Chapter 16

  That winter, Sheng Shi Cai left the ancient capital of Nanjing and returned to his hometown in Liaodong. As the head of the Operations Department under General Chiang Kai-shek, he was a very glorious figure in the eyes of his fellow villagers. But Sheng Shi Cai didn't feel glorious at all, and said calmly: "Being the head of the Operations Department is just sitting on a cold bench." An old classmate said: "Chiang Kai-shek studied at the Japanese military academy, you also studied at the Japanese military academy, Chiang Kai-shek was once the chief of staff for Sun Yat-sen, and you are now the chief of staff for General Chiang, it's clear that this is a path to success." "Only one person can walk on a road, I don't want to follow in someone else's footsteps, I'm not going to be the head of the department anymore, I plan to go to Xinjiang to find my own way out."

  Friends and relatives were shocked. Sheng Shi Cai bid farewell to his hometown, rode a big horse and left. He had to travel 80 miles to the county town to take a bus. Friends and relatives saw him off one after another, Sheng Shi Cai galloped forward on his horse, without looking back, that scene was a bit like a wandering knight-errant, with a generous and desolate air.

  In Shenyang, he paid homage to the imperial mausoleum of the Qing dynasty. Nurhaci lies here, facing south and backing north, gazing out at the Central Plains. The land of Guandong has a rich royal aura, where Liao, Jin, and Qing dynasties once rose from the White Mountains and Black Waters, galloping across the Yangtze River to the north and south, all the way to the heart of Central Asia.

  After Liao was replaced by Jin, the great general of Liao, Yelü Dashi, led the remnants of Liao to migrate westward to Central Asia and established Western Liao around Lake Balkhash, which lasted for more than 80 years. The Xinjiang that Shengshicai was about to leave was once part of Western Liao. He had to take a train through Siberia from Tacheng into Xinjiang. This route was the one Yelü Dashi took back then. Yelü Dashi left Liaodong with the pain of losing his country, drifting away to start the Khitan people's undertaking. Shengshicai traveled east to Japan to learn skills and joined Chiang Kai-shek, but this cold bench crushed his dream of Jinling Spring. His inner pain was no less than Yelü Dashi's. Shengshicai stood at Dongling Station for a long time, the countless heroes and heroes of his hometown flew by in front of him, they disappeared into the historical river of their motherland.

  He was sighing with his wrist clasped, when someone behind him said: "Long sighs to cover tears, alas, the hardships of human life, are they not the laments of Han Gaozu and Chu Ba Wang?" The person was his Japanese classmate Takashi Yamato. Takashi Yamato admired Chinese classical culture, after graduation he was sent by the military department to work in the Northeast China Kwantung Army Headquarters. Takashi Yamato said: "You are not serving as the Director of Operations for Chiang Kai-shek, why did you come back to the Northeast? Do you have a special mission?"

  "I'm not even qualified for a special mission."

  "So I stand in front of the emperor's mausoleum and cultivate a vast and harmonious energy."

  "Chu Chengjun is really good at joking, what heroic spirit do I have, just a bunch of nonsense. " Sheng Shaicai said, "I won't take on any more tasks in Nanjing."

  "It's a great honor, working alongside the Commander-in-Chief, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for us Japanese."

  "Japan has martial arts, China only has the art of emperors. In the Song Dynasty of China, there was a Wang Anshi, who would rather go to a small county on the border to be a county magistrate than serve as a servant in the capital. I am preparing to go to Xinjiang."

  "So many classmates are waiting for China to start a war with you, and you ran away to Xinjiang. Aren't you disappointing everyone? You were once the top student in military school."

  "If China and Japan really go to war, I won't stay silent."

  "Are you going to fight us in distant Xinjiang?"

  "The Japanese military has always regarded Liaodong as the lifeline of the empire. Liaodong was once the homeland of the Liao State, and after the destruction of the Liao State, the great general Yelü Dashi led his troops to conquer Western Regions in Central Asia and establish the Western Liao State, Xinjiang was also the homeland of the Liao State."

