Chapter Ten: A Good Journey

  Lin Xiaotang woke up after a whole day of deep sleep, and the first thing he saw was three excited faces: Lao Quan, He Chong, and that socialite Chu Yuyan. The thirteen wounds on his body had been bandaged, and according to Lao Quan, Chu Yuyan had taken care of him for the entire day, which improved Lin Xiaotang's impression of her somewhat.

  He Qiong also let out a sigh of relief, and then conveyed the order of Xiao Shanling. At dawn, he arranged for boats to send Lin Xiaotang and others across the river, intending to send him to the First Military Hospital in Jiangbei for further treatment.

  Lin Xiaotang lay on the hospital bed, but his mind was racing quickly. He had just heard Lao Quan and others say that on this day, due to the electrifying effect, the national anti-war sentiment was high, and all walks of life were organizing fleets to transport military and civilians across the river. But what about after such a grand occasion? Lin Xiaotang still had hidden worries in his heart, and he proposed to He Chong that he wanted to meet with Xiao Shanling before departure.

  Lao Quan and others did not deceive him, within less than two days, the dock of Jiangmen became an ocean of ships, countless ships anchored outside the dock, waiting to bring hope for survival to the people who were desperately waiting on the shore. In the sky, planes from both the Nationalist Army and the Japanese Army flew over from time to time, behind high clouds, the Chinese Air Force was resisting the invaders with thin forces, covering this unprecedented large-scale retreat on the river surface.

  The National Revolutionary Army troops in Nanjing, after a tense retreat of one day and night, had withdrawn nearly two-thirds of their forces to the north of the Yangtze River. The battle at the Yijiangmen blocking position became increasingly fierce. The Japanese army completed the elimination of the remaining Nationalist resistance within Nanjing city, and their troops were assembled. To annihilate the last remaining Nationalist troops at Yijiangmen, they launched an exceptionally fierce offensive.

  Everyone knew that the fall of Jiangmen was only a matter of time, and the key was how much time they could provide for the troops to retreat in this final stage. The troops responsible for blocking the Japanese army were the officers and men of the Instructional General Headquarters and part of the 36th Division, with Lei Zhen as their commander. Facing the Japanese army's fierce bombing and crazy attacks, the casualties of the blocking troops were also huge.

  Xiaoshan Commander had just ordered the deployment of an additional battalion to support Lei Zhen's troops, and seeing Lin Xiaotang arrive at the riverbank under the escort of Lao Quan and others, his eyebrows relaxed and a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

  Lin Xiaotang was still lying on the stretcher, with a National Army officer's windbreaker draped over him and a cotton hat on his head. Xiao Shanling gestured for the guards and Lao Quan to step aside, clearing space for him to talk to Lin Xiaotang.

  Lin Xiaotang struggled to get up, but was pressed down by Xiao Shanling. He sat firmly on a bluestone beside Lin Xiaotang.

  "Today should be able to withdraw completely." Xiaoshan Lian pointed to the troops retreating in an orderly manner on the dock. "They should all thank you, if it weren't for you, they might have been buried here, and those civilians!"

  Lin Xiaotang narrowed his eyes and looked for a while. Since the ghost entered his body, he felt that his soul was slowly merging with it, and it brought not only many unprecedented knowledge to him, but also more complex emotions. Lin Xiaotang vaguely felt that its arrival might be hoping to use his own body to change this world.

  "What about after retreating? What does Commander Xiao plan to do?" Lin Xiaotang suddenly said this sentence out of the blue.

  Xiaoshan Commander let out a soft sigh, he understood the meaning behind Lin Xiaotang's words. The young man in front of him had too many things that he couldn't understand, even if he were to bring him under his wing, it would only provide him with a platform at best. But could he really protect him on the eve of the storm? Was he truly suitable for the National Army now?

