The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 656 Filial Piety (A long chapter of 6,300 words)
The arrival of the bandits from Black Bear Ridge, Horse Head Mountain, Pine Wind Ridge, and other mountains was merely the beginning for the wilderness feast held by Hu Biao and his companions.

In the following days, even more outlaws from Northeast China arrived.

The feelings of Hu Biao and the other time travelers during this process can only be described as: pain, yet also pleasure.

How joyful! It was around 11 p.m., and the number of people gathered at Lotus Hill had exceeded 1000.

Without exception, these people were all from the area from Harbin to Changchun, and their villages were hidden in various old forests.

There are about a dozen groups, the largest of which has nearly 200 people, and the smallest has only 20 or 30 people; the oldest group can even be traced back to the time of Daqing.

Those who could be led by their leader to travel for several days through the snow to meet the legendary Commander Hu were naturally the elite subordinates of these mountain strongholds.

Therefore, a large portion of these people are long-time veterans of the bandit gang.

These old bandits all looked incredibly fierce, and they must have been sharpshooters who were fearless and willing to risk their lives.

If we were to put them into positional warfare, one of these veteran bandits would be worth two or three new recruits.

If they were placed in small-scale battles in complex environments, they could be as effective as six or seven new recruits, or even more.

The arrival of these 1000-plus bearded men alone delighted Hu Biao and his men.

Because their combat strength is definitely no weaker than a reinforced regiment they previously deployed.

Not to mention that these 1000-plus people are definitely not the final number of heroes who came to Lotus Mountain to drink and eat meat; during their casual conversation, Hu Biao and his companions learned that there were still quite a few people on their way.

Why are so many people here all at once? What's the explanation?

This event can be described as the biggest event on the Northeast Green Trail in more than a decade.

We're all people who work in the underworld. If we can't participate in this grand event, how can we hold our heads high in the future, and how can we greet our brothers in the underworld?
Therefore, any gangsters from the surrounding areas who heard the news would come to pay their respects to Commander Hu and his companions, hoping to get some wine and meat.

In the last twenty years or so, the Zhang family, who had come ashore, were constantly suppressing bandits.

After the Zhang family withdrew from the three northeastern provinces and the Japanese occupied the area, they offered generous terms to recruit a large number of bandits, which has led to a significant decrease in the number of bandits in Northeast China.

Otherwise, five or six thousand people would have already gathered here at Lotus Mountain, and eventually, the number might have reached as many as ten or twenty thousand.

Even so, the sheer number of people arriving, far exceeding expectations, still filled Hu Biao and his group with joy and anticipation.

It hurts! Or rather, it's a long story.

To be honest, these bearded men are all discerning; almost every time they come from a different mountain, they bring a small gift as a token of their respect for Grandpa Hu and his entourage.

Among the various gifts were ginseng, mink fur, deer antler, and other local specialties from Northeast China that Hu Biao and his group particularly liked.

There were also some things, similar to pornographic films, that left them speechless.

For example, a bandit leader who called himself Xie Heizi, along with fifty or sixty of his long-time ruthless bandits, bowed and kowtowed to Hu Biao and his men.

He smiled and said, "Grandpa Hu, we from Congtou Village have prepared a small token of our respect for you."

By this time, Hu Biao had become somewhat numb from receiving gifts incessantly. He was in a state of indifference, even when he saw century-old ginseng or top-quality duck slices.

However, these whiskers still surprised him, or rather, frightened him.

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao replied calmly, "Then thank you for your kindness, Boss. We have some miraculous medicine here that can save lives. Just don't delay later."

With a grin and a nod, Xie Heizi waved his hand, and his men carried up several large sacks and placed them in front of Hu Biao and the others.

During the process, no one verbally recited the contents of the gift list; it was clearly intended to surprise Hu Biao and his group by having them open it themselves.

Although Hu Biao didn't really think these bearded men could bring him any surprises, he still called over Black Star, Old Ma, and a few others to come forward to save face for them.

