The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

Liu Shunfa was so frightened that he trembled all over, his face was as pale as paper, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out from his bald head, glistening in the dim light of the oil lamp.

His silk-lined jacket was not buttoned up properly, and he was only wearing one shoe.

"Put on your shoes! Put on your clothes!" Zhou Jindong commanded, his tone icy. He had to get his men out of here as soon as possible; the commotion was already quite significant.

"Comrade...don't...don't shoot...I...I confess...I confess everything..." Liu Shunfa's voice trembled, his hands shook violently, and it took him a long time to put on the other shoe and then haphazardly button it up.

Just then, a terrified scream suddenly came from the west wing across the courtyard: "Who?! Who's outside?!"

The person who should have been next to the east wing suddenly had their voice coming from the west wing!

Guo Fuyuan just said that Liu Shunfa lives in the east wing. Does that mean someone lives in the west wing as well? Or is Guo Fuyuan lying?

Zhou Jindong and Wang Quan both felt a chill run down their spines! Plans can't keep up with changes, and the situation is more complicated than expected!

"Oh no! It's Jin Wanfu's men! And there's another one... behind them..." Liu Shunfa suddenly looked up, as if grasping at a straw, and opened his mouth to shout, "Come on—woo!"

Zhou Jindong had no chance to give him one. The moment Liu Shunfa opened his mouth, Zhou Jindong's left hand shot out like lightning, his fingers like knives, and slashed hard on the back of Liu Shunfa's neck!

The blow was powerful; Liu Shunfa only let out a short, muffled groan, his eyes rolled back, and his body went limp as he fell backward.

Zhou Jindong immediately reached out to support his limp body, while at the same time the muzzle of his rifle in his right hand was turned towards the door, pointing towards the courtyard outside the door and window.

Meanwhile, the people in the west wing had clearly been awakened, and there was more than one!

First came the shout, followed by a bang, as if something had been knocked over, then hurried footsteps and the sound of pushing and pulling the door latch.

Wang Quan reacted extremely quickly. He leaned against the door frame and dragged the still unconscious man into the house. He then quickly moved to the other side of the door frame, raised his pistol, and pointed the muzzle firmly at the direction of the west wing.

Zhou Jindong, carrying the unconscious Liu Shunfa under one arm, rushed to the window in two steps—the window had already been smashed.

He pushed Liu Shunfa out the window, then immediately jumped out himself, rolling on the ground to dissipate the force, while dragging Liu Shunfa's limp body to the base of the wall.

Just as he jumped out of the window and landed, the door to the west wing was suddenly pulled open from the inside!

A man wearing only a T-shirt and trousers rushed out, carrying a pistol, and sleepily looked towards the east wing where the commotion was coming from.

This guy was obviously another sentry or guard on night watch in the west wing, probably also taking turns to sleep, and was awakened by the commotion just now.

He immediately noticed two more people in the yard. One of them had just jumped out of the window and was holding someone hostage!

Although the light was dim and he couldn't see the details clearly, the sudden scene was enough for him to realize that something was wrong!

"Damn it!" the man cursed, and almost instinctively raised the pistol in his hand, ready to fire in Zhou Jindong's direction!

Zhou Jindong was in a state of just landing and half-squatting, not yet stable, while also having to take care of Liu Shunfa, whose arms were limp.

Upon seeing the other party raise their gun, his muscles tensed instantly, and almost instinctively, the Type 38 rifle in his right hand pointed upwards at the other party!

He didn't even have time to aim; he pulled the trigger entirely based on his years of combat experience and instincts!

"Bang!"

A crisp gunshot shattered the deathly silence of the backyard and completely tore apart the tranquility of West Street in the dead of night!

The bullet grazed the man's scalp and struck the earthen wall behind him, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The man was so frightened that his already poorly aimed gun barrel involuntarily tilted to the side.

But he was, after all, a ruthless bandit under Jin Wanfu’s command. His ferocity was instantly ignited by the gunshot. After the initial fear, he became even more daring. Instead of retreating, he advanced and pulled the trigger again in Zhou Jindong’s direction!

The sound of the Mauser C96 firing repeatedly rang out.

The man's gun twitched, bullets whizzing by, but in the dim light and haste, they missed their mark, hitting the windowsill and the dirt ground in front of Zhou Jindong with a series of thuds, scattering dirt and brick fragments.

The instant the gunshot rang out, Zhou Jindong had already dragged the unconscious Liu Shunfa to the base of the wall in the east wing. The bullet grazed his shoulder, tearing a hole in his cotton-padded coat, which stung painfully.

He didn't even have time to check his wound before he raised his hand and fired a shot in return!

He used the Mauser pistol he had just seized after dealing with the sentries; he quickly jumped over the courtyard wall and switched guns the moment he landed.

A burst of orange-red flame erupted from the muzzle of the Mauser pistol in the darkness.

