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

He Dajun stood to the side, his heart sinking. He had been implicated by Tan Zhengyong.

The Japanese suffered a great loss at the Tan family's house last night, and today they will start arresting people one by one, following Tan Zhengyong's social connections.

He Daqing works as a chef at Tan's Restaurant and has known Tan Zhengyong for several years, so he must be on the list.

He Daqing is definitely innocent, but the Japanese won't think so.

He Dajun had no choice; he encountered this situation the very second day after returning to the courtyard house.

He quietly took a step forward, blocking He Daqing's path, and looked at the sergeant, his voice neither humble nor arrogant: "Sir, I am He Dajun, the person in charge of security for the workers at Lou's Steel Rolling Mill, personally appointed by Major Sasaki. He Daqing is my brother."

As he spoke, he took out the appointment letter from his pocket, unfolded it, and handed it over with both hands.

The village headman paused for a moment, then took the appointment order and glanced at it. It bore the red seal of the Japanese military headquarters and clearly stated: "He Dajun is appointed as the person in charge of managing the workers of the Lou's Steel Rolling Mill, reporting directly to the Imperial Army."

The village head's expression changed. He looked at He Dajun, then at the sergeant, unsure of what to do.

This was also the first time that the young woman had encountered someone whose brother was working for the Imperial Army when she went across the bridge.

He handed the appointment order to the sergeant and whispered a few words.

The sergeant took the appointment order and glanced at it. Then he looked at He Dajun, his gaze lingering on him for a few seconds.

This person stood ramrod straight, his eyes unwavering, unlike the other workers.

Moreover, the appointment certificate in his hand is genuine.

The sergeant returned the order of appointment to He Dajun and explained, "He Daqing is involved in the case of Tan Zhengyong's resistance activities and must be taken away."

He Daqing was stunned when he heard the words "Tan Zhengyong is a resistance fighter".

He had known Tan Zhengyong for several years, cooking in the same kitchen every day, and never imagined that Tan Zhengyong was an underground party member.

How did I suddenly become a resistance fighter?

She couldn't help but look at He Dajun, her eyes conveying the message: Dajun, what should we do?

In this critical moment, I still thought of my younger brother, He Dajun, who was in the army.

The other people in the courtyard were also taken aback.

Of course, He Dajun had a major headache.

He knew better than anyone what happened yesterday; Tan Zhengyong was not only a resistance fighter, but he himself was even more so.

He Daqing knows Tan Zhengyong and is now implicated; this matter cannot be dealt with forcefully.

Forcing them will only make the Japanese more suspicious.

He walked up to He Daqing and said in a low voice, "Brother, go with the Imperial Army. If they ask you anything, just tell them the truth. If you know Tan Zhengyong, just say you know him. Don't make things up or hide anything. Tell the truth, and you'll be fine."

"I'll go see Mr. Sasaki later and explain the situation to him. Don't worry, you'll be released soon."

He Daqing looked at He Dajun, his lips moved as if he wanted to say, "Does your traitorous identity even matter?", but in the end he said nothing.

Just nodded.

Now, there's no other way but to trust his cousin.

I feel utterly powerless.

The sergeant waved his hand, and two Japanese soldiers stepped forward, grabbing He Daqing's arms on either side. He Daqing stumbled as he was pulled along.

This is not over yet.

The sergeant then spoke a few more words in Japanese to the soldiers behind him, and the soldiers immediately dispersed and headed towards He Daqing's house. They were going to search it.

He Dajun stood in the courtyard, his fingers clenching at the edge of his trouser leg, his face expressionless.

Fortunately, the canned beef was finished, and Bai Ling put the grenade back into the underground secret room this morning. The floor under the bed was covered tightly.

There was nothing in the house except for pots, pans, and a few tattered clothes.

When he got up in the morning, he and Bai Ling hid things as they needed to, because they were afraid of this very thing.

Sure enough, the Japanese soldiers ransacked the house for a long time. They opened the cabinets, threw the bedding on the kang (a heated brick bed) onto the floor, and even opened the pot on the stove.

They found nothing. The sergeant snorted and turned to leave.

Two Japanese soldiers carried He Daqing behind them. He Daqing turned around and glanced at He Dajun. The look in his eyes was complicated, containing both fear and trust.

He Daqing was taken away just like that.

The courtyard was quiet for a few seconds, then each household slowly opened a crack in their door. Some people peeked out, while others withdrew and whispered among themselves.

Yan Bugui stood at the door of the south room, blinked twice behind his glasses, and looked as if he was calculating on an abacus in his mind.

