War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1582 Hu Bazhi's Thoughts

As the sky grew brighter, the two men and one donkey in the deep mountains and old forests walked faster and faster, but out of some tacit understanding, both Wei Ran, Hu Bazhi, and even the little donkey remained quiet.

Compared with this tacit silence, Hu Bazhi hung his bow and arrow on the donkey's neck and held the iron sand gun in his hand. Obviously, this forest might not be safe.

While taking advantage of this time, Wei Ran was also secretly observing the hunting bow that was carefully wrapped in animal skin.

  Can you shoot so accurately just by relying on this?

Wei Ran couldn't help but be distracted. If it were in peacetime, this burly man, Hu Bazhi, might have a chance to compete for honors in the Olympics.

Of course, he knew better than to imagine that using a bow to shoot the Japs like in those shitty anti-Japanese dramas of later generations was pure dreaming.

This weapon has a range similar to that of a pistol, not to mention the high training cost. It is even difficult to fire from a prone position.

Almost subconsciously, he looked at the muzzle-loading iron sand gun in the other person's hand. The gun was not very long and used a relatively advanced percussion cap. Just by looking at the workmanship, it was certain that this gun was most likely not a homemade gun like the big lifting pole.

On the other hand, even from the way Hu Bazhi is dressed, one can tell that his living conditions should be pretty good.

Unfortunately, now was not the time to ask, so he could only suppress the questions in his mind and follow in the other person's footsteps, walking step by step towards the unknown destination.

When the top of the sun was almost level with the treetops, Wei Ran, who had lost count of how many ridges he had climbed, also stopped along with Hu Bazhi.

At this time, not far in front of them, there was a narrow cave about one meter wide and one and a half meters high.

There is a wooden fence at the entrance of the cave, and on one side of the cave, a dugout was built taking advantage of the terrain of the mountain.

"Come in and warm up"

As Hu Bazhi spoke, he had already put the iron sand gun on his shoulder. With the help of Wei Ran, he took down the dog-skin tubes and animal traps, and then led the donkey into the cave. When he came out, Wei Ran was still standing at the entrance of the dugout.

"Why don't you go in?" Hu Bazhi asked Wei Ran.

"Let me see what I can do for you," said Wei Ran.

"Need not"

As Hu Bazhi spoke, he opened the wooden door of the dugout, bent down and crawled in.

Seeing this, Wei Ran followed in.

Before he could see everything around him clearly, he felt the heat blowing towards him, and then he saw the scarlet charcoal fire in the mud stove on the side of the entrance, and an enamel kettle on the edge.

"Find a place to sit," Hu Bazhi said, but he had already picked up some firewood and threw it into the stove.

Wei Ran chose a spot against the wall and sat on a horizontal log about one meter long and half a meter thick, looking around the shack.

Call it a dugout or a shack, this shack was dug about one and a half meters deep beneath the surface, and was about four meters square at its maximum size. It was surrounded by a circle and reinforced with sticks as thick as arms.

In the middle of the dugout, there was a pillar as thick as a thigh, supporting an umbrella-like roof. At the top of the umbrella, there was a skylight as big as the bottom of a washbasin.

Fortunately, there was an earth pit built with stones and mud bricks next to the stove against the wall. The earthen kang was spacious enough for one person to sleep, but a little narrow for two people. However, because of the existence of the kang, this cave was particularly warm.

After a while, Wei Ran, who was shivering from the cold just now, already felt so hot that he was sweating. Hu Bazhi also took off his fur coat and fur hat, and even hung the handcuffs around his neck on the middle pillar.

It was not until this time that Wei Ran realized belatedly that Hu Bazhi might be even younger than himself - he only looked more "mature" because of his beard and hoarse voice.

“Take off your shoes and get on the kang”

Hu Bazhi took off his coat and said this in a way that did not allow for refusal. He picked up the kettle on the clay stove and poured a cup of hot water for Wei Ran.

"You usually live here alone?"

Wei Ran took the enamel cup and placed it on the edge of the kang, then untied his tattered leggings, and then took off his high-waisted boots, freeing his feet that were wrapped in tattered foot bindings.

"Winter Hunting Shack"

While Hu Bazhi was talking, he reached out and picked up the boots that Wei Ran had just taken off, pulled out the layer of grass stuffing inside, and threw it into the stove. "Wow! Double-layer cowhide boots with seven nails. Are you from a landlord family?"

"Is it necessary for someone born in a landlord family to exchange hand grenades for food?" Wei Ran laughed at himself while taking off the tattered foot bindings on his feet.