This time he was prepared, and lowered the gun slightly as soon as he raised it.

The bullet struck the muddy ground at the man's feet with a bang, and the flying pebbles hit his calves.

The man let out a strange cry and instinctively shrank back.

Taking advantage of the opening, Zhou Jindong shouted, "Wang Quan! Grenade! Throw it!"

Upon hearing the shout, Wang Quan, who was inside the room, did not hesitate at all. He immediately took out the hand grenade that Zhou Jindong had given him earlier, pulled out the safety pin, and did not throw it immediately—he knew that Japanese hand grenades required a tap to activate the fuse for a delay—but instead slammed it against the door frame and then threw it forcefully toward the door of the west wing!

The grenade traced a short arc in the air.

The man had just recovered from the shock of almost having his head blown off when he caught a glimpse of something dark flying towards him out of the corner of his eye. His mind went blank, and he instinctively lunged to the side!

"Lie down!" He even had time to shout into the west wing.

The grenade landed on the muddy ground in front of the west wing, rolled around, and made a muffled thud.

The expected explosion did not occur immediately. What Wang Quan did not know was that there was usually a delay of a few seconds after the fuse of an old-fashioned Japanese hand grenade was detonated.

Those few seconds of deathly silence were more suffocating than the explosion itself.

Zhou Jindong inwardly cried out in alarm! He was familiar with the delayed detonation of these melon-shaped grenades, and seeing that the grenade hadn't exploded after landing, he immediately understood what was happening. He shouted towards the doorway where Wang Quan was hiding, "Throw another one! Quickly!"

At the same time, he fired his pistol again, not aiming to hit, but only to suppress the enemy!

Bullets whizzed towards the direction the man had fallen, blocking his angle to raise his gun and retaliate.

The door to the west wing was flung open with a bang, and another figure darted out, also holding a gun, cursing, "Damn it! Who dares to cause trouble on Master Jin's turf!"

This person looked even stronger than the one who came out first, and moved faster. He was stunned for a moment when he saw the grenade rolling on the ground as soon as he stepped out.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Wang Quan had already rushed out of the house! He was out of grenades; the two grenades Zhou Jindong had given him were still in his pocket—those things were loud but weak, unsuitable for this situation. All he had was his Mauser pistol.

Instead of rushing forward, he crouched on the side of the door frame, raised his gun, aimed it at the door of the west wing, and fired two shots!

Bullets struck the doorframe, sending splinters flying. The burly man who had just rushed out was startled and quickly ducked back inside, shouting, "Damn it, they have guns!"

The man who had been standing earlier had gotten up and was hiding behind a broken millstone, shouting at the top of his lungs, "There are only two people on the other side! Liu Shunfa is in their hands! We can't let them get away!"

At this moment, the fuse of the grenade rolling on the ground finally burned out.

boom!!!

A not particularly loud but still shocking explosion rang out at the entrance of the west wing!

A flash of fire, followed by a burst of smoke, dirt, and debris, with shrapnel flying everywhere!

The man hiding behind the millstone was a little further away, but he was knocked to the ground by the blast wave. Gravel and dirt rained down on him, and his ears were ringing. He was temporarily deaf.

The burly man who had just retreated to the west wing was not so lucky. Although the door frame and the earthen wall provided some protection, the shockwave from the explosion and several pieces of shrapnel still hit him. He groaned and fell backward, crashing into the table in the room with a loud crash.

Zhou Jindong has been waiting for this opportunity!

He leaped up from the base of the wall, aimed his pistol at the man who had just raised his head behind the millstone, and fired three shots!

The man reacted quickly, shrinking behind the millstone the instant he heard the gun clatter, but he was a little too slow. A bullet grazed his arm, leaving a trail of blood.

He grimaced in pain, but dared not show his face again, only shouting from behind the millstone, "Hey, you outside! Go and send word! Call people! Call lots of people!"

He shouted towards the front yard shops.

Zhou Jindong's heart sank; there were still people in the shop!

Sure enough, panicked voices, chaotic footsteps, and the sound of gun bolts being pulled came from the direction of the front yard!

More than one person!

"We can't delay any longer!" Zhou Jindong made a swift decision. He fired two more shots towards the millstone to suppress the flames, while yelling at Wang Quan, "Drag the men along! Go through the back wall!"

Wang Quan immediately understood. He rushed into the house, grabbed Guo Fuyuan, who was bound and gagged, and pulled him up from under the kang (a heated brick bed). He pressed a gun against Guo's lower back and shouted, "Shut up if you want to live! Lead the way, through the backyard!"

Guo Fuyuan was terrified. With a gun pointed at him, he could only nod weakly and move away with his legs trembling.

