What if? 1-44

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What?
Author: Nino Words: 363374
Part 1: Raising an Army to Establish Self-Reliance Chapter 1: First Battle
(1)
After a night of rest in Baise City, I and several other platoon leaders reported to Regiment Commander Cao. As dawn broke, the commander sat upright under a tree in front of the village ancestral hall, having his beard trimmed by his orderly. Several staff officers were eating breakfast around him.
"Have you all eaten?" Regiment Commander Cao's voice was not loud, but it had a commanding presence.
"Report, we have all eaten!" we all answered in unison.
“Very good,” Commander Cao slowly wiped his face. “You few, each of you will lead five soldiers and search along Qitang towards Layu from Hewu. Each squad should be 300 meters apart. You must find the location and strength of the Ji Army’s defenses. Be quick-witted; if you encounter the enemy, quickly disengage and do not linger in battle. It’s almost dawn now, so you must be back before Shenshi (3-5 PM). We’ll start the battle at noon, and fight a spectacular battle to show the Gui Army what's what.”
From our outpost to Layu, it was about 7,000 meters. Battalion Commander Xian assigned the search route, and I led my men toward Qitang. Bearing five lives on our shoulders, we carefully crouched down and advanced along the irrigation ditch on the right side of the path. It was mid-March, and a thin mist shrouded the fields before dawn. Wearing new leather shoes, I stepped into the water, and my calves felt icy cold, but I was sweating profusely and trembling slightly as I gripped the Murata rifle tightly.
The sky turned gray, and the path through the fields, winding around the east side of Qitang, could be vaguely seen in the mist. The reconnaissance report from the afternoon before yesterday indicated that Qitang Village was occupied by a small number of enemy troops. I gave a hand signal, and the brothers behind me silently raised their sights and fixed their bayonets. I turned around and gestured again, and Wang Ji slowly moved to the side, bowing.
"Hou Dagou and Li Qiang, you two keep an eye on the right-hand thatched hut. Xiao Er and Shi Tou, watch the left side. Wang Ji, go check if there's any movement. Everyone keep an eye on the windows and corners. Don't be nervous. Don't fire first if the enemy hasn't fired."
Our company was newly recruited after the New Year. The recruits had only undergone intensive training for less than a month before being deployed to Guangxi with the main force. Basic recruit training was not yet complete, and we had no firearms. I had just reported to the regiment at the end of February when we were ordered to move out. The recruit company had not yet mastered basic unarmed training, so we could only follow the main force and seize every opportunity to learn basic skills. On
the 9th, the Japanese army won a great victory in the first battle against Li Wenfu's Northern Army at Bo'ai, capturing more than a thousand guns. Only then did our company receive a batch of old Murata rifles that our allies didn't want. For the past two or three days, our company has been marching towards Baise with the main force while also taking time to conduct basic individual rifle training. However, the situation at the front is urgent, and the entire company only had one target practice session before being ordered to reinforce the 31st Regiment as a reserve force.
Our company consists of rural youths recruited from various townships, who have at most had some contact with shotguns, knives, and clubs. Let alone target practice, this is the first time they've even touched a rifle. The Murata rifle is an old single-shot rifle, and some new recruits didn't properly shoulder it during target practice, resulting in some hitting their faces with the butt of the gun, while others fired blindfolded, aiming at the sky or digging into the ground. But the five soldiers in my platoon—Wang Ji, Hou Dagou, Li Qiang, Xiao Er, and Shi Tou—were steady and composed when firing. Especially Wang Ji, who, after entering the firing position, held the two pre-loaded rounds in his mouth and fired three rapid-fire rounds in one go: loading, aiming, firing, and ejecting the spent cartridges, hitting the target every time.
After further questioning, they admitted that they had all been bandits. Wang Ji, though young, had been a minor bandit leader before being recruited and reformed. After observing them for some time, I found that despite their bandit backgrounds, they surprisingly showed no signs of bullying the weak or fearing the strong, and were easier to manage than other recruits.
Today, Commander Cao was deliberately testing us new recruits, assigning us a search mission to see our courage and abilities. On this first day on the front lines, I naturally wanted to bring the five of them along as safety.
The village entrance was about 50 meters away. Wang Ji, like a monkey, circled along the field ridge to the right of the entrance, and quickly climbed onto the roof of a thatched hut from behind the bushes. Dawn was breaking, but the village was eerily quiet, making my heart pound. Wang Ji on the roof was just a gray figure in the mist. After about five minutes, he slid down from the roof, leaned against the wall, and waved for us to proceed. I gestured for Xiao Er and Shi Tou to leap across the path to the left of the village entrance first, then led Hou Da Gou and Li Qiang to occupy the village entrance along the path.
The village was deserted; the residents must have fled the war. Bloodstains and chicken feathers in the village square indicated that the Ji Army had retreated back to Baise City after a hearty meal yesterday.
We continued towards Layu. The sun had already risen, but the thin mist on the ground had not yet dissipated. We could not see any trace of the enemy, nor the other search teams. When we were about 400 or 500 meters away from Layu, we used a row of trees for cover and lay down behind a mound to observe the situation in Layu. Soon, an old woman came towards us from the village. The old woman's journey seemed to have taken a hundred years. We stopped her behind the tree and asked about the situation in Layu village.
The old woman said that everyone in the village had fled, and the Ji Army had also retreated to the foot of the mountain to the north yesterday evening. Currently, she was the only one left in the village. After sneaking into Layu Village, we used the houses for cover and, sure enough, spotted enemy activity about a kilometer to the north in the morning light.
After drawing a rough map of the enemy positions, I quickly led my men back to our defense zone. At a small hill outside the village, I reported what we had seen along the way to Commander Cao and presented him with the rough map of the enemy positions. Hungry and exhausted, I returned to my company with my men after our first mission, only to find that the company had already assembled and was ready to depart.
Our company moved to a forest near Najian. Before noon, a burst of gunfire came from the north, and the inexperienced recruits all lowered their heads, their faces pale. Just as I was about to eat something and take a nap, the regimental commander appeared, shouting, "Platoon Leader Qu! Platoon Leader Qu! Which one is Platoon Leader Qu?"
"It's me!" I stood up again, having just prepared to eat some dry rations.
"The regimental commander orders you to immediately cross the river and report the urgent military situation to General Ma of the Guangxi Army: enemy reinforcements are heading towards Baise in two small steamers. General Ma is requested to quickly lead the troops to the Gumu-Yangwu line to ambush the enemy steamers."
Upon receiving the order, I reported to the company commander and immediately set off. Wang Ji followed with his rations.
It was just past noon, but the morning sun was already hidden. We walked downstream along the riverbank until we found a raft to cross the river near Shilong. After some searching, we finally found the Guangxi Army headquarters in a small temple near Liantang.
"Hahaha, Brother Zaolin is indeed a brilliant strategist! We'll intercept the Ji army reinforcements right now!" General Ma, who had been observing the battle from the riverbank, immediately ordered the guerrilla battalion to march rapidly to the Gumu-Yangwu line and ambush the Ji army from both banks.
"Young man, what's your name? Daring to cross the river and relay orders in front of the enemy, you're a true hero!"
"Report, I am Qu Yuanxiang, Second Lieutenant Platoon Leader of the 31st Regiment." I had long heard that General Ma Shentang was the adopted son of General Lu Ganqing, and that he was exceptionally skilled in martial arts and possessed extraordinary strength. Although he asked the question casually, his imposing manner made me stand up straight and answer loudly.
"Where are you from?"
"Reporting, from Guiping."
"Hehe, good place, good place. But how did we Guangxi people end up with the Yunnan Army?"
