The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

The Russian invaders below, after hearing Volokov's words and seeing the actions of the two commanders, cheered. Then they rushed towards the women with their rifles, and the women screamed and hid in all directions.

When some villagers saw their wives or daughters being captured by the Russians, they immediately rushed out of the crowd and rushed towards the Russians.

"Let my daughter go."

"Let my wife go."

The Russian invaders saw these people rushing over and kicked the woman they were holding to the ground. Then they raised their rifles and thrust their bayonets into the body of the man who rushed over to save her. The man stretched out his hands, blood flowing from his mouth, and could only whisper: "Beast, let go of my wife..."

The woman saw her man being stabbed to death, and she screamed and rushed over to fight the Russian soldier. The Russian soldier pulled out his bayonet, kicked the man down, and then hit the woman with the butt of his rifle. The woman immediately lost the ability to resist and fell to the ground. The Russian invader immediately dragged the woman away.

Seeing this, Hong Baotian immediately trembled all over and cried out in pain: "Fellow villagers, the knife handle is in someone else's hand. Close your eyes and bear it. It will pass if you bear it. Just think of it as being bitten by a dog. Just bear it."

After shouting, perhaps feeling that his words were not convincing enough, Hong Baotian immediately knelt down in front of the villagers. Many villagers saw Hong Baotian like this and took back their steps, watching their women being dragged away by the Russians. Many Russians laughed at this situation.

At this moment, a baby suddenly cried out from among the women. Hong Baotian turned to look at the women holding the children and froze in his tracks, not knowing what to do. He just looked at the old soldiers with hope, hoping they would show some mercy and let the children go.

It turned out that several women holding babies who were hiding among the women were also pulled out by the Russians. The hands that were originally covering the babies' mouths were loosened, and the babies immediately cried, protesting against their mothers' rough treatment of them. They had no idea that a disaster was about to befall them.

The Russian invaders, hearing the cries of babies, burst into unbridled laughter. They immediately snatched the babies from the women. The women were no match for the strong Russian invaders, and the babies were snatched away one after another. Then, they were seen throwing the children to the ground, leaving them speechless. Not satisfied, they stabbed the babies with their bayonets, then lifted the bodies and held them high. Then, they laughed heartily, showing off their power, vividly displaying the most brutal, dark, and bloody side of humanity.

The villagers stared intently at the scene, then at Hong Baotian, as if they would fight the Russians to the death at his command. But Hong Baotian just kept kowtowing, asking the villagers to be patient, begging for forgiveness for the tragically dead babies, or even begging the Russian invaders to have mercy on them and stop the killing.

The villagers were completely disappointed, but their brave men had just been stabbed to death by the Russian invaders. They could only imitate Hong Baotian, kneeling down with tears streaming down their cheeks, and kowtow to the atrocities being committed by the Russian invaders, hoping that they would wake up and stop the atrocities.

Yet, even then, the Russian invaders refused to let them go. Having seen enough of the drama, they immediately loaded their guns and opened fire on the villagers, slaughtering them. Their pity was met with no mercy from the enemy, only with even more reckless slaughter. Villagers fell one after another in a pool of blood, and the scene erupted in a cacophony of curses, cries, laughter, screams, groans, and the sound of gunfire.

Hong Baotian stopped kowtowing at this time. He just knelt there and stared blankly at the scene of hell. He felt like he was dreaming. How could there be such a tragedy in the world? But tears of regret flowed from his eyes.

"You beasts, you are not human..."

The dazed Hong Baotian was awakened by his mother's voice. When he saw his mother, a 68-year-old woman, being dragged past him by a Russian invader, Hong Baotian finally came to his senses and roared, "I will fight you beasts!"

Then Hong Baotian immediately stood up and rushed towards the Russian invader who was holding his mother. The Russian invader didn't really notice Hong Baotian at first. When he heard the shout, he turned around and saw a man rushing towards him with a bayonet, and then the bayonet pierced the man's body directly.

