Chapter Eleven: The Flowing Blood

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  The reporters had obviously not expected that Bao Yulin, whom they had waited for so long, would be carried into the POW camp in a coma. As a result, their original interview plan could no longer proceed. However, since they had come all this way, it couldn't be a wasted trip, right? So, except for being separated by two layers of barbed wire and aiming cameras at him, the photographers and videographers started snapping away.

  Originally, these Chinese prisoners of war rarely had a day off, and everyone hoped to come out and exercise, sunbathe, wash clothes, etc., but as soon as the reporters' photographic equipment came out, Zhang Xihang became vigilant.

  At this time, reporters who can come to Vietnam for free interviews can determine without thinking that they are definitely from countries with hostile intentions towards the Chinese government. If they use these photos and video materials for propaganda activities, who knows what they will write.

  Zhang Xihang turned his back and searched for Lu Kai's figure in the prisoner-of-war camp. Lu Kai was the highest commander of Yunnan, a platoon leader who had just been promoted before the war, and usually it was him and Zhang Xihang who were in charge of managing the camp.

  "Little Lu, come to your place to play 'row three'." In the prisoner-of-war camp, every day except for eating and sleeping, most of the remaining time was spent working in the sugarcane field. There were basically no recreational facilities. However, this did not deter the soldiers. As long as they had some small stones or small sticks, they could play a game of "row three".

  Zhang Xihang usually doesn't play this, in his opinion it's too childish, but this is a good cover method. Generally speaking, when discussing business, just say you're playing chess, and only need to leave one or two people paying attention, then you can surround yourself with a group of "spectators" and talk about whatever you want.

  Lu Kai is a veteran "oil slick" who is usually quick-witted and has been in the army for seven years. Although he has had several opportunities to be promoted, they have all slipped through his fingers because of his overly smooth nature. However, he enjoys high prestige within the company, having been an old squad leader for many years. This time before going to the front line, the organization considered promoting some politically reliable and tactically capable soldiers to take on basic command positions, which would make it easier to manage the troops and increase their combat effectiveness. As a result, Lu Kai finally got to wear the "four-pocket" military uniform before he went abroad.

  Lu Kai was already on guard about today's events, in his opinion, today's events were full of inconsistencies everywhere. At this time, Zhang Xihang called him, he certainly knew that there must be something to say to him. So he hastily replied: "Okay! As long as you're not afraid of losing." Saying that, Lu Kai walked slowly and unhurriedly towards the row house where he lived.

  It was called a barrack, but it was just a large wooden frame with "rammed earth" mud bricks. The whole house was just one big dormitory. Then there was a row of doorless mixed storage cabinets. In order to facilitate the observation of the prisoners' movements, except for the wooden frame on the side of the bed, it was almost empty. Fortunately, the Vietnamese weather is hot and humid, so even without windows, it didn't matter much, except that sometimes heavy rain would wet the bedding.

  Lu Kai and Zhang Xihang unfolded their bedding in the middle of the house, where Lu Kai's bed was located. This is the only place in the entire house with a window next to the bed. When the US military used it to detain Vietnamese and Chinese prisoners of war, they intentionally left this place for the highest commander of each unit as a manifestation of humanitarianism. The Vietnamese side originally planned to retain this prisoner-of-war camp as an educational base, but now it is being used to detain Chinese prisoners of war. Of course, they also need a place to publicize their humanitarianism, so these have been retained.

  After Zhang Xihang and Lu Kai sat down, Wang Xiaodong and several other important people also walked in one after another. Without anyone's invitation, there was naturally someone who took the initiative to take a seat, and Zhang Xihang and Lu Kai casually walked over a few steps. Zhang Xihang said: "Today's matter is a bit strange. The Vietnamese say that Bao Yulin is an anti-war hero, and these reporters are obviously here for him. However, as everyone saw earlier, Bao Yulin's head was clearly injured, which doesn't seem fake. How can this be explained? If the enemy wants to use Bao Yulin to infiltrate our ranks and carry out sabotage, it's hard to explain what they said this morning. But now, it's clear that they are slapping their own face. Moreover, the reporters outside obviously want to get some materials from our prisoner-of-war camp to promote their humanitarianism and slander our motherland. Tell everyone to be vigilant! I estimate that soon, the enemy will force us to make reactionary remarks. Comrades, we must learn from the countless revolutionary martyrs who fought bravely against the enemy, and remember that our motherland and people will not forget us. They will definitely find a way to rescue us. Everyone must remember: rather die than be a traitor, don't be like Pu Zhigao. Otherwise, our motherland and people will not forgive him!"