"Reporting, we're all fighting against Yuan Shikai and protecting the nation, regardless of whether
we're from the Yunnan or Guangxi Army." "Well said! Well said!" General Ma clapped his hands: "Truly our good son. Fighting against Yuan Shikai and protecting the nation knows no boundaries, today we'll deal with these Long brothers who are ruining the Republic. Someone, give this good son of ours 30 yuan." "
Reporting, the National Protection Army is fighting against Yuan Shikai and protecting the nation, we're not afraid to die and don't care about money!" I stood at attention and saluted again: "I'll go back and report now."
"Well said, 'not afraid to die and don't care about money,' go back and report to Brother Zaolin, I'll host a banquet for Brother Zaolin tonight when we go into town."
"Reporting, yes!"
******************************
Wang Ji had just found a raft to ferry us across the river when thunderous gunfire erupted downstream. Back on the east bank,
our company had already left the woods where we had been waiting and was advancing towards the front lines. We had just found the headquarters, which had been moved to Layu, when we learned that the division commander had already gone to the front lines to observe the battle. The division commander was leading Regiment Commander Cao and his staff to watch the battle in front of Yinglong Mountain. Our troops had already charged across the river, and several fires had broken out in the city, but the gunfire had clearly subsided.
After reporting this, I led Wang Ji along the riverbank, searching for our unit. Groups of wounded soldiers were being helped down by their comrades, and the corpses of Ji's troops lay scattered in the roadside ditches—but upon closer inspection, the casualties weren't as severe as I had imagined. After crossing the river and entering the city, we learned that our company had already begun a sweep south along the riverbank.
"I'll go first!" the usually taciturn Wang Ji suddenly said. "We might get hit by snipers."
There were still sporadic gunfire ahead, and the two of us searched southward along the streets. There was no sign of destruction in the city. Some bold residents had already leaned out of their windows as they walked along the street. A man holding two bowls of noodles smiled and gestured for us to come over. I then realized that it was almost dusk and I hadn't eaten anything since before dawn.
"I heard that last night, General Lu used the pretext of rewarding the troops to arrest all the officers of the Jinan Army." The man said, "As soon as the gunfire broke out outside the city at dawn, Battalion Commander Huang led his suicide squad to surround the Jinan Army headquarters. By noon, General Linwu had surrendered. Now there are only some scattered soldiers left in the city."
We didn't say much, finished our food in a few bites and continued on our way. Finally, we found our company brothers about 2,000 meters southeast of Qingfeng Tower.
(2) Maozifeng
Our army won a great victory in Baise. I heard that the Jinan Army captured 40 machine guns, 14 cannons, 5,000 rifles, and 200,000 yuan in cash. After a few days of rest and training, our unit took the captured small steamer down the river. We first reorganized and recruited soldiers in Wuzhou for more than a month before boarding the steamer to go to Zhaoqing.
At this time, our company had grown to over two hundred men, but only had about eighty Murata rifles. Nearly half of our troops were newly recruited soldiers from Wuzhou—ostensibly divided into veterans and new recruits, but in reality, there was little difference. When the Japanese company, as a reserve force, stormed into Baise City, the battle was already over. The so-called veterans had only fired a few shots while clearing out scattered remnants, but they were all overreacting and firing unnecessarily, failing to hit a single person.
After disembarking in Zhaoqing, our army marched north along the Yuehan Road to Shaoguan, but the garrison commander of Shaozhou, Zhu Fuquan, closed the city gates and forbade merchants and civilians from selling any food to supply our troops. Our army camped outside the city for several days, then a heavy rainstorm brought immense suffering. Our company's officers and soldiers, hungry and with nowhere to shelter from the rain, were nearly boiling over. Our officers could only try their best to appease them and prevent a mutiny.
On June 19th, at daybreak, our company went to Nanxiang for field training. Around 10:00 AM, we suddenly heard several artillery shots from the direction of Shaoguan, followed by a barrage of gunfire, like a religious festival. Our company sent messengers back to camp to inquire, learning that the Jilin army in Shaoguan had suddenly opened fire on our troops. Commander Li Liejun had ordered the entire Yunnan army to move into attack positions.
Our company jogged back to camp. Battalion Commander Xian summoned all officers to explain that the commander had ordered our regiment to advance along the Yuehan Railway, with the primary objective being the Yuehan Railway Iron Bridge. After capturing the bridge, we were to advance north of the river towards Huanggang to cut off the Jilin army's northern flank. Our battalion was to serve as the regimental reserve, and after the First Vanguard Battalion captured the bridge, our battalion would advance, with our company acting as the scout.
Gunfire continued from the direction of Shaoguan, and stray bullets frequently flew across the river. Our company was waiting north of Donghe Village when we heard a burst of gunfire from the direction of the iron bridge ahead. After waiting for about three hours, a messenger came running to inform the Fifth Company to advance.
The Yuehan Railway bridge was about 300 meters long. When our company arrived, although some of the vanguard of our regiment had already crossed the river, the machine guns of the Jinan Army were constantly firing from the high ground on the left, spitting sparks as they hit the iron frame. The troops that had already crossed the river were being pressured by the Jinan Army reserves and could only barely hold on for reinforcements, unable to further expand their gains. To avoid unnecessary casualties, our company decided to wait for the friendly forces to cross before sprinting across the bridge in a single column, with one man every 15 meters.
Seeing that the First Battalion was trapped on the north bank and that the casualties on the iron bridge were increasing, while our artillery was entangled with the Jinan Army on the Shaoguan front and could not come to support our regiment, I came up with a plan and proposed it to the company commander. The company commander did not dare to make a decision and immediately ordered me to go to the battalion command post to report to Battalion Commander Xian.
"Reporting to the regimental commander, the river is only about 150 meters wide here. I am willing to lead my platoon to launch a surprise attack across the river 1,000 meters below the iron bridge to outflank the enemy's position." "Crossing the river in front of the enemy without artillery cover? You're just throwing your lives away!" Regimental Commander Cao, who was overseeing the battle from his command
post, roared without turning his head after hearing my report. "Reporting to the regimental commander, our company sent out reconnaissance two hours ago. We saw about a company of enemy troops withdrawing from their stronghold on the embankment and moving towards Wuliting. There has been no sign of enemy activity on the opposite bank in the past two hours." I reported, standing at attention. "Oh? When did you send out reconnaissance?" The regimental commander's expression immediately changed upon hearing my explanation. "Report, after our company entered the position on the 9th, considering the obstruction to traffic on the river, we actively collected boats. Currently, we have collected more than 20 wooden boats and are hiding them in concealed locations on the riverbank of Donghe Village." I paused for a moment, seeing that both Regiment Commander Cao and Battalion Commander Xian were looking at me with solemn expressions, and then continued, "Around 12 o'clock, after receiving orders, in order to ensure smooth resupply after our company crosses the river and to ensure the safety of our flanks, our company immediately dispatched several skilled lieutenants to the boat storage location on the riverbank to ensure safety and monitor the enemy situation on the opposite bank." "Hehe, your incompetent company commander would never have thought of something like this." Regiment Commander Cao's expression relaxed slightly, and there was even a hint of a smile on his lips: "Qu Yuanxiang, this is the trick you came up with, isn't it?" "..." I dared not answer. "Good, let you take your platoon and try it!" Regiment Commander Cao suddenly raised his voice and shouted: "Second Lieutenant Platoon Leader Qu Yuanxiang, Sixth Company, Second Battalion, listen to my command!" "Yes, sir!" I immediately stood at attention. "You are hereby appointed as the captain of the suicide squad of the 31st Regiment, 3rd Division. Supported by one machine gun from our regiment, you will lead the 1st platoon of the 6th Company, 2nd Battalion, 31st Regiment across the river ahead of the enemy, flanking and attacking the enemy currently at the Yuehan Railway Bridge. The current time is 3:17 PM. The suicide squad must be organized by 4:30 PM, and the crossing must be completed by 4:50 PM. Any questions?" Commander Cao ordered sternly. "Report! No questions!" "Anyone participating in the suicide squad will receive a bonus of 200 yuan for officers and 50 yuan for soldiers. Double the bonus if they die in battle!" Commander Cao said, "Adjutant, bring the money!" This figure startled me. The Yunnan Army's wages were low; a second lieutenant platoon leader earned 25 yuan a month, and a soldier 5 yuan a month. 50 yuan could buy an acre of land in the countryside—so this is how the suicide squad motivated people. "Understood!" ********** I carried a bag of silver dollars and led the machine gun squad back to the company. "Report, the company commander said he's handing this company over to you; he's feeling unwell and has left." I had just returned to the company when Li Baitong reported this after the company commander relayed the order. Our company commander was a junior alumnus of the Baoding Military Academy, originally an adjutant at headquarters, who had only taken this position six months ago. He was mild-mannered, usually leading his troops with a gentle and fair approach, and his training was quite rigorous; the men in the company respected him. However, since the main force moved from Yunnan to Guangxi, the men on the front lines had repeatedly reported that the company commander was indecisive. He seemed to lose his mind at the sound of gunfire, and reports were often ignored; sometimes it took two or three calls to bring him back to his senses. The company commander already had a chronic stomach ache, so it was strange that he hadn't taken me to the command post to report earlier. The men said that shortly after I left, the company commander's face turned ashen, and he vomited blood. He then handed over the company to me and left.

