1

I shouldn't have died! The fifth regiment of the new security guard was almost gone, but I crawled out of the pile of dead people!

Having escaped the catastrophe of Jigong Mountain, I did not return to the ranks of the Kuomintang, but went north and continued to look for Shangguanxiong and their troops. If I don't find Shangguan Xiong, I won't be blind! I still often dream that he is standing in front of me covered in blood, and I will find him whether he is dead or alive. If he is still alive, we will still be brothers together, and we will kill the enemy side by side; If he dies, I'm going to find a place to bury him and bring his bones back to Changling Town.

At that time, the Red Army was no longer called the Red Army, it was called the Eighth Route Army. I heard that the Eighth Route Army was active in the area of Taihang Mountain, so I set foot on the road to Taihang Mountain.

2

From Dabie Mountain to Taihang Mountain, I walked for a long time.

Needless to say, I was almost beaten to death by the villagers of Yangdan Village as bandits. Surrounded by mountains and surrounded by a small river from the outside of the village, the village is quiet and beautiful, like a paradise. I hid in Tibet along the way, afraid of being caught by devils, and suddenly saw Yangdan Village, and I felt a long-lost feeling in my heart, but I didn't dare to enter the village rashly, because I didn't know the situation inside. In these years, I can't be careless, otherwise I will be killed. I hid in the mountains and watched the village of Sheep and Egg until it was dark.

I hadn't eaten in days, and I was so hungry that I was weak and weak.

After nightfall, I fought hard and sneaked into the village.

The village was eerily quiet, pitch black, and there was not a single person in charge of the lamp. What am I going to do?

Try knocking on the door of a random family.

I touched the door of the family and knocked lightly. No one in there promised me. I knocked lightly on the door a few more times, but there was still no response from inside. Is there no one in this family? My stomach was rumbling and I had to find some food or I would starve to death. I made up my mind and went into this house first to find something to make ends meet. So, I climbed up the wall and prepared to jump in.

I was about to jump down when the quiet village was boiling.

The villagers were all sorts of guys, lighting torches and pouring towards me. Before I could think about anything, I was surrounded by groups. I was lying on the wall, my hands limp. The people in the house also lit torches and walked out into the yard with the guys. Why didn't the people in the house respond to me when I knocked on the door, otherwise I wouldn't have been in such an awkward situation.

People were making a lot of noise and clamoring for me to come down.

My hands slipped and I fell off the earthen wall.

The villagers swarmed up and tied me tightly.

I was hung from the beam of the ancestral hall in the village.

I tried to say something, but I was so hungry that I didn't even have the strength to speak, and I rolled my eyes. I was not caught by the Japanese devils along the way, but I was hung here by a group of villagers, and I was still very aggrieved. I don't think they'll do anything to me, I'll just wait for them to fall! As long as I don't starve to death, I can say anything.

An old man with a white beard sat on a chair under the shrine of the ancestral hall, smoking a hookah. The ancestral hall was crowded with villagers holding torches, their faces angry and solemn. A sturdy young man walked up to the white-bearded old man, leaned over and said to him, "Old patriarch, as soon as this man entered the village, he was targeted by me, and looking at his sneaky appearance, it is not a good thing!" By the way, he also carried a knife, maybe it was a bandit from the North Mountain. ”

The old patriarch said, "Shenwang, bring me his sword." ”

"Okay, old patriarch!" Shen Wang said, "Ershunzi, bring up the knife." ”

My knife was originally wrapped in cloth, and now, the black cloth with the knife is wrapped in it, and they don't know where they threw it. Shen Wang presented my ghost head knife to the old patriarch, who carefully looked at the ghost head knife under the torch and said to the ghost head knife that I don't know how much human blood I had drunk, and then said, "This knife is absolutely amazing!" ”

Or did he see a clue?