They put on expectant expressions and went forward to untie one of their pockets.

Then, whether it was a surprise or not is hard to say, but they were definitely shocked.

Just kidding! Imagine you suddenly open a bag and find a delicate and beautiful young woman, or perhaps a young wife, inside.

Seeing them bound hand and foot, with a rag stuffed in their mouths, looking at you timidly with tears in their eyes, you would still be shocked.

Seemingly satisfied with Hu Biao and the others' reaction, Xie Heizi explained with a smug look:
"Speaking of which, it's all thanks to you, Grandpa Hu. I was worried about what to offer you all along the way when I ran into the Qian family's wives going out."

They ambushed them on the way and captured the Qian family's wives and daughters together.

Now, we're giving it all to Grandpa Hu. Grandpa Hu, you can keep it for yourselves, or you can ask the Qian family for a large ransom, it's up to you."

Good heavens! If Xie Heizi's statement is true, then aren't these young women and wives the legendary hostages, and quite valuable hostages at that?
Before Hu Biao could say anything, a bandit leader next to him, nicknamed "Grasshopper," exclaimed in alarm:
"Master Qian? Is it Master Qian from Dehui County? If so, these women are worth a lot of money; Master Qian not only owns a lot of land in the countryside, but also has a lot of shops in the county town."

Within a radius of hundreds of miles, who hasn't heard of his nickname, "Half-City Money"?

"But these women are so beautiful, Grandpa Hu might as well enjoy them for a few days first, and then send someone to discuss the ransom."

Faced with such a special gift, Hu Biao could only have his men take them away first, providing them with good food and drink, and also keeping a close eye on them to prevent them from being mistreated by some drunkard with a beard.

Amusing matters and ransom issues are out of the question? As for the former, these modern people wouldn't do something like that.

The latter is that Hu Biao and his men are currently extremely busy, so they have no time to go looking for Qian Bancheng to demand ransom.

It was like being forced to accept a hot potato and having to force a smile and say thank you; the thought of this kind of ridiculous situation made Hu Biao and his colleagues both laugh and cry.

In addition, the meat that Hu Biao and the others had stewed before was only enough for four or five hundred people; with so many people coming all at once, it was definitely far from enough.

Fortunately, they had made thorough preparations beforehand.

All the ingredients that had been prepared beforehand were simply poured into a large pot with ice and snow, and then stewed over high heat; there were enough ingredients and drinks, at least for tonight.

As for the next few days, we'll talk about that later.

This allowed the bearded men to eat and drink to their hearts' content, making the scene rather chaotic.

The group of bearded men were seen pouring drinks for each other, and before long, many of them were quite drunk; their shouts and yells could be heard from miles away, but this was nothing compared to what was happening.

The key point is that after these guys got drunk, some cried, some laughed, some started gambling on the spot, some cursed at each other, and some even got into fights.

To Hu Biao and the others, the scene was nothing short of a chaotic dance of demons.

They were at a loss for words and actions, and for a moment they were completely bewildered.

Fortunately, there were some things that made Hu Biao and his men feel gratified: firstly, these bandits still had some sense of justice, and only used fists and feet to fight, without using knives or guns.

Seeing this fight, a crowd gathered to watch, their faces showing a mixture of excitement and amusement.

Aside from silently cursing in his heart, "Hit, hit harder, kill one less and it's one less," Hu Biao was too lazy to bother to stop it.

Secondly, during the evening banquet, Hu Biao and Grandpa Hu were naturally the main people the leaders of each mountain stronghold would offer them a toast.

Moreover, the leaders of each mountain stronghold all stepped forward with large bowls, saying, "On behalf of the brothers of XXX, I would like to offer a bowl to Grandpa." After saying this, they did not give Hu Biao any reason to refuse and drank it all in one gulp.

He showed the bowl bottom, which was cleaner than a dog could lick, to Hu Biao.

