Chapter 17: Eliminating the Bandits, Abundant Spoils! And an Unexpected Surprise?
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“Didn’t you say the Eighth Route Army only had a dozen men or so?”
“This... is what you call a dozen men?”
The moment his men entered the village, they were surrounded by the Eighth Route Army. At least one or two hundred soldiers had emerged from hiding.
Black Dragon was still standing there in a daze when Shen Quan completed the encirclement and began advancing toward them.
“Boss, we’re surrounded!”
“Break through at once! If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”
Only after hearing his men’s warning did Black Dragon come to his senses. He rose and prepared to retreat.
But Shen Quan had no intention of giving him the chance.
“Comrades, don’t let a single one of them escape!”
“Yes, sir!”
This was the Second Battalion’s chance to prove itself, and every soldier was brimming with fighting spirit.
“Lay down your weapons and you’ll be spared!” one soldier shouted at the bandits attempting to fight back, firing at the same time.
The other soldiers followed suit.
Their overwhelming momentum struck terror into the hearts of the bandits.
Some were so frightened that they did not dare resist. They dropped their weapons, raised their hands, and surrendered.
Those who dared to fight back were shot dead on the spot.
More than two hundred men were hunting down over sixty bandits, and they had the advantage of a carefully prepared ambush. The battle was completely one-sided.
In less than fifteen minutes, it was over.
The sight left the villagers watching from afar utterly dumbfounded.
They had never imagined that the Eighth Route Army could be so formidable, subduing the Black Dragon Society’s bandits in such a short time.
So the bandits were not as terrifying as they had seemed.
The Eighth Route Army’s actions weakened the villagers’ fear of the bandits and gave them the courage to resist.
One after another, they came down from the mountain.
By then, the Second Battalion had surrounded the bandits and driven them all together.
The prisoners crouched on the ground with their hands over their heads, awaiting judgment.
Li Yunlong swept his gaze across the bandits and called out, “Who’s your leader?”
“Where’s Black Dragon?”
At his words, the bandits all looked toward a middle-aged man in the crowd.
Seeing that he could no longer hide, Black Dragon had no choice but to stand up.
“Commander of the Eighth Route Army, I’m Black Dragon. May I ask how I have offended your army?”
At a signal from Li Yunlong, Black Dragon was dragged forward and slapped across the face.
“Do I really need to tell you what you’ve done?”
“Shen Quan, tell them what crimes they committed.”
“Yes, sir!” Shen Quan answered at once.
“After investigation, Black Dragon led the Black Dragon Society in oppressing the common people and abducting women by force...”
“Zhang Qiang murdered Li Ming of Li Family Village one month ago...”
“Chen Tian...”
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As Shen Quan continued reading, the faces of Black Dragon and the others darkened, their hearts sinking into despair.
Li Yunlong looked toward Black Dragon and the other bandits whose names had been called. In a ringing voice, he declared, “Black Dragon, Zhang Qiang, Chen Tian, and the others have committed countless crimes. After investigation, the charges have been confirmed. They are sentenced to execution by firing squad, effective immediately!”
The moment he said this, Black Dragon and the others collapsed onto the ground, then began cursing furiously.
“I refuse to accept this!”
“What right do you have to condemn us? We were only trying to survive!”
“I’ll take you down with me!”
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Li Yunlong raised his hand and fired several shots, killing the bandits who tried to rush him.
Only Black Dragon remained, trembling uncontrollably and afraid to move.
Li Yunlong’s ruthless decisiveness cowed every bandit and won the applause of the villagers.
“Clap, clap, clap...”
When the villagers heard Li Yunlong announce the verdict and the manner of execution, they all applauded and cheered.
At last, they would no longer have to suffer beneath the bandits’ oppression!
Seeing how merciless the Eighth Route Army was, Black Dragon hurriedly begged for mercy.
“Commander, don’t kill me! As long as you spare my life, I’ll give you all my wealth!”
Li Yunlong calmly loaded fresh ammunition into his weapon and said, “The moment you were captured, your property was already confiscated.”
“Be a good person in your next life.”
“Bang!”
Black Dragon, who had tried to seize the opportunity to snatch a gun, was shot dead and fell into a pool of blood.
The bullet had blown apart his head.
