The squire is a complex concept, but also a complex group, especially in China, which has more than 5,000 years of civilization precipitation, this class is even more complicated, they are not officials but have the right to govern, they are the people but above the ordinary people, most of them have huge family property, and many people also have the power of the patriarch

In fact, until the Republic of China, China's governance power was only at the county level, and the governance of the towns and townships below could only rely on the local squires, although these squires were not official government officials, but they had the power to kill and seize the people under their rule, and they were basically emperors in the local area.

Of course, not all the squires bully men and women, fish and meat in the township, the vast majority of the squires can actually be generally fair and just, after all, they are the villagers, China is a society that pays great attention to ethics, they still care about face, but it is inevitable that there will be scum in the middle.

Zhou Peeling in Qiaotou Town is undoubtedly such a scum

Zhou Peeling was originally just a fallen talent in the late Qing Dynasty, and his family background was not very good, but after the clan publicly recommended him as the patriarch surnamed Zhou, this guy continued to use the power in his hands to embezzle the clan property, and then put a lot of money to exploit the township, and in just a few decades, he amassed thousands of family wealth and 10,000 acres of fertile land, and became a tyrant in Qiaotou Town

In the evening of this day, after dinner, Zhou Peeling asked Chang Sui to hang lanterns under the eaves of the Seventh Aunt's house, which means that he is going to spend the night at the Seventh Aunt's tonight, don't look at Zhou Peel's people who are already in their seventies, but this Seventh Aunt is only eighteen years old, even two years younger than his granddaughters, do you say to do evil or not?

Just as he was rinsing his mouth, Zhou Heipi, the captain of the family, suddenly ran in in a panic and shouted: "Master, no, a large group of armed men of unknown origin have entered Qiaotou Town and have surrounded the Zhou family's mansion." ”

"What's the panic?" Zhou peeled the skin but was calm, and there were few bandits and water bandits who fought the idea of the Zhou family over the years? But Zuihou didn't all meet outside the copper wall of the Zhou family's mansion and broke the bloodstream, and said at the moment, "This time it's a thief who doesn't open his eyes, you just have to take people to guard the fort wall and corner tower, and they can't get in." ”

Zhou Heipi said in a trembling voice: "Master, this group of people is different from the bandits and water bandits who fought in the autumn wind in previous years, there are not many of them, but all the copies in their hands are fast guns, as well as heavy machine guns and mortars, I estimate, don't be the national army fighting back, master, if the national army really fights back, it will be bad." ”

"What are you talking about, the national army?" Zhou Peel was so frightened that he shuddered.

After the Japanese army took Zhenjiang, Zhou Peel was one of the squires who took the lead in surrendering, according to the newspaper, he is now a hardcore traitor, if the national army fights back, can they spare themselves?

Zhou Heipi said: "Master, the national army is a regular army, we can't win, or surrender, right?" ”

"Fart, what to descend, can the national army spare you, and can you spare me?" Zhou Peeling was angry, and cheered Zhou Heipi again, "But you don't need to be afraid, millions of national troops have been defeated by the imperial army, this time it is at most a group of stragglers, you keep an eye on it first, master, I will call the provincial capital, and ask Taijun Aoki to send troops to rescue." ”

"Hey, hey, I'll go up to the castle wall and keep an eye on it." Zhou Heipi responded continuously.

Zhou peeled his head and turned his head and instructed Zhou Laosan to follow: "Third child, go and call the eldest young master." ”

Although Zhou Peeling was the first squire in Jiangsu to take refuge with the Japanese, he still had nothing to do with Aoki, and if he wanted to move the rescue troops from the provincial capital, he had to go through his son Zhou Yaozu.

After Zhou Yaozu got the news, he ran over overnight to report Taro Aoki.

"Got it, I'll deal with this matter, Zhou Sang, you go back first." Aoki looked very cold, this guy is a pure samurai, for the Zhou family father and son who surrendered and the people from all walks of life in the provincial city, he looked down on him in his heart, he pushed people with himself, and felt that the Chinese really should not surrender to the enemy.

Zhou Yaozu could feel Aoki's coldness, but now it was his Lao Tzu who was at stake, so he had to bite the bullet and continue to persuade: "Aoki Taijun, there are all kinds of signs that the communist guerrillas who pickpocketed trains and robbed ordnance are inseparable from the national army, and they are the same group, this is a rare good opportunity to wipe them out......"

Aoki glanced at Zhou Yaozu coldly and said, "Zhou Sang, why don't you become the captain of the gendarmerie?" ”

"Uh, this" Zhou Yaozu looked miserable, and had to swallow the second half of the words back into his stomach.

Aoki turned around and ignored it again, and Zhou Yaozu could only leave the gendarmerie headquarters in a state of despair.

In fact, Aoki also has his difficulties, because of the robbery of the arms, the Central China Front Army Command was very angry, and strictly ordered Aoki to ensure the safety of the entire Shanghai-Nanjing Railway, and there must be no accidents.