In that case, we have to drink this stuff whether we want to or not.

Under normal circumstances, given Hu Biao's weak alcohol tolerance, one bowl of this kind of liquor, which is at least 60 degrees, would basically make him a little dizzy.

After drinking two bowls, he was knocked to the ground on the spot.

Fortunately! Just as Hu Biao finished his first bowl, the five female warriors of the time traveler team—Annie, Mina, Zanana, Xiao Cui, and Xiao Bai—stepped in at this crucial moment.

In place of the weakling Hu Tuanzuo, he accepted the toasts from the leaders of the various mountain strongholds under Hu Zi.

Don't be fooled by the small number of five girls; their alcohol tolerance is quite astonishing. Even Xiaobai, a novice, can drink more than two jin (1 kg) of baijiu (Chinese liquor) because she is a Mongolian girl.

The two most formidable among them are Annie and Zanana.

For some unknown reason, Hu Biao's physical abilities kept improving without showing any improvement.

As their physical abilities improved, Annie and Zanana's already impressive alcohol tolerance became even more astonishing, or rather frightening.

Sure enough! When Mina, Xiao Cui, and Xiao Bai came down with flushed faces after drinking several bowls of wine.

Annie and Zanana, the two girls, still stood in front of Hu Biao, drinking a full bowl of liquor in one gulp, showing the empty bowls to the group of bearded men, which drew loud cheers.

The only problem was that Hu Biao, whose head was already a little dizzy, suddenly realized something:
"My girlfriend Annie, didn't she say she couldn't drink and that one beer would make her drunk? But right now, she's drinking like a maniac!"

After thinking for a moment, he reached out and pulled his mistress to his side, solemnly asking:
"Sister-in-law, tell me honestly, how much alcohol does Annie actually have?"

Upon hearing this, Mina, who has a tendency to get carried away, immediately realized that her cousin had inadvertently revealed that she had been pretending not to drink alcohol because she was having a good time drinking.

Amidst cries of "Ouch! My stomach hurts, I need to go to the toilet," they prepared to run away.

However, Hu Biao was already familiar with his sister-in-law's tricks. He had just stretched out an arm and firmly blocked Mina's shoulder, making it impossible for the girl to escape.

Left with no other choice, Mina could only extend one finger.

Seeing this, Hu Biao hesitated before complaining, "A jin? You must be kidding me. Annie has already drunk several bowls; it's way over a jin." Hearing this, Mina looked at Hu Biao with the same disdain one would give a country bumpkin, and muttered:
"What do you mean by 'a pound'? It means drinking it continuously."

After saying that, Mina couldn't help but regret it. She had been having an affair with her brother-in-law lately, and it was right for her to be angry at that pair of scoundrels.

But I don't want to see the two of them fall out and argue because of Annie's concealment.

So she looked at Hu Biao with great concern, and when she saw her brother-in-law suddenly fall into a daze, she was filled with regret.

Finally, after a minute or two of stunned silence, Hu Biao's face turned even redder with excitement, and he cheered, "That's great! From now on, I'll bring Annie to every drinking party, let's see who dares to force me to drink!"

After staring in disbelief for a moment, Mina covered her face speechlessly...

******
At Lotus Hill, the chaotic scene, resembling a scene of demons dancing wildly, finally began to change with just three or four minutes to go before midnight.

The reason is that more people have come.

To be more precise, people were actually arriving one after another throughout the night, but at this particular time, their identities were quite different.

Specifically, at that time, Annie was drinking with a bandit leader named Guoshanhu, each holding a jar of wine.

Such a scene attracted almost everyone's attention, with everyone gathering around to cheer on their respective supporters, creating an exceptionally lively atmosphere.

But then, someone suddenly shouted, "Young Master Dai is here!"

The once lively scene was immediately brought to a standstill, as if the pause button had been pressed.

