The enemy returned fire fiercely and dispersed, pursuing them over the blockade ditch.

Don't let go when it's time to be persistent, and don't drag the mud and water when it's time to retreat.

Shen Chen didn't wait for the enemy to catch up with him, and then began to retreat. The enemy in front of him is not much of a threat for the time being, but other invisible enemies may be outflanking them.

The fact that the plainclothes detectives never showed up is a small pity. Perhaps they also knew that in the daytime, in this kind of head-to-head battle, they simply did not see enough.

Besides, the detective team is all armed with short guns, and if they fight against Shen Chen, they will have to be killed one by one before they can get ahead.

Shen Chen also had such an idea, but the detective team did not appear, which made him a little disappointed.

But no matter what, after killing Huang Ren and sniping seven or eight enemies, the results were not small. In particular, the influence undoubtedly played an inspiring role in the suppression of the mood of the masses.

Shen Chen and Yu Baogen retreated, and the ambush arranged by the brigade led by Zhao Tie did not work. But that's just the beginning, and if you don't do it once, you can do it twice. After reconnoitring, they moved on to other strongholds.

It's just that Shen Chen didn't know that just after the attack, Matsumoto arrived at the scene with a plainclothes detective team and conducted a detailed investigation.

The corpses were arranged in a row, next to the blockade ditch, and one by one they showed a miserable appearance.

Matsumoto carefully examined it, pondered for a while, called the devils and the Imperial Association Army who were present at the time, and inquired in detail.

Looking up at the trees in the distance, Matsumoto estimated the distance, mixed emotions of excitement and fear floating in his heart.

That guy, it must be that guy. His marksmanship seems to have grown again, which is really hateful and terrifying!

The gunman who once sniped at random killings has always haunted Matsumoto. Unfortunately, he has never traced the whereabouts of the gunman, and there is no clue to his identity.

And just as he continued his pursuit, the gunman suddenly disappeared and disappeared.

Matsumoto has several speculations about this. The most likely thing is that the gunman followed his own people to blow up the ash bridge, and also completed the harassment mission, and left.

After that, another enemy infiltrated and attacked one after another, but whether the gunner was there, Matsumoto was not sure.

In order to consolidate the occupied area and prevent the enemy from infiltrating and destroying it, Matsumoto organized a reconnaissance team and forced the people to dig a blockade ditch to replace the porous mountain closure.

Matsumoto had realized that the enemy had infiltrated the wooded area, and might have even set up camp in the forest so that he could attack nearby targets.

Due to the limited number of troops, Matsumoto could not apply for the transfer of troops for the time being, and conducted a large-scale search in the mountains and forests. It may be that this will not have any effect, and the enemy can retract again, but the gains outweigh the losses.

"Matsumoto Taijun, damn the enemy......" Diao Degui, the detective captain, ran over, his face was pale, and he gasped rapidly.

Matsumoto frowned, disgusted with this guy in his heart, but he still suppressed the emotions in his heart and said calmly, "Calm down, calm down." Diao Sang, do you know what kind of qualities you should have? ”

Diao Degui hurriedly bowed and said, "Please forgive me, Taijun, I was momentarily excited and rude." ”

Matsumoto nodded and said, "Say, what's the situation?" ”

Diao Degui steadied himself and said, "The damned enemy set up mines, and when the detective team followed the tracks, they were killed and injured several people. ”

Matsumoto frowned, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, and said, "The enemy is so cunning? That is, the tracking has failed? ”

"Yes, Taijun." Diao Degui paused for a moment, and then immediately added: "If we can get the support of the army, the detective team can still investigate more deeply." ”

Matsumoto didn't speak, but looked thoughtfully at the mountains and forests in the distance.

"Taijun." Diao Degui continued: "The enemy's targeted assassination of Huang Ren shows that there is intelligence from the inside. He thought that by intensifying the investigation and arrest of anti-Japanese elements in various villages, he would be able to cut off the enemy's source of intelligence. ”

"Yo Xi!" Matsumoto nodded, expressed his praise, and said slowly: "The night before yesterday, the third squad of the detective team exchanged fire with an unknown person, and that may be the guy sent by the enemy to inquire about the news. The villages around the mountains and forests have their eyes and ears, and they must be investigated more quickly. ”

Diao Degui was praised, his bones seemed to be a few taels lighter, he grinned, and said: "What about the enemies in the mountains and forests, dare to assassinate and hurt the imperial army, we must give them the most severe blow and punishment." ”

Matsumoto thought for a moment and said, "Without accurate information, military operations cannot be launched. You say, what if we revoke the mountain closure? ”

