The western-bound rider

  Many overseas students study Western swordsmanship. It is a refined skill that can be used to socialize in high society when they return home.

  Sheng Shi has been studying Japanese swords with great enthusiasm. The Japanese sword is curved, narrow and long, soft and flexible, can be wrapped around the waist.

  Without superb skills, let alone offense, the dance can't even get started. At first, he suffered a lot, and the knife often cut himself, leaving scars all over his body. The Japanese instructor was very strict, and with just a slight mistake, a slap in the ear would come immediately, and it was real and painful.

  On the day of graduation, the instructor bowed to Sheng Shi Cai on the podium and said: "Sheng is a Chinese person who has read countless books."

  "His enthusiasm for learning Japanese swordsmanship is truly admirable. We Japanese people should learn from him. Now, please let Mr. Sheng say a few words to everyone."

  A prosperous era is about to rise, and he salutes the instructor. "I have two reasons for learning Japanese swordsmanship. Firstly, Japanese swords are good at actual combat without fancy moves, with simple and fierce techniques; secondly, Japanese swords can best reflect a soldier's spirit. Gentle yet strong, this is the highest quality of a soldier."

  The instructor said: "Sheng Jun, go on, you have a lot to say. I felt it when I was teaching you."

  Sheng Shi said: "I am a Manchu, and there is a saying in the Japanese military that it would rather lose its homeland than give up Manchuria. During the Russo-Japanese War, tens of thousands of Russian and Japanese troops clashed in my hometown. As a Chinese person, I will not forget this national humiliation. My ancestors, King Goujian of Yue, slept on brushwood and tasted bile to avenge his country's shame. I came to Japan with the determination to wash away this national shame."

  Shengshi said: "General Yuan once said that he had never encountered strong resistance from Chinese troops in Liaodong, but he did encounter the hunters of Northeast China. The real heroes of our Northeast are the Red Beards. The Red Beards often knocked down their opponents, tied them to trees, cut open their clothes with knives, dug out their hearts, and devoured them amidst the snow, staining their beards with blood. This is how the Red Beards dealt with their enemies, they were more powerful than the army."

  "I once heard a Japanese parliamentarian speak at the University of Tokyo. He said that China's vast territory, fertile soil, mild climate, and abundant rainfall made it an ideal place for Japan to develop and secure a superior living space. The views of Japan's politicians are in harmony with those of its military leaders, and war between our two countries is inevitable. Gentlemen, I, Sheng Xuanhuai, have come to Japan to save my own country, but also so that the Japanese army will encounter a worthy opponent when they invade China."

  The instructor and students gathered around, patting him on the shoulder, "Sheng Jun, you're great! It's really wonderful to be with a Chinese person like you."

  At that time, the young and middle-aged officers in the Japanese army set up many secret organizations, which admired their country's Shintoism and pure Japanese spirit. It was the highest honor for cadets to participate in these organizations. Cadet Ota Kuro gave everyone an introduction to the Chinese man Sheng Shicai, and everyone was at a loss for a moment. The people from the military school unanimously believed that this Chinese had the temperament of a true warrior. Everyone was shocked.

  The officer said: "Don't think that China was defeated by us, China has many heroes."

  Everyone expressed their willingness to meet this Chinese man. As soon as Sheng Shicai appeared, the warriors struck their swords and sang an ancient Japanese song: Holding a spear and gazing at the bright moon, when will it shine on my bones? Following the white bird flying away, leaving only bones in the human world.

  The prosperous world was stirred up by the song of foreign warriors, who said: "Sheng Jun's blood is boiling." "Sheng Jun, we smell the fragrance of your blood." The warriors drew out their knives, the blades moving, the blades like iron anchors in the ocean, sinking into the warriors' bodies, where fresh blood flowed, life's magnificence condensed.

  Sheng Shicai said: "It's a great pity that China's military has no organization like yours. All the powerful figures are warlords."

  The lower ranks of the army are not lacking in hot-blooded men, but once they rise to high positions, their blood vessels dry up and their faces turn yellow, becoming useless guys." Everyone says that China has produced heroes since ancient times, please ask Mr. Sheng to talk about China's heroes.

  In a prosperous era, I will introduce to everyone the world-renowned heroes of Northeast China. The ancestors of the Jurchen people, Wanyan Aguda, rose up in Changbai Mountain and with their bravery and blood, led several thousand soldiers to defeat tens of thousands of Liao troops, sweeping from Liaodong to the Central Plains and destroying the Northern Song Dynasty.

  After Genghis Khan rose to power in the vast desert, the Jurchen people retreated to the mountains and forests. After hundreds of years of recuperation, another great hero, Nurhaci, emerged. Nurhaci did not read the classics, but only read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Everyone knows that "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a heroic epic of our Chinese people, just like England's "Beowulf", Spain's "The Song of Cid", France's "The Song of Roland", and Russia's "The Lay of Igor's Campaign". It extols the bravery of blood and air, and also contains the wisdom of our Chinese people. It is a book of wisdom and a heroic book. Unfortunately, China's literati do not read this book, it does not enter the elegant hall. Nurhaci brought "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" back to Northeast China, gave one copy to each of the eight banner generals, as a treasure for national rejuvenation and military strategy. In the Battle of Liaodong, more than 60,000 Eight Banner soldiers who were good at field battles defeated 200,000 well-equipped Ming troops with one blow, starting their conquest of Central China. The Manchu people created a great era in China.

  "The samurai exclaimed: 'It's rare to see a Chinese like you, all the Chinese who come to Japan to study are anti-Qing rebels, they all hate the Qing dynasty.'"

  Sheng Shi told them that was a thing of the past, now it's the Republic of China, and the Qing Dynasty is also our China. If Nurhaci were to be reborn, not to mention the First Sino-Japanese War, even the Opium Wars would never have happened.

  "A chaotic world produces heroes; China is going to produce a great hero."

  "Absolutely not the Beiyang warlord."

  "What's with Chiang Kai-shek?"

