Furthermore, this person is proud and aloof, once saying, 'Why must I explain my actions to anyone?' If we can make him an ally, naturally that would be best. If he becomes an enemy, he will undoubtedly be a difficult opponent." Yan Xishan pondered for a moment and asked, "What about those thousand automatic firearms he has?" The most attention-grabbing thing currently is the thousand automatic firearms in Xu Ping's hands. This is no small matter; even regular armies cannot afford to equip so many! If what he said is true, he will certainly become a threat in the future.
Chǔ Yúnfēi explained, "According to Xu Ping, these weapons were manufactured by himself. He claims a Soviet friend provided the design blueprints. This type of weapon is still in the testing phase in the Soviet army and has not yet been finalized. In my opinion, Xu Ping may have improved it himself based on incomplete blueprints. I tried this gun, and besides its being a bit heavy, its other performance is excellent. For this reason, I purchased two hundred of them from him at twenty silver dollars each."
Yan Xishan no longer pressed for details. From Chǔ Yúnfēi's report, he drew two conclusions: First, Xu Ping has a close relationship with the Soviet army, and obtaining secret blueprints is no easy feat. Second, Xu Ping not only possesses an arsenal but also has the capability to research and develop weapons, making him a truly rare talent. Thinking of this, Yan Xishan immediately ordered, "Reward him with five thousand silver dollars, and say it's my wish."
Later, Yan Xishan not only sent five thousand silver dollars as a reward but also attached a commendation order. Xu Ping accepted it all without courtesy - why refuse a gift? However, he knew in his heart that Yan Xishan was trying to recruit him. Recruitment was absolutely impossible. Xu Ping knew very well that someone with his background would never have a good ending if he were incorporated. The fate of Song Jiang from Liangshan was a prime example. Therefore, he would never accept recruitment by the Eighth Route Army or any other force. As for the future, he would not dwell on it for now. Competing for dominance in the Central Plains was not his desire; he only wanted to focus on resisting Japan. He would develop his strength first and make plans after driving out the 'Japs.' If it really didn't work out, he could just disband the group, let his brothers go their separate ways, find a secluded place to marry and raise a family, and live a carefree life – that was also an option. However, it was not yet time for that; he had to endure for a few more years. What was most important now was to fight the 'Japs' to the end, and only then would they deal with the rest! His recent income had been substantial, and his finances were ample, making his life comfortable. But Xu Ping never imagined that a deadly plot was quietly approaching.
The Japanese commander in Shanxi, Shinozuka Yoshio, received a secret report and decided to launch a surprise attack on Black Cloud Stronghold. The growth of Black Cloud Stronghold had become a thorn in Shinozuka Yoshio's side. This time, he brought out his trump card – the Yamamoto Special Operations Unit. This elite unit had trained in Germany, and in Shinozuka Yoshio's view, conquering Black Cloud Stronghold would be as easy as pie. However, Yamamoto Ichiki disagreed, thinking his commander was making a mountain out of a molehill. Although the Special Operations Unit had suffered a setback at Black Cloud Stronghold before, he disdained 'bandits' like Xu Ping. According to his plan, this elite unit should have been used to raid Chongqing and eliminate the "bald" leader's lair, or infiltrate Hawaii to capture MacArthur, or at the very least, assassinate the commander of the Pacific Fleet. In Shinozuka Yoshio's eyes, no matter how capable Xu Ping was, he was still just a bandit leader. Why deploy special forces? Sending the Special Operations Team to raid a mountain stronghold was simply an insult to this elite unit!
Despite his grumbling, Yamamoto Ichiki had to obey orders. Moreover, they had indeed suffered a loss at Xu Ping's hands last time; this was a good opportunity to regain their honor. Xu Ping could never have dreamed that he, a mere 'grassroots leader,' would receive the 'honor' of an enemy special forces unit traveling a thousand miles for a raid. Such a spectacle was practically Head of State level treatment in those times! Black Cloud Stronghold occupied advantageous terrain, and Xu Ping now commanded over ten thousand men. Although they were stationed on various mountain heads, the main stronghold still had four thousand men. Such a formation should have been impregnable, preventing even a fly from entering. But Xu Ping felt that with his strong army and abundant resources now, who would dare to invade? He simply withdrew most of the sentries, leaving the gates wide open. They had guns and cannons, so what was there to fear! It was precisely this arrogance that gave the enemy an opportunity.
