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

Zhao Wenlong interjected, asking:

"If the Japanese soldiers never came, what about the puppet regime?"

"Has anyone from the local militia come by?"

"no."

Village Chief Li shook his head.

"In our area, the Japanese haven't had time to set up puppet regimes yet."

"They're busy fighting the Nationalists and your Eighth Route Army right now, they can't afford to bother with these poor mountain villages."

After hearing this, Zhou Tianyang understood.

There was no direct threat from the Japanese, and no infiltration by puppet regimes.

This is good news for the new second regiment.

At least in the short term.

There's no need to worry about traitors informing us, and no need to worry about the Japanese suddenly coming to sweep through.

"What about the bandits?"

Zhou Tianyang then asked.

Village Chief Li's expression changed.

It wasn't fear, but a complex emotion.

There was helplessness, anger, and a hint of inexplicable apprehension.

He remained silent for a long while.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, as if he was considering where to begin.

"The story of bandits is a long one."

He took a deep drag of his cigarette, and smoke billowed from his mouth and nose.

"There are five groups of bandits, big and small, in the mountains around here."

Zhou Tianyang and Zhao Wenlong exchanged a glance but neither spoke.

Let him continue.

"The largest group is in Black Wind Village in the southeast, about thirty miles from here."

"That bandit den had more than 150 people, and the bandit leader's surname was Liu, and his name was Liu Feng."

Village Chief Li's voice lowered.

"That group of bandits was the most ruthless to the local people."

"How did they cause such trouble?"

Zhao Wenlong asked.

Village Chief Li's voice rose a few decibels.

Filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Every few days, they would go to the surrounding villages to rob food, taking whatever they could find—grain, chickens, ducks, livestock—never returning empty-handed."

"They even kidnap girls. If they see a pretty girl, they'll snatch her up the mountain, rape her, and then release her."

"Some girls went crazy after they came back, and some even jumped into wells."

"Our Lijia Yu village has also been robbed by them several times."

"Last autumn, more than thirty of them came, riding horses and carrying guns, and they started looting as soon as they entered the village."

"They robbed most of the grain stored in the villagers' homes and injured several old men who tried to stop them."

"I went up to reason with them, but the bandit leader Liu Feng slapped me to the ground, knocking out one of my front teeth."

Village Chief Li opened his mouth and pointed to the tooth missing from his left side.

"This is it."

Zhou Tianyang stared at the empty space, his gaze darkening.

"They didn't kidnap the girl?"

Zhao Wenlong asked.

"Why didn't you rob it?"

Village Chief Li's eyes were a little red.

"My granddaughter was only fifteen years old that year, and they kidnapped her and took her up the mountain."

"They were released three days later. After they came back, they were completely different. They didn't talk, they didn't eat, and they had nightmares every night."

"Then...then it was over."

The room fell silent.

Zhou Tianyang tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

His face was expressionless, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

Zhao Wenlong clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking slightly.

"Village Chief Li, don't worry, we'll keep track of this debt for you."

Zhou Tianyang's voice was not loud.

Village Chief Li waved his hand and let out a long sigh.

"What's the use of remembering it?"

"You only have about a hundred people, while Black Wind Stronghold has more than 150 people and has the advantage of terrain. You can't beat them."

"I'm telling you all this so you can know."

"The bandits in this area are not to be trifled with. You'd better be careful if you set up camp here."

Zhou Tianyang didn't reply, he just nodded.

"Go on, what about the other groups of bandits?"

Village Chief Li filled another pot with tobacco, lit it, took a puff, and his emotions gradually calmed down.

"The second largest group is in Wild Wolf Valley to the north, about forty miles from here."

"That bandit den had about a hundred people, and the bandit leader's surname was Tian, ​​and his name was Tian Chengjun."

His tone changed; it was no longer one of anger and helplessness.

Instead, it carried a strange and complex emotion.

"This Tian Chengjun is different from Liu Feng of Black Wind Village."

"He used to be a battalion commander in the Nationalist Army, but his unit was scattered after the battle."

