Bright Sword: Starting from Obtaining the Equipment Slot

"No, I just followed the Japanese devils and looted the people's food a few times."

Wei Dayong stared at him for a few seconds, then turned around and spoke to the puppet soldiers kneeling on the ground.

"Anyone among you who hasn't harmed the common people, stand up!"

No one moved.

More than sixty puppet soldiers all kept their heads down, and no one stood up.

Wei Dayong waited a while, then said:

"Let me rephrase the question. Which of you followed the Japanese in killing civilians? Step forward."

Still no one moved.

Old Wu stood to the side for a while, then suddenly stepped forward and pointed at a puppet soldier kneeling on the ground.

"Sir, his name is Ma Desheng, and he is the squad leader of the second squad. Last month, he went with the Japanese to raid Liujiazhuang, burned down more than a dozen houses, and even personally killed two villagers who refused to hand over grain."

The puppet soldier named Ma Desheng suddenly raised his head, his face turning deathly pale.

"Old Wu, you're insane! You're spouting nonsense!"

Old Wu didn't look at him, but pointed to another person.

"And then there's him, nicknamed Chen the Crooked Mouth, who was a translator for the Japanese. Last winter, he led the Japanese soldiers to capture five Eighth Route Army family members—three adults and two children—and had them all buried alive by the Japanese."

Chen, with a crooked mouth, knelt on the ground, trembling all over, his lips quivering so he couldn't speak.

Wei Dayong glanced at Lao Wu.

"Is there anything else?"

Old Wu gritted his teeth and pointed to six more people.

For each person he pointed to, he would recount the evil deeds they had committed, one by one.

Old Wu recounted everything clearly: who killed someone in which village, who stole how much grain with the Japanese, and who insulted which family's daughter.

As the soldiers of the Independent Company in the courtyard listened to these words, they gripped their guns even tighter.

Some of the identified puppet soldiers collapsed to the ground, while others tried to stand up and run away, but were kicked back by soldiers from the Independent Company.

Wei Dayong walked up to Ma Desheng and looked down at him.

"Is what Old Wu said true?"

Ma Desheng raised his head, his face already drained of color, but he still stubbornly spoke.

"Sir, Old Wu is talking nonsense; he's framing me!"

Wei Dayong ignored him and turned to look at Liu Nian'an.

"Platoon Leader Liu, you tell us yourself."

Liu Nian'an knelt on the ground, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

He looked at Ma Desheng, then at Lao Wu, and finally gritted his teeth and said.

"What Lao Wu said is all true."

Ma Desheng suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Liu Nian'an.

"Liu Nian'an, you bastard, you—"

Zheng Dali kicked Ma Desheng in the face, silencing him completely.

Ma Desheng lay on the ground, his mouth full of blood, groaning and unable to get up.

Wei Dayong drew his pistol from his waist and pointed the muzzle at the back of Ma Desheng's head.

"If you're a beast, then you shouldn't be alive."

A gunshot rang out, Ma Desheng's body twitched, and then he remained still.

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The remaining puppet troops were all trembling with fear, and some even wet their pants.

Chen Waizui knelt on the ground, desperately kowtowing to Wei Dayong, his forehead hitting the ground with a loud thud.

"Sir, spare me! Sir, spare me! I was wrong, I'll never do it again! Please, spare my life!"

Wei Dayong walked up to him and pressed the muzzle of a gun against his forehead.

"When you led the Japanese soldiers to bury the families of Eighth Route Army soldiers alive, did they beg you for their lives?"

Chen's mouth was agape, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Gunshots rang out again, and Chen Waizui's body slumped to the ground.

Wei Dayong didn't stop. He walked up to the other six people that Lao Wu had identified and asked them one by one.

Each question led to an immediate confrontation between Liu Nian'an and several other puppet soldiers.

After confirming that everything was correct, I fired immediately.

Eight gunshots rang out, eight bodies were found.

Wei Dayong tucked his pistol back into his waistband and addressed the remaining puppet soldiers.

"You people, even though you haven't shed the blood of ordinary people, you've helped the Japanese bully the Chinese, so you're no good either. By all accounts, you should die."

The puppet soldiers knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

"But I'm in a good mood today. Leave your weapons behind, take off your uniforms, and go home. If I ever see you serving the Japanese again, these eight men will suffer the same fate."

The puppet soldiers, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to their feet and took off their uniforms.

In less than five minutes, more than fifty puppet soldiers stripped down to their coarse cloth clothes and stood shivering in the courtyard.

Wei Dayong waved to them.

"Get lost."

More than a dozen puppet soldiers scrambled out of the courtyard. Some of them tripped over the threshold while running too fast, but got up and kept running without daring to look back.

The courtyard was suddenly half empty.

Liu Nian'an remained on the ground, not leaving.

Thirty-two puppet soldiers stood behind him, all with their heads down and not moving.

Wei Dayong looked at them.

"Why aren't you leaving?"

Liu Nian'an raised her head, her expression complex.

"Sir, I, Liu Nian'an, served as a puppet soldier for more than half a year and helped the Japanese do a lot of bad things, but I have never killed anyone."

I've utterly disgraced my ancestors, and now I understand that following the Japanese means certain death. I want to fight the Japanese with you all; that would be a way to do my ancestors a favor.

After he finished speaking, he kowtowed to Wei Dayong.

The thirty-two puppet soldiers behind him also kowtowed.

Wei Dayong looked at Liu Nian'an, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said:

"Stand up! You want to work with us? Fine. But there's one thing you have to remember."

Liu Nian'an looked up and listened attentively.

"The Independent Company doesn't have many rules, but three are most important—anyone who dares to desert will be killed. Anyone who dares to bully civilians will be killed. Anyone who dares to be cowardly on the battlefield will be killed."

Liu Nian'an nodded vigorously.

"I've got it."

Wei Dayong turned around and looked at Lao Wu.

"Old Wu, come here."

Old Wu walked quickly to Wei Dayong.

"What are your orders, sir?"

"You three have done a great job this time. From now on, you, Lao Wu, will be the platoon leader of the logistics platoon of the independent company, and these thirty-odd people will be under your command. Liu Nian'an will be your deputy."

Old Wu was stunned for a moment, his expression changing from surprise to excitement, and then to tension.

"Sir, I...I've never been a platoon leader before, I'm afraid I won't do a good job."

"Nobody's born a platoon leader. Your job is to manage your men and keep an eye on your gear. Don't worry about fighting. If you can't do it well, learn; if you can't learn, we'll replace you. Are you in or not?"

Old Wu gritted his teeth and straightened his back.

"I'll do it!"

"Alright." Wei Dayong patted him on the shoulder, then turned to Wang Xiao and said, "Have the entire company assemble and prepare for retreat. Not a single piece of the spoils is allowed to be left behind."

Wang Xiao turned around and shouted into the courtyard.

"Everyone assemble! Line up in rows and move the items!"

The soldiers of the Independent Company sprang into action.

Boxes of bullets were carried on shoulders, and bags of grain were loaded onto oxcarts.

The entire evacuation took less than twenty minutes.

Wei Dayong stood at the entrance of the courtyard, watching the last soldier leave with supplies before turning around and following the group.

Wang Xiao walked beside Wei Dayong and whispered:

"Company commander, we've made quite a commotion this time. The Japanese are definitely going to be searching for us like crazy."

"Let them search," Wei Dayong said as they walked. "By the time they find us, we'll already be back in the valley. Besides, I'm genuinely worried they won't come; otherwise, it'll be difficult to even begin the next phase of our plan!"