  "That's right, everyone must remember this point. Although we are currently captured, our troops are advancing very quickly. I estimate that in less than two months, we will be able to drive the Vietnamese invaders into the sea. If we become traitors now, we will definitely face the consequences later. At that time, not only will our own lives be lost, but also our family members and friends will lose their dignity.

  Obviously, Lu Kai's words were not very profound, but they were realistic. Chinese people have always despised traitors, running dogs, and betrayers. Once a family member becomes one of them, the relatives and friends will all be shamed. Glorious sacrifice is to die for the country. Traitors are condemned forever."

  "Alright, time is running out, everyone needs to pay attention to a few things. First, be vigilant about Bao Yulin, but don't make a move on him for now, we can't afford unnecessary sacrifices. Second, always remember you are Chinese, and cannot be traitors or collaborators. Third, don't speak carelessly, especially to reporters, beware of them taking things out of context. Fourth, try not to face the cameras, in case photos appear in the newspapers, who knows what they will say." Zhang Xihang hesitated for a moment when he said this.

  "This is a tough one," Wang Xiaodong chimed in, "Deputy Commander Zhang, this might be a bit tricky. When the time comes and the enemy takes us away, won't they just do whatever they want? And if they ask us if we're eating well or have enough blankets, how should we respond?"

  "This... really, it's not easy to grasp." Zhang Xihang hesitated a bit.

  "I think it's better this way. With the attitude they're showing today, the Vietnamese want to publicize our prisoner-of-war camp and we can say whatever we want. Whatever happens, happens, but try to speak as little as possible. If pushed too hard, we can shout slogans like 'Long live China' or something. This way, they won't be able to do anything to us, at most just beat us up a bit. I don't know what you all think?" Lu Kai's oily nature was revealed once again.

  "Alright, that's a good idea!" Zhang Xihang thought for a moment, this was indeed a good solution. The Vietnamese couldn't possibly shoot their own comrades in front of the reporters: "But this way, the Vietnamese will definitely think of ways to torture us, everyone must hold on."

  A group of people were discussing countermeasures, with Wang Xiaodong as the liaison officer. Before long, the results of this discussion had spread throughout the prisoner-of-war camp.

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  Ruan Yuanjia and Wu Hongying were furious this time. Originally, according to the plan, after Bao Yulin was escorted to the prisoner-of-war camp, they could use the excuse that he was injured and not yet recovered (which also indirectly explained why his declaration was so weak and powerless), and then, as the manager of the prisoner-of-war camp, personally arrange his accommodation, even arranging for someone to wipe his face and feed him water, fully demonstrating Vietnam's good treatment of prisoners of war, especially towards Bao Yulin, who could "see through" the situation, bravely standing on the side opposing "hegemonism", opposing Chinese "aggression". They were treating him with the attitude of a friend.

  Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. No one expected that Bao Yulin, who was thought to still be in a coma for some time, suddenly woke up during the transfer and almost beat the Vietnamese soldiers responsible for escorting him to death. Fortunately, the soldiers reacted quickly, which prevented an accident from happening. However, this led to Bao Yulin falling into another coma. Obviously, the bandage on his head with fresh blood needed to be explained to the reporters. But how could it be explained?

  Ruan Yuanjia, Wu Hongying and the officer in charge of escorting them quickly conferred with each other.

  "Now, the reporters are all waiting outside the POW camp. If we let them see Bao Yulin like this, some foreign journalists with ambiguous attitudes might say that Bao Yulin only made the anti-war statement because he was forced to by severe torture. The key now is that as long as we can get through today and show that we are treating him well, it won't be a big problem. Those foreign journalists won't stay at the POW camp every day. Because of his anti-war statement, which we submitted to the United Nations, we still can't let him die. Moreover, we need his image. I really don't know how you escorted him!" Ruan Yuanjia said with some exasperation.

  The officer in charge of escorting naturally knew that he had made a mistake this time. If the problem was not solved, even if he didn't have to go to court, it was certain that he would be sent to the front line. The current situation at the front line is very tense, and Vietnam's casualties are heavy. Going to the front line means that there is a possibility of never coming back. After this incident came out, he considered how to handle it. Now hearing that Nguyen Yuanjia didn't mean to calculate with him, but hoped to calm down as soon as possible, so designing actions on the road became possible.

  The escort officer did not know that Ruan Yuanjia was already in a precarious situation, and if today's matter was not handled properly, he would have no good days either. His superiors would definitely investigate.

