Songhu: Never Give Up

North City, Nameless Street

The Japs were looting property under the pretext of clearing out the remaining enemies. Although many houses were destroyed after bombing and shelling, this was a big city after all. To turn it all into ruins, not only the Japs' pitiful firepower, but even the saturation bombing of the US military in later generations could not do it;

Therefore, there were still a large number of houses that survived in the city, and these houses became the targets of looting by the Japanese devils.

At the beginning, they were very cautious and searched in small teams, with coordination between small teams and squadrons.

As the looting progressed, many devils started to go on a carnival mode after grabbing a lot of property.

The collective action before let the ducks go, and the squad was split into sub-teams, with the devils in twos and threes kicking open rooms one by one, slaughtering any old people they saw who had not left;

They robbed whatever they could find, and then set the houses on fire. The city was filled with thick smoke and howling, like a hell on earth.

Although most of the people in the city have been evacuated, there are still a small number of elderly people who are unwilling to leave their homes. They want to die in their own homes. For these elderly people, the guerrilla column can only let them do whatever they want.

There were also some wealthy families who had illusions about the Japs and thought that the guerrillas were just exaggerating. The Japs came just to make money, and they would just pay taxes to whoever took power.

These big families are used to seeing the changing flags on the city walls, and they sneer at the propaganda of the guerrilla column. They have their own way of survival, just like the Ma family;

The Ma family is a well-known wealthy family in the north city. They have shops on several streets. Their sons are all very promising. The eldest holds an important position in the municipal government. The second son studied in Japan and is currently doing nothing at home. The third son helps him manage the shops. The fourth and fifth sons are both studying. They also have several daughters.

The concubine married five wives, and the family was very prosperous. The Ma family compound was built magnificently, covering dozens of acres.

He was going to evacuate the North City this time, but he had no choice but to leave his property behind. He could bury his gold and silver, but he couldn't leave his house and shop behind.
Just when he was hesitating, the second brother Ma Zhennan assured him solemnly that the Japanese were absolutely reasonable.

They came to China just to change the dynasty. The Japanese were very polite and would not even step on an ant to death, so how could they kill people for no reason? This sounded very much like the tone of the four major magazines in later generations.

But Ma Sibo believed his second son's lies, so the whole family stayed and prepared a few plaster flags as a backup.

The Japanese's indiscriminate bombing of North City caused the Ma family to suffer heavy losses, and Ma Sibo regretted it so much that he scolded his second son.

Fortunately, he was lucky. Only some houses were destroyed and there were no major casualties among the core personnel. His family also had their own tunnel, which was dug under the rockery in the backyard, so the whole family escaped the bombing.

After learning that the Japanese had already attacked the North City, the Ma family quietly hung up the plaster flag. When the battalion commander found out, he didn't care. It was the way to survive in troubled times, so he just turned a blind eye.

Even so, Ma Sibo still did not feel confident, so Ma Zhennan repeatedly assured him that with the protection of the Plaster Flag, the Japanese would not make things difficult for them.

"Dad, don't worry. You can't trust what the surname Yue says. After the Japanese occupy China, they will also need someone to help them govern the place.
With my time studying in Japan, as long as the Ma family is willing to spend money, I might be able to find a job in the new government."

The third brother, Ma Zhenxi, interrupted and said:
“Isn’t this being a traitor?

Now that the country is in crisis, our Ma family cannot do this, or we will be criticized. When Commander Yue comes back, the Ma family will be in trouble.

Second brother, you are destroying the Ma family!"

When Ma Sibo heard Yue Qianli's name, he was frightened and a little shaken. The label of traitor was not good, so he looked to Ma Zhennan for help.

Ma Zhennan said disdainfully:

"What do you mean by being a traitor? It's so ugly, this is called saving the country in a roundabout way! What qualifications does the guy named Yue have to control us? If he has the ability, he should not let the Japanese enter Bengbu City.

For thousands of years in China, whoever sits on the throne is the winner! "

Ma Sibo thought about it and realized that this made sense. He immediately felt relieved, but he was still a little nervous.

Just as the Ma family was arguing, a group of Japanese soldiers were heading towards them, led by a captain. The Ma family mansion was too conspicuous.

Captain Yasui Tsunekazu came here in person after receiving a report from Captain Kameda Shunryu. The reason was that there were several plaster flags hanging in this mansion. Lieutenant Kameda did not dare to make a decision on his own, so he reported the situation to Captain Yasui.

This situation naturally had to be handled with caution and the cause had to be found out, so he led the Kameda team straight to the Ma family mansion, with Imagawa Minetaro among them.

He was the first one to discover the Ma family mansion. He had never seen such a large mansion before. If it weren't for the few plaster flags there, they would have rushed in and started a party.

Captain Yasui's ideas are naturally different from theirs. At his level, he has to be a bit political.

At first, Captain Yasui was quite polite and even asked the butler to report it. Ma Sibo was shocked after hearing it. What you fear will come true.
Ma Zhennan was very excited. He seemed to have sensed an opportunity and said to Ma Sibo excitedly:
"Dad, after the Japanese occupied Bengbu, they needed the support of a prestigious local family. Is there anyone more suitable than our Ma family?
This is your chance!

If we can get the support of the Japanese, the Ma family will surpass the Chen family to become the largest family in Bengbu, and I can also seek a high position in the new government."

After hearing this, Ma Sibo immediately became interested and said:

"Then why are you still standing there? Go outside and greet the Japanese!"

Ma Zhennan pretended to be serious and said:
"The Japanese are very polite, which means they also need the Ma family. We should not rush into it at this time.
Ask the butler to go and greet him, and you just wait in the living room."

Ma Sibo thought about it and sat back as if someone came to visit him as usual, while the butler trotted over to answer the question.

When Captain Kameda saw that it was just a butler who came and put on airs, he immediately drew his knife and shouted coldly:

"Bakayalu, you have lost your conscience!"

The butler was so frightened that he almost fell to his knees, his legs shaking. A hint of murderous intent flashed in An Jing's eyes. Seeing that the purpose of shocking had been achieved, he shouted coldly:
"lead the way!"

Frightened by the devils, the butler could not walk properly, and tremblingly led Captain Yasui and others into the living room;

Ma Zhennan, dressed in a suit, greeted them just right, while Ma Sibo continued to sit there and pretend to be cool.

Captain Yasui took a seat in the guest seat and said:

“The Imperial Army has officially taken over Bengbu City. We are here to help you build the Imperial Paradise. You don’t have to be afraid.
Where have all the people in the city gone to? Hurry and invite them back."

After hearing what the devil said, Ma Sibo felt relieved and said:
"Mr. An Jing, those people were ignorant and believed Yue Qianli's words and fled to the mountains and forests outside the city.

We, the Ma family, believe in your army. Your army has come from afar and worked hard. The Ma family has prepared some gifts for the troops. Please accept them."

As expected, he is a man of the stage. He can put on airs, but he cannot be vague when it comes to bleeding. Money talks. He should show his sincerity first. (End of this chapter)