Chapter 63

  He finally replied, "Our military supply officer has a little wife in Zhen'da."

  I and Ah Yi both stood still, that guy's feet were like the wind, a broken car even rushed out a short distance, after swallowing this strange thing, we chased up again.

  "What's going on? Chairman? What's going on?" A Yi asked repeatedly.

  "It's over! Trouble is coming! Little Japan has fallen in love with China's Thirty-Six Stratagems, now they're building defenses just to make us comfortable, and Chinese people love comfort - it's a contagious disease! I've been infected by you all into thinking that little Japan will still give us some time! Openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Wei River!"

  "I shouted loudly: 'Now even fools know! What are you going to do?'"

  "Get back! Get back! How am I supposed to know what to do?!"

  So I and Ah Yi stared at each other in dismay, following his broken car as it sped away.

  Going back is thinking of returning to this guy's side, feeling safe with him by our side. But once we return to his side, we immediately realize that there is no safety to be spoken of when we are with him.

  The guys who helped Mí Lóng move house are still on the side of the road, amazingly Mí Lóng is still lying in bed, and even more amazingly his wife is still accompanying him. The view from this place can see all the way to the mountainside, a group of idiots are distinguishing the direction of the artillery fire in that scenery.

  Leng Huang's face was still pressed against the window, and he said to Mi Long, "Fire the cannon, General."

  The dragon god said calmly: "The sky hasn't fallen yet. Even if it did, you'd be the one to die outside your own door."

  Leng Huang's face wasn't good either, "Then I'll leave that life-saving thing for you to use."

  "I don't need that. When I'm alive, I want to live in a good house; when I die, just wrap me in a straw mat and bury me."

  "Then continue."

  "The turtle is out of reach."

  At this time, I was desperately pedaling a broken bike, and A-Yue and I were running for our lives, shouting all the way down from the top of the slope.

  "What's going on here? Are you still moving house? Move your turtle shell! Mi Long, why did you get such a big bed, do you want everyone to sleep with you?"

  "Shi's unit is under artillery fire!"

  Die, die, it's a blessing in disguise! "Let them be off guard and find such an eye-catching place! - Go! Follow me to fight! Dragon rolls out of bed! Put down your penis and pick up the debt book, it's time to collect debts!"

  We whizzed past, the chaotic scene was even more intense than charging into the South Heavenly Gate. As a result, Mi Long was left stunned on the bed, he gazed at the cannon fire, at us, at him thinking of his house, at the furniture we had thrown all over the floor, and finally at his wife.

  "Alright! I didn't ask the Japanese to kill me and come back to continue playing with you!" After saying that to Leng Huanglian, Mí Lóng said to his wife, "You too."

  "......A thousand-year-old turtle, an eight-thousand-year-old tortoise! Thanks for the birthday wishes!" He finished shouting and then told his wife, "I'm going to do my own thing now."

  The dragon's wife reminded him: "Don't rush forward too much, that's not worth it for your brother."

  "Hmm hmm."

  He responded with his mouth but ran with all his heart. There is a later idiom that means "the latter surpasses the former".

  The bean pancake is still there, dead as ever, only because the dragon ran away. It's no longer that strong.

  "Brother Longwang? Brother Longwang?!"

  "Fight the devils! Fight the devils!" Ming Long shouted.

  Then the bean pancake flipped over and ran after him. He ran, the door opened, and Leng Huang's face stood in the doorway, with a small table set up in the doorway, he really made two dishes.

  The wife of the dragon can only gaze out at the figure merging into the distance, heading straight to the east bank of the Nujiang River, where the city outskirts blend into endless blue skies and green fields.

  We rushed chaotically from Zenda Street. We weren't the most chaotic group, there were many soldiers running too, they had guns, we didn't have guns, but we still had a dead fly head, they were headless flies.

  "Ah, I recognize him," said Ah Yi, "He's one of the soldiers guarding the eastern shore!"

  "Has the Japanese army crossed the river?"

