The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 492 Night (Two-part chapter combined) (Seeking monthly votes)
An hour later, Xinhuo first looked up at the sky.

Then, he raised his wrist and looked at the latest time on a watch that had been seized from the body of a Japanese officer; it was probably a Japanese "Seiko" brand watch.

It was already past 5 p.m. when I realized this.

The fact that the villager who promised to send grain and dry rations had not yet appeared did not cause them any panic; on the contrary, their anticipation grew even stronger.

The reason for this is that he's currently indulging in a blissful fantasy:

According to that villager, this place is only three or four miles away from their village, Dashigou, which is normally enough time to make a round trip.

He hasn't come for so long. Is he planning to stew an old hen and steam a big pot of white flour buns for us at home, and then bring them over together?
Oh dear! This fellow villager is far too kind; I can't possibly accept such hospitality.

Suddenly, thinking of fragrant white steamed buns and stewed old hen, Xin Huo's hunger grew stronger.

Only after tightening the belt around his waist did his protruding belly feel a little better.

Even so, Xinhuo wasn't worried at all about whether his fellow villager would stand him up.

Indeed! Xinhuo really doesn't think there's anything about that fellow villager that he needs to worry about.

Although he hadn't known the other person for long, Xinhuo sensed an exceptionally sincere attitude from them.

He had no doubt whatsoever about the fellow villager's claim that he was a family member of the Eighth Route Army and that they were all on the same side.

Since we're all on the same side now, it's perfectly reasonable for the villagers to stew some chicken and steamed buns for them to replenish their nutrition.

So, after waiting until this point without seeing any villagers carrying grain and rations, Xin Huo couldn't help but come up with what he considered a fairly plausible guess.

As for the old hens that lay eggs and the white flour that they only dare to eat during festivals, these are rare delicacies for the villagers. How could Xinhuo possibly let them all go to waste in one go?

This question is absolutely terrible!
They won't eat for free. They'll just slip a handful of US dollars and pounds to the villagers, and they can buy hundreds or even more chickens and flour. The villagers definitely won't lose money.

With this in mind, Xinhuo continued to wait patiently.

Meanwhile, the veteran who had been waiting with Black Star under orders gradually grew anxious as he pondered the situation.

Even so, Xinhuo didn't say anything to him.

It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but rather that he simply didn't dare to, because he felt that if he opened his mouth, his saliva would flow out in abundance, the kind that he couldn't wipe away with both hands.

The veteran had been so polite in calling him Uncle Xin, and Xin Huo didn't want to lose face by behaving so poorly in front of him.

In short, so far, Xinhuo's emotions are not only not flustered, but also filled with indescribable anticipation.

Unfortunately, as time continued to pass, the villager still hadn't come out, and Xinhuo's hopeful anticipation gradually turned into anxiety...

By the time it started to get dark, Xinhuo and the veteran had been waiting there for almost two hours.

Xin Huo finally couldn't hold back any longer. He spat out two large mouthfuls of saliva with two "pui pui" sounds.

Then he turned to the veteran beside him and said, "So much time has passed and the villagers still haven't come. Something might have happened."

You stay here and wait. I'll walk along the stream to the edge of the village and secretly scout out what's going on. Don't worry, as long as I'm careful and keep my distance, and don't enter the village, there shouldn't be any danger.

Seeing that Xin Huo had already said so much, the veteran still didn't know what else to say and nodded in agreement.

Then Xin Huo drew another pistol from his waist, crouched down, and crept along a path by a stream toward Dashigou Village, which was only a few miles away from the villager's mouth.

However, after walking about a mile, it became increasingly dark.

Soon, a dim moon appeared, but it still greatly reduced visibility; in such conditions, Xin Huo lost his footing and fell flat on his face, scraping both his knees on the spot.

Upon feeling the searing pain, Xin Huo's first reaction was to curse.

However, once the words were on the tip of his tongue, all the curses he uttered were swallowed back; at the same time, a tremendous fear rose in his heart, making his whole body tremble.

It all started when he witnessed this horrifying scene in the stream beside him:
I don't know when it started, but the once crystal-clear stream water turned into an incredibly glaring blood red, and the entire stream became like a river of blood.

After regaining his senses, Xinhuo seemed to understand why his fellow villager had not appeared even after so much time had passed.

Driven by a terrifying suspicion in his mind, he no longer cared about concealing his whereabouts and cautiously made his way slowly toward the village.

After taking off running, I stumbled and sang my way towards the village, my heart filled with a constant prayer:
If the bad ones don't work but the good ones do, then you must have guessed wrong.