The group of bearded men, whether leaders or henchmen, all stopped shouting and waving their arms, and voluntarily made way for each other.

Along this passage, a boy who, even trying to appear mature, looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old walked over.

Behind her were seventeen or eighteen men, their clothes tattered and their weapons haphazard and worn, but who appeared exceptionally resolute.

Yet, the bearded men present showed considerable respect for the young man and his weak team.

Hu Biao and the others were quite puzzled by this scene, until Zhang Da'er whispered something in their ears:
"He is Mr. Dai Wanling's only surviving grandson."

Upon hearing this explanation, Hu Biao and the others instantly understood the reason; for a moment, they felt an indescribable respect for the seemingly mature young man, or rather, for the Dai family behind him.

Old Master Dai was originally a well-known landlord in Dunhua. His family fortune was not much less than that of Qian Bancheng, the man behind those hostages.

For such large landowners, even if the Japanese occupied the three northeastern provinces, their families lived much better than ordinary people.

However, when faced with the invaders, Grandpa Dai did not shut himself away to live a quiet life. Instead, he sacrificed his family's wealth for the country, constantly selling off the family's shops and land.

They purchased 200 guns and the whole family mobilized to form a patriotic independent battalion of more than 300 people to fight the Japanese invaders.

Over the years, he joined the National Salvation Army and the Fifth Army of the Northeast KL, participated in the battle to attack Dunhua City, and persisted in fighting the Japanese in the Changbai Mountains.

By the time the War of Resistance against Japan ended, or even now, of the 57 members of the Dai family, including several brothers, six sons, sons-in-law, nephews, etc., only three survived.

Of the three, there were two widows and only one man.

It seems that the only male among them is the young man before me, Dai Guanglu, the grandson of Master Dai; I never expected that he would also be involved in this operation to stir up trouble in Changchun City.

That is why the Dai family can be described as a family of loyal martyrs. Even bandits and ruthless traitors who have not forgotten their ancestors will feel respect for them.

Given the current situation, it's perfectly normal.

After understanding the situation, Hu Biao and the others felt too embarrassed to sit still and wait for the other party to come up and pay their respects; they all got up and went to greet the boy and his companions.

When the two sides were still five or six meters apart, the boy and his group stopped.

They all saluted Hu Biao and shouted, "Dai Guanglu, 9th Regiment, 3rd Division, 5th Army of Northeast China, is reporting to Regiment Commander Hu."

Nineteen people were expected to attend, but only eighteen were present. One person was seriously ill and dropped out halfway through the trip.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Hu Biao and the others returned the greeting, and Hu, the so-called "Commander Hu," said this.

The fact that the boy did not kneel down to him but instead saluted undoubtedly relieved the group of transmigrators; otherwise, they would have been quite overwhelmed by his kneeling.

This inability to bear the burden does not refer to the difference in military rank and position between the two parties.

Rather, they simply did not have the qualifications or the courage to accept the kneeling of the only surviving male member of the loyal and heroic Dai family.

Soon after, they encountered something with the boy that was like a hot potato, something they found hard to accept.

After both sides lowered their saluting arms, the boy took a Japanese officer's samurai sword from his waist.

When he handed it to Hu Biao, he looked ashamed and said to Hu Biao, "Commander Hu and all the officers."

You are a banner of resistance against Japan. Now you are risking great danger to come to our Northeast to provide support. Our Dai family should also give you a decent gift to show our respect.

But all the valuables in the house had already been sold off, so there was really nothing of value left.

This command sword was seized by my sixth uncle when he killed a Japanese lieutenant. He passed it on to me before he died, and it's the best thing I own. I hope Commander Hu won't find it unworthy.

Speaking of samurai swords, Hu Biao and his men have seized countless ones over the years.

Not only were there better officer's swords, but also a number of general's swords and imperial swords bestowed by the Japanese, and even one of the ten most famous swords that the Japanese had touted as the best.

