Courtyard Houses: Longevity Since the War of Resistance

The closer the truck got to Taishi, the denser the sentry posts became, and the searchlights on the city walls swept back and forth, showing how vigilant the Japanese were.

It is estimated that Yoshio Shinotsuka has transferred all the surrounding troops to Taishi.

Taiyuan is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and we don't have any aircraft. If we let him maintain this stalemate, it will be disadvantageous to our army both strategically and psychologically.

At the city gate, we were stopped by dozens of Japanese soldiers, followed by an officer-looking man with a military sword at his waist, who looked very wary.

"Password! Unit number!" the Japanese soldier demanded in Japanese, his eyes fixed on the driver's cab, not letting his guard down for a moment.

"At the foot of Mount Fuji! The third logistics squad of the Nishiyama Garrison!" I replied in fluent Kansai dialect.

Look at this god of transformation! This is the ultimate skill. Not only can he change his appearance, but he can also speak the same dialect. He sounds even more authentic than a native Japanese soldier.

The Japanese officer didn't let us pass immediately. He personally took the documents and transport papers I handed him, examining them closely, and even had his men shine flashlights into the carriage. The tarpaulin covered everything completely, and the team members inside didn't dare to breathe.

"Arriving so late? Does the quantity on the supplies list match?" the Japanese soldier pressed, his flashlight beam sweeping across my face.

"We were harassed by a small group of guerrillas on the way, which delayed us." I deliberately feigned impatience, mimicking the arrogance of the Japanese soldiers. "Everything on the list is there. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to check! Can you take responsibility for the delay in warehousing?"

That's how the Japanese are; they'll back down if you're tough on them. They're bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong.

In addition, they are indeed short of supplies. The 18th Route Army and Chiang Kai-shek's army have begun to encircle them, and they may not be able to send out any more supply vehicles. These last few trucks will be enough for them to enjoy for a while.

The Japanese soldier waved his hand one last time: "Let them pass!"

The heavy city gate slowly opened a crack, and the truck leisurely drove in. Just as I entered the city, I saw a motorcycle following in my rearview mirror; we were being watched.

Security inside the city was even tighter than outside, with sentries every few steps along the streets and patrol teams coming one after another.

"Captain, there's a tail behind us." Lei Dachui said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror.

"I saw it a long time ago," I said in a deep voice.

The Earth's Intimates activate, listening to the voice of the earth: "Does anyone know where the Japanese warehouse is?"

The next second, a slow, old man's voice entered my mind, carrying a sense of world-weariness.

"If the spring breeze has any pity for me, may I be young again. Turn left ahead, my grandson's grandson, Little Stone, told me that the warehouse is at the end of that alley."

Upon hearing this, I immediately turned the steering wheel to prepare for a left turn, but as soon as I moved the wheel, a sweet, coquettish voice interrupted, with a hint of aggrieved whining: "Oh dear, why are you in such a hurry? The wheel is almost digging into my flesh, it's ruining my skin!"

I quickly eased off the accelerator, muttering helplessly to myself, "Drive gently, drive gently, okay?"

As I slowed down, a bunch of tiny, fragmented sounds exploded in my head, all of them the murmurs of the roadside grass and trees.

Green Grass huffed and puffed, "Hey buddy, can you drive a little straighter? That lousy tire almost ran over my kidney! How am I supposed to carry on my family line now? And that Japanese soldier, he spat on my head! You're going to get revenge for me!"

An old locust tree nearby chimed in with a Northeastern accent, "That's right, those Japanese dogs even peed on me, using me as a chamber pot. I'm a genuine old locust tree."

The country girl's voice chimed in again, tinged with sarcasm: "Whose old locust tree has a Northeastern accent? It's probably a fake tree moved from beyond the Great Wall."

The old locust tree immediately got angry upon hearing this, and its voice instantly rose: "What? If you're not happy, come out and let's have a go! Don't hide in the soil pretending to be weak!"

Upon seeing this, a pile of pebbles by the roadside immediately huddled together, chattering like village aunties: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

I need to shut down Earth Intimates immediately, it's giving me a headache.

Lei Dachui stared ahead the whole time, looking puzzled, and couldn't help but ask, "Captain, can we get to the warehouse?"

I casually replied, "Don't worry, it can't be wrong."

