The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 291 Appearance (Part 3) [Bonus Chapter 710 for the Emergence of the Erotic Photographer]

Thank goodness! This time, after the deadbeat's shouting...

Thankfully, the embarrassing situation of "nobody had ever heard of Commander Hu, or the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment" didn't occur.

The group of puppet soldiers trapped in the room had not only heard of the aforementioned names, but these names were also incredibly useful to them.

No sooner had Hu Biao finished speaking than a loud and excited voice rang out from inside the room:

"Good heavens! It's Hu Biao, Commander Hu, and his Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment! What are you all standing there like idiots for? Are you tired of dying already and want to have a go at Commander Hu?"

After the shouts and curses, weapons were thrown out of the windows and quickly littered the ground.

Next, a group of puppet soldiers with their hands raised came out, led by a lieutenant. They all looked unusually honest with their heads down and eyes lowered.

If this isn't anything special, the really amazing stuff is yet to come.

Because he was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, his demeanor made him look more like a thug than a soldier, after the leading lieutenant of the puppet army came out.

With a thud, he knelt down in front of Hu Biao, Chaozi, and the others, and respectfully kowtowed once in succession.

After raising his reddened head, he respectfully said:

"My name is Huang Ming. Before I put on this military uniform and started earning a living, I was a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) person. I would like to pay my respects to Grandpa Hu Biao and all the grandfathers of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment."

Seeing that even their superiors were kowtowing, the puppet troops following behind quickly followed suit, kowtowing to them with a clattering sound.

Good heavens! Their overly enthusiastic expressions made it clear they were treating Hu Biao and the others like underworld bosses.

Seeing this, Zhao Zheng felt both joy and worry, his thoughts in a state of great complexity.

As for Hu Biao and the others, they were filled with indescribable joy, especially Hu, the so-called regimental commander, whose face was beaming with pride.

Of course, despite his secret delight, Hu Biao, having experienced so many situations, didn't show any extreme joy or deep emotion.

On the surface, he merely nodded slightly, which was his response to the greeting.

Then, he said casually, "Brothers, you have no family ties and are not afraid of Japanese retaliation. Are you willing to work with me from now on?"
I can't guarantee we'll live a life of luxury, but from now on, you'll be my sworn brother, Hu Biao. If you get hurt, I'll treat you; if you die, your family will provide compensation. You'll have plenty of opportunities to kill Japanese devils.

"A true Chinese man would rather die than serve the Japanese invaders; wouldn't he be ashamed to face his ancestors after death?"

There was little hesitation after Commander Hu finished speaking.

There were already about a dozen puppet soldiers, and they were already loudly proclaiming that they had no one left at home and were no longer afraid of what the Japanese might do in the future. They were willing to follow Commander Hu.

Immediately, Hu Biao burst into laughter at them:

"What are you still kneeling for? Get up and speak quickly; it's not very convenient here. Once we get to our own territory, I, Hu Biao, will treat you to drinks and meat."

Then, looking at the crowd still kneeling on the ground, his expression turned cold again, and his voice seemed even colder in comparison:
"Get up, all of you. I, Hu Biao, will spare your lives today."

But I hope you can remember one thing: as the old saying goes, "Serving in public office is a good way to cultivate oneself." If you continue to work for the Japanese to make a living, it doesn't matter much.

But if you take advantage of the Japanese invaders' power and your own skin, and become their accomplices to harm our Chinese compatriots, and even ruthlessly attack the anti-Japanese forces...

"Next time you fall into my hands, Hu Biao, don't blame me for recognizing you, but not the knife in my hand."

Faced with Hu Biao's warning, the puppet army lieutenant who called himself Huang Ming quickly responded:
"Grandpa Hu Biao, don't worry. We're just following the Japanese soldiers to earn our living in this godforsaken world. We'll never dare to do anything reckless in the future. If we run into you, we'll definitely shoot into the air."

After hearing this statement, Hu Biao finally smiled with satisfaction and uttered the last sentence:
"Alright! I hope you remember your promise today; now go back to your rooms and don't come out until dawn."

Under this arrangement, Huang Ming led the remaining hundred or so puppet soldiers back to a side room, and deliberately closed all the doors and windows tightly, not even daring to peek through the window.

******
Afterwards, Lao Yu, Xiao Henan, Lao Ma, and two others were left behind to guard the group of puppet troops with an MG34 machine gun.

Hu Biao and his group, along with the surrendered puppet troops, got into work in groups.

In addition to collecting all the weapons and ammunition of the Japanese soldiers and puppet troops, preparing to take them all away later, they even picked up the bullet casings on the ground one by one for future reloading.

