Fengshan General Offensive (Part 5)
The village was exceptionally quiet at night, with a sky full of stars unfolding before your eyes, as if each star could be reached out and touched. It was a unique view from the mountains. Soon, the sound of frogs croaking came from the depths of the forest. Even the most mischievous children couldn't help but doze off when they heard it, and slowly drifted off to sleep under the coaxing of the adults.
Inside the room, Wang Renyong, Qingcheng, and Uncle Hao sat in a circle around an octagonal table. A thick pile of melon seed shells had already accumulated on the table, which Wang Renyong had been eating while exchanging pleasantries.
With only one hand left, he still eats so much. Qingcheng helplessly took a sip of her cold tea. Old Wang had been talking for a long time without getting to the point, making her feel a little sleepy.
Judging from Old Wang's demeanor, he could chat with Uncle Hao all night long. Clearing his throat, he looked at Old Wang with a "kind" gaze, reminding him that important matters were at hand.
Wang Renyong, standing beside him, awkwardly wiped his mouth and very politely inquired about the distribution of the subsequent weapons.
Mentioning this question dispelled Qingcheng's sleepiness. Uncle Hao looked at the two knowingly, but did not answer the question immediately. Instead, he got up, stepped onto a stool, and took a brown paper package from the roof beam. Inside was a list of members of the militia.
"Just give them the number listed above. No need for big machine guns, I don't know how to use them anyway. Just give them some light and handy equipment that can protect the villagers." Uncle Hao pointed to the list, his simple and honest smile making it impossible to refuse.
Looking at the list on the table, Wang Renyong carefully wrapped it up without even glancing at it and pushed it back to Uncle Hao, his smile fading. "Uncle, the organization isn't that stingy. You can choose what your militia has captured first, and I'll find a way to transport the rest to the Soviet area. Actually, I have something else to ask you."
Uncle Hao looked at Wang Renyong with a puzzled expression, waiting for him to continue. Wang Renyong glanced at Qingcheng, seemingly encouraged, and asked directly, "Uncle, when do you plan to bring back those six artillery vehicles and the accompanying ammunition? The front line is in dire need of these kinds of good stuff."
These words seemed to have stumped Uncle Hao. He blinked a few times, took a deep breath, and said, "It's not easy. There are too many bandits on the mountain. I'm afraid we won't be able to bring it back. Besides, big things are too conspicuous. You can't transport them away either."
“It’s okay, we can take it apart,” Qingcheng interjected casually.
After this surprise attack, even if Qingcheng said she could build airplanes, Uncle Hao would believe her without hesitation. He was clearly pretending to be stupid, holding his forehead with a troubled look, glancing around and changing the subject, but the gist was that he couldn't get them back.
“Uncle, since we can’t get them back, we won’t force it. I have a small suggestion, but I don’t know if I should say it?” After Uncle Hao nodded, Wang Renyong continued, “I plan to give these six items to the bandit suppression team, and also give them all the heads of the people who raided the base as military merits.”
Qingcheng pretended to drink tea but was actually glancing at Uncle Hao across from her out of the corner of her eye. After hearing Lao Wang's suggestion, a few more fine lines appeared at the corners of Hao's eyes.
The hand that was originally holding the pipe was now hanging down at the side, a gesture that only occurs when a person is extremely relaxed. Conversely, when a person is tense, their hands will constantly fidget.
"What... are there any conditions?" Uncle Hao was an old hand at this business and knew that Old Wang wouldn't do charity for no reason.
"The condition is that the anti-bandit team admits to the attack on the base. Firstly, the heads killed can be attributed to the anti-bandit team, and secondly, it protects the local militia. Our attack on the base, no matter the reason, is illegitimate and unjustified, not to mention that we are the Party's armed force and must preserve our strength."
"What will happen if the bandit suppression team admits to it?" Uncle Hao began to fumble for the pipe at his waist again.
Originally, it should have been left to Gao to consider, but Wang Renyong said he liked him quite a bit, so he helped him analyze the situation.
Firstly, this base belongs to those damned Japanese devils, and they will inevitably retaliate against him in the future.
