Chapter Seventy-two: Farewell Banquet

  More than ten tables filled the entire courtyard, with twenty or so brothers squeezed around each table. Ye Tufei and Peng Youming set up a low table at the entrance of the main hall, where six or seven people gathered in a circle.

  Ye Tu Fei stood up with a wine bowl in his hand.

  But seeing Liu Ye had something to say, the brothers quickly quieted down.

  "Brothers, we've been through thick and thin from Jia's house to here, everyone has worked hard!" Ye Tu Fei raised his wine bowl, "We're able to make it here alive because those brothers who died before us paved the way with their blood. Let's toast to those brothers who took the lead!"

  As he spoke, Ye Tufei took the lead and poured the first bowl of wine onto the ground.

  "This second bowl of wine, I think it should be our bandit brothers who toasted the Communist Party. If it weren't for them back then on Wobu Mountain, we would have starved to death on that barren hill. And later in Jiajiawan, without the Communist Party, where could we have gotten so much ammunition and fought against the Japanese? Come on, brothers, let's toast together to Peng Secretary, Yan Big Brother, Wei Brothers, and all their comrades!"

  Under Ye Tufei's lead, more than 200 brothers of the bandit camp raised their wine bowls to Peng Youming and others.

  Peng Youming and Yan Xiwen hastily stood up with their wine bowls.

  Almost three hundred good men simultaneously raised their necks and drained the wine in their bowls.

  "This third cup of wine, I want to toast is Takahashi Shin!" As soon as this was said, a tumultuous noise erupted, Ye Tufei paused for a moment, waiting for the commotion among the crowd to subside slightly, and then continued: "Indeed, I must toast Takahashi Shin with a cup of wine! It was he who made me understand what it means to be ruthless, it was he who taught me what it means to lose all sense of morality, it was he who showed me what it means to be shameless, it was he who gave me the motivation and goal to keep fighting! Brothers, let's drink this cup of wine and take an oath with me, Ye Tufei!"

  Ye Tufei was the first to drink up the wine in his bowl and heavily set the wine bowl on the low table.

  "I swear to kill Takahashi Shin! I'll avenge my dead brother!"

  Nearly three hundred brothers shouted in unison: "Swear to kill Takahashi Shin! Avenge our fallen brothers!"

  As the voices of his brothers gradually subsided, Ye Tufei spoke out loudly again: "Tonight we'll get drunk and have a good time, tomorrow we'll pack up our belongings and leave for the mountains. From today on, we'll raise the flag of resistance against Japan, and fight to the death with Gao Qiao Xin and those little Japanese!"

  The brothers' hot blood, which had just cooled down a few degrees, was boiling again. Under the leadership of Feng Zhongliang, they shouted in unison: "Fight to the death! Fight to the death!!"

  Ye Tu Fei then picked up the fourth bowl of wine, pulled Zhang Luo Hui to the front of the long table where the brothers of the 258th regiment were seated, and one by one, he clinked bowls with his comrades. Finally, he raised the wine bowl high above his head and shouted: "This fourth bowl of wine, I want to toast the National Army brothers of the 258th regiment! One year ago, we fought side by side on Er Lang Mountain, you Zhang Luo Hui and all the National Army brothers showed me Ye Tu Fei what it means to be a heroic warrior who views death as homecoming. I respect you deeply. However, there is no banquet that does not disperse, tomorrow at dawn will be the time for us brothers to part ways. Come, let's finish this bowl of wine! Though we may take different paths, our hearts will remain undivided, we are forever sworn brothers!"

  Ye Tu Fei suddenly raised his head and poured a bowl of burning wine into his mouth.

  But Zhang Luo Hui and his brother did not move.

  "Sixth Master! You... you don't want us anymore?" Zhang Luohui's voice was trembling, and his eyes were filled with tears.