I sent Li Baitong to report to the command post. He soon returned running to report that the regimental commander had agreed to hand over command of the Sixth Company to me, and the original river-crossing assault plan remained unchanged. After gathering the men, I announced the recruitment of a 50-man suicide squad. Unexpectedly, the entire company responded and volunteered. After a brief discussion with the other two platoon leaders, I decided that the 50 men would cross the river first in three wooden boats to occupy positions, followed by a staggered assault across the river—the reward of 2700 yuan would be divided equally among the entire company, with an additional 50 yuan for each death in action
. I joined the first wave of crossing. Wang Ji led more than ten men in the first boat, and I led the machine gun in the second. The intense gunfire upstream continued unabated. We quietly rowed, silently crossing the river under the cover of thunderous gunfire.
100 meters…50 meters…15 meters…the distance was getting closer and closer. In about five minutes, the boat slammed into the mud with a "whoosh." We quickly stepped into the water and, according to the pre-arranged plan, climbed the embankment to occupy positions.
The shore was deserted… I sent out the signal that we had successfully crossed the river, and a dozen or so wooden boats on the opposite bank set off like shadows from their hiding places.
Speed is of the essence in war! I instructed Hou Dagou to lead ten men to guard the crossing, and then assigned Wang Ji to lead five men as scouts to search and advance towards the enemy's position at the iron bridge.
Although the distance was only about 800 meters, we moved cautiously and slowly. Not far ahead, our troops encountered residents hiding in the bushes, who said that the enemy originally had about a hundred soldiers stationed here, but around noon they had all gone to Wuliting. There were about 300 of Ji's troops on both sides of the iron bridge, but we didn't know how many were left; the enemy's officers were stationed near the Washing Inkstone Pond at Maozi Peak.
We advanced to about 200 meters from the foot of Maozi Peak and reached an open area. I thought that our company was mostly composed of new recruits, and approaching Maozi Peak by small-scale infiltration was beyond our current training capabilities. The only way was to wait for the entire company to assemble and then charge up the mountain in one go. After more than ten minutes, the company had assembled. I ordered the bugler beside me to blow the charge, the flag bearer to raise the company flag, and to charge with me. I then jumped out of the cover and loudly commanded the entire company to charge forward.
At this point, whether it was due to insufficient training, the inability to carry out orders, or the intense gunfire and the recruits' lack of courage, when I had charged forward 150 meters and was about to reach the foot of the hill, I looked back and found that my soldiers were scattered, less than 30 men had followed me. At this time, the enemy on the hillside had begun to fire sporadically at our troops. I decided not to wait for the follow-up troops and to lead the troops directly to the top of the hill.
As soon as we entered the forest, a burst of intense gunfire came at our unit. We did not hesitate and charged forward with bayonets fixed.
"Hands up and surrender! Surrender and you will not be killed!" the brothers shouted.
Sure enough, seven or eight men immediately stood up in the trench about ten paces in the forest, raising their hands.
At this moment, bullets came from the upper right, but from our position we could not see the enemy, and the bullets were obviously unaimed, flying randomly among the trees.
I estimated the enemy soldiers were about 30 or 40 meters away, but the slope was very steep, making a direct assault difficult. Considering that the Murata rifle could only be fired individually, I immediately ordered Hou Dagou to lead a dozen or so men in two groups to fire volleys at maximum rate of fire to suppress the enemy. I led Wang Ji and a dozen or so men to circle around and climb the mountain.
Although we only had a dozen or so rifles, the men who charged with us were all quite courageous, and the results of the rigorous training we had undergone over the past two weeks were immediately apparent. Although aiming was impossible in the dense forest, the rapid, dense volleys of fire created a deafening roar of gunfire and flying bullets throughout the forest. After crawling for about ten meters, we saw a dozen or so enemy soldiers huddled in their fortifications. I immediately stood up and blew my whistle. Hou Dagou and the others immediately ceased fire upon hearing the signal, and Wang Ji and the others picked up their rifles and charged forward with me.
An enemy soldier stood up, turned to face me, and fired. I felt the recoil of my Murata rifle, held to my chest, almost slipping out of my grasp. Then I saw his head explode, his brains splattering onto the surrounding enemy soldiers. My brothers around me opened fire as well.
"Spare me, sir! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" A volley of bullets killed four or five enemy soldiers, and the rest dropped their weapons, raised their hands, and knelt on the ground.
I blew four short whistles, "Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep..." to summon Hou Dagou and the others. I ordered two men to guard the surrendered soldiers, then turned and led Wang Ji and the others to run quickly towards the enemy position on the top of Maozi Peak.
After running about twenty or thirty meters, we saw the enemy command post. Wang Ji shot down the sentry, and the enemy soldiers standing in twos and threes by the inkstone-washing pond all raised their hands in surrender. Seeing three men who appeared to be officers from the Jinan Military Region carrying Mauser pistols, and considering that my Murata rifle was too heavy and long to maneuver in the forest, and its single-shot capability was insufficient, I immediately disarmed them. I gave two to Wang Ji and carried one in each hand, continuing to lead my men along the path towards the enemy.
After advancing about 250 meters, we saw the enemy machine gun position hidden in the woods. French-made air-cooled machine guns were firing fiercely at our troops towards the iron bridge. The enemy position was arranged in a long line, about 80 meters long from north to south, with the machine gun in the center and two or three officers-looking figures standing behind it, observing the battle from the trenches.
Seeing that the enemy's strength was beyond our ability to suppress, I immediately ordered a relay to bring the entire company back. The fighting was fierce all around; not only was there constant artillery fire from the direction of Shaoguan City, but our regiment's machine guns were also firing incessantly from the opposite bank. Yet, amidst this intense exchange of fire, the enemy seemed completely unaware that our company had quietly infiltrated their rear.
By this time, the entire company had crossed the open ground and reached Maozi Peak. Except for a few left to guard the surrendered soldiers, I ordered the rest to deploy along the high ground behind the enemy lines, launching a fierce attack from above!
As soon as the bugler sounded the charge, the company's officers and soldiers descended like heavenly warriors, charging down the ridgeline. Gunfire erupted, and shouts of battle shook the earth. I, along with six or seven soldiers including Wang Ji, swept through the enemy lines from the flank.
"Don't kill! Don't kill!"
"Spare us!"
"Surrender! Surrender! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"
All the soldiers dropped their weapons and surrendered.
I immediately ordered the flag bearer to the peak to wave the company flag. Gunfire erupted from the opposite bank, followed by thunderous cheers! The main force of our regiment quickly crossed the bridge.
