The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

As he said this, he walked towards Wu's house and asked as he walked: "Where are you from? Where are you going?"

"Haha, I'm here to lead the way. There's a troupe behind us. I heard that Mr. Wu is kind and generous, so I came to see if he wants to listen to music. We're here to ask for food."

"You've come at the perfect time. My master is getting married the day after tomorrow and is worried about what to do to entertain him. You've arrived just in time to congratulate him."

"Haha, it's like saying, 'It's better to be lucky than to be early.' Well, I have to thank the housekeeper for the introduction and the meal!"

After saying this, he took out a small piece of silver from his pocket and put it into the butler's hand. The butler took a look at it and immediately put it away, saying, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. When will your people arrive? When they arrive, they can stay at my house directly. Get ready. We can't mess it up. We have important guests."

"Don't worry, they'll be here this afternoon and will set up the stage early tomorrow morning. They'll definitely be there in time and there won't be any delays."

"How is it? Have you found out about the Wu family's situation?"

After dealing with the housekeeper, Liu Wenxiu immediately returned to the gathering place and asked Lian Chengjue who was asking for news.

"I've already found out. The Wu family has a terrible reputation in this area, so it's easy to find out about their family situation. Captain, are you sure you're going to stay here?"

"Haha, isn't this the best place? We have people, food, and money. Look at the land around here, it should belong to the Wu family. This is the best place for us to establish a base. By the way, how many guns does the Wu family have?"

The comrades who came to the Northeast to establish a base area each had a pistol, two disassembled rifles, and a disassembled mortar, so their firepower was not strong. However, six people should have no problem taking out a landlord family by surprise. The reason they chose Wujiabaozi was because it had a mass base here. With the counter-revolutionary landlords so powerful, the conditions for revolution were in place. As long as the militia supported by the landlords were defeated, the Wu family would become a toothless tiger.

"The Wu family has hooked up with the Russians, but they're not easy to deal with. They're plundering people like crazy, so the Wu family can only desperately plunder the local people and can't afford to support many people. They should have seven or eight guns, but I don't know if they're just trying to scare the people or if they're carrying bullets. But we have an opportunity in the evening, when the militia will be having dinner together."

"Okay, let's do it in the evening. Let's discuss the details. First, we'll control the militia, and then we'll set off firecrackers..."

"There are only six of us. If we can't control ourselves and just kill each other, we are not good people..."

After the meeting, everyone unified their thoughts and started to prepare. Seeing that the time was almost up, the comrades immediately took action, carrying the props that had covered them all the way and entered the Wujia Fort again, and went directly to the door of the Wu family to pay a visit.

The housekeeper quickly led them to the front yard where the stage was set up, and then arranged a place for them to rest. The comrades followed the housekeeper, observing the environment of the landlord's house as they walked. No wonder the Wu family became traitors. With such a large foundation here, resistance was a given. Naturally, it was looted by the Russians, and the family was eventually destroyed. However, the land and house could not be moved. For these landlords, whoever ruled was the ruler. They all had to farm and pay taxes. So for the landlords, as long as their cheese was not touched, whoever came would be the same. Whoever ruled here would be the one to surrender.

After the butler led Liu Wenxiu and the others to their resting place, they prepared to leave. Naturally, Liu Wenxiu wouldn't let him go. As the butler turned around, he plunged his bayonet into his body. He showed no mercy to those who had taken advantage of the situation. The butler didn't know who had killed him until his death. He could only mutter a few words before dying, his eyes wide open. Liu Wenxiu briefly disposed of the body and immediately set out with his comrades.

The Wu family is just a dozen or so thugs who guard the house.

The regiment is not an army, and the ruffians are even more undisciplined. Their main purpose is to collect grain and money from the tenants for the landlords and to scare the people.

In the remote courtyard where the guards lived, everyone ate inside, except for two people who guarded the gate for the landlord.

Liu Wenxiu assigned two soldiers to guard the gate to prevent the guards from escaping, and prepared to set off firecrackers while the other four charged directly into the courtyard. The battle went smoothly. The rigorously trained special forces took on a few thugs who were eating. In less than a minute, more than a dozen guards in the courtyard were stabbed to death with bayonets, leaving none alive. The firecrackers they had prepared were useless because no gunshots were fired.

