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

"Order: At the first shot, take action!"

"Hi! Captain Akagi!"

The adjutant bowed and accepted the order.

But before the words were finished—

"Boom!!!"

"Boom!!!"

"Boom!!!"

"Boom!!!"

Akagi Toshio froze abruptly, his pupils shrinking sharply.

Where was the gunshot?

Where's the gunshot we were expecting?

Why is it all... cannon fire?

Or... an 88mm howitzer?

His lips trembled, and veins bulged on his forehead.

Who the hell is firing the gun?

Outside the city? Impossible!

Could it be...they?

boom!

boom!

boom!

boom!

A deafening roar tore through the sky, sending plumes of black smoke billowing and debris flying above the train station—only then did Toshio Akagi snap back to reality.

It turns out that anti-Japanese patriots were indeed raiding the train station, but their target was assassination... Bah! Assassination? Who has ever seen someone carrying heavy artillery to carry out an assassination?

Assassination with cannons? Absurd! This is utter madness!

Having lived for over forty years, this was the first time Akagi Toshio had ever seen someone use a howitzer as a dagger. Did he really think it was a scene from the play "The Burning of Bowangpo"?

What's even more chilling is that the anti-Japanese forces in Beiping have become so arrogant!

He had barely stood there for three seconds when the platform erupted into chaos: screams filled the air, Japanese engineers lay sprawled on the ground, and even the slick-haired, impeccably dressed "new mayor" was thrown to the ground in a pool of blood. Just four shells, but all of them were solid high-explosive shells from the Type 92 infantry gun!

If another round of this happens, the entire station will probably collapse into a pile of rubble.

Before he could finish speaking, four more thunderclaps rang out—the artillery fire poured down once more.

"Captain!!!"

"What do we do?!"

The adjutant grabbed the distraught Akagi Toshio, his voice cracking.

Akagi Toshio roared, "Quickly! Order the military police to split into four groups and immediately surround the artillery positions!"

"Help! Help! Help!!!"

"Baka! The Communist army has invaded the city?!"

The office of General Nobuda at the headquarters of the Japanese North China Garrison Army.

The door was kicked open, and the adjutant stumbled in.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the reconnaissance troops have been dispatched, but the source of the explosion clearly points to the train station—most likely aimed at the newly appointed Mayor Tang Hansheng!"

When the adjutant uttered the word "assassination," his Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed the rest of his sentence, "Bombarding with artillery counts as assassination?"

"Assassination?!"

"Baka! You think this is a monkey show?!"

"To assassinate someone with a howitzer? That's open murder! A blatant declaration of war!"

"How did they manage to drag the cannon into the inner city?!"

"Is Akagi Toshio blind or stupid? He can't even see four cannons hidden right under his nose?!"

"Idiot! Fool!"

General Nobuda flew into a rage, spitting all over the map.

Before the words were even finished, the third wave of explosions crashed down, sending dust flying from the entire building and shattering the glass with a crackling sound.

By the Emperor's command... what if they turn their cannons around and bombard this place directly?

General Shinoda's face turned deathly pale. He overturned the table and shouted, "Withdraw! Withdraw from headquarters immediately!"

He turned and ran wildly toward the stairwell, followed by a group of officers who didn't even bother to put on their hats and stumbled after him.

By the Emperor's name... these anti-Japanese elements are truly courting death!

Inside the small Western-style building in the embassy district.

"Sir, are you really going to use cannons to deal with that traitor Tang Hansheng?"

As soon as the first cannon shot rang out, He Shuting jumped up from her rattan chair, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

She never imagined that her husband could be so audacious—isn't artillery fire something for the battlefield?

"What assassination of a traitor?"

"Did you make that noise?"

Yang Yuerong also stood frozen by the window, her fingers still resting on the rim of the teacup.

Their relationship was just starting to improve, and Li Wenguo figured that letting her see the organization's methods firsthand would be more effective than a hundred sweet words. So he made an exception and invited her to the event, while He Shuting explained the details of the mission from the side.

