Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 339 I advise you to be careful with your words and actions
"Look at this abacus, it's brand new!"

After the new parts were installed, the heavy machine gun that Li Chishui had obtained was given a new lease on life.

Apart from the lack of a telescope, it has no other problems.

"Good, good, good." Ding Futong couldn't stop smiling.

Just then, a sentry ran over.

"Commander, Ma Laosi is here."

"Ma Laosi from Dajian Town? What's he doing here?" Ding Futong asked, somewhat puzzled.

Dajian Town was a relatively important place, and the Japanese stationed a puppet army of 800 men there.

This Ma Laosi is the regimental commander.

“No matter what they want, if they dare to come, it means they’re begging us,” Li Chishui said.

"Xiao Xing, call Ma Laosi in."

"yes!".
A few minutes later, Ma Laosi walked into the courtyard of the First Regiment's headquarters.

"Commander Li, it's been a long time. How have you been?" Old Ma tried to ingratiate himself as soon as he came in.

"Hehe... It's great. We drink a little wine and eat roast chicken every day. I'm even a little reluctant to see the Japanese leave."

Li Chishui made it up on the spot.

"But, Ma Laosi, what brings you here this time?"

Li Chishui didn't have time to waste on his nonsense.

"Commander Li, to be honest, I've come here to ask for your help with something."

"Help? What is it?" Li Chishui perked up.

Helping someone isn't something you do for free; there has to be some benefit in return.

"That's right, the Japanese are coming to Dajian Town for inspection in a couple of days."

After Ma Laosi explained, Li Chishui understood what was going on.

Ma Laosi was receiving a salary without working, and the army was short-staffed.

Now that the higher-ups are conducting an inspection, we must fill the vacancies.

He used to forcibly conscript men, but now that the countryside is under the control of the Eighth Route Army, he dares not go there anymore.

“It is possible, but…” Li Chishui rubbed his hands together.

"Don't worry, Commander Li, I understand." Old Ma patted his chest.

"Thirty rifles, a thousand rounds of ammunition, and a box of grenades, how about that?"

"Good! That's great!" Li Chishui laughed.

"See you the day after tomorrow!"

"See you there!"
Looking at Ma Laosi's retreating figure, Ding Futong said with some unease:
"Is this reliable? Don't fall into a trap."

"Ambush me? You're 100 years too early!"

"sweet potato!"

"To!"

"Take a battalion and conduct thorough reconnaissance around Dajian Town, then set up an ambush in Zhengshagou."

"Yes!"

"Masang, your troops are doing well."

Colonel Hino Yu nodded in satisfaction.

Although the locust army soldiers in front of them were full of energy and didn't seem like lazy bums who just loafed around all day, they were full of vigor and didn't look like they were just waiting to die.

But as long as you have enough people and weapons in front of you, that's fine.

As for where these soldiers came from, that's none of his business, and it has nothing to do with him.

Since I've already received a red envelope, I really can't scrutinize it too closely.

"It's all for the sake of the Locust Army!" Old Ma said, standing at attention.

"Sir, I have prepared a small feast. Would you do me the honor of joining us?"

"Yoshi. Lead the way!" Hino Yu was even more satisfied; he liked people who were so responsive.

Of course, he himself is also very savvy.

In the past, it wasn't uncommon for patrolling officers to report the situation.

But they never received a reply, and they would suddenly die in the second battle.

The waters here run deep, and Hino Yu doesn't want to die.

After Ma Laosi led the Japanese soldiers away, his adjutant Mei Youde immediately announced the disbandment of the unit.

"Battalion Commander Li, the supplies are ready. Brothers, just take them with you," Mei Youde said.

"No problem, no problem," Li Renao nodded repeatedly.

This business is too easy to do; you can just stand there for half a day and collect a whole platoon's worth of supplies.

So what if we don't come to beat them up anymore? It's no big deal. We'll beat them up no matter who we beat up.

After being escorted out of the town, Li Renao led his troops straight to Zhengshagou.

"How was it? Did it go smoothly?" Li Chishui breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the person return.

He was afraid that this was a trap set by the Japanese, so he brought his firearms with him.

"Everything went very smoothly. The puppet troops even said they would introduce us to clients!" Li Renao laughed.

This business is quite lucrative; you can acquire a lot of supplies without firing a single shot.

"Great! We can have a side hustle too!"

"Withdraw!" Li Chishui waved his hand and happily led his men back.

The first time you might not be able to feel the pulse, but you'll get the hang of it once you get the hang of it.

At the Luyang City Defense Command, several Japanese expatriates came to the door making a ruckus.

"Stop arguing!" Nomura Satoru couldn't even hear what these people were saying.

“Say it one by one!”

"Let me speak," Gao Qiaojie said.

Gao Qiaojie is a businessman, and the people next to him are his business partners.

Two months ago
Gao Qiaojie and his group led more than a dozen mules and horses westward along the road, heading towards the famous black market west of Luyang.

"Gao Qiao-kun, I never imagined there would be so many opportunities to make a fortune in Shanxi!" Murayama Tetsu laughed.

“China’s industrial level is extremely poor, and industrial products can only be imported. This is exactly our opportunity,” Gao Qiaojie said.

They weren't working alone; they had a chamber of commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce has members outside the Great Wall, so they can ship goods directly to Taiyuan by train.

After distributing the goods in Taiyuan, their various caravans were able to sell them in different places.

The reason Gao Qiaojie went to the black market west of Luyang this time was because...

It was because he had heard that the black market in northwestern Shanxi was very prosperous due to the Fourth Division.