Hong Baotian was stabbed by the bayonet and suddenly lost all his strength. Facing the Russian invaders, he slowly collapsed to his knees, as if atonement, still muttering the words he had just heard from his mother: "Beasts, you beasts, you are not human..."

The Russian invader ignored Hong Baotian and kicked him to the ground, then took Hong Baotian's mother and left.

Half a day later, some villagers who had been working outside and had managed to escape the disaster came back to see only houses reduced to ashes, and no survivors from the village.

At the same time as the Xiuyan tragedy, Tianshui, Shangma, Gongchangling, Jiewen, Sifangtai, Houshuangtaizi, Niuzhuang and other places were almost simultaneously attacked by the Russian invaders. Any Chinese who dared to resist were beheaded and hung on the roadside after being caught.

Landlords in various locations did resist, but without exception, they were all brutally suppressed and executed by the Russian invaders. Those who dared to resist by relying on the walls of their forts were also unable to escape the Russian artillery fire. Wherever the artillery passed, only ruins were left.

It was better in places where there were the Forward Party and the militia. They all knew that the Russian invaders were coming back to attack, so they fired cold shots at the Russian invaders to delay their advance.

The speed of the evacuation was covered by the speed of the evacuation. However, since the Forward Party and the people were inexperienced, the organization work was extremely chaotic. Some families even moved all the furniture like moving house, which seriously affected the speed of the evacuation. The soldiers could not resist the attack of the Russian invaders and had to retreat. The Russian invaders caught up with them and there were still a lot of

A large number of people who did not have time to evacuate fell into the hands of the Russian invaders and became their victims.

Homes were destroyed, Russian invaders were killing people wantonly, and more and more people fled. Especially when people heard that the Russians were killing captured people, panic spread everywhere. Many people no longer trusted the militia fighters and began to flee according to their own ideas.

The Russian army's anti-bandit campaign in South Manchuria brought profound suffering to the people of Liaoyang and Anshan, particularly. Wherever the Russian invaders passed, these bandits burned houses, killed people, looted property, robbed money, and raped women, committing a hostile act. They tortured and murdered captured Chinese. Hundreds of prosperous villages were destroyed, trees felled, and livestock, including pigs, chickens, cattle, and sheep, were looted. Over 40,000 people in Liaoyang and Anshan were slaughtered. The invaders committed unforgivable crimes.

The Russians' scorched earth policy was a catastrophic disaster for Liu Wenxiu and his men. They immediately recalled the landlords' counterattacks in Sichuan, but even more devastating than those counterattacks was the Russians' vast military strength. Faced with the constant stream of tragic news, Liu Wenxiu and his men were even a little stunned. Such brutal slaughter was simply too cruel for Liu Wenxiu.

Liu Wenxiu immediately recalled what Zhang Yinghao had said during the training:

"...Save yourself, destroy the enemy...you'll encounter many horrific things, see civilians struggling on the brink of death...should you save them? How should you save them...?"

Liu Wenxiu stayed in his room for a full half hour before emerging with red eyes. Everyone's gaze turned to him, and Liu Wenxiu, without further delay, declared, "The situation is critical, and time is pressing. I won't waste any more time, but will simply issue the order. The miners' combat effectiveness is completely lacking, and we lack artillery, so we have no way to engage in offensive or defensive warfare with the Russians. The enemy is still as resolute as a fist. Defending Wujiabaozi is a dead end, and we must evacuate. The Chairman said, 'If we lose the land while we save the people, we will lose both the land and the people. If we lose the land while we save the people, we will lose both the land and the people.' The enemy wants our Wujiabaozi, so we'll leave it to them."

"Where to retreat?"