Cannon assassination?

Her temples throbbed, and she quietly took a deep breath.

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do."

"The intelligence had already leaked the information—an entire company of Japanese soldiers, nearly two hundred men, were lurking in the train station as escorts."

"Without cannons, relying on manpower to charge? How many lives would be lost? Once he's inside the city hall, he'll be impossible to approach."

Li Wenguo shrugged, his brows furrowed as if in a knot.

"But isn't your method... a bit too conspicuous?"

"The whole city heard it; even the roof beams were shaking."

He Shuting chuckled awkwardly and scratched her temple.

"What do you think, Yue Rong?"

He asked casually, hoping to get her involved and make the room a little warmer.

Ever since she learned that He Shuting was Li Wenguo's lawfully wedded wife, Yang Yuerong's feelings of closeness faded, leaving only a polite, businesslike demeanor.

He remained indifferent, neither warm nor cold, and refused to give anyone the cold shoulder, but he wouldn't give them another glance or say another word.

He Shuting understood this barrier, but what could she do? She could only follow the rules her husband had set.

"It's truly astonishing... but right now, it's probably the only thing that can be accomplished."

Yang Yuerong nodded.

Having served in the military, she knew the weight of artillery. Frowning slightly, she asked again, "What about those four heavy cannons? Can we still recapture them?"

"I'm afraid it will be difficult."

Li Wenguo slowly shook his head. "Those things weigh several tons each. Right now, the Japanese army has sealed off the area completely. Carrying them would be suicide."

"What a pity... If it could have been delivered to the field troops outside the city, it would have been a truly powerful weapon to keep the troops in check."

Yang Yuerong sighed softly, her tone filled with resentment.

Seeing a hint of melancholy in her eyes, Li Wenguo's heart warmed—his opportunity had arrived. He seized the moment and said, "How about this? I still have four of the same type of howitzers on hand. Once things calm down, I'll allocate them directly to Battalion Commander Chen Jiang and his men in your name. What do you say?"

Since the organization's survival was at stake, Yang Yuerong temporarily put aside her grudges and a faint smile appeared on her lips: "Then on behalf of the organization, I thank you for your great help."

"Haha, no problem at all!" Li Wenguo laughed heartily, patting his chest. "As long as you agree to marry me as my concubine, all your future supplies will be doubled!"

He was showing real money, not just empty words.

He wouldn't even blink an eye at the prospect of mountains of gold and silver if she agreed.

"this……"

Yang Yuerong's heart skipped a beat.

If it meant sacrificing herself to give the organization more confidence and a better chance of winning—she was willing. Besides, the person in front of her was someone she had always cherished.

But the humiliation of being deceived still stings deep in my bones.

After thinking for a long time, she quietly clenched the hem of her clothes and made up her mind: once the child is born, she will give him her life.

"Let me think about it some more."

"Okay! No rush, take your time to think about it."

Li Wenguo's smile deepened, and he nodded in satisfaction.

To keep Yang Yuerong under control, we need to start with the most important factor in her mind – the word "organization" is the key.

Finally, five salvos were fired, and twenty shells rained down, causing the entire train station and surrounding streets to collapse into piles of rubble.

The artillery squad quickly withdrew to their pre-arranged position, entered the tunnels, and quietly slipped out of the city.

Niu Dali, the clone, had already led a team of patrolmen to the firing point, acting as if he were chasing a suspect. He arrived at one of the gun positions a step ahead of the Japanese military police, and under the pretext of patrolling, he climbed the building alone and skillfully disassembled, packed up, and took away an intact howitzer.

The other three gates are too far apart; turning back now would only alert the enemy, so we had to give up.

Not long after I went downstairs, I bumped into a group of anxious-looking military police carrying notebooks.

"Komatsu-kun! You're here! Thank you for your hard work!!!"

Niu Dali immediately put on a submissive smile.

"Have you seen any anti-Japanese elements?" Komatsu demanded sharply.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, I just arrived myself, and the brothers are searching house to house!"