  Sheng Shi's expression was mysterious, and the Japanese samurai couldn't fathom his thoughts. The officer changed the subject, talking about ancient heroes. "We like China's ancient heroes," he said. "Sheng Jun, you are too profound, hiding another great hero in your heart. Why don't you speak out? We Japanese people worship heroes."

  "After the Liao state was destroyed by the Jin, all the emperors of the Liao state lost their will to fight. The royal family member Yelü Dashi led 200 soldiers on a long expedition of 10,000 miles, from Liaodong to the Western Regions, and defeated the Arab Empire, establishing the Western Liao dynasty. I am a person from Liaodong, even in my dreams, I can still hear the sound of the horses' hooves of the 200 brave warriors on their western expedition."

  "Has everyone noticed that Sheng Jun has a soft spot for those heroes who seek revenge and redemption?"

  "Revenge and washing away shame is the dream of several generations of Chinese people, we Northeasterners are even more intense, sandwiched between two imperialist powers Japan and Russia, under heavy pressure there must be brave men, hot-blooded men are all **one horse in hand one gun, blood-stained red beard, not living a life in vain."

  The warriors couldn't help but shout, "Red beard, good red beard! Sheng Jun is probably the only red-bearded man to have gone abroad!" Sheng Shi Cai burst out laughing and drank several cups of clear wine in one go. The clear wine was served with a small wooden spoon, and after each sip, he would stop for a long time. Everyone was shocked by Sheng Shi Cai's heavy drinking. The officer smiled and said, "Good drink, good drink! Sheng Jun has shown his heroic nature, it's hard to find someone who is truly themselves!"

  Shengshi said, "The hooligans have their own rules. They despise the government and the law. The hooligans' rules are formed in bloodshed, everyone must follow them, and even the leader is no exception. The government's laws are made by bureaucrats to oppress the poor, and with money and power, they can make the law ineffective."

  The warriors thank the military academy for bringing such friends, broadening their horizons. The red-bearded style of Shengshicai, a Chinese man, coincides with Bushido. These stories are full of exotic flavor and suitable for young people's psychology.

  After Sheng Shicai returned to China, he mixed with the Guangdong Army and served as a regimental commander for Zhang Zuolin. He was sent by Guo Songling and had no chance of getting ahead. General Zhang's troops were too arrogant, they could play with their lives, but in regular battles, they were disorganized.

  Sheng Shi's expression turned gloomy, and he said to his friends: "Japan has Bushido, which regards death and bloodshed as a kind of honor in life, a kind of moral integrity. Chinese martial arts have always been among the people, and cannot be brought onto the stage."

  That year, Lao Shuai died in Huanggutun, and Xiao Shuai eliminated Yang Yuting, the chief advisor of Da Shuai's mansion, and took control of all power in Northeast China. The military academy students surpassed the old soldiers from the green forest, which was a great opportunity for Sheng Shicai to rise to prominence. After talking with Xiao Shuai for a few minutes, Sheng Shicai came out and said to his relatives and friends who were eagerly waiting for good news: "Xiao Shuai can't do things, he's always a child who will never grow up."

  Sheng Shicai left the Northeast and went to Nanjing to find a way out. Chiang Kai-shek flipped through his file and felt uneasy. Tang Enbo said, "The Japanese Army Academy attaches great importance to him, putting him on par with Wu Lüqian and Jiang Baili." Chiang Kai-shek said, "Since he's a talented person, let him be the commander then." Tang Enbo said, "He's from Northeast China, let him work in Zhang Xueliang's department, he can contribute to the central government."

  "Tell him to come and see me."

  The meeting lasted only five minutes. Chiang Kai-shek changed his mind, "He can't go to the Northeast, he's too hot-headed, he'll drive Zhang Xueliang out of office." Tang Enbo said: "Drive Zhang Xueliang away, and the Northeast Army can be reorganized into the Central Army."

  Chiang Kai-shek smiled, "Enbo, you compare yourself to Cao Mengde, but you underestimate Sheng Shicai. He will turn the Northeast Army into his own army and become the second Zhang Zuolin." Chiang Kai-shek said, "For people with talent, we try to bring out their talents while suppressing their ambition. Sheng Shicai is an ambitious person, keeping him away from the center of power, he's still not bad."

  Sheng Shi was appointed as the head of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters, dealing with maps all day.

  His colleagues are very envious of him. They struggled for half their lives to squeeze into the headquarters, and he became a section chief as soon as he graduated from college.

  He snorted through his nose, "What's so enviable about being a battalion commander? Wu Luqian became a general as soon as he graduated." A general is an officer who can lead troops and fight independently. Everyone closed their mouths with a sound of "oh". They had also come to Nanjing with the ambition of becoming generals, but now they were pale and chubby, and the roughness and bravery that soldiers should have had long since disappeared. When someone talked to them about the glory and dreams of being a soldier, they looked disheartened.

  When it was time for promotion, Sheng Shi Cai was still the head of the department, and the positions of director and bureau chief were all occupied by those mediocre people.

  Someone secretly told him, "The commander-in-chief always summons new headquarters personnel in person. The commander's eyes are a balance beam."

  You are a top student at Rikkyo University in Japan, and when you graduate, within half a year, you will either be a teacher or a military officer.

  "I've been the head of this department for two years now."

  "You are different from Tang Enbo and Hu Zongnan, you are not a man who has been under others for a long time."

  The Commander-in-Chief asked the intelligence personnel: "What is Director Sheng busy with?"

  "He is reading 'Zeng Hu's Art of War' and 'New Theory on National Defense'."

  "Great, great, it means he's starting to change for the better."

  "Is he a Communist?"

  "Not only should the Communist Party be transformed, but also the overseas students and old soldiers should be transformed, making them loyal to the leader with one heart and one mind. Sheng Shicai is a man who has both the spirit of the Northeast Red Beards and the moral integrity of Japanese Bushido, all of which conform to our Huangpu spirit. He should learn from Tang Enbo, Tang Enbo is a Jiangnan person, very clever, Northern soldiers are too stubborn, too barbarous, too emotional, too heroic. The Commander-in-Chief has no good impression of Northern soldiers. The Commander-in-Chief said: "Sheng Shicai we still have to use him, the war between China and Japan will eventually break out, let him lead the army then."