  The soldier shouted: "Come on! Run east!"

  I've got his number all right. "What are you asking? He's from the Imperial Guard!" I found another soldier, "Are you from the Eastern Shore?"

  The soldier replied: "Yes, we've had enough of this beating."

  "Have the Japanese troops crossed the river?"

  "The headquarters has been occupied! Run north!"

  "Where is Yu Shi's seat?"

  "He's dead!"

  "Stop asking! Go back to your group!"

  His old car was rattling so hard it seemed like it was going to take off. We were also too exhausted to muster up any energy, not even enough to curse him out.

  Machine guns were mounted at the entrance of the shelter, as if facing a great enemy, but the muzzles seemed to be pointing at the soldiers who had escaped from outside the shelter. Luo Jinsheng didn't go to help Mielong move house, he sat firmly on the machine gun, exuding an aura of killing intent. Gou Rou had arrived early and was squatting at the entrance, calm and composed.

  He died, he died, one car arrived first, we half-deadly chased after. He stopped the car, put on the helmet - that is, buckled it to his head, and abandoned the car on the spot.

  Then he asked while fastening his seatbelt: "Is anyone going to run?"

  "Affirmative! We've suppressed them!"

  He died and died, tidying up his clothes that were in disarray due to the unspeakable matter, while heading into the courtyard, "Fall in! The whole team assemble!"

  "Team leader! Yu Shi has died!"

  His expression and the expressions of those who ran over one after another all indicate one thing. We also want to join that group of soldiers rushing around.

  Die die waving goodbye: "Check again."

  Luojinsheng pulled the machine gun bolt and aimed at a group of soldiers who were running out of the reception station. "Hey! Where is Yu Shi?"

  "The Japanese killed him with their first shot!"

  We just watched him, waiting for a conclusion. The guy's expression was very strange, not sad at all, but rather like he couldn't decide whether to force himself to be happy or pretend to be sad, which made his face twisted in a way that was quite embarrassing. In the end, he decided to do nothing, "Let's go! Let's go! Gather everyone! How can soldiers get killed in their own nest?"

  We looked at each other in dismay.

  "Are we gathering again?" I asked.

  "I've just received news that Yu Shi's troops have already crossed the Nujiang River, annihilating 20,000 enemies and are now leading his elite soldiers to launch a surprise attack on Mi Zhi Na!"

  We looked at each other in dismay, staring at him as if he were a madman.

  "......This can't be possible." A Yi was very skeptical.

  "Why believe the worst when you don't even trust the best?" Dead, dead, it seems like I'm going to slap myself in the face, "I actually believed that the Japanese would let me safely pull out a unit and then attack again!"

  "We're just a motley crew, more than half of us don't have guns, and more than half of those who do have never even held one." I said.

  Die, die, also a bit helpless. Looking at us, and then looking at the fleeing soldiers who had been shouting outside our refugee camp, he said: "Put down their guns!"

  Then our heavy machine gunner pulled the trigger of the Maxim gun again, "Bang! Those who want to escape will throw down eight and a half li!"

  I and Ah Yi were among a group of old soldiers trying to get our five hundred or so men into some sort of formation, but it was almost futile.

  The fleeing soldiers were intercepted by us and threw down their guns, which gradually formed a small pile.

  He was busy tying himself up like a gun rack, while shouting at us: "Get in line and go pick up your guns! Forty rounds of ammunition per person!"

  The dragon rushed back at him and roared: "We only have three kinds of bullets! The guns we captured are seven or eight kinds!"

  "Then let's fight on the road again!"

  The dog looked just as fierce and pounced on this one and that one with great momentum, and more than one person was knocked to the ground by it.

  He's already been shot at Nujiang, but I'm sure he was overjoyed when he heard Yu Xiaoqing had died. He was yelling at those cannon fodder soldiers who were about to be executed after just a few days of eating their fill, and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of relationship he had with Yu Xiaoqing.