  "Comrade Ruan, we've been thinking about this on the way here. Actually, there are many things that we don't know, especially regarding Bao Yulin's identity issue. However, if it's like you said, and you have a solution to resolve today's problem, then we should discuss it thoroughly. If someone were to investigate further, everyone should have a unified explanation." The officer hesitated, after all, they didn't belong to the same unit as the prisoner of war camp.

  "What's the plan? Tell me about it." Ruan Yuanjia was naturally interested, otherwise they wouldn't know how to complete their superior's assigned interview task.

  "It's like this," the military officer said. "When I report to my superiors, I don't know what the reason is, but we encountered a small group of unidentified armed personnel during the escort of Bao Yulin to the prisoner-of-war camp. Judging from their equipment, they shouldn't be regular troops, and are suspected to be *personnel. Their target was very clear, directly attacking the carriage part of our vehicle. When we were ambushed, the driver instinctively slammed on the brakes, and Bao Yulin, who was lying on a stretcher at the time, slid forward and hit his head on the bottom of the chair, resulting in injury. After we got rid of the enemy, we gave Bao Yulin emergency first aid, but due to the severity of his injuries, he was sent to the medical room for treatment as soon as we arrived at the prisoner-of-war camp. After a detailed examination by the doctors at the prisoner-of-war camp, it was determined that Bao Yulin did not suffer major injuries, but due to excessive blood loss, he is still in a coma." The officer reported this in one breath, then paused and observed Ruan Yuanjia's reaction, finding that Ruan seemed to be thinking about something. He continued speaking.

  "In this way, you can demonstrate humanitarianism by rescuing Bao Yulin, and then take advantage of his injury to make him unable to speak out, thus achieving your goal. We will also have a good explanation." The officer knew that he had an even greater responsibility in this matter, but if Ruan Yuanjia was willing to cooperate, he would not only be innocent but also meritorious.

  Ruan Yuanjia thought for a moment and felt that there were still some loopholes: "It's not that it can't be done, but if the reporter wants to see the scene of your fierce battle, what should they do?"

  The escort officer smiled, knowing that Ruan Yuanjia had basically agreed with his statement: "Don't worry about this, we've already taken care of the vehicle. There are still 6 or 7 bullet holes on it, and with these, everything can be explained away."

  After hearing this, Ruan Yuanjia made up his mind: "Alright, I'll do as you say! Remember to take good care of the person who speaks for you!"

  After saying this, Ruan Yuanjia turned around and instructed Wu Hongyan: "Let the doctor give Bao Yulin an injection of tranquilizer, don't let him wake up so soon. Then find one of our people to give Bao Yulin a blood transfusion. Notify the broadcasting room to broadcast Bao Yulin's anti-war declaration. I'm going to go and deal with those reporters at the escort office now."

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  The reporters had been waiting impatiently, and just as the car carrying Bao Yulin entered the POW camp, they were supposed to start the interview according to plan. But unexpectedly, Bao Yulin was carried into the medical room with his head wrapped in bandages still stained with blood. For a long time, no one came out to receive the reporters. All the things that Ruan Yuanjia and others had considered, the reporters had thought of too. However, for various reasons, none of the reporters left. They knew that the POW camp would eventually give an explanation. Of course, without permission, no one dared to enter the POW camp casually. The machine guns on the guard tower at the entrance of the POW camp and the minefield signs hanging on the barbed wire made everyone dare not move easily. Vietnam's landmines were too terrifying.

  As expected, it didn't take long for Yuan Jia and the Vietnamese officer in charge of escorting Bao Yu Lin to the POW camp to arrive at the press conference. According to the officer's account, he began to introduce the events that occurred during the escort of Bao Yu Lin to the POW camp, while accompanying Bao Yu Lin's anti-war declaration, leading the reporters to the front of the armored vehicle converted from an ambulance, and letting the reporters take pictures of the bullet holes on the vehicle.

  These unassuming kings of the scene, as reporters, were naturally aware of the situation with the bullet holes. From the condition of the car, they could tell that this ambulance had indeed been shot at recently. The fresh blood on the edge of the chair inside the vehicle also corroborated his statement, and everything was airtight.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, as you have just seen, Bao Yu-lin was attacked by unidentified armed elements due to his anti-war declaration and has been injured again. On behalf of the Vietnamese government, I solemnly warn those with ulterior motives that imperialism and aggression will not end well. Our government and military are capable of protecting our national sovereignty and territorial integrity from infringement. We appreciate international friends who oppose the invasion of Vietnam and we will not forget those who have helped us in the past. Bao Yu-lin entered our country as an invading soldier, and our government has given him prisoner-of-war status according to international law and regulations. However, we cannot deny that Bao Yu-lin was deceived, and before his education, he did not know that he had become an accomplice to his country's crimes. Although he later came to his senses, we emphasize the distinction between merit and fault. We will provide good treatment to Bao Yu-lin in the prisoner-of-war camp, but his status as a prisoner of war will not change. He is currently receiving medical treatment in our hospital, and I can take interested friends to see him."