  "I understand, Sheng Jun's mourning is not for Nurhaci but for Yelü Dashi. Sheng Jun went to Xinjiang to make a comeback and rise again from the ashes. He will be successful. Let's gather together to bid you farewell."

  Kaito Takeshi invited Sheng Shi Cai to a Japanese restaurant, where they ate sashimi and drank sake. Kaito said: "Mr. Sheng works in the central government, the Central Plains War has brought China an indelible aftermath, you wouldn't be unaware of this situation, would you?"

  The outcome of the civil war was that China's northern defense was empty, and the Kwantung Army could take advantage of it to act in Northeast China.

  "Zhang Xueliang had an army of 500,000 men, while the Kwantung Army only had a little over 20,000."

  "The most powerful army in northern China was Feng Yuxiang's Northwestern Army, but the Northwestern Army disintegrated in this civil war. The 500,000 well-equipped Northeastern Army was indeed massive, but its commander Zhang Xueliang was a meat dumpling dog, and his military ability was not enough to command such a large army. These situations must have been taken into consideration by the Kwantung Army Command."

  "The situation in the military can't be hidden from you at all, Sheng Jun."

  Sheng Shi sneered coldly.

  Chu Chengyong said: "Chiang Kai-shek was also a Japanese student, and the intentions of the military department could not be hidden from him either."

  Shengshi said: "Japan is a unified country, the emperor has supreme authority, China is divided and fragmented, Chiang Kai-shek wants to eliminate warlords and complete national unification, fill the power vacuum after the fall of the empire, and deal with imperialism. Liaodong is beyond his reach. In the face of Japan's attack, he will withdraw troops, avoid its edge, and engage with Japan in the Central Plains. Therefore, the Kwantung Army will soon take action in Northeast China, I estimate that the Kwantung Army has already begun to formulate this plan, and when the time comes, it only needs a small excuse to open fire on Beidaying."

  "The Kwantung Army indeed has such a plan. You're so frank, aren't you afraid of the Kwantung Army making a sneak attack on you?"

  "Because it's inevitable, I went to tell Zhang Xueliang, but Zhang Xueliang would think I'm crazy. What's the use of killing me with the Kwantung Army? Besides, with you, Chūjō, here, nothing will happen to me."

  "Why?"

  "Chu Chengjun was first a warrior, and then a soldier."

  "I'm ashamed to say that I've been treated with such kindness by you, sir. Warriors and soldiers were originally one entity, but since the introduction of Western-style weapons in Japan, the Japanese sword, which symbolized the military spirit, has gradually lost its significance. The upper echelons of the military and financial worlds have become intertwined, and the unique warrior spirit of Japan was first eroded from the top-down. In the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army defeated China with Bushido, and in the Russo-Japanese War, the Bushido spirit reached its peak. Veterans who fought in that war still reminisce about General Nogi Maresuke today. At Port Arthur's 203 High Ground, 80,000 Japanese soldiers fell, including Nogi's two sons. After the war, the Emperor asked Nogi about the situation, and without blaming him, awarded him a medal. Since then, Bushido has gradually lost its significance, leaving only a formality. Today, it is difficult to find commanders like General Nogi in the military department. The separation of martial arts from military affairs is a tragedy for Japanese soldiers. It's hard for Japan to restore the pure spirit of Bushido unless we experience a crushing defeat - sometimes failure can be a path to salvation. I was moved by your story about Yelü Dashi's heroic deeds, sir. I hope you will revive martial arts in Central Asia, and if you succeed, it will also be a pride for us Japanese."

  "I studied in Japan and Mr. Harada's teachings are unforgettable."

  "Mr. Harada is a descendant of Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han Dynasty."

  "Really?"

  "In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao usurped power, and the relatives of Emperor Xian of Han fled to Japan to avoid war. The emperor granted them fiefs and noble titles, changing their surname from Liu to Harada. The Harada family has considerable influence in Japan. Therefore, Mr. Harada has a special affection for Chinese international students."

  "He is indeed an extraordinary soldier."

  "Today's Japan and China are no different, if you don't learn how to speculate, it's very hard to find a way in."