Shen Wang asked, "Old Patriarch, what do you see?" He's a bandit in the North Mountains? ”

The old patriarch said: "No, the knives of the bandits on the North Mountain are engraved with the name of the knife maker, but this knife does not, this knife makes me feel cold, this is not an ordinary knife!" This person has a background! ”

Shen Wang asked, "Old patriarch, what is the origin of this person?" ”

The old patriarch said, "Then I have to ask himself." Put him down, don't hang there. ”

Shen Wang nodded, turned around and said, "Ershunzi, put him down." ”

No sooner had my feet hit the ground than my body collapsed. The old patriarch stood up, walked up to me, looked at me, and said, "Shenwang, this person is dying of hunger, go get something to eat." ”

Shen Wang fed me a nest, and after drinking a large bowl of water, my breath eased, my eyes lit up, and my breathing gained strength.

The old patriarch asked me, "Who are you?" Where did you hit from? ”

I knew that none of them were bad people, so I told them the truth. When they heard this, they looked suspicious one by one.

Shen Wang whispered something in the old patriarch's ear.

The old patriarch said, "Lock him up first, and then talk about it tomorrow." ”

I was locked up by them in a dark, windowless room in the ancestral hall. I don't care so much anymore, I lie on the ground, I fall asleep, I feel very tired, I want to sleep. Along the way, I was scared, I didn't sleep well, I think this place is safe, at least there will be no worries about my life, there are people watching me at the door, the person who guards is actually the person who protects me, at this time I don't feel at ease to sleep, and when!

3

After daybreak, the door to the small dark room was opened.

Shen Wang and Er Shunzi came in and untied me, and I said, "You think I'm a thief, you tied me so tightly that my hands are numb." They listened to my words and didn't react, and Shen Wang said coldly, "Let's go, follow us to the old patriarch's house." Seeing that they were all gloomy, I didn't say anything to them, just moved my hands as I walked.

When I arrived at the old patriarch's house, I saw several cooked corn in the small dustpan on the table, and my eyes were straight, and a lot of saliva oozed from my mouth. The old patriarch sat on the edge of the table and smiled at me, "Sit down! "I sat down, my eyes still fixed on the corn, hunger can make a person lose their dignity. I swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and my gaze finally pulled out of the corn and landed on the old patriarch's age-spotted face. The old patriarch said to Shenwang and them, "Sit down too!" ”

Then, the old patriarch smiled at me and said, "Zhuangshi, I have wronged you, and I am deeply sorry for the old man!" ”

I also smiled: "Nothing, nothing." ”

As I spoke, my uncompromising gaze glanced at the corn in the dustpan again. The old patriarch knew what was on my mind at the moment, and he said, "Look at me, I only talked to you, and forgot that you haven't eaten breakfast yet." There's nothing to entertain at home, so you're going to eat these corn cobs! ”

I couldn't take much of it, so I picked up a piece of corn and took a big bite on it.

The old patriarch looked at me gobbling up and said, "Strong man, eat slowly, don't choke." ”

He also instructed Shen Wang to pour me a bowl of cold water.

I heard Shen Wang whispering in Ershunzi's ear: "Look at him like that, starving ghost reincarnated!" ”

I thought to myself, Lao Tzu is reincarnated as a starving ghost, if I don't fill my stomach, how can I go to Taihang Mountain to find a team! It didn't take long for those corns to enter my stomach, and it felt so fucking good to eat a full meal! I drank the bowl of cold water, wiped my mouth, and then hugged my fist at the old patriarch: "Old man, thank you!" I will repay your great kindness later! ”

The old patriarch said, "A strong man doesn't have to be polite. ”

I stood up and said, "Then I'll take my leave!" ”

The old patriarch hurriedly said: "Don't be in a hurry to leave, the old man has something to discuss." You sit, you sit! ”

I sat down again: "If the old man has anything, just say it!" ”

The old patriarch sighed and said, "I'll tell you the truth, our Yangdan Village has encountered difficulties, and these days, we are all worried!" If it hadn't happened to that incident, last night, we wouldn't have attacked you and let you suffer that sin, and I hope the strong man will bear with me! ”

I said, "That's nothing, if there's anything to say, just say it!" ”

The old patriarch told me everything that had happened. It turned out that not long ago, a group of bandits came from nowhere on the mountain north of Yangdan Village. A few days ago, the bandits entered the village, robbed a lot of things, and even released a message to the villagers to take out the food that was hiding from the Japanese and prepare it, and they would come to get it in a few days. There is no way in the village, there is not much food in the first place, the Japanese have to come to rob it, and the bandits have to come to rob it, how can people live! They had no choice but to organize and prepare to fight the bandits. But there are not many young adults like Shenwang in the village, no matter what, if you want to fight the bandits, you will definitely suffer. They had heard that I was in the ranks the previous night, and they had consulted for the night, asking me to come out for them, and that it might be useful for me to negotiate with them when the bandits came back.