  The commander-in-chief was born with a strong personality, doing things decisively without dragging his feet. However, he made an exception for Sheng Shi Cai. Everyone thus concluded that Sheng Shi Cai was a formidable figure, at least surpassing Chen Cheng and Hu Zongnan. People have a psychological tendency to idolize heroes, so someone told Sheng Shi Cai about the situation. Sheng Shi Cai said: "The commander-in-chief won't let me lead troops, I'll just be a staff officer for life, I'm already disheartened." His colleagues said: "Director Sheng is a true military man, he won't be disheartened."

  "Do you really think so?"

  "Everyone thinks so, and the commander-in-chief also thinks so."

  "In fact, I am no longer a real soldier, I have the name but not the reality."

  "The more you act like this, the more others will believe in you, everyone thinks you are a Gou Jian who lies in wait for an opportunity to strike."

  "I don't even believe in myself, why should others believe in me? What makes them believe in me?"

  "With your appearance, you successfully established a standard military image for yourself when you were studying at the Japanese Army University. Others only look at your appearance and do not see the real you."

  "This is politician's behavior, not soldier's."

  "Sheng Ke Chang Cai Kai Huo Ah, purely military men do not exist. There are several tens of thousands of Whampoa students, how many successful ones are purely military men?"

  "Even today, the Japanese maintain the essence of Bushido. The Meiji Restoration introduced Western military systems and weapons, but enlightened people formed the Kamikaze Corps to protect the honor of the Japanese sword with all their might. In the military, swords have always been considered the soul of soldiers. Advances in technology have not weakened the pure spirit of the samurai."

  "Technology is everything."

  The prosperous world is dumbfounded.

  "They say technology is everything."

  The prosperous world was at home, shouting and taking down the Oriental knife from the wall. He wanted to break the soul of the soldier. He folded out a bloody knife; The knife was soft, wet, like a sugarcane, emitting a sweet fragrance. Under the blade was Mrs. Qiu Yufang's white hands, her fingers cracked, bleeding profusely. Mrs. forgot about her injured hand and wiped the blood off her husband's body with gauze. The blood soaked her husband's military uniform. Sheng Shi Cai stared at his wife with a wooden expression, watching her busy herself, as if she was doing chores, wiping tables and chairs, wiping windows. His wife asked him to change clothes, so he changed into a new military uniform. "Let me see," he turned left and right for his wife to see. His frantic heart calmed down, the light in his eyes jumped, "I cut you." "This knife has been stained with your blood, this time it's stained with my blood, this is a truly good knife."

  Qiu Yifang grasped the Japanese curved sword and warned her husband: "A soldier can never destroy his weapon at any time."

  The lady wiped the knife clean, applied oil, sheathed it and hung it on the wall.

  "Other people's wives are all learning piano, I don't have this interest."

  "We can go listen to a concert."

  "The music of Nanjing is not suitable for a soldier. When the night is deep and quiet, the moonlight shines into the room, shining on the wall, that sword will make a clear sound, a very pure steel sound."

  His ideal since he was a young boy had been to study at the Japanese Military Academy. There were too many people with such ideals.

  His family was a small landlord in Liaodong, and his father was willing to sell land to support him going to Japan, but he did not want to go to Japan in this way.

  He joined the Northeast Army under Guo Songling and was highly appreciated by him. His military temperament not only won the favor of his superiors and colleagues, but also won the heart of Guo's adopted daughter Qiu Yufang. Sheng Shicai was a married man whose wife had died of illness.

  Qiu Yu Fang is in middle school. Sheng Shi Cai once went to the middle school to watch a performance by students, and he didn't know that the girl on stage who made men's hearts skip a beat was General Guo Songling's goddaughter. Sheng Shi Cai's joyful emotions were hidden in his heart, and his expression was very calm. When Guo Songling came forward to be his matchmaker one day, he just nodded slightly. What could a small military officer ask for? When Qiu Yu Fang appeared before him, he seemed a bit flustered. He took the tea handed over by the girl, and his whole body stiffened. After marriage, he never revealed his ambitions to his wife. He was more than ten years older than Qiu Yu Fang, and had long passed the age of boasting. His ex-wife was a virtuous and wise woman who served him very obediently and rarely spoke. He was not used to talking about grand ambitions with women. Qiu Yu Fang was a modern woman who had received an education.

  Less than half a year after marriage, his young wife said resolutely: "Father wants to reform the Northeast Army and send officers to Japan." His heart skipped a beat, a horse galloping wildly inside, he was almost out of breath. "Get ready, we're going to Father's house now." The Northeast woman was efficient, helping her husband change into his military uniform, polishing his boots until they shone.

  In a prosperous era, he would never forget that evening when Qiu Yu Fang, a young lady from a good family, knelt on the ground and carefully polished his boots with oil, brushing them with a brush and wiping them with a cloth. His blood was boiling, like a horse galloping across the vast grassland, breathing heavily. When Qiu Yu Fang stood up, her face was sprayed with his hot breath, she covered her face with her hand, and smiled like a child.

  Everything went smoothly, and the wife accompanied her husband to study abroad. The wife was afraid that her husband would be lonely, so she devoted herself to Japanese cuisine in their dormitory and soon became proficient in making authentic Japanese dishes. One day, when her husband returned from outside, he casually said: "Japanese food is simple but nutritious, Chinese food is too extravagant." Not long after, disaster struck. Guo Songling organized the Northeast National Army to launch a counterattack against Zhang Zuolin, but failed and was killed. Sheng Shicai's scholarship was cut off, and the couple fell into dire straits. It was a very difficult time for them. They ran around everywhere, hoping to get support from their home country to complete their studies. Coincidentally, it was during the anti-Japanese wave in their home country, and the overseas students were divided into two factions: the patriotic faction and the hedonistic faction. Sheng Shicai wielded a big stick, daring anyone who dared to compromise to take a beating from him first! He shouted hoarsely at the Japanese police as if he was in his own country. Qiu Yufang shed tears in the crowd, unable to believe that her impoverished and struggling husband had such strong patriotic fervor. It's really unknown how they managed to get through those difficult times. Qiu Yufang did laundry for people, watched over a store, and even taught Chinese at a Japanese night school - the most respectable job she could find. Not only did she support her husband in completing his studies, but she also spent two years studying sociology and economics at a university herself.