  Xiaoshan Lord is very clear that this time the withdrawal of Jiangmen Gate, on the surface, it seems that he has made a great contribution, but in fact, he has forced himself to become the target of public criticism. The telegram was sent nationwide, demonstrating the determination to resist war and seeking support from all walks of life, none of which had been approved by the Wuhan headquarters or the Chongqing side, and these have all crossed the bottom line of that supreme leader. Although his actions are blameless, what about the others who participated in the Nanjing battle and the forces behind them? Will they sit back and watch him become the hero who steals all the glory, highlighting their own incompetence?

  The answer is definite. And it's precisely because of this that he must come face to face with all the consequences.

  Xiao Shan's carefree smile: "Things that you and I both understand in our hearts, let's not say them out loud again. I won't regret this matter because there was no other choice. The reason I wanted to see you before crossing the river is that I'm curious, what kind of plan do you have?"

  Lin Xiaotang wanted to go to Changsha because two friends, Er Gou and Fang Rou, were there. Lin Xiaotang felt that only when he was with them would he not have the kind of loneliness that made people's hearts ache. Although they were just his neighbors, years of affection made him feel that they were currently the only relatives left. Also, some teachers and classmates from Nanjing University had also gone to Changsha and joined Hunan University, so he wanted to go take a look, maybe he would meet the person in his heart.

  Xiao Shan let out a sigh of relief and stood up: "Having a goal is good, don't worry about the journey, I'll take care of it."

  Xiaoshan walked out a few steps, came to the stone steps by the river, picked up a stone and threw it far away: "Do you know what identity the two Americans and that Rong Gong who was rescued back with his life by Shen Pai Zhang are?"

  Lin Xiaotang shook her head.

  Xiao Shanling smiled and said, "Yun Gong is an old subordinate of the Chairman of the Committee, having followed him for many years and being in charge of intelligence work. He has a deep relationship with the Americans and is currently one of Madame Chiang's important staff members. This time, he was trapped in the city due to unexpected circumstances. Shen Pai Zhang and his men were sent to rescue him, and your appearance will be of great help to them. Yun Gong has taken notice of you. As for those two Americans, one is a journalist who took some photos of the Nanjing Massacre and was pursued by the Japanese. The other is an official from the embassy, and before retreating to Jiangbei, he inquired about your identity through me. I helped you get out of it. It's best if we don't provoke these Americans."

  Lin Xiaotang was somewhat perplexed and obviously unclear about the purpose of what Xiao Shanjing had told her.

  Xiaoshan Lian continued: "Don't misunderstand me, I didn't mean anything else. These big shots you saved might be able to help you in the future, I'm just reminding you."

  The distant artillery fire suddenly became dense, and the rolling smoke even spread to the riverbank. The National Army soldiers on the dock accelerated their boarding speed. Many ships loaded with soldiers had already left the dock, quickly approaching the north of the river under the cover of gunboats. ?? Counterattack Republic's Special Agent 10

  The commander's brow furrowed tightly. A messenger rushed in: "Reporting to the commander, Lei Zhen's telegram informed that the Japanese army has launched a full-scale attack, our defensive lines have been breached at multiple points, they are resisting stubbornly and trying to delay the enemy as much as possible, please ask the commander and staff to board the ship as soon as possible."

  As they spoke, several Japanese bombers had flown over the dock, and with the roar of engines and the piercing sound of bombs plummeting down, dozens of huge waves suddenly rose on the river surface, and several ships were hit, blown to pieces in an instant.

  Another orderly rushed over: "Commander Xiao, the Japanese army has dispatched its tank troops, our defensive line has been breached, and the bombing intensity has increased. Our air force has suffered heavy losses and withdrawn from combat. Colonel Lei is leading his troops to retreat in the direction of the dock, please commander board the ship immediately."

  The dock was in chaos, with many soldiers jumping directly into the icy river water, waving their arms and swimming hard towards the large and small boats by the riverbank.

  Xiaoshan Magistrate let out a long sigh: "It's too late for anything now!"

