roccoschili Chapter 59 Kidnapping, Robbery, and Sudden Impact
Chapter 59 Kidnapping, Robbery, and Sudden Impact
Zhou Huaiqi was also dumbfounded. Hadn't he already reformed himself?
Zhou Huaiqi said tremblingly, "Eighth Master, I've reformed! Didn't I take you to the pillbox to fight the Japanese?"
Wang Yousheng raised an eyebrow and said sternly, "That doesn't count. That's what you're supposed to do! If you weren't a traitor, why would I let you lead the way?"
"I……"
Zhou Huaiqi was speechless for a moment.
Wang Yousheng changed the subject, asking, "Let me ask you something. Do you know Ma Baozheng?"
"Ma? Ma Baobao?" Zhou Huaiqi nodded hurriedly. "I know him, I know him. He's the village chief of Baishi Village and also a major grain merchant in the area."
As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Wang Yousheng, but when he realized that Wang Yousheng was still staring at him, he quickly lowered his head.
Wang Yousheng added, "I heard he's not very friendly to our Eighth Route Army."
Zhou Huaiqi honestly replied, "Yes, yes, he works for the Japanese. He even tried to take the position of chairman of the puppet regime from me a while ago."
"Very good, does he have a lot of grain stored up at home?"
Zhou Huaiqi replied without hesitation, "A lot! Probably tens of thousands of jin! I've been to his grain depot; that guy's rolling in money. Damn it, he even inflated grain prices last year; I lost a fortune."
Tens of thousands of kilograms? That's too narrow-minded. Even Wang Yousheng didn't want to point it out; Ma reported that he had 12 kilograms of grain stored up!
Seeing Zhou Huaiqi's indignant expression, Wang Yousheng knew that Zhou Huaiqi must have a conflict with Ma Huibao.
In this way, the food problem will be much easier to solve.
Wang Yousheng then said, "Zhou Huaiqi, I'll give you two choices: either requisition grain or work for our Eighth Route Army. As for the grain, I won't rob you."
"Um?"
This time, not only Zhou Huaiqi was dumbfounded, but even the soldiers were stunned.
Was this trip for requisitioning grain? Has Platoon Leader Wang changed his mind again? They say military orders are absolute, and a general's orders must be obeyed...
When Zhou Huaiqi heard that they wouldn't rob his grain, his eyes lit up and he was secretly overjoyed.
That bastard Ma Baohui often bullied him. Getting rid of Ma Baohui through the Eighth Route Army was a way to vent his anger.
It would allow them to preserve their family's grain reserves and also get revenge—killing two birds with one stone. Why not?
Zhou Huaiqi then probed further, "Eighth Master, it is my honor to work for you. Please give your orders."
Wang Yousheng said, "It's very simple. I need the grain that Ma reported. Can you do that?"
Zhou Huaiqi said, "Well... at most I can invite him out. This old guy has a guard team of several dozen men, all armed, and they also work for the Japanese."
Wang Yousheng pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's enough that you've arranged for him to come out."
"That simple?"
"good."
Zhou Huaiqi then asked, "What about the poison in my body...?"
"Once the matter is settled, I'll release you from it."
Zhou Huaiqi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Does Eighth Master never go back on his word?"
Wang Yousheng calmly replied, "I won't go back on my word!"
Zhou Huaiqi immediately decided, "Okay, as long as he doesn't rob my grain, I'll invite him to my home tomorrow."
"Can."
"clear!"
Zhou Huaiqi nodded immediately.
At this moment, the comrades in the district team had not yet come to their senses; they did not understand what Wang Yousheng was trying to do.
Zhang Shan, however, noticed it.
If he wasn't mistaken, Wang Yousheng wanted to use Zhou Huaiqi as bait, but wasn't that too risky?
Wang Yousheng glanced at Zhou Huaiqi and thought, "Well, the intimacy level has reached 10 points. This old guy obviously has the idea of relying on the Eighth Route Army."
"Alright, that's all for now, comrades, let's retreat!"
Wang Yousheng gave the order.