  "Think back to when we were in Japan, it was so tough but we got through it. Now you have everything you need, what's lacking is opportunity. A person with abilities isn't afraid of not having opportunities."

  One day, he got drunk. Nanjing is a place that can easily make people drunk. On the Qinhuai River, with the sound of wine and candlelight, after a few cups of wine, Shengshi Cai's tongue became bigger, and he didn't even know what he was saying.

  I hate Nanjing.

  His colleagues were shocked and stared at him in silence.

  "Nanjing is a big brothel, all soldiers staying here will be rotten."

  "Director Sheng, you've had too much to drink."

  "You think I'm talking too much, I don't care, anyway I won't stay in Nanjing. I want to go to Tibet, I want to go to Xinjiang, be a staff officer for the tribal leader, train an elite troop on the border, not like this kind of soft and weak army in Nanjing, that's not even called an army! You, you, and you, one by one, eating till white and fat, just like pigs, only knowing how to hum in front of superiors, don't know how to charge with bayonet or pull the trigger, those bullets are really pitiful, like gold!"

  In the midst of everyone's astonishment, Sheng Shi took out his pistol, removed the bullets, disassembled the cartridge, and swallowed all the gunpowder inside as if he was eating stir-fried noodles. He ate all eight bullets from the Browning pistol. One bullet, one big mouthful of wine.

  "How was it? The peanut rice was delicious, really delicious!"

  No one paid attention to Sheng Kechang's words, after all, a drunkard's words are just nonsense.

  At this time, Xinjiang Provincial Chairman Jin Shuren's representative Lu Xianzong came to Nanjing to recruit talents and support border construction.

  Xinjiang is located on the border, with strong neighbors lurking around, and urgently needs military talent. It wasn't until then that everyone remembered what Sheng Kechang had said before. Sheng Shicai himself was also shocked, and the news of Xinjiang recruiting talent was on the front page of all major newspapers in the capital. The central government attaches great importance to Xinjiang, so how could it not be on the front page? But you don't think about how terrifying the desert, snow-capped mountains, and Gobi Desert are. In Nanjing, everyone discussed it, and even journalists were too lazy to go to Western Regions for interviews, let alone live and work there. Everyone only knows that Lin Zexu banned opium and was exiled to Xinjiang by the emperor. It has been a place of exile since ancient times.

  Sheng Shicai's heart was racing, his memories suddenly became clear, and his previous boasts were very troublesome. He told his wife roughly, and Qiu Yu Fang was also stunned. Who didn't know that the Commander-in-Chief had a special fondness for Sheng Shicai? Qiu Yu Fang was really anxious, anxiously pulling her hair, looking at her husband with worry-filled eyes, Sheng Shicai hated to bite his tongue off.

  "This was an opportunity, husband!"

  "Xinjiang is too bitter, I'm afraid you can't take it."

  "Even if it's hell, I'll go with you; how can we not make a living when hundreds of millions of people live there? Lin Zexu was exiled to Xinjiang, but didn't he still have the chance to receive an imperial edict to sweep away the long-haired rebels?"

  "The Commander-in-Chief will let me off this time."

  "I hope so."

  Qiu Yifang had never been angry with her husband before, but this time she couldn't hold it in anymore. For several days in a row, she sarcastically and bitterly criticized him, causing Sheng Shicai's face to twitch with rage.

  Sheng Kechang lost a lot of weight. How could he not? His wife was getting more and more fierce, and no matter how wise and virtuous a woman is, she would be driven to distraction by such things. Sheng Kechang continued to lose weight, his bright and spirited eyes looking even bigger, his eyebrows furrowed, his gaze melancholy. As he came and went from the headquarters in Nanjing, everyone couldn't help but steal a glance at him. Almost everyone knew Sheng Kechang's story: after getting drunk, he had boasted that he wanted to leave, and Chairman Jin Shuren had immediately sent someone to invite him to go and be a modern-day Ban Chao. What a great opportunity! Someone had said to the superior, "Let Sheng Kechang go, going to Xinjiang isn't like being a high-ranking official in Beijing or Shanghai." The superior smiled but didn't say anything. When the commander-in-chief doesn't speak, who dares to speak?

  The news that Shengshi was going to Xinjiang reached the Commander-in-Chief, and at the same time spread throughout Nanjing. The Commander-in-Chief suddenly stood up, "Is it worth making such a fuss? A small section chief going to serve in the border areas is also serving the country, isn't it normal?"

  Chen Cheng said: "In order to eliminate the northern warlords, we cannot afford to lose Sheng Shicai. It would be a pity to lose him as he is an excellent military man and should stay at headquarters or in the Central Army."

  "The whole of Nanjing is in an uproar, refusing to let him go, as if I, Chiang someone, did not support the construction of the border regions."

  "Another person would also be fine, there are plenty of Whampoa Academy students."

  "They are all useless, they will disappear on the Gobi Desert, Sheng Shicai is different from them, Sheng Shicai is a high talent of Japan's Rikkyo University, it is said that he is enthusiastic about socialism in Tokyo and has left-wing thoughts, Xinjiang borders with Soviet Russia, Zhang Xueliang cannot compare to him, Jin Shuren is even worse."

  "This kind of sinister person can only be controlled by the Commander-in-Chief."

  "Why is everyone so interested in him?"

  "His wife is great, firmly supporting her husband to go to the Western Regions as a modern Ban Chao."

