Volume 1: Turbulent Times Chapter 31: The Oldest in the World

  Lin Hu was loudly speaking nonsense in the front hall, while Zhao Heng, who was hiding behind and eavesdropping, was so angry that his face turned iron blue, his fists clenched and crackling with rage, wishing he could rush out and give this arrogant guy a good beating.

  In the midst of everyone's stunned silence, Lin Hu continued to speak brazenly: "I think this Commander Zhao Hengru is completely replaceable. A person like him doesn't even deserve to be a commander. What is our Eighth Division? It's the backbone of the revolution! If Yuan Shikai has the audacity to betray the country for personal gain, we revolutionary soldiers must rise up and overthrow him! Don't be fooled, my independent regiment will soon set out to Jiangxi as the vanguard of the revolution!"

  "What?!"

  Everyone was shocked at once, and Wang Xiaozhong hastily asked: "Director Lin, has Commander Zhao already approved this departure?"

  "Hmph, does my independent team need Zhao Hengyu's approval to set out? What a joke!" Lin said with a complacent smile, putting on an air of being the best in the world.

  "Director Lin, Director Song has sent a telegram from Beijing. The telegram clearly states that without the orders of the National Assembly, no unit of the KMT revolutionary army is allowed to take action on its own accord. Even for normal troop movements and cooperative defense, each division must report to the Ministry of War for filing. Did your regiment move to Jiangxi without authorization?"

  "Can he represent the revolution just because of Song Jiaoren? How ridiculous! Lin Hu didn't put Song Jiaoren in his eyes at all. In his heart, good friend Li Liejun was a real hero who dared to do and dare to be, and Sun Wen in Japan was far more pure revolutionary pioneer than Song Jiaoren. The chairman of the board of directors, Song Jiaoren, was just a clown who could talk and deceive people, relying on his eloquence to fool everyone, and he had mixed up to this position today. How can he compare with Lin Hu's real achievements in revolution?"

  Moreover, Song Jiaoren's compromise with Yuan Shikai was even more unbearable for Lin Hu, who had always believed that the fall of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic had nothing to do with Yuan Shikai and the Beiyang clique. All the credit went to the Tongmenghui and the KMT. Since it was they who had fought hard to establish this regime, how could they let Yuan Shikai, who had stolen the fruits of the revolution, enjoy the benefits? And monopolize power? Take this opportunity to launch another thunderous revolution, thoroughly eliminate the Beiyang army, and when that happens, wouldn't all of China be under the control of these revolutionary heroes?

  As for the Beiyang Army, Lin Hu, as a brave general, didn't think much of them. During the Xinhai Revolution, he had fought against the Beiyang Army before, and in his opinion, their combat effectiveness was nothing to write home about. If Sun Yat-sen hadn't agreed to the North-South peace talks back then, and both sides hadn't temporarily ceased fire, Lin Hu believed that the revolutionary army could have defeated the Beiyang Army with ease, unifying the country as easily as splitting bamboo.

  "Besides, isn't the Ministry of War still under Yuan Shikai's control? Can our own revolutionary army move without his permission? Must we still obey Yuan Shikai's arrangements? Look, here is a telegram from Li, the governor of Jiangxi. All you fellow revolutionaries, take a good look!"

  Bring out Li Liejun's telegram and slap it on the table. Lin Hu laughed loudly: "General Li will soon lead the army, how can I, Lin, fall behind? You are all revolutionary soldiers, you should respond to President Sun's call for another revolution!"

  "Director Lin, wasn't Li Liejun removed from office by the government and forced to retire in Shanghai after sending a telegram?" Huang Kaiyuan picked up the telegram and examined it carefully, unable to help but ask.