The Yamamoto Special Operations Unit encountered no resistance and soon reached the front of the stronghold's gate. Upon entering the stronghold, Yamamoto Ichiki became vigilant. The place felt strange everywhere – there wasn't a single sentry to be seen in such a large stronghold. Either their presence had already been exposed, and they were walking into an ambush, or Xu Ping was so foolish he didn't know how to set up defenses. But could Xu Ping, who had managed to make the Special Operations Unit suffer a loss, truly be so incompetent? If he were truly a mediocre person, it would have been impossible for him to lead so many men to join the battle at Cangyun Ridge. They couldn't have annihilated his ten special unit members at Yang Village back then, nor could they have easily defeated the Yamazaki Battalion! Therefore, Yamamoto Ichiki, who had reached the gates of the stronghold without hindrance, hesitated. He worried that there were hidden dangers within the fortress.
"Captain, is there anything unusual?" a team member asked in a low voice.
"It's very strange. We haven't encountered a single sentry along the way. Don't you find it abnormal?" Yamamoto Ichiki said in a deep voice. The Special Operations team members exchanged glances. Thinking about it, it was indeed illogical. How could a large stronghold housing over three thousand people have no warning sentries? This ascent up the mountain had been too smooth, which was indeed suspicious.
"Then, Captain, should we retreat?" someone asked for instructions. Yamamoto Ichiki's expression was grim. Retreat? Absolutely not! His original objective should have been high-ranking officials of the Eighth Route Army. Now Lieutenant General Shinozuka had ordered him to eliminate a mere pawn. If he couldn't even complete such a mission, how could he face his superiors? "The first combat group will cross the wooden wall and infiltrate. The second combat group will circle around and climb up the cliff behind the mountain. The third combat group will remain to provide support," Yamamoto Ichiki decisively ordered.
The well-trained Yamamoto Special Operations Unit quickly began their operation, silently infiltrating Black Cloud Stronghold. The fortress was as silent as a grave, eerily quiet. Since the captives refused to reveal the stronghold's layout, Yamamoto Ichiki gained nothing despite severe torture. This, however, made him develop a degree of admiration for Xu Ping's leadership ability – to be able to train his subordinates to be so loyal was indeed no ordinary feat. As he entered the stronghold, Yamamoto Ichiki's gaze swept over the main gate building. This special operations expert, fluent in Chinese, recognized the words "Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness" on the plaque. As an all-around special forces soldier, he had read "Water Margin" and knew it was a place of gathering for heroes.
"Heh, he even copies the ways of the Heroes of Liangshan. Unfortunately, even with the protection of the 108 heroes today, it won't save you, Xu Ping!" Yamamoto Ichiki sneered inwardly. This arrogance stemmed from his strength – at Pécs Special Forces Academy, he had always been the top performer. He disdained those old-fashioned, rigid military bureaucrats: Look at the equipment they issued! The Type 38 that held five rounds, requiring manual ejection of each shell, and only one light machine gun per squad, it was simply unacceptable! The ordnance department's view was that the resources of R-Country were scarce, and large-scale equipping of automatic weapons would significantly increase war expenditure. With a base of 150 rounds per soldier, it might last for a day of combat when used for single shots, but with submachine guns, it might not even last an hour. If a million men were equipped with submachine guns, the existing resources, production capacity, transportation, and logistics systems would need to be expanded tenfold. Such a high war cost was absolutely unbearable for R-Country. Yamamoto Ichiki held the completely opposite view. He admitted that R-Country's resource scarcity was a fact, but precisely because of this, war was even more necessary. The situation had now changed – since the "Manchurian Incident" in 1931, the Northeast of Dragon Country had become an important resource-producing area for R-Country and... Each member of the Special Operations Unit was equipped with a German-made MP38 Submachine Gun and a twenty-shot Box-back pistol. Each ten-man combat team was equipped with two light machine guns, and their firepower configuration was quite sufficient.