Hu Bazhi smiled and did not continue the topic. He just leaned his boots against the stove to warm them. Then he picked up the rabbit skin leggings that Wei Ran had just taken off and the foot bindings draped over the edge of the kang, turned around and walked out.

"Hey! You."

"You take a rest." Before Hu Bazhi finished his words, he had already walked out the door and no one knew where he went.

Seeing this, Wei Ran could only shake his head and untie the cloth belt around his waist.

  what is this?

Before he could even unbutton the tattered cotton jacket, a yellow envelope slipped out from the hem of his lower back. Apparently, the letter had been hidden in his arms and moved to his lower back as he moved, which was why he hadn't noticed it before.

Picking up the envelope, I saw the words "Zhao Jinge of the First Guerrilla Team" written on it with a brush. A red and yellow feather of an unknown bird was firmly stuck to the seal.

  Chicken feather letter?

Wei Ran thought of this almost subconsciously, and then began to be curious about who this Zhao Jinge was and what was his relationship with Zhao Jinyu.

Before he could figure it out, Hu Bazhi had already lifted the thick, torn curtain, bent down and came in. At this time, he was holding a tattered sack in his arms.

"Take off that tattered coat you're wearing."

As Hu Bazhi spoke, he had already opened the bulging sack in his hand, pulled out a set of cotton clothes from it and threw it on the kang, then pulled out half of a Japanese army blanket, pulled out the small knife made from a bayonet from his sleeve, cut it into two, and threw it to Wei Ran along with a white towel.

"Where did all this come from?"

Wei Ran hurriedly took the clothes thrown at him and asked, "Far from anything else, this set of cotton-padded clothes is much thicker, and there is an extra layer of suede sewn on the outside, and a layer of rabbit skin sewn on the inside. Just think about how warm it is when you wear this set."

"I shot two puppet soldiers to death a few days ago and stole it from them."

Hu Bazhi said as he pulled out a set of shirt and pants from the sack and threw them over, "Don't worry, wear them. I washed them earlier, so they're not dirty."

"What about you?"

Wei Ran took the last two pieces of clothing thrown to him and asked, "If I wear them, you..."

"How can you be short of clothes while guarding a mass grave?"

Hu Bazhi said this and turned around and went out of the shack again. When he came back in, he had another sack in his hand.

This time, what he took out was a dog-skin hat and a large cotton-padded jacket that seemed to be made of dog-skin, plus two dog-skin leggings.

Throwing these two items to Wei Ran, Hu Bazhi said with a look of pride that made Wei Ran feel sad, "Try putting them on. They are all made from the skins of man-eating dogs. Look at the hairs! They stand up like steel needles! This skin is better than wolf skin."

"No, this won't do. This is too expensive!"

Wei Ran waved his hands repeatedly. Although he came from the future, he could tell that this outfit was definitely not cheap.

"Why are you such a sissy!"

Hu Bazhi had the generosity and sincerity that Wei Ran had in his memory. Before he could finish, he had already picked up the two sacks again and said, "There's hot water in the kettle and cold water in the jar. Wash yourself and change your clothes. I'll burn your old clothes to prevent the Japanese dogs from following the smell and finding you."

After saying that, Hu Bazhi picked up Wei Ran's boots, turned around and left the shack.

After a moment of hesitation, Wei Ran took off his dirty and smelly tattered clothes, picked up the wooden basin in the corner, added hot and cold water, scrubbed his whole body, and changed into the clothes that the other party had prepared for him.

Carefully checking the clothes he had taken off, Wei Ran put away the letter which he didn't know where to send, and continued to look around the warm shack.

The earthen kang was covered with a leather mattress and a thick layer of pine needles and elm grass underneath. On the rafters above the head were hung bags of flour, a large amount of dried meat, and some daily necessities such as pots, pans, and bowls.

Just as he had guessed on the road, this was a hunter who lived a relatively wealthy life.

Wei Ran took out the "chicken feather letter" again, raised it above his head and took a look, secretly wondering what was written in it, and most importantly, where was this so-called First Guerrilla Team?

Before he could figure it out, Hu Bazhi lifted the curtain again and came in, handing him Wei Ran's boots, "Put them on! Are they too small?"

"Not small, just right."

Wei Ran said quickly, and at the same time he noticed that the upper of the pair of high-waisted boots was sewn with a layer of furry rabbit skin inside and a layer of shiny dog ​​skin outside.

"As long as it fits, I'll take care of your clothes. Take a rest for a while, and I'll cook dinner."

As he spoke, Hu Bazhi had already stuffed all of Wei Ran's clothes into a sack, and rushed out of the shack in a hurry.

"Let me help you."

Wei Ran said as he was busy putting on his shoes. This pair of boots were not only sewn with thick fur, but also padded with a thick layer of soft grass.