Secondly, the ten-person gang in Xuzhou is extremely rampant, and sooner or later they will find this place by following the scent.
“Although you all have confidential identities, I need to provide you with some kind of insurance policy, binding the interests of Inspector Gao with ours, so that he won’t dare to betray the militia.” Old Wang finished speaking and glanced at Qingcheng, roughly meaning, “Are you satisfied now?”
"What is this 'ten-person group'?" Uncle Hao asked, frowning.
"A spy, a spy who only kills. Commonly known as an assassin," Kiyosumi replied smoothly.
As soon as Qingcheng finished speaking, Uncle Hao slammed his hand on the table in protest. He felt that the people were genuinely here to suppress bandits and help the people. Even if we didn't help them, we shouldn't stab them in the back just to protect ourselves. That would be too unethical.
Qingcheng was not surprised by Uncle Hao's fierce attitude. She smiled and clapped her hands in agreement. Her attitude confused Lao Wang, but what she said next was the key point: "Since no one can take it, we can't let the bandits or the Japanese devils get it."
Looking at Qingcheng's strange smile, Old Wang felt a little uneasy, but still cooperated and said, "Yes, it's a pity. Those good things can only be buried with the bandits. Xiao Qin, you're too quick. I'll ask you for credit when we get back."
"No need for the credit, let's not disturb Uncle's rest. Goodnight, Uncle." Qingcheng said as she stood up, and Old Wang also stood up to take his leave.
Before the two could open the door, Uncle Hao blocked their way and told them to explain what they had done.
"Oh, Uncle, don't worry about it. Wouldn't it be better for the people if the bandits or Japanese devils died? What are you afraid of?" Qingcheng asked "suspiciously".
"That's right, don't you know how good Xiao Qin is? He'd blow those bastards to bits." Wang Renyong looked at Qingcheng confidently and secretly winked at her.
The "Little Qin" that Old Wang was referring to, Qingcheng, added fuel to the fire at just the right moment: "Uncle—go to sleep. Maybe you'll hear some noise when you wake up tomorrow, that would be really exciting."
"Please wait, you two!" Uncle Hao asked, seemingly having made up his mind. "Can you solve this?"
"Of course, I used a 'live loophole' to leave a back door for the bandit suppression team, but it's no longer needed," Qingcheng said with a regretful expression.
"What if the goods are already with the bandit suppression team?" Uncle Hao asked in a deep voice.
"What?" Wang Renyong's voice rose eight hundred degrees. "Uncle Hao, are you confused! I know you're short of funds, but how much did you sell them for? Don't sell watermelons like sesame seeds."
"I didn't make any money from selling them, I just wanted to help." A blush rose on Uncle Hao's withered, dark face, indicating that he was truly anxious.
"Don't blame Uncle Hao yet. We don't think it's impossible to give it to him. After all, it's about fighting bandits. But you should at least tell us your reasons. We understand." Qingcheng immediately chimed in, playing the good cop.
“I’m old but my eyes aren’t blind. The bandit suppression team is genuinely here to suppress bandits. They can’t get the weapons they need, so they train with broadswords. How are they going to fight bandits? Forget about Fengshan, there’s also the demon king Liu Shengqi.” Uncle Hao told the truth.
"Don't we have weapons? The gunshots we heard were fake. Inspector Gao has a way to handle this, so don't worry about others." Qingcheng felt that Gao Junxiao couldn't really let his brothers fight bare-chested; at most, he would use some tricks.
"What can we do? He led his team to take those from the supply depot's warehouse by a combination of threats and robbery. It will be difficult to get them again later." Uncle Hao's words startled Qingcheng. How did Uncle Hao know so much about information that even they didn't know?
"He's shrewd. Don't be fooled by that kid. You can't trust the words of reactionaries. After he wipes out the bandits, he'll turn around and wipe out the local militia. You're in for a world of hurt!" Wang Renyong roared decisively. Everyone present knew that his words were not an exaggeration.
"No, no. He's not that kind of person." Uncle Hao still waved his hands in denial. This attitude made not only Qingcheng but even Wang Renyong begin to have doubts.