The reason for this was that when Xinhu saw the blood, he instinctively thought that everyone in the village had suffered at the hands of the Japanese devils.

This naturally included the person who had made an appointment with him to send over food and dry rations.

After running forward for another two miles, Xinhuo's speed turned into a sprint.

When he reached the vicinity of the village entrance, he hurriedly checked the area, then his knees buckled and he knelt on the ground, his face filled with indescribable anger and resentment.

Because just a hundred meters away from him, a small village was burning fiercely.

It was clear that in no time, the entire village would be burned to ashes.

Under the intense light of the fire, more than a hundred villagers could be seen lying dead in an open space at the village entrance.

There were men, women, and children inside; the oldest was probably in their seventies or eighties, and the youngest was still an infant.

Now, under Xin Huo's investigation, not a single one of these people is still breathing; each of them has at least one stab wound, taken away from them all.

A large amount of blood flowed from the wound, forming a stream that flowed across the area, staining the stream red from that point, turning it into a glaring crimson color.

It's like Xin Huo's guess before was completely correct:

When the Japanese invaders arrived at the remote Dagou Village, the village was instantly annihilated.

They had killed everyone in the village, and before they left, they burned all the food, poultry, and livestock that they couldn't take with them.

However, even though his guess was correct, Xinhuo felt no sense of accomplishment whatsoever.

Because behind this hellish scene lie two exceptionally serious consequences.

Firstly, after their initial failure, the Japanese are still relentlessly pursuing them, employing increasingly ruthless and insane methods, even resorting to the "three alls" tactic ahead of schedule.

In a sense, the innocent villagers were actually implicated by them.

Secondly, forget about stewed old hens and white flour buns; they can't even get a single grain of food now.

Unfortunately, he, Hu Biao, and the other time travelers, along with a group of children, were starving and eagerly awaiting the grain and dry rations that the villagers would send.

In that case, I'm afraid everyone will starve to death.

Having considered the above situation, Xinhuo's hatred for the Japanese had reached its limit, but he had no better options at the moment.

He could only struggle to his feet, preparing to rejoin the veterans before returning to the section of the Great Wall where the main force was located, and then tell Hu Biao and the others the devastating news.

On the way back, Xinhuo's figure appeared exceptionally desolate under the moonlight. Like a wounded lone wolf, he was not only in a sorry state but also increasingly dangerous and frenzied.

This newbie, who had just transmigrated, finally let go of all his petty thoughts after being stimulated repeatedly, and entered a state of mind where he thought, "Whether I'm dead or not, as long as the Japanese devils don't have any good ideas either..."

******
Half an hour later, on the section of the ancient Great Wall where Hu Biao and the others were preparing to spend the night.

After glancing at the empty wasteland beneath the Great Wall, the ten-and-a-half-year-old muttered with some concern:
"Why haven't Uncle Xinhuo and the veterans come back yet? Have they run into some trouble? Should we go over and help them?"

Upon hearing this, the others remained silent, but the worry in their eyes spoke volumes.

Their current situation and mood are actually similar to those of Xin Huo before.

After Black Star and Fifteen returned from fetching water, they told everyone that Xin Huo had met a fellow villager, who promised to bring some food and dry rations later.

After everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief, they cheered and jumped for joy.

They rallied their spirits and quickly dug a smokeless stove, gathered enough firewood, lit a fire, and boiled a large pot of water.

You could say that once the dry rations arrived, they could immediately eat a meal with boiled and cooled water.

Even seasoned transmigrators like Hu Biao were quite shrewd enough to know that every single one of them was a good-for-nothing, so the dry rations sent by their fellow villagers might not be enough.

Everything is ready. We'll make some noodle soup or something similar later.

Anyway, I must fill my stomach with proper food tonight.

In addition, based on the place name "Dashigou Village" that Xinhuo had learned from the villagers, he carefully studied the map.

Unbeknownst to them, they had already passed the second location, which they suspected was the mission site, by about thirty miles.

Now, the third suspected location is only about 40 miles away by mountain road.

Fortunately, the problem isn't too big, because the third suspected location, which is a pass on the ancient Great Wall at Zijing Pass, is the most likely one.

So Hu Biao and his group decided not to backtrack to the second location.

Instead, after having a full meal and a good night's rest, they would go directly to the third place early the next morning.

They waited from day to night, and before they knew it, it was almost an hour and a half past dark, but Xinhuo and the old soldier still hadn't come with their rations and food.

Now I'm also very worried, afraid that something unexpected might happen.