  He turned his head and said to the deputy officer and the guards not far away: "Send them on board immediately, and do it according to my previous arrangement. Do you understand?"

  The guards stood at attention and saluted, then came to lift Lin Xiaotang's stretcher.

  "What about you, Xiao Shou Ling?" Lin Xiaotang asked.

  Xiaoshan Commander looked at the rolling Yangtze River: "When I came, I said that I would be the last one to cross the river. Now, it's time to put my words into practice!"

  Lin Xiaotang and others, under the escort of a deputy officer and several guards in Xiaoshan, boarded a merchant ship smoothly. On this ship, basically all were soldiers of the constabulary, after boarding, everyone leaned against the side of the ship close to the shore, quietly gazing at the smoke on the shore, as if waiting for something.

  The deputy official approached Lin Xiaotang's side, wanting to speak but hesitating.

  Lin Xiaotang looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Doesn't what I say go on this boat?"

  The deputy officer nodded hastily with a respectful expression: "You are the commander's friend, and the commander has given strict orders to ensure your safe passage to Jiangbei, so everything will be done according to your wishes!"

  Lin Xiaotang nodded in satisfaction and looked at Lao Quan, He Chong and Chu Yuyan: "Then I'll be the host for everyone, don't set sail for now, let's see how things go."

  The deputy officer saluted excitedly: "Yes!"

  The smoke on the shore grew thicker, and the sound of gunfire became more intense. The outline of Japanese tanks slowly approaching in the distance could be vaguely seen. However, the fierce battle continued, with ships leaving the dock one after another. But there were no longer any National Army soldiers retreating down, and everyone's heart was growing heavier.

  At last, a group of figures emerged from the smoke, led by a tall officer, they quickly ran towards the dock, several soldiers seemed to be carrying someone.

  As they approached closer, Lin Xiaotang suddenly realized that the tall military officer was actually Lei Zhen.

  Lei Zhen directed the soldiers to hurriedly carry a man onto the boat, and his deputy exclaimed: "Commander Xiao." It wasn't until then that Lin Xiaotang realized that the unconscious man was Commander Xiao Shan.

  Lei Zhen's eyes widened as he saw Lin Xiaotang sitting on a stretcher at the bow of the ship. He immediately beamed with joy: "Little Lin, take good care of Commander Xiao! He refused to retreat even in death, and I had no choice but to knock him out. You must ensure his safe passage to Jiangbei!"

  Lin Xiaotang shouted loudly: "Lei Traveling, you also quickly get on the boat."

  "Ha ha ha! What nonsense, my hundreds of brothers are still fighting in the front line?! I'm a colonel and deputy commander, how can I abandon them to save myself? Xiao Linzi, Commander Xiao has entrusted you with this task, but I, Lei Zhen, will not retreat. I'll stay here at the Yangtze River Gate and fight to the death. As long as we're still breathing, those Japanese devils won't set foot on our dock! Just one thing, next year on this day, burn more incense, candles, and paper money for me and my brothers, we have a big family and it's expensive! Ha ha ha ha!"

  "Alright, brothers! It's ours for the taking! Follow me!"

  Dozens of soldiers in tattered uniforms and with black mud on their faces shouted loudly, following him, and rushed back into the smoke.

  At this time, an officer on the ship also shouted loudly: "Brothers, don't let the comrades of the Instructional Corps say that our military police are useless, not afraid to die, follow me!"

  More than a hundred soldiers responded in unison, jumping out of the ship's side, some even jumped into the river and ran towards the shore. In an instant, they disappeared into the thick smoke.

  The merchant ship slowly left the dock, and the gunfire behind it was like a performance to see off Lin Xiaotang and his men. Lin Xiaotang clenched his fists, his teeth chattering with rage, he leaned out of the boat, grasped the side of the ship, and shouted loudly in the direction that the crowd had gone: "Lei Laozhang, brothers, take care on your journey!"

  "Brothers, all the best on your way!" The people on the boat followed him and shouted loudly, their voices carrying very far away.