"This is the remnant of Changbai Mountain. Head east up Changbai Mountain. I will stay with one battalion, and the other soldiers will be organized into battalions and companies. You will lead them to cover the evacuation of civilians from all over the area up the mountain. Take away what you can, and distribute what you can't take to the civilians. Hide the rest of the supplies, and burn what you can't hide. Don't leave them to the Russians. After the enemy occupies Wujiabaozi, they will inevitably split up their forces, and their fists will become fingers. Only then will we have the opportunity to ambush and cut off the Russians' fingers. It's better to cut off one finger than to injure ten."

"Commander, what are you doing here?"

Liu Wenxiu had been promoted from regimental commander to divisional commander of over a thousand men. "Hehe, the Chairman said: You fight yours, I fight mine. The Russians are coming to attack us, so we naturally can't follow their lead. I plan to jump out and fight guerrilla warfare with the Russians. They're mobilizing a large force, so they won't last long. Didn't you say before that the railway is the Russians' balls? This time, we're going to hold their balls in our hands. As long as we hold on until the snow starts, we'll be victorious."

"What are the specific arrangements for each unit going forward?"

"The Chairman's sixteen-character principle: When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue. And as the Chairman said: The modern army's fatal weakness is logistics. So while you adhere to this sixteen-character principle, you must also allocate some forces to attack the enemy's logistics, burning everything that can be burned. We want to render the Russians deaf and blind when they arrive. Although the struggle is brutal right now, it also provides us with an opportunity to train our troops."

After hearing this, Lian Chengjue said, "I'll stay too."

Liu Wenxiu said, "Political Commissar, they say we need to cooperate with each other. Your task is more important than mine. On the one hand, you have to shoulder the responsibility of training the new recruits, but no matter how long the training is, it is not as good as a real battle. Moreover, the Northeast is different from the mainland. The people here are tough, and many people have been exposed to guns and other things for a long time. They have a basic understanding of the situation, unlike the mainland, which is too closed and many farmers don't know anything. So on the other hand, you are also responsible for training the troops, which can be said to be a more important task. I am mainly playing the role of restraining the enemy outside, so that they can't concentrate on encircling and suppressing our liberated areas. And you are the enemy's real target, Political Commissar, we are advocating democratic centralism, let's vote."

The voting results were not surprising, everyone agreed with Liu Wenxiu's arrangement.

"Well, if everyone agrees, then I will obey the organization's decision."

Chapter 281:

At this time, Division Commander Vladimirovich and a group of reporters were standing next to a village they had just destroyed. Reporter Frank asked Division Commander Vladimirovich, "Commander, what's going on in this village?"

In fact, anyone with eyes knows what happened to this village. The entire village has been razed to the ground by the Russian army. As for the people in the village, everyone knows where they went, but at this time everyone is just pretending to be stupid.

Previously, the Russian army announced that it would wipe out the bandits in Wujiabaozi on behalf of the Qing government. The Russian plenipotentiary minister Resar even made a big fuss about Wujiabaozi, asking the Qing government to admit that the army in the Northeast continued to exist, and had been conducting secret negotiations in an attempt to cut more flesh and blood from the Qing government.

As the Russian invaders marched along, they flattened every village on either side of the road. The crops in the fields were either driven out and cut down, or burned to the ground. Everything that could be destroyed was destroyed by the Russian army. The villagers who were captured were all slaughtered and then burned to destroy all traces.

So-called civilized nations like Britain, the United States, France, and Germany turned a blind eye to Russia's atrocities and even issued public statements supporting the Russian military action. They considered the Wujiabaozi bandits thugs who had committed heinous crimes against the civilized world. The Russian army was the embodiment of justice, and any means they could employ were justifiable and righteous. This was a crusade of justice against evil, of civilization against barbarism.

The foreign powers not only supported the war with words, but also with actions. They used diplomatic means to force the Qing court to support the Russian bandit suppression campaign. The Qing court was a foreign court at that time, and under the pressure of the foreign powers, it had no choice but to succumb. This made the Russian bandit suppression campaign even more legitimate.

