Courtyard House: I only wiped out 30,000 Japanese pirates

He Dajun guessed that the Japanese wouldn't leave only one squad to ambush them here; there must be patrol teams nearby that would rush over as soon as they heard the explosion.

He didn't clean up the battlefield, nor did he check for survivors. He just stood at the tunnel entrance.

This is a preparation to besiege the stronghold and attack reinforcements.

Sure enough, seven or eight minutes later, the sound of a motorcycle could be heard in the distance.

First there was a buzzing sound, which grew louder and louder, and then the headlights of two motorcycles flashed briefly at the alley entrance.

The motorcycles stopped, followed by the sound of Japanese soldiers running, their leather boots clattering on the gravel. At least twenty or thirty men had arrived.

It was past midnight, the middle of the night, and the Japanese soldiers reacted surprisingly quickly.

Then, the beam of a large flashlight was turned on and shone inside, and someone was giving orders loudly in Japanese, in short and urgent voices.

Then, the Japanese soldiers shone large flashlights on themselves and set up their battle formation.

A Type 92 heavy machine gun was mounted on the low wall opposite the alley entrance, with its muzzle pointing directly at Tan Zhengyong's house.

Two light machine guns were deployed to the left and right, and the infantry were divided into three groups, slowly advancing from three directions.

This is a standard search and annihilation formation that the Japanese have practiced countless times and used effectively in the northern region.

This is the first time it's been used in the hutongs of Beijing.

The heavy machine gun fired.

Bullets rained down on the dilapidated house like water, sending bricks and clods of earth flying everywhere, and dozens more bullet holes appeared in the walls.

The two crooked-handled guns on both sides also opened fire, and the crossfire wove a net across the ruins.

The infantrymen began throwing grenades, one after another, into the ruins. The explosions mingled with the machine gun fire, creating a deafening sound.

In the darkness, the firelight shone brightly.

The flash of the explosion illuminated the entire alley, waking up nearby residents.

The sound of a child crying came from the next alley; someone was shouting and someone was running. But no one dared to go out.

The families blocked their doors even tighter, some covered their heads with blankets, and others hid under the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), trembling with fear.

The child cried, but his mouth was covered.

This is a chaotic world.

He Dajun had been waiting for this moment.

He redeemed another thirty grenades from the system. Holding the grenades, he didn't care about anything else and just threw them around randomly.

This is completely disregarding who is there, just using sound to blast.

Thirty hand grenades, in a very short time, drew dozens of arcs in the air and crashed into the heavy machine gun position.

The booming sounds almost overlapped.

The first thing they did was throw three grenades, which silenced the heavy machine gun.

The sergeant was blown away, his sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, a piece of shrapnel embedded in the blade.

Immediately afterwards, he threw out five more grenades.

Then three more.

He Dajun gave them no chance to catch their breath.

The remaining Japanese soldiers were terrified.

How many people are hiding here? Why is the firepower so fierce? When the heavy machine guns were firing at them at first, they thought there were only seven or eight people on the other side at most.

The situation seems to be wrong now; grenades are coming from all directions and exploding almost simultaneously.

This doesn't look like someone throwing a grenade; it looks like someone has set up a machine gun in the ruins.

Rumble!

The flashes and smoke from the grenade explosions enveloped the ruins like a pot of boiling water.

The infantrymen lay prone on the ground, frantically fighting back as they retreated. Some were grazed by shrapnel, screaming as they dragged themselves back. Others huddled against the wall, firing wildly with their rifles raised above their heads.

The commander was shouting, his voice shrill and urgent, then abruptly stopped—he had been killed.

Seven minutes later, the gunfire stopped.

The smoke and dust in the room and alley slowly dissipated, and a strong smell of gunpowder and blood wafted through the alley.

The alley was littered with the corpses of Japanese soldiers, some lying face down on piles of rubble, some lying on their backs, and some curled up against the walls in all sorts of strange positions.

Many of those who were bombed were left with incomplete limbs.

These Japanese devils were all killed.

He Dajun squatted in the ruins, panting heavily.

His ears were still ringing, and his right index finger had stiffened into a hook.

Afterwards, I checked the system and my score. The battle lasted less than an hour. I killed 33 Japanese soldiers and earned 38,000 defense-breaking points.

After deducting the 100 points for exchanging for the shovel and the points for the grenade, there are still more than 410,000 points left.

