The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"So what should we do? Should we save him or not?"

Liu Wenxiu didn't answer. Instead, he thought for a moment, looked up at the surroundings, and pointed to a forest in front of him. He said, "Everyone, hide in that forest over there. I'll go over there and check the situation myself. Be careful and be vigilant. The brothers who are scouting, please work harder. Come with me to check the situation and scout the enemy. Old Li, you come with us."

Compared to the half-baked scout from before, Liu Wenxiu naturally had a much clearer view. While there was only one platoon of Russians outside the checkpoint, they weren't eating or doing anything else, but rather resting. However, they were clearly divided into two groups, gathered together, and didn't seem to be familiar with each other, suggesting there must be two platoons. Generally speaking, a mission requiring two platoons would always be assigned to a single company, as leadership issues between two platoons could create problems. While this might not be a major issue in normal times, it would inevitably become a problem in a life-or-death situation, meaning there must be another platoon hiding nearby.

Although he didn't know the specific reason why these old Russians were here, Liu Wenxiu had already decided to get involved. He was certain that these old Russians couldn't stay here for long. Perhaps tonight would tell. If there was no problem tonight, he could just take a detour.

"Old Li, Sun Tongpao's men should all be poor people, right?" "Yes, why would a rich man turn to banditry? This isn't Water Margin." "In Water Margin, you can say those heroes turned to banditry or they rebelled, but both are a little off."

"Almost something"

"there is nothing."

Liu Wenxiu recalled a comment by Chairman Zhang Yinghao, commenting on Water Margin: "Without a clear and ambitious goal, and with a leader constantly thinking of being recruited, the heroes of Liangshan are doomed to a tragic end." There was no need to discuss these matters with Old Li now, as this would expose him.

Old Li didn't ask any more questions. He always felt that Liu Wenxiu and his men were mysterious. So he simply said, "Captain, Sun Tongpao is a good man who robs the rich to help the poor, and he's a brave man who fights the Russians just like us. If he could join us, it would not only strengthen our strength, but also greatly enhance our reputation. Sun Tongpao is well-known in Haicheng."

Old Li had his own reasons for wanting Sun Tongpao to join. Now the people in the caravan only followed the lead of Liu Wenxiu and his men, and he was almost left alone. He wanted to make the internal power of Liu Wenxiu and his men more complicated, so joining a force he knew would also increase his voice.

Hearing this, Liu Wenxiu was quite tempted. The expansion of his base would naturally extend to Haicheng, inevitably leading to conflict between him and Sun Tongpao. Getting Sun Tongpao to join would be a good idea. As for reputation, he didn't care. As long as he persisted in dividing the land, his reputation would soon surpass Sun Tongpao's. Just like in Sichuan, heroes from all over the world would flock to join him. Under such a trend, his own power would rise rapidly.

"By the way, what's Sun Tongpao's background? Is he a landlord or something?"

"I heard he was a charcoal burner, very loyal. Later, when he couldn't continue his work, he somehow gathered a group of people and started robbing the rich to help the poor, and fighting against corrupt officials and bullies."

"Self-awakening class consciousness?"

Liu Wenxiu thought to herself, but said, "Whether we can save him or not depends on the situation. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll know the answer in the next two days. We don't need a day or two, so let's wait and see what happens and see if there's any opportunity we can take advantage of."

Liu Wenxiu didn't really care whether he could save Sun Tongpao or not. His real reason for wanting to stay was that he coveted the Russians' equipment within the checkpoint, especially the over a hundred Mosin-Nagant rifles. If he could cooperate with Sun Tongpao and secure the equipment, it would be a worthwhile trip.

Moreover, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Saving Sun Tongpao would add strength to the fight against the Russians. However, revolution is entirely voluntary. Chairman Zhang Yinghao has already discussed the issue of the united front, and Sun Tongpao is the one he wants to unite with. If he chooses to leave and doesn't want to join, it won't be a loss for him.

Even if his power expands to Haicheng in the future, or even he fights Sun Tongpao to the death, that is a matter for the future. At least now both sides still have common interests.