Hearing the reporter's question, Division Commander Vladimir Kimirovich said calmly and gracefully, "Mr. Reporter, there are thugs in this village attacking our Great Russian soldiers. They are helping the bandits block our Great Russian advance and are firing bullets from inside the houses. Therefore, our vanguard troops must destroy the village. Only in this way can we ensure the safety of all of us."

"Can we interview your vanguard troops?"

Of course, Division Commander Vladimirovich would never let these reporters out of his sight. The vanguard troops were engaged in murder and arson, so how could they possibly let these reporters take pictures?

"The vanguard troops are fighting bandits. You are non-combatants, and we must ensure your safety. Therefore, you are not allowed to leave here now. This is also for your safety. Please forgive me."

At this time, a female reporter, Marina, asked: "These villages should mostly be populated by civilians. War does not allow the harm of civilians. Doesn't the commander know this?"

Division Commander Vladimirovich glanced at the female reporter and wondered if she had a problem with her brain. There were no civilians in war. To these invaders, everyone in the Qing Dynasty was an enemy.

"If civilians were accidentally killed, we naturally also express our apologies." This is what a politician should say, and it must be well-spoken and consistent with the universal views of their countries. Upon hearing this, the reporters immediately wrote it down in their notebooks, even having a title in mind: "Russian Army Apologies for Accidentally Killing Qing Civilians."

Then I heard Division Commander Vladimirovich continue: "The Qing Dynasty also supports our suppression of bandits this time. We do not want any conflict with Qing civilians, but they attacked our troops, so we have to fight back. After we eliminate the bandits in Wujiabaozi, if any civilians are indeed mistakenly killed, we are willing to provide appropriate compensation."

The reporters wrote down everything in a flash. These words sounded nice, and the people in Western countries love to read these nice words the most. They just like to look down on other ethnic groups from a superior position.

"Sir, when do you think this bandit suppression operation will end?"

"We naturally want to end this quickly. If the bandits in Wujiabaozi promise not to kill citizens of the foreign powers in the Qing Dynasty in the future, we can even stop the bandit suppression operation now."

This answer shows Russia's tolerance and is very clever. Reporters quickly recorded it. For Westerners who claim to be civilized, compassionate and peace-loving people, this sentence is tailor-made for them. It will definitely touch their hearts and they will definitely like it.

"Sir, what do you think of the scorched earth policy the army is currently using? It will only leave more people homeless, and they may just end up becoming bandits. Some say you're not suppressing bandits, but creating more bandits."

The question was quite sharp, but Division Commander Vladimirovich was completely unmoved. He smiled faintly and said, "Even if they are bandits, they would not dare to attack the citizens of the great powers again, right? Of course, we are truly sorry for the harm caused to these Qing people, but I can declare and guarantee here that our army will be responsible for everything we do here. As long as the bandits in Wujiabaozi are wiped out, we will be responsible for rebuilding these destroyed villages. We are willing to make certain compensation to those Qing civilians who have been harmed. Of course, the premise is that we must completely eliminate the bandits in Wujiabaozi, and the people of Northeast China must not attack the citizens of the great powers in Northeast China or boycott the great powers' products in Northeast China."

The words of the division commander Vladimirovich have already made it clear that they will adopt a scorched earth policy.

The most complete explanation was that the reporters could not say anything more after hearing what Commander Vladimirovich said.

Liu Wenxiu naturally didn't know about the fascinating conversation between Division Commander Vladimirovich and the reporters. After watching Lian Chengjue and the others leave Wujiabaozi, he turned around and saw the remaining battalion and said, "Everyone knows about the atrocities committed by the Russians. What we need to do now is one thing: kill them. Their army is powerful, and we can't defeat them. They wantonly kill our people, so we should break out of their encirclement and kill those Russians, and scare them to death..."

Liu Wenxiu said so and did so.

Hundreds of people left Wujiabaozi and jumped out of the encirclement of the old Russians along the path they had previously discovered. Then they crossed the Middle East Railway several times and blew up several places.