"Quick! Come with me!"

Unable to get a clear answer, Xiaosong turned around and led his men into the depths of the alley.

If they can't catch the person, they'll inevitably get a severe scolding when they get back.

Ha, you can't even touch a shadow of it!

Niu Dali watched their hurried departure, a slight smile playing on his lips, a cold sneer in his heart.

Sure enough, the Japanese military police searched the ruins thoroughly but only managed to find three dud cannons; they didn't even find a hair on the ground.

This scheme to lure spies by using Tang Hansheng's appearance completely backfired—not only did they miss their target, but the bait was also destroyed.

He tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead, and even lost the life of a traitor.

Akagi Toshio was immediately summoned by General Nobuda and given a severe dressing-down seven or eight times.

Worse still, General Nobuda had already decided: this man is utterly useless and must be replaced! If this kind of person continues to guard the capital, his own head will be hanging by a thread sooner or later.

He immediately reported to headquarters, demanding not only Akagi's dismissal but also urging the intelligence agency to send capable personnel to replace him.

He had experienced it firsthand—the local party agents and underground party members hidden in the capital were like shadows, and relying solely on the military police was like throwing an egg against a rock.

We should let professionals handle professional matters.

In fact, the Black Dragon Society and the Special Higher Police were originally entrenched in the capital, but Li Wenguo uprooted and wiped them out completely by using high-ranking municipal officials.

The city is now virtually devoid of Japanese spies, which allows them to act with such impunity.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Akagi Toshio was transferred to a small town that had just fallen to continue serving as the military police captain.

After all, he has powerful connections, so he won't be completely stripped of his position; but if he is found guilty of dereliction of duty, he can only be exiled to the frontier—it's stable, but it will be difficult for him to make any further contributions or get promoted.

The newly appointed military police captain, Yu Kongdejian, was in his early thirties, with a fair complexion, shiny slicked-back hair, and an air of arrogance about him.

Niu Dali had met him several times in the past few days and could tell at a glance that this man was extremely arrogant and self-confident to the point of being conceited.

Every time he stared at Niu Dali and his gang of traitors, his eyes were filled with contempt and sarcasm. When it came to the former military police captain, Akagi Toshio, he even sneered at him to his face and called him a "good-for-nothing"—claiming that if he were in charge of the capital, he would have uprooted the city's spies and local traitors long ago, and there would be no more chaos and panic in the city.

Seriously, so arrogant!

As Niu Dali listened, the corners of his mouth pressed down imperceptibly, but he sneered inwardly: Let's see when you'll fall and get all bruised and battered.

Mikuryuu was ten times more ruthless than Akagi Toshio. He not only detained large numbers of migrant workers, but also allowed his men to run rampant in the streets, robbing and plundering. The number of people dying suddenly in the capital was rising steadily, and there wasn't even enough time to collect the bodies.

Countless families have been destroyed and people have been separated from their loved ones.

In his eyes, Chinese people were not even as good as livestock.

The entire capital was thrown into chaos and confusion, with even the air smelling of rust.

Many local party members secretly clenched their fists, their teeth grinding, wishing they could kill him with a single blow.

It can be used to defend against any air gaps and is so airtight that it is impossible to get through. Every time he goes out, he is accompanied by two squads of military police for close protection. They are impenetrable to needles and water.

Whether General Nobuda was genuinely wary of the deep-seated forces lurking in the city or deliberately turned a blind eye, he remained indifferent to Mikuruma's atrocities and showed no concern for the lives of the common people.

Of course, his frantic search was not without its rewards: he did manage to uncover several local party members, and two secret agents were dragged into the basement of the military police headquarters.

Now that his underling had been captured, Li Wenguo naturally had to return the favor with a "generous gift."

Let's start with his brother-in-law—the powerful military police squad leader.

They then blew up another Japanese bullet workshop.

For the past month, Niu Dali has been working day and night, scouting and making reconnaissance, and finally located the military factory where Xiaobenzi was hiding in the mountains in the western suburbs.