After the old patriarch finished speaking, muddy tears oozed from his eyes.

He wiped his eyes and almost pleaded, "Strongman, you can stay for a few more days!" I beg you! ”

I was speechless.

If I insist on leaving, they won't stop me, and if I stay, what will happen to the unexpected?

To be honest, I'm a little lost.

At this time, Shenwang returned my knife to me, and he said, "Big brother, you can stay and help us." ”

I took the knife, sighed, and said, "Okay, I'll stay for now." ”

I stayed in Yangdan Village for two days, and during these two days, the old patriarch asked Shen Wang to slaughter a sheep and treat me with good wine and meat.

But that night, I ran alone. I dreamed of Shangguan Xiong again, Shangguan Xiong in the dream was wearing his upper body, covered in blood, he was running away on the wasteland, and many black people were chasing him behind, shooting while chasing, he shouted while running: "Earth dog, save me; Dirt dog, save me-"

When I woke up, I was sweating profusely.

I couldn't sleep.

I began to wonder if it was a mistake to stay in Sheep Egg Village, whether the old patriarch's talk about bandits was an excuse, or if there were no bandits on the North Mountain at all. If so, then what are they keeping me for? The Shangguan Xiong in the dream made me unable to stay in this place for a moment, I smelled the smell of blood, and the strong smell of blood beckoned me and made me want to stop. But if I say goodbye, will I be worthy of the simple and kind people of Yangdan Village? I was caught in a paradoxical dilemma.

In the end, I chose to leave.

This choice of mine allowed me to escape a catastrophe, but a heavy sense of guilt was added to my heart, and I walked with the souls of those dozens of slaughtered sheep and egg villagers all my life.

4

I quietly left the sheep egg village and walked all the way to the north, only by going north can I reach Taihang Mountain and find the team in my heart. I have become accustomed to walking mountain roads in the dark, even if there is no road, I can also step out of a road, and nothing can stop my way.

Before dawn, I fell into a trap as I crossed a narrow valley.

I immediately remembered Shangguan Ming who died in the trap, and unlike him, there were no deadly bamboo sticks in this trap. Still, I'm a little desperate, no matter what this trap is for, it's not a good thing to fall in. The trap was very deep, and it was still difficult to climb up, and when I tried to climb up, a net fell on it and caught me. I heard someone babbling, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I struggled like a fish caught in a net. My struggles were to no avail, just as I couldn't break free from the torment of fate.

I was tightened by that net, and then I was dragged up.

What a fucking frustrating thing for a man to be caught twice in a row in a few days and tied up firmly! I don't know who the people who caught me this time were, one thing is for sure, these people must not be from Sheep Egg Village. These unidentified people make me nervous, maybe I will die at their hands for no apparent reason, what a wrongful thing to do! Lao Tzu wants to die and die on the battlefield! They held torches and covered my eyes with a black cloth.

I said, "Who are you?" Why arrest me? ”

One person said: "Less nonsense! You'll know when you arrive! ”

I was shoved and shoved by them and brought to a place.

I heard someone say, "Big brother, we've caught a guy like a spy." ”

A deep voice said, "Bring it to Lao Tzu!" ”

The voice was familiar, like somewhere before. I searched quickly for the sound in my memory, and a familiar face popped into my mind. I blurted out, "Veteran oil-"

Someone kicked me in the ass: "Less verbose! ”

The deep voice said, "I see—"

I felt him walk in front of me.

He was silent for a moment.

Suddenly, the black cloth that blindfolded me was torn off, and the man pounced on me, hugged me tightly and shouted: "Company Commander Mazi, you are still alive, I thought you died in Jigong Mountain!" ”

When he finished speaking, he burst into tears.