"Come if you're not tired." Hu Bazhi had already walked out with the sack in his hand before he finished speaking.

A little later, Wei Ran, who was dressed well, also came out of the dugout. He was wearing thick boots on his feet, warm dog-skin leggings on his legs, a robe, a leather cotton coat and cotton trousers, two cowhide belts around his waist, a dog-skin coat that almost covered his knees, and a furry dog-skin hat on his head.

He didn't even need to look in the mirror to know that even if his outfit was not as good as the hero Yang Zirong's in those TV dramas in later generations, it was definitely much better than Zuo Shandiao. Of course, he had to admit that this outfit was really warm and heavy.

It's only because his broken voice is not up to par, otherwise he would have at least sung the line "I travel through the forest and across the snowfield with my spirit reaching the sky" or something like that.

After showing off enough, Wei Ran bent down and entered the cave filled with fishy smell.

The cave entrance was small and big, so a truck could probably fit inside. Naturally, there were a lot of miscellaneous things here, including chopped firewood, piled hay, and a donkey standing by the wall.

Even the chimney of the dugout was built into the cave and extended out through a gap above the head.

There is a small stove next to the chimney made of mud and stones. At this moment, Hu Bazhi is busy here.

The water in the big iron pot on the stove was already boiling. Hu Bazhi glanced at Wei Ran who came in and just smiled. He picked up a gourd ladle and scooped a ladle of boiling water and poured it on the dog he had carried back.

As the saying goes, a fishmonger is like a dog in rainy weather. After drinking the ladle of hot water, the strong fishy smell made Wei Ran wrinkle his nose.

Hu Bazhi, however, seemed to have gotten used to it and immediately scooped up another bucket of water and poured it on.

Knowing that he couldn't help at this moment, Wei Ran simply continued to observe the cave.

The area around the stove is obviously Hu Bazhi's "workbench". In addition to the stove, there is also an anvil that a blacksmith would use, as well as some tools such as hammers and fire tongs, plus a few baskets of charcoal.

A little further away, there were quite a few leather bags carrying dogs, foxes, and small prey such as sables and rabbits.

In addition to these, there is a broken table against the wall, on which are placed some leatherwork tools such as leather cutters and awls, as well as a set of tools for reloading bullets and casting lead bullets.

Just next to this table, there are several weapons hanging.

Among these weapons were the bow and arrow and iron sand gun used by Hu Bazhi before, as well as a Berdan Type II rifle and two golden hook rifles.

"I stole those two Japanese guns"

Hu Bazhi, who was busy plucking the dog's hair, explained without turning his head, "It was about seven or eight days ago. Two puppet soldiers were driving a donkey cart to the mass grave to deliver the dead. I ran into them. I got angry when I saw them, so I shot them with two arrows."

"So that's how the donkey came about?" While asking, Wei Ran had already taken off his dog-skin coat from later times and put it on a chair beside the table.

"That's not a big deal," Hu Bazhi replied, "I stole those guns that way, too."

"Why don't you use a gun to hunt?" Wei Ran said as he rolled up his sleeves and moved closer to the other person to try to help pluck the dog's hair.

"This job is dirty and smelly, so don't get involved."

Hu Bazhi pointed his chin at the water tank not far away and said, "Add some water to the pot, and help feed the donkey."

"also"

Wei Ran walked to the water tank next to the other side of the chimney and picked up a gourd ladle bigger than his face to help scoop water into the pot. At the same time, he listened to Hu Bazhi's explanation, "Not far from the mass grave is the forest farm controlled by the Japanese. Firing guns there will easily attract the Japanese. If it weren't for a few dog skins, I would have avoided that place."

"That being said, your arrow shooting is really accurate." Wei Ran exclaimed.

"My grandfather is an old hunter"

Hu Bazhi explained, "This shack was built by him and my father when he was young. He enjoyed using the bow and thought that the quietness would not disturb the mountain god.

He taught me archery skills, but unfortunately, the bow is good for hunting, but it is not as effective as a gun for fighting the Japanese.

My archery is OK, I can shoot accurately with the iron sand rifle my grandfather left me, and I can use the hunting rifle my father left me, but after more than 20 rounds, my accuracy is no longer good, especially with the Japanese gun, I don’t understand it.”

"I know how to do it. I'll teach you later." Wei Ran said.

"That's good."

Hu Bazhi said happily, "If I could use the devil's gun, I could also avenge my parents."

"them."

"The Japanese captured the men and my mother was beaten to death by the puppet army."

When Hu Bazhi said this, he plucked the dog's hair with much more force. "The Japanese wanted to harm my wife, but she refused and jumped into the ice hole with the baby in her belly. She didn't survive."