  Ruan Yuanjia's words moved all the reporters, who naturally hoped to get a close-up interview with this anti-war hero.

  Just as Yuan Jia announced that he would take the reporter to the infirmary, a guard from the prisoner-of-war camp had already rushed to the infirmary of the prisoner-of-war camp and asked them to get ready.

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  Wu Hongying was anxiously waiting in the infirmary at this time, not for anything else, but to put on a show for the reporters. In order to explain why Bao Yulian's injuries were not serious enough to be sent to a hospital in Hanoi, of course, the good medical conditions in the prisoner-of-war camp's infirmary also needed to be mentioned. The key was to demonstrate humanitarian spirit. However, Wu Hongying did not think that Bao Yulian had type O blood, and among the guards in the prisoner-of-war camp, there were many with type A, B, and AB blood, but no one with type O. The only person whose blood type matched Bao Yulian's was Wu Hongying. According to Bao Yulian's condition, a blood transfusion was not necessary. But now this had become a political task, so Wu Hongying, the only girl who could do it, became the only choice. In fact, at another time, the prisoner-of-war camp could have asked one of the prisoners to donate blood. It is believed that they would also be willing to use their own blood to save their comrades. But now, for political purposes, Wu Hongying had no choice but to give Bao Yulian a blood transfusion herself.

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  When Yuan Jia led the reporter into the medical room, Wu Hongying had already extracted about 200 milliliters of fresh blood. In another infusion bottle, only a small amount of blood was left at the bottom, indicating that nearly 200 milliliters of blood had already entered Bao Yulin's body. Actually, the reporters did not see this, it was done with a syringe one minute before they came in.

  "This is our deputy camp commander, Comrade Wu Honglian, who is also the only female comrade in our POW camp. Bao Yulin's blood type is relatively rare in Vietnam, and due to time constraints, we couldn't collect it from among the prisoners either. So Comrade Wu Honglian volunteered to donate her own blood for a transfusion to Bao Yulin. Otherwise, I can ask our military doctor to explain the situation to everyone?" Nguyen Ngoc Gia explained to the reporters.

  The reporter's microphone turned to a military doctor wearing a large mask, who did not remove the mask: "When Bao Yulin came in, I checked him out. Due to his original poor nutrition, his physical condition was not good. Moreover, he had injuries before and now has a head injury. Since there is a precedent for this kind of situation, I can only judge by blood pressure that he needs a blood transfusion. Once the situation stabilizes, I will decide whether to send him to Hanoi or keep him in the POW camp."

  Just as they were talking, Wu Hongxuan's 200ml blood collection was completed. The military doctor quickly pulled out the needle and replaced it with new blood from Wu Hongxuan for Bao Yulin. The blood dripped slowly through the transfusion tube into Bao Yulin's body. Wu Hongxuan's face looked a bit pale, she was also very tired, besides, the food supply was obviously not enough to consume, people looked a bit tired which is normal.

  Just now, Wu Honglian was in a blood transfusion, and all the reporters didn't want to disturb him. But now is the right time, so they turned their microphones around and started asking Wu Honglian: "Comrade Wu Honglian, what consideration made you voluntarily offer to donate blood to this prisoner of war? They are invaders, our enemies, and may have harmed our loved ones!" The speaker was a Vietnamese reporter.

  The journalist's words were like a knife, stabbing into Wu Hongying's heart. This was the one question she least wanted to answer. Could she say it was all just an act for the journalists? Wu Hongying's face turned even paler: "Honestly, I hate these invaders who invaded our country to the bone, but now they are prisoners of war, we have to follow international law and give them humanitarian treatment, so I will save him. However, if we met on the battlefield, I would make him pay back the blood debt he owes the Vietnamese people with his own blood!" Wu Hongying's body shook as she spoke these words.

  Ruan Yuanjia knew why Wu Hongying was there. He hastily gave the military doctor a signal with his eyes. The military doctor nodded slightly and dispersed the reporters surrounding Wu Hongying.

  "Sorry, Comrade Wu Hongyuan just donated 400 milliliters of blood to the prisoner of war, so she needs to rest now. Please make way and let Comrade Wu Hongyuan go take a break."

  The reporters were also in awe of this female warrior and parted to make way for her, Wu Hongyuan left the medical room with a pale face.

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