After a brief count, our company had captured three enemy flags, 187 officers and soldiers, two machine guns, and 140 rifles.
Because I still had military orders to follow, after assigning some officers and soldiers to guard the prisoners' supplies, I immediately gathered my troops and continued to advance along the river toward Huanggang.
(3) Ma Zhutou
“Everyone says that the discipline of the guest army is bad, and only the local army can protect the people. How come the Ji army does things that are even more ruthless than bandits?” Wang Ji next to me murmured.
"The Long brothers were never good people. Their family was originally a Hani chieftaincy in Mengzi, Yunnan. Long Jiguang was the third son. When he was young, seeing that his two older brothers, Long Jingguang and Long Yuguang, had already obtained official positions, he twice tried to kill his eldest brother but failed. The eldest brother, Jingguang, was the one we surrendered to in Baise in March. He did not want his brothers to kill each other, so he left home to go to Kunming to participate in the imperial examination, and later went to Beijing to find another patron. After his brother left, the younger brother, Jiguang, obtained the position of Nagen chieftaincy. At that time, it was during the Guangxu era that local militias were being organized in various places. Long Jiguang also organized a local militia in his hometown. Because he led his troops to participate in the suppression and assisted the Qing army in suppressing the Yi rebellion in Yunnan, he was appointed as the head of the militia."
I loaded the explosives into the shell, pressed on the base plate, inserted the detonator and fuse, and then screwed on the wooden handle to connect it to the shell.
"Later, Long Jiguang led 5,000 soldiers to join Cen Chunxuan. He was promoted to Governor of Guangxi for his meritorious service in suppressing the revolution at the end of the Qing Dynasty, and his troops were known as the Ji Army... Don't worry, just push it in, it's not dangerous!" I encouraged the soldier beside me who was clumsy and hesitant to insert the detonator. I continued, "In the third year of the Xuantong reign, in order to suppress the revolutionaries, the Qing court transferred Long to the position of Army Governor and Commander of the Guard Army. After the success of the Xinhai Revolution, Long changed his allegiance and accepted the title of 'Guangdong Pacification Commissioner' from the military government. He took the opportunity to expand his troops to two divisions and one brigade, and controlled Guangdong."
"Hehe, troubled times produce heroes." Wang Ji also finished a grenade and said with a smile.
"That's right. Yuan Shikai saw that he and Chen Jiongming were like oil and water, so he appointed him as the Guangdong Garrison Commander, gave him ten thousand guns and a million in funding, and Long Jiguang drove out Chen Jingcun and controlled all of Guangdong. Last year, when Yuan Shikai wanted to become emperor, Long Jiguang immediately telegraphed his support and was given the title of Prince. So our National Protection Army is coming for Long Jiguang, to beat his army to a pulp and make them surrender."
"Company Commander, you're really amazing. You're good at both martial arts and literature. You're good at fighting, good at storytelling, and you can even make this kind of grenade." A soldier next to him said.
"Hahahaha...hahahaha..."
"Haha...beat them until they're running for their lives..."
"Hahahaha...beat the Jiguang army into a fart army..."
All the soldiers laughed.
**********
After the Battle of Maozifeng, the Sixth Company advanced to Huanggang under cover of night and was ordered to return. Commander Li ordered the entire army to turn south along the Yuehan Railway to deal with Long Jiguang. The once-rough troops, tempered by artillery fire, not only had their morale soaring, but the initiative and enthusiasm of the soldiers and officers also continuously improved.
A batch of sharp rifles captured at Maozifeng replenished the company's needs, while the Murata rifles that had been replaced and the captured machine guns were all returned to the regimental headquarters. In addition, a batch of more than 3,000 kilograms of explosives was captured at the Jinan Army Command Post, which I kept for myself since the regimental headquarters didn't want it. A few days ago, passing by a foreign company and seeing imported condensed milk tin cans, I suddenly remembered that one of the reasons why the last attack was not very successful was the "lack of explosives"—in any war of the 20th century, the number of people killed by explosives such as grenades, artillery shells, and air-dropped bombs was several times that of bullets—after a moment's recollection, I remembered that the Germans invented the wooden-handled grenade in 1915, and with the European war raging, it had of course not yet spread to China.
The wooden-handled grenade was simple in structure: a metal shell filled with explosives, plus a simple detonator and friction fuse, and finally a hollow wooden handle was inserted. I vaguely remember that German-made wooden-handled grenades weighed about half a kilogram. I first collected some empty cans and made wooden-handled grenade models of 500 grams, 450 grams, and 400 grams, respectively, for the soldiers to try throwing. I found that our soldiers were relatively weak, and the 500-gram grenade was too heavy, while the 400-gram ones were easy for all the soldiers, regardless of size, to throw more than 30 meters. Then I made a batch of detonators myself, and the results were satisfactory. So, during my spare time, I had the soldiers collect tin cans to make their own grenades.
A few days ago, I demonstrated throwing several grenades, and the loud bangs left the entire company dumbfounded. Then, a few brave soldiers also tried throwing. Wang Ji threw a grenade at a tiled house, and with a loud bang, the tiles scattered everywhere, and the whole house was blown to smithereens. Encouraged by the new weapon, we completed more than 5,000 grenades in just three or four days.
**********
...
"In April, under pressure from our National Protection Army, he declared independence, but it turned out to be a huge conspiracy. On April 12th, he invited our army representatives to a meeting at the Haizhu Police Station to discuss the aftermath of Guangdong's independence. Unexpectedly, the commanders of the Guard Army, He Wenbiao and Pan Sikai, arrived with their guards, armed with guns. The commander of the Ji Army, Yan Qihan, also led ten armed guards into the room. Before the meeting had even started, the Ji Army killed our army representatives, Mr. Tang Juedun and Mr. Tan Xuekui, on the spot."
"Bastards, they used underhanded tactics! We must get revenge!"
"Yes! We must get revenge!"
"A blood debt must be repaid in blood!"
"And that's not all. In the past two or three years, Long Jiguang has been tyrannical and oppressive, not only arbitrarily selling official positions, opening opium dens and selling opium, running gambling dens and prostitution and arbitrarily increasing taxes, but also frequently breaking into people's homes under the guise of bandit suppression, kidnapping local elders and extorting high ransoms. I heard that in just over a year, Long has made a fortune, earning more than ten million silver dollars."
“Even more ruthless than when we were bandits…” Wang Ji murmured.
“Indeed, even more ruthless than bandits,” I continued. “Therefore, our National Protection Army must not only protect the country, but also defend the people. Serving as a soldier is not just for a living, nor is it for promotion or wealth; our National Protection Army must not only protect the Republic of China established by the revolutionary martyrs who shed their blood and sweat to expel the Manchus, but also eliminate the scum who harm our compatriots.”
I looked around; most of my brothers had raised their heads, filled with righteous indignation, their eyes gleaming with excitement, but a few still kept their heads down and continued working, clearly unmoved.
'These guys might not be innocent; I need to be careful in the future…' I thought to myself.
**********************************************
Shortly after our army marched south along the Yuehan Railway, the war against the Dragon King entered a stalemate. The Sixth Company was stationed in Yunling Town, north of Yingde. Through the daily efforts of the officers and soldiers, we produced a total of 25,000 hand grenades. During the production process, I repeatedly instructed the officers and soldiers to keep the secret, and not to reveal any information even to friendly units. Fortunately, our company was stationed alone in Yunling Town, with no other units nearby. Even when superiors or friendly units visited, our secret weapons were properly concealed and not discovered.
Life in Yunling Town was extremely difficult. Military supplies from Yunnan were intermittent, and sometimes not only did we run out of pay, but we also couldn't even afford food. Sometimes we wouldn't get rice for two or three days, and the entire company would go hungry. The small amount of coarse rice often contained a lot of sand and gravel, making it difficult to swallow even after cooking.
