Chapter 134: A Ten-Thousand-Yuan Toll to Cross the Bridge

  "Tell me, what do you need our special forces to help you with?" Dong Limao was relatively polite to Zhang Zuwu. Whoever the hero is, no matter what role they used to play, but at a critical moment in history, those who dare to stand up are admired by Dong Limao. In this chaotic year when everyone is looking out for themselves, it's easiest to see a person's true face.

  "Indeed refreshing! Younger brother Jia Cheng, your great name, I've long heard of it. Upon arriving here and learning that you, Dong Jia Cheng, are guarding the bridge, my heart feels much more at ease! If all national army soldiers were like you, like your special agent team, this damn war might not have dragged on until now. However, those people who shout about saving the country and its people, yet hide in the mountains to watch the battle, alas... what a national calamity! External humiliation is not scary, what's scary is internal strife!" Zhang Zu Wu's words left Dong Li Mao deeply moved, although from a young age he received a different education. As long as one isn't a brainless fool, they can tell what others are shouting about and what they believe in. Anyone with even a little bit of sense will have a measuring rod in their heart for this cruel history.

  "Right now, I'm worried that the Japanese will disguise themselves as National Army soldiers or ordinary people and mix in with the refugees to sabotage our operations. It's clear that the Japanese want to occupy this bridge leading to the interior. If the Huishan Bridge falls into the hands of those Japanese devils, what would be the consequences? I think you understand better than me, brother... I hope your brothers can strictly guard the west bank of the bridge and not let a single Japanese devil mix in. My manpower is insufficient, so I need your brothers' help. We must complete the placement of explosives before nightfall. Perhaps tonight or tomorrow morning, those little devils will arrive here. Before I blow up the bridge, brother Jiaceng, you and the special operations team's brothers must hold them off!"

  "Alright! I'll arrange the manpower, you're in command." Dong Limao said, looking at Hu San and saying: "Little Hu, go tell Deputy Platoon Leader Zhao to bring the main assault team's people to help Captain Zhang set up the explosives!"

  Hu San responded with a grunt and turned around to leave.

  Dong Li Mao patted Zhang Zu Wu's shoulder and said: "Don't worry, this bridge won't fall into the hands of those little devils! The west bank of the bridge is mine, the east bank is yours. When the time comes, our special forces will exchange fire with the little devils, you don't have to worry about anything, just blow up the bridge!"

  "But then what about you and Te Wu's brothers? I'll wait until you all cross the bridge, then blow up the big bridge." Zhang Zuwu said with a moved expression.

  Dong Li sighed deeply: "I'm afraid things won't be as simple as we thought, in any case, as long as you haven't seen the devils yet, don't blow up the bridge, every extra escape is a bonus."

  "Yes, I hope the little devil comes a few days later..." Zhang Zuwu's words were not finished, and Hu Sanji rushed in hastily.

  "Company Commander, it's bad! Deputy Company Commander Zhao and his men... they're fighting with Director Long's people!"

  Dong Li Mao stood up from the bench as soon as he heard it: "Let's go! I don't believe this corrupt official can't be dealt with!"

  It turned out that Dong Limao had not let Long Shengwu go, and he and his family spent a night on the west bank of the bridge. This was also a kind of punishment for this greedy official, to vent the anger of Tengchong and Longling people.

  Long Shengwu watched as another day was about to pass, thinking of finding Dong Li Mao to plead his case for the third or fifth time, but Zhao Yong and others ignored him. Without Dong Li Mao's words, no one dared to let Long Shengwu and others cross the bridge. As a result, Long Shengwu became angry and ordered the security team that had escaped with him to start causing trouble, trying to coerce Dong Li Mao into letting them pass. Just as Hu San ran towards the west bank of the bridge to find Zhao Yong, he happened to see Long Shengwu's security personnel starting to clash with the special duty brothers responsible for maintaining order and checking pedestrians at the bridgehead.

  Zhao Yong was enraged and gave a loud order, letting the brothers of the special agent team take action. In this situation, it was not convenient to open fire, so both sides tangled together in a heap.

  Dong Li Mao rushed against the flow of people on the crowded bridge to hurry to the west side, where Zhao Yong and his men had already knocked all of Long Shen Wu's men to the ground. Several brothers were holding guns and surrounding the security guards in the middle, among whom was Long Shen Wu.

  "Commander Lian, you're here! These cowards actually thought they could force their way in!" Zhao Yong said, pointing at Long Sheng and the others who were surrounded.

  "You go with the main attack team first and help Captain Zhang's group. I'll take care of things here." Dong Li Mao said to Zhao Yong.

  Long Shengwu finally saw Dong Li Mao, trying to get up from the ground, but was kicked in the butt by Gou Hao, eating dog shit, crawling on the ground and wailing.

  Dong Li Mao hastily stepped forward, reached out to help Long Shenwu up, and said with a smile: "Brothers are used to fighting with the little devils, their hands are heavy, they don't understand the rules, let Director Long and the brothers have a fright!"

  "Dong Lianchang, why haven't you let us go yet? The little devils are about to arrive here, if you don't let us go, my men will fight your brothers to the death!" Long Shenwu rubbed his butt and glared at Gou Hao with a still-hard mouth.