Zhou Jindong rushed to the window and hoisted the limp Liu Shunfa onto his shoulder. Liu Shunfa was quite heavy, making his shoulder feel heavy, but he gritted his teeth and persevered, dragging Liu Shunfa with one hand and holding a gun with the other, crouching low as he quickly rushed toward the gate leading to the backyard.

Just then, the footsteps in the front yard grew closer and closer, reaching the gate leading to the back yard. A rough, hoarse voice shouted, "Bald Three! Scarface! What's going on?! Where's the gunfire?!"

Immediately afterwards, the door was kicked open, and two men dressed in black jackets and carrying short guns appeared at the door. They immediately spotted Zhou Jindong and Wang Quan moving around in the yard, as well as Guo Fuyuan who was being held hostage.

"Damn! There really is someone!" one of the men cursed, raising his hand to fire.

Zhou Jindong was currently in the middle between the courtyard gate and the back wall, caught in a dilemma, with someone on his shoulder.

Upon seeing the other man raise his gun, he suddenly threw Liu Shunfa's body to the ground and then fell to the ground himself!

Almost at the same moment he fell to the ground, the other side fired a shot!

Boom!

The bullets hit the earthen wall behind where he had just been standing, making a thud.

Zhou Jindong, who had fallen to the ground, quickly rolled over, aimed his Mauser pistol at the two shadowy figures at the door, and pulled the trigger!

clap clap clap!

Three shots in quick succession forced the two men to quickly retreat behind the door.

Wang Quan reacted quickly. Seeing Zhou Jindong in danger, he immediately pushed Guo Fuyuan forward to act as a shield, while simultaneously firing his pistol at the door to help Zhou Jindong share the burden.

"No...don't shoot! It's me! Guo Fuyuan!" Guo Fuyuan was pushed forward, terrified, and screamed.

The two men at the door paused noticeably when they heard Guo Fuyuan's shout, seemingly hesitant about whether to fire.

That one or two seconds of hesitation bought Zhou Jindong time. He rolled over to Liu Shunfa's side, dragged the limp Liu Shunfa up again, and charged towards the backyard wall.

Wang Quan dragged Guo Fuyuan along closely behind, occasionally turning his gun to fire a shot towards the door to suppress the other party from rushing out rashly.

The man hiding behind the millstone recovered and, hearing the commotion at the door, knew that reinforcements had arrived. His courage grew, and he poked his head out and fired a shot at Zhou Jindong's back!

The bullet grazed Zhou Jindong's leg and struck the wall. Zhou Jindong felt a sharp pain in his calf, probably from being cut by gravel or a ricochet, but he didn't have time to check it. He kept running and rushed to the backyard wall in a few steps.

The backyard wall is about one and a half people high; he knew its location when he climbed over it earlier.

But now he was carrying someone on his shoulder, which made it very difficult for him to move around, and the pursuers were closing in from behind.

He abruptly threw Liu Shunfa against the wall and yelled at Wang Quan, "You go first! Hand him up!"

As he spoke, he squatted down, placed his hands on his knees, and formed a human ladder.

Wang Quan understood that he was to use his shoulders to climb over the wall so that Liu Shunfa and Guo Fuyuan could be brought up.

Without hesitation, he first pinned Guo Fuyuan against the wall and ordered, "Squat down! Don't move!"

Then, stepping on Zhou Jindong's hand, and using the upward lifting force of Zhou Jindong, he suddenly leaped upward, grabbed the top of the wall with both hands, pulled himself up, and quickly flipped over to lie on the top of the wall.

"Quick! Hand him up!" Wang Quan leaned over the wall and stretched out his hand.

Zhou Jindong bent down, grabbed the limp Liu Shunfa by the collar and back belt, and with all his might, lifted and pushed him upwards, tossing Liu Shunfa's more than 100-pound body more than half a person's height into the air!

Wang Quan, who was on the wall, saw everything clearly. He grabbed Liu Shunfa's arms and shoulders in time, let out a low growl, and with a burst of strength, dragged Liu Shunfa up to the top of the wall. Liu Shunfa's body slumped against the wall like a tattered sack.

Below, Zhou Jindong had already grabbed Guo Fuyuan, who was squatting on the ground trembling, with one hand, and fired several shots with his pistol in the other hand in the direction of the pursuers, suppressing the people behind the millstone and at the door so that they dared not rush over immediately.

"Get up there!" Zhou Jindong pressed the muzzle of his gun hard against Guo Fuyuan's lower back.

Guo Fuyuan dared not resist. He scrambled to his feet and frantically tried to pry open the wall.

But he was used to a life of luxury, and the courtyard wall was only one and a half meters high. He couldn't possibly climb it. After a couple of attempts, he only managed to leave a few footprints on the wall.

Zhou Jindong was extremely anxious. Bullets were already whistling past him from behind, thudding into the soil around him.

He gritted his teeth, squatted down again, held Guo Fuyuan's feet with both hands, and pushed them upwards with force!