Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

Of course, if nothing happens, Niu Dali will most likely be exonerated.

If there had been no ambush, the two squadrons would have continued their usual practice of massacring villages near Wanping.

Niu Dali quickly relayed the intelligence and his suspicions to Li Wenguo.

Upon seeing this, Li Wenguo immediately decided: Don't touch it.

He always avoided this kind of dangerous, high-risk work.

Therefore, the Japanese were destined to come up empty-handed.

Two days later, the troops slunk back to Beiping without even seeing a trace of the anti-Japanese armed forces.

They had no choice but to order all surrounding counties to issue notices: anyone who provides clues about anti-Japanese forces will be richly rewarded with a large sum of money!

With Niu Dali's suspicion temporarily cleared, Akagi stopped causing trouble and turned to assigning other tasks.

But at this critical moment, because Niu Dali secretly revealed the detailed information about the traitors in the puppet regime, several more staunch traitors were secretly killed by secret agents in just two days.

The members of the maintenance committee were immediately filled with panic. No one dared to go home after get off work, and they all crammed into the office and slept on the floor overnight.

Niu Dali escaped a disaster because he stayed at the police station.

"Director Niu, please urge Commander Akagi to drag those anti-Japanese elements out and behead them! When will this ever end? Sigh—"

"Yes, yes, yes! The Japanese officers should be ruthless; any suspicious individuals should be executed! Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!"

"Absolutely! I haven't even dared to shower these past few days, I feel so musty!"

"Me too! The newly acquired third concubine has been sitting in the house for days; who knows when she'll climb over the wall and run away!"

"If I had known... I would never have joined this puppet regime!"

"..."

A group of slick-haired, powdered-faced traitors surrounded Niu Dali, pouring out their grievances.

"Yes! I mention this every time I report, and the Japanese officer always says 'we are doing our best to investigate,' and tells everyone to wait a little longer." Niu Dali put on a helpless look and brushed it off.

"Ugh! That line again! Now everyone I see on the street looks like an anti-Japanese fighter; it's driving me crazy!"

"Me too! I trembled for ages when I saw an old man selling candied hawthorns, I was afraid he was carrying a grenade!"

A middle-aged man and a young man stood beside him, one in front and one behind, speaking in slurred voices.

"Alright, alright, stop howling!" Niu Dali slammed his hand on the table. "Chief Akagi just issued a new order—you're all to go and take stock of the vacant houses in each area. A large number of Japanese are going to immigrate to Beiping!"

That's right.

After the Japanese occupied Beiping, the immigration plan was immediately put on the agenda.

Before long, signs will probably be put up at the park entrance: Chinese and dogs not allowed!

Even darker days are yet to come.

the next day.

"Waaaaahh ...

A train, its locomotive spewing thick black smoke, roared and sped across the desolate plains like a wild horse.

In the distance, the railway tracks were blocked by layers of huge rocks, and both rails were completely buried.

If we were to force our way through—tsk, we'd be turned upside down, the car would be destroyed, and everyone would be killed.

The driver caught sight of the jagged pile of rocks, yanked the brake lever hard, and a piercing metallic screeching sound erupted as the entire train shuddered violently and came to a stop.

"Battalion Commander Chen, the vehicle has stopped! Shall we move in?"

Sai Honglian lay prone in the withered grass, turning her head to ask Chen Jiang beside her in a low voice. She gripped the butt of her rifle tightly in her palm, wishing she could pounce on him immediately and crush those Japanese soldiers into the mud.

"Wait a little longer." Chen Jiang's gaze was fixed on the carriage, his voice steady. "There are heavy weapons on board, and the Japanese must be guarding it. Let's wait until they get off and disperse before we push forward."

"They get the upper hand by fighting from inside the carriage; we're lying in the open field without even a rock to cover ourselves—it's a huge loss."

Sai Honglian pursed her lips and nodded, remaining silent. She knew in her heart that she had indeed been impatient just now.

Sure enough, more than half an hour later, the two Japanese squads tensed up, picked up their rifles, and jumped off the train one after the other. Their boots crunched on the gravel as they looked around, as alert as frightened wolves.

The sixth carriage!

Chen Jiang memorized this location—the main force of the Japanese army was probably holed up inside.

