Who Said We Were Going to Storm the Mountain?

The warrant ordering the extermination of every member of the bandits' families was soon plastered across every town and village in Jilin Province.

For a time, the whole of Jilin Province trembled.

"Who's this Zhang Xueming? What a big mouth!"

"Who else? Someone from Fengtian! I heard he chopped a few Japanese into meat paste in front of everyone in Nanzhen!"

"Really? He's that fierce? Looks like the skies over Jilin Province really are about to change."

The common folk buzzed with talk, while the bandit gangs that had held sway over Jilin Province for years reacted in all sorts of ways.

Some scoffed, figuring it was just a new official's first three blazing fires—plenty of thunder, but barely a drop of rain.

Others grew wary and began reining in their men, keeping their heads down until the storm passed.

As for Big Black Eagle, chieftain of the bandit alliance in the Qinglong Mountain Range and the worst bandit scourge in Jilin Province, he tore down the warrant and lit a cigarette in front of everyone.

"Damn it, some wet-behind-the-ears kid dares to run his mouth at me?"

"Exterminate every member of the family?"

"I'd like to see how much guts he's got to come to my Qinglong Mountain!"

Big Black Eagle's real name was unknown. He was a banner among the bandits of Jilin Province. He had united six bandit gangs, large and small, in the Qinglong Mountain Range. His men had more than three thousand rifles, and even a few small mountain cannons he'd somehow managed to get his hands on.

More importantly, the Japanese were behind him.

That was why Zhang Xueming had made him the top target.

Strike a snake at its seven-inch weak spot; capture the bandits' ringleader.

Big Black Eagle was both the weak spot and the ringleader of Jilin Province's bandit scourge.

As long as he was taken out, the rabble left behind wouldn't be worth worrying about.

At a single order, the Independent Battalion's main force set out, its spearhead pointed straight at Qinglong Mountain.

At the foot of Qinglong Mountain, the Independent Battalion's soldiers had already drawn a long blockade line.

The slopes were steep and the woods dense. There was only one winding mountain path, a truly perilous place where one man could hold the pass against ten thousand.

Chu Shixin peered through his binoculars for a long while, his brow knotted in a frown.

"Battalion Commander, this place won't be easy to take. If we storm it, the brothers are bound to suffer heavy casualties. Look at the terrain. The bandits could set up a few machine guns up there, and our men would be sitting ducks as soon as they charged uphill."

Zhang Xueming didn't even use binoculars. He simply narrowed his eyes and studied the outline of the distant peaks.

He casually snapped off a branch and scratched at the dirt.

"Who said we were going to storm the mountain?"

"We're the Regular Army, not bandits. Why should we risk our lives playing their game?"

He pointed to a spot on the ground. "See that open patch? Bring out all the good stuff we brought along."

Chu Shixin followed the direction he pointed and froze.

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

"What else? Save it for the chickens to hatch?" Zhang Xueming shot him a sidelong glance.

Chu Shixin's face fell at once, his expression full of heartache.

"My dear Battalion Commander! Those are cannons! Every shell we fire costs us how many Silver Dollars? We didn't bring many shells this time. Bombarding them like this is such a waste..."

"Besides, even if we plow the whole mountaintop, won't the brothers still have to charge up and take the position? Then the bandits will crawl out of their hideouts, and we'll still have to fight a bloody battle!"

Zhang Xueming couldn't be bothered to argue. He gave Chu Shixin a swift kick in the backside.

"Carry out the order!"

"Do what you're told, and quit asking so many questions! Get the artillery crews over here, and tell them they don't have to save a single shell for me today!"

Chu Shixin was a hundred times reluctant, but a military order was as weighty as a mountain. He could only head off with a pained look to make the arrangements.

Before long, one brand-new 75mm Mountain Cannon after another, 105mm Howitzers, and even several 150mm Heavy Howitzers were rolled out. Their black muzzles all pointed straight at the summit of Qinglong Mountain.

At the mountaintop, inside Justice Hall,

Big Black Eagle was still bragging and shooting the breeze with his men. He hadn't taken the Feng Army at the foot of the mountain seriously at all.

"Brothers, put your minds at ease! If Zhang Xueming dares to come up here, I'll make sure he never leaves!"

A bandit who looked like a counsellor sidled over, worry written across his face.

"Chief, we'd better be careful. I've heard Zhang Xueming isn't someone to take lightly. And his Independent Battalion is well-equipped, all German gear, with serious firepower."

"Firepower, my ass!" Big Black Eagle spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground. "So what if their gear is good? We've got the high ground! If he wants to attack, he'll have to fill the mountain with corpses!"

Just then, a young bandit came tumbling in.

"C-Chief! This is bad!"

"The Feng Army at the foot of the mountain... they... they've brought out a ton of cannons!"

"Those barrels are thicker than our water buckets!"

The hall fell silent in an instant.

The smile froze on Big Black Eagle's face. He grabbed the young bandit by the collar.

"What did you say? Cannons?"

He strode to the stockade's lookout and picked up a battered monocular to peer down the mountain.

At a single glance, his pupils contracted sharply.

The open ground below was packed with artillery pieces of all calibers. The artillerymen were bustling about at a furious pace. It was a sight he'd only ever seen in photographs.

Cold sweat beaded on Big Black Eagle's forehead, but he forced himself to stay calm and turned around, shouting: