Chapter Fifty-Nine: Gao Family Village

As soon as the map was spread out, the Russian stood up in a hurry and pointed to Sixty-Four Villages: “It’s right here, three hundred kilometers from our mine.”

Yang Xiaolin nodded, glanced at it without comment, then took the heaviest envelope from his bag. “This, too. Read it to me slowly.”

The document was thick, for its contents were weighty indeed. Inside were proposals discussed between General Akberlier and the Russian commander regarding the Japanese. The upper echelons of the Russian army were already aware that, with the partition of the Qing nearly complete, a confrontation between Russia and Japan was inevitable. They didn’t regard the Japanese with much respect, but preparations for war were unavoidable.

The file detailed the conversations between the two men: where fortresses should be built, how many troops should be stationed at each, where the headquarters should be located—preliminary opinions on all these matters.

By the end, Yang Xiaolin’s eyes were shining. He had previously analyzed the Russo-Japanese War in the army, but many details had faded in memory. Now, with the Russians’ preliminary plans laid before him, the upcoming war suddenly became clear in his mind.

When the mine owner finished reading, Yang Xiaolin gave him a warm smile. “Very good. What’s your name?”

“Morodov, Kamils Morodov.”

“Mr. Morodov, I think we’ll need to cooperate for some time. You must come with me.”

Morodov was clearly unwilling; his face darkened instantly. “No, you can’t do this! You should know since you entered this room, I’ve treated you as a gentleman. We’ve been honest with each other!”

Yang Xiaolin interrupted forcefully. “The Russian army is hunting me. I can’t let you leave my side, because that would be dangerous for me. I’ll be frank: you have only two choices. Come with me, or stay here yourself.”

When Yang Xiaolin mentioned leaving Morodov behind, he had already drawn the Russian pistol he’d taken from another mine owner two days ago, aiming it at Morodov’s head. “I said I didn’t want to hurt you, but don’t force me to break my word.”

Morodov shuddered. “All right! All right, I’ll go with you!”

“That’s better.”

Yang Xiaolin assigned over a dozen men to look after Morodov; the man was still useful, and there were many items in the bag that needed translating, perhaps more in the future. Yang Xiaolin had no intention of letting him go, wanting Morodov by his side until he was no longer needed.

These men had two tasks: if Morodov behaved, they were to care for him during the march; if not, their job was to keep him under guard.

Once Morodov was escorted out, Yang Xiaolin called in Jin Da Dao, Kong Luodi, and Tang Yulin. Tang Yulin entered and said, “Brother Yang, those men outside have been waiting for your reply a long while. Everyone else has left, but they’re still standing there. I say we take them in.”

Yang Xiaolin glanced outside and saw the miners’ eyes burning with hope. He waved his hand. “Let’s not discuss that now, Brother Tang. There are more than five thousand Russians following us, and the snow has started. I think we should move toward Gao Village and see if we can break through the Russian encirclement.”

Tang Yulin nodded. “Sure, I’ll follow your lead. However you want to fight, I’ll do it. Once we rescue Brother Feng, I’ll call you my elder!”

Yang Xiaolin laughed. “Don’t say that, I’m not confident at all. We’re just going to see; if there’s a chance, we’ll rescue him. If not, we’ll think of another way.”

He swept his gaze outside. “Let those people follow us. No guns, have them each find a weapon for me—even a wooden stick will do.”

These mines were not like the first one, which served as a Russian military depot and could provide weapons. In the recent days, Yang Xiaolin could only seize food and some gold and silver from the mines.

Food was helpful in solving some problems, but gold and silver were a burden, adding needless weight. Still, Yang Xiaolin had people carry them; money might not be needed today, but it would be tomorrow.

With the addition of six hundred people, Yang Xiaolin’s force grew to over eighteen hundred. He had just over nine hundred rifles, nearly half his men unarmed. All the grenades had been used up, and though the machine guns remained, their ammunition was depleted.

As for artillery, it was hopeless; after the battle at Ma Family Village, all their cannons had been blown to pieces. Yang Xiaolin now felt like a bandit again, heading toward Feng Delin’s Ma Family Village, which was the battlefield. Regardless of whether the Russians had won, the snowfall meant the fighting was drawing to a close. Maybe he’d catch another chance against the Russians.

If not, it wouldn’t be hard to pick up a few weapons left behind on the battlefield.

Before they reached Gao Village, they were met by Ma You, who had come looking for them. This was a surprise to Yang Xiaolin; he had been satisfied enough that Ma You had managed to get into Gao Village, but now, seeing him return safely with a letter from Feng Delin himself, Yang Xiaolin was astonished.

The battle was over, at least for this year. The Russians had withdrawn their main force; if fighting was to resume, it would have to wait for spring.

Yang Xiaolin showed Feng Delin’s letter to Tang Yulin, who was delighted. “Brother Feng’s notes! Damn, I never thought he was living so well.”

Ma You had just come out from Gao Village, wrapped in a thick padded coat. He looked at their faces, red from the bitter wind, and said, “Of course, Master Feng is comfortable in Gao Village! Drinking old wine every day, and there’s a theater troupe performing in the courtyard. The Russians fire cannons on the hills, we watch the opera below. Their best performance is ‘Dingjun Mountain’. Later, Master Feng had the troupe replace Xiahou Yuan with the Russian Tsar, and renamed the play ‘Huang Zhong Beheads the Tsar’. That was a real treat!”

Yang Xiaolin was struck speechless. Feng Delin truly had talent, worthy of being called the pioneer of wishful thinking. Tang Yulin was in high spirits, slapping Ma You’s head. “You had a good time, but the brothers out here were risking their lives. Why didn’t you come out sooner with the news?”

Ma You’s smile grew even brighter under Tang Yulin’s slap, though he protested, “Big brother, you don’t know. It took me risking my life to get in there—Russians intercepting everywhere. Then I ran into Old Six Lu, thought I was safe, but almost got shot by a Japanese in the village! Thankfully, Master Feng remembered me, knew you had me by your side. Otherwise, I’d never have seen you again!”

Yang Xiaolin now learned from the letter that Feng Delin had received help from the Japanese. Feng Delin even spoke kindly about a Japanese named Matsuhara, asking them not to hold Ma You’s troubles against him. He said Matsuhara was a friend worth knowing, and invited Yang Xiaolin and the others to be guests in Gao Village if the Russians withdrew, especially urging Yang Xiaolin to come.

Tang Yulin certainly wouldn’t hold a grudge; Feng Delin’s safety meant everything to him. He wore a satisfied smile and turned to Yang Xiaolin. “Brother Yang, shall we go to Gao Village together?”

Yang Xiaolin thought for a moment. “All right, we’re already here. If we don’t enter the door, I won’t dare visit Brother Feng again in the future. Let’s go and have a look.”