You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

On the other side, in the dilapidated stables of the mountain village, a foul stench filled the air.

A hundred or so bandits, their hands bound behind their backs with thick hemp ropes, lay sprawled on the ground, snoring loudly.

They were kept up until midnight last night, and were terrified by the gunshots and explosions. They finally managed to fall asleep before dawn.

"Arise, all of you, arise!"

The wooden door was kicked open, and the morning light streamed in.

Several armed soldiers rushed in, and without any hesitation, they smashed the butts of their rifles onto the bandits who were still lying down.

"Ouch!"

"Sir, be gentle..."

"Stop hitting me, stop hitting me, get up."

The bandits were jolted awake and got up cursing.

Most of them were dressed in tattered homespun clothes, their faces were dirty, and their eyes still held the fear and bewilderment of the previous night.

In the Republican era, most of those who went up the mountain to become bandits were not good people.

They were either deserters, thugs, or desperate criminals.

Even if there were ordinary people who were coerced into joining the group, they had already been forced to pledge their loyalty beforehand—either by killing someone or by participating in looting, and their hands were stained with blood.

Lin Feng was aware of this.

Therefore, his order to Zhao Dashan was very clear: keep a close eye on him, and deal with him directly if he doesn't behave.

The soldiers carried it out more thoroughly.

"Line up, no whispering allowed."

"Hurry up, what are you dawdling for?"

They were shoved with rifle butts, and shouts and curses continued.

The bandits were driven out of the stables and lined up in two crooked rows, escorted by soldiers to the central open space.

Along the way, many people secretly glanced around.

The collapsed assembly hall was still smoking, the bloodstains on the ground had not yet dried, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and acridity.

And look at the soldiers escorting them—

Their uniforms were impeccable, their weapons were excellent, and their eyes were cold.

What the hell is this military unit from?

Erlong Mountain is a strategically important and dangerous place, so how did these soldiers sneak up here so quietly?

They also brought heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and hand grenades...

As for?

The brothers were like bandits, bullying the local people, kidnapping them, robbing them, and so on.

With this kind of force, you could probably fight the Japanese!

We arrived at the central open space.

Lin Feng stood beside the pile of spoils boxes, explaining something to Zhao Dashan.

The morning light shone on his face; he was young, but expressionless.

In the bandit group, a man with a pointed face and monkey-like features rolled his eyes, suddenly knelt down with a thud, and began to wail at the top of his lungs:

"Sir, sir, spare my life!"

He kowtowed and cried out, "I was forced to come up the mountain. They killed my whole family. If I didn't comply, I would die... I have never harmed anyone. Please, sir, investigate and spare my life."

He was moved to tears, and his acting was superb.

Seeing this, several bandits nearby also knelt down, begging for mercy in unison:

"I was forced into it."

"Sir, I have an eighty-year-old mother at home..."

"I have elderly parents to care for and young children to raise..."

Lin Feng turned around and looked at them.

His eyes were calm.

As a soul that traveled from the 21st century, he naturally had compassion.

But that compassion is for the ordinary people ravaged by war in this era, and for those compatriots who were harmed by the Japanese invaders.

It's not for these bandits.

Having worked his way up in the corporate world for so many years, he's long past the stage of blindly believing whatever others say.

Moreover, in the original owner's memory, the bandits of Erlong Mountain were notorious in the Qing County area, and they had done a lot of things like kidnapping, murdering people, and robbing villages.

Among these people kneeling and weeping, there might be some who personally chopped off the heads of hostages.

"Shut up."

Lin Feng's voice wasn't loud, but it was very intimidating.

The kneeling bandits froze.

He waved.

The soldier with the gun immediately stepped forward and swung his rifle butt to smash it down.

"Ouch."

"Oh my god."

The first man with the pointed mouth who cried out was hit on the shoulder with the butt of a rifle, screamed, and fell to the ground.

The others were too frightened to utter a sound and knelt trembling.

Lin Feng ignored them and turned to Zhao Dashan, asking, "Are there any more hostages in the stronghold? Ordinary hostages?"

Zhao Dashan shook his head: "We've searched everywhere, but there's nothing. We asked the prisoners, and they all said they haven't been able to tie up any 'fat sheep' lately. Well... you're the only one."

Lin Feng nodded.

That's normal.

Bandits kidnap people for ransom. If they manage to kidnap someone, they either keep them locked up until the ransom is paid or kill them. They won't leave them on the mountain to eat for free.

"Alright."

He glanced at the bandit prisoners: "Take them all down the mountain. Once we get to the county town, hand them over to the county government for processing."

Actually, he would prefer to just kill all of them—it would save trouble and he could earn some merit points.

However, considering that his current official identity is still that of the head of the security team, he cannot act too outrageously.

Hand it over to the county government, follow the proper procedures, execute those who should be executed, imprison those who should be imprisoned, and that will be an explanation to the local area.

more importantly……

There was also a man in the city named "Huang Silang" Master Wang, who needed the reputation of successfully suppressing bandits.

The soldiers began to drive the prisoners into a line.

Lin Feng stopped Zhao Dashan: "Leave one squad behind, pour lamp oil and firewood into the stronghold, and light it after we've gone far away. We can't leave this place here, lest it be taken over by other bandits later."

"clear."

"Set off."

-----

The road down the mountain was difficult to walk on.

Erlong Mountain is not high, but its terrain is rugged, with winding paths that are sometimes only wide enough for one person to pass through.

The column stretched out in a long line, with a scouting squad at the front, followed by Lin Feng and the main force, prisoners in the middle, and wagons loaded with food and supplies at the back.

After walking for more than an hour, Lin Feng suddenly raised his hand and said, "Stop."

