The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 328: Siege Farce, the Collision of Truth and Conspiracy

Inside the camp, Xu Keming and other Military Intelligence Bureau agents were gathered together, discussing their next plan for eliminating surrounding Japanese special forces. Suddenly, a cacophony of shouting and the sound of heavy footsteps interrupted the discussion. Xu Keming frowned, set aside his documents, and exchanged glances with the other agents. They all stood up and hurried toward the gate, eager to see what was going on.

At this moment, the situation at the gate was tense. Lu Shaotang, his face ablaze from the torches wielded by his soldiers, was on horseback, shouting curses and threats at the militia. Most of the security guards beside him were armed with torches, their dancing flames illuminating the surroundings like daylight. The militia captain, Wang Dali, showed no sign of weakness, his homemade Mauser pistol pointed directly at Lu Shaotang.

Xu Keming pushed his way through the crowd and strode forward. His gaze was sharp, taking in the tense confrontation before him. He instantly understood the situation. His expression froze, he cleared his throat, and roared like a bell: "Which unit are you from? Put down your guns! Let your leader speak! How dare you lead your men to surround the militia camp in broad daylight? Do you have any respect for the law? Do you still respect the Military Control Commission?"

Lu Shaotang, riding his horse, groaned inwardly when he saw the arrival of none other than the notoriously ruthless Military Control Commission agent Xu Keming. He gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, "Why is this Xu from the Military Control Commission here? It seems that old bastard Zhu Erba didn't tell me the truth and only accepted five small yellow croakers. He's putting my life on the line in this mess. I'm losing big!" A flicker of panic crossed his face at the thought, but years of experience in the underworld quickly calmed him down. He took a deep breath and, with forced composure, dismounted, his boots kicking up dust. He stepped forward, forcing a strained smile. "Lu has been ordered to capture a bandit today. According to reliable intelligence, he's hiding in the militia camp!" As he spoke, his hand subconsciously reached for the case of his Mauser pistol, his fingertips gently rubbing the rim, as if to bolster his courage.

Xu Keming's eyes flashed like lightning, instantly catching Lu Shaotang's subtle movement. He snorted coldly and took a step forward. His powerful aura made Lu Shaotang unconsciously take a half step back. Xu Keming stared at Lu Shaotang and said word by word, "Reliable intelligence? I think you're being used as a pawn and you don't even know it! Without any evidence, you're blatantly defying military orders and disturbing public order! Today, if you don't explain yourself clearly, don't even think about leaving!" With that, the Military Control Commission agents behind Xu Keming stepped forward in unison. They were dressed in black Mao suits, pulled out their pistols, loaded them, and released the safety. Their eyes were fixed on Lu Shaotang and the security guards behind him. An invisible pressure came over them.

At that moment, Lei Tao, along with Yi Guang, Meng Xiaoyu, and others, hurried to the gate. Seeing Xu Keming already standing in front, confronting the security team, Lei Tao breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression remained stern. He quickly walked over to Xu Keming's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, and glared coldly at Lu Shaotang. Yi Guang and Liu Zishan stood on either side of Lei Tao.

At this moment, Lu Shaotang shouted, "You said you didn't harbor any bandits, but they are!" He pointed at Meng Xiaoyu with his whip and continued to make up stories, "That woman is the female thief. We have been investigating openly and secretly these past two days and found that they were armed with guns and breaking into houses, killing and robbing people!"

Lei Tao frowned, stepped forward, and stood firmly in front of Meng Xiaoyu. He glared at Lu Shaotang and said sternly, "Lu Shaotang, don't lie! Meng Xiaoyu and we are all from the Eighth Route Army's 'Underworld' Action Team. We've been here to suppress bandits these past two days on behalf of the town mayor. What's your intention in casually accusing people? Just based on a few empty words, you want to slander us and use this as an opportunity to blackmail the militia! Is there someone behind you directing you? Is it Zhu Erba's gang of bandits, or that Japanese spy Shangshan Kazuya?!"

Lu Shaotang's face flushed and paled under the barrage of questions, and his hand gripping the whip trembled slightly from the exertion. He opened his mouth to retort, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't utter a single word.

The surrounding security guards were already skeptical about this operation, and after hearing Lei Tao's words, they looked at each other in bewilderment and began to whisper. Some soldiers revealed a hint of uneasiness in their eyes, and began to wonder if they had been deceived by Lu Shaotang.

Yi Guang, standing nearby, also stepped forward and added fuel to the fire: "Lu Shaotang, you've been exploiting the people in your hometown under the guise of the security group, haven't you? Are you trying to get some benefits from this today?"

At this moment, Xu Keming took a step forward, crossed his arms, and showed a mocking smile on his face: "Lu Shaotang, if you can't produce real evidence today, I, Xu Keming, will not let you off easily!"

Lu Shaotang gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and said viciously, "Xu, don't act like a jerk here, relying on your status as a member of the Military Control Commission! I, Lu Shaotang, act honestly and openly. Since I'm accusing them of harboring a notorious bandit, I naturally have evidence. I just haven't had time to produce it yet."

Lei Tao snorted coldly: "Okay, then you should produce the evidence and stop talking nonsense here. If you can't produce it, you, Lu Shaotang, will have to give us an explanation today and give an explanation to the militia!"

At this moment, a panicked soldier suddenly emerged from the crowd. He ran to Lu Shaotang's horse and whispered, "Captain, it's bad. It seems like we're surrounded from behind."

Lu Shaotang's face suddenly changed, and he turned his head to look behind him, only to see a dark shadow swaying faintly in the direction of the back door of the camp.

It turned out that Liu Zishan, along with several agile militiamen, had taken advantage of the confrontation to sneak around to the rear of the security group. Armed with weapons and hiding in the dark, they formed an outflanking trend towards the security group.

Seeing this, Xu Keming raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a hint of mockery: "Lu Shaotang, now your retreat is also cut off, why don't you surrender?"

Lu Shaotang's eyes flickered. He knew in his heart that the so-called evidence was completely fabricated, but now he was in a difficult situation and could only bite the bullet and continue to argue: "The evidence is with my adjutant, he will send it over soon. Just wait, wait for the evidence to arrive, and see how you can deny it!"

Yi Guang couldn't help but sneered: "Humph, you even asked your adjutant to send evidence. I think you are just stalling for time and making excuses. Do you think we will believe your nonsense?"

At this point, the morale of the security corps soldiers was declining. Many began to waver, their guns unconsciously dropping. Lu Shaotang looked at his men and groaned inwardly. He knew that if the stalemate continued, he would be in dire straits.