If they've gone to such lengths, then let's not even mention the Japanese devil's big gold teeth.

There were also heavy leather shoes, water bottles, mess kits, belts, first-aid kits, and all sorts of other small items. It was during the previous frenzied firing that the Japanese soldiers' uniforms were not only conspicuously displayed, but also stained with large pools of blood.

Otherwise, these Japanese soldiers would have stripped themselves down to just their loincloths.

After all that work, not counting the various small items, Hu Biao and his men acquired a large amount of weaponry and equipment, including:

One Type 92 heavy machine gun, two Type 91 light machine guns, one grenade launcher, 45 Type 38 rifles, and one Mauser C96 pistol.

One Czech-made light machine gun, three Shanxi-made Thompson submachine guns, 109 Shanxi-made Type 8 rifles, and eight Mauser pistols.

In addition, there were more than 500 small melon grenades and wooden-handled grenades. The exact number of bullets of various calibers is not yet clear, but it is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

Just looking at these things made Zhao Zheng tremble with excitement, like a nouveau riche experiencing a sudden burst of joy.

In addition to the weapons and equipment mentioned above, the income from money and supplies this time was also exceptionally generous.

You should know! Although the owner of this place, Landlord Fan, lives in the countryside, his family are from Shanxi merchants. In addition to owning a lot of farmland around the village, they also own several shops in Pingding County.

This guy happens to be the kind of person who'll do anything for money. Ever since he got involved with the Japanese, he's been oppressing the people even more.

It's fair to say that even Zhao Zheng wouldn't object to raiding his house.

The group worked until about 3 a.m., and not only did Hu Biao and his men bring their own two donkey carts, but they were now fully loaded with all kinds of weapons and ammunition.

They also obtained seven or eight large carts from the landlord Fan's house, as well as more than a dozen mules, horses, and oxen, all loaded with valuables and high-quality grains such as white flour.

Even so, there were still many old grains such as millet and sorghum in the granary in the backyard of Landlord Fan, which could not all be taken away this time.

Thinking it would be a waste to burn them all down, Hu Biao quickly came up with an idea.

Before leaving, he led a group of men, carrying the fat, big-eared landlord Fan and his two sons who were clearly no good, and walked them around the village.

Although the village remained quiet throughout the process, it was as if all the villagers were asleep.

But with such loud gunfire earlier, how could they not have been awakened, and how could they have fallen asleep peacefully afterward? They were probably just afraid to go out for their own safety, and are now probably hiding by the window peeking in.

And so, while parading landlord Fan through the village, Hu Biao shouted loudly:
"Fellow villagers, there's no need to worry. I am Hu Biao from the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment. I've come to Fanjiazhang Village tonight only to fight the Japanese."

The three members of the Fan family colluded with the Japanese, so they should naturally be killed as a warning to others. However, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment and the villagers will certainly not be spared.

On the contrary, he still has a lot of food and belongings left in his home.

"It's all been done by exploiting everyone's hard-earned money. Just take it home for yourselves; I and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment will take care of everything."

After the parade, the three members of the Fan family were kicked in the back of the knee and fell to their knees at the village entrance.

Even though they kept begging for mercy, how could their crime of colluding with the Japanese be forgiven?

At Hu Biao's signal, Lao Ma, Xiao Henan, and Mo Yu, who were temporarily acting as the firing squad, gritted their teeth and pulled the trigger at a distance of only three to five meters.

Then, about ten puppet soldiers who surrendered were added, bringing the team to more than thirty people.

The group drove about ten large carts, along with many mules, horses, cattle, and sheep, and set off overnight from Fanjiazhang Village, heading back to their base camp in Zhangjiayu.

Only after they had gone far away did the villagers of Fanjiazhang Village dare to come out of their houses.

After glancing at the three dead members of the Fan family, they gritted their teeth and rushed towards the Fan family compound.

When dawn broke, Huang Ming and the other puppet troops finally left the room where they had spent the night, as instructed by Commander Hu. The famous Fan Family Compound, which was located within a radius of ten miles, had been almost completely emptied.

Actually, not all the villagers joined the team moving things last night.

For example, Fan Ergou, an orphan in the village, felt an indescribable sense of relief when he looked at the corpses of the three members of the Fan family and thought of his parents who had been forced to their deaths.

After hesitating for a moment, he followed the tire tracks on the ground and chased after Hu Biao and the others in the direction they had left.

There was only one thought in my mind: such kindness is too great, from now on I must follow that Commander Hu and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment closely, even if it means going through fire and water...

(End of this chapter)