Chapter 106: Laughter in the Bloody Rain and Fierce Wind

  In the spring and summer seasons, the days are long and the nights are short. At 8 o'clock in the evening, the sky has not completely darkened yet.

  The Special Forces team set out from the Bao Shi Kong military supply station ahead of time to avoid congestion with the transport convoy. Except for the four armed jeeps that Ren An broke through the siege, all the other trucks were replaced and no longer drove those modified British-style trucks, but instead switched to American-style military trucks, a total of five vehicles, four trucks carrying people, and one truck loaded with ammunition and supplies.

  At the behest of Dong Li Mao, in addition to each soldier's personal backpack, Pan Guangzu also obtained four mountain howitzers and six anti-tank rocket launchers at the military supply station. The most abundant supplies were ammunition, canned food, common medicines, and even rain gear such as raincoats and rain boots. Furthermore, Pan Guangzu also prepared two boxes of chocolates and four boxes of red wine for himself. Chocolates were his favorite; he could go without a single bullet but never without chocolates. Other items like American cigarettes, lighters, flashlights, radio batteries, and walkie-talkie batteries were all stocked up. Even small items like razors were carefully prepared by Pan Guangzu.

  Dao Lanxiang, Zeng Zifan, Hu San and Pan Guangzu were sitting in the first jeep opened by Dong Limao.

  Zeng Zifan remained silent from start to finish, the small leather medicine box he carried with him was always held in his hands, Pan Guangzu was very curious and wanted to see what was inside.

  "Zeng Junyi, what treasures are in this small box?" He sat on the left, with Zeng Zifan in the middle and Hu San on the right.

  Zeng Zifan tilted his head and gave Pan Guangzu a slanted glance, hugging the medicine box even tighter, as if afraid that Pan Guangzu would snatch it away.

  Pan Guangzu lost interest and pulled out a piece of chocolate from his pocket, broke it in half and handed it to Qie Lanxiang who was sitting in the passenger seat, only then did he ask Dong Limao.

  "Commander, you've asked me to prepare so many supplies. With over a hundred of us in the special operations company, I'm afraid we can't carry everything even if each person takes some. If we don't take the highway, how are we going to handle those munitions and food?"

  "You'll know when the time comes." Dong Li Mao drove the Jeep, and since he had instructed Pan Guang Zu to prepare these things, he must have already thought of how to deal with them.

  Hu San took over and said: "Commander Lian is still worried that these munitions won't be enough."

  Pan Guangzu seemed somewhat surprised and asked, "So, we're going to have a big battle? These munitions are enough to wipe out an entire little devil regiment plus dozens of tanks and armored vehicles!"

  "Hu San replied: 'Comrade Chang said we must make preparations for a protracted war.'"

  "Protracted war? Why does it sound so familiar...?" Pan Guangzu was chewing on a piece of chocolate, as if trying hard to recall the origin of the term "protracted war".

  Zeng Zifan suddenly said, "A top leader of the Eighth Route Army once wrote a very strategically significant article titled 'On Protracted War', I saw it in a newspaper when I was in the United States."

  "That's right! The man who wrote about protracted war is saying the same thing as our company commander." Hu San immediately chimed in.

  Dong Li Mao burst out laughing: "Little Huzi, you can't even recognize a single character, how could you possibly understand the theory of protracted war?! What I'm talking about is completely different from what he wrote. His writing is about strategic thinking on how to win this war, while my 'protracted war' refers to the future battles between our special forces and the little devils - two entirely different things."

  "Heh heh... it's all the same, after all, we're all fighting against the devils, right? Zeng Junyi?" Hu San chuckled and asked Zeng Zifan.

  Zengzi's mouth corner revealed a rare smile, but he didn't speak.

  "Turns out Zeng Junyi can smile too?" Pan Guangzu intentionally tried to tease Zeng Zifan into speaking: "How strange, Lao Chang, did you see that? Zeng Junyi is smiling."

  Dolan Xiang turned her head back and laughed: "With you, this Maitreya Buddha-like fatty, even the dead would be amused by you."

  Pan Guangzu took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket and handed it to Zeng Zifan, saying: "Here, this is a reward for the rare smile of Military Doctor Zeng."

  Zeng Zifan took a glance at the chocolate in Pan Guangzu's hand, shook his head and sighed: "You will eventually die from the sweet taste of chocolate."

  Pan Guangzu was taken aback, made a ghostly face at Dao Lanxiang, then put the chocolate back in his pocket and said: "That's still better than being shot through by bullets or blown to pieces by shells. With a mouthful of sweetness, I'll go see God, maybe he'll even reward me with a military supply officer position."

  Zeng Zifan was amused by Pan Guangzu's words and smiled again, while Dong Li Mao and Dao Lanxiang burst out laughing.

  Hu San didn't know what they were laughing at, so he asked: "Is God also an emperor?"

  He didn't ask, it's better, this one asked, the more he made Dong Li Mao and Diao Lan Xiang laugh so hard that they couldn't close their mouths, Zeng Zi Fan and Pan Guang Zu also laughed out loud.

  Zeng Zifan patted Hu San's back of the head and laughed: "That's right, God is an invisible and intangible emperor."

  "Can't see or touch..." Hu San seemed to be struggling to understand, scratching his head and saying: "Human shadows can still be seen, is God an emperor who isn't even as good as a shadow?"

  Hu San's words triggered another burst of laughter.

