Under the fierce attack of the bandit leader, Li Mancang was initially forced to take a defensive position, his opponent's iron sword almost as short and long as his machete, but he rarely knew the footwork and stabbing techniques.

Li Mancang, the platoon commander of the Jin Army, had little foundation in martial arts, and his kung fu of making a big sword came from his early training in the 29th Army. Part of the predecessor of the army came from Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army, and at the beginning of its establishment, due to backward equipment, many officers and soldiers were issued with machetes to make up for the lack of military firearms with cold weapons; Therefore, its troops have also strengthened the sharpening of sword skills in their daily training. After the "September 18 Incident," the Japanese Kwantung Army soon left the south to rehe, coveting North China under the rule of warlord Song Zheyuan, and the 29 officers and men made targeted arrangements for the white-edged combat method of the Japanese rifle bayonet in terms of knife techniques, and used the thick back of the machete and the narrow blade to resolve the advantage of the length of the Type 38 rifle.

However, at this moment, the number of sword dancing techniques used by the iron hand was obviously different from that of the enemy armed with a spear and bayonet, and the simple and practical sword technique that Li Mancang practiced in the 29th Army in his early years was not targeted for a while.

The villagers who were watching on the wheat field had been driven and isolated to the four sides of the site by the Jin soldiers, so as not to hurt the innocent, and when they learned of the bandits' atrocities at night, they all hoped that the bearded chief of the Jin army would be able to cut the leader of the gang alive with one sword, and they cheered him on.

After all, Li Mancang had fought face-to-face with Japanese soldiers several times on the hand-to-hand battlefield, not only licking blood from the knife, but also escaping death, so he was relatively calm when he was in battle. On the other hand, the bandits' big leader, Tie Shou, has experienced all kinds of killings in the past, often targeting unarmed ordinary people, and even if he encounters resistance, the intensity is very limited. This is destined to be a hand-to-hand fight between cold weapons, and the psychological qualities of the two duels are very different.

After withstanding more than a dozen crazy assassinations by his opponent, the platoon commander of the Jin army gradually saw the attack routine of the bandit leader, and the big knife in his hand changed from blindly blocking and pushing at the beginning to slashing at the right time. The weight of these two cold weapons, Li Mancang's broadsword is dominant, under the impact of several swords, the iron hand obviously felt the numbness in the palm and the tiger's mouth, and the sword in his hand was almost like to fly, and the heart of cowardice suddenly appeared.

This time, the situation immediately changed, Li Mancang slashed horizontally and vertically with the big knife in his hand, and his footwork also advanced all the way; The iron hand turned into a parry and retreated. The villagers who were watching on the sidelines burst into cheers for the platoon commander of the Jin Army.

Finally, the frightened bandit leader was in a panic, and a stumble appeared under his feet, Li Mancang seized the opportunity, waved his knife with both hands and struggled to lift it with the back of the knife, directly knocking his iron sword off, and at the same time his right leg flew up and kicked the iron hand to the ground.

Before the already frightened iron hand could fully get up, he hurriedly made a gesture of kneeling and prostrating, and shouted to the chief to spare his life. This unexpected words and deeds made the Jin army platoon commander's big knife, which had already been raised high, have to stop abruptly when it slashes into the air.

"Cut him!" "Chop him!"

The onlookers cheered and roared, demanding that the evil bandit leader be immediately executed. Li Mancang's big knife in his hand was raised in the air for a while, during which he wanted to comply with the will of the people several times and slash the knife straight down, but in the end, he still chose to let the opponent go for the time being: the situation of the bandits was not yet clear, and he had to make a steady and comprehensive plan. Previously, through the interrogation of a few minions, the platoon commander of the Jin army had been convinced that there were more than 100 people in the so-called Black Stone Cliff Cottage, which was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.

After ordering the re-immobilization of the gang's leaders and minions, Li Mancang explained to the old patriarch of Mai Village, asking him to inform the villagers that the Jin army would continue to suppress the bandits, and that the punishment for life and death of the bandit captives would be decided as appropriate when the overall situation was decided.

However, when discussing the matter of staying with the deputy platoon commander, the other party raised a different opinion, saying that the brigade headquarters and the regiment headquarters were in a great hurry to urge food, and since the grain and grass had been collected in place, they should be escorted back immediately, so as to avoid long nights and dreams. If the team is stationed in Maicun, and the Black Rock Cliff bandits do not send follow-up men to fight in the short term, it will inevitably cause the headquarters to be in a dilemma.

Feeling that his deputy platoon commander was reasonable, but at the same time, he couldn't bear to let the people who supported the grain requisition face the danger of banditry, and after some thought, Li Mancang came up with a plan: immediately release the two captured bandit minions, go back to their lair and report to the bandit leader, stating the action and determination of the 12th Brigade of the Jin Army to suppress the bandits and the people, and asking the bandits to surrender to the Jin army immediately.

"Will the bandits listen to us and surrender?" The deputy platoon commander asked suspiciously.

