Volume 1: First Battle Chapter 20: Ruan Xuanwu

  As soldiers, have we really reached the point where we need to hand over civilians in order to protect ourselves? If that's the case, then what's the point of us being alive?

  Thirty-nine years old, Lu Yanwu, was both a subordinate and a good friend of Zhang Zizhong, but I knew him not because of these.

  The 39th Brigade was a force with 5,000 rifles, 200 light machine guns, eight mountain and mortar guns, totaling over 6,000 people. However, this team did not fire a single shot or kill an enemy before being captured by the Japanese in an organized manner. What's even more heartbreaking is that it wasn't because the soldiers of the 39th Brigade were afraid to die, but rather because their commander was a traitor who used the entire brigade as a gift for the Japanese.

  The course of events was roughly as follows: after Ruan Xianwu learned that the 39th Brigade had been ordered to stay in Beiping, he initially did not want to stay in Beiping and wanted to disobey orders and escape with his troops. However, under strong opposition from his subordinates, he did not leave. What was unexpected was that the officers and men of the 39th Brigade originally wanted to stay in Beiping and die together with Chang Zongzhung, but instead forced Ruan Xianwu to surrender to the Japanese... Ruan Xianwu first let his chief of staff contact the Japanese, then the Japanese army surrounded the military camp without the knowledge of the officers and men of the 39th Brigade. Then Ruan Xianwu ordered the troops to assemble and disarm.

  I knew about this matter, but I had never connected this past event with my current self until the soldiers of the 39th Brigade reminded me and I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat!

  "Brother!" I tried to keep myself calm and said to the deputy officer beside me, "I'd like to see the commander, do you think it can be arranged..."

  "Sorry!" The deputy officer said with some difficulty: "Without an order from the superior, no one dares to take liberties!"

  "We'll probably be handed over to the Japanese by you guys soon!" Upon hearing this, I hastily said: "Can't we even see Master before we die and say a few words?"

  The deputy hesitated again and again, still sighed and shook his head, saying: "Brother, if there's anything to say, let me pass it on! You've made a big mistake this time, even the master can't save you!"

  I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, knowing that the deputy officer thought I wanted to see Zhang Zizhong in order to get him to protect us from death. However, what he didn't think of was that my actions were actually for the sake of the 6,000 plus officers and soldiers of the 39th Division not being captured by the Japanese...

  But now it seems I have no chance to change this history again.

  "Let's wait here!" The deputy stopped in his tracks after turning a corner on the street, lit a cigarette and handed it to me, saying: "If there's anything you want to say or any unfulfilled wishes, brother, I'll do my best to make them happen!"

  I know what the deputy officer means. Later, when the Japanese come up, if Ruan Xuanwu and others have negotiated successfully, it is very likely that we few troublemakers will be handed over to the Japanese for disposal. The cruelty of the Japanese army, we are afraid that not one of us can return alive, and it is even more possible that before death, we will suffer all kinds of abuse...

  "I'm not convinced!" Chen Dalie cursed and said: "Is this like fighting a war? The little devils can kill our people, but we can't kill the little devils? He killed several enemies and was tied up by his own people and sent to the little devils, is there such a thing in the world?"

  "I don't accept it either!" The monkey also cursed: "If we were to die on the battlefield at the hands of the devils, I would have accepted it! But to be tied up and sent over for them to slaughter, what a miserable death!"

  "Sir..." The old squad leader frowned at the deputy officer, "We're all Chinese, why humiliate ourselves like this? If it goes on like this... who'll dare to fight the Japanese again? Without being killed by the enemy, we'll be tied up and taken away by our own people..."

  "I can't make decisions!" The deputy officer interrupted the old squad leader's words, his helpless expression told me that he actually agreed with us, but dared not disobey orders.

  At this time, the sound of Japanese footsteps and shouting came from the other end of the street, followed by Nguyen Xuan Vu using a small horn to shout at the opposite side, but before he could finish two sentences, gunfire and explosions erupted...

  The arrogant little Japanese saw the corpses of the Japanese army all over the ground, and in a fit of rage, he didn't even let Ruan Xuanwu explain anything before starting to fight. But it's also good that it was like this, thinking back afterwards, if at that time the little Japanese had calmly discussed with Ruan Xuanwu, then I and my subordinates would have probably lost our lives!

  As soon as the sound of gunfire was heard, the deputy officer and the soldiers who were escorting us also became flustered, hastily raising their guns to aim at the other side of the street. But before they had time to find a good position and set up their guns, Ruan Xuanwu led his men running back, waving his pistol as he ran and shouting: "Retreat! Retreat... Don't shoot..."

  "What a fool!" Seeing this, I couldn't help but curse in my heart. At this time, he still remembered the order not to fire... The Nationalist Party's troops had such a commander, no wonder they were defeated by the Japanese.

  The deputy officer did his job well, with a wave of his hand, he had his men push us back, and we retreated all the way back to the military camp.

  It should be said that our retreat this time was very dangerous, because Nguyen Xuan Vu was withdrawing while issuing orders not to resist and not to open fire. In other words... if the little Japanese had enough guts, they could have rushed all the way to our military camp and directly attacked our command center.

  But one thing is very clear, Little Japan was also confused by our completely non-resistant withdrawal. They didn't dare to believe that the Chinese army would open the door and let them straight into the capital, so they naturally thought it was a trap set by our army. The battle stopped in half an hour, but the Japanese defense line advanced several streets to the south...

  From this point on, Ruan Xianwu still sang a very successful Empty City Stratagem.

  "What's going on?" We were tied up with ropes and taken back to the barracks, soon attracting the attention of the training team. Before long, Commander Xu, Education Officer and others all gathered around us.

  "It's like this!" The deputy officer explained: "They disobeyed orders and fired at the Japanese army, we were ordered by the brigade to take them into custody!"

  "Grandma!" As soon as he heard this, Chi Pai Zhang stopped responding. He rushed forward and violently pushed the deputy officer with a loud shout: "Have you ever heard of fighting against little Japan and still being arrested? Release him immediately..."

  "Let him go!"

  "Let him go!"

  ……

  The warriors of the military training team heard the wind and surrounded them heavily, the soldiers of the 39th Brigade were not to be outdone and lined up in front, instantly forming two distinct camps in the military camp, and some warriors even loaded their guns...

  Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, a jeep screeched to a halt beside us. Zhang Zizhong jumped out of the car with a furious expression and shouted: "What's going on? The little devils have already reached our doorstep, and you're still bickering amongst yourselves? Put down your guns!"

  Since it was Zhang Zizhong's order, naturally no one dared to disobey, and the two opposing sides put down their weapons and dispersed.

  "What's going on?" Zhang Zizhong walked up with a stern face and glanced at the dozens of us bound soldiers, asking.

  "Attention!" Yan Xuanwu ran up and reported: "These soldiers disobeyed orders and fired at the Japanese army..."

  "Hmm!" Zhang Zizhong furrowed his brow and fell silent.

  After a long time, he walked up to me and asked: "Who fired the first shot?"

  "Who fired first?" I stood up straight and replied: "It was us who opened fire!"

  "Why did you fire?"

  "Officer!" I was about to respond, but before I knew it, the woman we had rescued appeared out of nowhere, disheveled and supporting two children as she walked up to us. With tears streaming down her face, she explained on my behalf: "Officer, these brothers fired at the Japanese in order to save us... You can't blame them for that. If you want to report this to the Japanese, then... then take me instead..."

  At this point, I clearly felt that the woman shuddered, but she still summoned up her courage and continued to say: "Anyway, my mother and son's lives were saved by these brothers, several of them have already sacrificed themselves, I couldn't be so heartless as to let the brothers die for me again... Please, officer, hand me over to the Japanese! I...I won't blame you, really! Please, officer..."

  The camp fell silent, with everyone staring at the blood-soaked and disheveled mother and her two children. Every pair of eyes, including mine and those of my soldiers, shone with guilt and self-reproach.

  As soldiers, have we really reached the point where we need to hand over civilians in order to protect ourselves? If that's truly the case, then what's the point of us being alive?

  "Big brother!" Seeing that everyone was silent, the woman walked up to me with tears streaming down her face and said: "I... I thank you on behalf of my child's father, thank you for avenging him, and also thank you for saving our child. Now I have no other wishes, I only ask that you can take care of my child, raise them until they grow up, and then my child's father and I will be grateful to you from the underworld!"

  With a "thud", she pulled the child to kneel in front of us, and with a bow, the two children also cried on both sides like rain people, I could only see tears swirling in my eye sockets, but I forced myself not to let them fall.

  This is just the ordinary people of this era! The soldiers are not tough enough, and they are the ones who suffer...

  "Big sister, get up!" Zhang Zizhong helped the woman and child to their feet, saying: "Don't worry, we won't hand you over to the Japanese, nor will we hand them over to the Japanese. The children... it's still best for you to take care of them!"

  "Really?" The woman looked at me and then at Zhang Zizhong, seemingly somewhat disbelieving.

  "Uh-huh!" Zhang Zizhong nodded heavily with tears in his eyes and said to the deputy officer beside him, "Take Big Sister down, give her something to eat, and protect her well!"

  "Yes!" The deputy responded and supported the woman and child to leave. Before leaving, the woman looked back at us with a worried look...