But they never felt that any knife was as heavy as the one in front of them, and dared not accept it openly.

To put it bluntly, if the Dai family hadn't been ruined fighting the Japanese, they could have easily given away any of the gifts the bandits brought tonight.

This junior officer's saber doesn't look like it's of a high grade.

But only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand how incredibly difficult it was to survive in the harsh environment of Northeast China, facing constant pursuit by the Japanese invaders.

Killing a Japanese lieutenant and seizing his katana was already an extremely difficult task.

After taking a deep breath, Hu Biao pushed the samurai sword back into the boy's hand; looking at the boy's dejected and forlorn face, he earnestly explained:

"Don't overthink it! We're treating everyone to drinks and meat at Lotus Mountain mainly to discuss our grand plan to fight the Japanese."

It's not like it's my wedding or birthday celebration, where I, Hu Biao, have to bring a gift when I visit.

If they brought it, I will accept it politely and return the favor with a gift later; if they didn't, then so be it, killing a few more Japanese devils would be the best gift.

Besides, a gentleman doesn't take what others cherish. Such a significant military knife is not something anyone other than the Dai family has the right to keep.

Perhaps sensing the sincerity in Hu Biao's words, the boy nodded vigorously.

He shouted, "Good! Then this time when I go to Changchun, I'll use this military knife to kill a few more Japanese soldiers, as a gift to Commander Hu and all the officers."

At this point, both parties finally reached a consensus on the matter of filial piety, or rather, a gift for meeting the elders.

The bearded men, who had been holding back their words, finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to speak.

A voice shouted from the crowd: "Men should be as decisive as Commander Hu and Young Master Dai. Money is worthless. Once you've spent it all, just kidnap someone and you'll have plenty left."

Immediately afterwards, another voice rang out:
"I, Wu the Scarface from Niujiaozhai, am one of those who killed Japanese devils as a gift to Grandpa Hu. I always felt that the tributes I offered were not presentable, but now I've made up for it."

"Scarface Wu, stop bragging! Changchun City isn't as simple as a hostage's courtyard. Be careful not to die in there," a man who seemed to be his adversary chimed in from the crowd.

Upon hearing this, Scarface Wu laughed dismissively:
"If you die, you die. You'll be a hero again in eighteen years."

Besides! I've committed countless evil deeds over the years, and if I die, I'll probably go to the eighteenth level of hell; but if I die on the battlefield fighting the Japanese, I'll probably go to a higher level and won't have to suffer so much.

They are also qualified to meet their ancestors.

After Wu Bazi spoke, the group of bearded men fell silent again, their faces filled with inexplicable sorrow.

No other reason than that! People these days are still quite superstitious, and these bearded men are no exception; they may seem fearless and tough on the surface, but are they really not afraid?

It was at this moment that Hu Biao and the others, looking at the silent bearded men, began to believe for the first time that these men might be somewhat reliable.

And this feeling grew stronger and stronger not long afterward.

The banquet ended completely around 3 a.m.

These bearded men have truly remarkable survival skills in the wild. Even when drunk, they easily built a shelter; after lighting a fire, they wrapped themselves in their hides and were able to easily get through a cold night.

This also put Hu Biao and his team at ease, relieving them of the problem of how to arrange overnight accommodations for so many people.

It was at this moment that Zhang Da Erduo walked up to Hu Biao, silently smoked a cigarette, and then said, "Grandpa Hu, I know you may have some misunderstandings about us bandits, and you may not believe what I'm about to say."

We're all bastards, that's true, and we deserve to go to the eighteen levels of hell or be boiled in oil after we die.

But we are Chinese too, and we also want to fight the Japanese devils. We didn't go to fight the Japanese devils before because we knew that even if we risked our lives, we wouldn't accomplish anything significant.

But now that you're leading us, we're all willing to go all out and pull off a heist.

“I believe you,” Hu Biao said solemnly…

(End of this chapter)