Zhou Huaiqi was beaming with joy and politely asked, "Eighth Master, would you like to stay for a late-night snack?"
"night snack?"
Wang Yousheng waved his hand dismissively, giving the former a cold glare: "Keep him. I'll be back soon. Remember, if you dare to defect again, hmph..."
Zhou Huaiqi was so frightened that he stammered. For some reason, every time he made eye contact with this Eighth Master, he always felt as if the other man could see right through him.
Nothing can be hidden! This person is only in his early twenties, yet he possesses a suffocatingly oppressive aura…
Seeing everyone leave, Zhou Huaiqi hurriedly went out and waved goodbye, looking just like a grandson.
After Wang Yousheng and the others left, Zhang, Zhou Huaiqi's wife, hurriedly closed the door and whispered, "Old man, didn't we agree to sell the grain for money and go south to seek refuge? Why are you..."
Zhou Huaiqi poured himself a cup of cold tea, took a sip, and sighed, "Looks like it's no use. The Eighth Route Army wants me to work for them!"
Zhang's willingness to sleep on the same kang (heated brick bed) with Zhou Huaiqi clearly indicates that her values are not aligned with the norm.
Zhang suggested, "Aren't you quite familiar with the Japanese soldiers in Wanjia Town? We can report it and then run away."
Zhou Huaiqi sighed and said, "Foolish! If the Japanese find out that I led the Eighth Route Army to attack the pillbox, we won't even be able to leave our homes, let alone escape."
"What should we do then?"
Zhou Huaiqi seemed disappointed and said, "Let's see what the Eighth Route Army is up to first. If we can get rid of Ma Bao, it will be good for me to vent my anger."
……
On the other side, in the courtyard of an earthen house at the village entrance, Wang Yousheng and his comrades returned.
Along the way, the comrades were clearly in a bad mood, and they must have been very puzzled by Wang Yousheng's actions tonight.
After all, they thought they could plunder the traitors' granaries tonight...
Team leader Ge Erdan couldn't hold back any longer. He pulled Wang Yousheng to sit on the stone bench in the courtyard and boldly asked, "Platoon Leader Wang, are you really going to recruit Zhou Huaiqi as an informant?"
As soon as he started speaking, a comrade hurriedly followed up, "Yes, Platoon Leader Wang, if Zhou Huaiqi sends a message to the Japanese, we'll be in danger."
In their minds, a traitor is a traitor, and a leopard can't change its spots. Why would they do this when they could easily get the food tonight?
Wang Yousheng smiled knowingly.
He gathered all the soldiers together and began to explain his next plan.
Wang Yousheng had made up his mind: he would use Zhou Huaiqi as bait.
Regardless of success or failure, there will only be two outcomes.
First, Zhou Huaiqi cooperated with the Eighth Route Army to detain Ma Baohui, and then had Ma Baohui's family bring food in exchange for him.
If Ma reports this to the enemy, they'll definitely make a move. That's fine, we can just attack! The First Battalion's firepower is so fierce, we're not afraid of even a company of Japanese soldiers!
Secondly, if Zhou Huaiqi betrays them, the cheat system will detect a decrease in Zhou Huaiqi's intimacy level, and the Japanese army will move towards Daxia Village. The result will be the same: just fight.
Of course, while fighting, we also need to get our hands on the grain.
After Wang Yousheng explained, the soldiers still felt that his approach was too risky.
This is clearly a kidnapping and ambush.
In an effort to curb the arrogance of the Japanese and puppet troops, many Eighth Route Army units also engaged in such activities. However, the success rate was mixed; winning meant making a fortune, while losing meant total annihilation.
Ultimately, success or failure hinges on the people involved.
If the informant makes even the slightest mistake, the whole operation will be lost.
The comrades were puzzled, but seeing Wang Yousheng's confident assurances, they didn't think much of it and simply agreed to do it.
Ge Erdan even harbored a death wish, declaring that if Zhou Huaiqi dared to betray him, he would be the first to kill Zhou Huaiqi.