Chapter 5 Comforting the Garrison Troops

  Huxi Middle School is located in the southern suburbs of Nancheng. It was founded by Duan Naiwen, who was also its first principal.

  Mr. Duan returned to his hometown after the Lugou Bridge Incident and began brewing plans to use his knowledge to educate local students, allowing them to rescue the country from disaster through education. After many days of hard work, running around and calling out, he finally borrowed a long-abandoned barracks in Liujiagang, south of the county seat, as a school building. He also donated his own property to repair the school building and purchase teaching materials. Thus, "Hunan Private Huxi Temporary Middle School" was formally established with the goal of "resisting Japan and cultivating talent". Later, it was approved by the Hunan Provincial Department of Education and officially renamed "Hunan Private Huxi Primary Middle School".

  Principal Duan personally wrote the school motto in regular script: Gong Cheng Qin Yong. These four powerful and majestic big characters are posted in front of every classroom, constantly reminding students of themselves.

  The environment is pleasant, with several large trees surrounding the classroom. In front of the classroom is a playground, and next to it is a road that leads directly to the embankment. Under the embankment is the Tuo River, which nourishes the people on both banks and flows tirelessly day and night. Not far from the school, a Spanish-style church stands out prominently. The light rain falls, and the entire campus is shrouded in a gray misty color, looking like a dense watercolor sketch from afar, condensing the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan.

  The bell rang for class dismissal.

  "Lu Gang, Li Xiaolin, Cao Qingman, please come to my office after class." Teacher Yang stood on the podium, collecting his teaching materials without even looking up as he called out their names.

  Mr. Yang is over thirty, looking a bit mature, with a rather comical appearance, short and shallow hair, thick and long eyebrows, but his eyes are too small, and his nostrils are slightly upturned, as the people in the lake area say "朝天鼻" (upward nose). His looks are not worth complimenting. If he weren't standing on the podium or in school, nobody would know he's a teacher. He's not a local, from Sichuan, and has studied abroad in Japan.

  Lu Gong likes his class, especially the national language is very good, he is a respected teacher. Teacher Yang also likes him very much and often talks to him about domestic and international situations.

  Teacher Yang likes him for a reason. Because of a book.

  One day at noon, after lunch, Lu Gong and Li Xiaolin came to the woods behind the classroom, chose a dense thicket and crawled in, arriving at a clearing that was neither big nor small. They carefully looked around the surroundings, with only the wind rustling through the leaves of the surrounding trees. Lu Gong eagerly pulled out the book, still warm from his body, from his waistband and began to read it shoulder-to-shoulder with Li Xiaolin. As they read on, they couldn't help but recite aloud: "…The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles…"

  "Good." The voice was not loud, but it was like a thunderclap behind them, startling the book out of their hands. As they prepared to run out of the thicket, two people were caught by a pair of strong big hands. Lu Gang reacted quickly and saw his right hand make a reverse pull, slamming the person's head backwards with great force, sending him crashing heavily onto the fallen leaves. Lu Gang didn't know what had happened until he looked back and saw that it was his respected teacher Yang, and he knew he was in big trouble. Xiao Lin also looked terrified. Oh no, they had slammed their teacher to the ground like this, how could they still show their faces? The two of them stood there, unsure whether to leave or stay, when Teacher Yang struggled several times to get up from the ground but failed, groaning and grimacing in pain, his face twisted in agony.

  "Ke Laozi's, are you still standing there? Hurry up and help me get up." He then grunted again.

  Lu Gang and Xiao Lin finally came to their senses, went forward to help Teacher Yang up, patted the dry leaves and grass on Teacher Yang's cotton jacket, and apologized repeatedly. Lu Gang held down Teacher Yang's neck with one hand, and with the other hand, he gently kicked the book at his feet towards Xiao Lin, using his eyes to signal Xiao Lin to pick it up. Xiao Lin understood and was about to bend down to pick it up when he was stepped on by Teacher Yang's foot, this time it was Xiao Lin's turn to grit his teeth.

  "Bring it over." Teacher Yang called out softly.

  Kobayashi looked up at Teacher Yang with a silly grin, pointing to his feet. Teacher Yang smiled and looked down at the book cover on the floor, but immediately became serious again.

  "Alright, you guys don't even read your textbooks properly, yet you run here to read this kind of trashy book." Teacher Yang scolded intentionally.

  "Teacher, this isn't a twisted book!" Lu Gong retorted.

  "What's wrong with it?" Teacher Yang pretended to be angry, but was actually delighted: "Tell me, what's wrong with it?"

  Kobayashi saw Yang Laoshi get angry, and was a bit intimidated. Lu Gong wasn't afraid, stiffening his neck to say: "Yang Laoshi, aren't you always saying that students should learn by reading extensively and broadly to cultivate their minds, and expand their knowledge to create a new world? I think this book isn't bad."

  "No, there's nothing wrong with that. The first sentence, I already like it. A specter, the specter of communism, is haunting Europe, how romantic." said Kobayashi. He paused for a moment and then continued: "But where's the good part, I don't know either."

  "It is good that its spirit still inspires and drives the civilized world, the organized proletariat in its struggle. It is a book that every conscious worker must read." This was said by Lenin.

  Lenin? Don't know. Lu Gong and Xiao Lin said they don't recognize him.

  "The October Revolution of Lenin brought Marxism to China with a single shot, he was the leader of the proletariat in the Soviet Union, bordering Heilongjiang Province in China." said Mr. Yang.

  Lu Gong said: "This book, I've made up my mind, it won't be wrong, will it, Teacher Yang?"

  Mr. Yang smiled, a genuine smile, a kind smile, a friendly smile, and walked out of the woods with his hands on their shoulders while smiling.

  "Do you know what communism is?" asked Teacher Yang as he walked along.

  "I don't know." Lu Gang replied honestly, while Li Xiaolin shook her head.

  "Communism is to seek liberation for the toiling masses under heaven. The current task of the Communist Party of China is to drive Japanese imperialism back into the ocean, never again allowing the Japanese devils to bully us Chinese people, and enabling the Chinese people to live happy and peaceful lives, with everyone having food to eat, clothes to wear, books to read, and work to do."

  "Good heavens, I'll be too happy then!" Little Lin couldn't help but exclaim loudly. Lu Gan slapped him on the head: "What are you yelling about, it's just your happiness."

  "However, since you skipped class today, I have to punish you and let you know the serious consequences of not following discipline. After the last class, go to the playground on your own initiative to do some reflection."

  What is known as "penalty sitting" is actually making students sit on a brick standing upright on the playground, with only one buttock sitting down, but both buttocks can be swapped left and right. For the time of one class period. Regardless of spring, summer, autumn or winter, or even strong winds and heavy rain, they still receive punishment. If it's a sunny day, they must hold a book in their hands and read aloud loudly. If they're unlucky enough to encounter a rainy day, there's no exception either, but the book in their hands is replaced with two bricks, held forward with both hands stretched out.

  Teacher Yang wanted to punish them, they were at a loss, and could only admit defeat. Lu Gong was fine, he had practiced his skills, but Li Xiaolin wasn't.

  "Teacher Yang, let me take the punishment alone, he's not in good health." Lu Gong pleaded on behalf of Xiao Lin.

  Mr. Yang said "no way" and walked away without looking back.

  Several times, Kobayashi slid down from the brick and sat down, while Lu Gang was sitting on the bench as usual.

  After that, Lu Gong and Xiao Lin's figures could be seen in the school or dormitory by the river with Teacher Yang. When Lu Gong learned from Teacher Yang about Japan's invasion of China, ravaging large areas of Chinese territory, he told Teacher Yang that he wanted to join the army to fight against the Japanese devils, willing to shed his own blood and sacrifice himself. Teacher Yang expressed approval, saying only one sentence: "Go back and ask your father for his opinion, if he agrees, I can recommend you to join the army." Lu Gong asked where he would be recommended to join the army, was it Commander Geng's place? Teacher Yang said not to tell him for the time being. Lu Gong also said that he wanted to take Xiao Lin with him. Teacher Yang asked why, and Lu Gong replied: "Xiao Lin has a crush on my sister, I won't allow it." Lu Gong's words amused Teacher Yang.

  Lu Gang went back and told his father about this, Lu Shuisheng was very angry when he heard it, scolding him for being an unfilial son, scolding all the soldiers for not being good people, but a group of rascals, scolding him for wasting the efforts of his ancestors, scolding Lu Gang so much that he didn't dare to speak out, if it wasn't for his mother Sun Huamie intervening in his father's behavior, his father even wanted to hit his son.

  Yesterday, the traffic officer came and gave him a letter, which was an instruction from his superiors. He must set off tonight and leave Nanzhou immediately to pick up someone in Wuhan. There were still some things to do before he left.

  When Yang teacher called them, Lu Gang and others came to the office. Yang teacher asked them to sit down and said: "You know that many places in China have been occupied by little Japan. They occupied Huarong County, not far from Nancheng County. This school cannot become a shelter. Once the devils come, this place will not be peaceful either. They must come, there are Nationalist troops stationed here, and the devils can't not come. When they come, the local villagers will suffer."

  Lu Gang: "Teacher Yang, let's fight them! Who cares!" He was excited and waved his hands vigorously.

  "Go to hell, what can you do with just this hand, these two fists? You dare to resist the enemy's guns? Go to hell!" He stopped Lu Gang's hot blood and poured cold water on him: "The devils are demons, they have no humanity, they commit all kinds of evil, they are a group of fascist bandits."

  At this time, some classmates who were leaning against the door to listen to Teacher Yang's words in the house were all called in by him. He said: "I'm afraid I won't be able to study with you together, I have something important to do and will be back soon."

  "What can we do?" Lu Gong spoke out the mood of his classmates. His classmates were all staring at him. Xiao Lin said: "Teacher Yang, what are we afraid of? Aren't there Geng Yingchang and others in the village?"

  "It's not fear, we Chinese people will never be afraid of any enemy. Comrades, if they invade, we'll resist; in North China, we have our Eighth Route Army; in South China, we have our New Fourth Army; and all over the land of China, we have our brave warriors. Will we be afraid?" Teacher Yang said with passion.

  Lu Gang said: "Teacher Yang, we are not afraid! Fellow students, aren't you?"

  Next to him, Cao Qingfan was the first to raise his fist: "We're not afraid!" The surrounding classmates also raised their hands and shouted with Lu Gang: "We're not afraid, we're not afraid."

  "Alright, alright." Teacher Yang looked at the excited classmates and said, "Have you all prepared the comfort performance programs for the past few days?" When Lu Wei replied that they were all ready, Teacher Yang said, "Good, let's set off immediately to visit General Geng's troops who are building fortifications in the suburbs of Nanchuan County."

  The commander of the 3rd battalion, who was in charge of defending the outer defenses of Nanshan County, received orders from his superiors to resolutely block the Japanese army's attack, immediately enter the position, fortify and dig trenches, and prepare for ammunition transportation and storage.

  Upon receiving the order, they quickly assembled their troops and rushed to the battlefield. Not long after digging in, Captain Geng's mood became unsettled, triggered by a skull.

  That day, a company was digging fortifications. As they dug, they suddenly heard a long cry from the trenches coming from within the fortifications.

  "Damn it's unlucky." In the midst of excavating, a long string of curses was shouted out "How did we only dig up a pile of white bones, spit!" A hand grabbed them and threw them upwards, not thinking that they would land right at the feet of Lieutenant Colonel Geng who had come to inspect the excavation progress. Unprepared, he let out a startled jump, causing Lieutenant Colonel Lian and the soldiers to burst into laughter.

  Geng Zitang stared at the skull by his feet for a few seconds before raising his head and asking loudly, "What's going on?" Two lines of fire suddenly shot out from his eyes, as if he had seen the bloody night of that year. He glared at Yilian Chang, his two eyeballs almost popping out, and shouted, "Damn it! What's so funny? One person has become like this, and you're still not letting him rest in peace, Yilian Chang!" Yilian Chang saw that the battalion commander was furious and followed orders, instructing two soldiers to collect the bones and rebury them on the mountain. Battalion Commander Geng turned around, sat down silently and slowly on a pile of earth by the fortifications, his heart as turbulent as the ripples in a nearby river.

  He could never forget the night his parents died tragically.

  He is a Northeasterner, and after the September 18th Incident, he fled to a village in the south with his parents. There, his father worked as a tenant farmer, and his mother did needlework. Although life was bitter, it was peaceful and quiet.