  "I understand why you, Ku Chengjun, came to Liaodong. You were squeezed out, weren't you? Hmm, I thought I was the only one who was being neglected. I followed Chiang Kai-shek and sat on a cold bench in Nanjing for several years, a hero with no use for his skills. My departure to Xinjiang was truly unavoidable."

  "Xinjiang has always been a place where heroes and outstanding people have emerged, I'm sure you will succeed."

  Kui Chengyu took down a box of guns from his waist and gave it to Sheng Shi Cai.

  "Turtles are sacred objects in our Japan. This handgun is a new product from Japan, called the Turtle Box. Let Sheng Jun wear it as a good luck charm."

  The prosperous world is in the hands of a strong man, and he puts away his gun after one shot.

  "With divine protection, I will surely succeed."

  This winter, Sheng Shicai took the international train from Manzhouli and entered Siberia. On the long railway line, Sheng Shicai spoke to his wife for the first time about his grand ambitions in his early years: the beauty of the white mountains and black waters, the vast plains, the bravery and bloodiness, the ancient heroes beyond the pass, Liao Jin Mongolia and the Eight Banners of Manchuria. For an intellectual woman, there is no more captivating moment than listening to a ambitious man talk endlessly about his innermost thoughts. This man was none other than her beloved husband, who was speaking on the slowly moving train, in the north, in the Taiga forest belt beyond the Great North, amidst the snow and the giant waves of Lake Baikal, and the legend of Su Wu's sheep grazing. Qiu Yufang, who had read many books, didn't say a word; she supported her chin with her hand, wrapped in a luxurious scarf, and silently looked at her husband. Her husband was in high spirits, and among the many heroes of Guandong, he finally chose Yelü Dashi. He thought he was Yelü Dashi himself. "Yelü Dashi had only 200 brave warriors under his command, yet he swept across the Western Regions, defeated the Arab army, established the Western Liao Empire in the distant Haixi and Samarkand, and brought Chinese culture into the heart of Central Asia during the heyday of Islam. Later Islamic scholars and historians always tried to avoid mentioning the Western Liao Empire, that vast empire which had oppressed Arab scholars for thousands of years, leaving them breathless. How delightful! This is what heroes do!"

  "I think I must have been a Khitan girl in my past life."

  Sheng Shi almost revealed his uncle's war diary, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to utter the secret. It must have been a terrifying one. Before leaving his hometown and joining the army, he burned that war diary.

  He believed that every page, every word was firmly etched in his mind. He would go to enlist, a bold and tempting move for a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth, and he felt like a real soldier even before he set out. Like a great soldier, he burned away his secrets and vows with one stroke of fire.

  He thought his uncle's war diary was a vow. A man's vow. Liaodong, the fertile land sandwiched between two imperialisms, an ambitious young man threw his dreams and vows into the flames. He was no longer a young man. He rushed to the Great Northern Wilderness.

  A Khitan girl's dream must be Yelü Dashi.

  He never told his wife about that war diary.

  When we're old, sitting by the fireplace, reminiscing about Siberia, reminiscing about the vast steppes of Central Asia, reminiscing about that great railway, that great railway from east to west, from west to east. Underneath it's all bones, all Chinese laborers' bones. Shengshi suddenly sat up, his wife was already asleep, he too fell asleep, covered in a large coat, the coat was lifted on one side, the train swayed gently like a cradle, the vast and thick earth held this big basket. He suddenly felt despondent and sorrowful. His uncle, who had been a laborer for many years, recorded the fierce battles stroke by stroke, but didn't record the life of building roads. He was running on this great railway built by Chinese laborers, his uncle didn't remember it because the great railway couldn't be forgotten, while the heroic scenes of charging forward would eventually become fleeting clouds. His nose felt sour, what was he sorrowful about? Who was he sorrowful for? He fell asleep again. He slept for a very long time, sleeping very soundly, sinking all the way to the earth's core before being carried up by a divine force. He saw the sun running behind the train, like a big fireball being dragged by the train. Like in a dream, when the sun, this big fireball, caught up with the train, it went out again. The sky was always dark and unsteady, the sky was blue and vast, the earth was infinitely vast, fearfully vast, the train was extremely sorrowful, as if rushing into a grave, the earth would eventually take in everything, including human oaths and dreams.