  "Pah! Can the dismissal of a mere Yuan Shikai be counted as an achievement? Who are we revolutionaries opposing this time? It's precisely that national thief Yuan Shikai!" Lin Hu's face turned cold, and he slammed his fist on the table: "Commander Li is our revolutionary army's commander, Jiangxi is our revolutionary party's territory! If those opposition parties weren't afraid of the revolution, why would they resort to such tactics? Hmph, if he thinks that a single dismissal can extinguish the raging flames of our revolution, then he's greatly mistaken! And as for Song Jiaoren and his ilk, ever since going north, they've been colluding with Yuan Shikai, exchanging flirtatious glances... in my opinion, they've long since betrayed the revolution! They're just using the slogan of constitutionalism to conspire with the Beiyang warlords; fundamentally, they can't be trusted!"

  "Lin Hu! How dare you slander Mr. Dun Chu?! You... you bastard!" Tao De Yao had been itching for a fight, his eyes blazing with fury as he grabbed the teacup on the table and hurled it at Lin Hu's head. But Lin Hu was no pushover, having anticipated this move from him. Among the people present, only Tao De Yao was Zhao Heng Yu's loyal confidant, and since he entered, Tao De Yao had been wearing a scowl. In Lin Hu's mind, this loyal dog of Zhao Heng Yu would definitely jump out and bite when cornered. Seeing him suddenly launch an attack, Lin Hu remained calm, dodging the teacup with a cold smile and swiftly kicking back without mercy.

  They clashed in an instant, with Tao De Yao relying on his height and strength to launch a flurry of attacks, like a mad tiger. Lin Hu's movements were agile, but he was at a disadvantage in the confined space of the house, and before he knew it, he had taken a punch to the face. Enraged, he abandoned all technique and pounced on Tao De Yao, wrapping his arms around his waist and slamming him to the ground. In an instant, the two men were rolling around on the floor, tangled in a heap.

  "Brother Tao, Brother Lin, stop! Stop at once!"

  Tao De Yao and Lin Hu got into a fight, with everyone shouting to stop them, but few actually went up to intervene. On the one hand, everyone was fed up with Lin Hu's arrogant attitude and wanted Tao De Yao to teach him a lesson. On the other hand, Tao De Yao wasn't part of their Guangxi clique, so they were happy to watch from the sidelines. It wasn't until Tao and Lin had been punching each other for a while, with both of them getting battered and bruised, that things started to get out of hand. The two men were so angry that they even pulled out guns and were about to start shooting at each other. At this point, three or four people rushed up and forcibly separated them.

  "Pah!" Spitting out blood and water, Taoye with a red and swollen face struggled to jump up and scolded: "What kind of thing is this! All of you get out of the way, this guy doesn't even put Shizuo in his eyes, yet he dares to insult Xunchu, I'll let him know today why the flower is so red!"

  "Does the old master fear you, a Hunanese? Come on! I, Lin Hu, will let you taste what it's like to be radiant with starlight." Lin Hu's hat had long since flown off his head, his uniform was almost torn into rags, and the colors on his face were no less vibrant than Tao De Yao's. He was being held back by Li Shi Mao and a few others, but he still managed to kick off from the ground and fly towards the opponent with a flying kick.

  "It's done! What... what a mess!" Wang Xiaozhong was so angry that his hands were shaking violently as he shouted, and he couldn't help but wonder in his heart why Zhao Heng hadn't returned yet despite the commotion up front. Was he deliberately hiding because of this scene?

  "Director Lin, are you here today to cause trouble or fight? And you, Director Tao, we're all revolutionary comrades, can't we sit down and talk things through?"

  "I have nothing to say to this little man!" Tao De Yao shouted with her eyes wide open.

  "Hmph, just a brainless brute!" Lin Hu retorted without courtesy. Not waiting for Wang Xiaozhuang to persuade him again, he struggled free from Li Shimao's grasp and didn't even glance at Tao Deming as he said: "I, Lin, have nothing to discuss with you people. Honestly, I came here today to replenish ammunition and supplies with Zhao Hengti, but since he's hiding without the guts to see me, I won't wait any longer. I'll just go get them from the warehouse myself! Haha, when my independent regiment arrives in Jiangxi and defeats the Northern Army, we can meet again in Beijing!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Hu adjusted his uniform and turned to leave. At this moment, Zhao Heng's deputy officer suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stretched out his hand to stop him.