Following the old man's directions, we drove for a few minutes and came to a courtyard ahead. There were Japanese soldiers standing guard at the gate, which was the logistics warehouse we were looking for.

"Captain, you're amazing! You even found this hidden corner!" Lei Dachui exclaimed in admiration.

I smiled and said, "Just being prepared."

The truck pulled up to the warehouse gate, and the Japanese soldiers behind it left. I handed over my identification. The Japanese soldiers at the warehouse gate didn't check as strictly as they did at the city gate. Seeing that we were delivering supplies, they let us through directly and even sent two Japanese soldiers to help unload the goods.

We took the opportunity to tour the warehouse, familiarizing ourselves with its layout. After unloading the supplies, we immediately got into the truck, and hadn't gone far from the warehouse when I gave the order: "Abandon the truck!"

"There are too many Japanese in the city. Trucks are too conspicuous; keeping them around will only cause trouble sooner or later," I explained, jumping out of the truck first. "Come with me."

Under the cover of darkness, we slipped into a dark alleyway and turned on the Earth Voice app again, asking directly, "Does anyone know which family around here is a traitor? We're looking for a detached house with a courtyard, the kind the Japanese don't often visit."

The voice of a Tianjin woman immediately popped into my head, "Oh my god, you've come to the right person! Let me tell you, it's the third alley ahead, the big courtyard with blue bricks on the left, the owner's name is Wang Pangui, that little bastard, he's a pure lackey of the Japanese, he's raped and plundered and committed all sorts of evil deeds. Let me tell you, a few days ago, this scoundrel drove a little girl to her death."

"All set!" I immediately turned off the skill and led the group straight to the third alley.

Sure enough, there was a rather imposing courtyard with blue bricks. I went up and knocked on the door, and a greasy male voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"The Japanese sent me to deliver something," I said in Japanese.

As soon as the door opened, a fat man, as round as a ball, poked his head out with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work, sir."

Before I could finish speaking, my knife was already plunged into his head, going in from the front and out from the back. Blood bubbles were gurgling from his mouth as I helped him slowly into the yard.

That scoundrel is really bold. He lives alone and doesn't seem afraid of being assassinated.

We quickly searched the area and found quite a few good things: flour, rice, canned goods, and several sets of casual clothes.

"This is it."

That night, after taking turns on guard duty, the next day, all the ghosts of the town disguised themselves as ordinary people and went out to scout.

Although martial law was in effect in Taishi, people still had to make a living. We mingled in the crowd, chatted with the elderly, and bargained with the vendors. After three days, we had a thorough understanding of the city.

Ye Qiao was in charge of drawing the map, which marked several strategic points.

There were three warehouses, four armories, the headquarters in the city center, and heavy troops stationed at all four corners of the city gate tower.

"Captain," Ye Qiao said, pointing to the map, "There are about 2 troops garrisoning the city. They're all holed up inside. Yoshio Shinotsuka is determined to fight us in a tough battle."

I sneered, "He's using Taiyuan as bait to lure us and Chiang Kai-shek's main forces here and tie them down. He's shrewd; he's stockpiled enough supplies in the city and has planes dropping them, so he can hold out for a long time. As long as we hold them off, he can cause trouble elsewhere."

"Then what do we do?" Lei Dachui scratched his head.

"What to do? Make it cold, make it tough, make it with scallions and tofu," I said, taking a sip of water.

"What the hell is this? Captain, why are you talking nonsense?" Lin Zhi began to complain.

"Incoherent," Bai Su actually chimed in. Aren't these two sisters' relationship a little too good?

"Rising and falling," you cold-hearted star, you repressed pervert.

"Stop joking. The main force will arrive tomorrow. We are currently surrounded by 2 Japanese soldiers. We can relax for a bit, but if we're not careful, the entire Shanxi region will be lost."

"Captain, just tell us what to do and we'll do it!" Zheng Dapao patted his chest.

"Alright," I stood up, "Get a good rest tonight, there'll be a good show tomorrow. We're the ones suppressing ghosts, so we should build the last Japanese graves in the place with the most Japanese soldiers, and then dance on their graves!"

"Dance!!!"

He single-handedly led the team astray.

Early the next morning, the main forces of the 18th Route Army and Chiang Kai-shek's army arrived, and the densely packed troops surrounded Taishi.

I stood in the courtyard, listening to the distant sound of artillery fire, and spoke to the team members behind me.

"With my life, I will subdue the demons."