  His wife said a sentence of dream talk, and he looked at it for a long time. Many years later, he indeed wrote a book called "Pastoral Notes", which was written after he arrived in Taiwan. He ruled Xinjiang for eleven years, killing people like hemp, his government was clean and efficient, when he left Xinjiang, the gold and silver handed over to the national treasury scared Chiang Kai-shek. Although many people told him, Chiang Kai-shek only recognized money, a border province handed over more gold and silver to the central government than Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, all the curses were blocked by the huge financial revenue. When he wrote "Pastoral Notes" in Taiwan, he found that he was just a worker, making a lot of money for Old Chiang. The eleven years in Xinjiang were also the eleven years of friendly cooperation with Stalin. The Soviet government got more practical benefits, almost a Siberian railway. "I am a laborer", "I am a worker". He is this kind of dual role.

  It's not written in "Notes on the Pastoral Margin", and he didn't tell his wife either. A man always has to bury some words deep in his heart, taking them into the grave with him.

  He was going to face Ma Zhongying, who was fighting fiercely in Qinghai, Ningxia and Gansu with the National Army. The newspapers in North China reported on the activities of Ma Zhongying's troops. According to the newspaper reports, the National Army suffered a crushing defeat at Bianmenkou, with heavy casualties. Sheng Shicai was shocked, as Feng Yuxiang's troops were known for their bravery and skill in battle. The headline read: "Seven guns hanging from the gallows, punishing the guilty, Commander Ma is worthy of being a descendant of Fu Bo." After arriving in Xinjiang, Sheng Shicai asked local Hui Muslims: "Is there no surname 'Ma' among the hundred surnames?" The Hui Muslim replied: "Ma means young." Sheng Shicai then asked who Commander Ma was. At that time, Ma Zhongying had not arrived in Xinjiang, and the local Hui Muslims did not know who Commander Ma was, probably just a Hui bandit. Sheng Shicai was shocked again, "The bandits in Northwest China are so fierce, daring to fight against Feng Yuxiang." There were many Red Beards in Guandong, but he had never heard of anyone fighting Zhang Zuolin. Sheng Shicai thought of the Western Liang soldiers led by Ma Chao in the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", who defeated Cao Cao's army and made him flee in disarray. The local customs here were strong and fierce, surpassing those of Guandong. This was indeed a good place to do business. The bad luck he had accumulated in Jinling ancient city was swept away.

  From the city of towers to Dihua, it's a thousand miles of vast Gobi Desert. Oases are like small islands in the ocean, and cars brush past the edges of these small oases, drifting through the endless expanse of rocky terrain, a vast and flat land of stone.

  Logically, Siberia is more vast and larger, with Taiga forests covering the sky and blocking out the sun, far from giving people such a strong feeling as Xinjiang's Gobi Desert. The feeling of Xinjiang being extremely large. Sheng Shi stood up from the car several times, waving his hand continuously, "It's too magnificent, even the Pacific Ocean is no match for this."

  The Tian Shan mountain range is getting closer and closer. Shengshi pointed to the open space under the mountain, telling his wife without a doubt, "Do you see that? That's where Xue Rengui shot arrows with his bow many years ago. He shot three arrows in a row, and three generals fell off their horses one after another. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers surrendered, and his subordinates shouted: 'General, three arrows will conquer Tian Shan, and the brave will enter the Han Pass.'"

  The vast desert and the mountains converge, forming a knot that surrounds the city of Dihua. The most precipitous main peak of the Tianshan Mountains, Bogda Peak, stands upright with the Demon Mountain at the outskirts of the city. In the center of the city, a red mountain rises, and a river originating from the Tianshan glacier flows through the city, its icy waters swift and cold like a sharp sword blade.

