The Courtyard House: The Little Red Devil Returning from the Peninsula

Zhao Weiguo pressed down the sketch.

The torches crackled and sputtered, spraying oil everywhere, and the map on the ammunition box was lifted by a corner in the wind. The pencil lines for Wanping, Lugou Bridge, and Changxindian were jumbled together, like a jumbled knife stabbing into the paper.

"The main road is off-limits."

Zhou Shichang frowned.

"reason."

Zhao Weiguo's fingertip points in the direction of Fengtai.

"The Japanese artillery is going to test the waters. In the first round, they won't fire into the city; they'll fire at intersections, bridgeheads, and open areas. If you drive this way, before your vehicle even reaches Wanping, you'll be used as a target."

Old Xu scratched his neck.

"Then where do we go? We can't exactly carry this box through a mouse hole, can we?"

Zhao Weiguo slid his finger northward, then turned southwestward.

"Take the small embankment along the Yongding River. First, exit through the back gate of the barracks, go around the reed marshes, cross the small stone bridge, and then follow the edge of the cemetery. Trucks can only go this far."

He stopped a blank space.

"They used mule carts and carried people on their backs."

An officer who looked like a staff officer frowned.

"What if that little stone bridge collapses due to years of disrepair?"

Zhao Weiguo looked up.

"Don't run it over with a large truck. Unpack the ammunition and divide it into three batches. The first batch is bullets, the second batch is grenades, and the third batch is medicine and dry rations."

Zhou Shichang stared at him.

How did you know Wanping was short of medicine?

"When the cannons fire, medicine will always be in short supply."

After he finished speaking, no one in the arsenal uttered a sound.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle rang out from outside.

"Air raid—Get down!"

A burst of red light appeared before Zhao Weiguo's eyes.

[Crisis Warning: Mortar/Mountain Artillery Test Firing]

[Landing Point Simulation: Ordnance Depot Front Area]

[Countdown: 7 seconds]

He flipped over the sketch on the ammunition box, grabbed Zhou Shichang's belt, and dragged him through the door.

"Inbound! Inbound everything!"

Zhou Shichang was pulled so hard he stumbled.

"You do it—"

"Old Xu, kick the light fixture!"

Old Xu didn't ask any questions, and kicked the torch stand over. Flames rolled on the muddy ground, and the soldiers rushed towards the earthen walls on both sides.

Zhao Weiguo rushed to the door and kicked over the unsealed wooden grenade box.

"Don't lie near the box! It'll explode!"

The young soldier was still stunned when Li Shuanzi pushed him through the doorway.

"Listen to Mr. Zhao!"

The next instant, a strange howl fell from the sky.

Not just once.

Three shots.

boom!

The armory's front area exploded, sending dirt, rubble, and wooden stakes crashing onto the doors. The blast extinguished the torches, and muffled groans echoed in the darkness, leaving only a buzzing sound in one's ears.

The second shot hit the pile of empty cartridge cases, the brass casings scattering like a swarm of bees, rattling and clattering against the wall.

The third shot landed in the same spot on the original map.

The ammunition box shattered into splinters.

Zhou Shichang got up from the ground, his face covered in blood. It wasn't his; it was the ear of the staff officer next to him that had been scratched by a splinter.

He looked at the crater outside the door and his throat bobbed.

"You were supposed to be standing there..."

Old Xu looked up from the dust and spat out half a mouthful of dirt.

"Oh my god, I was just a breath away from becoming minced meat."

Zhao Weiguo picked up the sketch that had been blown to the corner by the blast wave. A piece of the paper was burned off, but the two characters "Wanping" were still there.

"The Japanese didn't calibrate properly. The next round will deviate 20 to 30 meters to the east."

Zhou Shichang grabbed his shoulder.

"You even consider this a calculation?"

Zhao Weiguo slapped his hand away and pointed outside the courtyard.

"Let's go now. Artillery firing intervals are two minutes. If you ask again, there's no need to deliver ammunition."

Zhou Shichang's eyes reddened, and he turned and roared.

"Load the truck! Unpack the crates! Get the bullets first!"

The armory moved instantly.

The soldiers pried open boxes, sorted ammunition, and carried bags. One soldier's hands trembled, and he spilled a row of bullets on the ground. Zhao Weiguo squatted down, picked them up, and stuffed them back into his arms.

"If your hands shake, grit your teeth, but don't bite your tongue."

The young soldier's tears left two white streaks on his ashen face.

"Mr. Zhao, I'm scared."

Zhao Weiguo slung a bullet belt over his shoulder.

"If you're scared, run fast. There are people on the Wanping city wall waiting for this thing to save their lives."

The young soldier bit his lip, picked up his ammunition pouch, and rushed out.

The second round of artillery fire has begun.

Zhao Weiguo stood by the threshold, red and blue lines intersecting before his eyes. The eastern side of the field was brightly lit in a dazzling red.

"Car on the right, move back! Move to the wall!"

The driver had just started the truck when he heard the shout, so he jerked the steering wheel and the truck scraped the back of the earthen wall as it went sideways.

boom!

The shell hit the spot where the truck had just been, blowing off half of the shaft, and startling the mules in the stable. Old Xu rushed over, grabbed the reins, and was dragged two steps back.

"Shut up! Hold that beast down!"

Li Shuanzi rushed forward, grabbed the mule by the neck with his arm, and his face turned purple from the effort.

Zhou Shichang shoved a Mauser pistol into Zhao Weiguo's hand.

"You'll go with the first group."

Zhao Weiguo pushed the gun back.

"I'll ride in the second car. If the first car goes first, I'll get shot."

Zhou Shichang clenched his teeth.

"Old Xu, you take the first one."

Old Xu picked up his broadsword, grinned at Zhao Weiguo, his teeth full of mud.

"Mr. Zhao, if I'm on the wrong path, I'll come back to haunt you even as a ghost."

Zhao Weiguo slapped the burnt-out sketch onto his chest.

"Follow my directions. When you get to the reed marshes, don't light a lamp, just listen for the frogs. If there are no frogs, it means someone is lying there."

The smile on Old Xu's face disappeared.

"clear."

As the convoy sped out the back gate, the sound of artillery fire crashed down on the barracks. Zhao Weiguo climbed onto the second mule cart, his feet resting on boxes of ammunition. He glanced back at the arsenal.

Zhou Shichang stood in the firelight and waved to him.

"Send it to Wanping!"

Zhao Weiguo pressed his pistol against his waist and turned his gaze to the dark southwest.

"Walk along the small dike, and don't look back."