  "Desperate! Haha……” Dong Li Mao looked up and laughed loudly: "I didn't expect that the brothers under Director Long also know how to be desperate! Haha…… Well, let's wait for the little devils to arrive here, and Director Long will lead you and your men to fight desperately with the little devils! I guarantee that behind you, I'll use machine guns to cover your backs. If anyone dares to retreat, I'll shoot him to death with my machine gun!"

  Long Shengwu saw that the tough approach wouldn't work, so he immediately changed his tone and said with a smile: "Hehe... Commander Dong is just trying to scare me, right? Fighting devils, you're a skilled hand, Commander Dong. My men are just a bunch of good-for-nothings who can only maintain law and order on a daily basis. Many of them don't even know how to fire a gun... Hehe... If they hadn't been so impatient, they wouldn't have offended your brothers. I hope you'll be magnanimous and not take it seriously."

  "Director Long, as a local official, you should think more about the common people. The safety of the people is what you, as an official, should consider most important. Look at these people, they have no cars or horses, and are carrying their families with them, how difficult it is for them. They should go first, don't you think?" Dong Li Mao ordered the special agents to burn all the cars of the local officials and wealthy merchants, in order to let more people cross the bridge on foot, and not allow vehicles to pass.

  Long Shengwu watched the ordinary people walking over the bridge in front of him, with an embarrassed smile: "What Commander Dong said is true, but my family is really too big. If we keep waiting like this, I'm afraid my children and wife..." Before he could finish speaking, Dong Li Mao waved his hand to interrupt him.

  "Director Long, I heard that you've brought dozens of mules loaded with goods. You know as well as I do that the lives of humans are more valuable than those of mules and goods. Why don't you and your men cross the bridge first, and leave the mules and goods behind? That way, you won't be burdened by them. I'll help distribute the goods to the refugees. What do you think?"

  "Th...". Long Sheng Wu was tongue-tied and speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

  "Director Long, do you agree?" Dong Limao asked with a smile.

  "Well, I'll just wait a bit longer then." Long Shenwu would rather throw away his subordinates than the goods on the mule's back, which were all the family property he had accumulated over the years as an official in Tengchong.

  "Alright then, take your people and move aside, don't block the way for the ordinary folks crossing the bridge!" Dong Li Mao shouted loudly with his eyes wide open.

  Long Shengwu's eyes rolled around twice, and he walked closer to Dong Limao's side, whispering: "Dong Lianchang, if you can let me pass the bridge immediately, I can take out this number." He stretched out five fingers in front of Dong Limao.

  "Five thousand taels!" Dong Li Mao intentionally exaggerated the number a bit.

  "Hey... it's not as much as Captain Dong said, 500 taels of silver, how about it?"

  Dong Li Mao suddenly thought: Could it be that Old Master Tai really accepted the gold bars and silver dollars sent by Long Shengwu back then? Otherwise, given Long Shengwu's character, why would Old Master Tai have let him off so easily? Where did Old Master Tai use the money he received?

  Dong Li Mao suddenly understood that if Ta Lao Ye had accepted Long Sheng Wu's money back then, he would have definitely used it for the brothers in the special forces or to fight against the Japanese devils.

  So he thought of knocking some more, after all, Longshenwu's money wasn't his own.

  "Director Long, I just said that a person's life is more valuable than money. If you don't want your life but instead want money, then I'll have no choice but to give my brothers an order to let you pass the bridge at the end."

  "Wait... wait..." Long Shengwu hastily waved his hand: "Commander Dong, name a price, how much will it take for us to cross the bridge?"

  Dong Li Mao stroked his chin with his right hand, pondered for a moment, and then extended his index finger to say: "This number."

  "One thousand?" Long Shengwu's eyes sparkled with delight, as if he had gotten a great bargain.

  "No, it's ten thousand taels." Dong Li Mao leaned in close to Long Shenwu's ear and whispered.

  Long Shengwu's eyes were dull and stupid, he was really unexpected that Dong Li Mao would ask for so much, in his heart he muttered: 'Damn it, a small regimental commander, dare to extort a high-ranking local official like this, the world has really changed!'

  Just at this moment, two planes appeared in the sky, circling above the Huichang Bridge, but they didn't drop any bombs or open fire.

  The people who have experienced the bombing are starting to get up and hurry to squeeze onto the bridge.

  Long Shengwu looked up at the plane with his head raised, really worried that it would drop bombs at this time.

  "Director Long..." Dong Li Mao saw Dragon God Wu staring blankly at the plane with his head raised and called out to him several times.

  "Oh..." Long Shengwu came back to his senses, gritted his teeth and said: "Alright then, 10,000 it is! But, Captain Dong must let my car pass the bridge too." He had already made up his mind, now the key was to get across the bridge. As long as he could keep his life, he wasn't afraid of not having enough resources, he would find another chance to deal with this little captain later.

  "It's only natural, how could I possibly burn down Director Long's private car? You know what I mean?" Dong Li Mao said with a smile, then turned around to look at Hu San: "Little Hu, you and Pangzi go with Director Long, count out 10,000 yuan and leave it here, then let Director Long and his people cross the bridge."

  Hu San couldn't help but burst out laughing and replied loudly: "Yes, I guarantee not a single one will be missing!"

  Dong Li Mao knew the plane wouldn't drop bombs.

  "Don't panic, everybody! The little devil's plane isn't here to bomb us! It's just a reconnaissance plane! Cross the bridge in order! Don't be afraid!" Dong Li Mao stood on the sandbag barricade at the side of the bridge, loudly shouting to the crowded masses.