Liu Wenxiu's name was rather delicate, but he was a burly man, his height a thing, even in the Northeast. He wiped his still-dripped bayonet clean on the guards' clothes. Then, he assigned a soldier to eliminate the two guards guarding the gate. He then secured the Wu family's main gate, allowing only entry, not exit. The others immediately rushed towards Master Wu's residence. Liu Wenxiu knew the Wu family must have a backdoor, perhaps even an underground tunnel, but he was short-handed, and the maximum he could spare was one man to guard the main gate.

Mr. Wu was truly elated and radiant. He was still delighted with his decisive decision to join the Russians. He was still wealthy and prosperous, with foreigners as his backers. His eldest son even got a job as a mine watchman from the Russians. He was still the king of the land. Even at sixty-six, with half his teeth gone, he still had concubines and was a groom. His life was as comfortable as could be.

The Wu family was now a truly powerful landlord, a de facto bully. Much of their current land had been seized by the Russians over the past two years through cunning and despotic plunder. Furthermore, the landlords in Northeast China were unlike those in the northwest, where feudal lords had existed for hundreds or even thousands of years. The landlords in Northeast China were constantly aware of the latest developments and had to send their young people to school.

The comrades made their way to the back hall without any obstruction and saw the Wu landlord and his family still enjoying their meal. Women were not allowed to eat at the table, this was the rule, so the men sat in the main room to eat, while the women and children ate in the kitchen.

However, what was a little different from what Liu Wenxiu had imagined was that the landlord in front of him looked like an ordinary old man, wearing coarse cloth. The various branches of his family lived in a connected area, and they all ate from the same pot. It seemed that they were quite frugal in their eating habits.

Liu Wenxiu quickly understood. Large landowners, to varying degrees, shared a common flaw: stinginess. This stinginess affected not only others but also themselves. Since many landowners had accumulated their small fortunes through generations of hard work, they knew how to protect them. If they squandered their land recklessly, they wouldn't be able to keep their fortunes. The only thing large landowners were generous with was buying land. Wherever they saw someone with thriving crops, they would chat for a while, then finally ask, "Will you sell your land?"

Even if they don't sell it, the landlords will find a way to get it.

Furthermore, with Northeast China now under the rule of the Russians, these landlords have more people to support, and their living standards have generally declined. However, this living standard is incomparable to that of people outside. At least they don't have to worry about going hungry. If landlords like the Wu family start to starve, then the people outside will die out.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"

When Landlord Wu saw Liu Wenxiu and his companions enter the main hall, he immediately started to scold them. Liu Wenxiu laughed and said, "Master Wu, are you eating? Please make room for us. We haven't eaten yet."

As soon as Liu Wenxiu finished speaking, comrades immediately drove all the women out of the kitchen, and the men and women of the Wu family immediately gathered together and united around Master Wu.

At this time, Lian Chengjue saw a young man trying to slip away through the small door next to him under the cover of his family. Without saying a word, he took out his pistol and shot him. The young man fell to the ground.

When the gunshots rang out, the Wu family was immediately in an uproar. The women screamed and some immediately knelt on the ground.

Landlord Wu also cried out in sorrow: "Second son!"

He hurried over to check for breath, but unfortunately, he was dead. The landlord's second son was in charge of the guards, so Lian Chengjue had noticed him the moment he entered, fearing he might be carrying a gun. Since he was trying to escape, he naturally gave him a peanut to send him off, thereby establishing his authority.

After hearing the gunshots, the comrades raised their guns and shouted: "Don't move, anyone who moves will be shot to death."

After killing a person, facing the black muzzle of a gun, the Wu family immediately quieted down and could only surrender. They didn't even dare to cry out loud, but could only sob softly.

"My dear heroes, please spare my life, please spare my life. I wonder which of you heroes are here and which mountain you are from. Is there any misunderstanding between us?"

Chapter 263: Thanks for the update!

At this time, Landlord Wu suppressed his grief and spoke, because he was sure that he had never seen these people before him. Seeing how ruthless these people were, he could only beg for mercy and save his life first, and revenge would be taken later.

