Outside the house, cold snowflakes larger than a fingernail began to float in the sky again.

Also unknown at what time, Lao Zhangtou and the soldiers had prepared big mules for them to use on their way.

"There's a big mule for each of you."

While tying the cargo to the mules, Lao Zhangtou said, "You four little brothers must ensure the safety of the wounded and the safety of the supplies."

"Yes!" Tian Xiaohu, as the acting squad leader, stood at attention and saluted and responded simply.

"Do you have anything else to explain?" Lao Zhang turned his head and looked at Zhao Jinge.

The latter thought for a moment, then took out a ball of red cloth from his arms and handed it to Tian Xiaohu. He told Tian Xiaohu very seriously, "Xiaohu, our flag is here, and the first guerrilla team is here. No matter what, you have to survive.

We must also bring them to survive.”

Tian Xiaohu was stunned for a moment, then solemnly took the corner of the team flag, put it into his arms, and saluted Zhao Jinge again.

"Let's go"

As Lao Zhangtou said, he personally handed a kerosene lamp to Tian Xiaohu, and at the same time continued to ask, "Which of you will drive the car?"

"Me! Let me do it!"

Hu Bazhi rushed to say, but he ran to a tree nest not far away, rubbed the bottom of the pot vigorously with his hand, and then carefully smeared the black ash from the bottom of the pot on the big white mule

near the eyes.

"This big white mule is afraid of light during the day."

Hu Bazhi explained in a rather sophisticated manner while he was busy, "Put some black around his eyes so that he can see more clearly during the day."

Hearing this, the Zhao brothers looked at each other. It seemed that they also knew this method, but they didn't expect that Hu Bazhi also knew it.

Not long after, the two wounded men were carried onto a sledge pulled by a big white mule. At this time, the sledge had been covered with a thick layer of pine needles, and a layer of straw curtain was spread on top of the pine needles.

After the two wounded men lay down, the soldiers covered them with a tattered quilt with patches inside it. Several Japanese kettles filled with hot water were also forced into the quilt.

.

In addition to the two wounded men, half of the frozen mule ribs and two plump mule legs were also placed on the sledge, as well as half of the captured cotton-padded clothes and shoes and the Japanese backpack.

Finally, these things were tightly covered and tied up with two pieces of Japanese waterproof tent cloth and a tattered white sheet. Hu Bazhi also stepped on the skis and held the reins of the big white mule.

Wei Ran, Zhao Jinyu and Tian Xiaohu also stepped on their own skis, each holding a mule.

Their mules all carried wooden shelves on their backs. On the shelves were either bundles of various rifles and only two crooked handles that were not easy to use, or various ammunition packed in Japanese backpacks.

In fact, even the grenades and all the grenades that Zhao Jinge had repeatedly asked the Weiran Cult to teach them how to use, as well as two large lunch boxes full of mule oil that had been boiled not long ago were all hung on the back of the mule.

Without too much delay or communication, the four of them lined up in a line and left the camp hidden in the dense forest, leading the mules step by step into the wind and snow in the night.

“I don’t know when I’ll see them next time.”

Lao Zhangtou stood in the wind and snow while clicking his pipe and said, but there was no reluctance in his tone, instead he was full of relaxation.

"I hope it will be after the Japanese are driven away." Zhao Jinge smiled, and a trace of delusional expectation appeared on his face covered with frostbite.

"Squad leader, how far is the place we want to go?"

In the heavy snow, Zhao Jinyu stepped on his skis and let the mule pull him forward. He asked with a little excitement, "Can we come back tonight? How many people are there in our army? Ten thousand...

"

"Shut up!"

Tian Xiaohu, the anti-alliance fighter who was walking at the front, scolded in a low voice, "If you keep asking questions, go back!"

"Isn't he just an acting squad leader? Why are you so pretentious..."

Zhao Jinyu murmured in dissatisfaction and angrily, he was indeed dissatisfied, he was several years older than Tian Xiaohu, and his brother was also the biggest captain of "Guan'er".

He originally thought that even if he couldn't be the acting squad leader, it would be Brother Wei or Brother Hu who would fill the "vacancy". At least he would not let such a "younger brother" weigh on him.

"We have to pass through several big hills along the way. Are you afraid that our guns are not enough to honor them?" Tian Xiaohu asked angrily.

"I..."

"Shut up!"

Young Tian Xiaohu scolded him again, and then shook the reins, urging the big mule to speed up.

"Hold it up and stop making noises."

Hu Bazhi leaned behind Zhao Jinyu and whispered, "This is the territory of shopkeeper Cao Da. If he catches us, none of us will survive. Otherwise, your brother and the others will be hurt."

Hearing this, Zhao Jinyu opened his mouth, then subconsciously touched the wooden gun box on his waist, and finally nodded and calmed down.

Amid the growing snowflakes, everything behind the group was finally swallowed up by darkness. Looking back, all that could be seen was the silvery snow and the snowflakes mixed with the howling cold wind.