Yi Zhonghai stood in the corner of the courtyard. He hadn't said a word until now, and he remained silent.

He looked at He Dajun with a complicated expression. If He Dajun really had the ability to get He Daqing out, it meant that He Dajun did have influence with the Japanese, and this person would be even more unapproachable in the courtyard in the future.

But if they can't get him out, then He Dajun is just a charlatan, and he might even be implicated and dragged down by He Daqing.

At that time, I will have my chance.

The mood among the people in the courtyard grew increasingly gloomy. Although it was He Daqing who was arrested, not themselves, no one knew if they would be next.

If the Japanese could capture He Daqing, they could capture anyone.

Only Jia Zhangshi was unusually happy.

Standing at his own doorstep, watching He Daqing being led away by two Japanese soldiers, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it.

He turned and went inside, closing the door before laughing out loud. Serves you right. You, He Daqing, wouldn't let me eat the good food, and you, He Liu, tried to fob me off with pickled vegetables. Now you're getting your comeuppance.

She walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and sat down. The more she thought about it, the happier she became. She took out half a cornbread from the kang hole, took a bite, and thought that today's cornbread was even more delicious than yesterday's.

"So what if He Dajun, that lackey, is so arrogant? His own brother was still captured by the Imperial Army. Haha."

At this moment, He Liushi couldn't help but cry. Sha Zhu was held in her arms and didn't know what was happening, but he was frightened by He Liushi's crying and also started to cry.

Bai Ling didn't cry; instead, she comforted He Liu Shi.

He Dajun thought for a moment and then said to He Liu, "Sister-in-law, I'll go find that little Japanese devil Sasaki later. My brother will be fine; he'll be released by the afternoon at the latest."

Looking at He Dajun, He Liushi said haltingly, "Okay, thank you, Dajun. I don't know what to do now, I can only rely on you."

He Dajun said that was the case, and then added, "My brother only knows Tan Zhengyong. There are many chefs at Tan Family Restaurant, and they all know Tan Zhengyong. It's impossible to arrest them all."

After thinking about it, He Liu felt that it made sense, and her mood relaxed considerably.

Of course, He Dajun knew that the situation was complicated, but he had to do his job. He gave Bai Ling a few instructions and went outside to find Xu Wude.

Afterwards, the group left the courtyard and walked along the alley towards the steel rolling mill.

When He Dajun walked onto the street, he noticed that there were significantly more Japanese soldiers on the road.

A temporary sentry post has been set up at the street corner. Several Japanese soldiers carrying Type 38 rifles stand behind sandbags, bayonets already fixed to the barrels, staring at everyone who passes by with eyes like wolves eyeing a flock of sheep.

Japanese patrols passed by from time to time, their leather boots clattering on the stone pavement, their bayonets gleaming coldly in the morning light. One patrol after another passed by, as if the entire street was filled with the sound of their boots.

Meanwhile, a group of Japanese soldiers were going door to door, banging on doors and forcing residents out of their homes to line up in the alley for inspection.

A translator stood to the side, holding a booklet and asking each person their name, age, number of family members, and where they worked.

Some people were crying, some were begging for mercy, and the sound of boots slamming against the door mingled with the sound of whistles, carrying far across the quiet morning streets.

An old woman was dragged out of the house. She could barely stand and was trembling against the wall. Japanese soldiers smashed her door with the butts of their rifles, cracking the door.

The dozen or so people in the courtyard walked with their heads down, not daring to look at the Japanese soldiers.

He Dajun walked in the group, his face expressionless, but he was making plans in his mind.

Although the battle at Tan Zhengyong's house last night was short, the Japanese suffered such heavy losses that they cannot let it go lightly.

It now appears that they have likely begun to expand their search, using Tan Zhengyong's house as the center. They are checking house to house, searching tunnels, weapons, and suspicious persons.

The courtyard house is only a few alleys away from Tan Zhengyong's house, about a ten-minute walk away. They'll find out about this place sooner or later.

Therefore, He Daqing suffered the consequences.

Thinking this way, He Dajun felt that he needed to quickly gain a higher status.

The position of security chief is, to put it bluntly, just a lackey. The Japanese will give you a bone to gnaw on if they're happy, but they can push you out as a scapegoat whenever they're unhappy.

To protect He Daqing's family and Bai Ling, and to safeguard the people in the courtyard, he had to become a formidable lackey, someone the Japanese wouldn't dare to mess with.

This guy is preparing to work hard to become the king of traitors.