To prepare for the upcoming battle, Liu Wenxiu searched behind the Russians for the best sniping position and attack location, quietly setting up his plan. Unaware of the Russians' specific actions, Liu Wenxiu could only wait silently, keeping a close eye on the Russians within the checkpoint. The best outcome for Liu Wenxiu and his team was for Sun Tongpao and his men to attack the Russians from the other side, while Liu Wenxiu would suddenly attack from behind, catching them off guard and completely annihilating the hundred-plus Russians before him.

As Liu Wenxiu waited, darkness slowly descended, eventually enveloping the earth. Sun Tongpao, led by a traitor, slowly approached the Russian checkpoint. The Russians had put in a lot of effort to eliminate Sun Tongpao, using threats, coercion, and bribery to develop a traitor within Sun Tongpao's ranks. Tonight, the traitor tricked Sun Tongpao into attacking the checkpoint, using the excuse that the Russians had discovered a large amount of Russian munitions stored inside the checkpoint in order to deal with Wujiabaozi in Anshan, and that there were few guards.

Sun Tongpao was also desperately in need of munitions, and upon hearing that this checkpoint held such weapons, he was naturally tempted. Lust and greed, especially after the recent heavy losses in the Russians, had blinded Sun Tongpao to a desperate need for supplies like guns and ammunition. Lies told only half-truths were most convincing. Sun Tongpao had also heard about the incident at Wujiabaozi, and the considerable turmoil there, so he trusted the traitor's information and led his men to attack the checkpoint.

At this time, the scout ran up to Liu Wenxiu and said, "Captain, Sun Tongpao and his men are here. There are more than a hundred of them. They are on the other side of the Russian checkpoint and should be preparing to attack the checkpoint."

As if to confirm the scout's words, a burst of gunfire suddenly rang out from the other side of the checkpoint.

Liu Wenxiu suddenly became highly focused and said, "This is the best situation we expected. Sun Tongpao has really attacked from the opposite side. If it weren't for us, Sun Tongpao and his men would be dead or even dead. Everyone check their equipment immediately. We will launch a surprise attack from behind, crushing the Russians' fighting spirit and completely eliminating this group of Russians. Today we will stage a mantis stalking the cicada, while the oriole waits behind."

After hearing Liu Wenxiu's words, all the soldiers immediately began to check their guns and ammunition. Then Liu Wenxiu led them to the designated location and set up an ambush.

The gunfire from the opposite side became more intense, but Liu Wenxiu saw that the Russians in the checkpoint did not move at all. Seeing this, Liu Wenxiu knew that the Russians wanted to slowly consume some of Sun Tongpao's troops and then launch a fatal attack.

The reality was exactly as Liu Wenxiu had imagined. Sun Tongpao and his troops were now charging like crazy towards the checkpoint. The Russian company commander was no fool. He knew that Sun Tongpao was so powerful and that this was the perfect opportunity to wear down his forces. If they committed all their forces at once, Sun Tongpao would surely realize he had been tricked and would flee. At that point, any chance of a complete annihilation would be difficult.

Sun Tongpao's momentum was truly overwhelming, and all the men gathered their courage and fought with all their might. Liu Wenxiu saw that Sun Tongpao's troops were not weak, with more than a hundred men, but they had dozens of muskets, as well as bird guns, muskets, and matchlocks. Many men also used swords, spears, and bows and arrows, and they were very brave.

Seeing this situation, the Russian company commander came up with another evil idea and said: "It is these bandits who have taken down several of our strongholds and checkpoints? It's really shameful. Now we can defeat them at any time, but now!"

After saying that, the old man smiled sinisterly and said, "Let the warriors of the empire slowly reduce the number of people firing, shrink the troops a little, and let these bandits get closer."

"What, Captain? Why are you doing this? We can definitely defeat them right now. Just let us go into battle and we can disperse these bandits with just one charge."

"Hehe, what I want is not to disperse these bandits, but to completely annihilate them and put an end to their future troubles. I want to completely deter the bandits in the Far East and tell these Qing people that anyone who dares to go against the Great Russian Empire will die."