It's more than enough; it's simply impossible to use it all up.

Afterwards, He Dajun picked up some of the Japanese soldiers' weapons, retreated back into the tunnel, and then resealed the gap.

The broken bricks and rammed earth were put back in, sealing it even more tightly than before.

Even if the Japanese came to search again, it would be difficult to find the tunnel entrance.

Eight minutes later, He Dajun returned to the courtyard house and knocked on the door.

Then Bai Ling asked softly, "Who is it?"

"It's me," He Dajun said. Soon, the door opened.

The room was dark, so He Dajun couldn't see Bai Ling's expression.

Bai Ling asked him quietly about his trip.

He Dajun said a few words briefly. He said he went to Uncle Tan's house, which had been bombed and the Japanese had set up an ambush there. They fought a battle, but he was unharmed.

Then he paused, his tone becoming serious.

"Uncle Tan... and Xiaoguang, they may have already sacrificed themselves."

Bai Ling stood in the darkness, silent for a long time.

Her hand rested on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her fingers slowly tightening, her nails scratching the wood.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.

She hadn't known Tan Zhengyong for long, but they were comrades.

I was naturally very sad, but I didn't cry. For someone doing underground work, tears are the most precious thing. Crying out loud would give me away, but not crying out loud is even more painful than not crying at all.

She also did not tell He Dajun Tan Zhengyong's identity.

Although she could tell from He Dajun's tone that He Dajun had probably guessed Tan Zhengyong's identity.

Otherwise, why would an ordinary cook come out to help them fight the Japanese and stay behind to cover their retreat?

But He Dajun didn't ask, and she didn't say anything either.

Some things are better left unsaid; it's better to keep them to yourself.

He Dajun returned the grenade to Bai Ling and then said that he had found more than ten kilograms of rice there and brought it back specifically.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ling finally couldn't hold back her tears.

This left He Dajun somewhat at a loss, so he took off his jacket again and draped it over the chair. He then took another shower, as he was covered in sweat.

After returning to the bedroom, He Dajun lay down on the floor.

Bai Ling didn't speak, lying silently on the kang (heated brick bed). Darkness gradually engulfed the two of them.

They both went to sleep, and the night passed without further ado.

When Bai Ling woke up the next day, she found that He Dajun was already up.

The quilt was neatly folded and placed in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed), and the old cotton-padded jacket on the floor was also folded and draped over the back of the chair.

He Dajun was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at Bai Ling.

Bai Ling opened her eyes, met his gaze, quickly sat up, and tidied her hair.

After sleeping all night, a few strands of her hair were sticking up. She reached out and pressed them down, but couldn't.

"Good morning, wife." He Dajun greeted her.

Bai Ling replied, "Good morning, Dajun."

Afterwards, the two washed their faces together.

He Dajun scooped half a basin of cold water from the water tank and washed himself first, splashing water on his face with both hands before drying himself with a towel.

I'm changing the water to wash Bai Ling.

After washing their faces, the two went to the public restroom together.

The toilets in Beijing are rather strange, because due to the underground sewer system, there are basically no private toilets in courtyard houses.

Normally, there's a queue in front of the public toilet at the entrance of the alley when you get up in the morning. People from all over the neighborhood bring out their chamber pots to empty them and squat down for a bit. While squatting in the stalls, they can chat for a while through the wooden planks.

Now that the Japanese have entered the city, far fewer people are going out in the mornings, and more families are going out together.

He Dajun and Bai Ling went to the men's and women's restrooms respectively.

A little while later, when He Dajun came out of the men's restroom, he ran into He Daqing.

Seeing He Daqing carrying Sha Zhu, He Dajun greeted him, and then waited for He Daqing to come out before carrying Sha Zhu himself.

Sha Zhu mumbled "Uncle" under his breath.

Since eating the paper-wrapped candy He Dajun gave him yesterday, Sha Zhu has become much more affectionate towards his second uncle whom he hasn't seen in a long time.

Children's world is so simple: they become close to whoever gives them candy.

A little while later, Bai Ling and He Liu also came out and went back into the house together.

After arriving home, Bai Ling went to the side room, brought out four or five catties of rice, and handed it to He Liu Shi, saying, "Sister-in-law, this is the rice that Da Jun brought back last night. Our family will eat it."

He Liu took the rice, and her eyes lit up immediately.