“Uncle, you’ve only met him a few times.” Wang Renyong’s tone softened. “I was also a soldier. Even if Gao Junxiao disagreed, he had to obey his superiors’ orders.”
"I..." Uncle Hao was speechless. He leaned weakly against the wooden door, seemingly struggling with something in his heart.
"Alright, stop pressuring Uncle. Uncle, we won't force them to cooperate, nor will we recommend they use it. Just have someone inform them, consider it as you giving them a pile of... junk." Qingcheng paused and subtly expressed her meaning.
"No rush, I'll go ask in person tomorrow. If we can cooperate, great; if not, so be it." Uncle Hao finally agreed to go to the negotiations.
Having achieved their goal, Wang Renyong and Qingcheng did not linger any longer. They bid farewell to Uncle Hao and found a quiet corner to sit down. They sat quietly without saying a word.
Wang Renyong couldn't help but speak first, telling Qingcheng to go back and rest early to recover from her injuries.
"Do you know when I started to suspect Uncle Hao?" Qingcheng kicked at a pebble at her feet, gazing into the distance.
"When?" Wang Renyong adjusted the bandage on his arm and answered politely.
"The first time we went to see him," Qingcheng's words successfully piqued Wang Renyong's interest, "we actually arrived very early that day, but there were others who arrived even earlier than us."
Then Qingcheng recounted the question she had been keeping to herself: Uncle Hao had already woken up on the day they went there, and there were wisps of smoke rising from the roof. Of course, it was probably because Uncle Hao was old and woke up early.
Upon entering the house, hot water was provided. There were no high-end items like thermos flasks on the mountain; water was boiled by firewood. There were also freshly spilled wax droplets on the table, shaped like half a square.
This only means that when it was just dawn the next day, the house needed to be lit up, and someone came over with food wrapped in oil paper to drink tea. They could have been villagers or Uncle Hao's family.
After all, he's an old man living alone halfway up the mountain, and his family is worried about him, so it's only right that they bring him some breakfast.
In addition, she noticed that the moss on the stone steps had been cleaned up recently before she entered the house. Qingcheng suspected that the moss was covered with dew in the morning and was very slippery. Someone slipped on it, so her uncle cleaned it up.
That would overturn the previous theory of relatives and friends. Qingcheng vaguely remembered that when the little thing came to visit Uncle Hao, it walked lightly and naturally avoided the moss under its feet, without needing any special reminders.
Moreover, Uncle Hao's diet was very simple; a few cornbread buns and water were enough to last him a day. This was one of the reasons why Qingcheng and the others felt embarrassed to freeload off him.
Given Uncle Hao's frugal nature, he wouldn't be willing to eat something good wrapped in oil paper right away, and he would most likely take it out when entertaining them.
However, Uncle Hao's family really didn't have any decent food. They could only serve guests some coarse tea. The square marks on his table, if not oiled paper, could have been from notebooks or newspapers. However, Uncle Hao was illiterate and didn't even have writing brushes, ink, paper, or inkstones at home.
In conclusion, it is highly likely that the person was an outsider unfamiliar with the area, and that he brought a notebook or newspaper to Uncle Hao's house for a meeting in the morning, and there was probably more than one such person.
The most obvious thing is that Qingcheng and Wang Renyong both rode horses up the mountain, but she found a clear tire track next to the stable, indicating that someone had driven up the mountain before them.
"Do you think I didn't notice the flaws like the hot water? I just didn't want to doubt his principles and stance. I'd rather believe that a relative from out of town drove to visit him." Wang Renyong looked down at his toes, grinning self-deprecatingly.
Old Wang remarked that the commanders of the militia were either local tyrants or big landlords in the village. No other commander lived like Uncle Hao, all alone in a dilapidated thatched hut on the mountain, only occasionally returning to the village at the foot of the mountain for a short stay. He truly lived up to the Bolshevik standards.
“I have never doubted Uncle Hao’s principles and stance. He can’t make decisions on his own; someone above him gave the orders. He was just following orders.” Qingcheng’s eyes dimmed. The more she knew, the more confused she became.
