The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 637 Snowstorm in Huai Shu Gully (Two-part chapter combined)

Although Lu Dazhi walked very fast, he was also extremely careful.

One of the main reasons is that the so-called "Huaishugouzi Tribe" was just a "Huaishugouzi Village" with only 130 or 140 people a few years ago.

Ever since the Japanese began implementing their policy of forcibly 'merging villages and households,' gathering people from all around here and creating a settlement, the situation has changed.

The village's living space did not increase at all, but the population surged to more than 1000, more than seven or eight times the previous number.

These people who were forcibly relocated naturally needed to find a place to live, and rebuilding their houses was out of the question; they not only didn't have the money, but the village also didn't have enough space.

As a result, places like millstone sheds, doorways, and dilapidated temples became highly sought-after locations, making it impossible for people like Lu Dazhi and his blind mother to secure them.

So, like most of the people who were forcibly relocated, they had no choice but to build makeshift houses to live in.

For our friends in the south, let me introduce the so-called "horse-frame house". It is actually a traditional building in the Northeast region. It is characterized by mud-brick walls and thatched roofs, and the front of the house is mostly triangular in shape.

Under normal circumstances, these makeshift houses can actually be quite nice if they are properly repaired.

In terms of insulation and other living comforts, although it is not as good as a proper house, it is much better than a shack.

However, in the Japanese army's tribal groups, there simply weren't enough materials to build a proper structure; they could only manage to build one out of a few pieces of wood and bundles of straw.

At night, they would use whatever they could find, such as tattered burlap sacks and broken winnowing baskets, to plug up any drafty spots in the walls.

Then the family and livestock squeezed in to spend the night.

If it were any other time of year, it would be fine; it would just be a bit dirtier, smellier, have more fleas, and be a bit worse in terms of environment, but at least no one would die.

But every winter, in the past two years, twenty or thirty people have frozen to death each winter.

Meanwhile, in the tribe, the construction of these simple horse-frame houses was carried out without any planning whatsoever.

As a result, the entire Huai Shu Gou Zi tribe is now in a terrible mess, with narrow and winding roads that resemble a maze, and outsiders who venture in might easily get lost.

Considering all of the above, even though Lu Dazhi was already familiar with this place.

Walking around late at night, if you're not careful, you might accidentally bump into someone's house...

After a long journey, Lu Dazhi finally returned to his own doorstep; compared to the many huts in the group's settlement, his house was relatively shabby.

Once he got home, he didn't even need to knock on the door.

The boy skillfully reached his right hand through a gap in the straw and sticks that made up the makeshift door, and gently flicked the latch, opening the door.

After tiptoeing inside, I only managed a quick glance through the moonlight streaming in through the doors and windows.

Lu Dazhi felt quite worried.

The fire in the stove had long since gone out, and the half-full vat of water in the water tank had completely frozen. The entire stable was as cold as an ice cellar.

My mother is now covered with a tattered quilt that has hardly any cotton inside. She is curled up on her side on a small kang (heated brick bed), and she looks pitiful.

He casually lifted the lid of the grain jar next to the stove and saw that there wasn't a single grain left inside.

So his blind mother must have completely run out of food, and must be cold and hungry right now.

Realizing this, Lu Dazhi quickly closed the door, took out two steamed buns that he had been keeping warm with his own body heat from his pocket, and quietly walked to the edge of the small kang (heated brick bed).

With one hand free, he gently nudged his mother's shoulder while whispering:

"Mother! It's me, Gou'er. You must have been starving at home these past few days. I've wanted to come back to see you for a long time, but I've been too busy with work."

I brought you some steamed buns, eat them quickly, they're still warm..."

Throughout the above process, to avoid worrying and upsetting his mother, the boy didn't mention a single word about how he was almost beaten to death at Sangye's house.

But halfway through his shout, the boy suddenly shut his mouth.

His face was filled with panic, grief, and despair, and he was trembling all over.

He discovered that his mother's body had stiffened, as if his worst fears had come true; then he touched his mother's nasal cavity with trembling hands and found that there was no breath at all.

