April 3rd, 1938. At dusk, in Taierzhuang on the north bank of the canal.
On an open space by the river, more than two hundred soldiers stood in a few rows. It was quiet all around.
Upon closer inspection, most of them were covered in mud and even blood. It was obvious that they had been through a fierce battle for several days.
Exhaustion was written all over their faces, and only their black eyes shone from time to time.
In front of them, a man who looked like an officer was talking. Beside him, a few soldiers were busy.
"Brothers, there is 100,000 yuan here. Officer Li personally sent someone to deliver it today. Now, I'll give them all to you. One for everyone." The one who spoke was the highest ranking officer of this troop, Sun Lianzhong, who was the commander of the Second Army at that time.
"Brothers, I know what it means for everyone to be part of the suicide squad. My heart is also bleeding, but when the country is in danger, everyone has a responsibility. This is what your teacher said. Now, I command once again, Pool Peak City!”
"Here!" An officer behind him immediately stepped forward. It was the commander of the 31st Division of the 2nd Army, Chi Fengcheng.
"I order that from now on, immediately destroy the pontoon bridge on the canal and launch a final attack on the Japanese army in the village. When the soldiers are finished, you go forward and fill it in yourself. Anyone who dares to retreat across the canal will be killed without mercy!”Sun Lianzhong shouted sternly.
"Yes, sir!" Chi Fengcheng replied loudly.
"Good! Men! Serve the wine. Brothers! After drinking this cup of wine. We'll still be brothers in the next life!"
Clang! Just as Sun Lianzhong finished speaking, a voice followed. Everyone was shocked. A cloth bag containing silver coins flew into the wooden box that had just contained the silver coins. The silver coins in the sack buzzed as they collided with each other.
"Ball! I'm going to fight the Japanese with my life. What's the use of bringing these things along!”The owner of that bag of silver. A bearded middle-aged man in a greasy military uniform spoke loudly in Shaanxi dialect.
"That's right. Carrying this thing is heavy and useless. It's better to bring a few more grenades.”Another soldier responded in Shaanxi dialect. The bag of silver coins in his hand also flew into the wooden box, making the same sound as the bag of silver coins.
"That's right. This thing isn't useless. It'll be a hindrance if we bring it along. It's better to take a few more grenades.”More soldiers responded, and the silver bags flew towards the wooden boxes like rain. The wooden boxes fell to the ground after being filled, and in a moment, they piled up into a small mountain.
Chi Fengcheng was anxious and wanted to step forward to interfere, but Sun Lianzhong coughed and stopped him.
"You, step forward!" Sun Lianzhong pointed at the bearded soldier who threw the silver coins first.
The middle-aged man did not say anything. He just took two steps forward and walked out of the group to stand in front of Sun Lianzhong.
"What do you do?" Sun Lianzhong asked him.
"Sir, we are cooking.”The bearded man replied in Shaanxi dialect.
"Cooking? What's your name?" Sun Lianzhong continued to ask him.
"Sir, are you asking about my current name or my previous name?”The bearded man asked indifferently.
"Oh? This is interesting." Sun Lianzhong was about to say something when Chi Fengcheng, who was standing beside him, took a step forward and whispered into his ear,"Commander, this person is a cook in my division. His name is Li Decai, and everyone calls him Old Li.”
"Yes." Sun Lianzhong snorted and turned to the bearded man,""Tell me your real name!"
The bearded man chuckled." Since today is my last day, I won't hide it from you, Hao Deshan. Sir, you must remember this name.”
"What is it? Hao Deshan?" "You're Hao Deshan?" Sun Lianzhong's face changed.”
"That's right. I'm the Hao Deshan you tried to get rid of ten years ago when you were pacifying the area in Shaanxi.”The bearded man replied calmly.
"Men! Arrest him!" Sun Lianzhong shouted. A few guards rushed forward and pointed their guns at the bearded man.
The bearded man spread out his hands calmly, then untied the big knife that was stuck in his back and threw it on the ground.
"Why are you hiding here?" Sun Lianzhong asked.
The bearded man smiled and said,"I'm hiding in the court." How was it? It's passable."
"Then what else do you have to say now?”Sun Lianzhong asked calmly.
"I've already said that today is my last day. I'll either die in your hands or fight the Japanese.”The bearded man looked into the distance as if he was trying to find something."It's been ten years. I've concealed my identity. Today, I should have an explanation.”
"Alright, I'll fulfill your wish today!”As Sun Lianzhong spoke, he pulled out his pistol, loaded the bullet, and aimed it at his head.
The bearded man retracted his gaze and looked at the black muzzle without any expression on his face. The muzzle seemed to be pointed at someone else.
All the soldiers were dumbfounded by what they saw. Even the air seemed to freeze.
“呯!”Gunshots rang out, sounding particularly mournful in the night sky.
The sudden change stunned everyone present. The entire open space was silent, and no one dared to breathe loudly.
However, something even more surprising happened. Following the gunshot, the hat on the bearded man's head flew up. However, the bearded man still stood there without moving.
After the gunshot, the bearded man took a step back and bent down to pick up the hat from the ground. He patted the soil on it and put it back on his head."Hehe, it seems that the officer's marksmanship isn't that good.”
"Hahaha, good job. As expected of a famous hero. He didn't even blink. You have guts!" Sun Lianzhong said as he put away his gun. With a wave of his hand, the guards retreated.
Sun Lianzhong took two steps forward and walked in front of the bearded man. He looked into his eyes and said,
"Remember, what's between you and me is called enmity, but what's between us and the Japanese is national enmity. Under any circumstances, national hatred would always be greater than grudges. 'Today, for the sake of avenging our country, I've written off all the grudges between you and me. From now on, there's no such ambitious man as Hao Deshan in this world, only the national hero Hao Deshan who avenged our country.'”
"Yes, thank you for not killing me, sir!" Beard, no, he should be called Hao Deshan now. It could be seen that he was also very excited. Those who were close to him could see that his eyes had become watery.
"Kill a few more Japanese for me. Also, come back alive." Sun Lianzhong whispered to him, then turned around and returned to his original position.
"Sir." "Can you give us something we can use?" Hao Deshan spread his hands.”
"What weapon do you use?" Sun Lianzhong asked.
"The one you used just now." Hao Deshan said calmly.
"Alright, I'll give this to you." Sun Lianzhong pulled out his pistol and threw it at him.
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