Sun Tongpao felt the Russians' firepower slowly decreasing, and he was like a chicken with blood, so he urged his men to rush forward desperately. The smell of gunpowder and blood stimulated everyone's nerves, making them even more crazy.

"Brothers, charge in! If we charge in, we'll win. The Russians' firepower is getting weaker and weaker. Charge in with all your might."

Seeing this, Liu Wenxiu shook his head slightly. Sun Tongpao had fallen for such a simple trick to lure the enemy, and even engaged in a shootout with the Russians. He really didn't know how he'd died. Even now, he only dared to launch sneak attacks and ambushes, not engage in direct combat with the Russians. In terms of direct combat capability, his men were far inferior to the Russians.

"Captain, why don't you attack? Sun Tongpao and his men are about to die."

Chapter 272: More chapters!

Liu Wenxiu listened, shook his head and said: "We have to wait a little longer. When Sun Tongpao retreats, that's when the Russians will attack. After the Russians attack and leave the checkpoint, it's time for us to attack."

At this time, Sun Tongpao finally realized that something was wrong. The charge was going smoothly in the front, but now he couldn't get any further. At this time, a small leader next to him ran over and said to Sun Tongpao: "Boss, we can't get in. Let's retreat, otherwise all our brothers will die."

Sun Tongpao immediately looked around and saw many of his brothers' bodies lying on the ground. However, he was unwilling to retreat like this. So he said: "Let's charge one last time. If we can't get in, we will retreat."

The bandits could only muster their remaining courage and charge again, but it was of no use. After all, blood and courage could not defeat steel, and they were still suppressed by the Russians. The bandits left behind five or six corpses and retreated in embarrassment.

Seeing that thirty or forty of his men had already fallen, Sun Tongpao was filled with helplessness and anger. He could clearly sense that the morale of his remaining men was rapidly declining. If he couldn't take the next checkpoint, and his men's morale completely collapsed, today would be their death.

"Boss, the Russians inside the checkpoint are definitely well-prepared. We must have been tricked, fallen for the enemy's scheme. If we attack twice more, our brothers will be wiped out. Continuing the attack will yield no results at all. Let's retreat!"

After hearing this, Sun Tongpao gritted his teeth and said without hesitation, "Retreat."

Attacking is easy, but retreating is difficult, especially for a group of bandits who have not received much military training. The bandits received the order to retreat, and some of them even turned around and ran away without caring about anything else after hearing the order to retreat. Perhaps in their minds, retreating is simply escaping.

Seeing this, Liu Wenxiu said immediately: "Now the Russians' attention is all attracted by Sun Tongpao. Now crawl forward immediately and approach the Russian checkpoint."

The Russian company commander also saw Sun Tongpao and his men begin to retreat, and he immediately gave the order to attack. The Russians had been suppressed and beaten by a group of bandits for so long and were full of anger. When they received the order, they naturally rushed out of their positions and pressed forward towards the retreating bandits.

Sun Tongpao's face finally changed. When he saw the Russians who had been hiding their heads in their positions suddenly attack, he didn't know whether he should continue to retreat or resist on the spot.

"Hurrah! Hurrah!"

The Russians were like a tiger coming down the mountain at this time. Many bandits were stabbed to death by the tall and strong Russians with their bayonets before they could react.

"Quick, quick, stop the Russians' attack..."

Sun Tongpao's idea was a good one, but the bandits, already preparing to retreat, lacked the discipline to block the Russians' all-out, let alone a fatal blow. Their formation was completely disrupted by the Russians, and they had no idea how to defend themselves, let alone organize a resistance. They were defeated, and some of the bandits also began to flee.

Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly. At this moment, another burst of gunfire rang out from behind Sun Tongpao and his men. It turned out that there was a platoon of Russians blocking Sun Tongpao and his men's retreat. Seeing this, Sun Tongpao knew that he was doomed to fail. At this time, the Russians' ultimate goal was completely exposed, which was to surround Sun Tongpao and his men and annihilate them here.

