Chapter 9: The Surrender of the Puppet Army

Chapter 9: The Puppet Troops Surrender

The Eighth Route Army’s second shell struck, reducing another blockhouse to rubble. Over three hundred puppet soldiers stared at the smoke and dust rising from the second ruin, their expressions dazed. Their previously steady morale began to fray into tension.

"What’s going on? How do these Eighth Route soldiers still have shells?"
"The minute is up, and they really fired again."
"If they didn't have enough ammunition, they wouldn't have fired a second time."
"Exactly. Shells are precious to them. Since they dared to fire again, they must have come prepared."

"Commander, what should we do?" the adjutant asked, his expression shaken as he watched the second blockhouse collapse. If they waited another minute and a third shell arrived, no one could guarantee it wouldn't land on their own heads.

"Don't panic!" the puppet battalion commander glared at him. "These Eighth Route soldiers must have realized we saw through their psychological tactics, which is why they fired an extra shell."

"Commander, if... if they fire a third shell after another minute, how..." The adjutant trailed off.

The commander cut him off: "I guarantee you, the Eighth Route Army absolutely does not have a third shell."

The adjutant said nothing more. Whether or not they had a third shell, no one knew. They could only wait.

A long minute passed. Amidst the tension of the three hundred puppet soldiers, the very thing they feared most came to pass. A third shell whistled through the air, striking the tallest blockhouse and shattering it into a pile of broken bricks and debris. The soldiers inside were either killed instantly or buried alive; no one had the courage to attempt a rescue.

This time, the comfort of false hope vanished. A haze of fear spread rapidly among the puppet soldiers.

"It seems the Eighth Route Army has plenty of ammunition; this is already the third shell."
"And their accuracy is incredible. They have heavy siege weapons. If we keep hiding in these blockhouses like we used to, they’ll become nothing but living coffins."
"Indeed. Even the strongest blockhouse was destroyed in one hit. Holding out like this is no way to survive."
"What should we do? Should we surrender? They say the Eighth Route Army treats captives well."

"Commander, the telephone line has been cut." Seeing the third shell hit, the adjutant had immediately tried to call for reinforcements, but the line was dead.

"Damn it! I refuse to believe a man can be stifled to death by his own piss," the commander wiped sweat from his forehead and ordered, "Assemble the men! We’re charging out with me!"

"Commander, the Eighth Route Army wants us to abandon the blockhouses; they’ve surely set traps outside," the adjutant warned. "They’ve already pulled off the impossible by bringing up mountain artillery. If we charge, the outcome will be grim."

"If we don't charge, the outcome is just as grim! Are you suggesting we actually surrender?" the commander roared.

The adjutant fell silent. Whether to surrender was a decision only the commander could make, and he dared not speak out of turn.

"Brothers, assemble! Charge with m—" The commander didn't finish his sentence. A lone gunshot rang out from an unknown direction, and he collapsed into a pool of blood.

The adjutant realized instantly that there must be an Eighth Route mole among them. They had searched for one before, but found nothing. With the commander dead, he was now the ranking officer. If he didn't surrender, that next bullet would be meant for him.

Without hesitation, he shouted, "Quick! Raise the white flag on the blockhouse! We surrender! We surrender!"

Three shells had leveled three blockhouses, including the strongest one. The puppet soldiers were under immense pressure, terrified of death and desperate to live, but none had dared to be the first to suggest surrender. Seeing their commander killed and the adjutant calling for surrender, the soldiers scrambled to hang white flags from the blockhouses.

"Hahaha, Regiment Commander, look! The puppet troops are raising white flags!" Huzi pointed out to Li Yunlong.

"I see it. I never expected that we could take the entire Xiaowang Village without losing a single man, using only three shells," Li Yunlong said with deep emotion. If not for Wu Ze’s suggestion, he would have taken the village eventually, but it would have cost much more ammunition and many more casualties.

"Regiment Commander, I told you that third shell wouldn't miss," Wang Chengzhu said proudly.

"Zhuzi, well done! You’ll get your sweet potato liquor when we get back," Li Yunlong patted Wang Chengzhu on the shoulder and turned to Sun Desheng. "Sun Desheng, send word: tell the puppet soldiers to strip off all their clothes—not even a pair of underwear left—and walk out holding their weapons high. Weapons in one pile, people in another. Faces to the ground, eyes closed. If anyone tries anything, I’ll open fire."

This was to prevent a false surrender or a sudden counterattack.

"Yes!" Sun Desheng acknowledged and dispatched a soldier to relay the orders.

The puppet soldiers were reluctant to comply; even though there were no women around, stripping naked was humiliating. But looking at the three smoking ruins, their commander’s corpse, and the ominous barrel of the Italian cannon in the distance, they could not muster the will to resist.

They walked out naked, holding their weapons high, placed them in a pile, and then lay face-down on the ground, eyes closed.

Li Yunlong used his binoculars to count the soldiers. Excluding those killed or buried in the blockhouses, the number matched. Still cautious, he had Sun Desheng call out that anyone else found hiding in the blockhouses would be executed on sight.

After the final warning, no one else emerged. Only then did Li Yunlong send men to search the blockhouses. Once confirmed clear, he ordered Zhang Dabiao to lead eight hundred soldiers to secure the captives and collect the weapons.

The soldiers of the New First Regiment cheered as they picked up the gear.
"Haha, I can finally retire my bow and arrow!"
"I get a real firearm now!"
"There’s even a mortar, good stuff!"
"And two Maxim heavy machine guns, hehe!"

"Don't just stand there grinning! Search everything! Dig three feet deep in every blockhouse and check thoroughly. I don't want anything missed!" The officers led their men in a meticulous search, not even ignoring the cracks in the bricks.

"Ah, Wu Ze, you truly are the lucky charm of our New First Regiment!" Li Yunlong grasped Wu Ze’s hand again, beaming with excitement.

"Regiment Commander, you're wasting time," Wu Ze said.

"Wasting time? How am I wasting time?" Li Yunlong blinked, confused.