Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

After the group passed that fork in the road.

We walked for another half hour.

The scenery on both sides of the road began to change.

Previously, you could still see villages and farmland.

It has gradually transformed into rolling hills and sparse shrublands.

The road is getting narrower and narrower.

The dirt road, which could accommodate two carts side by side, has been transformed into a narrow path that can only allow one person to pass at a time.

Zhou Tianyang slowed his pace, walked to Ma Yong's side, and turned his head to look at the road conditions ahead.

"How much further to Majiaji?"

Ma Yong did not answer immediately.

He squinted and looked ahead for a while, then pointed to a distant, faintly visible mountain ridge.

"After crossing that ridge, it's another four or five miles and you'll arrive."

"We can get there before dark."

Zhou Tianyang nodded without saying anything.

The group continued moving forward.

Liu Ping walked behind him, his breathing slightly more rapid than in the morning.

He never complained of being tired.

But this journey of most of the day is certainly not easy for someone who works in the rear for a long time.

Zhou Tianyang noticed that he changed the hand he was carrying the rattan box several times.

I sometimes bend over slightly while walking to relieve the soreness in my lower back.

"Comrade Liu Ping, would you like to take a break?"

Zhou Tianyang slowed his pace, turned his head, and asked a question.

Liu Ping shook his head, switched the rattan box in his hand to his other hand, and spoke with a hint of stubbornness in his voice.

"No need to rest, I can still walk."

"We need to get to Majiaji before dark; we can't afford to be delayed on the road."

Zhou Tianyang didn't try to persuade him further.

He could tell that Liu Ping was a resilient person; he never complained about being tired, but his steps never faltered.

They walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The group began climbing the mountain ridge.

The slope wasn't steep, but the road surface was full of loose gravel, making it easy to slip.

Ma Yong walked at the front, his steps steady, making sure each step was firmly planted before taking the next.

The soldiers behind him maintained the same rhythm.

As they crossed the mountain ridge, Zhou Tianyang stopped and looked into the distance.

On the other side of the mountain ridge is a slightly open valley, with dozens of houses scattered in the center, and wisps of smoke rising from the rooftops of several houses.

That's Majiaji.

"arrive."

Ma Yong stood not far ahead, also looking in that direction.

Zhou Tianyang withdrew his gaze and waved to the person behind him.

"Let's go into town."

After descending the mountain ridge, we walked along a winding dirt road for about fifteen minutes.

We arrived at the entrance of Majiaji village.

This market is much smaller than Yongning Town; it has no archway and no decent streets.

A dozen or so mud-brick houses were built along the road.

There were a few stalls selling vegetables and groceries in front of the houses, but most of them had already closed up shop.

Two old men were playing chess under a tree at the entrance of the village.

Seeing the group approaching, he only glanced up before lowering his head again to continue pondering the game.

Ma Yong walked at the front, his eyes quickly scanning the entire village.

Then he nodded slightly to Zhou Tianyang, indicating that there was nothing unusual.

As Zhou Tianyang entered the village, his gaze quickly swept over the houses and stalls.

The village is not big, about two or three hundred steps from the entrance to the end. Most of the shops are small stores selling daily necessities.

The sky was gradually darkening.

There weren't many people walking around on the street.

Occasionally, one or two women holding children would peek out from the doorway, then retreat back inside.

There is only one place to rest in Majiaji, an old inn at the eastern end of the village.

The shop is small, with a wooden sign hanging at the entrance.

It says "Majiaji Carriage and Horse Inn" on it.

Ma Yong walked to the door, knocked twice on the door panel, and then pushed the door open and went inside.

Zhou Tianyang followed behind, while Liu Ping and the other soldiers entered the courtyard one after another.

There was only one old man in his sixties in the shop, who was dozing off behind the counter.

He looked up when he heard footsteps.

He squinted at the person who came in, then slowly stood up.

"Guest, checking in?"

"Checking in at a hotel."

Ma Yong walked to the counter, took out a silver dollar from his pocket, and placed it on the counter.

"We have a lot of people, are there many empty rooms?"

The old man glanced down at the silver dollar and nodded.

"There are a few empty rooms in the backyard, enough for you to stay in."

"The kitchen is in the back; you have to cook your own meals."

Ma Yong nodded and turned to wave to the soldiers behind him.

The group passed through the main room and entered the backyard.

The backyard looks more spacious than the front.

Three main rooms and two side rooms.

There is a well in the yard, and several wooden buckets are placed next to the well platform.

Zhou Tianyang walked into the largest main room, put the cloth bag on his back on the earthen bed, and then turned and walked to the door.

Ma Yong was standing in the courtyard assigning living quarters.

"You take men and guard both the front and back gates, four men per shift, rotating every two hours."

Be vigilant at night.

"Yes."

Ma Yong turned around and made the arrangements.

Zhou Tianyang stood at the door, watching the soldiers disperse.

Liu Ping carried the wicker trunk into the next room, nodding at him as he passed by without saying a word.

It was getting darker and darker.

Zhou Tianyang returned to the house, sat down on the earthen bed, and took out the map from his cloth bag to look at it again.

If you continue southeast from Majiaji, you will enter Shandong province.

According to the markings on the map.

After entering Shandong, we still need to cross the southwestern plains of Shandong.

After arranging the sentries, Ma Yong came in and sat down on the stool opposite Zhou Tianyang.

He took out a piece of dry food, broke it in half, and handed one half to Zhou Tianyang.

"Commander, at the crossroads today, I almost thought something bad was going to happen."

Zhou Tianyang took the dry rations, took a bite, and chewed slowly.

"Those two Japanese soldiers look lazy and not the type to take things seriously."

"In this situation, as long as you identify yourself as a Japanese soldier, they won't investigate further."

Ma Yong also took a bite of the dry rations, chewed a few times, swallowed, and then asked:

"Commander, where did you learn Japanese?"

"I've never heard you mention that before."

Zhou Tianyang carefully put away the remaining piece of dry rations without giving a direct answer.

He changed the subject in a calm tone.

"Tomorrow we'll enter Shandong province, and the road conditions will be more complicated than today."

"Tell the soldiers to stay alert and not let their guard down just because we passed two checkpoints today."

Seeing that he didn't want to talk more, Ma Yong stopped asking.

He nodded and stood up.

"Commander, you can rest now. I'll go check the sentry posts outside."

He turned and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Zhou Tianyang was the only one left in the room.

The night grew deeper.

The small inn in Majiaji quickly fell into silence.

Occasionally, a dog bark or two could be heard from afar, but it quickly disappeared.

the next day.

Zhou Tianyang woke up before dawn.

When he came out of the house, there were already several soldiers washing their faces by the well in the courtyard.

Ma Yong walked in from the back gate, carrying several sesame seed cakes wrapped in oil paper.

He walked up to Zhou Tianyang and handed him one.

"It's warm, so you can have something to eat on the way."