"I find it strange. Gao Junxiao's buttocks are tilted to the left, which means your work wasn't in vain. You should be happy, so why are you angry instead?" Wang Renyong himself was unusually happy.
"He lied to me!" Kiyosumi said, her face full of grievance, as she angrily threw a stone into the distance.
"Haha, so you deliberately tricked him?" Wang Renyong asked, tilting his head.
"Who's trying to frame him! The higher-ups have their decisions, and we have our methods. I'm speaking from the perspective of a Party member, and based on extremely rational thinking, I've come up with the solution that's most beneficial to the organization. Uncle Hao and the others' true identities must absolutely not be exposed," Qingcheng said solemnly.
“Yes—you’re right, you’re so high and mighty, but didn’t you lie to him that you’ve already returned to Shanghai? You two older brothers don’t talk about the second brother.” Wang Renyong’s tone changed again and he became frivolous. “Hey, are you still going to submit your marriage application? If not, I’ll send another female comrade to get close to him. I really like Gao Junxiao too much.”
Knowing that Lao Wang was joking, Qingcheng deliberately teased, "Hehe, are you trying to steal my man? Maybe in your next life."
Wang Renyong laughed loudly in the wind: "Hahaha, she is in love with you, and I can't beat you to it, but you can't keep delaying the marriage application just because you're afraid of being rejected. I don't believe that a writer as great as you can't even write a three-hundred-word essay."
Disturbed and confused, Qingcheng exclaimed, "Hey, I suddenly realized that Gao Junxiao is hiding something really deep. Could he be...?"
"Stop, halt! There are some things we shouldn't know, so we shouldn't ask about them. If we accidentally find out, we should pretend we don't know. This is a rule that Wu Hao set when the Second Division was first established," Wang Renyong reminded him.
In fact, Gao Junxiao's sudden change of stance was not without clues. His senior brother, Commander Qin, was a well-known "biased" figure in the Nationalist government. If it weren't for the protection of several commanders in the Northwest Army, he would have been killed by Chiang Kai-shek long ago.
Wang Renyong heard from the local people that during last year's autumn harvest, Commander Qin specially led his men to help the villagers harvest wheat. At first, they thought Commander Qin was coming in a fierce manner to rob the grain, so they were so scared that they stayed at home. Anyway, they were used to being robbed, and they were just glad to be alive.
Commander Qin was not angry. He ordered the soldiers to neatly arrange the harvested wheat for each household, rain or shine, for several weeks in a row. Gradually, the local people realized that they were indeed different from the warlords of the past.
Now, Commander Qin is jokingly referred to by the people as the "red army" with a number, and the soldiers and civilians are very close and harmonious. Moreover, Qin Qulu and Wu Hao are high school classmates of the same grade, and the two have a deep personal relationship.
Qingcheng couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, such high praise! No wonder Gao Junxiao brought this guy in to save the day. If Commander Qin were the middleman, Gao Junxiao would be willing to make a deal with the organization to do his senior brother a favor. Besides, he got heavy weapons; he got a huge advantage."
“I’m telling you this to put your mind at ease.” Wang Renyong stood up and patted Qingcheng’s shoulder with his only remaining hand. “If you insist on digging deeper, then don’t let me know you’re investigating.”
This was Wang Renyong's greatest act of kindness. Qingcheng lowered her head and did not answer, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.
Wang Renyong yawned, looking like he wanted to go back to rest: "Also, Gao Junxiao is from the artillery department. He's handled more artillery vehicles than you've eaten salt. If you're trying to fool him, I suggest you go wash up and go to sleep."
Knowing that Lao Wang had seen through her trick, Qingcheng's lips curled up slightly, and she said four words: "I have a solution."
To put it nicely, Gao Junxiao is cautious; to put it bluntly, he's suspicious. When he gets his hands on something new, he'll definitely study and ponder it first. He probably hasn't had a chance to use it yet, so she has a chance to take a gamble.
