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

"Yes, it's the Eighth Route Army!"

The young man wiped his sweat and nodded vigorously.

"Wearing gray cloth uniforms and carrying long guns, they were completely different from the Nationalist soldiers we had seen before."

"Our men could see clearly that the leader was a young officer, in his early twenties, carrying a gun."

Tian Chengjun remained silent.

I picked up the bowl and took another sip, my mind racing.

When did the Eighth Route Army arrive in this area?

How come he didn't know?

He had heard of it before.

The 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army operated in southeastern Shanxi.

But those troops were mainly stationed in the counties of Wuxiang, Licheng, and Lucheng.

It's at least a hundred or two hundred miles from here to Wild Wolf Valley.

Why did you suddenly come to Black Wind Stronghold?

Moreover, he knew the terrain of Black Wind Stronghold very well.

Three checkpoints: bunkers, watchtowers, and hidden sentries, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Let alone seventy or eighty people, even a hundred or seventeen or eight hundred people might not be able to take it down if they attacked head-on.

"Did the Eighth Route Army attack from the front?"

Tian Chengjun put down his bowl and looked directly at the young man.

"Our people said that the Eighth Route Army split into two groups."

The young man thought for a moment and then repeated what the scout had said.

"We launched a feint attack from the front to draw the bandits' attention."

"Another team will sneak in from the back of the mountain, attacking from both sides."

"The back mountain?"

Tian Chengjun's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Isn't the mountain behind Black Wind Village a cliff?"

"How did you get up there?"

There is a small path.

The young man answered readily.

"Walking along the ridge, it's very narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass sideways, with a mountain wall on one side and a cliff on the other."

"Our people only found out about that road today."

Tian Chengjun fell silent.

a small path.

He'd been here so long and didn't even know there was a path leading up the back of Black Wind Village.

Did those Eighth Route Army soldiers figure it out as soon as they arrived?

Their reconnaissance capabilities and intelligence work are truly exceptional.

Where is Liu Feng?

Tian Chengjun asked again.

"Liu Feng led a large force down the mountain early this morning, saying he was going to Zhao Jia Gou to collect grain."

The young man's tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"There are only thirty or forty elderly, weak, sick and disabled people left in the village."

"The Eighth Route Army took advantage of this opportunity to launch the attack."

Tian Chengjun's eyes lit up.

How many people did Liu Feng take with him?

"About a hundred."

Tian Chengjun's lips curled up slightly.

"So that means the main force of Black Wind Stronghold isn't home?"

"right."

The young man nodded.

"There are only thirty or forty people left to guard the village."

"The Eighth Route Army, with seventy or eighty men, is fighting against thirty or forty old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers. Moreover, they are attacking from both sides, so their chances of winning are very high."

Tian Chengjun stood up and walked to the window.

His gaze fell on the distant mountains.

He remained silent for a long time, his mind racing with analysis.

These Eighth Route Army soldiers are no ordinary soldiers.

First, they found out the details of Black Wind Stronghold and learned that there was a small path leading up the back mountain.

Then, taking advantage of the fact that Liu Feng led the main force down the mountain and the village was left undefended, they launched an attack.

Moreover, they chose a tactic of feigning an attack from the front and then launching a surprise attack from the rear, which reduced casualties and increased their chances of winning.

This tactic and this command are not something an ordinary person could come up with.

"Are our people still keeping watch?"

Tian Chengjun turned around and looked at the young man.

"I'm keeping an eye on it."

The young man nodded.

"We sent two people, one to keep watch at the entrance of Black Wind Stronghold, and the other to keep an eye on Liu Feng and his gang."

"This is a message sent back by the brother who's keeping an eye on Black Wind Stronghold."

"Has that brother who's keeping an eye on Liu Feng sent back any news?"

"not yet."

The young man shook his head.

Tian Chengjun frowned again.

There's still no news from Liu Feng?

Not right.

The fastest route from Heifengzhai to Zhaojiagou is via Wazigou, which takes only four or five hours round trip.

Liu Feng set off early this morning, and it's almost noon now. He should have arrived at Zhaojiagou by now.

