Chapter 58: An Urgent Letter

  The new recruit company was disbanded. All the new recruits were reassigned to other companies.

  Li Guoting and Ma Fei were both assigned to the 2nd Battalion 3rd Company. Zhao Erhu was assigned to the 3rd Battalion 1st Company.

  Ma Fei served as a squad leader in the third company of the second battalion.

  Li Guoting was a class monitor in the second row.

  Zhao Erhuo served as a soldier in the first company of the third battalion.

  The second battalion commander was promoted by Commander Ye, a native of Hubei Province. He is around thirty years old and named Huang Xian. He has a tall and robust build, with a loud and clear voice. However, he has a quick temper. Nevertheless, it's said that he has a unique way of fighting and has gained the appreciation of Commander Ye. He is also the only battalion-level officer in Commander Ye's unit who is not from Shandong Province. The other two battalion commanders are trusted subordinates brought by Commander Ye from Shandong.

  Li Guoting and Ma Fei's platoon was the vanguard of this battalion. Every time they went out, this platoon would take the lead. The platoon leader was a Sichuan-born military academy graduate. It is said that he had not been in the army for long after graduating from the military academy. He was one of the five military academy graduates who were specially brought by Commander Ye from the headquarters. He was very young, only 22 years old, and his height was 1.8 meters. His body was strong and robust. He spoke slowly and calmly, with a hint of effeminacy in his tone. The soldiers behind his back called him "Niang Niang Lian Zhang" (Effeminate Platoon Leader).

  Li Guoting and Ma Fei had just been assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Company when Wu Peifu, who had recently gone into retirement after the Second Zhili-Fengtian War, quickly re-emerged under the protection of Zhao Hengxi, Hunan military governor, and once again took up the post of commander-in-chief of the joint defense of the four provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Guizhou. Soon after, he was publicly elected as the commander-in-chief of the joint defense of the seven provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Henan, Shaanxi and Shanxi. He then took up the post of Commander-in-Chief for Bandit Suppression in 14 Provinces in Wuhan.

  Wu Peifu, who had just become the commander-in-chief of the seven provinces' bandit-suppressing army in Wuhan, was eager to show off his ambition to the fourteen provincial warlords who supported him. He immediately sent a telegram nationwide, declaring that he would "once again compete with all the heroes of the world".

  The situation in Wuhan suddenly became tense. Many more soldiers and police appeared on the streets, and some sections were even placed under martial law. The entire Leaf Brigade of the Garrison Command was dispatched to defend Junshan Town south of Hankou. The brigade headquarters was stationed in Junshan Town. Li Guoting and Ma Fei's two regiments were quartered in Changshan Village, not far from Junshan Town. Zhao Erhu's third regiment was stationed in the Fengjiawu area to the east. It is said that transferring part of the garrison command's forces to the combat reserve team was a reluctant move by Wu Peifu, who felt that his forces were insufficient and had to reduce local security troops to expand military combat units.

  Just after the second camp was stationed for a short time, one evening, Ye Xinyi suddenly had someone send Ma Fei an urgent letter.

  Ma Fei tore open the express letter, and a line of familiar delicate font appeared before his eyes:

  Ma Fei:

  It's urgent. After receiving the letter, you must come to Tongsheng Teahouse in Junshan Town tomorrow morning at sunrise. There is something important to tell you.

  Must! Must!

  Admire

  There is no date and time written below.

  After reading Ye Xinyi's letter, Ma Fei didn't sleep all night. He kept guessing the meaning of this urgent letter, feeling anxious and uneasy, and spent a terrible night. The next morning, he asked Lian Zhang for leave, saying that he wanted to go to Junshan Town to pick up friends from afar. Lian Zhang did not stop him and gave him a day off.

  He received the order from Lian Chang. Ma Fei finally felt relieved, he led his war horse, mounted it, and rushed to Junshan Town with a whip.

  When the sun climbed up the eastern sky, Ma Fei arrived at Junshan Town.

  According to the address mentioned in Ye Xinyi's letter, Ma Fei found that Tong Sheng Tea House.

  Tong Sheng Tea House is located on the west side of the town, adjacent to the town hall. It's a distance from the police station. This is an old-fashioned street house converted into a tea house. The three rooms along the street have a unified facade. Further inside, there is a courtyard with a open-air teahouse. The place is very large, with seventeen or eighteen square tables arranged inside. Each table has four long benches. Near the inner row of tea tables, each table is separated by a screen.

