Bright Sword: Starting from Obtaining the Equipment Slot

The guy was lying on the earthen slope directing the firing, cursing under his breath.

Seven puppet soldiers lay sprawled around him, each about six or seven meters apart.

Further away, six other puppet troops had circled around to the front of the ditch from the side and were slowly tightening the encirclement.

The two Eighth Route Army soldiers in the ditch were still returning fire, but the sound of their pistols was becoming increasingly sparse.

Wei Dayong aimed at the hoarse-voiced puppet army squad leader and pulled the trigger.

The sound of submachine guns suddenly rang out.

The puppet army squad leader, with his hoarse voice, had several bloody holes blown open in his back. Before he could even scream, his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

Wei Dayong's gun didn't stop; it quickly swept across the area.

The bullets swept across like water being poured.

The puppet troops lying on the earthen slope were stunned by the sudden burst of fire.

The three closest puppet soldiers were shot down on the spot. One was shot and fell to the ground, another was shot in the shoulder and rolled down the embankment screaming, and the third was shot in the leg and lay on the ground howling in agony.

The remaining four puppet soldiers were so frightened that they quickly shrank behind the earthen slope, frantically firing their guns in Wei Dayong's direction.

At the same time, Ma Feng and Zheng Dali broke out from the left flank.

Ma Feng fired a burst of bullets from his submachine gun, which swept in from the side and rear, knocking down a puppet soldier who was returning fire at Wei Dayong.

Zheng Dali charged even more fiercely.

He tucked the submachine gun into his waistband, gripped the butt with one hand and pulled the trigger with the other, firing and spraying bullets while yelling.

Although this kid is a fierce Zhang Fei, his brain isn't completely mush.

As he charged, he kept a close eye on his footing, keeping his gun pointed directly at the puppet troops and not firing indiscriminately.

The two remaining puppet soldiers lying on the earthen slope were completely panicked.

They wanted to return fire, but there was gunfire both in front and behind them, making it impossible to tell where the enemy was.

A puppet soldier peeked out from behind the earthen mound to get a better look at the situation, only to have his head blown off by Wei Dayong.

The last puppet soldier was so frightened that he threw down his gun, covered his head with his hands, and lay face down on the earthen slope, begging for mercy.

The six puppet soldiers who circled around to the front of the ditch also heard the gunshots behind them.

They were stunned for a moment, then three of them went to reinforce the direction of the gunfire.

Wei Dayong stood up from behind the earthen slope, picked up his submachine gun, and went to meet them.

He didn't hide, because there was no need to hide.

The three puppet soldiers were panting heavily, their guns unsteady, let alone able to aim at him.

Wei Dayong changed his magazine, fired a burst of bullets, and the puppet soldier at the front was hit in the chest, groaned, and fell backward.

The two puppet soldiers behind him were so frightened that they slammed on the brakes and turned to run back.

Ma Feng circled around from the side, cutting off their retreat.

"Screw you!" Ma Feng swept a burst of bullets, and two puppet soldiers fell to the ground.

The two Eighth Route Army soldiers in the ditch also took the opportunity to rush out.

The leader was a tall, thin young man who looked refined and was only about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He was an extremely accurate marksman.

He raised his hand and shot dead a puppet soldier who was still trying to resist after being shot.

Behind him followed a young soldier, who also held a Mauser pistol. He fired two shots at the puppet troops, but unfortunately missed.

He rushed to the front of the earthen mound and shouted to the remaining puppet troops, "Surrender and you will not be killed!"

The remaining three puppet troops had long since given up on fighting.

They dropped their guns, raised their hands above their heads, and knelt on the ground begging for mercy.

Wei Dayong walked over carrying a submachine gun, pointing the muzzle at the few puppet soldiers.

The young man glanced at Wei Dayong, his gaze lingering for a moment on the Japanese combat uniform he was wearing before settling on the submachine gun in his hand, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Thank you for your help, brother." The young man extended his hand to Wei Dayong and introduced himself directly, "My name is Zhao Gang, and I am a member of the Eighth Route Army."

Wei Dayong looked at the outstretched hand and a sense of understanding flashed through his mind.

It really is Zhao Gang!

In the original series, Zhao Gang is the political commissar of the Independent Regiment. He has been Li Yunlong's partner for many years. He is a cultured intellectual who is good at leading troops and fighting battles. He is upright and has a straightforward personality.

Most importantly, the original owner, Wei Dayong, should have escaped from the prisoner-of-war camp, been rescued by the other side, and brought back to the Independent Regiment.

I never expected to run into you here.

Moreover, the situation was completely reversed; it was Wei Dayong who saved Zhao Gang?

Is this the cycle of cause and effect, where retribution is inevitable?

In fact, Zhao Gang had just graduated from the fourth class of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and was preparing to report to the headquarters of the 129th Division. According to the original historical timeline, he would have worked at the division headquarters for more than a year before being assigned to the 386th Brigade.

Upon arriving at the 386th Brigade, Zhao Gang immediately requested to go to the grassroots level, and the brigade commander assigned him to the Independent Regiment to serve as Li Yunlong's political commissar.

On his way to report to the Independent Regiment, he rescued Wei Dayong, who had escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp.

Wei Dayong's mind was in turmoil, but his face remained calm. He reached out and grasped Zhao Gang's hand, saying, "Wei Dayong."

Zhao Gang nodded to Wei Dayong, then turned to look at the few puppet soldiers kneeling on the ground and asked, "Which unit are you from?"

An older puppet soldier stammered, "We...we are from the Xiaowangzhuang stronghold."

"Why did they attack us here?"

"Yes...it's an order from above." The puppet soldier didn't dare to look up. "Yesterday, a man named Wei Dayong escaped from the POW camp with more than a dozen prisoners of war and even killed members of the Imperial Army's special forces."

Captain Yamamoto ordered all troops to conduct a full-scale search and capture; Wei Dayong and his accomplices must be apprehended.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang's gaze towards Wei Dayong changed.

He heard it with his own ears; the other person identified himself as Wei Dayong.

This is a case of collateral damage caused by a fire at the city gate.

Wei Dayong remained calm, instead marveling at Yamamoto Ichiki's ability to cover things up.

He kicked the kneeling puppet soldier and asked, "How many men have come to your stronghold?"

"Just... just half a platoon, two squads, fourteen people."

"Where is your leader?"

The puppet soldier pointed to the body riddled with bullets on the ground, "You killed him."

Ma Feng snorted but didn't say anything.

Zheng Dali wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, grinned, and said, "Looking for our company commander? Aren't you talking about us? You bunch of lackeys, you've got the wrong person!"

Wei Dayong glared at Zheng Dali, telling him to shut up.

Zhao Gang looked at Wei Dayong thoughtfully, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "Are they really looking for you?"

Wei Dayong did not deny it, but simply nodded.

Zhao Gang continued, "You really fought against the Japanese special forces, and you even won?"

Wei Dayong nodded again.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang's eyes lit up.

He glanced at Ma Feng and Zheng Dali behind Wei Dayong, then at the weapons scattered on the ground, and asked, "Do you have more than ten people now?"

"More than a hundred." Wei Dayong didn't hide anything. "The Japanese probably lied because they were afraid of taking responsibility. I formed an independent company from the brothers I brought out of the POW camp."

After hearing this, Zhao Gang remained silent for a moment, then looked at Wei Dayong seriously and said, "Wei Dayong, have you ever considered joining the Eighth Route Army with your men?"

Wei Dayong did not answer immediately.

He knew what kind of person Zhao Gang was, and he also knew the future of the Eighth Route Army.

But is now the right time to join the Eighth Route Army?