The people sent to keep an eye on things haven't sent back any news yet.

There are two possibilities.

One possibility is that the person sent hasn't had time to send a message yet.

Another one is...

Tian Chengjun's gaze darkened.

Another possibility is that Liu Feng and his gang got into trouble.

"Send someone to Wazigou again to take a look!"

Tian Chengjun's tone suddenly became serious.

"Send two more people to walk along the ridges on both sides of Wazi Gully, but don't go close to the bottom of the gully. Keep an eye on things from a distance."

"Let's find out where Liu Feng and his gang are and what they're doing."

"yes!"

The young man stood at attention, then turned to run outside.

"etc."

Tian Chengjun called him back again.

The young man turned around, waiting for him to speak.

"Send someone to take another look around Black Wind Stronghold."

Tian Chengjun paused, his tone becoming even more serious.

"Let's see if the Eighth Route Army has captured the village yet, and see what the situation is like inside the village now."

"Tell the brothers not to come near, not to expose themselves, just to watch from a distance."

"I need to know the situation on both sides of Wazigou and Heifengzhai before dark."

"yes!"

The young man turned and ran out, his footsteps fading into the distance in the courtyard.

Tian Chengjun sat back down in his armchair, picked up his bowl, and took a sip of water.

His mind was constantly filled with thoughts of the Eighth Route Army soldiers.

How many of them are there?

What are you doing in this area?

Are you just passing through or staying here regularly?

Were they here specifically to attack Black Wind Stronghold, or just to steal something along the way?

If he can't figure these things out, he'll become restless.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, his steps neither hurried nor slow.

But the expression on his face grew increasingly serious.

"Big brother."

A man in his thirties standing nearby spoke up.

He was Tian Chengjun's old subordinate.

His name is Li Shengjun. He was a company commander under Tian Chengjun when he was in the National Revolutionary Army.

They fought alongside him all the way from Niangziguan.

"What are you worried about?"

Tian Chengjun stopped and looked at Li Shengjun.

"I'm worried about those Eighth Route Army soldiers."

He walked back to the table and sat down, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface.

"We've been in Wolf Valley for almost a year now, and we know this area like the back of our hand."

"I know everything about Black Wind Stronghold, the Three Alliances, the Japanese strongholds, and the distribution of villages."

"But now a group of Eighth Route Army soldiers have suddenly appeared, and we don't even know who they are."

"This is not a good sign."

Li Shengjun thought for a moment and then spoke.

"Brother, do you mean you're afraid they're coming for us?"

"uncertain."

Tian Chengjun shook his head.

"But we can't afford to be careless."

"If they can find out the details of Black Wind Stronghold, they can find out the details of our Wild Wolf Valley."

"If they can attack Black Wind Stronghold, they can attack our Wild Wolf Valley."

Li Shengjun's expression changed slightly.

"Brother, we're not the same as Black Wind Stronghold."

"We don't rob or beat ordinary people, we don't harass women, we return borrowed items, and we pay for what we take."

"No matter what, the Eighth Route Army can't attack us, can they?"

"That's not necessarily true."

Tian Chengjun sighed.

"In their eyes, we are bandits."

"A bandit is a bandit. He doesn't care if he robs ordinary people or not. Anyone who occupies a mountain and rules the land is a bandit."

"If they want to suppress bandits, they'll target us first."

Li Shengjun fell silent.

He knew his older brother was telling the truth.

To occupy a mountain and become king is to be a bandit.

No matter what your reasons are, no matter what rules you follow, in official circles, you are a bandit.

If the Eighth Route Army wanted to suppress the bandits, they wouldn't be able to escape.

"Big brother, what do we do now?"

Li Shengjun's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Tian Chengjun did not answer.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the distant mountains.

"Let's see how things go first."

He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking.

"Let's see if those Eighth Route Army soldiers have taken down Black Wind Village yet, and see if Liu Feng and his men have returned."

"We'll make plans once we get the news back."

He turned around and looked at Li Shengjun.

"Shengjun, go and tell the brothers to get ready."

"We can't be caught off guard if something happens."

"yes!"

Li Shengjun stood up and strode out.