  As soon as Ma Fei entered the teahouse, he heard someone inside urgently calling him: "Ma Fei, Ma Fei."

  Ma Fei heard it and knew he was being called by Ye Xinyi, so he quickly raised his head to look for her and saw that she was sitting in the teahouse. He then hurried over to her.

  The tea house in the morning. It had just opened and there were no customers yet, so the only people in the tea house were the owner, a few busy waiters, Ye Xinyi and Ma Fei.

  Ye Xinyi saw Ma Fei come to her front, excitedly went forward and hugged Ma Fei. Ma Fei took a sneak peek at the teahouse and found that except for the boss sitting at the counter with an old flower mirror, lowering his head to calculate the abacus, all the other shop assistants had gone out. No one was watching them.

  Ma Fei hugged Ye Xinyi reassuringly and asked urgently: "Xinyi, what happened? Why did you send for me so hastily?"

  Ye Xinyi released her grip on Ma Fei's hands and said: "Something big has happened. Aren't you anxious?"

  Ma Fei immediately let go of his hug with Ye Xinyi and they sat down. Ma Fei asked, "What's the big deal? Did General Wu suffer a defeat?"

  "What's this? This matter is even bigger than Wu Da Shuai losing a battle. It's about the two of us." Ye Xinyi said.

  "What about us? What about us?" Ma Fei asked in confusion.

  "Yesterday, my father said that Commander Wu has found someone to look at the auspicious day and wants me to marry his son next week." Ye Xinyi said with a worried expression.

  "What? Next week? And that big fool Wu Dacheng is getting married?" Ma Fei stared at Ye Xinyi in surprise and asked.

  "Or else, they wouldn't be in such a hurry to find you," Ye Xinyi said.

  Just then, a shop assistant brought them a pot of tea and turned to leave.

  Ma Fei turned his face, carefully glanced into the teahouse, and didn't see any customers coming in. The large teahouse was still empty. Ma Fei turned back, nervously asking: "Xin Yi, what do you mean?"

  "What? What does it mean? I don't have any idea at all right now." said Ye Xinyi.

  "Can't marry him, absolutely can't." Ma Fei said.

  "It's easy for you to say. There is only one week left. We can't think of a way out. I'm going to be taken away by the Wu family." Ye Xinyi said sorrowfully.

  Ma Fei's eyes rolled around and he said: "Xin Yi, otherwise I'll go to Commander Ye's place, explain our relationship to him, and ask him to marry you off to me."

  "You're talking nonsense. Don't you know my dad's temper? If he finds out I'm pregnant with your...your..." Yexinyi's face turned red, she was too embarrassed to continue and lowered her head.

  "What's with me?" Ma Fei didn't understand yet and asked hurriedly.

  Ye Xinyi blushed and lifted her head, saying to Ma Fei: "I'm pregnant with your child."

  "Ah, is this true?" Ma Fei's heart was both shocked and delighted when Ye Xinyi told him. He hastily asked.

  "That can't be fake. Look, her belly..." Ye Xinyi said, awkwardly sticking out her stomach towards Ma Fei's face. Her stomach was starting to bulge, although not very noticeably, but upon closer inspection, it could still be made out.

  At this, Ma Fei was really anxious. He suddenly stood up from the stool, thought for a moment and said: "Xin Yi, since you have my child, I must not let Wu Da Cheng take you away. I, Ma Fei, am a man of my word. I will definitely stop Wu Da Cheng from marrying you."

  Ye Xinyi asked with a skeptical tone, "Ma Fei, isn't Wu Dacheng's father your commander? Even my father doesn't dare to offend him. How can you, a small squad leader, stop him?"

  Ma Fei stretched out his hand and grasped Ye Xinyi's hand, confidently saying to Ye Xinyi: "Xinyi, don't worry. I, Ma Fei, will not do something if it's not well thought out. I already have a plan. I'll make sure Wu Dacheng will never be able to marry you."

  "What can you do?" Ye Xinyi still didn't believe it and asked again.

  "Mind your own business, you don't need to ask. In two days, you'll know. Go back home now and stay there for the next two days. Just wait for my good news."

  As he was about to leave, Ma Fei instructed Ye Xinyi not to tell anyone whether she heard good news or bad news. After finishing speaking, Ma Fei bid farewell to Ye Xinyi and under her watchful eyes, mounted his own warhorse and galloped away.