Diao Degui was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood Matsumoto's thoughts, and immediately stretched out his thumb and said, "Gao, Gao!" As soon as the mountain closure order is withdrawn, the hidden enemy will contact the accomplices in the mountains and forests, and we can also send our eyes and ears to reconnoiter in the mountains after dressing up, which is really a trick to kill two birds with one stone. ”

Matsumoto smirked and said slowly, "Lifting the mountain closure order in two days is too anxious, and it will make the enemy vigilant." ”

"Besides—" Matsumoto pondered for a moment, and said, "In the future, the arrest of the anti-Japanese elements will be carried out as secretly as possible, and we will try to make them turn around and serve us." ”

Diao Degui nodded again and again, his admiration was self-evident, and said, "Taijun is too right. This is called counter-plotting, and it is found in Sun Tzu's Art of War. The humble duty is fully understood, and it is fully complied with, and it will definitely bring good news to Taijun. ”

Matsumoto stretched out his hand and patted Diao Degui's shoulder, and said, "You have to send more people to investigate, here and there, you have to send people." Be sure to find out who the guy with good marksmanship among the enemy is and what habits he has. It would be even better if we could know the specific laws of his actions. ”

Diao Degui stood up and said: "Don't worry, Taijun, the humble post will definitely find out this despicable guy who shoots black guns." ”

………………

As night fell, Shen Chen sneaked outside another stronghold. Looking up at the dark night sky, it seemed that there were a pair of eyes looking at him there.

"Smack!" The crisp sound of gunfire was particularly harsh in the quiet night, and Shen Chen saw the figure on the turret shake and fall.

The turret was lively, people shouted and neighed, and the flames of machine guns came out of the shooting holes, which were fierce and blind.

Shen Chen slowly moved back, hiding his body behind the stones, calmly observing the enemy with his binoculars, waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

It took a long time for the gunfire and human voices to calm down, and searchlights swept back and forth along the line of the blockade ditch. The enemy could judge the general direction of the shooter based on the sound of the gunshot, but he could not know Shen Chen's exact location.

Waiting patiently, Shen Chen lurked and did not move.

He was not fighting alone, except for Yu Baogen behind him, his squad was in the distance, and more men led by Zhao Tie in the distance.

More than thirty minutes had passed, and Shen Chen climbed up gently, slowly took out the gun, slowly aimed, and shot coldly.

There was a commotion, confusion, and the searchlights on the turrets moved quickly, desperate to find out where the attackers were. But another bullet flew by, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

Bullets scurried through the air, chirping on the ground, and the branches on the head were broken, and snow and dust were scattered.

Shen Chen hid in a hidden place, slowly flexing and stretching his fingers, and between the opening and closing of his eyelids, the cold did not subside.

As the minutes passed, the constant gunfire finally stopped, and the men's firing stopped, thinking that the enemy had fled after the sneak attack.

The sky began to dimly glow, and the moon peeked out of the clouds with half of its face peeking down.

The turret stood, black like a monster, and the searchlight looked like a vicious eye, scanning the surrounding movements.

Shen Chen, who had shifted his firing position, was still waiting for the opportunity to snipe again, his eyes slowly blinking through the vast night.

Time is ticking, and those who are patient will always be rewarded by the Divine.

The enemy is moving. The sentry appeared on the top of the turret again, this was Shen Chen's third target. After taking a closer look, he gently pulled the trigger.

In another chaos and commotion, Shen Chen quietly retreated, and Yu Baogen disappeared into the mountains and forests shrouded in night.

……………

The morning light came, and the rose colors of dawn appeared......

Matsumoto stood in front of the window in the stronghold of Kogaso, stretching out against the fiery red sun rising in the mist, and moving his arms vigorously.

There was a sharp knock on the door, and a Japanese officer walked in with an excited expression.

"Your Excellency, something happened, damn the branch people......" Squadron Leader Ono's face turned pale, and he gasped rapidly, not tired, but angry.

Matsumoto waved his hand and said, "Calm, composed, Ono-kun, do you know the qualities that a qualified officer should have?" ”

Ono hurriedly bowed and said, "I beg your pardon, Your Excellency, I was rude. ”

Matsumoto nodded and said, "Say, what's the situation?" ”

Ono steadied himself and said, "The damned Shina people attacked the Du Village stronghold last night, and three imperial soldiers were killed. ”

After a pause, Ono continued: "Loyal Imperial soldiers are not afraid of death, but this is a despicable and shameless assassination that must not be forgiven. ”

Matsumoto bowed his head and pondered for a moment, then said, "The enemy is getting bolder. I suspect that there is some kind of trap behind this assassination. ”

"Your Excellency, there is no information confirming that a large group of enemies have infiltrated." Ono said with some indignation: "Therefore, such a situation cannot be tolerated, the murderer of the imperial warriors must be punished, and immediately." ”

Matsumoto didn't speak, but looked thoughtfully at the map hanging on the wall.