Railway. Sure enough, after Liu Wenxiu's troops blew up the Middle East Railway several times, the Russians became anxious. They had to send more troops to guard the railway.

A large number of combat troops were transformed into garrisons, greatly relieving the pressure on Lian Chengjue and his men.

The Qing government signed the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan, completely opening China's door to Western powers. Within a few short years, Northeast China practically became a colony of Tsarist Russia. Numerous Russian-style towns and villages emerged across the Northeast, along with Russian churches, schools, theaters, hotels, and businesses.

After the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion, the flames of war quickly spread to the Northeast.

The railways and other infrastructure in the territory were destroyed, the Sino-Russian border conflicts continued to occur, and the interests of the Tsarist Russia in the Northeast were threatened.

A "Letter to the Government and Residents of Manchuria" was issued, stating that in order to save the legitimate Chinese government from danger and eliminate the danger faced by the Russian people who were building the Northeast China Railway, His Majesty the Emperor of All Russia decided to send troops to Manchuria.

Anyone with a discerning eye knew that saving the Qing court from the dire situation was a joke. All they wanted was to build railways and fulfill the Tsar's Yellow Russia plan. Now that Liu Wenxiu was constantly blowing up their railways, it was like pinching the Tsarist Russia's balls in the Northeast. Naturally, the Tsarist Russia was in great pain.

Of course, Liu Wenxiu did more than just this. The Russians were relentlessly slaughtering Chinese civilians, so Liu Wenxiu naturally responded with an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. He swept along the mines they had previously marked. Furthermore, he chopped off the heads of all the Russians he found, regardless of gender or age, in Russian villages and buildings, churches, schools, theaters, hotels, and businesses, and arranged them in the shape of the four characters: "Blood debt paid with blood."

Liu Wenxiu's frenzied revenge immediately mobilized the Russian troops attacking Wujiabaozi, who left their original positions and began to encircle and suppress Liu Wenxiu and his band of roving bandits. At this time, Tsarist Russian rule over Northeast China was far less secure than the later Japanese rule. After all, by the time of Japanese rule, nearly every region was connected by trains, and Japan had assembled a large number of puppet troops and specialized units to suppress the bandits, ultimately eliminating any armed forces that dared to resist Japan. However, Tsarist Russia was no match for them. With only two or three railway lines, their efforts to encircle and suppress Liu Wenxiu and his bandits were immediately overwhelmed. Without the constraints of their base area, the Tsarist army would have no way to deal with these few hundred men.

The Tsarist Russia had no way to deal with Liu Wenxiu and the others, but it had plenty of tricks up its sleeve. Meanwhile, Marina, Frank, and other reporters were being "arranged" by Division Commander Vladimirovich to rest in a Russian village, claiming combat wasn't suitable for reporting.

Using the land for the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway as a pretext, Tsarist Russia expanded its territory as much as possible, implementing a plan to colonize Manchuria with Russian elements, known as the "Yellow Russia" plan. This plan, laid out over several years, aimed to Russify Northeast China through a series of operations, ultimately achieving its legally guaranteed annexation of the region. These villages and towns were colonial military outposts established by immigrants to the Northeast, known as "Cossack villages" and "soldier villages." Relying on these military outposts, Tsarist Russia established factories and schools in an attempt to permanently occupy the Northeast.

Marina was quite dissatisfied with the Russians' arrangement. She asked Frank, "Frank, what do you think the Russians are up to?"

"Only God knows. So many days have passed since we began suppressing the bandits in Wujiabaozi, but we still haven't had the chance to go to the front lines. We can only read the battle reports provided to us by the Russians."

"Yes, every day they tell us how much progress we have made and how many bandits we have eliminated, but we haven't seen many corpses."

At this time, another reporter said: "If this campaign to encircle and suppress bandits had not attracted so many people, I would not be willing to come to such a remote place."

The Russians suddenly announced the suppression of the bandits after they had completed the encirclement. Due to the atrocities committed at Wujiabaozi, this Russian suppression operation attracted the attention of people all over the world. Especially journalists, they knew that no matter what the outcome of this suppression operation was, it would be a big news that attracted attention.

The foreign powers naturally wanted the Wujiapuo bandits eliminated, but they also wanted to know the true extent of their brutality. They always hoped that journalists would publish such stories, allowing them to criticize the backward and barbaric countries from a righteous perspective, thus satisfying their superior mentality. As for the Qing people, although they were mostly critical of the atrocities committed by Wujiapuo, whether they truly wanted Wujiapuo to be eliminated is still a mystery.

Of course, the contents of newspapers published in the Qing Dynasty and the great powers were different. The great powers hoped that the Wujiabaozi bandits would be wiped out, so the newspapers published in the great powers naturally tried their best to report the brutal murders of the Wujiabaozi bandits. They had to use the most slanderous and abusive language to publicize the political correctness of the great powers towards the ancient Eastern country.

However, for articles published within the Qing court, it was crucial to understand the complex emotions of the people regarding Wujiapuzi. Naturally, the focus was on discussion, to inform them of Wujiapuzi's current situation. Precisely because of this controversy, scholars within the Qing court were constantly vying for newspapers about Wujiapuzi. Restaurants and teahouses also bought these newspapers and read them to their patrons, especially the bar-goers, who were particularly fond of hearing the stories about killing foreigners. After all, in their imagination, killing everyone in sight was a very pleasant and wonderful thing.

Therefore, Russia's high-profile anti-bandit campaign really attracted a lot of attention. After the news spread, Wujiabaozi immediately became a matter of concern to readers. Naturally, in order to get readers to pay, reporters had to rush to this corner of the Northeast without hesitation.

"There's really nothing interesting about this operation. The bandits in Wujiabao are only a few thousand strong. The Russian army has mobilized so many troops. I really don't think the bandits in Wujiabao have any chance to fight back."

"I think so too. The Russians are doing this to establish their authority in Northeast China. They want the Qing people in Northeast China to completely obey their rule. As for us, we can only be fooled by the Russians."

"I don't think so. The fact that the Russians dispatched so many troops to suppress the bandits shows that they are actually very cowardly."

"No, I object. I think anyone who can fight against these vicious bandits should be a hero."

When the reporters heard this, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Many reporters were chatting and laughing when they heard someone outside shouting, "Reporters, we've arrived, but please don't come down."

The reporters, having heard what the outsiders were saying, ignored their shouts and immediately jumped out of the car. But when they saw the scene before them, they were stunned, their faces turning grim. Marina and some of the less prepared reporters even doubled over and vomited.

They kept muttering, "Oh, God, my God."

Chapter 282:

The reporters immediately made the sign of the cross, clasped their hands together, and bowed their heads in prayer. After a while, they finally remembered their duties. They immediately pulled out their cameras and began filming from what they considered the best angles.

The Russian-built village before him was a scene of hell on earth. A utter silence fell upon the village. At least six hundred skulls lay at the entrance. These included men, women, the elderly, and children. The expressions on these skulls varied: some were hideous, some fearful, some with gaping mouths, others with long tongues sticking out. The scene was incredibly horrifying, but without exception, these skulls were all Russian.

The words "Blood debt paid with blood" arranged in a pattern of skulls had naturally been destroyed by the Russian invaders. They then carried corpses from the village one after another and lined them up in a large area on the flat ground at the village entrance. Those with the means spliced ​​together corpses and skulls; those without the means simply pieced them together haphazardly, based on gender, age, and size, waiting for the reporters to take photos before burning them.

"Marina, are you okay?"

"Frank, thank you, I'm fine. Oh my God, this is truly a hell. We must expose the bandit atrocities here to the public and let civilized people around the world condemn this behavior."

"Of course, war shouldn't harm civilians. The bandits in Wujiabao are indeed thugs who commit all kinds of evil."