Liu Wenxiu didn't have time to argue with Landlord Wu. Even if he had the situation under control, he was too short-staffed and the situation could get out of hand at any moment. Accidents could happen at any moment. So he said directly, "Take the Wu family members into custody temporarily. Then, go around and inspect the courtyard. Put everyone in custody temporarily. Also, everyone should take turns eating. We have food ready here. No one will have much time to rest tonight."

After receiving the order, the comrades immediately took the Wu family members to a nearby room and locked them up.

Liu Wenxiu walked over and lifted up Landlord Wu's body, saying, "Landlord Wu, if you hand over all your property, we might be able to spare your life. Otherwise, hehe, all the dozens of people in your family, young and old, will die. Your house is so small, if you don't hand it over, we can find it ourselves."

Upon hearing Liu Wenxiu's words, Landlord Wu immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Landlord Wu was a man of outward appearances but inner weakness. He had been so readily siding with the Russians, fawning and offering whatever they wanted. But now, he immediately forced his tenants to compensate for their losses.

Liu Wenxiu stopped looking at Landlord Wu and said directly to Lian Chengjue, "I'm going to seal the Wu family's back door now. I'll come back after dinner and start counting the spoils."

Liu Wenxiu's words pierced the heart of Landlord Wu like a needle. He knew he was being asked to count his own money for these bandits. It was the most painful thing in the world. But giving up all his wealth in exchange for his family's lives was perfectly acceptable to Landlord Wu. As long as the bandits were gone, his family could still exploit the tenants; they couldn't take the land with them. With that land, his family could still live a prosperous life.

After figuring it out, when Liu Wenxiu finished his meal and dragged him out, Landlord Wu could only obediently point out several places where he had hidden his money. Landlord Wu was puzzled by the fact that the bandits had only checked the amount and hadn't moved the money. This made Landlord Wu nervous, wondering what these bandits were up to.

By the time they'd finished counting all the supplies, it was already late at night. The comrades, after reviewing the list, were in awe. This was a fat sheep, a huge fat sheep. It also made the comrades realize that their capture of Landlord Wu's house was truly just luck. If Landlord Wu had been prepared, a few of them wouldn't have been able to break into his house. Because within Landlord Wu's cellar, not only were there a large number of rifles, but also an old mortar. Although this weapon was outdated, it was still incredibly lethal to infantry.

In addition, 150,000 taels of silver and 5,000 taels of gold were found in the homes of the landlord Wu. Tens of thousands of taels of gold and silver were also found in the rooms of the landlord Wu's wives, concubines, and sons and daughters. Of course, landlords generally don't have much money, but the landlord Wu had plenty of food, six large warehouses full of it. This was because the landlord Wu had shipped a lot to the Russians; otherwise, Liu Wenxiu and his men would have eaten it all in ten years.

"Captain, we discovered a dungeon belonging to the Wu family. Should we lock up all the Wu family members there?"

"I've been to that dungeon, it's too small. The men should be locked up there, and the young children and women should be locked up in a nearby warehouse. It's not okay to lock men and women together. We should still give women their basic right to privacy and uphold their basic dignity."

The comrades did not object after hearing this. After all, respecting women was part of the education in the liberated areas, and it was easier to manage men and women separately.

"Captain, there's one more thing. The landlord's eldest son is working in a mine thirty kilometers away from us. Before we gain a firm foothold, I think we need to deal with him."

"Landlord Wu took a concubine and he didn't come back? What's going on with that mine?"

"I won't come back. I've already taken in so many concubines, I basically don't care about them anymore. I won't come back. That mine is a coal mine occupied by the Russians, and there are probably hundreds of workers in it."

"Haha, isn't this a godsend? The Russians won't send many people to guard a small coal mine. Once we take it, we'll have the basic manpower. We're too few now."

"Then let's go and take it down. Anyway, what we have now is food." Early the next morning, the comrades killed the ruffian who was guarding Xier's house, invited Xier and his father to work at the Wu family, and only left one soldier to guard the Wu family. Liu Wenxiu took the four of them and immediately rushed to the coal mine of the Russians. After arriving, they immediately inquired about the situation.

