Who Said We Were Going to Force Our Way In?

The notice declaring "extermination of the entire clan" for bandit suppression was soon plastered across every town and corner of Jilin Province.

For a moment, the whole ground in Jilin Province seemed to shake three times over.

"Who is this Zhang Xueming? Such big talk?"

"Who else? He's from Fengtian! I heard in Nanzhen, right in front of everyone, he chopped a few Japs into meat paste!"

"Really? That fierce? Then the sky over Jilin Province is about to change for sure."

The common folk buzzed with discussion, while the various bandit gangs entrenched in Jilin for years reacted each in their own way.

Some sneered, thinking it was just a new official's three fires—loud thunder with little rain.

Others grew wary and began reining in their men, lying low to avoid the storm.

And as the worst bandit scourge in Jilin, the chieftain of the bandit coalition in the Qinglong Mountain Range, Big Black Eagle, tore down the notice and lit a cigarette with it in front of everyone.

"Damn it, a mere youngster dares to bark in front of me?"

"Extermination of the entire clan?"

"I'd like to see if he's got the balls to come to my Qinglong Mountain!"

Big Black Eagle, real name unknown, was a banner figure among Jilin's bandits. He had united six major and minor bandit groups in the Qinglong Mountain Range, commanding over three thousand rifles and even a few small mountain cannons scrounged from who knows where.

More importantly, he had ties to the Japanese.

That was also why Zhang Xueming had marked him as the primary target.

Strike the snake at its head, catch the thief by catching the king.

This Big Black Eagle was the head and king of Jilin's bandit plague.

Take him out, and the remaining rabble would be nothing to fear.

With a single order, the main force of the Independent Battalion marched out, their spearhead aimed straight at Qinglong Mountain.

At the foot of Qinglong Mountain, the soldiers of the Independent Battalion had already stretched out a long blockade line.

The mountain was steep, the forests dense, with only a winding mountain path for passage—a true fortress where one man could hold off ten thousand.

Chu Shixin stared through binoculars for a long while, his brow furrowed into a knot.

"Battalion Commander, this place is tough to crack. If we assault head-on, the casualties among our brothers will be heavy. Look at the terrain—if the bandits set up a few machine guns up there, our men charging up would just be live targets."

Zhang Xueming didn't even use binoculars; he just squinted at the distant mountain silhouette.

He casually snapped a twig and scratched lines on the ground.

"Who said we're assaulting head-on?"

"We're the Regular Army, not bandits. Why fight them with our lives?"

He tapped a spot on the ground. "See that open area? Bring out all the good stuff we brought."

Chu Shixin followed his finger and froze.

"Battalion Commander, you mean... use the artillery?"

"What else? Save them for breeding?" Zhang Xueming shot him a glance.

Chu Shixin's face instantly fell, his expression full of pain.

"My dear Battalion Commander! Those are cannons! One shell fired, how many Silver Dollars gone? We didn't bring many shells this time—blasting like this is way too wasteful..."

"Besides, even if we plow the mountaintop, in the end, our brothers still have to charge up and take the position. When the bandits crawl out of their holes, it'll still be a bloody fight."

Zhang Xueming couldn't be bothered to argue and kicked him square in the ass.

"Carry out the order!"

"Do what you're told, why so much nonsense? Get the artillerymen over here now, and tell them—today, don't save a single shell for me!"

Though Chu Shixin was a hundred times unwilling, military orders were ironclad, so he could only grimace and go arrange it.

Soon, brand-new 75mm Mountain Cannons, 105mm Howitzers, and even a few 150mm Heavy Howitzers were rolled out, their pitch-black Cannon Muzzles all aimed squarely at the summit of Qinglong Mountain.

At the summit, inside the Justice Hall.

Big Black Eagle was still bragging and joking with his men, completely unconcerned about the Feng Army below.

"Brothers, keep your hearts at ease! If that Zhang Xueming dares to come up, I'll make sure he never goes back!"

A bandit who looked like a military advisor sidled up, a hint of worry on his face.

"Chieftain, better be careful. I've heard this Zhang Xueming isn't easy to mess with, and his Independent Battalion is well-equipped, all German gear, with heavy firepower."

"Heavy firepower my ass!" Big Black Eagle spat a thick glob of phlegm on the ground. "What good is good gear? We've got the terrain advantage! If he wants to attack, he'll have to pay with lives!"

No sooner had he spoken than a young bandit stumbled in, scrambling on all fours.

"Ch... Chieftain! Bad news!"

"The Feng Army down below... they... they've rolled out a ton of big cannons!"

"The cannon barrel's thicker than our water buckets!"

The Justice Hall fell silent in an instant.

Big Black Eagle's smile froze. He grabbed the small bandit by the collar.

"What did you say? Cannons?"

He strode quickly to the stronghold's lookout point, picked up a battered single-tube telescope, and peered down the mountain.

One look was all it took—his pupils contracted sharply.

On the open ground below, cannons of every caliber were packed in dense rows. The artillerymen were bustling about at a furious pace. He'd only ever seen such a formation in photographs.

Cold sweat beaded on Big Black Eagle's forehead, but he forced himself to stay composed and turned back with a roar.