Chapter Thirty-Two: Establishing a Base in the Mount Wutai Region and Taking Control of a Territory Spanning 6,000 Square Kilometers-Guerra de Resistência: Estrela de Huangpu, Subjugando Li Yunlong no Início(As coisas mudaram, e as pessoas também não são mais as mesmas.)

"Master, Master, the Red Bandits have broken in!"

"The Red Bandits have broken in!"

An old servant frantically hammered on the door of Master Dong's bedroom.

Master Dong, bleary-eyed and waking from his slumber, threw open the door and roared at the servant, "What Red Bandits?"

"Where would Red Bandits even come from?"

"How could there possibly be Red Bandits in Yumu County?"

Master Dong’s face was twisted in annoyance. Just yesterday, his precious son had been out at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion playing with women when he was suddenly gunned down by some unknown assailant. Master Dong had been furious, even petitioning the local security forces to search the entire county for the killer, but after a day of exhaustive effort, they hadn't found a single trace.

Fortunately, Master Dong had plenty of sons, and he considered himself a robust man. In his grief, he had spent the entire night with his newly acquired concubine, hoping to sow the seeds of a new heir. His eldest son was gone, so he was determined to produce another, wasn't he?

"Master, it’s true, it’s really true!"

"Red Bandits, Red Bandits with guns!"

No sooner had the old servant finished speaking than a series of crisp gunshots rang out.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The echoes of gunfire rippling through the night sky made Master Dong shrink back, cold sweat breaking out across his body.

"Red Bandits?"

"How could there be Red Bandits in Yumu County?"

"Run! We have to run!"

That was the only thought in Master Dong’s mind. If the Red Bandits took control of the entire county, he—a man who had suddenly risen to wealth—would undoubtedly be among the first to be dealt with. By then, it would be too late to run.

With that, Master Dong immediately shouted, "Fushun, go get the carriage ready! Get the carriage ready!"

"Once the Red Bandits get here, it will be impossible to leave!"

"Yes, Master!"

After giving his orders, Master Dong dove into his study. He was no cultured scholar who would waste time grabbing books during an escape. His primary concern was the fortune he had amassed through years of graft, much of which he had converted into gold. He didn't trust keeping the gold anywhere else; the only place he felt secure was the study, a room only he could access.

He twisted the hidden mechanism.

His fingers tapped lightly on several spots. Master Dong opened a secret compartment and pulled out a leather trunk stuffed with gold. He then hurried toward the door without a moment’s delay.

"Cuiniang, Cuiniang!"

"Wake up, wake up!" Master Dong shook his concubine, who was still fast asleep.

"Master?"

"What happened?"

"Get dressed quickly! The Red Bandits are here!"

"If we don't run now, we won't have another chance!"

The concubine was quite beautiful—otherwise, Master Dong wouldn't have ignored his legal wife to bring her along. Even in flight, he intended to take her with him.

"Ah?" The concubine, upon hearing the news, covered her mouth in shock.

"Master! I'll go pack, I'll go pack right now!"

She quickly threw on her clothes and began stuffing her private savings, gold and silver jewelry, and various outfits into a bundle. This sight made Master Dong stomp his feet in fury.

"What time do you think it is? Why are you still packing these things?"

"Women’s hair is long, but their insight is short! Leave it all, leave it all!"

"Hurry, let’s go!"

As the gunfire grew closer, an anxious Master Dong abandoned his concubine and made a run for it, lugging the trunk with him.

"Master, Master! Wait for me, wait for me!"

Seeing this, the concubine hurriedly tossed aside the clothes she hadn't finished packing, grabbed only a few pieces of jewelry, and chased after him.

"Fushun, Fushun! Is the carriage ready?"

Master Dong shouted as he flung open the front door.

But the moment the door swung wide, a Mauser rifle was pressed firmly against his forehead.

"Master Dong! Where are you going in such a hurry?"

The lead officer looked at the panicked man with a mocking smile.

Seeing this, Master Dong’s legs turned to jelly. Cold sweat poured down his body.

"Thump!"

Terrified out of his wits, Master Dong collapsed to his knees before the Red Army soldiers.

"Sir! Please, spare my life!"

The same scene was playing out in every corner of Yumu County. The security forces were woefully incompetent and were no match for the Red Army soldiers. Aside from Master Dong, none of the "bigwigs" or "local gentry" who had committed countless evils, nor the county magistrate and his officials, managed to escape. The Red Army rounded them all up.

As for the wealth these gentry and officials had extorted from the people, it was immediately confiscated by the Red Army. To deal with these figures, Su Changqing established a temporary tribunal, inviting the impoverished local peasants to participate in the proceedings.

At first, the common folk were afraid of the power these gentry and officials had wielded for so long. But when a teenage boy clenched his fists and became the first to take the stage to denounce the crimes of these "scum," more and more people stepped forward, eager to testify.

Embezzling disaster relief funds was only the least of their crimes. Trafficking in human beings, usury, forcing innocent women into prostitution, and even treating human life as worthless—the blood debts these scoundrels carried were staggering.

As the presiding officer of the tribunal, Su Changqing formally sentenced these "scum," including Master Dong, to death after their crimes were laid bare.

The sentences were to be carried out immediately!

Hearing the verdict, the scoundrels—Master Dong included—felt their legs give out. Their faces turned deathly pale, and some began to retch uncontrollably.

"Sir, Sir, we were wrong! We were wrong!"

"Don't kill us! Give us another chance!"

"Sir, we have money! We have money! We'll give it all to you, all of it! Just spare our lives!"

"Sir, I beg you, spare me! I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"

These "scum," who usually looked down on commoners as if they were blades of grass, finally knew the meaning of fear. Of course, they didn't truly realize their errors; they simply realized they were about to die.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Crisp gunshots rang out across Yumu County. The once-lofty scoundrels collapsed to the ground like dead dogs, forming heaps of lifeless flesh.

The crowd erupted into cheers, everyone celebrating the execution of these criminals.

At the same time, Su Changqing officially announced the Red Army’s discipline and its policies toward the people, which naturally included "striking down local tyrants" and "distributing land."

Yumu County was an extremely poor, mountainous region, and with the unprecedented impact of a recent drought, the people were starving. The arrival of Su Changqing and the First Column of the Red Army was, to those struggling on the brink of death, like the arrival of saviors sent from heaven.

As these policies were rapidly implemented, and as the Red Army threw open the granaries to distribute food to help the people survive the famine, the prestige and status of the Red Army in the hearts of the people soared.

Ever since the First Column arrived at Mount Wutai, young men from the surrounding areas signed up to join the ranks every single day. As time passed, the Mount Wutai base became increasingly secure, encompassing two counties and the vast surrounding rural areas, covering an area of 6,000 square kilometers. This quickly became the foundation upon which Su Changqing and the First Column would grow and expand.