  One night, Xi Island led the devils to launch a surprise attack on the New Fourth Army. They broke into the village and drove hundreds of villagers, including his parents, onto the threshing floor. Despite his mother's face being hastily smeared with soot by his father, she was still caught by the devils and locked in a grass hut along with other women. Xi Island waved his hand, and over a dozen Japanese soldiers immediately pointed their guns at the hut. The men on the threshing floor began to get agitated, and the devil's machine gunner lying beside the haystack pulled the bolt and prepared to shoot the unarmed villagers. When Geng Zidang's father saw his wife's pleading gaze, his heart was about to explode. He pushed through the crowd, let out a lion-like roar, and rushed towards Xi Island. Xi Island was caught off guard and stumbled backward several steps before quickly regaining composure. He swiftly drew his Japanese sword and advanced towards Geng Zidang's father with a standard stance, striking at his neck. Blood splattered everywhere, and the blood on Xi Island's sword flowed down the blade. The machine gunner fired, and the sound of "tutu" echoed as the people in front fell one after another. The desire to survive made the villagers behind cower in terror, clutching their heads and lying on the ground.

  Just as his father was beheaded by Xi Dao, Geng Zitang's tears welled up in his eyes. He wanted to shout and rush out, but a pair of large hands covered his mouth, and another strong hand held him tightly, making it impossible for him to move. The person spoke softly: "Zitang, don't move. I am your father's friend Yang Biao, and I don't want you to go die."

  Geng Zitang turned his head and looked at the man who was speaking to him with a solemn face, holding back tears without saying a word.

  "Captain, the fortifications have been repaired." A company commander came running over with a platoon leader, interrupting Captain Geng's train of thought. He let out an "oh". A gust of wind blew by, and a foul odor wafted from the company commander's body. Suddenly feeling itchy all over, he began scratching himself. The company commander laughed at him, saying why bother? Why not just go take a bath in the river? Captain Geng said, I'm willing to suffer, it's none of your business. Seeing Captain Geng being serious, the company commander said, forget it, I won't say anything else.

  "Company Commander Geng said to the platoon leader, 'You don't say it, I want to say it. Your body stinks of sweat, when was the last time you took a bath? Hurry up and bring your squad along, I'll reward you by letting you take a bath with me.' He shouted to those in the distance, 'Second Platoon Leader, Third Platoon Leader, you should learn from First Platoon. They're really useless, First Platoon has finished already, but you're still dragging your feet. If you can't finish before 5 o'clock today, I won't let you eat dinner.' The Company Commander said to the Platoon Leader, 'Let's go, take a good bath. When the devils come later and you start itching all over, you won't even be able to fire your rifle, it'll all be a waste.'"

  "Report to the company commander, is the water here not cold?" The company commander stood up straight with a wry smile.

  "Son of a dog, are you a man? Afraid of the cold?" Geng Zitang kicked out with one foot, missing him, and took off in a long run.

  "Brothers, I've got some good news to tell you all. Today, the teachers and students from Huxi Middle School are coming to visit us. Hurry up and don't drag your feet, wash up quickly and get ashore, or else you'll make me lose face!" Geng Zitang shouted loudly.

  Hearing the battalion commander say this, Lianzhang, who was taking off his clothes, said with a playful smile: "Battalion Commander, open one for me, I'm a bachelor, please grant me a schoolgirl as my wife. We're going to war soon, and who knows when we'll be killed by those damn devils? If I die without knowing the taste of a wife, wouldn't that be living in vain?"

  "Damn it, you're asking for a beating! How dare you say such things? You're dead and gone, yet you still want to harm our family's daughter by making her a widow? Get out!" Commander Geng shouted.

  After a long search, he found nothing interesting, so he waved his hand at his subordinates and shouted: "Brothers, what are you standing there for? Come with me. Get cleaned up and let the schoolgirls take a look at our handsome appearance. Don't let those inexperienced young whippersnappers look down on us. Let's go."

  A row of warriors immediately dropped the shovels in their hands, cheering and stripping off their military uniforms, running naked to the river with their buttocks exposed. Geng Zitang looked at their backs, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then his blood surged up, sighing in his heart: This is what men should be like, unrestrained, fighting is for men, living is also for men.

  Geng Zitang stripped off his clothes and pants as he ran towards the riverbank, his back muscles rippling in the early May sunlight.

  At this time, the soldiers of the second and third companies who were on ambush duty in the forest on the other side of the mountain saw the first company frolicking in the river. The soldiers made a racket wanting to go, but were stopped by their company commanders. Their company commanders came to the riverside without being summoned, telling Battalion Commander Geng that their soldiers also wanted to take a bath, and were scolded away by Battalion Commander Geng.

  "Who told you to come here? Ah, your mission is to ambush, and you weren't even called to dig fortifications. What if the devils really came and discovered you? Damn it, aren't you ruining my plan? Go back, none of you are allowed to move, no one can take a bath until this battle is over. Do you understand?" After scolding them, he jumped into the river. The two battalion commanders had no choice but to turn back, and after returning to their own camps, they chased away the soldiers who came to surround and try to find out what was going on. The people of the first and second battalions could only watch enviously at the lively scene in the water.

  The quiet river water suddenly boiled up in a group of soldiers' playful splashing.

  In the midst of the intense construction work, both the second and third squad leaders saw it and were so envious that they wanted to jump into the river water to take a refreshing bath. So, they shouted to their soldiers: "Come on, come on, it's really not worth it, let them make fools of themselves. Brothers, add oil!"

  Then, all I saw was dust flying everywhere, and the workers in the second and third rows were having a hard time.

  At this time, a group of people, including men and women, all students, walked along a winding mountain road two kilometers away from here. Walking in the front was Yang Biao Lian, a teacher at Huxi Middle School, accompanied by Lu Gang and Xiao Lin. Some people were carrying poles, some were pushing small carts loaded with millet, and others were holding bags. They all looked excited and happy. The girls were humming songs, picking flowers by the roadside or chasing after butterflies flying around.

  It was almost noon when the second and third platoons reported that their tasks were completed. After inspecting, the two platoon leaders ordered the soldiers to prepare for a bath: "Take off all your clothes! Target, the river occupied by the company commander!" With a shout of "Charge!", the soldiers rushed towards the riverbank in high spirits. Xiaogou didn't take off his shorts and felt embarrassed. Jia Xiaomai ran up behind him and pulled down his pants, revealing his buttocks, causing the soldiers to burst out laughing. Although Xiaogou was a bit annoyed, he still held up his pants and followed Xiaomai into the playful river water.

  A burst of splashing suddenly unfolded in this narrow river.

  "Report to the battalion commander." A sentinel who was gazing out ran to the riverbank, came to attention in the direction of the battalion commander and said: "Reporting, a group of people has come from over there. They appear to be students, both male and female."

  Geng Zitang swam ashore with unstandard movements, quickly put on his shorts, took the binoculars handed over by the sentry and looked out, sure enough a group of people were walking towards their fortifications.

  The second row of soldiers started complaining, muttering about how this was not right. They had just gotten into the water and now they were being told to come back up. It was really too much. The timing couldn't be worse. These little sisters didn't even consider the time, it was really frustrating. The third row leader chimed in, saying that their butts hadn't even gotten wet yet and already they were being called back, wasn't this a bit too fast?

  He had been listening to them for a long time, and he couldn't help but laugh. He teased the second-in-command, saying "Just wait a while, when those girls come, you won't be so lazy anymore." It was said that the girls here were all beautiful and charming, and if you had any skills, you should show them off to the girls. Who knows, you might even hook up with one of them, and then they'll be clamoring to go back home with you to meet your mother.

  The grumbling returned to the grumbling, and the ridicule returned to the ridicule. The soldiers in the river hastened to climb ashore, while those on the shore were putting on their clothes and shouting joyfully. Then they ran to the open space in front of the fortifications in groups of three or two, gathering by squad.

  When the noisy team gathered, Teacher Yang led a group of students to their team. Some soldiers were hastily dressed, some didn't have time to put on their uniforms, and stood with bare upper bodies, holding their chests with both hands, looking very comical, which made the girls who saw them lower their heads and laugh with their mouths closed, and two red clouds flew up on their faces.

  Geng Ying Chang saw this and was extremely annoyed. With a single order: "Xiao Gouzi, Jia Xiaomai, and you, step out."

  Three people stood stiffly in front of the team, not daring to look straight into the eyes of the captain. Their two eyes stared blankly at some point, and their hands and feet didn't know where to put them, which made those girls and boys laugh even more.

  Their appearance made Geng Yinglong furious: "Like soldiers? Stand up straight!" At this time, Yang Binglian whispered a few words in Geng Zitang's ear. Geng Zitang nodded repeatedly after listening. Then he said: "Listen clearly, just look at your bear-like appearance today, I will punish you to stand guard every night."

  They responded with a shout and went to find their own military uniforms.

  "Report, except for three soldiers who went to get dressed, all the other officers and men of the company have assembled. Please inspect, Teacher Yang, please give a speech." Teacher Yang smiled and came to the front of the troops, looking at the soldiers in front of him who were about to engage in a bloody battle with the devils. He couldn't help but feel some admiration and reverence for them. He didn't say much, just one sentence: "Brothers, take care of yourselves, the victory of the resistance war will surely belong to us, to you, and to all Chinese people."

  The soldiers were in high spirits, and Lu Gang, standing beside them, was clapping enthusiastically along with the other students.

  He was distracted, his eyes fixed on Lu Wei standing in front of him. She looked 17 or 18 years old, with a rosy complexion, bright eyes, high nose bridge, red lips, slender neck, and full breasts. A braid hung behind her head, framing her long and slender face. He couldn't believe his eyes, thinking she resembled the mistress he had met in the bandit's lair. Alas, such a beautiful woman existed in this place! He was stunned, staring blankly, even when Commander Geng called out to him, he didn't snap back to reality.

  "Attention, concentrate!" Another loud shout. Lieutenant Ichinose was suddenly awakened from his daze and hastily replied, "Yes."

  At this moment, three stray dogs ran over from the back of the team. Yilian saw them and without saying a word, pulled out his pistol, didn't even aim, pulled the trigger, and only heard three gunshots, the three dogs that were running over fell to the ground, earning applause from the soldiers. With pride, his eyes were still fixed on Lu Wei, when he heard the gunshot, simple-minded Lu Wei and other girls covered their ears, completely ignoring Yilian's gaze.

  Geng Ying Chang let Xiao Gou Zi and Jia Xiao Mai take the dog to the cooking class.

  Teacher Yang asked the students to put all the things they brought in front of the team. Before long, rice, eggs, vegetables, fruits, wine and cigarettes piled up like a small mountain.

  Geng Ying Chang dispersed the troops, letting each squad receive comfort goods. He instructed the cooking class to distribute them fairly among the soldiers and pointed to the mountain heads on both sides, sending some dog meat over. After calling a company commander, he said that since they had just eaten, it would definitely be a bit late, so he asked him to send someone to prepare the equipment for tonight's camp.

  He summoned a company commander to take over his duties. He didn't have the patience to deal with these trivial matters, his heart wasn't in it, nor was it in the gifts brought by those students, but rather on that girl Lu Wei. As soon as the troops dispersed, he used his unique military gaze to search for his target. The company commander was not young either, over thirty, from Shanxi Province, had learned martial arts from a monk when he was young, and had some skills. Later, he was taken in by a bandit named Cao Damao, made contributions to the mountain stronghold, became the second-in-command, and was favored by the mistress of the stronghold. They secretly met until they were discovered by Cao Damao, who wanted his life. Luckily, his brothers found out and escaped with him. Without a fixed home, he felt it wasn't a good idea, relying on just a few people and broken guns wouldn't achieve much. Whenever he had free time, he couldn't help but think of the mistress who made his heart skip a beat. Several times he wanted to go back to the mountain to find her, but the stronghold was heavily guarded, so he gave up. One day, he met Yan Xishan's troops passing through their village and joined the army. Later, during a battle with Japanese devils, they were scattered, couldn't find their unit, and wandered with his brothers, stealing food from trains, crossing rivers, and traversing mountains until they arrived in Jiangnan. In a small city, unfamiliar with the place, they set up a stall to sell their martial arts skills to make a living. Sometimes when they couldn't bear it anymore, they would invite their brothers to visit brothels. This kind of life lasted for half a month before they met Geng Zidang's troops recruiting soldiers and joined again. Geng Zidang saw his good fighting skills and made him a company commander. He fought several battles, killed over ten Japanese devils, and was a real man. But when it came to women, he couldn't control himself, seeing women reminded him of the mistress, thinking of the mistress made him think of that thing, and he couldn't control his lower body. Even he felt it wasn't right, what's wrong with him? No solution, maybe it was just his nature.

  He had taken a liking to Lu Wei, although he told himself in his heart that she was not the one who could be his "zhai fu ren" (a term used to describe a woman who is destined to be with a man), but the alternating shadows of the two of them kept flashing before his eyes, and he couldn't shake them off. He knew she and her classmates were in the woods, and his body moved involuntarily towards the woods.

  As they walked in, they had already come out of the woods. Yilian looked at Lu Wei with a smile and waved at her, trying to pull her hand, but Lu Wei didn't understand what was going on and glared at him angrily, ignoring him and walking straight ahead, making Yilian feel very embarrassed and uncomfortable. At this time, Lu Gang turned his head and asked Yilian: "Hey, what do you want to do?"

