si-mexico Chapter 1252 The Japanese's Thoughts
Chapter 1252 The Japanese's Thoughts
Let alone in this war-torn situation, even in peaceful times, having tens of thousands of kilograms of grain piled up in the yard is no small matter. If the bandits nearby knew about this, they'd be sure to rob you. These landlord families have been dealing with bandits for years, and these guerrilla groups are far more formidable than bandits these days.
“Wait a few more days. We haven’t gone to collect the grain from those households in the west yet. Once we collect all their grain and send it to the Imperial Army, my position as town mayor will be basically settled. Didn’t our son say that the Imperial Army is most in need of grain right now? Whoever can deliver grain to the Imperial Army will be promoted to county magistrate, let alone a town mayor.”
Wu Laoliu puffed on his pipe, fantasizing about becoming the county magistrate. He'd seen the county magistrate's meetings in town before; it was indeed very prestigious. "When will I ever have that kind of luck?" he thought. But he quickly shook his head. His son had surrendered with dozens of guns and only managed to become a police chief. "If I want to be the county magistrate," he thought, "I'll have to work hard. But if the Imperial Army gives me a chance, I'll have to risk my life to get them food." As for the lives of the villagers around him, that was unimportant.
"Forget about the county magistrate thing. In this world, we're just trying to survive. I think we can manage as town mayors or something. We need guns now. You have to talk to our son. Your village protection team isn't good enough. We need to find a few more armed men."
Old Mrs. Wu had attended a private school in her youth, so she understood these matters very well. At this point, no one's support was of any use; one needed guns and men in their own hands. Why was her son qualified to be the police chief? Weren't there many officers in the police station with higher ranks than him? But those people had no men or guns; even the Imperial Army looked down on them.
“You old woman do know a thing or two. If I were the town mayor, I would definitely rebuild the old security team. Right now, we have no official title or status, so let’s just hang out with these guys for now. But things will be completely different once we come back from the county town.”
The old man tapped his pipe, preparing to rest. There weren't many entertainment options in the countryside anyway, and everyone was basically asleep by this time. However, the barking of the dog at the east end of the village still bothered him.
But they didn't take it seriously, after all, several armed members of the village security team lived in the outer courtyard. These guys were like wolves and tigers in normal times; if anyone raided their grain, they might even capture a few guerrillas and send them to the Imperial Army. It was said that the guerrillas had been giving the Imperial Army quite a headache lately.
Since Wu Laoliu is on the list, Company Commander Huang and his men can't let him go. Everyone lives in the nearby towns; you've collected all the grain from the entire village. If you're allowed to hand that grain over to the Japanese, won't a large number of villagers starve to death in the second half of the year?
So, just as it was getting a little dark, Deputy Company Commander Sun arrived with a few brothers. They were going to take out traitors in six villages along the way, and with time running out and the mission so heavy, Wu Laoliu was the first one to be eliminated, so we had to get off to a good start.
His village security team was basically just like the servants of a wealthy family; there wasn't even anyone guarding the door at night. So, Deputy Company Commander Sun and his men easily pried the door open from the outside.
One of my brothers lives in the next village, so he knows this place pretty well. The village security team members live in the east wing. During the day, these guys help Wu Laoliu rob grain from the whole village. At night, they gamble and drink in the house.
The room was filled with drunkards who had been sleeping for half the day. Deputy Company Commander Sun pulled out a dagger from his foot, and the others followed suit. They then slowly pried open the door to the east wing, where seven or eight burly men were sprawled out in various positions.
Deputy Company Commander Sun waved his hand, and one person went inside, plus two extra. But those two didn't care; when we attacked simultaneously, all five of us just glared at them. When the two woke up and found five guerrillas staring at them, they knew they were in for a rough time. They regretted drinking so much that night.
According to the orders left by Ma Leizi, these traitors must be punished most severely at this stage. If you work for the Japanese, you must lose your head. This will also let those who are wavering know that we guerrillas are specifically there to punish traitors. Reasoning with them is useless; we must use these heads to make those who are wavering understand. If you continue to work for the Japanese, you might lose your head any day now.
The village protection team had always been Wu Laoliu's pride. He felt that having these men would guarantee his safety, after all, they were all skilled fighters. But when they encountered the men under Deputy Company Commander Sun, they didn't utter a sound and all of them died instantly. They'll probably all meet in the King of Hell's palace, and won't be lonely on the road to the underworld.
With those few men gone, Deputy Company Commander Sun breathed a sigh of relief. The yard was full of grain, which they definitely couldn't take with them; they would have to let the whole village come and collect it. Deputy Company Commander Sun calculated that the nearest Japanese stronghold was at least 20 li away, so even if they made a commotion, the Japanese probably wouldn't be able to get here.
Wu Laoliu also died in his sleep. He only felt a sharp pain in his chest, and then he felt nothing more. As for Wu Laoliu's wife beside him, she wasn't a good person either, and she gave Wu Laoliu a lot of good advice. "Now you two must go together, otherwise, if only one of you is left, how hard will life be for you?" Deputy Company Commander Sun understood this kind of social nicety.
After killing the family, the brothers started banging drums and gongs to wake up the whole village. At first, no one dared to come out. But later, Deputy Company Commander Sun spread the word to the villagers that Wu Laoliu and the village guards were dead, and the grain they had stolen was lying around in Wu's courtyard. If anyone was late, the grain would probably be gone.
The common people were indeed somewhat afraid, after all, Wu Laoliu and his gang were very powerful. But if they didn't go now, their families would probably starve to death this year. So, after weighing the pros and cons, they took their tools and went to get the grain.