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

Zhou Tianyang took the sesame seed cake, took a bite, and nodded.

"Let's go, let's leave as soon as possible."

After the group finished packing up, they left the inn.

The old man behind the counter was still dozing off in his old seat yesterday.

He didn't even look up when he saw them leaving.

After leaving Majiaji, the road became even more rugged and uneven.

The land on both sides gradually changed from yellowish-brown to sandy soil with a reddish-brown tinge.

The vegetation along the way is becoming increasingly sparse.

Occasionally you can see a patch of mixed woodland, but more often you see stretches of wasteland.

Some fields are still covered with weeds that are half a person tall.

They walked for about an hour and a half.

Zhou Tianyang noticed a denser forest in the distance than he had seen before.

The grove of trees stretched out along a dry riverbed, seemingly without end.

"Commander, that woods up ahead are quite dense. Should we go around it?"

Ma Yong turned back from the front and asked in a low voice.

Zhou Tianyang did not answer immediately.

His gaze swept across the grove of trees, then he looked at the surrounding terrain.

To the left of the woods was an open sandy area, and to the right was a low earthen embankment.

If you take a detour, you'll have to walk several miles more, and the view on both sides is much worse than in the woods.

"No more beating around the bush."

Zhou Tianyang withdrew his gaze and spoke calmly.

"Let's go through the woods."

"Notify the soldiers to be vigilant and maintain distance once they enter the forest."

Ma Yong nodded and turned to make the arrangements.

The group quickly entered the woods.

The forest was indeed very dense, and the soldiers dispersed, maintaining a distance of five or six steps between them.

Zhou Tianyang walked in the middle of the group, his eyes constantly scanning the trees and bushes on both sides.

This forest gave him a different feeling.

I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.

But his intuition, honed by years of battlefield experience, told him that something might be hidden there.

Liu Ping walked behind him, his steps lighter than before.

He clearly sensed that the atmosphere in the woods was somewhat subtle.

But he didn't say anything, he just followed quietly.

The group walked through the forest for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Just when Zhou Tianyang thought he was just imagining things, he suddenly heard a voice.

Zhou Tianyang did not stop walking, but his right hand had already silently reached for his waist.

His gaze remained fixed ahead, not shifting even slightly in that direction.

Immediately afterwards, another voice came from the right front.

This time it was a very light footstep, like someone moving quickly on the fallen leaves.

Zhou Tianyang stopped in his tracks.

Ma Yong, who was behind him, stopped at almost the same time.

All the soldiers stopped in their tracks silently at that moment.

The woods were extremely quiet.

The sound of the wind rustling through the treetops paused for a moment, then resumed.

Zhou Tianyang slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the bushes.

"Come out."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet woods.

A few seconds of silence.

Then, a person slowly stood up from behind the bushes.

He was a middle-aged man, holding an old Hanyang rifle with the muzzle pointing downwards.

Two more people stood up behind him, also holding guns, but not pointing them at anyone.

The middle-aged man stared at Zhou Tianyang for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers behind him, before speaking.

"Who are you people?"

Zhou Tianyang was also sizing him up.

The trouser legs were tied with straw rope, and he wore a pair of cloth shoes that exposed his toes.

He was dark-skinned and thin, but his hand holding the gun was very steady.

His gaze also possessed a sharpness that only someone who deals with danger year-round would have.

"Just passing by."

Zhou Tianyang released his hand that had been on his waist, his tone calm.

"And you?"

The middle-aged man did not answer, and the two men behind him still held their guns.

A brief silence fell over the woods again.

A moment later, a sound came from behind the bushes on the other side.

The voice was lower than the previous one, and carried a hint of probing.

"Are you from the Eighth Route Army?"

Zhou Tianyang looked in the direction of the sound.

A figure emerged from behind the bushes.

He was shorter and thinner than the middle-aged man in front of him.

His gaze lingered on Zhou Tianyang's face for a few seconds, then looked at the soldiers in various civilian clothes behind him.

"Which department are you from?"

Zhou Tianyang did not answer directly.

His gaze lingered on the newcomer's face for a moment, then he took two steps forward.

"We are from the 386th Brigade."

The man remained silent for a moment after hearing this.

It seems they are trying to determine whether the statement is true or false.

His gaze swept over the soldiers again, and after a moment he finally released his grip on the gun.

"We are guerrillas from southern Hebei, and we operate in this area."

The man lowered the gun completely.

"You've come from southeastern Shanxi, which direction are you going?"

"Shandong".

The man nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

"Then you're on the right track. If you go through this forest and continue east for about forty li, you'll reach Shandong province."

He didn't ask for more details, nor did he linger.

He waved to his two companions behind him.

The three of them quickly disappeared into the shadows of the trees along a barely visible path through the woods.

Zhou Tianyang stood there, watching the three figures disappear into the dense forest.

A moment later, he turned around and gestured to the team.

"Let's go."

The procession continued forward.

The woods returned to their previous quiet.

It was as if that brief encounter had never happened.

After leaving the woods, the view suddenly opened up.

A line of even lower mountain shadows appeared on the distant horizon, much shorter than the Taihang Mountains.

It stretches endlessly across the horizon.

"We're now in Shandong province."

Ma Yong walked at the front of the group and pointed to the distant mountain shadows.

The procession continued forward.

After walking for about two more hours, as the sky gradually turned westward, a town much larger than Majiaji appeared ahead.

Zhou Tianyang stopped and scanned both sides of the gate tower with his eyes.

There were no Japanese sentries or puppet troops patrolling outside the gatehouse.

But there seemed to be a person standing inside the gatehouse.

He was dressed in inconspicuous clothes, looking like an ordinary person.

"We'll split up after we enter the town, and we'll spend the night here."

Zhou Tianyang turned to Ma Yong and said something.

"Find an inconspicuous place to stay, so that no one will notice you."

Ma Yong nodded, turned around, and made the arrangements in a low voice.

The group dispersed.

The thirty people split into several groups and walked into the street entrance of Ping'an Town at intervals.

Zhou Tianyang and Liu Ping walked at the very back, and after entering the town, they walked along the street for a while.

The town is much larger than Majiaji.

Vegetable stalls and general stores line the street, and occasionally you can see a few farmers pushing wheelbarrows.

Ma Yong had already found a place to stay, a house in a side alley at the west end of the town.

That household consisted of only an elderly woman; her son was serving in the military, and the house had several empty rooms.

After discussing it with her, Ma Yong settled in.