Borrowing a knife
The flame of the oil lamp flickered gently, casting a soft, half-lit glow on Shen Lanjun's delicate and serene face. She dipped her fingertips in water and drew simple diagrams on the rough wooden table.
“What’s hidden in Hao Rende’s cellar isn’t just a radio, but also a batch of brand-new Type 38 rifle parts and ammunition.” She lowered her voice to make sure only Gu Tieshan across the table could hear her. “Not a large quantity, but enough to arm a small squad. It seems they’re not only gathering intelligence, but also secretly stockpiling military power.”
Gu Tieshan's gaze fell on the lines drawn by the watermarks, as if he were examining a battlefield sand table. "The Black Dragon Society... has quite the appetite."
“Therefore, we cannot let them develop peacefully.” Shen Lanjun raised her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them. “The bandits of Blind Leopard suffered a great loss and will never let it go. Their stronghold, ‘Black Cloud Village,’ is only a few dozen miles away from here. And the people behind Hao Rende regularly send a transport team disguised as a merchant caravan from the direction of Heihe to replenish supplies and collect intelligence.”
Her finger touched the watermarks representing the transport team's route, then slowly traced them towards the direction representing Black Cloud Village.
According to Geng Dashan, the leader of Black Cloud Village, "Mountain Eagle," was a vengeful and extremely greedy man. Blind Leopard was his sworn brother.
Gu Tieshan immediately understood her intention: "Send bandits to rob the Japanese and puppet regime's transport convoy?"
“Not bad.” Shen Lanjun’s lips curled into a cold smile. “We need an opportunity to make ‘Mountain Eagle’ certain that a piece of fat meat is about to pass through his mouth, and that this piece of meat is related to his brother being injured.”
The key to the plan lies in the transmission of intelligence, which must be natural and leave no trace.
A few days later, in the only tavern in Linjiang Village, Zhao Xiaoshuan and several young men from the village pooled their money to buy some cheap liquor, and were drinking until their faces were flushed. After a few bowls of liquor, they couldn't stop talking.
Zhao Xiaoshuan waved his arms, boasting excitedly, "...You didn't see it! Uncle Gu, with just that carrying pole, beat those bandits until they cried for their parents! That blind leopard was so scared he almost wet his pants!" He deliberately lowered his voice, but made sure the merchants at the next table, who seemed to be passing by, could hear him. "If you ask me, Uncle Gu is truly righteous! If he used real weapons, could our old rifles from the village compare? I heard that some caravans from the north have really sophisticated guards! They're all brand-new, high-powered guns!"
The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. The group of "mountain goods merchants" exchanged glances, quickly paid their bills, and left.
Meanwhile, Gu Tieshan, under the pretext of reinforcing the courtyard wall, purchased some timber from Geng Dashan. During the transaction, he casually remarked, "Brother Geng, you often travel in the mountains. I've heard that some merchant caravans from the north come here; they seem to have some rather unconventional methods?"
Geng Dashan, being straightforward, didn't think much of it and muttered, "That's right! Some of these groups are really wicked. The mules and horses carry heavy loads, covered up completely, and the guards' eyes are filled with murderous intent—they're even more ruthless than bandits! It seems another group is going to pass through Old Hawk Gully in a few days..."
The news, through various channels, drifted subtly to Black Cloud Village.
Three days later, at dusk, Zhao Xiaoshuan ran into the blacksmith shop, panting, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement and a hint of lingering fear: "Uncle Gu! Aunt Chen! Something terrible has happened! There's been fighting at Laoyaozigou! It seems like the bandit leader Zuo Shandiao from Black Cloud Village has robbed a caravan from the north! My God, the fighting is fierce! The gunshots are like popping beans!"
Shen Lanjun and Gu Tieshan exchanged a glance, their expressions calm and composed.
"Kids, don't ask questions. Stay away, watch out for stray bullets," Shen Lanjun gently advised, handing him a freshly roasted sweet potato.
Zhao Xiaoshuan took the sweet potato, chuckled, and ran off.
Subsequent news arrived intermittently. The battle was exceptionally fierce. Zuo Shandiao had clearly come prepared, mobilizing most of his stronghold's manpower. The "caravan's" guards were also extremely tenacious and well-equipped, inflicting considerable casualties on the bandits. Ultimately, the bandits, relying on their numbers and familiarity with the terrain, managed to break through the caravan's defenses and seize a significant amount of supplies. However, one of Zuo Shandiao's most trusted men was killed in the procession, reportedly by the caravan guards' "brand-new, fast-firing guns."
When the news reached Hao Rende's ears, he was fiddling with his abacus. Upon hearing the news, his fingers froze, and his face instantly turned ashen. The amiable smile that always graced his face vanished without a trace. He abruptly stood up and paced back and forth in the shop, his eyes filled with a frighteningly sinister glint.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" he muttered, whether he was cursing the bandits or the transport team was unclear.
A few days later, a well-dressed man with gold-rimmed glasses, who looked like a businessman, quietly entered "Furui Grocery Store" at dusk and went directly to the backyard. Hao Rende respectfully welcomed the man into the house, closed the door tightly, and did not come out until late at night.
Gu Tieshan caught a glimpse of that figure from afar in his own courtyard. Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, the man's demeanor and gait were far from those of an ordinary businessman.
"Looks like we've caught a pretty big fish," Shen Lanjun said softly from behind the window, her eyes sharp as an eagle's. "We've caught the small one, which has attracted the big one. The people behind Hao Rende can't sit still anymore."
The scheme of using a borrowed knife to kill successfully instigated a bloody conflict between bandits and the Japanese puppet regime, weakening both sides. But at the same time, it was like throwing a boulder into a calm lake, stirring up a deeper eddy. A much larger storm was brewing.
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