I didn't guess wrong, this person is the veteran soldier Song Qigui, and his crying problem has not changed. I sighed with emotion: "Aren't you fucking dead, I can clearly see that you were shot and died next to me!" You're still alive, are you a human or a ghost! ”

This guy simply lay on my shoulder and cried, crying and saying, "I'm not dead, I'm not dead, my brothers are dead, but my life is great, I'm not dead, wow-"

I suppressed my excitement and said, "Okay, okay, it's good if you're not dead, cry!" Hurry up and untie me! ”

Song Qigui let go of the hands that were holding me tightly, stopped crying, and untied me. That's when I realized I was in a cave. Torches were lit in the cave, and a dozen people held guns in their hands with different expressions. Song Qigui said loudly to those people: "Look at it, this is the hero Li Mazi that I often tell you!" ”

The men stared at me blankly, and no one said anything.

It's surprising that such a coincidence is speechless.

I looked at Song Qigui and found that his left eye was covered with a black blindfold.

He said: "I was blinded in the battle of Jigong Mountain, at that time, I thought I was dead, but I didn't expect to be alive." ”

I let out a long sigh: "It's good to be alive!" ”

Song Qigui smiled with tears in his eyes: "Yes, it's good to be alive, and you can continue to fight devils." ”

I said, "How did you end up in this place?" ”

Song Qigui said: "I walked blindly, and I came to this place, and I met these brothers along the way, so I joined together and continued to fight devils, most of them were scattered soldiers who couldn't find a team." What about you? ”

I can't tell him that I used to be a Red Army, and now I am going to Taihang Mountain to find my own team, but I just said: "I also walked blindly like you, and I came here, I didn't expect to meet you here, our brotherhood is not shallow!" ”

Song Qigui laughed: "Yes, I often think that if you are here, I will follow you to fight devils, and my heart is solid." Now my dream has come true, and our dozen brothers are under your control, and I am not the material to be the leader! ”

I hesitated, "This-"

Song Qigui said loudly: "Mazi, don't shirk it, this matter is settled!" ”

Then, Song Qigui said loudly: "Brothers, we will follow the commander of the Mazi Company in the future, do you agree?" ”

Everyone said in unison, "Agreed!" ”

Song Qigui looked at my body, then turned to the person who captured me and said, "Where is the weapon of the company commander Mazi?" ”

A brother walked up to Song Qigui with my ghost head knife: "That's it." ”

Song Qigui said: "What about the gun? ”

The brother shook his head and said, "No." ”

I hastened to say, "I didn't have a gun." ”

"Oh-" Song Qigui pulled out a **** from the belt around his waist and handed it to me and said, "Mazi, this gun belongs to you, we ambushed a small team of devils in the afternoon." ”

I took the gun.

At this time, we heard gunshots, like the sound of machine guns.

Song Qigui shouted: "Brothers, put out the torches, the guy out of the hole!" ”

We figured out the cave.

The sound of machine guns rang out for a while before stopping. I judged that the gunshots were coming from the direction of Sheep and Egg Village. Sure enough, after a while, we saw the flames of Sheep Egg Village.

5

After the devil withdrew, we walked out of the hiding place. Song Qigui exhaled a long breath and said, "The devil won't let us go, we have to move the nest." His words hit my heart: "Then let's go up to Taihang Mountain!" Song Qigui said: "Medium! Let's listen to you, let's go to Taihang Mountain, in fact, this is not far from Taihang Mountain! I said, "Let's go to the sheep egg village first." Song Qigui's face was embarrassed: "Will the devil kill a horse pistol?" I thought about it for a moment and said, "Stay here, I'll go down by myself, and if anything happens to me, run away, leave me alone!" With that, I took a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, and hurried down the mountain.

The devils washed the sheep egg village in blood, and set fire to the village, and later I learned that it was because of Song Qigui that they ambushed the small group of devils, and the devils did not find Song Qigui and them, so they retaliated and poisoned the sheep egg village. When I came back to Sheep Egg Village, my head buzzed, as if I had been hit by a bullet. Smoke was still rising from the ruins of the burned houses in Sheep Egg Village, the collapsed beams were still burning, and the flames were licking my heart crippled by pain like the tongue of a demon.

I smell blood.

