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

Seeing Sasaki's expression, He Dajun quickly added, "Don't worry, sir. I've already reprimanded those squad leaders and told them to be even more resolute in the future."

Sasaki remained silent for a long time, then asked He Dajun if there had been any new developments in the city-wide search over the past two days.

He Dajun said they had caught several suspicious individuals, but they were all minor characters and probably had no direct connection to the attackers at the camp outside the city. However, his men were continuing their investigation and would report any leads to him immediately.

Sasaki nodded, instructing him to intensify the search and not overlook any clues. He Dajun bowed in response and, leaning on his wooden cane, left the office.

While the note incident was still unfolding, news came back from the front lines.

He Dajun saw the newspaper in the wooden shed of the steel rolling mill.

The newspaper was brought to him by Suzuki, who said that Sasaki had asked him to read it. It contained the latest battle report issued by the Japanese military headquarters.

The battle report was brief, but in essence, the Imperial Army had achieved a decisive victory in the Shanghai area, the defenders of Daxia had been defeated, and the remnants were retreating westward.

He Dajun placed the newspaper on the table and lightly traced the printed words with his fingers.

The battle report was brief, essentially stating that the Imperial Army had achieved a decisive victory in the Shanghai area, the defenders of Daxia had been routed, and the remnants were retreating westward. The language used was arrogant.

But He Dajun knew what lay behind this arrogance.

He knew all the details of the Battle of Shanghai from the history of another time and space: 700,000 Great Xia troops faced 300,000 elite Japanese troops. The battle lasted for three months, with 300,000 dead and wounded, and almost all of the elite troops were wiped out.

The elite German-equipped divisions, the Guangxi Clique's Steel Seventh Army, and the Sichuan Army's straw sandal soldiers were all included.

Some units were wiped out in less than a day, and some positions were fought over and over again, with corpses piled up higher than the trenches.

When he got home, Bai Ling waited for him in the side room.

When he pushed the door open, Bai Ling was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) organizing intelligence.

She received news from Lao Yang that the Party had also received battle reports from the front lines, and the figures in the reports were even more dire than those in the newspapers.

He Dajun sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and remained silent for a long time.

He recalled the intelligence he had risked his life to send out earlier.

At that time, he was still meeting with Deng Hanyong of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. He spoke to the middle-aged man several times in the tunnel, urging him to make sure to pass on the intelligence so that the Japanese would know that Daxia was ready.

Later, the intelligence was indeed sent out, and the Kuomintang did make preparations in advance. The troops entered a state of combat readiness ahead of schedule, and supplies were transferred to the front line in advance. They even sent a backup copy to Captain Shu through the Kuomintang.

But the equipment gap is just too big.

The Japanese had airplanes, tanks, heavy artillery, and warships. Their infantry was well-equipped, had ample ammunition, and had excellent logistical support.

Later, a navy was also added.

What did the Great Xia garrison have? The Central Army's elite troops were reasonably well-equipped, but their heavy equipment, such as airplanes, tanks, and heavy artillery, was nowhere near the level of the Japanese.

As for local troops like the Sichuan Army and the Guangxi Army, many soldiers didn't even have a decent pair of cloth shoes; they went up wearing straw sandals and carrying old-fashioned rifles.

In this situation, preparing a few days in advance only caused the Japanese to waste more ammunition. In the end, they still lost.

He Dajun stood up, walked to the window, and peeked out through the crack.

The courtyard was quiet, all the doors of the houses were closed, only the chimney of He Daqing's house was emitting wisps of smoke.

Sha Zhu squatted on the threshold, scratching the ground with a twig while muttering something to himself.

He Liu was busy in the kitchen, and the sounds of pots and pans clattering came through the window, just like usual.

The people in this courtyard were unaware that on the battlefield thousands of miles away, 300,000 Great Xia soldiers had already become 300,000 corpses.

He turned to look at Bai Ling and said that the intelligence had been sent out and preparations had been made in advance, but they still lost.

It's not that intelligence is useless, it's that the equipment gap is too big, and preparing a few days in advance can't change anything.

Bai Ling said she knew it wasn't anyone's fault. He Dajun was silent for a while, then said he knew, but his heart was heavy. Three hundred thousand people were gone just like that; how many of them could have survived?

Bai Ling didn't speak. She walked up to He Dajun and reached out to hold his fingers.

He Dajun's fingers were cold, just as cold as when she first held his hand in the steel rolling mill.

They had just met when she thought he was just an ordinary worker-military man. Later, she discovered he was a monster who could throw grenades more than 100 meters. Still later, she found out that he was not only good at fighting, but also capable of playing both sides between the Japanese and the underground organization.

They completely fooled everyone.

Now she discovered that this person also had a soft spot in his heart, so soft that he would fall silent because of the 300,000 soldiers he had never met who died on the front lines.

He Dajun squeezed her hand a little tighter and said, "Let's go eat. Your sister-in-law should have the food ready by now."

Bai Ling nodded and followed him out of the side room, heading towards He Daqing's room.

When Sha Zhu saw He Dajun coming, he jumped up from the threshold, hugged his leg, and looked up, calling him "Second Uncle." He Dajun ruffled his hair, and the little guy grinned, revealing his missing front tooth.

He Liu put the food on the table. Today's dish was stewed cabbage with vermicelli. The vermicelli was redeemed by He Dajun from the system, and the cabbage was grown in the yard.

Sha Zhu slurped his food down, his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's, while glancing at He Dajun's bowl with his eyes.

He Dajun put a piece of meat from his bowl into the little guy's bowl, and the little guy smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into slits.

He Liu watched from the side, saying, "Dajun, don't spoil him," with a smile on her face.

He Daqing sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) slowly drinking his porridge, occasionally glancing up at the four people sitting around the kang table, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips.

The meal was eaten in silence.

No one mentioned current events; everyone was just eating.

Sha Zhu was picking up food with his chopsticks, He Liu was adding porridge to Bai Ling's bowl, and He Daqing was telling He Dajun that a junk collector had come to the alley today and sold an old iron pot for two cents.

These trivial, insignificant, everyday occurrences constituted the entirety of normal life in the courtyard houses of the occupied territories.

After finishing his meal, He Dajun placed his bowl on the kang table and leaned it against the edge of the kang.

He said, "Brother and sister-in-law, thank you for your hard work these past few days."

He Daqing waved his hand and said, "What's so hard about it? Dajun works for the Japanese outside, and when he comes home, he still has to worry about feeding and caring for his whole family. That's what's really hard."

He Liu nodded beside her, wiping the table with a rag. Her eyes were red, but she didn't let the tears fall.

No one knew, not even Bai Ling, that He Dajun had made a final decision: he was going to Jingzhou as soon as possible to stop the Japanese devils' atrocities.

Of course, careful planning is still needed. After all, the safety of the people in the courtyard needs to be ensured.