Back in the room, Qingcheng closed the door and windows, rummaged through her suitcase under the bed, pulled out her wallet, and took out a photo of Gao Junxiao. On the back of the photo was a limerick she had scribbled:
Don't say goodbye tomorrow, the fifteenth night is just right. To admire the beauty of China, heaven has granted us this wonderful night. If you have someone you love, invite them to join you. One day isn't enough; let's hold hands year after year.
The inscription reads: "Dedicated to my dear Mountain King."
Upon seeing the signature, Qingcheng giggled and burrowed under the covers, as if the words on the photo would disappear if she couldn't see them. She had thought that Inspector Gao was too unfamiliar, Ah Xiao was too ordinary, and Brother Xiao was too cloying, so she impulsively wrote this signature.
If a man saw this, he would think she had a crush on him for a long time, and her repeated rejections would be seen as playing hard to get, which she didn't want.
Qingcheng leaned against the bed, gently stroking the man in the photo, and softly asked in her heart: Ah Xiao, what is your stance?
After going around in circles, I realized that it was hard to tell the truth from the falsehood.
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At the temporary command post in Fengshan, the phone rang incessantly. Everyone was extremely busy. Yesterday, they had already shot down three "tail feathers," but the casualties were also considerable.
Continuing to advance towards the main peak of Fengshan would come at an even greater cost. However, failing to press the attack would mean missing the optimal time for a counterattack. If Fengshan discovers that communications have been cut off and calls for reinforcements, the casualties would be even greater. This is the difficult dilemma everyone is facing.
"Chase them!" Gao Junxiao made the final decision. "We're already in this state, how good do you think bandits can be? You're giving this rabble too much credit."
"Then chase them! Give the order to the company headquarters: kill them! Don't come back to see me if you don't kill them!" Commander Qin's blood was also pumped up.
At this moment, a guard came in to report that an old man named Hao Liuchun was requesting an audience with Governor Gao. Gao Junxiao glanced at Regiment Commander Qin, told the guard to take the man to his tent first, and then exchanged a few words with Staff Officer Xu before getting up to receive him.
Inside Gao Junxiao's field tent, an old man and a young man had been sitting at the table waiting for him for a long time. The old man was none other than Uncle Hao, and the young man, judging from his appearance, was a family member of the guide Li Qiu, as the two looked quite alike.
When Uncle Hao met Gao Junxiao, he bowed and exchanged a few pleasantries before telling the boy to wait outside the tent. At the same time, Gao Junxiao ordered his adjutant Lu to lead a squad to enforce martial law, forbidding anyone from approaching his tent.
After clearing away any bystanders, Uncle Hao went straight to the point and asked Gao Junxiao if the artillery had been used. Upon receiving the answer that it hadn't, Uncle Hao breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Gao Junxiao wasn't unwilling to use it, but this model was too new. He needed to study its usage and power before training a group of soldiers to take it out into the world.
He hasn't told anyone about the artillery vehicles yet, preferring to keep them as a trump card for now, since revealing his trump cards to the enemy too early is a big no-no.
"The cannon has been tampered with. The guy outside is my nephew; he can untangle it." Uncle Hao took out his pipe and pointed at Li Chui outside the tent.
"What's going on? Do bandits have brains like this, or have the Japanese devils become cunning?" Gao Junxiao poured the old man a cup of tea.
"Oh dear, it's a long story. The higher-ups ordered me to do everything I could to help you suppress the bandits, but the others didn't know, so... so it turned out like this." Uncle Hao stammered, but Gao Junxiao immediately understood that the militia had done something to him.
Uncle Hao lit his pipe and explained Wang Renyong's cooperation requirements, advantages, and disadvantages to Gao Junxiao, letting him consider the pros and cons himself.
Uncle Hao's analysis was logical and reasonable; it was something that villagers in the mountains could never come up with. It must have been someone from Xuzhou city.
“Your militia has a mastermind behind it,” Gao Junxiao said confidently.
"This is none of your concern, Inspector Gao. I'll handle all the decisions regarding the militia. That's all there is to it. There's no need to rush to answer me. I just don't want to see any significant casualties in the bandit suppression team." Uncle Hao silently lit his pipe.