  Originally, Yilian saw that Lu Wei was ignoring him and he felt a bit displeased. He didn't know that Lu Wei was Lu Gang's younger sister. After hearing this from Lu Gang, Yilian scolded: "You little brat, come back here! What qualifications do you have to make me pick up firewood? You're just a little rabbit, who do you think you are?"

  "What's wrong?" Lu Gang didn't show weakness, putting down the firewood on his body and staring at him. The young man was vigorous and fearless.

  "Haha, little rabbit, want to fight? My hands have been itching for a few days now." He teased Lu Gang. He took off his military uniform and slammed it to the ground, his entire body was black and sturdy with bulging veins: "Come on, kid." He shouted, taking a fighting stance.

  Lu Wei was anxious and pulled Xiao Lin and Lu Gong away, saying that soldiers are not easy to mess with.

  Lu Gang didn't believe in evil, and he didn't listen. He also took off his clothes, with the same bulging muscles, but not as dark as a continuous stretch, a bit whiter.

  A fight is about to begin. Some timid classmates have already run out of the woods to find Teacher Yang.

  A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Lu Gang sank into his dantian, took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and jumped lightly. His left fist brought wind, straight to Lian Chang's chest. Lian Chang leaned back, dodged the punch, and immediately used both hands to push off the ground, charging forward with his legs. Lu Gang had anticipated this move, and as he threw the punch, he quickly flashed to the left, continuing to attack Lian Chang. A series of movements forced Lian Chang to only defend without any chance to counterattack. Lian Chang dodged and weaved, looking for an opportunity to strike at Lu Gang's weakness, but he didn't rush to retaliate. Lu Gang saw through his thoughts and pretended to lose his footing, falling towards the ground. Lian Chang, unaware of the trick, thought he had found an opening and immediately counterattacked. Just as Lian Chang was about to land a blow, Lu Gang calmly rotated his body, turned sideways, and kicked both legs into the air, pointing at Lian Chang. Lian Chang's eyes widened in surprise, thinking it was all over. But just as he closed his eyes, Lu Gang quickly retracted his legs, turned around, and gently supported Lian Chang's abdomen with one hand, preventing him from crashing to the ground. Lian Chang realized that Lu Gang had spared him, and a sense of respect arose in his heart. However, he couldn't admit defeat, being older and a soldier, especially in front of Lu Wei. So, he regained his spirit and continued to entangle with Lu Gang. The two fought evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand, until finally, they both ended up with their hands on each other's throats. Lu Gang said sternly to Lian Chang, "Never think about messing with my sister." Lian Chang understood, and the two shared a smile before parting ways.

  "Good boy, not bad." It was unknown when Geng Zitang and Teacher Yang arrived. Geng Zitang repeatedly praised Lu Gong, but changed his tone towards Yichang.

  "You, you...". Just as he was about to scold his daughter loudly, he saw that there were still students nearby and changed his tone. "Go, go, go! Take all this firewood to the kitchen class for me. Only you are allowed to go, no one else can help you. You're looking for trouble, fighting with a student's younger sister... What kind of soldier are you? Dog..." He wanted to curse again, but the words that came out were "The dog meat is left for the teachers and students to eat, you're not allowed to eat it, do you understand?"

  Yi Lian Chang happily agreed, put on his military uniform and prepared to carry the firewood on the ground. Lu Gong waved his hand, and all the classmates bent down to help. Yi Lian Chang suddenly shouted: "Get out of here! All of you go wait by the table to eat dog meat, don't get in the way!"

  Some unknown birds flew back and forth, the gentle breeze rippled across the water's surface, creating a patch of ripples. The willow trees by the riverbank swayed their delicate branches hanging over the river, as if whispering to each other, while not far away, the cooking team was busy beside the construction site.

  Teacher Yang and Geng Zitang walked out of the forest and headed towards the riverbank.

  Mr. Yang said he had to leave Nanzhou tomorrow for Wuhan on business. Geng Zidang said he really wanted to return to the New Fourth Army and see Commander Chen Yi. Mr. Yang advised him not to rush, wait until he returned and asked permission before saying anything else. Just then, Mr. Yang noticed three people gathered together chatting, and asked Commander Geng if they were on sentry duty? Commander Geng replied that they were. Mr. Yang's expression turned serious and said: "Is this how soldiers stand guard? Is this what you taught them?" Commander Geng looked embarrassed, unhappy in his heart, and came to their side. It was Xiaogouzi and Jia Xiaomai. Commander Geng scolded with a stern face: "Three of you together, is this good for nothing? If the enemy comes, all three of you will be finished." They didn't understand what Commander Geng meant, still standing there stupidly, Commander Geng shouted again: "Is this how to stand guard? Do I need to teach you?"

  They understood, stood up straight, and dispersed in all directions. Jia Xiaomai nimbly climbed a nearby large tree, disappearing into the dense foliage, finding a suitable trunk to lean against, holding her gun and aiming at the river, feeling pretty good about herself, then saluted Geng Yinglong below the tree. Xiao Gouzi and another crawled into a hole in the woods, just enough to hide their entire body, only exposing their heads outside, very suitable for observing the front. There were several such holes in this forest, which were dug by some villagers to catch wild beasts, but later abandoned, with many wild grasses and shrubs growing around, forming a natural hiding place.

  Geng Zitang told Teacher Yang that they were new recruits who had just arrived. Teacher Yang smiled and said, "We need to intensify our training."

  They came to a vast open space with tender green grass, where many soldiers and students were gathered together, each face beaming with smiles. Yang Laoshi and Geng Yingzhang stood behind them, watching quietly. As the group dance led by Lu Wei came to an end, Lu Wei's sweet voice rang out: "The next program is 'Big Knife' chopping off the devils' heads. Chorus, all students of Huxi Middle School. Performance, Big Knife Class warriors." The crowd immediately returned to its original state, forming a circle once again.

  As soon as the order was given, "First company, fall in!" The sound had just fallen when several spirited and youthful soldiers, full of vigor, suddenly appeared in front of the company commander. "Draw your sabers!" Another loud shout, and immediately they drew their swords from behind them and raised them up: "Begin drill practice."

  In the singing voice, under the leadership of a long strip, the soldiers' knives were neat and tidy, their footsteps were firm, their eyes were angry, their heads were high, and their passionate roar brought waves of applause. Even Lu Gong was amazed at their knife skills, watching and occasionally using his hands to compare and draw.

  Geng Yingchang told Teacher Yang, this is their battalion's as well as the whole regiment's only big knife squad.

  "Wicked bandits suddenly invaded the three borders, and the brave young general killed the thieves. Even if there were a hundred million strong troops, the Han family would eventually see the submission of the Rouran." Teacher Yang unknowingly recited this poem written by his teacher Yang Shuda in '39. He couldn't help but sigh. "The brave young general killed the thieves... it's so well-written."

  In the midst of thunderous applause, Captain Liang and his soldiers sheathed their swords, receiving a standing ovation. Captain Liang was naturally delighted. When Lu Gang rushed up to ask him to teach him swordplay, he happily agreed, pulling Lu Gang along as they walked out. They happened to run into Battalion Commander Geng and Teacher Yang, who were chatting. Captain Liang stood at attention and said, "Lu Gang wants to learn swordplay, and I'd like to take him on as my apprentice. Please approve this, sir." Battalion Commander Geng chuckled, "Haha, when did you become so polite, Captain Liang? You can take your apprentice, it's none of my business. Go ahead, but if anything goes wrong and Lu Gang gets hurt, you'll have to answer to me!" Lin and Lu Wei also rushed over, clamoring to learn as well. Captain Liang scolded them, "What do you want to learn? Get out of the way! If you get hurt, even Battalion Commander Geng won't be able to save me from your wrath, let alone Teacher Yang." Teacher Yang smiled and said, "Captain Liang, look at Lu Wei's pouting face. You can at least let her watch, right?" Captain Liang relented, puffing out his chest in imitation of Lu Wei, "Fine, fine, go ahead. But don't cause any trouble!"

  The big knife's moves were all told to Lu Gong, and Lu Gong was clever. With a good foundation in martial arts, he quickly grasped the big knife's routine, making the wind howl, the knife shining with a loud whooshing sound. Lu Wei watched with his mouth agape and eyes wide with admiration, while Xiao Lin learned from the side, but without Lu Gong's foundation, it looked quite comical.

  "A sword, must be sharpened every day, practiced every day. If not sharpened and practiced, how can it be used to kill the enemy? Every move and style must be ruthless, accurate, and fast. Fast is decisive in victory, accuracy takes lives, ruthlessness brings hatred, instant control of the enemy, unexpected attack, flexible and agile, every sword sees blood. When protecting oneself, it's better to injure their tendons than their bones, rendering them powerless to counterattack. This is your victory. Only a coward is not worthy of holding a sword."