They immediately learned that in the evening, the supervisors would drive the miners who had worked hard all day out of the mine, and then lock the gate outside the mine to prevent the miners from approaching. The gate would not be opened until work started the next day. Liu Wenxiu and his colleagues immediately changed their plans.

Some might wonder why the Russians still allowed miners to enter and exit freely. After the Japanese occupied Northeast China, they committed massacres one after another, forcing the people to provide free labor. Prisoners of war were also sent to the mines to work for free. The brutality of the exploitation can only be described as inhumane.

This was indeed the case. Due to the lack of employment opportunities at the time, the Russians were able to recruit a large number of people willing to work in the mines by paying miners very little. Since the small amount of wages could prevent miners from rebelling, why not? This was also a brilliant point made by the Russians. They did not restrict the miners' freedom, acting as if it was completely consensual.

Of course, this isn't entirely true, as it simply reduces costs. If the Russians had wanted to exploit the people like the Japanese, they wouldn't have been able to rule Northeast China. At least, it wouldn't have been possible until the Russians had over a million people in the three northeastern provinces. Just think about how miserable those who were tricked into building the Trans-Siberian Railway were, and you'll understand that the Russians weren't being merciful.

So the Russians were only willing to pay the lowest price to get the greatest benefit, paying some wages to get the maximum profit, but if the miners died, they would not get a penny.

The Russians were naturally unwilling to build houses for the miners or provide them with extra food. Therefore, the miners completed their daily work in exchange for a small amount of pay, and then had to build shacks nearby to survive. As for driving the miners out of the mine, it was simply to prevent the miners from damaging the equipment and the coal mine. For the Russians, this was a completely beneficial thing.

Only after seeing the mine's iron gates closed did Liu Wenxiu and his men quietly sneak into the miners' shacks. However, by this point, Liu Wenxiu and his men had changed their previous plan to attack the mine. Why? Because they hadn't yet established a firm foothold there. If they attacked the mine, the Russians would inevitably investigate, easily leading them to Wujiabaozi. They were currently weak and had no ability to resist the Russians' attack. Separating the miners from the Russians was crucial to facilitate recruitment. Therefore, for the time being, they opted for a recruitment model and negotiated with the miners. However, the young master of the Wu family still needed to be killed; keeping him alive was a ticking time bomb.

The miners were exhausted after a day's work and were about to rest when two men suddenly broke into their shack. They were about to speak, but Liu Wenxiu said in a low voice, "Don't speak. You have nothing to steal. Listen, our militia is recruiting people now. We provide food and accommodation, and you can bring your families. Each person will receive three acres of good farmland, and you only need to pay 30% tax. This is enough for you and your family to live a worry-free life. You don't have to dig coal in dangerous mines like you do now. That little income is not enough to support your family."

The miners inside were immediately enticed by the prospect of dividing up the land, but they all expressed doubts about how such a good thing could possibly happen. Liu Wenxiu and her colleagues were excellent comrades, and they naturally understood the importance of risking their lives to protect the fruits of the revolution. It was easy to lure the miners down the mountain with silver, but what about the future? Imprinting them with the impression that they were working for money would require immense effort to undo, a loss that outweighed the benefits. Revolution was entirely voluntary; if they were unwilling to leave the mountain even after all this, it simply wasn't their destiny.

Liu Wenxiu, who had anticipated this, said again when he saw this situation: "Don't doubt that I am deceiving you. What is there in your current state that is worth me deceiving you? I am here to save you. If you don't want to, there are many who are willing. Are you prepared to stay here forever? When will it end?"

At this time, a miner asked: "Are we the only ones to get three mu of land, or are our families also entitled to three mu of land?"

Liu Wenxiu was delighted to hear this and immediately said, "Everyone gets three mu, including your family members."

When the miner heard this, he immediately said, "What should we do?" "We should join the militia and protect the land we were allocated."

This statement couldn't be clearer; they were going to seize the land! Someone immediately said, "Are you going to rebel?"

"No, no, no. We're clearing wasteland and cultivating the land. To prevent others from taking it, we have to protect the land we've cleared. Don't you agree? We've also prepared enough food and shelter for you. You don't have to worry about food and lodging during the reclamation period."