Yamamoto Ichiki signaled with his hand, indicating his subordinates to approach the gate of the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness. He speculated that Xu Ping was likely hiding there. The team members quickly surrounded the area, and Yamamoto Ichiki held up three fingers, beginning to count down. He knew this operation involved a gamble – a gamble that Xu Ping was inside. As his fingers dropped one by one, everyone tensed, ready to charge at any moment.
"What are you busy with?"
Suddenly, someone leaned close to Yamamoto Ichiki's ear and asked softly. Yamamoto Ichiki froze, as if struck by an electric current, unable to move. He even lost the courage to turn his head to look.
"Colonel Yamamoto, is it? You came all this way to find me?" Xu Ping's voice continued to carry.
The night was deep, and most people in the stronghold were already asleep. Xu Ping had just returned from inspecting the assault team's training in the back mountains when he happened to run into more than a dozen dark figures climbing up from the cliff. Before the other side could open fire, Xu Ping, along with Zhào Xiǎoshān and the assault team members, subdued these uninvited guests. After seeing the attire of those who had arrived, Xu Ping immediately concluded they were Yamamoto Ichiki's men. At this moment, dozens of gun muzzles were already aimed at the Yamamoto Special Operations Unit. When Yamamoto Ichiki turned and met Xu Ping's eyes, he saw a face full of mockery. Xu Ping's contemptuous gaze instantly ignited Yamamoto Ichiki's rage. He suddenly realized: if Xu Ping had directly opened fire just now, his team would have been wiped out long ago. But Xu Ping chose this humiliating method instead – quietly sneaking up behind him to speak! In his fury, Yamamoto Ichiki drew his leg strap and thrust it at Xu Ping's throat. Xu Ping lightning-fastly raised his hand to block, his iron-like grip clamping onto the opponent's wrist. Yamamoto Ichiki was shocked to realize that this opponent's strength was as unshakeable as a fierce tiger. At the same time, the assault team members' gun barrels were pressed against the temples of each special forces operative. Yamamoto Ichiki broke out in a cold sweat – this was a dead end!
"As expected of Great Chief Xu of Black Cloud Stronghold!" Yamamoto Ichiki said with forced composure, chuckling. "I've long heard that you are both wise and brave, and seeing you today, it's truly worthy of your reputation!" Xu Ping remained calm, not flustered at all. He wanted to see what other tricks Yamamoto Ichiki could play. "Mr. Yamamoto, you are too kind," Xu Ping said with a slight smile. "Speak directly; don't beat around the bush!" Before he could finish speaking, Xu Ping's expression changed drastically; his previous amiability vanished.
"Raise your guns!" Yamamoto Ichiki commanded. The special forces operatives raised their weapons in unison, pointing directly at the people of Black Cloud Stronghold. Both sides were at a standoff, guns aimed, ready to spill blood at a moment's notice. Seeing the stalemate, Yamamoto Ichiki relaxed slightly. "Manager Xu, you and I have no prior grievances. I am acting under orders, and you are merely seeking wealth. Now that the mission has failed, why not each take a step back? If we really fight, it will only result in mutual destruction." Yamamoto Ichiki deeply understood the principle of preserving one's strength and intended to avoid the immediate conflict.
Xu Ping chuckled lightly. "Mr. Yamamoto, negotiations require bargaining chips. It seems like we are evenly matched, but that is not the case. If we truly fight, I will undoubtedly win. Otherwise, I would have ordered the firing when you were lurking just now." "Moreover," Xu Ping continued, "once the gunfire starts, my forces will surround this place immediately. You will have no escape. If you are willing to surrender, I can spare your lives." At this point, Zhào Xiǎoshān sternly shouted, "Yamamoto! Surrender or not?!" Yamamoto Ichiki showed displeasure. "Manager Xu, your subordinate is being extremely rude. You and I are both leaders, and we should converse as leaders."
"I admit I am at a disadvantage right now," Yamamoto Ichiki said in a deep voice. "But these special forces of mine are not ordinary. If we really fight to the death, at least I can take your life. How about this: we leave our weapons as ransom, and let this matter rest?" Xu Ping shook his head and laughed. "Mr. Yamamoto, your