That batch of supplies is most likely hidden in the fifth or seventh section.

"Battalion Commander Chen, the Japanese are coming down. Should we engage them?"

"Don't forget, when they were ambushed, their first reaction was to send a telegram for help." Sai Honglian lowered her voice. "Beijing is only thirty kilometers away from here. The Japanese trucks can reach us in an hour."

"Yes." Chen Jiang nodded: "You take some men and notify the artillery to bombard the sixth section! First Company, Second Company, Third Company, follow me and flank them from both sides!"

"Bang--!"

He pulled the trigger, and the gunshot rang out like thunder, splitting the wilderness.

All three teams were equipped with long-range rifles and used the slope and bushes for cover, attacking from both sides. Although the enemy was elite, they had just gotten off the vehicle and were busy moving stones. Caught off guard by the attack, they were thrown into chaos, and more than half of them fell in less than ten minutes.

The artillery regiment had its sights firmly set on the target. Several shells struck, and the sixth carriage twisted and deformed on the spot, billowing black smoke.

But when the Japanese soldiers inside heard the gunshots, not one of them hid. Instead, they flung open the car doors, roared, and rushed out, preferring to be exposed to the light of day rather than cower in the metal shell as live targets.

Those Japanese soldiers of that era were tough, ruthless, and fought like their lives depended on it. Otherwise, how could the Nationalist army have suffered such a crushing defeat, first losing Nanjing and then retreating to Chongqing?

Even with the train carriages blown apart, dozens of Japanese soldiers still managed to jump out and fight back desperately. However, Chen Jiang and his men, taking full advantage of the terrain, repeatedly maneuvered through the shadows of the trees and the undulating grass, ultimately wiping out an entire company cleanly and decisively. Their own side suffered only five casualties, with a dozen or so wounded, none of them seriously.

Sai Honglian personally took down seven or eight Japanese soldiers in this battle, her brows revealing a sharp and decisive spirit. It was just a pity that four of her brothers had been killed, and her heart sank slightly—but what war doesn't end with death? She gritted her teeth, swallowed the bitterness, and turned to search for the spoils of war.

Sure enough, the seventh carriage was piled high with supplies. Several Japanese officers put up a stubborn resistance but were captured by the Red Army in close combat, at the cost of five lives.

Before the words were even finished, three large trucks, kicking up clouds of yellow dust, sped towards them from afar.

This was a "steel foot" that Li Wenguo secretly prepared before the Japanese invasion—specifically for ambushes and robberies.

"Haha, rice, flour, oil, salt, bandages, medicine bottles, everything's here! Without these three vehicles, if we relied solely on carrying things by hand, we wouldn't even be able to get them away, we'd probably run into the Japanese reinforcements coming from Beijing halfway there!" Chen Jiang grinned as he watched the soldiers load the boxes onto the vehicles like a flowing river.

"Indeed! It's all thanks to Master Li's wisdom—he delivered these three 'Iron Bulls' to us before the War of Resistance. He was truly prepared!" The speaker was the Chief of Staff. Back then, he was seriously wounded by a bullet. Chen Jiang, Lao Pan, and Zhou Zheng carried him to Dr. Ke for treatment. On the way, they were chased by secret agents. At the critical moment, they met Li Wenguo, who came to their rescue, and that's how they formed a life-and-death friendship.

Upon hearing this, Sai Honglian's lips curled up slightly, and a glimmer appeared in her eyes—it was her man's affection, something others might not understand, but she did.

Only Chen Jiang and the chief of staff knew about this matter.

The truck was fully loaded, and the last can of food was crammed into the cargo compartment before the convoy immediately withdrew.

Half an hour later, three Japanese companies arrived at the scene, covered in dust.

Looking at the corpses strewn across the ground, the empty carriages, and the crooked tracks, the arriving lieutenant colonel kicked over half a sleeper, flew into a rage, and cursed:

"Baka yarou!!!"

"Malu Yelang!!!"

Most of the supplies were canned cured meat, which was quite ordinary; the truly valuable items were the Western medicines and anti-inflammatory injections.