  This was the most delightful and heartwarming laugh Dong Li Mao had since he crossed over. In the past few days of blood rain and wind, he had cried for losing his brothers and sisters, and had vomited blood in anger at seeing the Japanese devils' cruel slaughter. He had accumulated too much hatred in his chest, but finally, in the relaxed conversation, he drove away the oppressive memories of those bloody killings that had been weighing on his heart. At this moment, it seemed as if he was not on the battlefield against Japan, but rather driving out with his beloved woman and friends, slowly winding through the fresh air and curved mountain roads. Unfortunately, the night sky covered up the beautiful natural scenery, just like a beautiful girl's body wrapped in a black rag, unable to reveal her stunning and charming figure.

  The scout car team, after midnight, went up the difficult mountain road of Gaoligong Mountain. This road, every night, has a lot of cars transporting ammunition and supplies from within China to the front line in Burma. To prevent Japanese air raids, all the headlights were turned off, and they could only move forward relying on the weak light of the taillights of one car after another.

  There were not a few cars that had broken down on the road, and they often had to give way to other vehicles. As a result, Dong Li Mao's group was moving at an increasingly slow pace, spending almost the entire night on the mountain until it was light enough to see the road clearly. The number of cars heading in the direction of Burma also decreased, which allowed them to speed up. By noon, the Special Operations Brigade convoy had basically entered the territory of Tengchong.

  There are rich geothermal hot springs here, and there are large and small natural rock caves everywhere on the mountain.

  When the car was driving to Tengchong City and still had five or six kilometers left, Dong Li Mao ordered the car to stop in a forest at the mountain pass.

  "Second, let the sniper squad be on high alert all around, within 200 meters, no one is allowed to approach the convoy!" Dong Li Mao shouted towards Wang Jia Gui in a jeep behind.

  Zhao Yong ran up and asked: "Commander Lian, what's wrong?"

  "We must hide most of our ammunition and supplies in the rock caves on the mountain." Dong Li Mao said, looking up at the mountain with binoculars.

  "Why?" Zhao Yong was confused after Pan Guangzu loaded a full truck of supplies, and he didn't know what Dong Li Mao was going to do.

  "You will understand later." Dong Li Mao put down the binoculars in his hand and said: "Tell your brothers to rest in place."

  Dong Li Mao looked around and saw the warriors jumping off the carriage, all running into the woods to relieve themselves. If Knife Lan Xiang weren't there, they wouldn't be so "refined". But with a woman present, they would always have some restraint. Dong Li Mao thought that Knife Lan Xiang might want to take care of her business too, so he said to Hu San and Knife Lan Xiang: "Lan Xiang, Little Hu, you two come with me."

  Dolan Xiang was indeed anxious to go to the toilet, but she didn't dare say it out loud. When she heard Dong Li Mao telling her to follow him up the mountain, she thought: Brother Dong is really considerate of others.

  After three people climbed up the mountain, about 50-60 meters away from the highway, they saw a cave.

  "It's here." This was what Dong Li Mao saw with his binoculars by the roadside. If you didn't look carefully, you couldn't see that there was a cave entrance here. He pulled out the handgun from his waist and pushed aside the weeds and spider webs at the entrance of the cave, walking in.

  Hu San and Diao Lanxiang exchanged a glance, then followed Dong Li Mao into the mountain cave.

  The cave was dark and could hear the sound of dripping water inside, Dong Limao put his gun back on his waistband and took out an American ZIPPO lighter that Pan Guangzu had gotten for him. This kind of lighter later became a famous brand, Dong Limao's father also had one of this brand lighter.

  After lighting the lighter, Dong Li Mao could see the cave within a few meters: "Wow, it's really not small! Little Hu Zi, go down the mountain and let your brothers move all the materials except for the equipment, ammunition and food that need to be carried here!"

  Hu San replied and ran out of the cave.

  Dong Li Mao then said to Knife Lan Xiang: "Lan Xiang, you find a convenient place, I'll go to the cave entrance and stand guard for you."

  "It's here... I'm scared..." Dao Lanxiang looked around at the gloomy surroundings, her hands clasped together as if she was cold.

  "Is that so? Alright then, I won't leave. I'll turn my back to you, is that okay?" Dong Li Mao said, turning his body around to face the cave entrance, holding the lighter above his head.

  "You... you're not allowed to turn around and look." Dao Lanxiang walked to a slightly flat area on the cave wall, saying with some unease.

  "Hehe... Don't worry, I won't peek." Dong Li Mao replied.

  If Dao Lanxiang hadn't said that, Dong Limao might not have thought of anything, but when he heard Dao Lanxiang remind him not to turn around, it instead gave him a sudden urge to look back, and so he slowly turned his head.

  Dolan Xiang was wearing a military uniform, with a leather belt around her waist. She quickly undid the belt with both hands, preparing to pull down her pants, when she subconsciously glanced at Dong Li Mao's back, just as he turned his head around. She immediately stopped and said with a blush: "You said you wouldn't peek!"

  "Oh, I was just checking if you're okay?" Dong Limao immediately turned his head back and said: "You women are really troublesome, even peeing requires taking off pants." At this time, the lighter in his hand burned hot, Dong Limao's hand shook, and the lighter fell to the ground and went out.

  The flame went out, and the cave was suddenly pitch black. Jiulianxiang was frightened and let out a cry of surprise, stumbling towards Dong Li Mao.

  Dong Li Mao's lighter fell from his hand, and he thought to himself that things were not going well. He turned his body around, intending to pull out the dagger, but before he could even turn around completely, Jian Lan Xiang had already pounced into his arms. Unprepared, he retreated several steps, tripped over a rock, lost his balance, and fell backwards onto the hard rocky ground.