  Our ragtag team marched on the streets of Chandara. The civilians had long since hidden, and all that could be seen were fleeing soldiers running in all directions without any order. Our motley crew pushed forward on the streets, squeezing past the retreating soldiers who came face to face with us.

  The dragon took back his machine gun, this time a 7.92 Czech-made one, and Dou Bing was carrying a large pile of spare parts and ammunition behind him, panting heavily. Hao Shouyi carried three medical boxes on his back. Longmen Xing carried a machete. Nala had tied long-handled hand grenades to her body with ropes and equipment, just like she did at the South Tian Gate - whether we liked it or not, our memories of war were reviving.

  He's dead, he's dead, Xiao Ling must be delighted. Now he doesn't have to wait for orders anymore, we dozens of veterans, dragging along hundreds of new recruits, carrying the unwieldy Maxim guns and mismatched rifles and bullets. Advance towards the eastern shore of the river - this is the order from Xiao Ling.

  I whispered, my voice trembling with rage: "Are you going to try Nan Tian Men again? Yu Xiaoqing is dead, can you alone defeat the Japanese army with this pile of junk and drive them back to the west coast?"

  "Don't always remember Yu Xiaoqing, he's just a commodity to you. If you die, it's no big deal, if Yu Xiaoqing dies, it's also no big deal. You're still you." Dead or dead, that's what they say.

  A Yi said: "There are too many people running away. Now I'm afraid half of the troops have run away. In this way, when we arrive at the river defense line, we will probably become eggs hitting a rock."

  "This reminded Della Della, 'Disperse, block the street. Whoever wants to escape from us again, open fire.'"

  We all fell silent at once, and no one went to issue his order.

  "Die, die, die! One who flees can drag down ten others, and ten can drag down a hundred! Do you know why we always lose battles? In the end, the Japanese army will point at our corpses and say, 'This is an army made of sand!'"

  We didn't move.

  We know too well. Because usually we just run in the opposite direction when he wants us to point guns at each other.

  "Get me a roadblock! First squad, load up!"

  We scattered and climbed up the slope. But we held our rifles with bayonets like fire tongs. The fleeing soldiers were still surging towards us, trying to squeeze out a way of life from among us.

  We didn't fire a shot, but suddenly two shots were fired at their heads with a loud bang.

  "Fall back one step, no discussion! Yu Xiaoqing is dead! Turn around! The Sichuan Army Corps will take charge of the counterattack!"

  He immediately came back, "Damn the Sichuan Army!" Two shots flew over our heads with a loud bang. We returned fire with two shots as well. With a loud boom, we raised our guns, but only one shot was fired - it pierced through the forehead of the enemy soldier who had opened fire.

  We looked at the dying soldier opposite us, his gun had fallen away from him, he was being supported by several comrades, with a bullet hole in his forehead, staring at us.

  The dragon immediately fired his machine gun into the air, creating a loud noise and causing the people around him to dodge and retreat as the hot shell casings fell to the ground.

  "Everyone's going crazy! This lunatic is killing me!" Longwang yelled.

  The routed soldiers retreated in surprise, and the soldier who had been shot lost his support and fell straight to the ground. Ming Long did not want to look at him, because he was the sheep egg son who had been beaten by him and had not gone to Myanmar.

  "Die, die! You routed soldiers, listen: Yu Xiaoqing's command was not proper, and his death is not worth mourning. But you're running around in disarray, scattering your formation - are you going to come back to the mountains again? Turn back! The Sichuan army will hold the fort, watch how we fight before deciding whether to advance or retreat."

  That side was silent, it's unknown whether they were moved by him or intimidated by our street array of gun muzzles, this is unknowable, because the burst of heavy machine gun bullets shot out from the diagonal direction shattered the roof tiles above us, both sides retreated backwards, such rapid fire doesn't spare anyone.

