The Last Supper

  Wang Wei pushed open the wooden door and saw a porcelain vat lying on the ground with water stains that had not yet dried. "Old Gao, what's wrong? Why are you so angry?" He looked up to see two other people in the room. "Who are these two?"

  "Hmph." Gao Jiancheng gave these two people a sideways glance, turned his back and didn't speak.

  "We are the staff of the 5th Regiment of the 20th Division in the Southwest Border. I am Zhang Bing, and he is Driver Xiao Wu." Zhao Bing looked at Gao Jiancheng, who didn't seem to intend to introduce them, so he had to resolve the awkwardness himself.

  "Oh. Hello." Wang Wei shook hands with the two of them and introduced himself, "I am Wang Wei, commander of the Military Region's Special Operations Brigade."

  "Others don't even take you, a person from the direct military district, seriously." Gao Jiancheng said indifferently.

  "Haha." Zhang Bing chuckled and took over the conversation "Just had some misunderstanding with Gao Lianzhang."

  "What a misunderstanding! You are just playing with people's lives." Gao Jiancheng heard Zhang Bing say this and his anger flared up again.

  Wang Wei saw Gao Jiancheng like this and knew he was still in a huff, "Come on, sit down and talk. What problem can't be solved? Do you want to make it look bad for both sides?" He pulled Gao Jiancheng down to sit, then said to Zhang Bing and the others, "You all sit too, let's talk slowly."

  "We actually came to convey the orders of the headquarters." Zhang Bing sighed, "Unexpectedly, Gao Lianzhang saw the order and scolded us."

  "What command?" Wang Wei asked.

  Zhang Bing picked up a piece of paper from the table and handed it to Wang Wei. "Please take a look, this is the order issued by the headquarters this morning regarding the establishment of this company led by Gao Lian."

  "Order: Gao Jiancheng and the personnel he trained to stop all training activities immediately and go to Xiaohezhuang to hand over to the 3rd Company. The order is received, depart immediately, no mistake is allowed. Commander of the 5th Regiment of the 20th Division in the Southwest Border: Liu Wen, Political Commissar: Wei Changhe."

  "Was this order issued this morning? Why would Commander Liu issue such an order?" Wang Wei was also puzzled, as Xiaohe Village was only 50 kilometers away from the front line and could enter a state of combat at any time.

  "He Liu Hu Zi just wants me and my soldiers to go die." Gao Jian Cheng took a deep drag on his cigarette, "I, Gao Jian Cheng, won't follow his wishes. I won't go, he can't do anything to me."

  "Lao Gao, you're just talking nonsense." Everyone knew that the commander of the 5th regiment, Liu Wenzhong, was a bandit leader before he joined the army. Behind his back, they called him "Liu Huizi". "Commander Liu must have his own difficulties too."

  "Anyway, he just doesn't like me, I won't go, what can he do to me?" Gao Jiancheng said with his neck stiffened.

  Zhang Bing was made awkward by Gao Jiancheng's attitude, "Captain Wang, look at this... it's making things difficult for us."

  "Like this, you all go out first and wait for a while, I'll try to persuade him." Zhang Bing had no choice but to follow Wang Wei's words and went out to wait. Wang Wei turned around, holding the order, and said to Gao Jiancheng, "Old Gao, what do you plan to do?"

  "What's going on? Cool down!" Gao Jiancheng's eyes were wide with anger, "I don't believe Liu Huizi is flying over from the brigade department right now to eat me up."

  "No, Old Gao, you can't say that. We are also soldiers, and veteran ones at that. We can't be so muddled-headed. When we encounter things, we need to be calm and not always lose our temper. Losing our temper won't solve the problem." Wang Wei was persuading Gao Jiancheng to calm down with a bitter tone.

  "So what do you suggest we do, I'm at a loss for what to do." Gao Jiancheng simply threw this difficult problem to Wang Wei, "After all, I'm just one person, and we can't send these new recruits who haven't even fired a gun to their deaths."

  "Hehe, as the saying goes, 'orders from outside are not always accepted'."

  "What does it mean?"

  "To put it bluntly, you're still far from surpassing Old Liu. You can tell Zhang Bing, the team leader, that we'll set out on a lucky day, and in this way, dragging things out for a year or two won't be a problem."

  "Old Wang, are you trying to get me court-martialed? Aren't you harming me?" As soon as Gao Jiancheng heard Wang Wei's suggestion, he knew it was a bad idea.

  "It can't be helped, I'll just have to follow the orders. It seems like we won't be able to leave today and will have to set off tomorrow instead. Then, I'll be traveling with you all along the way, but we can't take a vehicle and will have to walk. We'll try to drag out the journey as long as possible so that I can teach these children some more things."

  "Alas." Gao Jiancheng sighed, "No choice, can only do it this way."

  "What do you think is going on with these two? What's the point of them coming and going?" Dogwa and Zhao Guotang sat under a tree, holding their guns and staring from afar.

  "How would I know? Anyway, they're not good people." Zhao Guo Chun looked at the two of them and pushed open the door to go in, disdainfully curling his lip.

  "What's going on later?"

  "I have an idea."

  Zhao Guotun looked at Dog Wa with a vigilant expression, "You'd better not push me into the fire pit again."

  "I'm that kind of person, we let the air out of their Jeep's tires."

  "This won't work, it's too obvious. And just by looking at those two people, you can tell they're from the top, if we let our guard down, High Wall Wang will have us killed."

  "That's also true. It needs to be effective but not too obvious, well, I've got a way."

  "What's with the sudden surprise? What else have you got up your sleeve?"

  Nail.

  "Where should I put it?"

  Chair.

  Zhao Guodong suddenly enlightened, high-fiving, and gave a big thumbs up to Gouwa.

  Gouwa and Zhao Guotong secretly took two 5-centimeter-long nails from the arsenal, sneaked to the side of the jeep, Gouwa kept watch on one side, while Zhao Guotong quickly placed the nails under the seat cushion, fearing they wouldn't pierce through, he also pressed the cushion down a bit.

  "How is it?" The puppy said in a low voice, Zhao Guotang made a gesture of completion. "Go, go and watch over there."

  Wang Wei walked ahead with Zhang Bing and driver Xiao Wang, while Gao Jiancheng followed behind them out the door.

  "Two of you walk slowly, don't see us off. We will definitely set out tomorrow." Wang Wei and Zhang Bing shook hands to bid farewell.

  "I hope Gao Lianchang can understand our difficulties." Zhang Bing opened the car door and got in, "Ah!"

  Zhao Guodong and Dog Wa looked at Zhang Bing getting on, then jumping down, one hand covering his butt, the other hand grasping two nails.

  "Gao Lianchang, what do you mean by this? Is this how you lead your troops?"

  "How am I supposed to lead the troops if I have to report to you?" Gao Jian was already in a bad mood, and when he saw the nail in Zhang Bing's hand, he immediately knew what had happened. "Maybe this is from your car."

  "Hmph." Zhang Bing slammed the nail in front of Zhao Guotang and got into the car, leaving.

  "Guards, tell the kitchen staff that today we're having a big meal. Whatever reserves we have, let's finish them off tonight. Also, find some people to go to their hometown and buy more wine back. Today is our last dinner. Tonight, we'll drink till we drop." Gao Jiancheng and several soldiers laughed loudly with each other, but he knew that this was their last peaceful dinner. From tomorrow on, he and his troops would embark on an unknown path, perhaps everyone would be safe, or perhaps tonight's revelry would be followed by burial in the wilderness.