"Okay, I'm willing to go with you."

"I would like that too."

"I'm leaving too."

Once the first miner was willing to leave, the others immediately followed suit, and in the end, more than eighty people were willing to leave.

"Do you know the eldest young master of the Wu Family Fortress? I have a grudge against him and want to settle it with him."

"You mean Wu Paopi, right? He lives outside that gate. Come out and see. That wooden house is where Wu Paopi lives."

Liu Wenxiu looked in the direction the miners pointed and saw a wooden house outside the gate.

Liu Wenxiu asked: "Why do you call him Wu Paopi? Why doesn't he live there?"

"Haha, Wu Paopi is always withholding our wages. We want to skin him alive. He's not even worthy enough to live here now."

Liu Wenxiu ordered two comrades to lead the miners down the mountain immediately, and asked the comrade in charge of medical treatment to follow him to the wooden house. When they reached the door of the wooden house, they saw an oil lamp still on inside. Through the window, they saw a man who looked a bit like Landlord Wu reading a book by the light.

Liu Wenxiu walked straight to the door, knocked on it, and shouted, "Master, someone from home wants you to go back."

When Wu Paopi heard someone shouting, he immediately put down his book, opened the door and said, "Who are you?"

"Master, we are sent by the master. The master said that he has found a job for you in Fengtian and asked you to return immediately."

Liu Wenxiu immediately walked into the house. Wu Paopi had no choice but to make way for her and said, "That will have to be tomorrow. I still need to talk to the mine manager."

"Yes, that's what the master ordered."

Just as Wu Baopi turned around, the comrade behind him knocked him unconscious. Zhang Wenxiu, without even a glance, immediately began searching the room, taking everything valuable, wrapping it in a blanket and carrying it away. The comrade behind him also carried Wu Baopi and left.

Liu Wenxiu and his men could have killed this man directly, but they had to see things through. Killing him outright would have been a personal vendetta and wouldn't have been an explanation to the miners. If they handed him over to the miners for a public trial, they could have executed him openly, putting the matter to rest. Why not do that?

The arrival of these miners quickly helped Liu Wenxiu and his men overcome their dire shortage of manpower. While secretly training the miners, they continued their traditional trade, even robbing several wealthy local landlords. With money and food, they immediately began recruiting soldiers. As their ranks grew, their reputation in the surrounding area of ​​Wujiabao grew. Many people began to join them, and in a short time, they had gathered over 500 men, forming a battalion.

They also adopted the Sichuan model, with squad leaders and deputy squad leaders elected by the soldiers. Revolutionary soldiers brought from Sichuan served as instructors. It could be said that after a simple reorganization, all the soldiers were already under the control of the revolutionary army, and Liu Wenxiu and his men had a perfect start.

Chapter 264:

After the troops were reorganized, the next step was to announce the discipline. Songs such as "Three Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention" could not be sung for the time being, so they were taught to the soldiers in a random order.

Liu Wenxiu said: "We, the young and old men of Northeast China, must act like old men. We cannot be unorganized and undisciplined like bandits, or even harm our own fellow villagers. We absolutely cannot allow this. So everyone must remember these rules well. If you cannot abide by them, you can leave, and we will never stop you..."

Thus, Wujiabao, liberated by Liu Wenxiu and his men, began to operate, and Liu Wenxiu began basic training for the soldiers. Training was the only way to understand the reality of Northeast China, a land far beyond the reach of the southern provinces. The number of hunters was beyond their imagination, and even those who weren't hunters were familiar with guns. It could be said that after a brief training session with a gun, they could become soldiers.

The most important thing is that people who have worked as workers are different from farmers. Workers have learned to use tools and they will think about these things. Farmers of this era just follow the cows in circles. Training farmers is several times more difficult than training workers.

After a few days, Liu Wenxiu was able to match all the grassroots cadres with their names. Aside from the cultural subjects, which were difficult for these grown men, they were able to pass the basic training courses.

"Commander, a transport team is coming."

On this day, Liu Wenxiu was training with his comrades when a comrade on sentry ran over and said to him.

"What transport?"

"A transport convoy with Russians following it." "How many Russians?"

"Fourteen."