  "She's going to be left alone in an empty house."

  She went to Xinjiang with her husband.

  "Is there such a woman?"

  The women's circles in Nanjing were turned upside down; they compared Qiu Yufang to the wives of the Russian Decembrists.

  "Niang Xi Pi, am I an emperor? Have I exiled the prosperous era? Quickly think of a stable solution to calm this matter."

  "The student has thought it through, his lifelong ambition is to be a general. He's currently a colonel, we can promote him one level higher, give him the position of division commander with military power, he will be satisfied."

  "Let him go to Jiangxi to suppress bandits."

  "We're not going anywhere else, just to Xinjiang." Qiu Yufang waved her hand like a general, "We've already promised Chairman Jin. I've been studying maps and data for the past few days, the Western Regions are too mysterious. Liu Manqing can venture into Tibet alone, can't we two people venture into Xinjiang?"

  Liu Manqing: In 1930, she ventured into Tibet alone and restored direct contact between the Central Government and the local government of Tibet, becoming a sensational heroine.

  "Chen Cheng personally told me that he is a regular teacher's mentor." Sheng Shi Cai was very unwilling.

  Qiu Yu Fang's voice was hoarse from shouting, "Is your ambition just to be a teacher?"

  "Madam, think about it, I've always been an aide to others, and in my dreams, I want to lead troops. A division commander is a solo leader."

  Qiu Yifang sneered, "A living person should have ambition. You've left me on the cold bench for so many years, and now you want to use me? I'm not interested, grandma. Without this bird of a master, I might have stayed. Give me a master who's a big shot, and I'll deliberately fly high and far away, let the Xinjiang side take a look, I, Shengshi, gave up the position of general and came to the great northwest."

  Sheng Shi was still muttering to himself when his wife lost her patience, "What's wrong with you, acting like a girl? If you keep muttering, I'll give you a good slap on the face."

  Ma Yingchang is younger than everyone else, but everyone listens to him and regards him as their leader. They sing that melancholic folk song from the Loess Plateau: The flower is originally a word in one's heart, if not sung, it would be unbearable for oneself; with a knife, cut off one's head, if not dead, still this singing method.

  The melody of the ancient song sweeps across the yellow earth, yellow sand, yellow grass and yellow wind, sweeps across the vast Yellow River and the endless blue sky, with ups and downs, presenting a kind of simple and intense beauty.

  Ma Yinglong said: "Only poor devils sing folk songs. To follow me, Ma Zhongying, you must be willing to shed blood and lose your head."

  The brothers put their hands on his hand, many hands piled up like a city wall. The brothers said: "You are our commander, we will follow you."

  The title of "General" was thus called out loud.

  That spring, the children on the embankment smelled the fragrance of their own bones. The old people cried out: The dolls are going to rebel.

  That spring, the girls on the embankment showed off their maiden beauty at a young age. The river ice had just melted, the willow branches were still black, and the wild grass was still withered, but the girls were already as beautiful as peach blossoms. They were engaged by their parents when they were very young. They were people with masters.

  That spring, the son's bones hardened like wheat ears filled with milk, revealing the sharpness of a steel knife; his eyebrows grew into a knife, the corners of his mouth grew into a knife, and his whole body shone with a cold light, awakening the dreamy peach-like girl.

  "Your father told you: 'You should have waited until you were sixteen to send you to your husband's family, but since your man is eager to start a killing spree, you'll have to move in ahead of schedule.'"

  The girl was silent, she was fourteen years old and understood things. Her mother was busy preparing her dowry. Her father said: "When your husband cuts you with a knife, don't dodge, you are his wife, your blood belongs to him, if he drinks your blood with a knife, it's like spending a lifetime with you." The girl's face turned pale, all the blood gathered in her chest, swelling into a flower bud. Her father said: "When your husband kills you, look at him. Those who can pull out the knife under their wife's gaze are all men of blood." Her father said: "Remember!" The girl said: "I remember." Her father patted his hands and went outside to bask in the sun, as if he had just finished a light task.

  That spring, the young men wore black clothes and trousers to pay respects at their father-in-law's house. After engagement, they had to visit their parents-in-law every year, but only met their fiancée when paying respects. The girl served tea and handed it to her fiancé, exchanging a brief glance with each other, judging the other's appearance in that fleeting moment.

  A lifetime of happiness flashes by like lightning, and both sides use all their wisdom to decipher this brief moment.

  On the way home, the young man and his parents listened intently. If there were no songs on the ridge, a man's life would be desolate. Because of the girl's unrequited love, she was married to him by her father's orders, and the sorrow was shared between two people. The husband's steel knife was quick but not gentle, and when fighting with his opponent, it would break into two pieces at any time. The husband could only use half a steel knife to fight bloody battles. That half of the steel knife was the incomplete life of a man.

  On the way home, parents would leave their son in a ditch and tell him to wait. Parents are experienced people who know that flowers are the lifeblood of the wilderness. The flowers fluttered and swirled, and the son's life had light.

  Most men experience loneliness. On the bridge, there is nothing but the whistling cold wind, let alone a woman as beautiful as a peach blossom. If you can't win over a woman's heart, it's your own fault. You have to take care of your warhorse and sword while suffering from loneliness. A rider without a woman's love is like a stone among stones. They don't have the spring of life, and they are often the first to fall when breaking through the enemy lines. They charge into battle with damaged lives, and the enemy's blade will give them a fatal blow at their weak point. The singer sings about them: No fragrance, no sleep, flames burning my home, ravens rolling over the desert, camels shedding ancient tears, making bloody sounds and suicidal cries. This ancient song originally had no lyrics. Singers sang for many centuries, unable to find words to alleviate the riders' loneliness and sorrow. It's a true loneliness, heaven gave him a woman, but he can't pull out that rib from his body. He charges into enemy lines without armor, his back is exposed when he goes to fight; he is so vulnerable to injury. A rider without a woman's love is as fragile as an untempered sword. Women are the clear water given by heaven to riders. If a rider doesn't drink the water and has to cross the Gobi Desert, his blood will be reduced by half; others have blood and water, but he must have only blood clots.

