geming led the others to enter through the front gate, first taking care of the guards' guns, and then Guo Dage, Liu Fusheng, Niu Dazhu, and two other strong men to guard these people. If anyone resisted, they were to be executed immediately, all by chopping with broadswords, and as little as possible, by firing guns.

Third, everyone must familiarize themselves with and confirm the retreat route drawn by Yang Guisheng and the Qian Yue family map drawn by He Changgong, and then proceed separately. If the group cannot be reunited afterward, they should meet at Huangjiawan, ten miles south of the south gate of Huang'an County, and return to the mountain together.

Fourth, He Changgong arranged for Li Dazui to work as a cook at the Qian family's house, with Li secretly providing assistance. Yun Tiansheng and He Xiaosheng were responsible for keeping an eye on the laborers and preventing them from showing their faces. Cai Zhongshan was responsible for maintaining good relations with the people at the south gate of the county town to ensure a smooth exit.

After everything was arranged, He Changgong added a few more points, mainly to refine and detail the arrangements. After the meeting, everyone went their separate ways.

Because these local party members were all native to the area, they hardly needed to wear any makeup. They just cut their hair shorter and dirtied their faces a little. In addition, the city gates were not heavily guarded, so everyone entered the city smoothly.

Everything proceeded according to plan. The troops assembled around midnight and received their guns; since they had entered the mountains as woodcutters, they also carried three wood-chopping knives into the city.

At midnight, assuming everyone was asleep, the group attacked the Qian family according to plan.

He Changgong had already discovered that the Qian family kept a dog, and Xue Geming was prepared. With just one arrow, the dog barked once and then fell silent. With Yun Tiansheng's help, Xue Geming quickly scaled the wall and entered the Qian family compound. Two guards who happened to be patrolling there didn't even have time to react before Xue Geming and Yun Tiansheng each knocked one unconscious, stealing a rifle and ten bullets from each of them. Then Xue Geming went to open the gate, while Yun Tiansheng used the guards' belts to tie them up, stuffed rags into their mouths, and then left.

As planned, Yun Tiansheng and He Xiaoshan were in charge of supervising the handymen in the first section, and the two quickly took their positions. Li Dazui, the chef from the Qian family, who had been arranged by He Changgong as an inside man, also came out under He Changgong's leadership, leading everyone to the back.

The team led by Xue Geming was now advancing nimbly along the buildings with impressive skill, somewhat resembling special forces in later generations. This left He Changgong and the others, who had never witnessed such movements before, dumbfounded yet full of admiration. Xue Geming and Guo Ergou were quick, while the local militia were still asleep.

While he was asleep, Yun Tiansheng and his men took away all the militiamen's spears, broadswords, and darts. Three strong men, armed with guns and knives, cleaned up the place, while Xue Geming continued forward. After meeting up with Yang Guisheng, who had rushed in from behind, and guided by their inside man, Li Dazui, they quickly found the wealthy man's house. It took Xue Geming and his men a while to rush into the room and subdue him before he finally reacted.

His second concubine was about to scream in shock when Guo Ergou struck her on the neck with a palm strike and knocked her unconscious.

Xue Geming found a pistol directly under the wealthy man's pillow by the bedside. It was a brand-new Browning pistol, and it was very beautiful.

Xue Geming didn't say much. Upon inspection, he found all five bullets inside, presumably a gift from Qian Chen, his second son. Without a word, he confiscated them. Qian Liang, the wealthy man's eldest son, was also arrested in his sleep by Yang Guisheng and his men. Much later, Yang Guisheng told Xue Geming that when they arrested Qian Liang, he and his wife were completely naked!

Because of the meticulous planning, thorough preparation, and sudden attack, the Qian family was caught off guard and wiped out in one fell swoop. Xue Geming was also unwilling to kill too many people, so he spared all the women, but the wealthy Qian and his eldest son, Qian Liang, had people on their hands and had a history of evil deeds, so they could not be spared. For now, they were just tied up. As originally planned, there were guards at several high points at the front and back gates of the courtyard, all of them loaded with bullets.

All the guards were brought out. At first, one of them actually intended to resist, but he was Qian Jue, a distant relative of the Qian family. He was immediately killed by Liu Fusheng with a single blow. The other guards then had no intention of resisting and obediently listened to Guo Dage and the other two. They came out quietly at this moment.

When he discussed the matter with He Changgong before, Xue Geming estimated that the Qian family must have a lot of money, and now he naturally wanted to find out. However, when he asked the wealthy Qian, the old man refused to say anything. In the end, Yang Guisheng made two cuts on the side of Qian Liang's penis with the knife, and Qian Liang couldn't hold back anymore and confessed.