At this point, Hu Bazhi shook his broken right hand and said, "My hand was bitten by the wolfhound raised by the Japanese devils. I was only twelve or thirteen years old at that time. This new hatred and old grudge, huh...sooner or later, I will get it back with interest."

For a moment, the only sounds in the cave were the crackling of the burning wood in the stove and the sound of two people scooping water from time to time.

"It will drive them away," Wei Ran said after filling the pot with water.

"Drive away?"

Hu Bazhi snorted, "It's no use chasing away the wolves in this mountain. They will come back when they smell the meat. We have to kill them all. Kill them all. Only when no one is left alive can we sleep peacefully at night."

“That day will come”

Wei Ran was feeding the donkey with hay while murmuring, "I'll kill them all, leaving no one alive."

“We must leave no one behind.”

Before Hu Bazhi finished his words, he had already cut open the dog's stomach with the sharp knife. For a moment, the smell of blood in the cave became even stronger.

Soon, the dog meat with skin and internal organs cleaned was washed repeatedly and chopped into pieces with an axe. Wei Ran also volunteered to take over the job of making fire, and continued to chat with Hu Bazhi.

With his indirect questioning and deliberate guidance, Wei Ran also learned from Hu Bazhi that it was now the 26th year of the Republic of China, and if Hu Bazhi remembered correctly, the Frost Descent solar term had just passed seven or eight days ago.

In other words, it is now 1937, around the end of October in the Gregorian calendar, and it is also the beginning of the difficult period for the Anti-Japanese United Army.

In addition to the most critical time nodes, he also had some understanding of Hu Bazhi himself.

Just as he guessed, Hu Bazhi is only 22 years old. His family has been hunters for generations, and he also has an ancestral craft of leather tanning. Hu Bazhi in particular also learned some blacksmithing skills from his uncle.

Logically speaking, with such abilities, Hu Bazhi's life would not be bad.

But the Japanese occupied the Northeast. First, they captured his father and sent him to mine, leaving his father's life or death unknown. Not long after, the local puppet army took advantage of his hunting in the mountains to steal a tiger skin from his family and accidentally killed his mother.

Fearing revenge from Hu Bazhi, those damn puppet troops gave him the name of the Anti-Japanese United Army, and brought the devils with them to harm his wife, burn down his house, and conscript him as well.

"I turned back and killed a few puppet soldiers"

At the stove, Hu Bazhi, who was frying dog meat with a spatula, gritted his teeth and said, "I also shot and killed two Japanese soldiers with my iron sand rifle. I was afraid that it would bring disaster to the people in my village, so I fired and fled into the mountains."

"No one knows about this place?" asked Wei Ran, who was helping to light the fire.

"No one. Ordinary people can't come here. The bears in this forest are asleep, but there are still many tigers and wolves."

Hu Bazhi sighed, "Most of the old hunters who were familiar with my grandfather are dead, and most of those who were familiar with my father have been conscripted. I am the only one who knows this place."

At this point, Hu Bazhi took out his pipe, put some tobacco in it, bent over and leaned into the stove, took two puffs and said, "I plan to save up some furs this winter, sell them after the spring, and go to the Russians to look for a job. I heard there are no devils over there."

"yes."

Wei Ran responded vaguely. He had no right to ask Hu Bazhi why he did not fight against the Japanese. People of this era were different from those in later generations.

Coming from the future, he knew that he would definitely win, so even if he could not change history, at least he was not panicked at all. But people of this era were different. They really could not see any light at all.

As Hu Bazhi continued to stir-fry, the fat from the dog meat in the pot gradually released, and the steaming water mist gradually became more fragrant.

After pulling out the dog meat from the pot to reveal a pool of oil at the bottom, he took down two Japanese lunch boxes hanging on the chimney and opened them. He first took out two dried chilies and two cardamoms from the first lunch box, as well as some herbs that Wei Ran did not recognize, and threw them in.

Then he scooped a small spoonful of coarse salt from the second lunch box and sprinkled it in.

This was not the end. Hu Bazhi walked to the innermost part of the cave and poured half a can of white wine from a ceramic jar as big as a gas tank into the pot.

With a "hiss" sound, the steaming mist was filled with not only the aroma of meat but also the rich aroma of wine.

"This jar of sorghum wine was brewed when my father was alive."

Hu Bazhi muttered incoherently, added a ladle of water into the pot, and then threw a few corn cakes mixed with sorghum flour into the side of the pot.

"Brother Hu, do you know where the First Guerrilla Team of the Anti-Japanese United Army is?" asked Wei Ran who was sitting next to the stove.

