Without firing a single shot, a disaster was finally averted.
All this was due to the chance encounter between Shang Zhen and Liu Wentai, and even more so to the vigilance of Old Huotou.
At the wine table, the old man with a smile on his face frequently urged people to drink, which aroused the suspicion of Old Huo.
Why is he so alert?
That's not just because he's old and cunning, it's because Old Huo was originally from a Hu family. When the old man kept urging him to drink, Old Huo felt something was wrong, so he started fiddling with the wine cup full of wine.
There was nothing wrong with the wine cup, but the problem was that Old Huo found that the wine had a slightly yellowish tint.
How could the Shaodaozi wine turn yellow if there were no wolfberries soaked in it? Most people don't know this, but Old Huo can imagine it!
It’s just because the white wine is mixed with knockout drugs that it becomes this color!
Old Huo had done this kind of thing when he was a bandit. How could he not know about it?
The reason why he tilted the wine glass towards the window and spilled the wine was because the light in the room was dim, and he had to shake the wine glass towards the brightly lit window to confirm the slightly yellow color of the wine.
After Old Huo had this suspicion, he hinted at something in his words and deeds. Wang Laomao, who used to be a bandit, also sensed something unusual.
The old man knew that something was wrong, so in order to make it easier for everyone to drink the wine, he drank a cup himself first.
As for why he didn't fall down after drinking the wine mixed with the knockout drug, it must be because he took the antidote beforehand.
This big house was originally the lair of this group of bandits, and everyone in their village knew it.
However, the old man knew very well that a rabbit doesn't eat grass near its burrow, and he was usually nice to the villagers. So even though the villagers were afraid, they lived in peace.
But when the villagers saw soldiers with guns appear, they thought something might happen. That's why the little boy who was playing in the sand outside the yard was dragged back into the house by his parents.
Because no shots were fired, the five or six guys hiding in the wing did not receive the old man's signal and did not appear.
However, Shang Zhen and his men finally rushed out and caught them red-handed, forcing them to surrender their weapons.
The so-called little guys are what the Northeastern bandits call their minions.
As long as they are small minions, no matter how old they are, they are all called "kids". It has nothing to do with age.
The reason why Shang Zhen pretended to be calm when he entered the room was because Shang Zhen knew that Hu Zi must have hidden people somewhere else. If the commotion here got out of hand, those Hu Zi would be on guard and a gunfight might very likely break out.
Shang Zhen had not figured out how to deal with Hu Zi, so of course he would not kill anyone if he could avoid it.
Now, the disarmed bandits have been locked up in the side rooms and are being watched. Old Huo looked at Shang Zhen with admiration and asked, "Tell me, how do we get confessions from these bandits?"
Shang Zhen glanced helplessly at Old Huo, then at Wang Laomao. He couldn't understand why Old Huo was asking him again. Was he really the boss? Just handle it as you guys should, why are you asking me?
"I think you have enough brains, but you just don't have enough experience. If you train well, you will really become our leader in the future." Old Huo undoubtedly saw through Shang Zhen's thoughts and said.
"Yes, Ma Ganer, tell me what we should do?" Wang Laomao also said from the side.
"I didn't do anything. You all found out that they have beards, and you still come to ask me?" Shang Zhen really had no idea what to do with these two veterans who were older than him.
When Shang Zhen said this, Wang Laomao laughed: "Most of the time, being a leader requires a good brain, but sometimes it depends on whether the leader is blessed.
You see, Ma Gan'er is a lucky general. If he wasn't a tiger general, how could he have met Yan Jing! Man, do you think I'm right? "
"Well, that makes sense!" Old Huo agreed, and the two of them reached a rare consensus.
Shang Zhen felt helpless looking at the two veterans. He now really admired the veteran's scheming.
Old Huo is a veteran. Although his legs and feet are not as nimble as those of young people, his brain power is still there.
In Shang Zhen's mind, Wang Laomao no longer has the impression of being a rough and direct person who says whatever he thinks.
It seems that just as Old Huo once told him, no matter whether one survives as a bearded man or as a veteran, he is a person with his own abilities, either with extraordinary intelligence or with great luck.
But now they're actually boasting about their good luck. Even if I'm lucky, am I still the same skinny guy you used to look down upon? No matter how thick my little waist is, it's definitely not as thick as the old pig kidneys of you old thieves!
"Okay, tell me, how do you plan to get some confessions out of him?" Old Huo said again.
Although they have controlled these bandits now, they don't know much about other situations, such as how many people are in this group of bandits, or whether they have any connection with the Japanese. These all need to be investigated.
It’s just that Old Huo asked casually just now, but those bearded men didn’t tell the truth.
Shang Zhen didn't believe at all that Old Huo and Laomao Wang had no way to get a confession, but since Old Huo told him again and again, he had no choice but to take action. People looked up to him, so he couldn't let others look down on him.
"If you interrogate them individually, you'll always get something out of them. Tell Zhang San that Li Si has confessed, and if you don't, you'll be beheaded.
Then tell Li Si that Zhang San has confessed, and if you don’t tell, you will be beheaded.
"Use the same method to deceive Wang Ermaizi and Xiao Naughty. If we keep doing this, I don't believe they can keep their mouths shut." Shang Zhen said his plan.
As soon as Shang Zhen came up with this idea, not only Lao Huotou and Wang Laomao, but also the Northeast Army soldiers like Qiu Bo next to them all looked up to Shang Zhen.
So everyone cheered in unison, but this did not include Hou Kanshan, who was still lying on the ground, just like sleeping. Although he was not dead, he was unaware of everything around him.
Even Old Huo didn't expect that the knockout drug the old man used on them would be so powerful. It made people unconscious after just drinking one cup!
Since Shang Zhen came up with the idea of separate interrogations, the interrogation work fell on responsible people like Shang Zhen, Lao Huotou, Wang Laomao, and Qiu Bo.
At this point, Shang Zhen finally looked a little different in everyone's eyes.
Originally, Shang Zhen gave everyone the impression that he was taciturn, exercised and practiced shooting, and was very ruthless to himself. He was just an honest child.
But now it seems that this is not the case. This little guy is actually talented, but he is also a timid person!
"Let's go, let's try it according to what Zhi Duo Xing said!" Old Huo called out, and everyone walked out.
"Hey! Wait, senior, how do we wake up the dead monkey?" Qian Chuaner, who planned to stay in the house, asked nearby.
"Try spraying him with cold water, or I'll find the antidote and then wake him up." Old Huo replied without turning his head.