  Ye Tu Fei wiped the corner of his mouth, erasing the remaining wine stain, and put his arm around Zhang Luo Hui's shoulder, saying: "Good brother, I know what you're thinking, but from now on, Sixth Master's path is not suitable for you!"

  Zhang Luo Hui shook off Ye Tu Fei's arm, pulled out the National Army lieutenant colonel rank badge he had been treasuring from his bosom, and flung it to the ground. With a sobbing tone, he said: "I won't be this battalion commander anymore, nor do I want this lieutenant colonel rank! All I ask is that Sixth Master not make us leave. I've long made up my mind - in life, I'm a bandit's soldier; in death, I'm a bandit's ghost!"

  With Zhang Luo Hui's pleading, Deng Lian Chang led over twenty brothers to shout in unison: "In life we are bandit troops' soldiers, in death we are bandit troops' ghosts! Sixth Master, please take us in!"

  Ye Tu Fei's eyes moistened.

  At this time, Guo Zhonglin stepped forward, he pulled Feng Zhongliang together to Ye Tufei's front, and knelt down with a thud, saying: "Sixth Master! Take them in!"

  Before Ye Tu Fei could react, more than 200 loyal brothers of the Zhong Yi Tang followed Feng and Guo, kneeling down and pleading in unison: "Sixth Master! Take them in!"

  Almost at the same time, Zhang LuoHui and his brothers also knelt down, facing Ye TuFei with tears streaming down their faces, shouting: "Sixth Master, take us in!"

  Ye Tu Fei raised his face, and two big tears rolled down. He took a deep breath twice, then bent down to help Zhang Luo Hui up, and then helped Feng Zhong Liang Guo Zhong Lin up. Then he said to the crowd of brothers: "Get up, brothers, I promised you."

  After all the brothers stood up, Ye Tufei turned around to face Zhang Luohui, his voice was warm but his tone was serious, and said: "Are you willing to join our Zhongyitang?"

  Zhang Luohui was about to kneel again, but was held up by Ye Tufei.

  "I'm willing, of course I am!"

  Ye Tu Fei nodded slightly and suddenly shouted loudly: "Zhang Luo Hui, listen up!"

  Zhang Luohui suddenly stiffened and stood up straight.

  "You are the 733rd brother of our Zhongyitang, and other brothers can infer from this. Due to current circumstances, I cannot set up a ancestral hall for you today. Another day, when we arrive at Erlang Mountain, I, Ye Tufei, will definitely gather all the heroes from various rivers and lakes as witnesses and formally establish an ancestral hall to accept you as brothers!"

  Zhang Luo Hui then picked up his wine bowl and stood on the bench with his brothers from the old 258 Brigade.

  "From now on, I, Zhang Luohui, you brothers call me Big Gray Mule, and we old National Army brothers are all people of the Zhongyitang, are all soldiers of the bandit camp, are all brothers under Liu Ye's command." As he spoke, Zhang Luohui bent down to pick up a wine jug and shouted loudly: "I'm happy, I'm too happy! I want to drink three big bowls in one go! All you brothers of Gray Mule, raise your cups and let's drink together with me, three big bowls!"

  There was such a result, and no unhappy brothers, including Feng Zhongliang and Guo Zhonglin, all shouted and raised their wine bowls.

  Ye Tu Fei was even more outrageous, he actually picked up a wine jug that was still half full, jumped onto the table and shouted loudly: "What are you waiting for? Drink!"

  Affected by Ye Tufei, Zhang Luohui simply threw away his wine bowl and also picked up the wine jug to drink with Ye Tufei.

  The liquor's degree is not low, and the wine jar's capacity is not small. Drinking like this against the wine jar, although a small half of the wine will be spilled outside, but what goes into the belly is absolutely no less than one or two catties.

  The wine jar was empty, and the two men looked at each other and laughed. Ye Tufei pointed at Zhang Luohui and said: "Grey Donkey is indeed not ordinary, able to drink with me Ye Tufei like this, in Zhongyitang there's only you!"

  Zhang Luohui's face turned red, and he smiled foolishly. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt a churning in his stomach, and before he could hold it back, the wine he had just drunk spewed out of his mouth.

  Ye Tufei burst out laughing and ordered Deng Lianchang and several others to hurry up and support Zhang Luohui to the side to vomit comfortably. Then he said to the brothers: "Brothers, eat to your heart's content, drink to your heart's content, we'll have meat till we're full, wine till we're drunk, no time limit, want to do whatever with whoever!"

  After finishing speaking, Ye Tuofei jumped down from the long table and returned to the low table in front of the main hall door.

  Peng Youming smiled and walked towards Ye Tufei with a wine bowl, saying: "Brother Ye is indeed generous! I, Peng Youming, know that my drinking capacity is shallow, so I don't dare to show off in front of Brother Ye. Let's just drink first as a sign of respect, Brother Ye, please help yourself!"

  Peng Youming finished speaking, tilted his head back and drained the glass.

  Ye Tu Fei wouldn't show weakness either, and finished his bowl as well.

  Yan Xiwen poured them a drink and said, "I was worried that Ye Liu would use the wheel war tactic on us, but it turns out we're the ones using it on him. However, Ye Liu has a huge capacity for liquor, and we're just a few small-time thieves in the wine industry, no match for him at all. Let's just drink our wheels then!"

  As he spoke, Yan Xiwen held up his wine bowl and clinked it against Ye Tufei's.

  Ye Tufei smiled and downed his drink in one gulp once again.

  The third round was to Wei Xiangdong, who only poured a small half bowl for Ye Tufei, and then said: "If I had met Sixth Master a few years earlier, then I, Wei Xiangdong, would also be a brother of the Zhongyitang!"

  Ye Tu Fei picked up the wine jug, filled his own bowl to the brim, clinked it with Wei Xiang Dong's and downed it in one gulp. "Aren't you afraid that Director Peng will spank your butt for talking like this?"

  Yan Xiwen's eyes widened, interrupting to say: "What are you afraid of? What Xiao Wei said must have hit Secretary Peng right in the heart, isn't that so, Old Peng?"

  Peng Youming's capacity for liquor was indeed not good, having only drunk two bowls of wine, his face was already red and his ears were burning. He laughed and picked up the wine bowl, facing Yan Xiwen, saying: "As a man, it is inevitable to have a Jianghu dream, eating big chunks of meat, drinking big bowls of wine, enjoying the pleasure of revenge, let alone Xiao Wei, even I, Peng Youming, if I were twenty years younger, who knows, maybe I would have followed Liu Ye up the mountain!"

  Yan Xiwen took a sip with Peng Youming, put down the wine bowl and said: "Speaking of going up the mountain, I think we are quite like Ye Liu Ye, didn't our Communist Party team also come out from the mountains?"

  Wei Dong poured wine for himself and Ye Tufei, then said: "Actually, in the eyes of Director Chiang, we are all the same kind of people, bandits. Ye Liu is a local bandit, and what about us? Red bandits! Haha, just different colors!"

  Peng Youming glanced at Ye Tufei and said: "I believe in Ye Liu Ye, he will have a day when he changes the color of his team!"

  Ye Tu Fei raised his wine bowl and nodded at the three of them, saying: "I toast to you three!"

  After putting down the wine bowl, Ye Tufei said: "Although the color is a bit different now, it's not that big of a deal, are we all not beating up little Japan? Secretary Peng, I understand what you mean, but I also hope you can understand my difficulties. It's not that I, Ye Tufei, am unwilling to join you, but rather you're too demanding, and you're the ones who don't want to accept me, Ye Tufei!"

  Peng Youming and Yan Xiwen already knew the ins and outs of the matter. The two exchanged a brief glance, then Yan Xiwen explained: "Young Ye, they don't understand you, so they have misunderstandings about you. However, Peng and I do understand you. To be honest, since they don't want you, Peng and I are secretly delighted!"