It was the height of summer, and the hot weather and mosquitoes were rampant. Our company only had four mosquito nets, and the soldiers had none. To share the hardships with the soldiers, I advised the three platoon leaders that we would never eat before the soldiers, and we would eat whatever the soldiers ate. We would never cook for them, and we would never use mosquito nets when the soldiers couldn't sleep at night due to mosquitoes. We would receive the same treatment as the soldiers.
To avoid disturbing the locals, we took turns going up the mountain to collect firewood before dawn each day, each person carrying 100 jin (50 kg) of firewood. To set an example, I carried over 150 jin (75 kg) even on an empty stomach. The hot weather made it easy for diseases to spread, so in addition to sending out messengers daily to burn straw around the camp to drive away mosquitoes, thoroughly clearing stagnant water and maintaining cleanliness, I strictly required that drinking water be completely boiled. I also allocated funds from the company's meager public budget to purchase large quantities of soap, requiring soldiers to wash their hands thoroughly every day. Furthermore, buying cold water and sweets from vendors was strictly prohibited—although this latter measure drew complaints from the locals who repeatedly tried to persuade us to allow it, under strict enforcement, during our more than fifty days of garrisoning, not a single soldier contracted gastroenteritis or any infectious disease.
The local people were known for their fierce and warlike nature, often engaging in armed conflict over water sources, sometimes even requiring the deployment of troops to quell the unrest. Naturally, they didn't take our unit seriously. In addition, gambling was rampant in the town. After the garrison was stationed there, there were gambling disputes and incidents where a boxer at a casino beat a gambler to death. When our company sent troops to handle the situation, they were injured. Later
, I dispatched troops to arrest the boxer who caused the incident, detained the casino host and dealers, and declared a curfew and dealt with the situation forcefully, which made the situation tense for a time. However, since our company did not have the bad habit of forcibly buying and selling, and when local opium dens and casinos came to "pay tribute," I always treated them to simple meals. Apart from taking 100 yuan as a reserve fund for officers and soldiers to eat extra food, the rest was donated to the orphanage or primary school run by the town's church as scholarships. I personally did not take any money. The local elders had a good opinion of our unit. Therefore, after the casino incident, the local elders stepped in to mediate and finally decided that the casino owner would donate 1,000 yuan to build a bridge outside the town, and another 1,000 yuan would be used as a reserve fund for our company to eat extra food. Although receiving a large sum of extra money for food was a small relief, I still spent 300 yuan to treat the local elders and gentry, which greatly enhanced the company's reputation in Yunling Town.
Although the soldiers' lives were tough, training could not be reduced.
"Training is the best benefit for soldiers," is a phrase I often repeat. Every day before dawn, some men go up the mountain to chop firewood, while the rest get up at five o'clock for physical training, starting with calisthenics and running, followed by exercises on the horizontal bar, vaulting horse, and other equipment. After breakfast, except for the sentries, everyone goes for morning exercises and lessons, starting with basic unarmed combat training, then moving on to rifle handling, triangular aiming, and aiming from boxes.
Due to the difficulty in resupplying ammunition, there was no target practice, but the field exercises of squads, platoons, and companies could not be taken lightly. From infantry squad formation changes, volley fire loading, and field maneuvers under enemy fire to launching charges, mountain, field, and night marches, reconnaissance, search, and ambush training, I tried my best to teach my brothers everything I knew.
Spiritual speeches and cultural learning were also indispensable. Our army was originally established to oppose Yuan Shikai and protect the nation, so the themes of spiritual speeches naturally focused on upholding the Republic of China and opposing the imperial system. Our company was primarily composed of simple farmers, with very few seasoned soldiers. After the Battle of Shaoguan, our company suffered no casualties, so we didn't indiscriminately incorporate surrendered soldiers from the Jinan Army, thus maintaining morale and discipline. With the support of the local elders of Yunling Town, the soldiers' rations improved, and although the training intensity increased, the soldiers' health steadily improved.
As training progressed from squads to platoons, and then to companies, I began using ample hand grenades for shock training, acclimatizing the soldiers to the sounds, lights, and smoke of the battlefield. Early one morning, while our company was conducting exercises outside the town, we suddenly saw seven or eight local leaders, including an old scholar, leading a stranger covered in blood.
"Please, sir, save our whole village!" the stranger cried, kneeling and kowtowing frantically.
"Speak your mind, there's no need for this," I waved for orders to quickly bring chairs and tea, inviting them to sit down.
This man's name was Wu Xiaofa, and he lived in Mazhutou, 25 li west of the town. The village had over 400 people. Yesterday evening, a group of about ten stragglers from the Ji Army suddenly appeared. Upon seeing this, the villagers first closed the village gates and had the elders mediate, intending to offer some money and food as usual. Unexpectedly, the soldiers opened fire and killed the village chief and forcibly took three other representatives hostage. The leader of the stragglers demanded that the village be opened and that the villagers surrender. When the villagers refused, the stragglers beheaded the three on the spot. Then, the leader fired a shot into the air, and suddenly 60 or 70 people appeared from all directions and began to attack.
The village's self-defense force had more than ten old guns, but how could they be a match for the stragglers' fifty or sixty rifles? Before long, the dozen or so able-bodied men on the outer fence were all killed or wounded and retreated into the village. After burning down the outer palisade, the Ji army, under cover of fire, set fire to the village gate. Finally, under the moonlight, they stormed into the village, killing everyone they saw. The able-bodied men could only protect the elderly, women, and children as they retreated into the village ancestral hall. Seeing that they could not withstand the attack, the elders ordered the man to escape through a secret passage that night and come to Yunling Town for help.
Wu Xiaofa spoke with tears streaming down his face, fainting several times from the emotional outburst. Urged by the local elders, I gathered my platoon and squad leaders and said, “These bandits are heavily armed and ruthless. If we don’t wipe them out today, who knows how many more villages will suffer in the future? For the sake of the country and the people, these bandits are unforgivable. Assemble immediately and march to Mazhutou to exterminate them!”
The 25-li march took less than two hours. When our army arrived, the embers of the wooden palisade outside the village were still burning, and thick smoke was still rising. Several wisps of smoke were visible inside the village, clearly from the bandits cooking at midday. Mazhutou Village is approximately 300 meters north-south and 250 meters east-west. The main road runs east-west, passing in front of the village about 200 meters from the entrance. There is a bamboo grove about 1200 meters to the west, and about 200 meters to the north is mountainous terrain, with the road passing at the foot of the mountain on the east side. A river flows to the south. At the village entrance, besides the corpses of the village chief and others, more than ten children were found hanged from trees. However, there were no other traces of humans or animals, nor were there any sentries or lookouts. From our position on the east side, we could not see the situation inside the village.
To annihilate the bandits, I ordered the first platoon to maneuver to the bamboo grove on the west side, and the second platoon to the foot of the mountain on the east side, to deploy and intercept the enemy. They must remain concealed and not be detected by the bandits' sentries. No shots should be fired before the bandits enter within 100 meters; every shot must hit its mark, leaving no survivors.
I assigned another 20 skilled soldiers to circle around to the south bank from the shallow water and set up positions. I instructed them to wait until the bandits fled into the river before firing, ensuring that they were annihilated in the water and that no one escaped. I personally led the third and fourth platoons into the bamboo forest on the north slope, planning to attack the village from behind Mazhutou and force the bandits towards the river.
After advancing to the north slope, we still couldn't see the situation inside the village, but we could vaguely hear cries and wails. Seeing that the bandits were lax in their defenses, I decided not to use an assault to avoid casualties. After handing the troops over to the senior platoon leader and agreeing to use a grenade explosion as a signal, I led Wang Ji and ten other assault team members, each carrying a Mauser pistol and two grenades, and stealthily entered the village following the path indicated by Wu Xiaofa.
