Chapter 45 Blood Sacrifice

(...The reason why I survived the eight years in the war may be because I was calm enough! Many people think that the veterans who survived the war felt a little stupid. I tell you, this is actually the reason why they survived; they are not stupid, but they will not panic no matter what they encounter... Excerpted from "Grandpa's Anti-Japanese War Diary")

After burying the compatriots who were massacred in that village, Cao Xiaomin led his team to a leeward valley outside the village. Because many ordinary people still had bloody scenes in their minds from time to time, although everyone was tired, many people still couldn't sleep. The children even needed the comfort of adults from time to time to calm down...

Maybe I was wrong. I shouldn't let all the military and civilians see those terrifying scenes. How much psychological impact will it have on those children! Cao Xiaomin felt deeply guilty in the dark. He remembered that he hadn't talked to Jiana for a long time, so he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, slowly pouring warmth into his heart...

"Company Commander!" A small soldier quickly and quietly came to Cao Xiaomin and called in his ears.

It was Li Bin's subordinate. Because he found that the village was massacred, the Japanese were nearby, so all Li Bin's reconnaissance platoons were scattered that night to deploy defenses and explore the route they were about to take tomorrow; they discovered the Japanese soldiers who massacred the village!

What!? There are only thirty people! When Cao Xiaomin just heard that he discovered the Japanese soldiers, his adrenaline suddenly increased. When he heard that there were only thirty Japanese soldiers, the revenge that arose in his heart suddenly surged all over his body!

The sleepless refugees who were frightened by the horror of the evening could still feel that the Kuomintang army was taking action in the dark night. Many people were quietly talking: "Don't those soldiers abandoned them and fled by themselves?" "The people dragged the army too slowly..."... When some of the people began to pay close attention to the movements of the army and were about to follow up immediately when confirming that the Kuomintang soldiers were leaving.

Cao Xiaomin came to the people and comforted the people, mainly to tell them not to be afraid, even if the Japanese came, the army would protect them. Seeing Captain Cao, the people were relieved, and some people asked why they saw some Kuomintang troops leaving; Cao Xiaomin calmly told them that because there were likely Japanese nearby, he arranged more people to deploy defenses in all directions...

Half an hour ago, Cao Xiaomin had already made arrangements: Yang Man and Li Tianhao each picked out a hundred of the most elite soldiers from the company, and the two company commanders personally led them to attack the Japanese, so as to not let them go!

Originally, Cao Xiaomin wanted to go there by himself, but his wounds on his ribs had just scabbed, and he would open up as soon as he moved. Most of the brothers from the 88th Division were injured and could not go there. Therefore, these two companies, mainly Gui and Sichuan Army, were sent to carry out this mission.

The plan for this mission is very detailed and simple: everyone tries to get close to each other, then rush forward to fight in close combat, offsetting the advantages of good Japanese gun shooting skills and well-trained machine gun tactics; although the Sichuan Army and the Gui Army did not take advantage of bayonet fighting with the Japanese, there was no reason to be invincible if more than 200 people beat thirty people and still took the initiative to raid.

"Ba!Ba!...Dada..." Everyone was having fun chatting, when gunfire sounds from afar, and the people started to get a commotion.

"The devils are here!" Some people shouted, but their blind movements were immediately stopped by the soldiers: "What are you talking about? Are you afraid that the devils don't know you are here?" Amid the scolding of the soldiers who were arranged, the riots began to quiet down.

"Actually, there is nothing scary about the Japanese. I nine of them killed hundreds of Japanese on the position..." Cao Xiaomin told the people his glorious history to the recruits: "Listen, the gunshots of this machine are all Czech style of our Kuomintang army. The Japanese don't even have a chance to fight back... Well, the sound is two kilometers away, and there is nothing great. As long as everyone does not stand on the edges of the tops of the mountain, the stray bullets will not hurt you... Alas, I said, veterans, you bring the new soldiers and teach everyone to distinguish various gunshots and distances based on the squad. This is practical training..." With Cao Xiaomin's calm expression, the ordinary people and the new soldiers began to completely relax.

The north wind whistled overhead, but the atmosphere in the valley was extremely active: the veterans of the teaching company who were injured and had to carry the recruits on stretchers during the march were happily talking about how they could destroy the glorious history of the Japanese soldiers; each of them surrounded the new soldiers, and the new soldiers surrounded the people outside. In their story, everyone lost their nervousness and fear of the sparse gunshots in the distance; in everyone's feelings, the Japanese were not scary, and these wounded soldiers seemed to have killed hundreds of Japanese soldiers-there were so many uninjured Kuomintang troops here, so even tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers could withstand it!

The people are ignorant and easy to deceive. As long as the people who deceive them are calm enough, everyone will believe the stories they tell!

...The reason why I survived the eight years in the war may be because I was calm enough! Many people saw the veterans who survived the war and felt that they were a little stupid. Let me tell you, this is actually the reason why they survived; they were not stupid, but they would not panic no matter what they encountered... Calmness is really important! Cao Xiaomin deeply understood the spirit of the passage mentioned in the memoirs of Grandpa at this moment. If all this was not arranged in advance, all the soldiers and civilians would remain calm; these refugees, new recruits, and even veterans who had defeated the war might disperse when they heard the gunshots!

"The brothers lost four, injured twelve... Thirty-two Japanese devils were wiped out by us!" Li Bin came back first to report: "The heads of thirty-two people have been cut back, and Company Commander Yang is carrying them behind..."

It is not as good as bragging. A soldier of the Kuomintang army can attack hundreds of Japanese soldiers, but this night surprise attack still wiped out the Japanese platoon when the number of casualties was far less than that of the other side.

"Bury the brothers who died in the country quietly in the night, don't let the people see it..." Cao Xiaomin arranged everything in a low voice. Those brothers who died in battle could not even let their compatriots know about death! They went silently...

The fish belly is white and the bone-invading north wind does not make a person feel chill. Everyone comes to the large pile of soil where the Kuomintang army buried the villagers with excitement and heat. The heads of the thirty-two cut off were all built up, and the same half-closed eyes were also bloody, but they no longer seem terrifying in the eyes of all the soldiers and civilians. On the contrary, these heads made everyone feel very excited!

The head of each Japanese was penetrated by a tree stick from the top of his head, as if it was nailed. A veteran who was said to have learned magic from a Taoist master while in Sichuan was wearing a Taoist robe that was temporarily changed into a gray long gown.

"Do you know, if you nail it like this, the soul of the Japanese will not be able to return home. Even if there are people in his family, it is useless to summon souls!..." The veteran who was thinking about making a fool of himself was pretending to be a ghost, and the veteran next to him was explaining to the common people: "This is called the curse of slaves for all generations, which means that the ghosts of the Japanese soldiers cannot return to their hometowns. They were all defamated during their lifetime and became eunuchs after their death. Here, they will be slaves to those who were killed by them in the underworld for generations, and will be punished and bullied by their masters..."

It is very ignorant and boring, but it is a trick that Cao Xiaomin, a time traveler from a civilized society. These simple and superstitious tricks greatly boost the morale of all military and civilians!

The sun was still blocked by the cold clouds, but everyone in this team was already filled with sunlight. They set off on the road lightly, heading towards the direction indicated by Camp Cao.
Chapter completed!