Chapter 30: The Beard of King Yama

Chapter 30: The King of Hell’s Beard

(I)

They had now officially become a specialized detachment directly under the county brigade. Li Tianzuo and Li Chenghai, who had accompanied Guan Shan on two previous missions, were appointed as the squad leader and deputy squad leader, respectively.

Having followed Guan Shan on those two missions, Li Tianzuo and Li Chenghai had received commendations twice, and their crude bird guns had been replaced with standard Hanyang rifles. Although these were hand-me-downs from the main force with nearly worn-out rifling, to the county brigade, they were cutting-edge equipment—real rifles, the very symbols of honor and veteran status!

What made them even prouder was that Guan Shan had managed to secure a proper Eighth Route Army cap for each of them. For them, this was a cause for immense ancestral glory.

Hearing that they would be accompanying Guan Shan on another mission, the two were as energized as if they had been injected with stimulants. Originally, only the two of them were supposed to go, but everyone else pestered Guan Shan to be included. Guan Shan went to discuss it with Tian Daqing. After some thought, Tian Daqing reasoned that if the Japanese really invaded the mountains to enforce a blockade, they would indeed need extra hands to bury the explosives. Plus, since Guan Shan vouched that all of them were experts at navigating the rugged mountain terrain, he agreed to let everyone join.

"Xiao Qi! Take Stone and Shuanzi to form the vanguard group. Stay two kilometers ahead of the main force and report any situation immediately! Here, take this submachine gun," Tian Daqing ordered.

"Yes!" Ma Sanqi, Ding Shitou, and Wang Shuan replied in unison.

Ma Sanqi stepped forward and ran over with a grin to take the submachine gun from Guan Shan’s hands.

"Hey, hey, hey, Xiao Qi, stop grinning!" Sun Bin teased. "Your eyes are already small as it is, damn it; if you keep smiling, they’ll disappear into your wrinkles and we’ll never find them!"

All the soldiers burst into raucous laughter. Tian Daqing couldn't hold back his own smile, but after a few chuckles, he pulled a stern face and shouted, "Be serious, be serious!"

The laughter slowly died down after a while.

"Sun Bin, Xu Xinhai, both of you select two militia members each to form temporary demolition and fire support groups!" Tian Daqing commanded.

Sun Bin and Xu Xinhai looked at each other. Xu Xinhai picked at his ear with his pinky and said nonchalantly, "We'll see when we get there. Whoever keeps up, keeps up. If we pick now and they fall behind later, it’ll just delay things..."

"Who are you looking down on!" Deputy Squad Leader Li Chenghai retorted. "You two old-timers, let me tell you, when it comes to shooting guns or artillery, we aren't as good as you. But when it comes to navigating mountain paths and crossing ridges... don't worry, we've got baskets for manure. If you say you can't walk anymore, we can even carry you..."

"Heh, these little brats, they’ve got some nerve, heh heh heh!" Sun Bin and Xu Xinhai weren't angry; they just folded their arms and shared a laugh.

"Alright, alright! Stop bickering! What does this look like!" Tian Daqing scolded them, displeased. He continued his arrangements: "Shanyao, Shanliang, you brothers take the rearguard group! Stay two kilometers behind the main force, and report any news immediately!"

"Yes! Is that gun for us?" Wang Shanyao asked, pointing at the submachine gun in Guan Shan’s hand.

Tian Daqing turned to look at Guan Shan. Seeing him nod, he waved his hand toward Wang Shanyao. He had originally expected Guan Shan to keep one for himself; it seemed this kid was alright after all. Wang Shanyao ran over to take the gun, looking like he was about to drool.

"Liu Xikou, you and I will form the middle group to protect the others! The rest of the comrades will form the logistics and communications group, all under the command of Comrade Guan Shan!"

"I hope we run into the little devils; otherwise, hauling all this gear back will be a waste of effort!" Li Dagou joked.

The militia members were all laughing and relaxed, but the veterans, including Sun Bin and Xu Xinhai, remained cautious.

Everything was more prepared now, and Tian Daqing felt more confident. Although the Japanese were formidable in combat, they didn't need to fight them head-on; they could use explosives and long-range fire to pin them down. Whether they could avenge the tragedy at Yang Village was uncertain, but this time, they would definitely not let those bastards retreat unscathed. At the very least, they would take one down with them, make it worth the cost! Even if the enemy were as vicious as the King of Hell, they were going to pluck a few hairs from his beard, damn it!

(II)

The small detachment set out from Mopan Village at dusk. Following a standard marching pace of eight to ten *li* per hour, they reached the vicinity of the highway after three hours—the rendezvous point agreed upon by Li Yunlong and Guan Shan.

The 1st Battalion led by Li Yunlong had not yet departed. They were scheduled to move at night, pass through this location in the second half of the night, and head south, aiming to enter the pre-set ambush position before dawn.

After a short rest, Guan Shan and Tian Daqing's detachment began marching north.

From there, there were three mountain passes to the north. According to Li Yunlong's analysis, the Japanese were most likely to choose the northernmost one, North San'ao Pass. They designated it as Pass No. 1, with the others to the south being No. 2 and No. 3.

The contact point was 70 *li* away from Pass No. 1—a standard night's march, but the detachment couldn't manage that because, along this highway, there was a bunker or watchtower every ten *li* or so...

"Quick, quick! Keep up in the back, be careful not to make any noise!"

"Stop, stop, stop! Get down!"

"Move, move, move, keep up!"

Like this, in the intervals between the searchlights, the team moved in fits and starts. Regardless, walking along the side of the highway was relatively flat, but once dawn broke, they would have to climb through the mountains or hole up and rest until nightfall.

Walking north from the contact point, the team covered less than 30 *li* in one night and arrived at the designated No. 3 Pass by dawn.

"Chirp, chirp!"

"Caw! Caw!"

After the exchange of bird calls, the vanguard group appeared.

"Reporting to the platoon leader, no fresh footprints or tire tracks were found nearby," Xiao Qi reported.

"Good!" Tian Daqing turned his head and whispered, "Pass the order down: rest in place!"

Xiao Qi said, "Platoon leader, we'll head out ahead first then!"

Tian Daqing nodded in agreement. Xiao Qi let out a few caws and disappeared back into the woods.

According to Tian Daqing's plan, the vanguard group led by Ma Sanqi would continue to march during the day, circling through the side mountain paths. They were expected to reach Pass No. 1 by nightfall and remain there to monitor the area. Meanwhile, the rest of the detachment would enter from Pass No. 3 and rest inside until nightfall before moving out.

The distance from Pass No. 3 to Pass No. 1 was about 40 *li*, a distance the detachment could cover in one night.

In a way, this was the advantage of communication capabilities on combat effectiveness, Guan Shan thought to himself. Yamamoto Ichiki’s special operations team was equipped with radios, allowing them to maintain contact with Yasuji Okamura’s headquarters in Taiyuan, while Okamura had a complete network of radios and telephones to issue orders immediately if reinforcements were needed.

And yet, the Eighth Route Army could only rely on their own two legs.