After entering the village, we spent thirty minutes assessing the situation. Along the way, we encountered lone bandits ransacking houses, and Wang Ji quickly dispatched five of them, killing them without a sound. After initially circling the outer perimeter, they discovered: a group of about ten bandits were drinking and making merry around a large pot in a house inside the village entrance; judging from the scattered bloodstains and the aroma, they were likely cooking dog meat. In
front of the small temple inside the village, piles of looted gold, silver, and valuables were stacked, and under the eaves, more than twenty bandits were loudly gambling with dice. In the square in front of the temple, seven or eight men had been beheaded, their blood already dried and swarming with flies; more than ten elderly and weak people, presumably bayoneted to death, lay scattered in the roadside. Three naked women lay sprawled on the steps, their legs wide open, their genitals and anuses covered in dried blood. Judging from their unnatural positions, they were lifeless. At the temple entrance, a young, naked woman was bound to each of the stone lions, her head resting on their heads, her limbs tied to their feet. They were spread-eagled, facing inwards, ready for the bandits to abuse them at any moment. From hidden vantage points, only their long, black hair could be seen fluttering in the wind; it was impossible to tell if they were dead or alive…
I decided to release the bandits at the entrance. I ordered Hou Dagou and two others to ambush near the temple, throwing grenades upon hearing gunfire. Li Qiang and two others were to ambush along the main village thoroughfare, firing sniper shots. I, along with Wang Ji and three others, continued towards the ancestral hall
. The alleys and houses were littered with corpses, most killed by bayonets. In more spacious areas, young men were found bound and beheaded, while children were hanged from the porches. A whole row of these child corpses, their tongues lolling out and swaying in the wind, exuded a chilling aura.
The bandits, having committed these horrific atrocities, did not come without losses. Approaching the ancestral hall, they saw eight or nine coffins along the path and under the eaves, each containing the corpse of a bandit killed.
As they neared the hall, they heard shouts: "Line up! Line up! Anyone who wants more after you're done, get back to the back! Anyone who doesn't follow the rules is only allowed to work on corpses, no more girls!" a rough voice with a Hunan accent shouted.
"Oh dear... the corpses are stinking... leave them for the flies... hahaha..."
"Who told you to kill so fiercely last night? Now there's no one to collect the bodies!" another savage voice said. "
Officers, these stinking cunts are all ruined, it's time for us to have a taste of your stuff!"
"Damn cunts... who said it was your turn? The officers inside have tender cunts to throw out, these old cunts are yours to play with!" the savage voice continued.
"Fuck your mother... you dare struggle!" a bandit with a Foshan accent cursed.
"Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!" the bandits shouted.
"Waaaaah..." came the agonizing screams, clearly from someone gagged.
Looking from our hiding place, we saw a large table in the center of the square. A woman, about 30 years old, was lying face down on the table. Three or four bandits on each side held the ropes tied to her ankles, forcefully spreading her thighs. One bandit stood beside her buttocks, while two others, holding sharpened bamboo poles about the size of bowls, plunged them viciously into her anus.
"Waaaaah..." The screams stopped after a few moments.
With a "thud," the bandits lifted the bamboo poles, and the bound woman's body spun in mid-air, her lifeless legs still trembling slightly, blood and filth flowing down the bamboo poles...
A dozen or so human bamboo poles already stood in the square in front of the ancestral hall. "Hahahaha~~" The bandits scattered in a panic, except for the bandit with the Foshan accent, Chao Zhugan, who spat, cursed a few more times, and then returned to the ranks.
The square in front of the ancestral hall was about 30 meters long and 25 meters wide, roughly square. The front of the ancestral hall was a towering stone wall, with traces of a burned wooden door in the center; the two sides of the square were corridors, which, judging from the damage, should have originally been shops.
To escape the heat and find shade, more than twenty bandits gathered on the west side of the square. Five unconscious women were tied up and placed on tables, some with their legs raised, others upside down on the tables, with three or four bandits taking turns raping them in front of each table. A dozen or so women's corpses lay scattered under the trees nearby, but whether dead or alive, they were all around 30 years old.
Three bandits, seemingly low-ranking leaders, were standing in the shop's arcade. The bald man on the left was embracing a naked young woman, around 20 years old. Her long hair trailed down, and she sat on his waist, her breasts swaying with each movement.
The middle bandit leader had his back to me, facing a tall, voluptuous woman with her hair still styled in a bun. Her arms were tied horizontally to the shop's railing, one leg on the ground, while the bandit leader hoisted her other leg onto his shoulder, lewdly humiliating her.
The bandit leader on the right, a man with a mustache, stood behind another round-faced woman. She stood there, leaning forward, allowing the mustachioed man to enter her from behind, her large breasts drooping limply, swaying back and forth.
"Don't tear her intestines out, it's my turn next!" the bald man said to the mustachioed man.
"Damn it, are all these women's husbands shit-eaters? Every woman's ass is so tight!" the mustachioed man said.
"Hahaha…that's why they all eat shit, that's why you're making them fuck their women's asses until they're full of shit!" the bald man laughed.
Each woman had chopsticks tied to her mouth, preventing them from biting their tongues to commit suicide…
“Clang clang… clang clang…” I heard the sound of my blood boiling and my joints tensing. Turning my head, I saw Wang Ji's eyes were bloodshot and burning with rage.
“Calm down, don’t rush, we’ll deal with these dogs later…” A thought flashed through my mind, and I quickly stopped Wang Ji from drawing his gun: “We haven’t seen any bandit officers yet, and we haven’t seen most of the women, children, and the elderly either.”
I signaled to Wang Ji with my eyes—they should all still be held captive in the ancestral hall—I left two people to guard the exit of the square, instructing them to wait until the bandits dispersed before firing from behind. Then, Wang Ji and I climbed onto the rooftops of the houses behind the ancestral hall.
Wang Ji was indeed a former outlaw; he had far more experience scaling rooftops than I did. We climbed along the rooftops of the side rooms, carefully avoiding breaking any tiles to alert the people below. The ancestral hall was a two-story, U-shaped building—an outer ring of side rooms, separated by a corridor to the inner hall, with a courtyard in the center. We slowly crawled up from the outer ring, intending to explore the interior through the roof of the corridor connecting the inner and outer rings.
After crawling about ten meters, Wang Ji stopped and gestured, then gently moved a roof tile. "Waaah...waaah..." A series of cat-like sobs came from the crack in the tile.
"Hehehe, was that your older or younger sister just now? You sisters really look alike...I just deflowered your sisters, now it's your turn! Hehehe...Any woman who falls into my hands will beg for mercy. After I deflower you, I'll put you sisters together for a threesome. Hehehe..."
"Ahhhhhhh~~" A girl's shrill scream of being violated came from under the roof tile.
"Hey Blackie, hurry up! Are you even a man? It took you forever to finish with just two sisters." Another man beside him said, "I've already done five out of the six women in this family. Hahahaha!" "
What are you laughing at? They're all virgins here, of course I'll enjoy them slowly." Blackie hoisted the girl's snow-white legs onto his shoulders, pinched her breasts, and slowly thrust forward with his strong, dark waist, making circles. "Little girl, you agree, right? Your sisters were just so turned on they passed out, and now I'm fucking your little cunt inch by inch. Aren't you going to be enjoying it too?"
The girl trembled all over from the pain, her little legs kicking wildly.
"Behave yourself. You'll know what it's like to be a woman once I fuck you until you're climaxing. Hahahaha!"
"Bullshit, what's so great about fucking them until they're climaxing?" The thug beside him said, "It's only real skill when you fuck them until their legs are weak, like I did."
"Slap!" Suddenly, a clear slap rang out.
"Still dare to move! You motherfucker, if you move again and hurt my precious thing, I'll throw you into the square and stick you up with a bamboo pole!"
"Hahahaha, don't be angry. If you throw her out, you won't be able to have a family of six—mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—giving you six chubby babies at the same time."