"Your Excellency." Ono continued: "It is indispensable to deter the diehards by force, the enemy dares to provoke, dares to attack the Imperial Army, if we do not react, what is the face of the Imperial Army of the Great Day, where is the majesty? Please also think again. ”

"Yes, if it is too rigid, it will be broken, if it is too soft, it will be wasted, and the combination of rigidity and softness is the king." Matsumoto said thoughtfully, "It is right to govern China with China, because the branch is so big that it is not enough to rely on the soldiers of the empire to maintain order. But those who dared to challenge the majesty of the imperial army were bound to be severely punished. Fight what should be beaten, and caress what should be soothed, so as to stabilize the situation. ”

"Your Excellency has analyzed it too thoroughly." Ono stood up and said earnestly: "I am willing to lead the troops to punish the murderers of the imperial soldiers and deter the people of China who do not obey the royal way......"

Matsumoto pondered for a long time, and only after a long time did he stretch out his hand and motioned for Ono to sit down, and said earnestly: "You must know that the lives of imperial soldiers are precious, and if you can reduce casualties, you must minimize them. The Imperial Association Army received food and salaries, and it could not be wasted in vain. Besides, you also know how many imperial troops there are in the security zone at present. There are too many troops, and I am afraid that it will not be approved from above. ”

"Your Excellency's meaning is to take the Imperial Cooperative Army as the main force, carry out a punishment operation, and let the people of China go to fight the people of China." Ono asked tentatively.

"The Imperial Association Army is the mainstay, but a small number of Imperial Army must be sent to supervise." Matsumoto's eyes shot a cold light, and he said, "You can't rely on them alone, what if you give you another squad of imperial soldiers under your command?" ”

"Your Excellency, you, you are amazing." Ono didn't know what words of praise to use to compliment Matsumoto, and rubbed his hands together, "Both commanding and supervising the battle, when the Imperial Allied Army went to be cannon fodder and charged ahead, this is really too clever." Even if the conquest fails, the impact on the imperial army will not be great, after all, the imperial army can be replenished in large quantities. ”

"Hahahaha." Matsumoto smiled and patted Ono's shoulder, "You don't have to be too happy, I'll talk about this matter first, whether it's successful or not." If the above agrees, you can do a good job, make good use of your talents, and don't let me down! ”

"Hello!" Ono stood up to the benchmark and said excitedly: "I will never live up to Your Excellency's trust, and I will definitely let the people of China submit to the rule of the imperial army." ”

Matsumoto pressed his hand downward, his face became solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "Before that, I will let the detective team do all their best to collect information. If the above agrees to the requisition, you should pay special attention to the sharpshooters among the enemy. That guy's marksmanship is very good, and he is not inferior to the top marksman of the Imperial Army. Moreover, as can be seen from previous actions, he is a cold and intelligent fellow who must not be taken lightly. ”

Ono blinked, feeling a little embarrassed. Could it be that as a commander, he should hide his head and tail, hide behind in fear, and look like a cowardly bear who is afraid of death.

Matsumoto looked at Ono's expression, guessed his mind a little, couldn't help but smile slightly, stretched out his hand and motioned for Ono to sit down, he poured a glass of water and handed it over.

"Ono-kun, what did you say was the purpose of the conquest operation?" Matsumoto opened his mouth to ask a question, but he didn't wait for Ono to answer, so he said to himself: "It's victory, defeat the enemy, and win the victory." Therefore, as long as the goal can be achieved, it is perfectly okay to use some stratagem, and it does not detract from the dignity of being a samurai. ”

Ono seemed to understand, looked at Matsumoto, and asked, "Scheme?" How are soldiers used, how are they fought? ”

Matsumoto nodded, shook his head again, and said, "The way of using soldiers is also one of them, but it is not comprehensive. There are small strategies that you don't think of and will think of as a big fuss, but sometimes they can have an unexpected effect. ”

"Your Excellency, please speak." Ono asked humbly.

Matsumoto pondered for a moment and said, "That gunman has become very sophisticated, and he will know the order of shooting. This is just like on the battlefield, where the command headquarters and commanders are the priority targets. We can grasp this characteristic of him and lead him to the ground with false targets. And then—"

As he spoke, Matsumoto made a downward gesture, and a fierce light shot out of his eyes.