Songhu: Never Give Up

Central Shandong, Yimeng Mountain Area, Langtougu, Canglongzhai

The Juyi Hall was filled with smoke and gloom. Strong men had gathered there and a group of bandit leaders were discussing matters.

The person sitting in the middle was the leader of Canglong Village, Long Xiaotian. The people sitting on both sides were the bandit leaders from a hundred miles around. They came at Long Xiaotian's invitation to discuss the important matter of dealing with the government troops' crackdown.

The leader of Haitian Village, nicknamed "Smiling Tiger" Han Wei, spoke first:
"My dear leaders, the Dragon Village Lord has not brought everyone together for quarrels or fights. All grudges among each other must be put aside for now and we must work out a set of rules as soon as possible."

Han Wei and Long Xiaotian are sworn brothers, so he is the most suitable person to start the discussion. If it were not related to the life and death of each village, who would be willing to come to Canglong Village to talk?

As expected, as soon as Smiling Tiger finished speaking, the leader of Zhujiagou Lone Eagle Village, One-Eyed Zhu, jumped out and said:
"This is easy. The government's lackeys are coming at us aggressively. The heroes of the 72 Hills have no choice but to unite and fight against the enemy."

Everyone agreed. Han Wei was waiting for this sentence, so he said:
"Since it is a meeting of 72 clan leaders, they must elect a leader. As the saying goes, a snake cannot survive without a head, let alone against the ferocious government troops. I suggest that Long Dangjia be the chief leader."

The bandits had always been wild and unwilling to submit to each other, but now they could no longer play with their personalities. Several mountain strongholds had already been picked by the government troops, and they had issued an ultimatum to the others.

Either surrender or be wiped out. They were too damn powerful, forcing these strong men to bow their heads and elect a leader to lead them against the government troops.

Long Xiaotian dared to send out invitations to heroes to form an alliance, which showed that he had certain strength in the 72 Peaks of Yimeng Mountain. He had more than 500 men and guns under his command. If he stomped his feet on the ground, the area within a hundred miles of Langtou Peak would shake.

However, the bandits were not united. Before Long Xiaotian could say anything polite, another bandit leader jumped out and said:

"Since this is a gathering of heroes, we should respect the strongest. When it comes to strength, the first choice is Ma Sanpao, the leader of the White Tiger Village. Not only do they have more men and guns than the Hidden Dragon Village, they also have three cannons. I nominate Ma Sanpao to be the chief leader!"

Everyone agreed, some supported everyone, some even supported Han Wei. It was a mess without any rules. However, Han Wei was very perceptive and took the opportunity of others nominating him to say again:
"Everyone, it's not easy to be the chief leader. Anyone who sits on this chair will be given special attention by the government and the army, and the chief leader will bear the brunt of it.
The brothers recommended Longzhai as the leader not out of selfish motives, but because Canglongzhai was located in the center of 72 Hills, with the most dangerous terrain, easy to defend but difficult to attack. It would not be easy for the government troops to capture Canglongzhai.

With Canglongzhai holding back the main force of the government troops, you and I can surround and eliminate the besieging soldiers from the outside, so that they can also see the style of our Ludi heroes. From now on, I will avoid you when I see you."

The bandit leaders all laughed after hearing this, which made several people who originally supported Ma Sanpao switch to Long Xiaotian, but there were still many people who supported Ma Sanpao.

As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Ma Sanpao originally wanted to fight for it, but now he changed his mind because he didn't want to be the first to stand out. So he took the initiative to stand up and said:
"What Mr. Han said is absolutely right. I also agree that the leader of the Long Village should be the chief leader. With the army approaching, we cannot continue to fight like this and let outsiders laugh at us."

As the biggest competitor turned to support Long Xiaotian, the situation suddenly became clear. The popularity and strength of the other minions were far from being a match for Long Xiaotian, and the position of the chief leader was no longer a suspense;
Seeing that the situation had become clear, Long Xiaotian deliberately said a few humble words and then took the seat of chief leader without hesitation.

In order to return a favor and appease the people, he proposed that Ma Sanpao be appointed as the deputy leader and Smiling Tiger Han Wei be appointed as the military advisor, thus balancing the forces of all parties. This finally sorted out the mess.

The next thing was to discuss matters related to fighting with the officers and soldiers. The new alliance leader, Long Xiaotian, made the final decision on this. The others also gave him enough face and no one picked their toes while he was speaking. Of course, some still picked their noses.

Long Xiaotian was polite at first, then he began to exercise the power of the chief leader and said majestically:
"Everyone, our opponents are regular troops. They are better than us at deploying troops, but we can leave them dozens of miles behind when it comes to digging through mountain valleys.

The Yimeng Mountains are hundreds of miles in radius and are home to many heroes. Since ancient times, they have been in charge of the heavens and the earth, but not the 72 peaks of Yimeng. In which of the three raids did the officers and soldiers gain any benefit?
They all returned with their weapons and armor abandoned and their troops and generals decimated, and this time is no exception!"

In his early years, Long Xiaotian had participated in Zhang Zongchang's Beiyang Army and served as a battalion commander. He had some skills in leading troops in battle and had a high prestige among the bandits. His words quickly boosted the spirits of the bandit leader.

The bandit leader, One-Eyed Sun, who had previously proposed that Ma Sanpao be the leader of the alliance, jumped out again and said:

"My dear leaders, there are not only government troops in Shandong, but also Japanese people. A few months ago, hundreds of thousands of government troops were driven out of Shandong by tens of thousands of Japanese people, and all the territory was lost.