"Hahahaha, that's right, that's right." The bandit next to him said, "So, are they brothers? Or uncle and nephew?"
"Who cares about brothers or uncle and nephew?" Old Hei said, "Let's go downstairs and see if there are any of their married daughters left. That way, uncles, nephews, and nieces will be one family! Hahahaha!"
"Two in this room." I gestured to Wang Ji. He nodded slightly and continued crawling forward.
The situation in the next room was simpler. A naked man was fast asleep, his shriveled penis and thighs covered in dried blood. Five young girls lay sprawled beside him, their breasts still developing and their pubic hair sparse. Regardless of whether their legs were open or closed, their thighs and groin were covered in blood, indicating that each girl had been violated by the man three to five times.
We continued crawling forward…
Sure enough, most of the surviving elderly, women, and children were locked in the central courtyard. Counting the survivors, there should still be forty or fifty people, but the key point was that we hadn't found anyone who seemed to be the leader.
We continued crawling forward…
“Ah…no…don’t…ah…let me go…” came a muffled sound from under the roof tiles.
Wang Ji stopped and lifted the roof tile. Below, a woman of about 20 years old was sitting on a man. The man sat cross-legged on the bed with the woman facing away from him. Her snowy buttocks slowly lowered into his embrace, actively taking his enormous penis into her body. A large Western-style mirror appeared out of nowhere, and the woman watched as her vagina received and accommodated the penis, feeling it fill her completely with each downward thrust, every inch of her tender flesh plowed into it.
A large hand emerged from under her armpit, pressing against her chest, rubbing, kneading, squeezing, and pressing her full breasts, their snow-white flesh deforming like dough in the man's hands. The man shifted slightly, turning the woman to face him, his penis still deeply inside her alluring body, beginning to thrust in and out of her tight, delicate paradise, pounding against her naked, snow-white skin.
"Ugh...ugh...ugh...ugh..." The woman shook her head almost frantically, her shoulder-length hair flying wildly, the ends damp with sweat.
"Wait till I break your chrysanthemum, hahaha, I didn't expect to find a beauty like you in this rural place." The man's voice was high-pitched and lewd. "I could do it for days and nights and still not get tired of it, hahaha!"
"Company commander, let us brothers have a turn too!" There was another voice nearby.
Upon closer inspection, there were three men and five women in the room. Besides the man and woman who were having sex, another girl was being sandwiched between two boys, clearly being violated in both her front and back orifices at the same time. The other three women were sitting in the corner, fully clothed, with their eyes closed and heads turned away, their chests rising and falling, indicating that they had not yet been violated.
"Yeah, let us have a turn!" said the boy below.
"You two little bastards, you're not satisfied after fucking my front and back orifices."
"Company Commander, you're incredibly virile, your 'golden spear' never falters! You're unbeatable in Guangdong!" said the boy above. "But you've been on this woman for hours. There are three more here who haven't been deflowered yet. Why don't you let us brothers taste what this woman is like, what makes you want her for so long?"
"Yeah, yeah!" chimed in from below.
"You two bastards, this woman has a cunt that's one in a hundred," said the company commander. "My dick will automatically suck when I deflower it, it's like a little mouth, so comfortable, hahaha! If you two little bastards have fucked her, then if I fuck her again, won't I become your cousin? Hahaha!"
"Hahahaha..."
"Hahahaha..."
The company commander suddenly pushed forward, and the woman fell forward. Only then did I notice a bullet stuck in the woman's anus...
"Company Commander, how should we proceed?" Wang Ji asked, retreating to the upper part of the back compartment.
“The bandits outside, except for the few at the village entrance, are all armed; they won’t be able to react quickly enough. The ones in the ancestral hall are probably the bandit leaders; I see their pistols are all lying around,” I said.
“Then…”
“I’ll deal with the company commander and his messenger… Once the gunfire starts, the ones in the side rooms should rush out; you snipe them from the roof.”
“What about the women and children in the courtyard?”
“Take care of the bandits first,” I said. “According to the plan, once we fire, the brothers on the mountain behind will rush down. Given the bandits’ habits, they won’t be resisting while grabbing their valuables and escaping; they won’t think of killing us to cover their tracks.”
There were no sentries in the corridor; presumably, in this joyous moment, the bandits wouldn’t expect any danger. I tiptoed to the door; it was open. Looking back, Wang Ji had already taken his firing position and gestured to me.
I gently released the safety with both hands.
"Ah...woo...oh...oh...no...it hurts...no..."
I leaned forward and peeked inside. The company commander was facing away from the door, and the woman was lying face down on the octagonal table, her toes barely touching the ground, her calves trembling.
I ordered the two brothers to switch positions, and they lifted the woman's upper body so she was facing me at a 45-degree angle—the boy below was facing away from me, his neck raised, his hands playing with the woman's breasts. The woman's hair was whipping around, obscuring the boy's face behind her.
"Who's outside? What's going on?" the company commander suddenly asked.
"I am Qu Yuanxiang, the company commander of the 6th Company, 31st Regiment, 3rd Division of the Yunnan Army." I moved swiftly, my two pistols flashing as I went: "I've come to take the lives of you lecherous thieves!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" Four gunshots rang out, four bursts of blood erupting from the bandit leader's body!
As expected of a bandit leader, he shoved the woman aside and turned to lunge at the side of the table, trying to grab the Mauser pistol from the bedside table.
How could I let him succeed! I straightened up and continued firing at him, "Bang bang bang bang!" The bandit chief's head exploded instantly, his shattered skull and brains splattering onto the woman's fair skin beside me, like cherry blossoms blooming in the snow.
After dealing with the bandit chief, there were two more!
'Eight shots... eight shots... four more... calm... calm...' I silently chanted, quickly turning to the right. Each of my pistols had six bullets; eight had hit the bandit company commander, leaving four.
"Ah ... But the boy below fared much worse. Although the girl had been ravaged for hours, she was still a virgin, her vagina extremely narrow. The boy above grabbed her and flipped her backward; the boy below couldn't react in time, and his penis, still inside her vagina , snapped with a " crack . " " Ah ... "Boom! Boom! Boom!" "Ping! Ping! Ping! Bang! Bang!" Being too conspicuous along the corridor, I slipped into the next room, waiting for the captured boy to emerge. "Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" My brothers had already rushed into the village through the back door. Judging from the gunshots, they were all from our company's fast-firing rifles; only a few sporadic shots from the bandits' old-fashioned rifles could be heard. "Bang...bang...bang..." The slow, rhythmic sound of Mauser pistols echoed from the rooftops and the square. It must have been Wang Ji and the brothers lying in ambush by the street who had successfully sniped from behind! The gunshots gradually moved from back to front, from north to south, from near to far, until finally only sporadic gunshots remained in the village… I moved to the side of the door, watching the next room… Outside the ancestral hall, I could hear the commands of my brothers. After waiting for about five or six minutes, I vaguely heard some movement from the next room. I resisted the urge to peek out, but suddenly a mirror on the corridor pillar flickered with light and shadow… I bent down and rolled out the door, my two pistols thrust forward! “Sir, spare me! Sir, spare me! Don’t kill me…” I saw the two brothers, the uninjured one helping the wounded one, hopping and skipping as they tried to escape. Wang Ji appeared at the other end of the corridor. “Tie them both up!” I ordered Wang Ji, aiming my pistols at their heads. The battle lasted only about twenty minutes, ending with the brothers on the south bank firing at a fixed target in the river. The result: no casualties on our side. A total of 53 of Ji’s soldiers were killed, 22 were captured, and 67 rifles and approximately 5,000 rounds of ammunition were seized. After my brothers released the elderly, women, and children from the ancestral hall, the villagers hiding in the village cellars also emerged one after another. A headcount revealed that 91 people, young and old, had been brutally murdered. More than twenty women, though humiliated, were still alive. Fortunately, most of the villagers had escaped the clutches of evil. The village elders, the only remaining members, collected 1,000 yuan in red envelopes to "pay tribute" to our company. I accepted it, then had it reissued in the name of the Sixth Company in white envelopes, which were then given to all the families of the deceased in the village as a memorial gift. "What should we do with these prisoners?" the platoon leader asked. "Beheading them would be too easy," I said. "Then..."

