The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

Gao Linyuan, panting heavily, as if grasping at the last straw, shouted frantically, "What if he also becomes a traitor like that coward Xiaochuan?"

Haha! He won't live much longer! His uncle, Captain Okada Tomohisa, will never let this family's disgrace go unpunished!

He will use the entire force of the brigade to crush you all, along with that coward Okada Yudai, into dust! Tear you to pieces!

He screamed hysterically, trying to find a trace of fear on Zhou Jindong's face, "If he's dead...that would be better!"

Captain Tomohisa Okada will definitely unleash his fury on each and every one of you!

He will raze the entire Dongzhai Town to the ground! He will strangle every single one of them to death in the trees at the town's entrance!

"You...none of you will escape! You will all die! You will all die! You will all be buried with Lieutenant Okada!!"

The surrounding air seemed to quiet down for a moment.

All around, only Gao Linyuan's repeated shouts could be heard.

The puppet soldiers were at a loss for what to do when they saw Gao Linyuan acting like a madman.

Only Zhou Jindong remained calm.

He didn't even lift his eyelids.

Regardless of whether Okada was involved or not, he was determined to fight the Japanese to the death!

He was attacked by a whole battalion of Japanese soldiers... but couldn't he run away?

"Take him away, send Company Commander Gao on his way!"

The two soldiers were startled and quickly began to pull with all their might.

Gao Linyuan continued shouting in vain, "Did you hear me! You're all going to die! Captain Okada will..."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...!

A series of muffled gunshots rang out at the foot of the mountain, hundreds of meters away!

Gao Linyuan's curse, interspersed with a few dying screams, abruptly stopped.

The threshing floor was deathly silent.

Wang Yuan looked at the more than sixty puppet army prisoners who were terrified and slumped on the ground like a pile of mud, and scratched his head.

He leaned closer to Zhou Jindong and asked in a low voice, "Dongzi, what do we do with the rest of these cowards? These guys are useless against the Japanese; keeping them around is just a waste of food. Are we really going to just let them..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Zhou Jindong's gaze fell on the dark silhouette of the mountains behind the town, as if recalling something. Finally, he said, "No need to waste bullets. These people are morally bankrupt and cowardly, but they're still strong. Even trash can be put to use."

A scene from a corner of the original owner's memory clearly appeared in his mind: a secret valley hidden in the mountains that he accidentally discovered when he went deep into the old forest to collect herbs.

The entrance is extremely hidden, concealed by gnarled vines and scattered rocks, but the terrain inside opens up dramatically, with a steep cliff behind it and a narrow front that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

A clear stream flows through the valley, and there is a large, flat, and open wasteland. More importantly, there are more than a dozen naturally formed caves of varying sizes scattered at the base of the cliffs, which are dry and sheltered from the wind.

"I remember there's a good place deep in the back mountains." Zhou Jindong turned his gaze back and explained to Wang Yuan, "The place is very secluded. It's surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, with only a narrow crevice to enter. It's quite large inside, with water, land, and many existing caves."

"It's perfect as a secret hideout for our guerrillas; we can store food and hide weapons there."

He pointed to the group of quail-like prisoners on the ground, "These people are ready-made laborers."

Put them in there and make them clear land, cut down trees, build roads, and turn those caves into warehouses and living quarters. Build a labor camp; only by working will they get food. Anyone who dares to slack off, try to cheat, or try to run away…

He paused, a chill creeping into his voice, "Then don't blame us for our indiscriminate bullets!"

Wang Yuan's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh: "Hey! This is a great idea! Better than just killing them! We're making use of them! They can even work for us!"

He grinned, revealing his white teeth, turned to the group of prisoners, put his hands on his hips, and shouted, "Did you all hear that? You're lucky your ancestors were blessed to escape with your lives!"

From now on, you are labor reform inmates of our Dongzhai Guerrilla Team!

"Everyone, get your act together and get to work! Anyone who tries to slack off or try to run away will be in big trouble!"

He patted the Mauser pistol at his waist. "I'm sending him to keep that Gao guy company!"

Listening to Wang Yuan's words, and then glancing at the lingering smoke in the distance, the prisoners turned ashen-faced, lowered their heads even further, and dared not even breathe.

Compared to being shot immediately, being forced into hard labor seems to be the only way out at the moment.

Well, as long as... running isn't allowed, it's not unacceptable!

……

By the time Zhu Zi and Shui Sheng led a few people to the foot of the back mountain, it was already completely dark.

The mountain wind blew down the valley, stinging my face like a knife.

The Tibetans disguised their cave entrances with dead branches and snow, making them virtually undetectable until they got very close.

"Fellow villagers! Come out! It's alright now!" Zhu Zi cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted towards the cave entrance.

There was a rustling sound inside the cave, followed by Zhou Langzhong's trembling voice: "Is...is that Zhu Zi? Have all the traitors been sent away?"

"They wanted to leave, but they couldn't! The vice-captain took care of them all! We disarmed them all!" Shui Sheng excitedly chimed in. "Come on out, the vice-captain and Brother Yuan are waiting for everyone in town for a meeting!"

The disguise at the cave entrance was pushed aside from the inside, and Dr. Zhou poked his head out, holding an oil lamp. Behind him followed a large group of people, young and old, all with expressions of shock and disbelief.

When they saw that it really was Zhu Zi and his group, the crowd came alive, with women crying, men sighing, and children shouting all mixed together.

"Alright, alright, it's good enough that everyone's alive and well. Everyone, young and old, go home first!" Zhu Zi shouted to maintain order. "Also, the deputy captain said there's something important to discuss, something that concerns the lives of everyone in our town. The head of each household, come with me!"

Half an hour later, more than a dozen oil lamps were lit in the courtyard of the town government office.

The conference table, which had been smashed to pieces, was pieced together and surrounded by prominent figures from Dongzhai Town.

Zhou Yannian sat in the main seat, holding a well-worn pipe in his hand, puffing away.

Sitting next to me was Grandpa Wang, an old hunter from the town. Although he had difficulty walking, his words carried considerable weight in the town. Below him were the able-bodied men from each household and a few educated teachers.

Of course, Minister Li and his bodyguards did not appear here; their presence was a secret to the vast majority of people in the town.

As for the town mayor and other officials, they had long since disappeared without a trace.

Zhou Jindong and Wang Yuan stood at one end of the table.

Wang Yuan still had an optimistic and accepting attitude, but his hand remained on the holster of the Mauser pistol.

Zhou Jindong, on the other hand, had a serious expression on his face, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Quiet down, everyone!" Wang Yuan tapped the table and said directly, "Let Dongzi explain the situation we're facing. This matter concerns the life and death of about two hundred people in our entire town!"