The sight left all the bandits trembling. Not one of them dared meet Li Yunlong’s eyes.
“I, Li Yunlong, am not a bloodthirsty man. Black Dragon and the others committed grave crimes, and they deserved to die,” Li Yunlong said in a powerful voice.
“Since you were misled by Black Dragon, I’ll give you a chance to atone through merit.”
“Our nation is in peril. Join us in killing the Japanese invaders. As long as you earn merit by killing the enemy, your past crimes can be wiped clean.”
“Think about why you became bandits in the first place. The Japanese occupied your homes and abused your relatives and friends...”
“If you still have even a trace of backbone left, then stand up.”
Hearing these words, the remaining bandits immediately understood that this was their only way out.
Moreover, they had originally been soldiers of the Northeastern Army. Li Yunlong’s words awakened the last remnants of their conscience and rekindled their blood.
One of them was the first to declare that he was willing to join the Eighth Route Army.
The rest of the bandits had no choice but to follow.
Thus, all the remaining men were incorporated into the army.
Li Yunlong was not surprised by the outcome.
After all, the loyalty detection skill had shown that these men still met the requirements for recruitment.
That was why he had been willing to spend so much time trying to educate them.
Li Yunlong then had Shen Quan arrange for men to register them and interrogate them about the Black Dragon Society’s stronghold.
Their capture of the stronghold would serve as their proof of allegiance.
After dealing with the affairs of Li Family Village, Li Yunlong hurried to Chen Family Village.
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It had to be said that Zhang Dabiao was quite capable.
By the time Li Yunlong arrived, all the bandits had already been subdued and were receiving a lesson from Zhang Dabiao.
This saved Li Yunlong considerable trouble.
He then followed the same procedure, purging and recruiting the remaining bandits.
The First Battalion recruited twenty men.
It was worth mentioning that during this operation, only a few soldiers of the New First Regiment suffered minor injuries.
The spoils of war, however, were substantial.
The Black Dragon Society had effectively donated enough equipment to arm an entire company, including several light machine guns.
At the same time, fifty-two men were recruited.
After interrogating them, Li Yunlong learned that the Black Dragon Society had originally been a logistical unit of the Northeastern Army. During the retreat, it had become separated from the main force, and under the instigation of Black Dragon, its battalion commander, the unit had turned to banditry.
He also gained a much more complete understanding of the Black Dragon Society’s stronghold.
Approximately one hundred and fifty men remained there.
Their equipment was surprisingly impressive. They even possessed a mountain gun, and the warehouse contained a considerable quantity of weapons and supplies.
What surprised Li Yunlong most was that the stronghold also housed an arsenal capable of manufacturing artillery shells.
The news astonished him.
After consolidating all the information, Li Yunlong had a complete understanding of the Black Dragon Society’s stronghold.
By the time everything was settled, it was already afternoon.
To prevent word from getting out and to seize control of the stronghold as quickly as possible, Li Yunlong summoned Zhang Dabiao and Shen Quan to arrange the operation.
“The First Battalion will attack from the front. The Second Battalion will be responsible primarily for the Black Dragon Society’s arsenal and for maintaining the perimeter, preventing any other bandits from escaping.”
“Now for the specific arrangements.”
“The First Battalion will select suitable guides from among those who have surrendered and use them to swiftly seize the Black Dragon Society’s stronghold. Anyone who attempts to flee or betray us may be killed without awaiting further orders.”
“The specific assault tactics are as follows...”
“The Second Battalion must pay particular attention to these areas... Concentrate your forces and seize the arsenal as quickly as possible. Do not damage my arsenal, and be careful not to injure the workers there.”
“We must have complete control of Black Dragon Mountain Stronghold tonight!”
“Is that understood?”
“Understood!”
Zhang Dabiao and Shen Quan responded in unison.
After all, Li Yunlong’s deployment was meticulous and thorough.
They then went off to make the arrangements.
Li Yunlong attached great importance to the Black Dragon Society’s “assets” as well. After all, the stronghold contained an arsenal capable of producing artillery shells.
If it truly was operational, the New First Regiment would never again have to worry about a shortage of shells.
Half an hour later, Li Yunlong led his troops toward the Black Dragon Society’s stronghold.
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