I looked around. The victims who had been brutally murdered had all been gathered and returned to their homes. I also ordered a few of my clever men to keep a close watch on the women who had been violated, to prevent them from taking their own lives and causing further tragedy. The worst off was the village chief's family. Not only was the village chief killed at the village entrance, but of his five sons, three of whom were away on business and had not yet returned, were also brutally murdered. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, a total of six people, were all violated. The entire family was almost wiped out. Relatives and friends from surrounding villages and towns came to comfort them upon hearing the news.
"Nail them to death!" I said sternly, my heart sinking.
The villagers worked through the night to make 22 bamboo frames, and at dawn the next day, they nailed the prisoners to them one by one with long bamboo nails, then stood them up by the roadside.
"Today I want you to nail their hands and feet together, but don't kill them instantly. I want everyone to know the fate of bandits in my Yunnan Army's territory!" I shouted from the front of the crowd. "Whether it's my army, our allies, the Ji'nan Army, the Guangxi Army, the Yunnan Army, or local bandits, anyone who dares to rob and plunder in my territory will suffer this fate! Nailed alive to a wooden frame!"
"Fellow villagers, anyone who has a grudge against you, anyone who has killed your family, your relatives, or insulted your friends, you can all come forward. You can cut out their eyes, skin them, chop off their fingers!" I shouted. "But I have one condition!"
The crowd fell silent...
"You are not allowed to kill these bandits within three days." I said, "You can use any cruel method you want. I want them to suffer the torments of the eighteen levels of hell within three days! Anyone who dares to disturb my territory, I will send them to the eighteen levels of hell alive!"
Human beings' creativity in torturing each other is endless. After I gave the order not to kill the bandits within three days, all sorts of creative ideas emerged.
Some had their fingernails pulled out, others were branded, some were burned, and others were stabbed. Later, the villagers took out hammers and slowly smashed the bandits nailed to the frame, joint by joint, bone by bone. They gouged out the eyes of the surrendered soldiers and cut off their tongues...
Three days passed quickly. With people from all walks of life coming to congratulate and reward the troops, the brothers of our company had a good three-day rest, and their nutrition had improved. More importantly, after this battle, our unit's reputation spread far and wide. Those who loved us called our company divine soldiers and generals, heroes who eradicated evil and wickedness; those who hated us called me a demon, a vicious monster—no matter what, fame was good. Ideally, in the future, just revealing my name would be enough to subdue people without a fight, making my job as company commander easier.
After the three-day deadline, I gathered everyone together again for a speech. After three days of exposure to the sun and torture, more than half of the surrendered soldiers had died, and their bloated corpses emitted a foul stench under the scorching sun. I ordered that the bodies of the dead surrendered soldiers should not be collected; they must be left to rot in the open, to be eaten clean by wild dogs and birds, as a warning to others. As for those still alive, after discussing with the local elders, everyone agreed that they should continue to be nailed and tortured by the crowd until they breathed their last.
After some thanks and humility, our company finally set off back to Yunling Town amidst the cheers of thousands of villagers from the surrounding areas.
************
Having a rare opportunity to conduct a field march, the night before, I summoned the squad and platoon leaders, determined the order of advance, and designated the vanguard squad and platoon for a mountain march. However, after only two or three miles from Mazhutou, the vanguard squad leader ran to report.
"Reporting to the company commander, there's a woman kneeling in the middle of the road ahead, saying she won't let you pass unless you see her," the vanguard squad leader said.
My position was between the first and second platoons, about 1000 meters away from the vanguard. Upon hearing this, I went forward to see what was going on.
A woman was kneeling in the middle of the road, dressed in a blue top and black skirt. Her hair was short, but because she was kneeling with her head bowed, I couldn't see her face.
"Ah...it's her..." I suddenly realized. That day, when I was observing the bandit company commander from the roof of the ancestral hall, I felt that the woman was different, but I didn't have time to think about what was different. At that time, the war was about to begin, and there was danger everywhere. But now, seeing the woman kneeling in front of me—her hair was so short compared to the other women in the village!
"May I ask what brings you here, young lady?" I squatted down in front of her and asked softly.
"I want to see the company commander..." the woman's voice was sobbing.
I suddenly realized that although she was kneeling, she was clutching a small knife in her hand. A thought flashed through my mind, and I calmed myself down and continued softly, "I am Qu Yuanxiang. Raise your head. If you are the young lady I think you are, you will recognize me."
The woman slowly raised her head, and the small knife tightly gripped in her left hand was clearly visible.
"What do you want!" The brothers around me immediately raised their guns and cocked them.
"It's alright, it's alright. You all step back twenty paces, let me talk to this young lady." I turned and waved for my brothers to step back, then sat down in front of the woman.
I spread my arms and
said, "I don't have any weapons with me, so you can hand over your knife for safekeeping!" The woman's eyes were red and swollen, and she frowned sadly, saying, "Don't worry, this knife isn't for you. It's for suicide if you don't agree to my demands."
"Life is precious. Even if you encounter a calamity, don't think of doing something rash!" I couldn't help it; even in this chaotic world, I couldn't shake off many basic 21st-century values. Like me, I could kill, I could torture prisoners, but I couldn't bear to see someone commit suicide. "You said you need my help. Tell me, if I can help, I will... but you have to agree to three conditions."
"Conditions?" Hearing that I actually set conditions, the woman's eyes widened. She probably didn't expect me to bargain with her!
"What are your conditions? Please tell me."
"First, hand me the knife; second, you are not allowed to try to kill yourself again." I felt in my pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. "Third, wipe away your tears. There is no problem that cannot be solved. Wipe away your tears first, and we can talk slowly."
"So, if I agree to your conditions, it means you agree to help me?"
"It's a deal!" I handed her the handkerchief.
The woman took the handkerchief and wiped away her tears. I looked at her closely for the first time—her fair, unadorned oval face wasn't large, and her two large eyes, red like walnuts from crying, were quite bright and lively. Her delicate eyebrows were perfectly proportioned and naturally curved, her small mouth was round and naturally red, and her cheeks and chin were full without any bone. Her whole face exuded an elegant and intellectual classical temperament.
"I haven't asked your name yet?"
"My surname is Wu, and my given name is Tingxin."
"Miss Wu, please don't kneel. I've already promised to help you. Please give me the knife. What's the matter? Get up and tell me!"
Wu Tingxin hesitated for a moment, then nodded and handed me the knife.
"Can you stand up? Do you need me to help you?"
She shook her head and said, "Take me away. Don't ask me why yet. I'll do whatever you want..."
"Okay, I promise you." This was a time for decisiveness, and I didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. The longer we dragged on, the more impatient my brothers would become, and the more and bigger the problems would arise.
"Please get up!" I said.
"You keep your word?"
"I keep my word. We'll leave immediately."
Wu Tingxin tried to stand up, swaying as she supported herself with her hands on the ground. "Ah..." Perhaps she had been kneeling for too long, and her blood couldn't circulate properly. As soon as she stood up, she collapsed and fainted... I rushed forward and grabbed her waist. Wu Tingxin collapsed into my arms.
"Miss Wu~~ Miss Wu~~" I called out twice, but she didn't respond at all. I checked her pulse; it was slow but steady, indicating it was temporary and not life-threatening. I ordered someone to bring the horse up, and had Miss Wu lie face down on its back, while I held the reins beside her, making sure she didn't fall off.
The troops returned safely to their post in Yunling Town before noon.

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