"Yes, I really hope that the Russian Empire's army can eliminate them as soon as possible and prevent such tragedies from happening again."

Marina and Frank walked towards the pile of corpses, only to see two Russian invaders silently carrying out the body of a pregnant woman. Surprisingly, the head of the pregnant woman was not chopped off, but looking at the expression of the pregnant woman and the way she protected the fetus in her belly with her hands, you can tell how much pain she endured before her death.

"Oh my God, what the hell is going on?"

Tears welled up in Marina's eyes again. As a woman, she felt deep sympathy for the pregnant woman. She really couldn't imagine what kind of thugs could do such a thing.

Of course, Marina didn't know that these actions were carried out by the survivors of the Russian massacre. These people, left homeless, had spontaneously banded together, some seeking private revenge against the Russians, while others joined forces with Liu Wenxiu and his group, who were fighting the Russians. They longed to slaughter all the Russians, but even so, they couldn't shake the hatred they harbored.

After the reporters finished taking pictures, an officer said to them: "My dear reporters, there is a mine not far away that has also been massacred by bandits. Do you want to go over and take pictures?"

The reporters looked at each other in bewilderment. They all thought that seeing what was in front of them was enough, and with these photos, their goal was achieved. But Marina, looking at the fragile Marina, said, "We must go. Of course we must go. We must expose these bandits' atrocities to the public and let people all over the world know about their brutality."

After witnessing the pregnant woman's plight, Marina felt a strong sense of justice. She felt she had to let the world know about the bandits' atrocities, aid the righteous Russian army, and completely wipe out the bandits, avenging the victims. The other reporters, unable to say anything, simply agreed to the Russians' plan. They were all witty and understood the Russians' intention to use them as pawns. But they didn't mind. As long as they had news material and could provide them with big news, they didn't care.

At this time, Liu Wenxiu's men had just captured a Russian mine and seized the supplies inside. The mine had 1,000 miners. Liu Wenxiu no longer forced the miners to join him. Those who wanted to leave were given travel expenses by Liu Wenxiu, but 400 of them chose to stay and fight the Russians with him. After capturing several mines, Liu Wenxiu's forces had exceeded 3,000 men, all of whom had voluntarily stayed to fight the Russians.

A passionate man should strive for self-improvement, killing the Russians and making them wail. Although these soldiers were unarmed, they were miners, so having them play with explosives was no problem at all. Furthermore, Liu Wenxiu needed to separate the logistics of his combat units; he couldn't let the soldiers fight with the logistics.

But feeding three or four thousand mouths was also a big problem. At this time, a newly rescued miner came to Liu Wenxiu and said, "Commander, there is an old Russian flour mill and an iron foundry twenty kilometers ahead. Further up is Liaoyang."

Liu Wenxiu looked it up on the map and saw that what the miner said was correct. He said immediately, "Okay, then you lead the way. Let's first take down the flour mill and the iron foundry, and then rest there for a while."

Under the leadership of the miners, the battle was a foregone conclusion. All the Russians, both men and women, in the factory were killed. The Chinese working in the factory naturally began to dismantle the machines and pack them up and take them away.

At this point, Liu Wenxiu had to start thinking about his next move. He didn't know what had happened to Lian Chengjue and the others, nor did he know what had happened to Wujiabaozi. However, he had to completely and quickly dismantle the Russian encirclement and suppression campaign. Such petty killings wouldn't solve the fundamental problem. Liu Wenxiu didn't want to wait any longer. Every time he thought about what had happened along the way, he always felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Halfway through the journey, Liu Wenxiu and his men came across a small village. He had encountered many similar villages before, but they were all largely deserted. This village had also been ravaged by the Russians, not during the Gengzi Year, but during the Gengzi Year. There were still a few people in this village, as it hadn't been completely razed to the ground by the Russians. There were still some nooks and crannies among the rubble that offered shelter from the wind and rain.