"Never heard of it," Hu Bazhi shook his head, walked to the cane and pulled out a golden hook rifle, "If you tell me the name, I'm not sure I know it."

"Zhao Jinge, do you know Zhao Jinge?" Wei Ran asked.

"Zhao Jinge? Never heard of him."

Hu Bazhi shook his head and handed the gun to Wei Ran, "Teach me how to use this devil's gun."

"simple"

Wei Ran took the gun and pulled the bolt, and a bullet jumped out.

"Still bearing bullets?"

Wei Ran grinned, repeatedly pulling the bolt to eject all the bullets, then returned the gun to Hu Bazhi and pointed at the wicker basket and asked, "Can I check the other gun as well?"

"It doesn't matter. Those things I took from the Japanese and puppet soldiers. You can take whatever you think is useful." Hu Bazhi said indifferently.

Hearing this, Wei Ran walked to the basket and pulled out another gun. Just like the previous gun, this gun was also loaded with bullets, and there was only one bullet.

Continuing to look into the basket, there are several Japanese leather ammunition boxes, with a total of nearly a hundred bullets inside. In addition, there are two packs of Lao Baduo brand cigarettes.

"Brother Hu, can you give me a pack of cigarettes?" Wei Ran asked as he picked up a pack of cigarettes.

"If you like to smoke, take them all," Hu Bazhi said generously, "Those cigarettes are not solid, and they are not as exciting as dry tobacco."

Hearing this, Wei Ran smiled, picked up the two packs of cigarettes and put them in his pocket, then took the second Golden Hook rifle back to Hu Bazhi and carefully demonstrated to him how to operate the hook safety, how to load bullets, and how to use the ruler.

During his explanation, he also noted that the reason why Hu Bazhi didn't understand how to use it was purely because the sight unit of the Golden Hook rifle was meters, but the sight unit of the Berdan II rifle he was used to was Russian feet.

Not only that, Hu Bazhi's usual shooting distance is basically within a hundred meters or even fifty meters. This standard rifle can easily reach more than one or two hundred meters, which is a range that he has never challenged before.

In other words, he may have talent and foundation, but if he wants to hit a distant target, the only way is to feed him bullets.

Unfortunately, although he had two Golden Hook rifles, he only had 91 bullets in total.

In comparison, the Berdan rifle, which he could reload by himself, was more suitable for hunting.

Even so, Hu Bazhi was still very grateful to Wei Ran, and even gave him a small gift after putting away the two rifles.

"Here, I made it myself."

Hu Bazhi took out a long object from the basket beside the table and handed it to Wei Ran.

"What is this?" Wei Ran asked curiously after taking it.

"I made chopsticks out of the Japanese bayonets"

Hu Bazhi said nonchalantly, "If you like it, just keep it. You can't sell it for a high price anyway."

After a little hesitation, Wei Ran happily accepted the small gift. He could tell that Hu Bazhi probably wanted something from him.

Otherwise, even if he was an anti-Japanese fighter, there was no reason to give it as both a farewell and a gift if there was no way to verify the authenticity.

Although he knew that the other party had plans, Wei Ran didn't care. Instead, he looked at the small gift in his hand with interest.

The so-called knife and chopsticks are naturally two things: a knife and chopsticks.

Gently pull out the small knife made from a bayonet. Including the handle made of deer antlers, the length is only twenty-five or twenty-six centimeters. The blade has been finely polished and is extremely sharp, but the original lines have not been damaged.

It can be seen that this is the front half of the Japanese bayonet cut off, and then holes are punched in the blade, embedded in a slotted deer antler handle and then riveted.

Of course, he had to admit that the knife was indeed exquisitely made. Even the scabbard, which seemed to be made of deer antlers, was covered with a layer of carved silver skin on both ends.

Moreover, there is a hole on each side of the end of the scabbard, which tightly fixes a chopstick made of deer antlers.

"Brother Hu, please speak frankly."

Wei Ran put the knife and chopsticks back into the scabbard and said directly, "This thing can be sold at a good price. What's more, there is the outfit you gave me. I think all of these together can be exchanged for a lot of grenades. So what do you want me to do for you?"

"Brother Wei is a smart man, and he is also a straightforward person."

Hu Bazhi was honest. He sat down by the stove again, warmed himself by the fire, and asked, "I want to ask you to help me kill a few people. Do you dare?"

Hearing this, Wei Ran showed an extremely bright smile on his face, "Dare, why not. Tell me, who do you want to kill?"

"devil"

Hu Bazhi murmured to himself, "Who else could it be..."

“This is not a human being”

Wei Ran smiled and said, "He is just a beast."