  A jeep emerged from the narrow alley, I don't know what shortcut it took to squeeze into that one-lane path. Yu Xiaoqing stood on the car, holding the Browning M1919 machine gun mounted on the vehicle, while Zhang Lixian and He Shuguang guarded him in all directions. The four trusted men had seven or eight guns pointed at their backs, ready to fire bullets at any moment.

  "He said eight words, I'll add the rest. Take a step back. No need to argue about who wins or loses," Yu Xiaoqing said.

  I realized something, in the eyes of Yu Shi's direct descendants, Yu Xiaoqing's prestige is far higher than that of the dead. For us, it's a waste of words to talk about his prestige, but for Yu Xiaoqing, from the moment he appeared, a buzzing sound spread among the fleeing soldiers, and the guys who were just escaping with their lives now had a radiant glow on their faces.

  Yu Xiaoqing didn't waste any more words, "Zhang Lixian, He Shuguang, go and lead them in a counterattack."

  Those two were quick to get away, they got off the car and waved goodbye, all the defeated soldiers on the street followed them, except for Sheep's Egg who didn't move. Then Yu Xiaoqing was left standing on the car looking at us, he was leaning against the machine gun, so the muzzle seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally pointing at us. We were a bit better off, anyway Yu Xiaoqing didn't even bother to look at us, poor Sheep's Egg looked embarrassed after being stared at by him.

  Yu Xiaoqing asked: "What were you yelling about just now?"

  "The KMT counterattacks."

  "You have the courage to go against the tide, and also the luck of having a boat loaded with wine. You've managed to become a person who is so unlucky. Why not make some quick money?"

  Yu Shi's death was a sacrifice for the country," said Dielala with shameless drool, "Fortunately, it was just a rumor."

  "I was originally going to die anyway. It's a pity to say that my command was wrong."

  He smiled ambiguously and said, "Master has been busy with the same thing as me recently, right?"

  "What are you busy with? Patching things up? Cheating and deceiving? Bullying and being cruel? Digging a hole in someone's wall?" Yu Xiaoqing had an expression that said "Do you think I don't know?", "I'm not talented enough for this."

  "Ah, it's all just trivial matters of making a living," said Si La Si La. "Of course, Master Yu would do things in a more elegant way." Yu Xiaoqing's face had already turned quite ugly. So Si La Si La changed his tune: "I'm really an idiot! I saw the Japanese building defenses on the other side and got all excited, thinking that this time they'd let me train my troops for a whole year and make them strong and powerful. But in the end, they just lured us into digging our graves and cooking our meals, and then suddenly attacked! This cheap trick has been used from Northeast to Southwest! And the cheapest of all is me, actually falling for it!"

  Yu Xiaoqing gazed at him coldly, the little clown-like figure beating himself to death, and Yu Xiaoqing watched him with an inscrutable expression.

  "The most despicable one is still me, not only was I deceived, but also scolded as a bald thief along with the monk." Yu Xiaoqing said.

  Die lah die lah, don't laugh so shamelessly. "Our people love comfort too much, without comfort they complain to the heavens. Even someone as talented as Master Shi can't escape this."

  "Thanks for the bitter medicine. Is there more?"

  "And also, Teacher is just too amazing."

  "I'm in a terrible mood now, and I'll slap anyone who tries to flatter me." Yu Xiaoqing said expressionlessly.

  "Dead, dead, I say: 'General Yue, a hero indeed, but he's dead, and the Yue Family Army has scattered. Your troops are fierce and powerful, but upon hearing rumors of your martyrdom, they fled in disarray. If you show your face, you can turn the tide, but if not, it will be like trying to hold back a flood with a single hand. Such a commander is like a house made of paper. The rain from Mount Zhen is heavy. General, speaking to you like this, both of us are exhausted.'"

  His tone of speaking really made us sweat, because it was as if he was talking to us with a lack of virtue. Yu Zhi and Li Bing almost stared him to death. Yu Xiaoqing hesitated for a moment, then got off the carriage, giving up the height that was higher than the entire car by more than half a foot.