At this moment, Sun Tongpao was already filled with regret, hating himself for having been blinded by greed. However, there was no medicine for regret in the world. At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind, which was to break a hole and let the remaining brothers rush out. As for his own life or death, he no longer cared.

At this moment, Liu Wenxiu and his men also arrived outside the checkpoint. Inside, there were no soldiers except for a few officers and a few Russians. Liu Wenxiu naturally wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity. He immediately shouted, "Charge!"

He was the first to take the lead, holding a pistol in his left hand and a rifle in his right hand, and he fired at the Russians in the checkpoint. The other soldiers also quickly raised their guns and fired, and the few Russians in the checkpoint were killed in an instant.

All the Russians in the checkpoint died tragically. Liu Wenxiu immediately said, "Go quickly, occupy the Russian positions, and kill them all."

"yes."

The soldiers immediately ran over and occupied the position of the old Russians, and immediately shot at the old Russians in the back. The old Russians who rushed out at this time were also a little confused. Why are there people behind them attacking their own people? But they soon reacted and realized that they were attacked from behind. So the old Russians had to turn their guns and attack the checkpoint.

As a result, Sun Tongpao and his men had a chance to breathe. He immediately organized a defense on the spot and exchanged fire with the Russians coming from behind. The entire battlefield became a mess, and the two sides started fighting fiercely.

"Captain, there's an armory here with three Maxim heavy machine guns."

When Liu Wenxiu heard there was an arsenal here, he was stunned. How could there be an arsenal here? When he heard the words "Maxim heavy machine gun", he didn't think too much about it and said directly: "Push it out, push the heavy machine gun out, let the old Russians have a taste of Maxim's power."

"Bang, bang, bang."

The Russians who surrounded them from behind fired a volley of shots at Sun Tongpao and his men, killing six or seven of the bandits who had just fled. With only forty or fifty of his men left, Sun Tongpao showed no hesitation. He raised his rifle, aimed at a Russian, and fired, knocking him to the ground.

He shouted loudly: "Brothers, run to the mountain and rush out..."

However, before he could finish his order, there was a sudden burst of dense gunfire. It turned out that the Russians behind him had set up a heavy machine gun and were firing it. After a round of shooting, more than a dozen brothers fell in front of Sun Tongpao with unwilling looks on their faces.

Sun Tongpao and the bandits around him all showed despair. This time, it was really over. Suddenly, a burst of dense gunfire came from the direction of the checkpoint. Just as everyone closed their eyes and waited for death, several Russians outside were killed. In particular, the heavy machine gun had been silenced.

It was Liu Wenxiu and his men who had fired. When Liu Wenxiu saw the other platoon's heavy machine guns opening fire, he immediately ordered them to fire at the Russians' heavy machine guns. If they didn't knock out the Russians' heavy machine guns, they would surely suffer heavy casualties. And not only did they fire at the Russians' heavy machine guns, but their sharpshooters also fired at the heavy machine gunners, ensuring they could knock out the Russians' heavy machine gun fire in one fell swoop.

After knocking out the Russians' heavy machine gun firepower, the heavy machine guns could then fire at the Russians without restraint. The Russians were knocked to the ground like ripe wheat.

Sun Tongpao heard the gunshots and saw the old Russians who had slaughtered countless of his brothers falling to the ground. He felt like he was living in a dream. The changes on the battlefield were too unexpected. But for Sun Tongpao, this new group of people directly saved his life and the lives of his remaining brothers.

Sun Tongpao and his men immediately summoned their remaining courage and desperately pursued the Russians. With the exception of a few who had intended to cut off Sun Tongpao's retreat and fled when they saw the situation was getting worse, all the remaining Russians were shot dead. Seeing that Sun Tongpao and his men still had about twenty men alive, Liu Wenxiu could only silently apologize.

Without using Sun Tongpao as bait, Liu Wenxiu and his men would never have been able to capture the checkpoint so easily. If the Russians had been left to guard the checkpoint, with its three heavy machine guns, their hundred-plus men would have been unable to capture the stronghold. Liu Wenxiu was no longer concerned with the Russians, but instead wondered why there was an arsenal there. It was cleverly designed, and it definitely wasn't aimed at Sun Tongpao and his men. Since it wasn't Sun Tongpao, then the target must be the Wu Family Fortress. At this thought, Liu Wenxiu shuddered, startled by his own thoughts, but Sun Tongpao's words quickly confirmed his belief.