The remaining ones are just some stragglers who are here to grab territory from our brothers. We can also seek external help and lure the Japanese to deal with the government troops, and we can sit back and watch the fight."

The proposal of One-Eyed Sun was approved by many bandit leaders. These bandits have always followed the principle of "whoever feeds you is your mother". Under the heavy pressure of the guerrilla column, many of them thought of surrendering to the Japanese.

Even Ma Sanpao and Long Xiaotian agreed. When they gathered in the mountains, the Japanese often tried to lure them away.
Long Xiaotian is also a guy who will not do anything without benefits. He gathered these strong men together for the purpose of promotion. The Japanese spy Miss Yunzi promised to give him a position as an imperial military advisor, so he is so concerned about it.

Seeing that One-Eyed Sun's words had almost fermented, Long Xiaotian continued:
"Everyone, the national army is coming with great force this time. There are thousands of regular troops alone. We can't defend the city with just the number of men and guns we have. We need reinforcements!
Now only the Japanese can help us in Luzhong, but they will not lend a helping hand for no reason, we still have to unite together. In the past, we were scattered on various hills and could not unite as one, so neither the national army nor the Japanese took us seriously. Now even a group of defeated soldiers dare to ride on our heads, can you tolerate it? "

"cannot!"

Long Xiaotian's good friend Han Wei jumped out again and said:

"Alliance leader, then we should gather our brothers together to form a coalition army. On the one hand, we can fight against the national army, and on the other hand, we can let the Japanese see our strength.

China is now the territory of the Japanese. If you follow them, you can eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks, and the brothers can also eat the emperor's food."

Liu Shuangqiang, the leader of Liuyun Village, immediately objected:
"What the hell is this imperial grain? Isn't it just being a traitor? I, Liu Shuangqiang, would rather lead my brothers to fight the National Army to the death than be a dog for the devils!"

As soon as Liu Shuangqiang finished speaking, several people followed him to oppose, and there were also some who were watching from the sidelines.
It seemed that this important plan of joining the Japanese was about to be ruined. A murderous intent flashed in Long Xiaotian's eyes. Before he could make up his mind, a group of people with guns and live ammunition rushed in. The leader was actually a woman. This person was really the Japanese agent Tanaka Yunzi from Jinan.

As soon as Liu Shuangqiang pulled out his gun, a crisp gunshot rang out in the hall, and Liu Shuangqiang fell down after being shot in the forehead;

Liu Shuangqiang, who was known for his fastest shooting at 72 Hill, was shot dead. The bullet came from the beam of the house. This was a sniper arranged in advance by Tanaka Yunko, who specialized in killing anyone who stood out.

This was obviously a warning to others. The leaders who had opposed the protests became much more obedient and just asked Long Xiaotian with a cold face what was going on.

Tanaka Yunzi answered for Long Xiaotian:
"Alliance Leader Long has accepted the reorganization of the Imperial Army and is serving as the commander of the Second Linyi Garrison Division of the Imperial Army. You have also received your rewards. From now on, you will be members of the Imperial Army."

Ma Sanpao frowned. He was well-informed and could tell at a glance that this was a Hongmen Banquet. Long Xiaotian had obviously colluded with the Japanese. No wonder they were asked to bring their brothers up the mountain to discuss matters.

At first he thought that it would be safe with his brothers around him, and Long Xiaotian was not someone to be trifled with, so he selected more than 200 elite brothers to attend the alliance, and the rest stayed to guard the old nest. However, he did not expect that they would still fall into Long Xiaotian's trap, and it was obvious that they had now become hostages.

He decided to wait and see what would happen. Someone would come forward anyway. Sure enough, the hot-tempered boss stepped forward:
"Alliance Leader Long, everyone, I'm used to living in the mountains and I'm not used to eating royal food. You guys go your own way, I won't accompany you!"

Tanaka Yunzi saw that there was someone who was not afraid of death, and sneered:

"Very good. Even if the deal doesn't go through, there is still righteousness. Is there anyone who is unwilling to join the Imperial Army?"

The bandit leaders all have good eyesight. At the Hongmen Banquet, even Liu Ji, the white dragon, had to coil up. Most of them chose to remain silent. Only one person stepped forward in disbelief. Now there were two birds that stood out.

Tanaka Yunko just waved her hand casually, and two gunshots rang out in succession. The two bosses who had stood up against the enemy became dead souls in the hall.

Now everyone saw the reality clearly and expressed their willingness to join the Imperial Army, and some even began to flatter it.

"Deputy Alliance Leader Ma, are you interested in taking the position of deputy division commander?"

Seeing that he was slow to express himself, Tanaka Yunko asked him with a smile, Ma Sanpao smelled a strong murderous intent, and now it could only be considered a strategy of courtesy before force.

Ma Sanpao still had some face to save, so he just nodded slightly, which was considered as his agreement.

The smile on Tanaka Yunzi's face became even wider, and the contempt in her eyes flashed away. Just these bunch of wimps made her angry.

Unfortunately, he is a strictly trained agent and will not act according to personal preferences, so he said proudly:
"Yoshi, since everyone has no objection, the Second Linyi Garrison Division of the Imperial Army is officially dead.
Long Sang is appointed as the Major General Commander of the Second Division, Ma Sanpao is appointed as the Major General Deputy Commander, Han Wei is appointed as the Chief of Staff, and others may also receive awards. "

Tanaka Yunzi threw out two decks of major general cards in one breath, and didn't even prepare a carrot stamp, but Long Xiaotian and others rushed to it, licking their faces and taking the few bones thrown by the devils. (End of this chapter)