If it weren't for the lack of troops, Aoki would have led his troops to wash Yangzhuang in blood.

Aoki has never suffered such a big loss since he set foot on the battlefield in China, but in the last few days, he first lost a batch of munitions, and then lost half of the squad.

However, there are not enough troops.

In the town of Qiaotou, the strength of the guerrillas has been fully deployed.

After Zhou peeled his skin, because he did too many bad things, he was very afraid of others' retaliation, so he began to continuously increase the height and strengthen the wall of the Zhou family compound, and the wall became a fortress wall for decades, and the corner tower also became a bunker.

At this time, the fort wall of the Zhou family's compound was lined with torches, as bright as day, and there were also people who came and went, not to mention hundreds of people.

Looking at the fort wall made of blue bricks in the Zhou family's compound, He Keqi was inevitably a little nervous.

Xu 19 seemed very calm, anyway, he decided to help, so he simply helped to the end, and after observing through the telescope for a while, Xu 19 said to He Keqi: "Captain He, the family members on the fort wall are all stubble, this battle is not difficult, a mm caliber rifle bullet plus a mortar shell is enough to solve the problem."

"What do you say?" He Keqi couldn't believe his ears.

The fort walls of the Zhou family's mansion are strong, there are many bunkers, and there are more than 100 families who are in danger of defending it, in his eyes He Keqi is definitely a hard bone to gnaw, even if he has heavy machine guns and mortars, he doesn't dare to say that he will definitely take it, but Xu Shijiu said that a mm caliber rifle bullet plus a mortar shell is enough to solve the problem

Several of the guerrillas also looked at each other, this guy is too crazy, right?

Xu Shijiu didn't explain much, and only said to Gao Shenxing: "Shenxing, do you see that guy with a box cannon, he should be the captain of this group of families, order him first." ”

"Okay." Gao Shenxing agreed, and raised his modified rifle.

A moment later, only to hear the sound of a gunshot from the "soldiers", Zhou Heipi, who was walking back and forth on the fort wall and constantly cheering his subordinates, fell in a pool of blood, the bullet entered his eyebrows, lifting the entire back of his head, and the red and white brains were smeared on the ground behind him, leaving half of the cranial cavity.

The housekeepers guarding the fort wall were frightened, and quickly extinguished the fire torches and hid in the corner tower.

Looking at the light from the shooting hole in the corner tower, Xu Shijiu smiled and said in a low voice: "The cannon is coming." ”

A guerrilla had already hugged the mm caliber mortar, Xu 19 took the barrel and carried it directly on his shoulder, He Keqi and several artillerymen of the guerrillas suddenly lit up, Xu 19 was about to show the shoulder mortar flat aiming and direct shooting skills, and they all held their breath at the moment.

The distance and angle of fire had been measured just now, Xu Shijiu first let the people behind him dodge, and then asked an artillery soldier to load the shell into the barrel, and then fired the bottom fire, pressing the barrel...... Then, with only a loud sound, a ball of fire dragged a long tail flame towards the corner tower a hundred meters away.

Then the northeast corner tower of the Zhou family compound exploded, in the dazzling firelight, countless broken bricks and broken tiles flew all over the sky, and the figure of the family rolled in the flying waves, and so the fire was annihilated, the entire northeast corner tower had already completely collapsed and collapsed, and the thin brick wall could not withstand the direct fire of the mortar after all.

He Keqi was dumbfounded, can a mortar really do this?

The five artillerymen were so excited that they couldn't wait to pick up the barrels of their guns and fire them at once.

Xu Shijiu wiped the smoke spraying on his face and said to He Keqi: "Captain He, you can send someone over now and let the family members in the fort line up and surrender."

"Captain, I'll go." Yin Shangwen volunteered to stand up.

He Keqi advised: "Shang Wen, you told the family members on the fort wall that our communist guerrillas never kill innocent people indiscriminately, and these family members are also poor people who are oppressed by the Zhou family. ”

Xu Jiu added: "I also want to tell them, don't think that it's okay to hide in the bunker, if they don't come out of the bunker, we will bomb the entire Zhou family compound into a pile of rubble with one shot, you might as well tell them that last time Captain He picked up the train, he robbed a whole ten cannons plus a thousand shells." ”

Yin Shangwen agreed and went happily.

The family in the fort was obviously frightened, and when he saw Yin Shangwen walking to the gate alone, no one dared to shoot, Yin Shangwen negotiated with the gate for a while, and the heavy gate opened from the inside, and then a team of family members walked out of it with their rifles held high and hung their heads down.

He Keqi couldn't help but glance at Xu Shijiu again, his eyes were a little complicated.

The hard bone of the Zhou family's compound is gnawed down, is it really gnawed? It's too easy, it's not like it's a war, it's like a drill.