Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Changjin Lake, a Hundred Battles, a Hundred Victories

Chapter 87 Ninth Master's Taste!
In Black Cloud Village.

A group of bandits were drinking and having a great time.

"The second brother did a good job this time. He stole more than 30 guns, more than 800 rounds of ammunition, and more than 100 grenades. We've made a small fortune this time."

Xie Baoqing held up his wine glass and said happily.

"Haha, I didn't expect that just going down the mountain would lead to a transport team of more than a dozen people carrying so many weapons. I immediately ordered my brothers to ambush them and kill them all." Lynx said, touching a rifle he had stolen.

"Second brother, which unit did you rob this time?" Xie Baoqing asked.

"Judging from their clothes, they should be from the Eighth Route Army. I didn't expect those poor, country bumpkin Eighth Route Army soldiers to have so many weapons," Lynx said nonchalantly.

"Hahaha." The other bandits laughed loudly.

They couldn't afford to mess with the Japanese, but they weren't afraid of the Eighth Route Army, which lacked heavy weapons.

Upon hearing Lynx's words, the third leader of Black Cloud Stronghold's expression hardened, and he asked:
"No one was left alive, right?"

"Two escaped, but what's there to be afraid of? With the Eighth Route Army's lousy guns, our mountain stronghold is easy to defend and hard to attack. We have strong and well-equipped soldiers, so I doubt they'd dare to come," Mountain Cat said casually, taking a sip of his drink.

"Damn it, the Eighth Route Army's Independent Second Regiment is active nearby. They've stolen their weapons. This is going to be difficult," the third bandit leader said worriedly.

He's not brainless like Xie Baoqing or Shanmao.

He had attended school for a few years and was somewhat educated. He was like a novice in Black Cloud Village, offering advice and doing some logistical work.

If Lynx had targeted the Jin-Sui Army, the Central Army, or even the Japanese, he wouldn't have been worried.

Thirty-odd guns were nothing to these troops.

Even if they come to retaliate, they can simply move away and hide; they won't keep targeting Black Cloud Village.

But what the other side robbed was actually Eighth Route Army soldiers who were so poor they were practically selling their pants.

It should be noted that the Eighth Route Army was very poor and attached great importance to weapons and equipment, especially since they managed to seize more than thirty guns this time.

Given the Eighth Route Army's modus operandi, this matter is unlikely to end well.

The most crucial point is that the Eighth Route Army had an excellent reputation among the people.

If the Eighth Route Army were to retaliate against them, the local people would spontaneously lead the way, and then the advantage of their mountain stronghold's secluded location would no longer exist.

Even if they tried to escape, it would be difficult to shake off the Eighth Route Army's terrifying intelligence network. They might not have gone very far before the Eighth Route Army already knew about them.

Hearing the third leader's words, Xie Baoqing completely disregarded them and laughed:
"Third brother, I've told you to study less, the more you study, the more timid you become."

"We've even robbed weapons from the Central Army and the Jin-Sui Army before, why would we be afraid of a bunch of local Eighth Route Army guerrillas?"

"That's right, that's right. A few broken guns, not even as well-equipped as our Eighth Route Army, what's there to be afraid of?" the other bandits chimed in.

In their minds, having more people and more guns means having greater combat power.

The Eighth Route Army's weaponry and equipment were completely inferior to those of the Jin-Sui Army and the Central Army.

They've even robbed the Jin-Sui Army and the Central Army, so why would they be afraid of the Eighth Route Army?
Previously, the Eighth Route Army was too poor; the amount of ammunition they fired was less than what they could plunder, so Black Cloud Village didn't rob the Eighth Route Army much.

Now that they've suddenly become rich, why wouldn't they accept meat delivered to their door?
"Third brother, don't worry. Even if the Eighth Route Army comes, we still have a small cannon. With this cannon and the terrain of our village, we won't be afraid even if a thousand Eighth Route Army soldiers come."

Xie Baoqing said with a smile.

Hearing Xie Baoqing say this, the third bandit leader knew that the other party didn't take it seriously, and hurriedly said:
"Boss, this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers is different from the previous Central Army and Jin-Sui Army. If we rob them of their things, they will definitely retaliate."

However, Xie Baoqing no longer wanted to listen to what the third brother had to say.

We finally managed to seize so many weapons, we should be happy, why are you saying such discouraging things?
"Alright, third brother, we've already robbed them, why are we saying all this? We can't just send the stolen goods back, can we? Besides, we've already killed someone, are we going to send our own brother away to apologize?"

"That's right, that's right. If the Eighth Route Army dares to come, I, Lao Jiu, will be the first to object."

"Ninth Master is a jerk!" The matter is already a fait accompli, and there's no turning back.

Bandits value loyalty above all else; even if they feel something is amiss, they cannot speak out.

Otherwise, Xie Baoqing's position as the head of the gang would be unstable!
Seeing Xie Baoqing's appearance, the third-in-command of the bandits shook his head and said:
"Boss, I have boosted the morale of others and diminished my own. I will punish myself with three cups."

As he spoke, the third leader drank three cups of wine in a row.

"it is good!"

Xie Baoqing praised him, saying he was very happy that his third son had come to his senses.

After finishing his drink, the third leader pretended to be dizzy, as if he were drunk: "Boss, I can't hold my liquor, so I'd like to go back and rest first. Brothers, have a good meal and drink!"

"go Go."

Xie Baoqing waved his hand, not paying any attention.

After receiving consent, the third leader cupped his hands in greeting and left the hall.

Once he returned to his residence, a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes, and he was no longer the drunkard he had been.

"Xie Baoqing, Xie Baoqing, why did you provoke the Eighth Route Army? You're courting death, and I'm not going to accompany you," the third leader muttered to himself.

He knew that the matter was beyond repair.

The only way to make amends now is to return all the stolen weapons and hand over all the personnel involved in the operation to the Eighth Route Army.

This is obviously impossible.

This time they mobilized more than fifty people, accounting for one-third of the stronghold's population, including the second-in-command, Mountain Cat.

Xie Baoqing would never hand these people over to the Eighth Route Army.

So now he has to run away before the Eighth Route Army retaliates, otherwise he'll be finished too.

"Damn it, of all people to mess with, they had to mess with the Independent Second Regiment. They've killed countless Japanese soldiers. Even the Black Cloud Stronghold can't afford to mess with the Japanese, yet they dared to provoke them."

The bandit leader had heard of the reputation of the Independent Second Regiment; it was a main force regiment in the Eighth Route Army with extremely strong combat capabilities.

The title of "Heroic Regiment" still circulates among the people.

This kind of force is definitely not something Black Cloud Village can contend with. If we don't hurry up and make a run for it, once the Independent Second Regiment comes knocking, we won't be able to escape even if we want to.

After collecting the money, the third bandit leader quietly left.

"Third Master, where are you going?"

The lookout asked.

"I'm going to town to find Xiao Cuihua and let her vent her anger," the third bandit leader said.

Upon hearing this, the lookout bandit gave a knowing look and said:
"Third Master, could you please pass on a message to Xiaoqing and tell her that I'll be going to see her in a couple of days?"

"It's easy to talk about."

After dealing with the lookout bandits, the third bandit leader fled down the mountain as if his life depended on it.

Chen Ming, who had already mobilized troops to arrive, saw a red dot on the map rapidly fleeing Black Cloud Mountain and said:
"Send a platoon of soldiers to block the road leading to the town from behind Black Cloud Mountain."

"Yes."

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(End of this chapter)