Although Black Star was very anxious, upon hearing the ten-and-a-half-year-old's explanation, he couldn't help but feign composure and casually uttered:
"Don't worry, kids. Your Uncle Xinhuo hasn't come back yet; I guess the villagers wanted to prepare more food for us, which delayed him a bit."

Or perhaps the villagers were worried that carrying grain and dry rations out during the day would make too much noise, so they waited until it got dark before going out.

Are you all starving? How about this?
You can share those two cornbread buns. Even though each of you will only get a bite or two, it will at least fill you up a little and make you feel less hungry.

Faced with the suggestion of "getting a taste of what's good first," the children clearly showed their interest.

But soon after, the ten-and-a-half-year-old shook his head and refused, saying seriously, "No! We Eighth Route Army don't make exceptions. Let's wait for Uncle Xinhuo and the others to come back and eat together."

The other children didn't say anything after hearing this, but they all nodded in agreement with the ten-and-a-half-year-old's statement.

Seeing this, Black Star had no choice but to give up trying to persuade them to eat the two cornbread buns and began to wait.

After waiting for another ten minutes or so, just as Hu Biao was getting impatient and preparing to take the group to the village to take a look,

Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps was heard, and everyone quickly got up and looked to the right where the footsteps came from.

When they discovered under the moonlight that Xinhuo and the veteran had finally returned empty-handed, without any pockets or containers, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

Along with them, Hu Biao and his team's mentality and morale also plummeted to rock bottom.

There's nothing we can do! If there's never any hope, then so be it.

This situation, where everyone had hope and was ready to enjoy a good meal, only to have it completely shattered, was something even seasoned time travelers like Hu Biao couldn't accept for a while, leaving them extremely frustrated.

Not to mention other beginners and children.

In the time that followed, Xinhuo, in an extremely dejected tone, briefly explained that the village and the villagers had all suffered at the hands of the Japanese devils.

And this situation, and the issues it represents.

After listening to Xin Huo's explanation, everyone sat around the fire, but their eyes all turned to Hu Biao and Commander Hu, hoping that he could come up with a solution.

But even if Hu Biao has come up with something now, what tricks can he possibly pull?
He said with a wry smile, "Everyone should go to bed early. I'll go check the traps first thing tomorrow morning to see if they've yielded anything. If we can catch some rabbits and other prey, we can all have some meat soup."

Then, after eating, we can continue our journey, leaving the Japanese behind and completing our mission.

Unfortunately, even Hu Biao himself had no confidence in whether the traps could catch any prey while he was saying these things, so his words were hardly persuasive.

In the time that followed, everyone stayed around the smokeless stove, either lying down or sitting.

But because of their bad mood and low morale, and their uncertainty about their future, everyone closed their eyes, but none of them could actually fall asleep.

After a while, a timid voice suddenly rang out. It was Xiao Hao, the boy, who mustered up his courage and made a request to Hu Biao and the others:
"Commander Hu, uncles, elders, and sisters, will the future really be as wonderful as you once said?"

Originally, the children couldn't believe that everything Hu Biao and the others had described about the modern world the night before they traveled here was real.

However, when they learned the identities of Hu Biao and his companions, they realized that they were none other than the famous Commander Hu and his partners.

Given these guys' reputations, these claims that were once unbelievable naturally became more convincing, giving the kids even more to think about.

There are now better expectations for a bright future.

Perhaps it was the children's expectant eyes that shone so brightly in the moonlight that Hu Biao and the others could easily see through their thoughts.

The next second, Annie answered in an extremely serious tone:
"Yes! You have no doubt that in just over eighty years, China will achieve its great rejuvenation; just like countless years in history, our country will be incredibly powerful, and everyone will be able to live a good life."

"Then, Sister Annie, please tell me again. As long as we think about living like this tomorrow, we should be able to fall asleep."

The performing arts troupe also spoke up and made such a request.

Anne, of course, would not refuse such a request; and in the time that followed, her gentle voice rang out again in this cold and hungry night.

In such stories, not only do the children forget their current hunger, but they also forget the unknown dangers and fear of fate, and finally, smiles appear on their faces that belong to their age.

Finally, an hour later, they all drifted off to sleep, their faces still bearing smiles even in their sleep.

Seeing this scene, Hu Biao and the others felt a pang of drowsiness, and after a few moments of sleepiness, they all dozed off and fell asleep.

Only Uncle Bo and Lao Yu, who were on night watch, remained hidden in their concealed positions, their eyes wide open, protecting everyone's safety...

(End of this chapter)