What about people? What about the people in the village? What about the villagers who have served me two days with good wine and meat? The old patriarch, Shen Wang, and the second shunzi...... I shouted their names aloud, but no one answered me, only the wind spreading the rich smell of blood infinitely in the bitter sun.

I want to go to the small river in the south of the village to wash my face with clean water and clear my mind. As a result, I saw a pile of corpses on the open ground under the old locust tree by the river, and a small dog crouched beside a child, whimpering in fear.

Blood was still flowing down the river.

I felt like I was going to suffocate.

In just one night, dozens of people, men, women and children in Yangdan Village were all shot dead on the empty lawn under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village. I found the old patriarch in the pile of corpses, found Shen Wang, and also found Er Shunzi...... They were unarmed. Maybe they didn't know that the devils would enter the village, maybe because of my existence, they were defenseless, thinking that the bandits would come and I would stand up to them, and the sheep and egg village would become a hell on earth...... My eyes hurt so badly, but I couldn't cry! I knelt on the blood-stained ground, grabbed my messy hair with both hands, and howled!

……

Song Qigui and the others went down the mountain and silently buried the corpses of the villagers in a big pit with me. Then silently walked towards the mountain. As I walked, I suddenly grabbed Song Qigui's collar, approached his old face, and stared at him with a sharp gaze: "Old soldier oil!" Tell me the fuck honestly, did you go to the sheep and egg village a few days ago to grab things, and threaten them that you would go to get food? ”

Song Qigui stared at the intact eye and said, "Mazi, you let go of me, what do you have to say!" ”

I didn't let go, I believe my eyes were burning at this time, I gritted my teeth and said, "You tell Lao Tzu, have you done those things?" ”

Song Qigui knew that I could do anything, he was scared, and said, "I...... We just, we just went to borrow food, we didn't ...... I didn't do anything hurtful. ”

I said viciously, "Old soldier oil, I really want to strangle you!" You bastard! Do you know who you are in the eyes of the fathers and villagers of the dead sheep and egg village? It's bandits, it's robbers! ”

Song Qigui trembled, his lips trembled, he wanted to say something but didn't say anything.

I kicked him to the ground, pulled out the ghost knife from behind my back, and raised it high, I was really crazy at that moment, I was crazy at the thought of so many innocent people's corpses. Song Qigui suddenly became calm when I raised the knife, and he said, "Mazi, you cut me!" I'm guilty, I can't live with the folks of Sheep Egg Village! You cut me down! I didn't die under the gun of Little Japan, I died under the knife of your pockmark, and I didn't lose, so I respect you for being a good man! After I die, you will burn me too, and I will let my soul drift back to my hometown! Come on, pockmark, go with the knife! ”

As he spoke, tears rolled down his eyes.

The black blindfold that blindfolded him suddenly burned my eyes, and in an instant, I woke up from my madness, sighed, and threw the ghost head knife on the ground!

……

We didn't rush to Taihang Mountain immediately, but stayed, because of Song Qigui's words and a nightmare. Song Qigui said that if the devil can find the sheep egg village, it must be the road led by Du Laosan. I asked, who is Du Laosan? Song Qigui said that Du Laosan was the number one hardcore traitor in Shanxia County, with a team of dogs, who worked hard for the Japanese and did everything that hurt nature and reason.

It was a daydream, and at noon I sat under a tree and fell asleep with my back against it. I dreamed that the dozens of people in the Sheep Egg Village were all covered in blood and walked towards me, the old patriarch walked in front, and he was followed by Shen Wang and Er Shunzi. The old patriarch walked up to me, pointed the cane in his hand at my nose, and said tremblingly: "You bastard, the people of our sheep and egg village did not treat you badly, you fled so ruthlessly, you promised to help us Wow, you pigs and dogs are not as good as wow!" Today, I have brought the men, women and children of the whole village to you, and you will return our lives—" He picked up his cane and smashed it down on me. Immediately afterward, Shen Wang and Er Shunzi screamed and pounced on me, biting me with their mouths, and each of them bit off a piece of meat from me, chewing fiercely and sadly...... I woke up screaming, and I knew that their souls were floating in the sky above this landscape, and there was no peace, and neither could my heart.

We decided to solve Du Laosan, the dog traitor, first, and then go to Taihang Mountain to find a team.