He looked at a patch of bushes by the roadside.

There were several corpses lying there.

They wore khaki-colored security uniforms that had turned black and smelled foul, with flies buzzing around them.

It must have been those defeated soldiers under the original owner who got lost in the mountains while fleeing and were caught and killed by bandits.

Lin Feng frowned.

He transmigrated and inherited this body and identity. Although he had no feelings for the original owner, he was now the head of the security team.

It's not appropriate to leave your soldiers to rot in the wilderness.

"Let's go look for them; there should be some along the way."

He ordered, "Have the prisoners move the bodies and gather them in that open area in front."

The soldiers carried it out immediately.

The prisoners were forced at gunpoint, their faces contorted with grief, to move the corpses.

In the summer heat, the body had started to smell, and maggots fell out of the clothes when it was moved.

"vomit--"

The bandits were stunned on the spot.

The escorting soldier slammed his rifle butt at them, yelling, "Hurry up! This is all your doing, what are you dawdling for?"

Lin Feng stood by the roadside, watching this scene unfold.

My heart was stirred once again.

In his past life in the workplace, he had heard of people dying from overwork and jumping off buildings after being laid off.

But that's a low-probability event, and of course, he was unlucky enough to encounter it himself.

But that was different from the Republican era.

In the era he lives in now, death is commonplace.

After walking a long stretch of mountain road, we finally found a relatively open slope near the end of the mountain.

The bodies were piled together, a total of twenty-three.

Some were killed by knives, and some by gunshots.

Another person was tied to a tree with his chest cut open, suggesting he was captured and tortured to death.

Lin Feng glanced at it and then looked away.

Damn it, what a world.

"Pour oil on it and burn it."

He paused, then added, "Remember to write down their names according to the badges on their uniforms, and help their families claim compensation later."

Although the security regiments were local ragtag groups, and most of their soldiers were just there to make a living, they still had to maintain a certain level of decorum since they were wearing those uniforms.

The fire was quickly lit.

Black smoke billowed into the sky, standing out conspicuously in the valley during the day.

Lin Feng was preparing to give the order to continue the journey—

"There, there are people over there!"

The soldiers on guard suddenly pointed to the other side of the mountain path.

Lin Feng turned his head to look.

A dozen or so people in tattered uniforms were seen scrambling out of the woods.

The leader was a young man who wasn't wearing a hat, his hair was a mess like a bird's nest, and his face was covered in mud and ash.

When he saw Lin Feng, his eyes widened suddenly, and then he burst into tears, running and scrambling towards him.

"Cousin, cousin—"

He rushed to Lin Feng, hugged him tightly around the waist, and cried his heart out:

"It's too tragic...it's too tragic, cousin. Wang Mazi was captured by those damned bandits, tied to a tree, and hacked to pieces like a pig, his intestines spilling out all over the ground...and Li Laosi, his head was chopped off and used as a football..."

He was crying and snotting his eyes out, and his words were incoherent.

Lin Feng rummaged through his memories.

The guy crying so enthusiastically is Zhao Yushu, the original owner's cousin. He came to stay with the original owner from his hometown two years ago, and the original owner arranged for him to have a sinecure as the battalion commander of the third battalion in the security regiment.

It was really just a pretext for receiving a salary without working, since the entire security regiment only had half a battalion of about 300 soldiers.

This guy is usually idle, but he has a sweet tongue, knows how to get things done, and only has a high school education. He can help the original owner with paperwork, and the original owner quite likes him.

Lin Feng bent down and pulled him up: "Alright, stop crying. It's good that you're alive."

Zhao Yushu wiped his face, tears mixed with mud and ash, making his face look messy.

He sobbed, "Cousin, the camp was blown up that night, we were all stunned... Some of the brothers ran away, some scattered, and I wandered around in the mountains for more than a day, completely lost. I only came here when I saw smoke coming from this side..."

The dozen or so defeated soldiers behind him were also in a sorry state.

Their uniforms were tattered, some were barefoot, and some had rags wrapped around their heads as bandages; their eyes were filled with fear and lingering dread.

Lin Feng glanced at them and asked, "Just these people?"

"There should still be some, scattered in the mountains. I'll take some people to call them back."

Zhao Yushu turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone come out! The regimental commander is here, it's safe!"

There was a rustling sound in the woods, and then a dozen or so people emerged one after another.

At noon, Lin Feng took a headcount.

A total of 127 people.

Moreover, the vast majority of them did not have guns; they either threw them away or had them confiscated by bandits when they fled.

Only a dozen or so people were still carrying Hanyang rifles or old-fashioned rifles.

Lin Feng looked at the group of defeated soldiers and shook his head inwardly.

With such fighting strength, it's no wonder they were routed by bandits in a night raid.

But there's nothing he can do; he's now the head of the security force, and these people are his troops.

At least... it's good for increasing the number of participants.

"Zhao Yushu".

"Yes, Commander, please give your orders."

Once Zhao Yushu had recovered, he knew he should now address the regimental commander.

"You are in charge of organizing the team, following the team, compiling the list of fallen brothers, and distributing compensation to those who are due."

"Yes."

Zhao Yushu immediately straightened his back, his face still wet with tears, but he had already put on an expression that said, "I'm very reliable."

Lin Feng didn't say anything more and turned to walk towards his unit.

The soldiers redeemed by the system have lined up again, silently awaiting orders.

Compared to the chaotic rout of the defeated soldiers over there, this side was his true reliance.

But the road ahead is still long.

What awaits him in Qing County is probably more than just a victory celebration banquet.

And then there are those "Huang Silang" who collude with bandits and Japanese devils, those eyes hiding in the shadows.

And...the ever-approaching shadow of war.