After the battle, Sun Tongpao and all his brothers couldn't help but smile in relief. This time it was really too dangerous. If the group behind them had been two minutes later, they would have been wiped out.

Seeing Liu Wenxiu and his bandits cleaning up the battlefield, Sun Tongpao and his bandits no longer needed to do the same, as they were now armed with two rifles each. So Sun Tongpao and his bandit brothers immediately came over and asked to meet with Liu Wenxiu.

After receiving permission, Sun Tongpao led the remaining bandits to Liu Wenxiu and said with gratitude, "I am Sun Tongpao. Thank you all for saving my brothers' lives. Today, you saved my brothers, so we owe you a life. As long as it does not violate morality, I am willing to do anything for you heroes to repay your kindness."

After hearing this, Liu Wenxiu said, "We are from Wujiabao. We happened to meet today. Naturally, we saw injustice and helped each other. We are both fighting against the Russians, so we should help each other."

"Haha, great! I've heard for a long time that the heroes of Wujiabao defeated the Russians and left them in disarray. Today I finally got to see it for myself. I, Sun Tongpao, admire you."

"You, the boss Sun Tongpao, are not bad either. I admire any righteous man who dares to fight the Russians."

"Haha, well said. These old Russians are going too far. If we don't beat them, who else should we beat?" "By the way, Boss, why did you come to attack this checkpoint?" "Oh, this. We heard that the old Russians stored a batch of munitions here to encircle you. We thought there was no one defending it, but it turned out to be a trap."

"Is that so?"

Liu Wenxiu thought about this, and suddenly he thought of the other soldiers going to attack the checkpoints and strongholds. He didn't know if the Russians had ambushes. There was no point in thinking about it now. It seemed that he had to go back immediately.

"Who told you there were munitions here?"

"Haha, what a shame! That man has been killed by the Russians." Liu Wenxiu nodded and said, "I wonder what Master Sun's plans are next? You guys have been badly injured in this battle."

After hearing this, Sun Tongpao sighed and said, "Oh, yes! I feel so sorry for my brothers. Now there are only so few of us left. We can only hide in the mountains for a while."

"I don't think this is a good idea. With over a hundred dead this time, the Russians will definitely retaliate. You must be their primary target. Our Wujiabao is about to face a Russian encirclement and suppression, and we're in urgent need of manpower. I wonder if Master Sun dares to join us in fighting the Russians?"

"There's nothing I dare not do."

After saying that, Sun Tongpao realized something and immediately said: "You guys saved my life. As long as I don't mind, I will follow you to make a living."

Upon hearing this, Liu Wenxiu burst into laughter and said, "Haha, I'm so grateful that the boss thinks highly of me. I'll join the militia of Wujiabao. Together we can fight the Russians, kill the rich and help the poor. I'll definitely have enough to eat."

"Then from now on, my brothers and I will obey you. As long as we can avenge our fallen brothers and kill the Russians, I will not hesitate to sacrifice my own life. However, we still have some injured brothers and some women and children in our stronghold. I don't know what to do with them."

"We're about to go to war with the Russians. If they're not afraid of danger, we'll take them to Wujiabaozi and give each of them a few acres of land, which will be enough for them to live on."

Sun Tongpao nodded and said, "Why are you afraid of danger? I believe we can defeat the Russians and protect them."

"Okay, well said. By the way, Mr. Sun, aren't you guys also fighting landlords? With your equipment, beating landlords should be easy, right?"

Sun Tongpao smiled awkwardly and said, "We're hitting those bullies, the bad guys who bully men and women, not all landlords. It's embarrassing to hit our fellow villagers."

Chapter 273: Thanks for the additional update!