A wave of immense grief washed over me: My mother is dead! I don't know when she froze to death, or starved to death.

Now he has no relatives left in this world, and he is all alone.

After thinking about all this, Lu Dazhi collapsed to the ground and burst into tears; he wished he could die with his mother.

Suddenly, the mournful cries of someone still going through puberty carried far through the quiet village, reaching everyone in the tribe...

*****
Not long after, some villagers nearby were awakened, got up and rushed over, and gathered at the door to watch.

A few minutes later, an elderly man with a full head of white hair, but whose back was still ramrod straight, sighed, took a few steps forward into the stable, and said to Lu Dazhi:
"Dog! The dead cannot be brought back to life. Now you are the only one left in the Lu family. You must hold this family together."

Besides, in this damned world, death is actually a good thing, saving you from further suffering; the most important thing now is to properly handle your mother's funeral arrangements and send her off.

"I still have some white cloth here. I was originally planning to save it for when I die. I'll bring it to you later so you can set up the mourning hall for your mother."

The old man was called Master Zhao by the people in the tribe. He was originally a hunter who made a living by hunting and digging for ginseng.

He possesses the typical straightforwardness and righteousness of Northeasterners, and he often helps others, thus earning considerable respect among the many struggling people.

After he took the lead, and more importantly, after seeing the situation of the Lu family, he thought about his own hardships and felt more empathy and compassion.

Other villagers also stepped forward and began to speak:
"I have some incense and candles at home, I'll bring them over later to light them for my little sister."

"I still have some paper money left. Gou'er, burn it for your mother. She should have some money to protect herself on her journey to the underworld."

"Doggy, find your mother's best clothes, and we, her old sisters, will help her change into them. Even in death, we'll try to be as presentable and clean as possible."

Immediately, everyone spoke up, expressing their willingness to contribute whatever they could, and to lend a helping hand as much as possible.

Upon hearing this, the boy, who is now 14 years old and just two months shy of 14, finally felt some warmth from humanity.

He immediately began kowtowing to Old Master Zhao and the others.

While kowtowing, he choked out, "Thank you, gentlemen, uncles, and elders. If you ever need my help..."

Before Lu Dazhi could finish speaking, an extremely arrogant voice rang out:
"Why aren't you sleeping properly at night? Are you bastards trying to rebel?"

"Go back to your doghouse right now, or I'll tell my second son, the servant, about tonight's incident tomorrow, and he'll skin you alive."

Lu Dazhi recognized the voice; it was Huang Daya, the village head appointed by the Japanese in the tribe.

A few days ago, he married his daughter off as a concubine to a regimental commander in the puppet state of Manchukuo, and his two sons are serving in the puppet army and the puppet government respectively.

He usually acted arrogantly and domineeringly because of his good relationship with the Japanese, and was like a local tyrant in the Huai Shu Gou Zi tribe.

He arrived alone, without any thugs by his side.

The crowd remained vigilant, and under his threats, many villagers even showed expressions of fear.

Old Master Zhao stepped forward with a fawning smile and said respectfully, "Chief Huang, didn't the eldest sister of the Lu family just pass away?"

The child was crying louder because he was upset, so we neighbors came to help out.

Don't worry! We'll be quieter later and won't disturb you and your family's sleep.

"Why did they have to choose to die tonight of all times? What bad luck!" Huang Daya cursed angrily after hearing this, and prepared to leave.

Just before leaving, this traitorous dog glanced into the house.

I don't know how this old dog's eyesight is so good, but it stopped immediately after seeing the two white steamed buns on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

He rushed into the stable, grabbed Lu Dazhi by the collar, and slapped him twice.

He cursed, "You brat from the Lu family, you have some nerve! When you went to work for the Japanese, you didn't even steal their steamed buns!"

You wait, when my second son comes back I'll arrest you and beat you to death.

"A spineless wretch like you dares to eat white flour buns? Do you even have the guts?"

Upon seeing this, Old Master Zhao and the others secretly cried out in alarm. They had naturally seen the two white steamed buns on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and knew that they were extremely dangerous.