  "The icy river flows into dreams, and the perilous peaks serve as pillows. How can the land of the Six Dynasties' powder and rouge compare to this city?"

  "Madam, this city is a beauty, and her beauty is so similar to yours. I've been searching for the right words to describe your beauty, but I couldn't find any. This city is you, my madam." Sheng Shi Cai gently patted Qiu Yu Fang's shoulder, while Bogda Peak and Yaomo Mountain looked at Qiu Yu Fang simultaneously, "Those two mountains are looking at me."

  "Don't worry, madam, it's just you looking at it."

  "It gazes at me from between the stones, such fierce eyes, I've never let anyone gaze at me like that before."

  "It's not a person, it's Mount Tian, the main peak of Tian Mountain is watching you, my wife."

  At that time, Sheng Shicai was the most talented military officer in Dihua. Provincial Chairman Jin Shuren asked him what his plans were, and Sheng Shicai expressed a willingness to work in the most difficult place. Jin Shuren said: "Dihua is already very difficult, you stay and work in Dihua."

  The border military is backward, and there is a severe shortage of military talent. I appoint you as the head instructor of the military academy and concurrently as the director of the provincial military advisory board." Sheng Shicai stood at attention. People noticed that Sheng Shicai had a strange pistol hanging from his waist. Sheng Shicai said, "This is a Japanese-made box gun, called Wang Ba Box, it was given to me by my Japanese classmate."

  The next day, military school students also witnessed this strange handgun. Di Hua City was abuzz with talk of this "King Eight Box Gun".

  Sheng Shicai rode past on horseback, his eyes gleaming with spirit, a circle of black whiskers on his face, exuding an aura of majesty. It was the depths of winter, and the night watchman saw that at dawn, Sheng Shicai had arrived by the river, smashing through the thick ice to wash his body with icy water.

  Soon, the students of the military academy also started washing their bodies with ice water in the wild. According to Sheng Shicai's introduction, this is a basic skill for Japanese military officers. The students who admired martial arts liked ice baths and swordsmanship very much. Instructor Sheng became an ideal soldier in their minds.

  Jin Shuren said after learning about the situation: "As long as he is not given military power, his teaching some students will be beneficial to us."

  The staff said: "Chiang Kai-shek was from a military school background." Jin Shuren said: "I am the principal of the military academy, and Sheng Shicai is just a chief instructor. How can Sheng Shicai be compared with Director Chiang?"

  The military school students said to Sheng Shicai: "With your level, you should be the head of Xinjiang's military, Chairman Jin is clearly letting you sit on a cold bench." Sheng Shicai remained silent, and the students became more and more indignant. Suddenly, Sheng Shicai said: "From now on, do not discuss superiors, I was invited by Chairman Jin, the military school is the cradle of soldiers, what's wrong with being an instructor? You are so reckless, aren't you harming me?" The students put their dissatisfaction in their hearts for three or four years. Three or four years later, they became the backbone of the provincial army. When a civil unrest broke out in Hami, the provincial army suffered consecutive defeats, and many high-ranking generals could not take command on the battlefield. Only Sheng Shicai was able to hold his ground, so Jin Shirui had no choice but to appoint Sheng Shicai as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Army, leading troops into battle. For the first time in his life, Sheng Shicai took charge of military power, and most of the officers under him were former students from the military school. Under his command, they fought effectively, and reports of victories came frequently, making Sheng Shicai stand out.

  That was a matter of several years later, and from 1930 to 1933, Sheng Shicai was in dire straits.

  Jin Shuren was the same as Chiang Kai-shek, giving him an empty title and not using him at all. Unlike Nanjing, he could cultivate his own power among military school students. As long as he maintained this advantage, he would wait quietly for changes. In those years, Sheng Shicai's days were simple and full of flavor. In the eyes of people in Dihua, he was always a vigorous and ambitious military man. The local customs here are simple and honest, without any of the gloomy atmosphere of Nanjing. Sheng Shicai had already forgotten his fear of the dark night when he was in Nanjing. When the military school students talked about the political corruption in Xinjiang, Sheng Shicai felt extremely happy.