Liu Wenxiu thought that the supplies should be escorted by a squad of Russian troops. It was like a perfect match. He was just worrying about where so many comrades would get guns, and now they were delivered.

Liu Wenxiu called out and immediately set off with his comrades who had guns. They set up an ambush on the road the Russians had to pass. It wasn't long before Liu Wenxiu saw fourteen Russians leading a horse team of about fifty people.

Liu Wenxiu carefully observed these Russian soldiers. Besides their typical Caucasian skin color, they also wore sheepskin hats and thick, dark gray woolen coats. Some soldiers even took off their coats and wore sheepskin jackets instead. Liu Wenxiu was amazed at the extravagant uniforms.

Liu Wenxiu naturally didn't know that during the reign of Tsar Nicholas, the Russian government was a pauper, allowing officers and soldiers to buy their own clothes. Although uniform specifications were required, they varied greatly between units and branches of the military. Their only commonality was their expensiveness and luxury. Tsarist Russia was already corrupt and decadent by this time, and their officers were generally born into aristocratic families.

The Chinese leading the horses had long whips, wore coarse linen clothes, and black leather hats. They had no firearms except for a few machetes, and were probably a caravan specializing in transporting goods.

Liu Wenxiu knew he couldn't afford to give the Russians a chance to shoot. If a shootout erupted, his side would inevitably suffer casualties, negatively impacting morale. To eliminate these Russians as quickly as possible, he needed the veteran comrades from Sichuan to fire directly at close range with their pistols. Each person only needed to take out two, a simple task. As for the caravan, they were simply not within Liu Wenxiu's consideration.

Liu Wenxiu immediately gave the order, telling them to disperse and ambush according to the distance between the Russians. Liu Wenxiu watched the Russians getting closer and closer, and could even see the exaggerated expressions on their faces when they were communicating.

The Russian freight train continued to advance, and Liu Wenxiu watched silently, giving no orders to attack. He even had time to glance at the soldiers nearby. Many were nervous, their noses sweating and their fingers turning slightly white. Liu Wenxiu's mind wandered to random thoughts: What if one of the Russians needed to relieve himself and discovered him? What if the caravan resisted?

After thinking for a while, he felt that it was useless. Now the Russians had entered the attack range. Unless there were any accidents, the battle would be over immediately after three rounds of gunfire at most.

When the Russian passed by Liu Wenxiu, Liu Wenxiu slowly raised the pistol in his hand. When the Russian walked another two meters, Liu Wenxiu immediately shot the Russian in the back. Ignoring the others, he shot another Russian again, then raised his rifle and rushed forward.

Then the battle was over. The Russians had all fallen to the ground. The fight was simple and brutal. Only after Liu Wenxiu and his men rushed out did the caravan members react. They cried out, "Oh my God!" and several of them fell to their knees. Liu Wenxiu and his men were now pointing their guns at the caravan members. The caravan leader immediately shouted and dropped his machetes and other weapons to the ground.

The caravan members were still bewildered, even the new recruits. Who could have imagined the fight would be so quick and easy? They didn't even have a chance to fire a shot. Especially the caravan leader, Old Li. He had been with the caravan for twenty years and had seen and experienced plenty of gangster-on-gang violence, but he had never seen anything this bizarre and swift.

Old Li was screaming inwardly. He was doomed this time. As a seasoned veteran, he knew these people would never allow them to leave. Otherwise, their killing of the Russians would be exposed, and they would surely die without a burial place. What bad luck! It was truly unfortunate.

He knew that the cargo he was transporting was not simple. Although the Russians did not tell him what was transported, he had been running a caravan for twenty years. Looking at the weight and the bumpy noises along the way, how could he not know what was inside? It was full of munitions and silver dollars, in simple terms, military supplies.

Seeing these people pointing guns at him, Old Li knew what to do. This was the rule of the underworld: one had to admit defeat when encountering them. And since these people hadn't killed them in the first place, they probably wouldn't kill them again. They were just transporting goods, and accidentally killing them was bad luck. Otherwise, why would he kill them? Saving his life was more important. So Old Li immediately dropped everything and squatted on the ground with his hands on his head. The other caravan members saw this and immediately followed suit, squatting on the ground, not daring to move.