People from southwestern Shanxi and even northern Shaanxi came here to trade. For Gao Qiaojie and his group, this was a blue ocean market.

Just as they were laughing heartily, an accident occurred on the outskirts of Luyang.

Gao Qiaojie heard a series of hoofbeats.

"Are they Imperial cavalry?" Gao Qiaojie covered his forehead with his hand and looked into the distance.

"Oh no, it's the Eighth Route Army!" Gao Qiaojie exclaimed in alarm.

The cavalrymen opposite were wearing gray cloth uniforms; they were clearly not one of our own.

"It's over, it's over!" The people around panicked.

When they are out and about, they certainly have weapons.

However, those few old rifles were simply no match for the dozens of Eighth Route Army soldiers on the other side.

"Sachiko, I'm afraid we'll never see each other again."

With a mournful face, Gao Qiaojie took out a photo from his pocket, wanting to see it one last time before he died.

"Whoa~~~" Sun Desheng pulled on the reins and stopped the horse.

"A businessman?" Sun Desheng shouted.

"."

Gao Qiaojie and the others didn't know how to answer.

You can tell just by looking at their accents.

Seeing no response, Sun Desheng nodded: "Looks like it's the Japanese."

"Can you understand Chinese?" Sun Desheng asked again.

The group looked at Gao Qiaojie.

Gao Qiaojie cursed inwardly, "They can all understand, so why are they looking at me?"
However, he dared not delay and immediately bowed deeply.

"Sir, I understand."

"We are all honest businessmen and have never harmed any Chinese people. Please don't kill us!"

The Eighth Route Army's reputation was known to everyone in North China.

"Don't worry, we Eighth Route Army soldiers are very disciplined and never kill people indiscriminately."

Sun Desheng's words reassured the Japanese soldiers.

However, what followed left them looking at each other in bewilderment.

"As you all know, the war is tense now, and the Chongqing government is demanding the collection of anti-Japanese donations."

"As for my 18th Group Army, which belongs to the Guo Army's combat order, I naturally have to obey orders."

"Now we need to inspect your goods and then levy taxes based on their value."

"But don't worry, I will provide you with proof."

"If they encounter other troops later, they will not collect taxes again."

"Anti-Japanese donation?" Takahashi pointed to himself with some confusion: "Sir, we are Japanese."

Am I donating money to fight against myself? Am I saying something wrong?

And isn't this Luyang? This is the territory of the Locust Army. You're collecting taxes here?
“That’s right. No matter who it is, as long as they do business in northwestern Shanxi, they have to pay this money.” Sun Desheng nodded.

The new Second Regiment's main principle is to treat everyone equally.

Anyone who comes to do business has to pay money.

You Japanese are no exception.

A dozen minutes later, Gao Qiaojie and the others, looking completely bewildered, held a note and watched the departing Eighth Route Army cavalry, unsure of what to say.

This group of Eighth Route Army soldiers searched so thoroughly that they found all the contraband they were trying to smuggle.

However, it wasn't confiscated; it was simply calculated based on the market price.

According to the Eighth Route Army, they only dealt with the prohibited items issued by the Eighth Route Army.
"Gao Qiao-kun, what should we do now? Should we continue?" the people next to him asked.

"Forward!" Gao Qiaojie gritted his teeth and said.

They've already been taxed; if they just go back like this, wouldn't all the money they spent be wasted?
Now we can only hope that this handwritten 'proof' will be useful.

When Gao Qiaojie and his group passed through Luyang, they couldn't swallow their anger.

Therefore, he went to the Luyang Military Police Headquarters to complain that he had been robbed by the Eighth Route Army.

They requested that troops be dispatched to suppress the bandits.

The military police captain readily agreed to their request, saying he would dispatch troops immediately.

However, a week later.

When Gao Qiaojie and his group sold their goods on the black market and then returned with the purchased goods,

Sun Desheng reappeared before them.

"examine!"

Sun Desheng waved his hand, and several soldiers dismounted to begin the inspection.
Looking at the new 'receipt' in his hand, Gao Qiaojie was completely bewildered.

Didn't they send troops to wipe them out?
For the next two months, Gao Qiaojie and his group encountered the Eighth Route Army every time they went out.

Moreover, even if you take a side road, there are still roadblocks set up by the Eighth Route Army.

Ordinary people were not even noticed by the Eighth Route Army.

When encountering various businessmen, the process immediately involves a one-stop service of checking and issuing invoices.

Gao Qiaojie and his group would also complain to the military police every time.

However, the military police captain's tone became increasingly impatient in his reply.

They couldn't take it anymore and went straight to headquarters to complain.

"Colonel Nomura, you must uphold the law impartially!"

When Gao Qiaojie was collecting donations for the anti-Japanese cause, he even saw armored vehicles of the Locust Army patrolling nearby.

However, the patrol armored vehicles seemed unable to see the Eighth Route Army cavalry.

This must be because the soldiers below are embezzling and breaking the law.

Faced with the complaint, Satoru Nomura readily agreed.

"Please rest assured, I will definitely not stand by and watch the citizens of the Empire be bullied!"

"I will order increased patrols to prevent this from happening again!"

Patrols are great; the new Second Regiment even collects gasoline and diesel.

After leaving the headquarters with a satisfactory answer, Gao Qiaojie and his colleagues felt increasingly uneasy.

Colonel Nomura's reply sounds so familiar.

Upstairs in the headquarters, Nomura Satoru watched the departing group and curled his lip in disdain.

Just kidding, the more trouble the Eighth Route Army causes, the richer they can get.

This is a win-win situation!

(End of this chapter)