  Singers can only sing out some intermittent melodies, and no one can capture the content of the melody.

  That spring, Gao Shiling went to pay his respects and was taken aback when he saw his fiancée. The lyrics of "White Peony" suddenly echoed in his mind: White peonies are as white as snow; red peonies are as red as broken hearts.

  The watermelon on the ridge is really sweet, and the peony that blooms in the Gobi Desert; thinking of his younger sister's heart being sour, living alone is pitiful! On their way home, his parents abandoned him in a ditch. His mother was full of confidence in her son, "My child will not be lonely."

  The parents left with peace of mind. A red sparrow landed on the tree, and the general waved his hand to throw a stone, the red sparrow fell down, bloodstained, like a bright peach blossom. From afar came the sound of a woman's song: Since you left that day, my soul has been lost in thought.

  Others see you but I don't, turning around with tears falling down.

  Sleeping sideways and listening with an upturned face, I hear my brother's camel bell.

  Hearing the camel bells on the road, sweeping the floor and changing clothes.

  If you want to eat noodles, sister will roll them out for you; if you want to drink strong tea, sister will serve it to you.

  If you can't make a good one, then don't make a bad one, sister will make you a pair of comfortable shoes.

  The general turned over the earth mound and saw a pair of new shoes and socks on the stone by the side of the road. Even if the bride-to-be was bold, she wouldn't dare to meet her man before the wedding. The general had just hurried back onto the original path when he heard a woman singing on the other side of the mound, the melody making the yellow earth and deep ditch shine brightly: Focused thoughts, I don't dislike you, my sister.

  Rather let him be an emperor and have his kingdom in chaos than to break off our relationship.

  Embracing your head on my bosom, I'd sacrifice my life for you.

  You die and I live, heartbroken, sister won't die if you don't suffer loneliness.

  The woman had been married for only a few days when the general led his troops to roam around. The sound of cannons in her heart evoked distant echoes, the sound of horses' hooves and shouts, the melodious military horn, often suddenly appeared in her dreams, she woke up again and again in the darkness, her whole body chilled to the bone. The cold air on the northern plateau was heavy, but she had hot blood surging through her veins, not even a single sneeze.

  The cannon fire had stopped, and her husband was nowhere to be found. To be exact, her husband had never sent her any news at all.

  The heart of the man from Hezhou is harder than iron. All he heard was news of Ma Zhongying's death. She didn't believe in this kind of death at all, and she firmly told everyone: it's a rumor, don't believe it. The family members calmed down from their panic. For them, not believing the disaster was the wisest approach. Soon after, war broke out again in the distance, and Commander Ma came back to life.

  Her judgment was confirmed. Believing in an eternal life is a kind of loyalty from wife to husband.

  Years later, her uncle took her to a very distant place to meet her husband, riding on a small donkey for several days, arriving at the end of the Qilian Mountains. Her husband was training troops here, preparing to conquer Xinjiang. Only then did she understand her uncle's good intentions. Since ancient times, how many people have returned from battles? The uncle wanted his nephew to leave some descendants for the Ma family. That trip was as tragic and heroic as Meng Jiangnu searching for her husband thousands of miles away.

  This strong man spent a week with her, and then left without looking back. They both understood the meaning of this, a long life condensed into six or seven days, and life presented an extraordinary splendor. Outside the window was the rouge mountain that ancient Xiongnu people had repeatedly sung about, and the vast grassland where livestock thrived. In a week's time, she remembered her husband's everything with a woman's meticulousness and passion, his voice, appearance, smile, and heroic posture when riding horses. Another new life, another shadow of her husband would be born in her! This was a vow of life! It was confirmed by the majestic mountain peak in front of the window. Her heart surged with waves like the ocean, but her voice was very soft and small, she asked her husband in a low voice: "What mountain is that?"

  "Qilian Mountain, connected to the sky, is called Qilian Mountain, and also connected to the Taizi Mountain of our Hezhou."

  She wanted to verify the mountain, she had to verify the mountain! She asked her husband's companion, a Han Chinese man with a refined face, who looked like an educated person. Her husband said: "Let him tell you, he is a Russian returnee, very knowledgeable." The knowledgeable gentleman told her: This was the ancient homeland of the Xiongnu people, during the Han Dynasty there was a great general named Huo Qubing, who led troops to conquer the Western Regions and drove the Xiongnu to Europe. The oldest empire in Europe, the Roman Empire, was overthrown by the Xiongnu people, "this is called dog chasing rabbit."

  "In our Henan province, we don't say 'dogs chase rabbits', but 'horses chase rabbits'."

  "My wife is great, right? She knows about horse racing. I'll tell you, foreign students, when I was 12 years old, I rode a big horse and chased rabbits and wild chickens in the Hezhou area, no one could beat me, I won every year until I was 17, leading troops to fight against Feng Yuxiang."

  That was just when the sun went down, Mount Qi Lian was bathed in a sea of blood. The distant mountains transmitted the loud neighing of a full herd of horses.

  She whispered: "It's hard for the Xiongnu people to leave Mount Qilian."

  Foreign students recited a ancient poem: Losing the Rouge Mountain makes our women lose their beauty! Losing the Qi Lian Mountain makes our six domestic animals not thrive.

  She returned to her hometown in Hezhou, and soon became pregnant. The glorious years of a woman's life had arrived. She carefully nurtured her husband's flesh and blood, the child was robust and clever, just like a little general. A lovely child, a capable woman, the whole courtyard presented prosperity and vitality. Muslim women do not show their faces in public. From the old people's conversations, she knew that Ma Bufang and Ma Buqing had become high officials and made a fortune, which was the greatest wealth of the Hui people in Hezhou for 600 years. When people talked about Ma Buqing's Dong Gongguan or Ma Bufang's mansion, it was like talking about the Forbidden City in Beijing.