After capturing the capital, the number of wounded soldiers on the front lines was enormous, and they relied entirely on this batch of medicine to keep them alive—the faster their wounds healed, the faster their fighting strength would recover, and the stronger the army would become. But now the medicine had been intercepted, and it was unknown when the next batch of ships would arrive. The biggest fear was that their wounds would fester and their high fevers would persist, ultimately wearing them down.

With things having come to this, the lieutenant colonel had no choice but to grit his teeth and clean up the mess: bury the fallen Japanese soldiers on the spot, interrogate the civilians in the other carriages, and question which anti-Japanese armed group had hijacked the train and whether they had clearly seen the leader's face, the type of gun, and the accent of his voice.

As a result, they only managed to glean some fragmented clues—gray military uniforms, tightly wrapped leggings, someone wearing a tattered straw hat… No one dared to say anything more, for fear of getting into trouble.

The lieutenant colonel immediately drew his sword and slashed three passengers who gave incoherent answers, splattering blood on the gravel beside the tracks.

Only after the decoupled carriages were properly re-riveted did he lead the three squadrons to turn around and return to Beijing.

Unexpectedly, just after passing Qing Shi Ao on their return journey, Ding Xiaoqi and A Gui had already led two regiments to lie in ambush on the mountain ridges on both sides, their guns aimed at the railway.

The Japanese engineering support unit numbered just over 500 men and was ambushed from a high vantage point. They had no time to react and were quickly scattered, surrounded, and wiped out.

"Ha! That's satisfying! Three more companies wiped out. Those Japanese devils are going to be furious!"

Ding Xiaoqi stood on the charred remains of the carriage, grinning widely.

"You bet! We also managed to steal three trucks—the paint was scratched, but the engines and wheels were still intact. We relied on them for everything: moving the ammunition, hauling the wounded, and getting them to safety!"

Ah Gui slapped the front of the car hard, shaking off a string of rust.

In war, how can you protect a lump of iron? If you really want to protect the vehicle, you'd have to use your brothers to fill the firing positions—that's not a worthwhile trade, lives are more precious than iron.

"However, with these three more cars, fuel consumption will increase dramatically."

Ah Gui frowned.

"What are you afraid of? Just ask Master Li to bring a few buckets of oil."

Ding Xiaoqi laughed it off, completely unconcerned.

"Are you out of your mind!" Ah Gui shook his head. "With the whole world at war right now, gasoline has long been a dead commodity under military control. No matter how well Li Ye has connections, it will be difficult for him to pry open the iron gate of the oil depot."

"Tch—you don't believe in Master Li's abilities?" Ding Xiaoqi scoffed and spat on the ground.

Meeting room at the Japanese military headquarters in Beijing.

General Nobuda's roar almost lifted the ceiling.

This ambush alone cost three companies; together with the company that was lost while escorting supplies, and the three companies that had suffered setbacks before, a total of seven companies were wiped out.

One company of 180 men, and seven squads combined, nearly 1,600 lives were lost.

The casualty figures are certainly alarming, but what's even more pressing is the loss of face—it's only been a few days since they occupied the city! They haven't even had a chance to settle in, and the anti-Japanese forces on the outskirts of the city have already taken down seven tough opponents! If things continue like this, will they wait to be bitten through the throat, or will they be skinned alive and forced to slink out of the capital in disgrace?

As a general, he probably needs to commit seppuku to atone for his sins in order to be dignified.

"From this moment forward, the entire battalion is mobilized! The two regiments are split into seven battalions, and at dawn tomorrow, they will sweep through the outskirts of Beijing in seven routes—we must find this anti-Japanese armed force and kill them without exception!"

(A regiment has over 3,000 men, two regiments have a little over 7,000 men; a battalion has about 1,100 men. The Japanese military system has always been different from ours.)

"Hi!!!"

The officers in the room stood up abruptly, their voices thunderous.

How could the military's grand display of force possibly escape the notice of that old fox, Niu Dali?

The news reached Li Wenguo's ears that very day. Without a word, he ordered He Shuting to immediately send the message to Yang Yuerong at Wang'er Mountain, and also secretly telegraphed Ding Xiaoqi and Agui, ordering everyone to hide, remain silent, and not show their faces.

Of course, he also received the news that Ding Xiaoqi had asked for gasoline.