The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

When the two returned to the county town, it was already noon.

In the battalion headquarters office, Okada Tomohisa was looking at a map, with Fujita Hiroshi standing next to him.

"Report!" Zhou Jindong called out from the doorway.

"Come in." Okada Tomohisa said without looking up.

Zhou Jindong led Watanabe Kota inside, stood at attention, and saluted: "Captain, this humble servant, Su Hao, has come to report!"

Okada Tomohisa looked up, glanced at Zhou Jindong, then at Watanabe Kota behind him, and frowned as he asked, "Why are there only the two of you? Where's Inoue Takeshi? Have the supplies arrived?"

Zhou Jindong's face showed a mixture of excitement and regret: "Reporting, Captain! The supplies have been safely delivered to Dongzhai Town! Lieutenant Inoue and the soldiers escorting the truck... they..."

"What's wrong with them?" Tomohisa Okada's heart tightened.

"Lieutenant Inoue said that in order to complete the mission assigned to them by the Empire more quickly, he decided to assist Lieutenant Okada in the next step of the work and try to find out the whereabouts of the main force of the Eighth Route Army as soon as possible."

Zhou Jindong spoke with great enthusiasm, "Lieutenant Okada sent me back to give you good news, saying that you can rest assured that by noon tomorrow at the latest, we will definitely be able to find the Eighth Route Army's hiding place!"

He also said that in order not to disturb your rest, he wouldn't call back and would let me give you a verbal report.

After listening, Tomohisa Okada's tense nerves relaxed.

So he went to work.

This Takeshi Inoue seems honest most of the time, but he's actually quite resourceful when it matters.

"Alright." Okada Tomohisa nodded. "Any other news from Yudai?"

"Lieutenant Okada is personally interrogating the prisoners, and it's said he's made some progress," Zhou Jindong fabricated. "The lieutenant asked me to tell you to wait patiently a little longer; he'll definitely give you a big surprise."

Okada Tomohisa smiled with satisfaction: "Good, very good. You've all worked hard. Go and rest for a while, then head back to the East Village as soon as possible. I'll reward you all when Xiongda's good news arrives."

"Thank you, Captain! I would gladly die for the Empire!" Zhou Jindong bowed again, then pulled Watanabe Kota out.

The moment Watanabe Kota stepped out of the brigade headquarters, he felt like his legs weren't even his own anymore, and his shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

He glanced furtively at the young Chinese man beside him, his eyes filled with awe.

This person is simply a devil.

He manipulated the entire Japanese army in Ningwu County, killing people, robbing them, and even making them thank him.

Zhou Jindong acted as if nothing had happened, walked to the end of the corridor, and even smiled and nodded to the passing Japanese officers.

"Watanabe," Zhou Jindong said in a low voice, only the two of them could hear.

"Ha... Hai!" Watanabe Kota trembled.

Zhou Jindong stared ahead, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Remember, from this moment on, even if the sky falls, you must insist that Okada Yudai is still commanding the battle in Dongzhai Town. If you dare to give even the slightest hint..."

Zhou Jindong stopped, turned around, and said in a chillingly gentle tone, "I'll make you suffer a terrible death. Believe me, I have a hundred ways to make you wish you were dead."

Looking into Zhou Jindong's deep eyes, Watanabe Kota felt as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake.

He lowered his head sharply and said loudly, "Hai! Captain Zhou, please rest assured! I, Watanabe Kota, am a guerrilla fighter, both in life and in death! I will absolutely not divulge a single word!"

"Very good." Zhou Jindong patted him on the shoulder. "Go pack your things left in the county town, and we'll go back to Dongzhai."

Watching Watanabe Kota's hasty departure, Zhou Jindong's smile slowly faded.

He looked at the Japanese soldiers training on the parade ground outside, his eyes becoming incredibly determined.

We've managed to get through this hurdle for now.

But he knew that Okada Tomohisa wasn't stupid; the truth would eventually come out. At most two days, three days at the latest, Okada Tomohisa would realize something was wrong.

Then, it will be a real tough battle.

But Zhou Jindong has never been afraid of tough battles.

......

Zhou Jindong and Watanabe Kota did not linger in the county town. The two rode their horses back to Dongzhai Town along the same road they had come from.

Kota Watanabe sat on the horse's back, his body bobbing up and down with the horse's movements.

He would steal glances at Zhou Jindong next to him from time to time. Seeing that the man was calm and even humming an unknown tune, his fear grew wildly like weeds.

This Chinese man is terrifying. Just now at the brigade headquarters, facing an old fox like Okada Tomohisa, he was able to lie without batting an eye.

When the two arrived in Dongzhai Town, it was already past 5 p.m.

The winter sun hung over the western mountains, its rays devoid of warmth, only dazzling the eyes when they shone on you.

Before even entering the town, Zhou Jindong reined in his horse.

He heard a commotion coming from the town, the footsteps of many people moving around and carrying things, mixed with the creaking of wooden cart wheels on the gravel road.

"Zhou Jun...should we...should we just go in?"

Kota Watanabe's voice trembled. He was afraid that if he went in, he would be riddled with bullets by the guerrillas lying in ambush. Although he was now considered "one of their own," he always felt that someone was watching him with ill intentions.

"Go in! Why don't you go in?" Zhou Jindong glanced at him, spurred his horse, and charged into the town first.

Upon entering the town, the sight before him made Watanabe Kota's eyes widen in astonishment.

The streets of the town were full of people. People were carrying large and small bags, leading children, and herding livestock, moving in an orderly manner towards the back mountain.

Several people dressed in puppet army uniforms were maintaining order, either helping the elderly push their carts or taking heavy loads from the women.

Zhou Jindong rode his horse through the crowd and headed straight for the town hall.

In the courtyard of the town government, the seven trucks were parked, and half of the supplies in their beds had already been moved out.

Wang Yuan, shirtless and wearing only a single layer of clothing, was sweating profusely as he directed several men to carry a heavy box of bullets.

"Dongzi! You're finally back!" Wang Yuan saw Zhou Jindong, threw the sack on his shoulder to the ground, rushed over, and grabbed Zhou Jindong's reins.

Zhou Jindong dismounted, deftly patted the horse's neck, tossed the reins to a soldier beside him, and strode over to Wang Yuan: "How's the situation? Have all the villagers evacuated?"

"Most of them have been evacuated." Wang Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and pointed towards the back mountain. "Minister Li left with Liu Meng; they've only been gone for less than an hour."

Zhou Jindong's heart sank: "Gone? Where did they go?"

"Minister Li said that we've made too much of a commotion this time, and that old devil Okada Tomohisa is definitely going to go crazy. We can't possibly hold out with just a few dozen people."

Wang Yuan pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Jindong. "This is a letter he left, asking me to make sure it's given to you."