  It is said that after Ma Bufang became the governor of Qinghai Province, he returned to his hometown in glory and passed by the gate of Ma Zhongying's house. Ma Zhongying's mansion was not high or large, but very clean, with a sense of grandeur that could not be underestimated, and a straight column of smoke rose from the chimney on the roof, piercing through the clouds. Ma Bufang involuntarily exclaimed: "Their chimney is still smoking!" His soldiers rushed over, "Sir, let's use cannons to blast him away, he's harming us." Ma Bufang stroked his beard, suppressing his intense emotions, and said in a calm tone, "What do you think I am? How can I bully a widow and her children? Am I Yuan Shikai?"

  The people of Hezhou all say that it is the blood of General Ka, and the chimney is strong, which has smoked Ma Bufang black.

  The East Mansion is good, the West Mansion is also good, but no matter how high the gatehouse is, it's still not as high as the smoke from the chimney.

  After many years, a group of soldiers who had escaped from Xinjiang returned, and the Hui and Han people in Hezhou City all ran to the city wall, to the ancient ferry terminal on the banks of the Dasu River to watch. On the main road west of the city, dust rose high into the air, and the sound of horseshoes grew louder. War horses, a group of war horses, all from the Western Regions' grasslands, Yanqi horses, Ili horses, carrying a group of tattered Han men rushing towards Hezhou Ancient City.

  The magnificent horses from a foreign land did not let their masters down, they lifted their front hooves and struck out with elegant and powerful strides, then walked gently into the city gate. The stunned people of Hezhou woke up from their daze and shouted as they went to look for their sons, brothers and relatives.

  They drank three rounds of hot tea. These old soldiers woke up, repeatedly telling stories, "The Taklamakan Desert is so big, the largest desert in the world, Old Wei said that the desert is easy to enter but hard to leave, our 36th Division went in and out several times, the enemy's planes were like ravens, covering the sky, above our heads, tat-tat-tat-tat, machine gun bullets as thick as a ball, like carrots, tat-tat-tat-tat, tanks, armored vehicles, Shengshi Cai's Northeast Cavalry, surrounded and pursued from all sides, shells and bullets like falling white rain, tat-tat-tat-tat, we managed to run out of the Taklamakan Desert, ran into the Altyn Mountains, along the Qilian Mountains, long Qilian Mountains, ran for a whole 20 years."

  These scarred veterans returned to Hezhou with a radiant aura. In the minds of Hezhou people, a man must live out this radiance throughout his life, like charcoal or the sun in the sky. The soldiers under General Gai changed the radiance that had been deeply rooted in people's hearts for centuries. In the past, Hezhou men would travel far and wide empty-handed, and after ten years, they would ride tall horses back home with many treasures, earning them great respect as good men; those who returned empty-handed were looked down upon.

  People's eyes widened in shock, unable to utter a word, with a sea of hot blood surging in their hearts, yet struggling to squeeze out a single sentence. The children were so clever, the children pried off a shiny metal piece from the old soldier's shoulder blade: "My grandpa, the golden lump is buried in the bone!"

  That was a piece of shrapnel, a memento left on the body from the Soviet plane's bomb. People shouted "Hurrah!" Children pulled thick bullet heads out of the veteran's cheeks and buttocks, as big as a child's fist.

  "What is this thing? Is it a bullet?"

  "The veterans said: 'This is a Soviet water drop bullet.'"

  Everyone burst out laughing, "The Soviets made bullets so big just for you, Japanese devils!"

  (Butt hole)

  The old soldiers thus became heroes. The most eye-catching were the fine horses from the Western Regions, running in the mountains and valleys of Hexi, with their long manes fluttering and neighing loudly. The old people couldn't help but exclaim: "This is the heavenly horse that the Han emperor wants!"

  Ma Bufang's soldiers saw these horses from afar, stopped in their tracks, lowered their heads, all wearing military uniforms and carrying steel guns, it was too interesting to treat the soldiers like this.

  Ma Bufang had also seen the Ili horse a few times and was extremely envious. Later, Kazakhs who escaped from Xinjiang to Qinghai gave him a famous Ili horse; he rode it for several laps, and as he rode, he became dazed on the horse's back.

  "Ma Zhongying, the carpet-beater, you've really made a show of your prowess this time!"

  Ma Bufang spat out a few mouthfuls of dry saliva, returned to the office to study the map, the 1:500,000 military map drawn by the Japanese, with the entire Tianshan Mountains visible before his eyes. The dream of galloping across the Tianshan Mountains could only be left in his mind, and the white gloves on his hands gently patted.

  The messenger of the Garrison Commander was brought back by a guard. Only one guard came back, without riding a horse, leaning on a date palm stick from the desert. He walked to the edge of the Dashar River, where there were no people, and went down to wash his body naked, like shedding his skin, and came up from the river as a brand new person. Sitting on the ground looking at the sky, he looked for about an hour, as if eating the clouds in the sky. With a full heart, he opened his sheepskin bag, changed into a new military uniform, and became a clean and tidy Garrison Commander's guard, with a strange handgun hanging from his waist. He walked straight to the Garrison Commander's house.

  The commander's wife was in the inner room, and she heard clearly through the door curtain: her husband had gone to the Soviet Union and his whereabouts were unknown, and the troops had been dispersed. The guard only talked to the old man and didn't see the person behind the door curtain in the inner room. The guard said, "The Soviets are blind, Commander Ga is probably not going to make it." The guard handed something over to the old man, said a few comforting words, and left.

  (② Blind: Northwestern dialect, bad, black.)

  She didn't know how she walked out. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other, then started to unwrap the thing, layer by layer, wrapped in sheepskin, which was as soft as silk. The last layer was indeed silk, a famous high-quality silk from the Hejian region. Unwrapping the silk, inside was a jade pendant, like a lump of moonlight, like it was dug out from the heart of the moon, shining brightly even in broad daylight. The mother-in-law said: "This is Hejian's jade stone, your husband left you this treasure, take it." The old woman was calm as water, and the Hejian moonlight jade cast its light on her face. She said: "This is a predetermined thing, no one can change it, leaving behind such a treasure is also our longing."