Thinking that Lu Dazhi's mother had worked hard all her life, and that secretly offering her two white steamed buns on the night before she died was a small way to enjoy herself in such a time, and that hiding such a small amount again at dawn should be fine, she didn't say anything to remind her.

Unexpectedly, they saw Huang Daya suddenly appear, and in their nervousness, they forgot to hide the steamed buns.

For a moment, he wanted to step forward and plead for mercy, but then he thought of the Japanese devils' brutal nature; they would find trouble for poor people like them even if there was nothing wrong with them.

Moreover, pleading for mercy would be useless in this matter of stealing from the Japanese, and would only implicate his own situation, so he dared not go any further.

They all stood rooted to the spot, not daring to speak, but their hearts were filled with a strange sense of frustration...

Unexpectedly, what Lu Dazhi experienced tonight was far more than anything he had experienced in his previous 13 years of life.

For example, he was almost killed by the Japanese, and he witnessed so many Japanese soldiers in Miyaka Village being slaughtered like chickens. He even burned hundreds of Japanese soldiers' families to death.

His state of mind was no longer that of a timid, ignorant boy who had never seen the world.

It's fair to say that if he hadn't been worried about his blind mother at home, he probably would have run away with Hu Biao and his gang.

Now that I realize that even my last remaining relative has died, and that my family could be reunited if I were to die, I have no worries whatsoever.

He pushed hard with both hands, causing Huang Daya to stumble.

He sneered, "Old traitor, you still want to wait for your second son to come back? Dream on, you'd be better off meeting him in the eighteenth level of hell."

All those Japanese fathers in Miyong Village have been killed, and the village has been burned to the ground.

Your two kids went to provide support with the Japanese soldiers from the tribe and your family's thugs, right? I'm not afraid to tell you, they were all killed too.

I even went over to take a look. He'd been shot several times in the head; it was mangled like a watermelon. Even a miracle couldn't save him. Let's see how he comes back to back you up."

Upon hearing this, Huang Daya staggered back a few steps, his face filled with despair.

But in the blink of an eye, his expression changed to one of utter madness. Pointing at Lu Dazhi, and even at the large group of people gathered at the door, including Old Master Zhao, he roared furiously:

"So what if my second son dies? I still have my eldest son and my son-in-law."

Most importantly, there are still the Japanese soldiers; as long as the Japanese soldiers are around, you lowly bastards will never be able to rise to the top.

No! Don't even think about a future. So many Japanese soldiers have died in Miyaka Village. Even if you didn't participate, you won't have an easy time when the other Japanese soldiers get angry.

I would suggest they send you to do hard labor, to work you like animals until you die of exhaustion.

Seriously! Has that old traitor Huang Daya gone mad? He's all alone here, yet he dares to make such crazy threats against so many people.

No, that's not true. This old traitor is incredibly shrewd.

Because he knew that ever since the Zhang family left the pass without firing a single shot, not a single member of the National Revolutionary Army had entered the pass in recent years, as if they had completely forgotten about this black soil.

The original 30,000-strong army in Northeast China has suffered heavy casualties under the Japanese invaders over the years. Where would anyone stand up for these worthless bastards?

So as long as he doesn't kill them on the spot, he's not really afraid of what these people can do, because they have no backbone.

But what he didn't expect was that a man named Hu Biao and his companions appeared.

Lu Dazhi, this young man, not only heard with his own ears the Japanese soldiers in Mirong Village, but also the things they exclaimed over the loudspeaker after learning Hu Biao's identity.

Afterwards, he personally inquired about many of the events from the other transmigrators.

Knowing that such a formidable person has come to Northeast China, I feel a surge of pride.

He glanced around, picked up a rolling pin from the cutting board, and shouted loudly:
"Uncles, elders, and old men, since Huang Daya has said he'll send us to do hard labor until we die, we're going to die anyway, so let's beat this old traitor to death first and vent our anger."

Even if I were to hide in the forest and starve or freeze to death, it would be better than dying unjustly like this.