"You've even brought the one who can untie the knot today, how can I refuse?" Gao Junxiao looked down at his water glass, lost in thought.
“You can take people back when they come. Don’t feel pressured. We don’t force cooperation,” Uncle Hao said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"But I've seen those cannons. I've seen them and there's nothing wrong with them. Could it be that one of your men is lying to you?" Gao Junxiao asked tactfully, but he was actually questioning Uncle Hao's intentions.
“Since we don’t trust each other, there’s no need for us to cooperate.” Uncle Hao exhaled a puff of smoke. “I genuinely believe that your anti-bandit team is here to help the people rid themselves of a scourge. Even if I don’t get orders from above, I will do my best to help you. Listen to your uncle, don’t use it. Let’s just pretend we don’t have this thing.”
Listening to Uncle Hao's sincere words, Gao Junxiao was unsure whether to trust his professional competence or the so-called trickery. He decided to let bygones be bygones and deal with the rest later.
The problem is that the ten-man group is too difficult to deal with. There are already many spies in Xuzhou City, and now there is another group of assassins as enemies. It's really a headache.
"Uncle, let me think about it for a few days. I will visit you in person after we take Fengshan." Gao Junxiao frowned and gave him the order to leave. The priority now was to attack the mountain, and he could not leave his command post for too long.
"Alright. Then I'll take my leave." Uncle Hao knew Gao Junxiao's predicament and didn't want to force him to make a decision.
Gao Junxiao thoughtfully held up the tent curtain for the old man and respectfully saw Uncle Hao out of the tent.
Someone outside the tent lit a cigarette, filling the air with smoke and the stench of a latrine. Through the smoke, Lu Xian brought the boy from before to him.
Lu Xian hurriedly boasted to Gao Junxiao, "Brother, I caught this kid carrying weapons into the military camp."
"I didn't! I told you not to touch that thing, but you insisted on checking it." Li Chui cried out for help upon seeing his relatives, "Uncle, save me! They're bullying me!"
"Little brat, what's going on? Why did you bring that bear-smoking guy along?" Uncle Hao scolded, giving the child a look to make sure he didn't say anything wrong.
"I... I didn't take it out. It's not a weapon. I just set off smoke, really, I swear," Li Chui said solemnly.
"And what about the taste?" Gao Junxiao asked suspiciously.
"Bears are clean animals and hate this smell. So... I just added a little bit of non-toxic seasoning. You can leave it out if you don't want it," Li Chui explained with a mournful face.
Gao Junxiao waved his hand, signaling Lu Xian to release the boy. The boy immediately hid behind Uncle Hao. Uncle Hao protected him, explaining that the child was just being mischievous and liked to play with strange and unusual things, and that he had made the two of them laugh.
He was about to let it go, as he needed to get to his command post, when suddenly a thought struck him. Gao Junxiao turned around and stared intently at the boy, asking, "Kid, can you make a smoking can?"
The boy hid behind Uncle Hao, too afraid to speak. Uncle Hao answered for him, "How could he know? These are just little self-defense gadgets given to him by others."
"How much stock do you have in stock? I'll buy it all," Gao Junxiao asked again.
"No need, no need, I'll go look in the children's room later and bring you whatever I have. It's not worth much." Uncle Hao refused his offer to pay.
Unexpectedly, the little thing murmured behind the old man, "Captain Qin has many in his room."
The little thing made a very soft sound, but Gao Junxiao heard it just in time.
"Uncle, I need this urgently. If you have it, don't hide it. The bandits are right in front of us. On behalf of the local people, I thank you in advance." Gao Junxiao bowed directly to Uncle Hao.
"I wouldn't dare say that. If you really have any, I'll give it all to you without holding anything back. I also want to do my part in the fight against the bandits." Uncle Hao quickly pulled Gao Junxiao back and glared fiercely at his nephew.
Before Gao Junxiao had to wait long, Uncle Hao and the boy reappeared at the camp gate, each carrying a large cloth bag. A glint flashed in Gao Junxiao's eyes as he looked at the smoke bombs in the bags. Now, no matter how good the bandits' marksmanship was, it would be useless.
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