"Stop for a moment"

I don’t know how much time passed, but Tian Xiaohu, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped the team, turned and slid nimbly in front of Wei Ran on his skis, and said very politely, "Brother Wei, help check on Brother Shen and the others.

Well, right ahead is Langcaozi Ditch. Once we enter Langcaozi Ditch, we can't stop. We have to run for most of the night before we can get out."

"Why can't it stop?" Zhao Jinyu couldn't help but ask.

"The name Langcaozigou is not for nothing."

It was Hu Bazhi who answered the question, "This place has been covered with blisters since the beginning of summer. When winter begins to freeze, and from the first snowfall, the wolves will drive their prey into this valley."

, surround them, and let the prey freeze to death inside.

When there is no food in the twelfth lunar month of winter, this wolf will come with the pack of wolves and dig out the frozen prey and eat it until the spring of next year, just like the wolf pack's food trough.

Similar.

If anyone dares to take advantage of this place at this time, the wolves around here will have to fight for their lives."

"We have guns, why are we afraid of this?" Zhao Jinyu patted the box on his waist and ran away.

"There are two mountain ridges between Cao Da Zhangpan Bureau and Langcaozigou."

Tian Xiaohu glanced at Wei Ran, who was busy checking the condition of the wounded on the sledge, and lowered his voice and said, "I don't know if the wolf will be scared away if a shot is fired here. Cao Da, in charge of the plate, will definitely lead his people to rush away."

Come here and leave us to feed the wolves."

"So he's hiding here..." Hu Bazhi couldn't help but muttered.

Before Zhao Jinyu could continue to ask, Tian Xiaohu asked someone else, "Brother Wei, how are they doing?"

“Not a big problem”

Wei Ran paused and added, "I mean, the situation hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't gotten better either."

"Then let's run faster and find a place to rest after passing through the Langcaozi ditch." Tian Xiaohu breathed a sigh of relief and made the arrangement.

"How long do we have to go to get there?" Wei Ran asked as he covered the two wounded people tightly again, "I mean to get to the destination."

"If the snow keeps falling this hard, I guess I'll be able to arrive in the middle of the night tomorrow."

"Then let's go quickly"

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already pulled out a Japs Sanba Gaigai from his horseback, and then pulled out a Japs bayonet from the sack and put it on the muzzle of the gun.

Seeing this, Tian Xiaohu followed suit and replaced the Ma Sihuan he was carrying with a 38 large cover that was more suitable for stabbing, and also installed a bayonet.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Jinyu asked without knowing why.

"If you are targeted by a wolf and you can't shoot, you have to rely on stabbing." Tian Xiaohu explained matter-of-factly.

"If I had known about this problem, I would have brought my bow and arrows with me."

Hu Bazhi couldn't help smacking his lips, and together with Zhao Jinyu, they each installed bayonets on the Sanba Gai they were carrying on their shoulders.

When everything was ready, Tian Xiaohu lit the kerosene lamp that the old squad leader had given him before departure, adjusted the brightness to the maximum, and hung it around the neck of his mule.

This was said to be entering Langcaozi Valley, but in fact it did not enter the valley bottom. Instead, it was walking quietly but quickly along a winding path buried in snow halfway up the mountain.

But no matter how prepared they were, not long after, there was a low and unpleasant howl of wolves, and there were more shadows flashing by in the surrounding dense forest. Almost subconsciously, all four of them increased their vigilance.

"clang!"

At this moment, Tian Xiaohu took out half a broken gong fragment, which was about the size of a pizza, from the edge of the mule's shelf. He held the broken gong's lanyard in one hand and let it go with the broken gong in the other hand.

The rifle bayonets collided with a hoarse knocking sound.

I don't know if they made an agreement in advance, but after this noise, the shadows around them seemed to have regained some rare sanity.

Seeing that they still had not dispersed, everyone did not dare to relax their vigilance. They followed Tian Xiaohu and shook the reins to speed up. The latter also tapped the broken gong piece with his bayonet from time to time.

In this increasingly difficult balance to maintain, the black shadows around them were getting closer and closer to them, the four mules became more and more restless, and Tian Xiaohu struck the broken gong more and more frequently.

At the end of the team, watching the wolves getting closer and closer to Wei Ran, Hu Bazhi suddenly turned on the flashlight that had been seized and given to him.

Suddenly, a bright beam of light was aimed at the wolf that had already bent up behind Wei Ran.

The sudden appearance of the bright light startled the wolf, as well as the surrounding wolves that were about to complete the encirclement, and spontaneously dispersed the encirclement.

"ignition"

Tian Xiaohu said that he had already pulled out a torch from the sledge. Seeing this, the others also pulled out torches.

This torch is basically a tree branch with pine branches. The burning pine branch is tied with a layer of oil-soaked rags and a circle of pine branches.
To be continued...