Besides! Commander Hu and his comrades are here, the Nationalist army is here…”

In the following time, Lu Dazhi vividly recounted how Hu Biao and others had earned a great reputation and achieved brilliant results against the Japanese over the years.

And in the battle of Miyaka Village, how these people wiped out all the Japanese soldiers in the village in a swift and decisive manner.

Apart from Huang Daya, that old traitor, everyone present had been severely oppressed by the Japanese.

Many people even harbored deep hatred towards the Japanese invaders.

Hearing these usually fierce Japanese soldiers suffer such a great loss fills me with indescribable joy, more so than if I had drunk half a jin of liquor or eaten half a jin of meat.

This situation continued until an angry voice suddenly rang out: "Oh no! Huang Daya is trying to escape."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Huang Daya, who usually looked like he had eyes on the top of his head and would even slap a dog twice if it blocked his way.

At this moment, however, he was hunching over, his neck tucked in, preparing to sneak away.

His disheveled appearance was a far cry from his usual imposing manner.

Seeing this scene, everyone felt both gratified and ashamed. Ashamed that they had been bullied by such a thing for so many years.

Ultimately, all these feelings were amplified when someone shouted, "Kill this bastard!" At that moment, the crowd erupted and swarmed towards Huang Daya.

At first, Huang Daya was still cursing and threatening them.

Soon after, he began to beg for mercy.

But no matter what they did, it had no effect whatsoever; by the time everyone had separated, Huang Daya was already lifeless; he had not only turned into a puddle of mud, but also had no good flesh left on his face.

These were scratched out by women's hands, which shows how many evils Huang Daya has committed over the years.

That's why, after beating Huang Daya to death, the crowd's emotions didn't calm down; instead, they became even more intense.

Just then, someone in the crowd shouted out:
"Although Huang Daya is dead, his family still has a lot of grain and money, which they squeezed out of us over the years."

"Let's go and take these back; we can use them to escape. And this damned tribal group, let's just burn it all down."

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered.

Half an hour later, a raging fire had broken out in the Huai Shu Gou Zi tribe established by the Japanese.

He was wearing clothes he had stolen from Huang Daya and his gang of lackeys, and carrying grain he had taken from their homes.

The villagers, who had a total population of 1052 when the village was established but now only have 791 left, gathered at the entrance.

No one wished each other well. Everyone knew that the Japanese might attack at any time. Some were in groups of dozens, some in small groups, and some were all alone.

After someone took the lead, they all braved the heavy snow overhead and began to flee in all directions.

Among these people was Lu Dazhi, a young man.

Originally, he planned to carry his mother's body to the mountains and find a good place to bury her.

However, everyone advised him that escaping was the priority, as a young boy carrying a corpse couldn't move very fast, and it would be better to burn the village down.

Left with no other choice, Lu Dazhi pondered for a while and could only do so.

Seeing the raging fire in the tribe, he suddenly knelt down and kowtowed several times, then cried out "Mother" before standing up straight.

We strode forward through the snow, heading towards the vast mountains of the Lesser Khingan Range on the other side.

Having made up his mind, he thought that if he could find Commander Hu and the others on this trip, it would be even better to fight the Japanese alongside them.

If he can't find them, then finding KL, or even Hu Zi, will do. Anyway, he's been fighting the Japanese to the death for the rest of his life.

As he walked, the flames rising from the village behind him illuminated the boy, who was just two months shy of 14 years old. His figure, afflicted by long-term malnutrition, appeared even smaller and more resolute.

Little did the boy know that his decision that night would profoundly change his future.

This also provided some assistance to Hu Biao and his group on their journey through Northeast China.

There are poems in "Nonsense" to prove this:

Heaven's justice is clear and cannot be denied; do not take the Japanese pirates as a good target. If it weren't for the timely arrival of the commander, the young man would have long since turned to dust.

Upon returning home, he found his elderly mother deceased, and even worse, a traitor came to poison him; he bravely rose up and beat the traitor to death—truly a remarkable and heroic man…

(End of this chapter)