Near noon, the troika finally stopped by the side of the road.
Smiling Tiger didn't smile this time, because he was really nervous and he didn't know what Old Huo was planning.
On the way, he asked Lao Huotou indirectly what he was going to do with them, the tigers, but Lao Huotou just smiled with his eyes wide open.
However, one of Smiling Tiger's men, a hot-tempered youngster, said in anger, "Why don't you just kill us? Where are you going to take us?"
After the brat said this, he was glared at by his companions.
As the saying goes, a good death is worse than a miserable life. Do you think your life is too long? And you even call someone to kill you?
But to the surprise of these bearded men, Old Huo was not in a hurry after hearing the reckless guy's shout. Instead, he counseled him as a veteran in the underworld, "We are all in the same business. As a senior, how could I kill you? Be patient and wait!"
Their three carriages set out in the morning, and the roads they chose were all remote, but this time they were on the main road for the first time.
During the journey, Old Huotou and Shang Zhen got off the car several times to look at the terrain, and then came back without saying anything, just telling people to continue on their way.
When they got here, Old Huotou and Shang Zhen went down to check the terrain. After a while, Shang Zhen and Old Huotou returned to the carriage. At this time, Old Huotou said, "Drive the carriage behind that hill. Let's stop here!"
No one really knew what Old Huo was planning. Smiling Tiger was just observing the other Northeast Army soldiers, and the other Northeast Army soldiers also looked confused.
But then Smiling Tiger confirmed that Old Huotou still had to do something, because Old Huotou had someone untie the rope tied to them.
Then, this group of bearded men who once called the shots in their own territory were driven to the hill like grasshoppers tied with a rope.
It was already late autumn. There were trees on the mountain and thick leaves in the woods. Due to the restraint of the rope, Smiling Tiger and his companions walked very slowly.
Finally, when everyone was seated in the woods on the top of the mountain, Old Huo arranged a guard post, and then the Northeast Army began to eat.
They had come from the lair of the Smiling Tiger, so how could they have a shortage of delicious food and drinks? There were three carriages in total, and the last one was loaded with quite a lot of food.
The Northeast Army soldiers were eating with their mouths wide open, and the prisoners like Smiling Tiger, although starving, could only watch from the side.
There is no way around it. Prisoners must have the awareness of being prisoners.
This is understandable. Even if the Smiling Tiger captured the Northeast Army as prisoners, even if they didn't kill them directly, their treatment would definitely not be good. What's the point of feeding you? Feeding you so you can escape?
But what was beyond the expectations of Smiling Tiger and his men was that after the Northeast Army had sent food to others, they were actually given food.
"Give the steamed buns to them, two each so they can eat their fill." Old Huo ordered.
Although Shang Zhen is still the nominal boss, the weight of Old Huo's words is undoubtedly increasing.
This is of course because Old Huo was the first to see through the true nature of Smiling Tiger's beard.
Both of them have been beard men. In terms of their experience as beard men, Lao Huotou is much more experienced than Wang Laomao.
As long as Wang Laomao kept quiet, no one in his group would raise any objections.
Qiu Bo opened a bag, which was filled with snow-white steamed buns.
Why do people have beards? Of course, it is because beards can allow them to drink wine in big bowls and eat meat in big mouthfuls. The steamed buns given to Smiling Tiger and his men are also one of the spoils that Shang Zhen and his men brought out from Smiling Tiger's lair.
"You all deserve credit. We have to arrange them for you one by one!" Qiu Bo said angrily. Then he and several soldiers took out the steamed buns from the bag and placed two in front of each bearded man.
"How can we eat if you don't take your hands away from us?" said a bearded man.
"Do you eat with your mouth instead of your hands?" Hou Kanshan angrily cursed, "Eat however the hell you want. Want to untie you? No way!"
Hou Kanshan certainly had reason to be angry with these bearded men. If the bearded men had not drugged him, how could he have been drugged by that damn Qian Chuaner?
Not to mention Hou Kanshan's shame and anger, the bearded men were dumbfounded by what they saw.
Of course they were hungry, as they had not been given anything to eat in the morning.
Now each of them was given two big steamed buns, but how could they eat them since their hands were all tied behind their backs?
Of course, the one who was treated the best here was the Smiling, Proud Wanderer, because Old Huo was not tied together with the other bearded men.
As a sign of respect for his former colleague, Lao Huo actually had Smiling Tiger's hands untied from their backs.
But then, he had someone tie him up in front again, so that Old Huo could finally eat the steamed bun with both hands.
Seeing his men staring blankly at the snow-white steamed buns on the ground, Smiling Tiger said, "Sirs, it's a great favor for you to give us food. Why don't you eat it quickly?"
The bearded men, that is, the little guys under Old Huotou, looked at each other in confusion. After a while, one of them finally knelt down, lowered his head and started to gnaw on the steamed bun on the ground.
This is undoubtedly a humiliation.
How can humans eat like dogs? Dogs use their front two paws to grab food when eating!
But the situation is stronger than people. Is it possible to survive and maintain dignity?
"If anyone pretends to be a fool and refuses to eat those two steamed buns, don't give them to him!" Old Huo said coldly, "Do you think this eating posture is ugly now? Eating like a dog is better than being a dog for the Japanese!"
At this point, the iron-blooded methods of Old Huo, who came from a Huzi family, were revealed.
Smiling Tiger wanted to say, "As long as there are green mountains, there will be no shortage of firewood," but did he dare? If he dared to say that, Old Huo would probably turn against him and tear him into pieces immediately!
Since one of them knelt down to eat, the second one came into being. Slowly, all the bearded men knelt down and really gnawed the buns in front of them like dogs.
As for what they think in their hearts, no one knows.
And Old Huotou and Old Wang Mao don't need to know. They have been bandits and soldiers. In their eyes, guns have always been the only way. Never mind humiliation. When it comes to survival, that's nothing!
A miracle happened: more than a dozen bearded men knelt on the ground with their buttocks sticking out, chewing the steamed buns placed on the ground.
Although the bearded men were filled with anger, they also understood that being able to eat now was a "blessing" from Old Huo. If they didn't eat this meal, who knew when the next one would be? If they didn't eat this time, there might not be a next meal at all!
But at this moment, another exception appeared besides the Smiling Tiger.
The little dustpan also knelt down, but just when he was about to bite the buns on the grass, a big hand grabbed the two buns.
When Xiao Bojicha looked up in surprise, he saw Erhanzi had already handed one of the steamed buns to his mouth, and Erhanzi's eyes were full of concern.
Thank you to my fellow readers for the generous donations. Anyone who has read or followed Lao Zhe's novels knows that his dedication is undeniable. This is Lao Zhe's third novel about the war against Japanese aggression, and each one promises to be a substantial volume. After finishing this novel, I'll likely switch to writing novels about other subjects. After all, I've been able to write everything I wanted to write. So, I'll strive to write well, giving myself and those who read my novels about the war against Japanese aggression a happy ending.
