nucmednet Chapter 194 Cut off the beard
Chapter 194 Cut off the beard
"Sir, our militia unit received a mission and demolished the Shahe Bridge before 10:00 AM this morning. Then we lay in ambush on the riverbank..." Zhao Mantun recounted the events.
"Good! Mantun, you've done a great job this time!" Zhang Shishou thought he had lost the fish! Little did he know that the big fish was right in front of him.
"Order the entire army to pursue! Brother Mantun, can you still run? Lead the way!" Zhang Shishou patted Zhao Mantun on the shoulder.
"Yes, sir!" Zhao Mantun said happily. He had never seen such a high-ranking official before!
"Good! Someone, get Brother Mantun a better horse!" Zhang Shishou nodded in satisfaction.
Half an hour later, the cavalry regiment caught up with the main force of the Japanese 1st Division headquarters.
The artillerymen, who were prepared, immediately dismounted and prepared, and soon dozens of shells were fired.
The Japanese soldiers, who were already out of breath from running, scattered all over the mountains and fields like a swarm of startled bees.
"Second Battalion, Third Battalion, pursue!" Seeing that the enemy offered no resistance, Zhang Shishou immediately ordered his men to charge forward.
Pursuing fleeing enemies is what cavalrymen love to do most! The cavalrymen rode their warhorses, brandishing their sabers, and charged forward with roars.
Zhang Shishou led a battalion across the battlefield, pursuing the enemy ahead.
"Mantun, your third uncle and the others have been gone for so long, do you still think you can find them?" Zhang Shishou asked, looking at the desolate wilderness beside the bridge.
"Don't worry, Commander, they'll leave me a mark, and we'll definitely find them," Zhao Mantun said confidently.
"Alright! Let's not delay, lead the way and set off quickly, it will be troublesome if it gets dark!" Zhang Shishou looked up at the sky and said.
In a mountain valley twenty miles away, two groups of people were facing off. On one side were forty or fifty militiamen led by Zhao Laosan, and on the other side were two or three hundred people dressed as bandits.
"Zhang Mazi, if you know what's good for you, put the Japanese down. I'll let you go today. Let me tell you, our main force is almost here. You won't be able to escape then!" Zhao Laosan shouted loudly, brandishing his pistol.
"Haha! You old codger, you've got some nerve. With just your few beat-up guns, you dare to challenge me!" Zhang Yuting laughed triumphantly, looking up at the sky.
"Zhang Mazi, I've heard of your infamous 'Northern Overlord' name. But let me tell you, our new army has defeated hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops. A bandit like you will be dealt with sooner or later!"
"If you know what's good for you, hand over the Japanese troops right away. I'll put in a good word for you with my superiors, and it'll count as a reward for your surrender, how about that!"
Zhao Laosan showed no weakness in the face of two or three hundred bandits! Now the entire Northeast is dominated by the New Army, and there are not many bandits left who can be considered powerful.
Moreover, with the new army behind, if we delay any longer, Erwa might lead the main force over.
He and his men followed the Japanese all the way, but unexpectedly, these bandits intercepted them using some unknown method. He absolutely refused to accept this!
Such a great achievement is not something you can encounter every day!
"You're just a lowly militia company commander, try to be nice to me! Get the hell out of here! I have a mission to do right now, I don't have time to waste on your nonsense. If you don't get out of my way, don't blame me for being impolite!" Zhang Yuting threatened.
He was originally a bandit, but the New Army secretly recruited him after arriving in Shandong. They gave him money and guns to help him grow his strength.
After the Japanese arrived, Zhang Yuting was ordered to defect to them. He then thrived in the area.
He had, of course, received orders to act according to the circumstances when the new army attacked the Japanese.
I didn't expect that today I only brought two or three hundred brothers out to pick up some scraps. But I immediately picked up a Japanese lieutenant general, a major general, and several lieutenant colonels and majors.
He lured the Japanese into the woods, then disarmed and captured them all. Just as he was about to return to report, a militia company suddenly appeared.
They blocked his path and demanded he hand over the person. Even though they knew the other man was one of their own, they were determined to seize this incredible achievement—not even the Emperor himself could steal it!
"Heh! You just want to use the Japanese soldiers as a pledge of allegiance! Don't think I don't know that."
Seeing that the other party had tied up all the Japanese, Zhao Laosan realized that they weren't going to surrender to the Japanese, but rather to claim a reward from the imperial court!
"If I hadn't gone through all that trouble to dismantle the Shahe Bridge, these little devils would have run away long ago. I had men following them all the way, and you just jumped out and kidnapped them."
"If you take him away like this, how am I supposed to live here!" Zhao Laosan knew that there were high-ranking officers in the Japanese army, and he was unwilling to let go of such a merit.
Zhang Yuting was furious; Zhao Laosan was completely unyielding. He couldn't reveal his identity to these militiamen, nor did he dare fire on them. He was caught in a dilemma!
Just as neither side was giving way, a series of thunderous hoofbeats approached. A large cavalry force was charging towards them from afar.
Both sides in the standoff instinctively picked up their guns and became alert.
"Third Uncle, it's me who brought the whole army back!" To avoid any misunderstanding, Zhao Mantun was the first to run over.
"Great! Erwazi, you've come just in time. Otherwise, our great achievement would have been stolen!" Zhao Laosan finally felt relieved when he saw Zhao Mantun.
"Third Uncle, who are they?" Zhao Mantun glanced at the other party. Zhao Laosan quickly whispered what had happened.
"Hmph! These damn bandits dare to mess with me! They'll be sorry!" Zhao Mantun cursed, turned his horse around, and rode back.
"Surround them!" Zhang Shishou waved his hand, and thousands of cavalrymen surrounded the bandits.
"Don't do anything! I have something to say!" Zhang Yuting shook his head with a wry smile, calming his brothers down. Then he walked towards the other side alone.
"Big Brother!" Several sworn brothers quickly called out to stop him.
"It's alright, you guys wait here! Tell the brothers not to move around!" Zhang Yuting shook his head.
Zhang Yuting, who had been searched, was quickly brought before Zhang Shishou!
"What is your name, Colonel?"
“This is my regimental commander, Zhang!” The guard beside him raised his chin and said.
"Hehe! We're from the same clan! Commander Zhang, hello! May I have a word with you in private?" Zhang Yuting said, cupping his hands in greeting.
Zhang Shishou frowned and dismounted.
"Commander!" The guard approached.
"It's alright! You guys wait here for me!" Zhang Shishou probably already knew what was going on. After all, that was his background.
“These are my identification documents!” After walking a few dozen meters away, Zhang Yuting took out a small notebook and handed it over.
Zhang Shishou borrowed it and took a look. Wow! He was a lieutenant colonel. He checked the identification; it was genuine!
"Ha! Lieutenant Colonel Zhang, you're really lucky! I've been fishing all day, and the biggest fish has fallen into your hands!" Zhang Shishou shook his head and handed the documents back.