"Probably not," Li Mancang smiled secretly, "I didn't expect them to surrender, but I just made them understand that there were officers and soldiers stationed in this village, and they were cut off from the idea of attacking again." ”

"And what about these bandits we caught? Rectify the law on the spot or send it back to Pingquan County? ”

"Don't worry, this big boss called Iron Hand, who can bring so many people out of the mountain at once, should be regarded as the number one person in the gang, let's detain him, we can negotiate with the bandits." Maybe you can knock on their bamboo poles and get some food and the ocean. ”

When the platoon commander of the Jin army said this, he had a confident posture, and his deputy platoon commander nodded frequently when he heard it, and he couldn't help but show a knowing smile on his face.

More than a dozen of the Black Stone Cliff bandits who were attacked and killed by Jin officers and soldiers in Maicun that night escaped, some of them hid outside the village to spy on the movements, and some fled into Guanmen Mountain to report back to the cottage, including the two captured minions that the Jin army later took the initiative to release.

The black donkey, who was sitting in the black stone cliff bandits' nest, was shocked to learn the news, and his mind was in turmoil. This time, he sent an iron hand out of the mountain to rob the house, and he secretly took advantage of the big boss's outing, and he wanted to go back quickly without knowing it, but he didn't expect to suffer this catastrophe. After breaking the rules and losing more than 20 brothers, as well as more than 20 fast guns, including machine guns, the big boss will shoot himself with one shot when he returns!

He immediately sent several groups of minions to Maicun to check the situation, and the reply he received was that the Jin officers and soldiers were stationed in the village and were closely defended. As for the number of officers and troops, no one can say with certainty: there are dozens of them, and there are also hundreds and tens. The black donkey was so angry that he had the heart to lead more people to fight hard, but he was worried that the opponent's military strength would be strong and he would not succeed in stealing chickens and eating a handful of rice. Then he, the third master, can only hang himself.

When he was hesitant and helpless, the Eighth Route Army's Commander Wei actually took the initiative to visit, the black donkey couldn't help but be overjoyed, although this Wei Commander was the object he hated to get rid of first and then quickly, but in the desperate situation in front of him, he regarded the other party as a life-saving straw, so he put down a banquet to welcome, groveling and begging for help.

Wei Xin, the commander of the second battalion of the Eighth Route Army, finally figured out the reason, but his heart was entangled because of this. According to the bandits, the Jin army stationed in Mai Village, at the southern foot of Guanmen Mountain, was a part of the 12th Brigade of the Du; Wei Xin knew about the situation of this team that had been defeated all the way from Fengdian and Wencheng to Pingquan County--Xia Lianshan, the commander of the cavalry company, had previously gone to Pingquan to establish contact with it--but the department had expanded the defense area to the southern foot of Guanmen Mountain, which was really beyond Wei Xin's expectations.

In all fairness, the black donkey's subordinates attacked the village, killed people and goods, and were caught by the Jin army, which is really a retribution, and there is no need to stand up for the Jin army for this. However, the purpose of his trip was precisely to integrate this bandit army, and this sudden change at the moment was a good opportunity to take advantage of. The key is that even if he promised the black donkey to mediate with the Jin army, it is difficult to grasp whether the 12th Brigade of the Jin Army is willing to give the Eighth Route Army this face.

"The three masters, this matter is very important, I am only a battalion commander in the Xu Brigade Detachment, and I have no right to decide on unauthorized contact with friendly forces;" Wei Xin looked at the group of bandits with blank eyes, and said slowly: "But for the sake of the righteous sister's face, I can first promise you to report this matter to the head of the detachment immediately, and the head will decide how to come forward." ”

Hearing this, the black donkey can be described as happy and worried: the good news is that the commander of the Eighth Route Army has finally shown his willingness to help, and the worry is that if he waits for this Wei chief to report to his commander, he is afraid that the big boss has returned.

Just what you are afraid of will come - not long after the person sent back to Hekou Village by the chief Wei in the cottage to report the news, the news of the return of the big boss came from the door of the cottage.

Liu Wumei, who rushed back all the way, asked the minions guarding the gate of the village, and learned that the commander of the Eighth Route Army Wei had already been respectfully welcomed into the village by the three masters, and her anxiety was slightly reduced. However, when she entered the Juyi Hall to see her sworn brother and learned all the details, she was angry in her heart, and shouted loudly and tied up the three masters with guns and flowers.

In this regard, the commander of the second battalion of the Eighth Route Army standing on the side did not dissuade him - this black donkey not only repeatedly disobeyed the orders of the big boss, but also has always been the opponent of the Eighth Route Army.

After Liu Wumei took the black donkey, she immediately turned to Wei Xin and informed the commander of the Eighth Route Army that he was worried that something would happen to him, and it was very likely that he would send troops to follow in his footsteps and come to the cottage. Wei Xin was startled at first, but then thought that he had sent someone to Hekou Village to report the news, and it was estimated that he would meet the troops who came on the way, so he comforted his righteous sister: Don't be afraid, with the eldest brother here, this battle can't be fought!

On the one hand, he sent three soldiers out of the cottage immediately, led by the little minions, to the only road outside the gate of the village to wait, once Wu Zijian really sent troops to arrive, be sure to block it outside, explain that the second battalion commander Wei Xin is safe and sound, and then fly to report to the village, and then come forward to greet him.

But neither Wei Xin nor Liu Wumei expected that the Xu Brigade detachment not only really sent troops, but also led the team by no one else, it was the new detachment leader himself: Wu Zijian!