Liu Wenxiu was speechless after hearing this. Beating landlords is embarrassing? Why should it be embarrassing? Beating landlords is politically correct, okay? But then he suddenly remembered that Sun Tongpao had not been educated by the ruling class and still believed in feudalism, so Liu Wenxiu said mysteriously: "In the future, you will kill some of those landlord bullies too."

At this time, Old Li, who was in charge of inventorying the armory, came over and said, "Captain, we've made a fortune. We've seized four heavy machine guns, including the equipment of the over one hundred Russians, and 632 rifles. We've also seized 12 boxes of machine gun ammunition and 100,000 rounds of rifle ammunition. We've also found blankets, towels, and other daily necessities for 600 people inside the checkpoint. We've also found 5,000 taels of silver and five carts of grain."

"Okay, start moving immediately. Don't leave any food for the Russians." "Aren't we going to keep going?"

"Let's go back. The Russians will probably launch a siege against us. Let's go back and prepare now."

"it is good."

With this batch of munitions, they finally solved their urgent shortage of weapons. If the soldiers were without guns, they could send those with guns to the battlefield while those without guns waited for them. However, bullets were just as important as guns. Without ammunition, a rifle was no more effective than a machete.

We had no guns or cannons, so the enemy built them for us. However, without the ability to produce bullets, the limited ammunition was wasted, so Liu Wenxiu valued bullets far more than rifles. He was pleasantly surprised to hear that there were 100,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, enough to equip almost all his rifles with the same basic number of rounds.

"Brother Sun, we've stipulated that each person should have a rifle. Those swords and spears you had can be directly handed over to our blacksmith shop to be made into hoes and other farm tools. Is that okay?"

"No, I listen to the leader."

"As for bullets, you know we can't make our own. We have limited bullets, so we have to use them sparingly. So they must be handed over to the central management for centralized distribution. But now you need to go back and bring the ones in your village to Wujiabaozi, so I'll give you 50 rounds each. I hope you go quickly and come back soon. Is that okay?"

"Captain, no problem. We will definitely bring everyone to Wujiabaozi as soon as possible to reunite."

Liu Wenxiu waved her hand and said, "Don't tell them everything. Anyone who wants to come can come. Don't force them. Wujiabaozi is not a peaceful place. They must come voluntarily."

"Row."

Sun Tongpao and his men each took away fifty rounds of ammunition. Liu Wenxiu watched them leave. This time, Sun Tongpao and his men had suffered heavy losses. They had brought over a hundred people out, but only brought back about twenty. Hundreds of families had lost their pillars.

"Damn old Russians."

Thinking of this, Liu Wenxiu cursed in his heart.

"Captain, aren't you afraid that Sun Tongpao and the others won't come back?"

After listening to Old Li's words, Liu Wenxiu simply said, "If they come, they can join us. If they don't come, what's the point of forcing them now? A forced melon won't be sweet."

Old Li immediately complained crazily in his heart, aren't these caravan brothers just forced to do something? I don't see that you guys are not enjoying the food.

While Liu Wenxiu was carrying supplies back to Wujiabaozi, other soldiers also launched attacks on their designated targets. Some strongholds and checkpoints were successfully captured, while others encountered fierce resistance from the Russians and returned in defeat.

Zhao Yong, the company commander of one of the companies, volunteered to attack the Dagushan Iron Mine in Anshan, which was first controlled and excavated by the Russians.

"Don't be afraid, everyone. I'm familiar with this iron mine. I worked there for a while before. The Russians manage large and small mines differently. Generally, due to management costs, we miners have more freedom in small mines. But the larger the mine, the stricter the Russians' management. They even let captured prisoners of war dig there, and they use laborers close to the Russians to form a garrison inside the iron mine. The mine we're attacking only has a single Russian company garrison. Our mission this time is to wipe out this company, seize the iron mine, liberate all the miners, and seize all the Russian mining machinery. Then, we'll take away what we can, and blow up what we can't. We'll completely destroy this iron mine."

At this time, the company commander and instructor were no longer comrades from Sichuan. The army expanded too quickly, and those motivated miners were quickly promoted to cadres.

"Captain, we are also a company. Will we be unable to defeat the Russians?"