"He and his gang wandered to this area, became bandits and established themselves as mountain kings."

Zhou Tianyang narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Nationalist army battalion commander had about a hundred defeated soldiers under his command, who had become bandits in the mountains.

This kind of person can be either a bandit or a regular soldier.

It all depends on his choice.

"That group of bandits was relatively law-abiding."

Village Chief Li's words startled Zhao Wenlong.

"Do bandits even follow rules?"

"have."

Village Chief Li nodded.

"Tian Chengjun's group didn't rob ordinary people."

"They might occasionally come to the village to borrow some grain, but they will return it."

"Last year they borrowed 200 jin of grain from our village, and they actually paid it back."

"They also fought the Japanese, specifically targeting the bandits of Black Wind Village."

Village Chief Li's tone carried a hint of admiration.

"Last winter, the people from Black Wind Village went to the villages to the south to steal grain."

"Tian Chengjun led his men to intercept them halfway, and a battle ensued, resulting in many deaths."

"From then on, the people of Black Wind Stronghold didn't dare to be so arrogant anymore."

Zhou Tianyang listened attentively.

My mind is racing, analyzing everything.

A bandit gang composed of defeated Nationalist soldiers.

They didn't rob ordinary people, they fought the Japanese, and they even went against the bandits of Black Wind Village.

These people are not born bandits; they are forced to join the bandits by the chaos of the times.

If we can recruit them, we can bring them over to fight the Japanese.

Those were about a hundred veterans with combat experience.

Have you ever met Tian Chengjun?

Zhou Tianyang asked.

"I've met him once."

Village Chief Li thought about it.

"I chatted with him for a few minutes when he came to borrow grain last year."

"He's in his thirties, not very tall, but very strong, and he speaks and acts with great composure."

"Unlike Liu Feng, who was a bandit and very rude."

He said he used to be a regular soldier and wouldn't fight civilians, otherwise his conscience wouldn't allow it.

He also said, "Wait until one day."

"He will lead his brothers to put on their uniforms again and fight the Japanese invaders honorably."

Zhou Tianyang silently kept these words in mind.

"Go on, what about the other three groups of bandits?"

Village Chief Li took another drag of his cigarette and continued speaking.

"The remaining three groups of bandits, one group is in Qinglong Mountain in the southwest, with more than sixty people, and the bandit leader is called Liu Damazi."

"A group of more than fifty people were at Eagle's Beak Cliff on the west side. Their leader was called Sun Wukong, but nobody knew his real name."

"There is another group at Hutouling in the northwest, about thirty people, whose leader is called Zhang Laoliu."

His finger tapped on the table.

I roughly sketched out the three positions.

"These three groups of bandits originally fought their own battles and looked down on each other."

"Later, sandwiched between Black Wind Stronghold and Wild Wolf Valley, they couldn't survive there anymore."

"They formed some kind of alliance, called the Three Mountains Alliance."

"It was the three families that joined forces, supported each other, and worked together to deal with Black Wind Stronghold and Wild Wolf Valley."

"With this alliance, the three of them were able to barely stand their ground and avoid being swallowed up by the other two."

Are they robbing ordinary people?

Zhao Wenlong asked.

Village Chief Li thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"I don't usually rob."

"Even if we steal it, we won't hurt anyone."

"At most, they just come to the village to get some food or other things."

"It won't be like Black Wind Stronghold, where they rob, kill, and harm people."

He paused, then added:

"Sometimes they even fight with the Black Wind Stronghold."

"Last month, people from Black Wind Stronghold passed through the territory of Green Dragon Mountain."

"They were stopped by Liu Dama and his men, and a battle broke out between the two sides."

"Several people from Black Wind Stronghold died, and they slunk back."

"So, this is the situation in this area!"

Zhou Tianyang took over the conversation.

He drew a triangle on the table with his finger.

"Black Wind Stronghold is the largest, with more than 150 people."

"Those who harm the common people are the ones we must deal with."

"Wolf Valley is next, with about a hundred people."

"Not robbing ordinary people and fighting the Japanese is something we can fight for."