  She started packing things up, and by evening, after settling the whole family in with a good meal, she told her intention to the old man: "Mother, I'm leaving. I've settled everything at home. I couldn't bid farewell to you properly, so I'll just kowtow to you."

  She knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the old man, "From now on, things in the back house will be entrusted to Eldest Brother's wife."

  The old man was so surprised that he couldn't speak, the thing his daughter-in-law wanted to do was too big, the old man knew what his daughter-in-law wanted to do in his heart, but he was still shocked.

  "My husband is a great man, just like a general. I know my husband hasn't died, and I'll go find him. Meng Jiangnu was able to find the Great Wall, so I can find Mount Kunlun."

  "Dolls, from ancient times to the present, going out of Yangguan and walking into the Western Regions are all men among men." The old man grasped the veil and covered his face, "Doll, your husband's guards have returned, but he himself has not returned, don't you understand?"

  The daughter-in-law doesn't speak, the daughter-in-law feeds the child milk. The child is already two years old, weaned long ago, but in the child's memory, there is still a pair of hot **. The child bites his mother's hot **, unaware of what big things are happening in the world, with eyes wide open looking at her mother's face.

  The wife held the child all night, and the child slept very soundly. As the sky brightened, she gently put the sleeping child into bed. Before dawn broke, she swept the courtyard clean, sprinkled clear water, cooked breakfast, paid respects to the elderly, packed a small bundle, and left.

  The old man really couldn't move his legs, the old man knew that the doll had walked to the other side of the slope, knew that the doll had climbed up the ditch. The deep ditches and ravines of Hezhou were traversed by men, and women also traversed them. The small figure of the daughter-in-law rose and fell, and the city of Hezhou was far away. The old man's ears suddenly became clear, and he faintly heard a woman's voice echoing on the ridge: "With a person in my arms, a knife in hand, I'll stake my life with you."

  You die and I live, heartbroken, sister won't die if you don't suffer loneliness.

  A woman wearing a moonlight jade, after going through hardships, walked all the way to the origin of the jade and Tian, living in a small village between Kunlun Mountain and Taklamakan Desert, alone, guarding a clean and tidy yellow mud house. No one knew her identity. The local elderly only remembered that she was once a beautiful woman, empty-handed, came here, spun sheep's wool, made shoes and hats to pass the days, and later bought a house. A lone woman, strictly adhering to the female way, beautiful and ruddy, until old age, still with charm, the local Uyghurs, Hans, and Huis all said she was a person with a god in her heart. People also knew that her husband was alive, in a distant foreign land, unable to return to his hometown due to various reasons. A woman who loved her husband so much was easily respected by the people of Tian. People imagined her husband, he must be a man among men, a powerful and boundless Hanzi.

  Her accent is from Hezhou, and the people of Tianshui are very familiar with the distant Hezhou. Since the Republic of China, Xinjiang has been led by people from Hezhou, from Yang Zengxin to Jin Shuren to Ma Zhongying, but no one would have thought of putting her together with Ma Zhongying.

  She smiled and let everyone guess. There were two people living in her, which was her happiness and also the difference between her and others. Occasionally, she would talk about Hezhou with everyone, saying that it was her mother's home. A woman's memory of her mother's home is always limited. A good woman will slowly merge into her husband's life after marriage, just like a river flowing into the sea.

  "You are our Heida people."

  "I've lived in Hezhou for decades, I'm definitely a Hezhou native, because my husband is a Hezhou native."

  "What does your husband do?"

  "He is an outstanding craftsman."

  She was shocked, the majestic General suddenly became a craftsman of jade, just like gold diggers and businessmen's muleteers, all men who walked through the western pass were such characters. She believed that when her husband found the moonlight jade, he must have been moved by the beautiful mountains. The high Kunlun Mountains, where no grass grew, covered with ice and snow, only produced beautiful jade and tranquility, and all brave men who came here would calm down. The people of Hetian were so peaceful, regardless of age or sex, their eyes shone with a rare serenity, under the sun flowed cool moonlight, this was the people of Hetian. Those who crossed the Sea of Death to come here, involuntarily yearned for the night of moonlight, yearned for the baptism of moonlight. In Taklamakan, there were both the footprints of high monks and the mausoleums of Islamic saints. The beautiful jade shone brightly on the top of the mountains, even the sun had to restrain its radiance, floating in the desert like a sleeping baby.

  Mazaar: A graveyard for Muslims.

  The husband's lifelong yearning for the sea in the desert, and the sea is right here. The bloodthirsty men who rushed out of the Hezhou Plateau, all the way to kill, just for this piece of peaceful and peaceful land.

  She sang a "White Peony Command", in the dreams of women from Hezhou, a woman's love would turn into peonies on the Gobi Desert. She must have been the first woman from Hezhou to come to the Gobi Desert, after singing "White Peony Command", she was no longer a person from Hezhou, and began her life with the people of Hetian. In the courtyard of the Hetian people's residence, there were tall white poplars and fiery red roses. The first time she saw the roses, she couldn't help but pull her headscarf tightly, such a passionate cluster of red flowers, placed under the scorching sun, without hiding their beauty! With a woman's meticulous heart, she felt that this was the hometown of the yellow earth, the rough and rugged yellow earth had thousands of feet and tens of thousands of feet, also blown by the strong wind from the Kunlun Mountains. Take a look at the roses growing in the sandstone, the bold and beautiful roses with the quiet and elegant jade stone, what a wonderful combination! My husband, I will sing you Hetian's rose. She sang out a very authentic southern Xinjiang folk song, amidst the passion of Uyghur songs, mixed with the serenity and mystery of the Loess Plateau, she actually sang out the Qilian Mountains; there were also roses in the Qilian Mountains, which was something she never thought of even in her dreams.

  Direct access

  Direct access

  Back to top

  Back to top