Chapter 3: South of the Mountain and North of the Mountain (Part One)

  Does looking white mean being a Japanese devil? Zhang Songling was speechless with laughter and tears after hearing what people around him said. According to this standard, more than half of his classmates at National No. 1 Middle School would be dragged out and shot. Especially some young masters and misses from the south who were born with delicate skin.

  Now that he had been identified as a Japanese spy, no matter what he said, the other side would naturally not believe him. The only thing to be grateful for was that this group of people's hatred target was consistent with his own, so there was no need to worry about falling into Qin Deguang's hands again for the time being. Following the principle that a good man does not take advantage of the present situation, Zhang Songling did not waste his breath on the captors anymore. He let them carry him, swaying and staggering towards the unknown.

  For a whole day and night without eating or sleeping, his body was already close to the verge of collapse. Just after being lifted for a short while, his vision began to darken gradually, and his thinking also became increasingly blurred. Faintly, he felt that it had started raining heavily in the sky, and then suddenly the heavy rain turned into goose feather-like snowflakes, freezing him so much that he shivered all over and woke up with a start.

  The tattered burlap sack on his head had been removed, but his hands and feet were still bound. Zhang Songling struggled to lift his head, trying to get a clear view of his surroundings, and as soon as he moved his neck, water poured down his hair with a gurgling sound.

  "Don't pretend to be dead, you little devil! I've seen plenty of grandpas like you!" A burly man with a bare torso, holding a large wooden basin, threatened him menacingly.

  Water, apparently poured from a wooden basin. The other party used this method to wake him up. Zhang Songling turned his head with difficulty, looked around, and responded very weakly: "No, don't pour anymore. I'm cold. I'm not Japanese, really not!"

  "You still want to play dead dog, look at this body of flesh and blood, and the bloodstains all over. Even if you're not a Japanese spy, you're a bandit's informant!" The strong man curled his lip, dropped the wooden basin, and picked up the leather whip.

  "Zhao Erzi, don't move your hands first!" Someone nearby shouted to stop him. It was unclear whether it was due to the cunning of the captured prisoner or the anger towards Zhao Erzi's overstepping of authority.

  "Am I not afraid that he's not being honest?" Zhao Erzi looked fierce at Zhang Songling, but towards the person sitting in a high position speaking, it was another attitude. He cleared his throat, with a somewhat flattering expression, and explained.

  "Come and untie him!" The man sitting in a high place gave Zhao Erzi a sideways glance, with an extremely majestic command.

  Several more robust men with bare arms and red cloth wrapped around their heads rushed up, untied Zhang Songling's bonds, and held his arms from both sides. While these people were busy, Zhang Songling took a few deep breaths, lifted his eyes to take a closer look. He saw that not far in front of him, there was an incense table set up. On either side sat two people, old and young. There were also twenty or so robust men, all with bare arms, standing menacingly on both sides. Behind the incense table, a man in his forties with a whisker-like beard sat high up. His head was wrapped in a red cloth like everyone else's. On his broad shoulders, he wore a dark-colored woolen cloak.

  The weather in May, just by looking at the thick woolen coat, Zhang Songling felt hot and dry on his body. He really didn't understand why Lao Hu Zi was wearing it! Upon closer inspection of Lao Hu Zi's face, he found that the other man looked very fierce, with a dark bronze complexion on his face and hands, and a thick layer of oil shining through, unsure if it was due to the heat or not washing cleanly.

  "Someone, bring him a chair!" Before Zhang Songling could guess the other's origin, the man with the whiskers sitting high on the incense table waved his hand and loudly ordered again.

  Someone quickly brought over a wooden chair and forced Zhang Songling to sit down. After everything was ready, the man with the whiskers cleared his throat and asked Zhang Songling in a gentle tone that didn't match his appearance at all: "I am Wei Zhan Kui, the president of the Iron-Blooded Anti-Japanese League. What is your name, little brother? What brings you to our Wei family village?"

  "I, Zhang Songling, am a student who went to Beiping to join the army. I have met Director Wei!" Zhang Songling struggled to get up from his seat and bowed to Wei Zhan'gui.

  "Student?!" Wei Zhan Kui's thick eyebrows furrowed suddenly, then quickly smoothed out. "Where did you come from?"

  "Yes! I came from the south, walking along the highway!" Zhang Songling was very cautious in his response as he didn't know much about the other person. "The train stopped and we don't know when it will start again. My classmates and I were impatient, so we walked on foot towards Beiping. Later, later I got separated from my classmates. Our luggage is also with them!"

  "Huh?!" Wei Zhan-kui, with his whiskers and mustache, looked at Zhang Song-ling with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity, his eyes scanning him up and down. "What's the meaning of this bloodstain?!"

  "We were ambushed by bandits, and our group was scattered. This is my classmate's blood. I buried her in the mountains!" He reminded Zhang Songling, who only then noticed the bloodstains on himself, his mood darkening as he replied in a low voice.

  "Nonsense!" Wei Zhan-kui slapped the incense table with a "pa" sound, his voice suddenly turning stern. "You obviously came from the direction of Hu Lu Island, and yesterday morning, there was a gun battle over there. You didn't even hear about such a big thing? Do you think I'm deaf?"

  "I'm not talking nonsense!" Zhang Songling was startled, stood up straight and loudly refuted, "We indeed walked along the main road to Beiping, and were indeed attacked by strangers near the Hulu Island train station. I don't know where they came from, of course, I took them for bandits. On my body, on my body is indeed the blood of my classmate, she...she was buried by me on the south slope of the mountain where you caught me!"

  "Shut up! You can only speak when the master of the house allows you to!"

  "Shut your mouth, or I'll beat you to death!"

  A group of sturdy men stood on both sides of the incense table, shouting loudly. Zhang Songling's voice was quickly drowned out and he reluctantly closed his mouth. Wei Zhan Kui waved his hand, signaling to those around him to calm down. Then, with a smile, he asked sternly: "Little brother, are you wearing clothes stripped from a dead man?"

  "Director Wei, I don't understand what you mean!" Zhang Songling was startled and quickly opened his mouth to explain, "I really am a student, if you don't believe me, send someone to ask around in the town of Hulu Yu, we once organized a charity performance there, many people have seen me."

  "Take a look, who can remember clearly!" Wei Zhan-kui snorted in his nose and shook his head in denial. "Commissioner Qin's side has already informed me that yesterday morning, a group of bandits wanted to attack the military train, but were foiled by students who went to catch the train and opened fire to silence them. Fortunately, the security team arrived in time and killed the bandits, recovering the students' bodies. Your clothes are stained with blood, but there's not a single wound on your body, clearly taken from a dead person. Don't deny it, don't play tricks on me, I was killing people when you were still wearing open-crotch pants! Say, who sent you and where is your lair?"

  "Speak up and confess the truth quickly!"

  "Speak up, confess quickly!" The strong men all shouted in unison, imitating the drama, to assist the master of the house.

  In the blink of an eye, he changed from a suspected Japanese spy to a bandit's informant. Zhang Songling found it hard to adapt for a moment. Frowning and thinking for a while, he finally understood what the other person meant. Shaking his head, he said angrily: "These clothes are my own! I'm not hurt, and there are no holes in my clothes. If they were stripped from someone else..."

  "Not honest yet!" Wei Zhan Kui suddenly became furious, and once again used force to slap the incense table, slapping the old ash that had accumulated in the wooden seams for years, making it burst out with a "whooshing" sound. "Drag him out, behead him directly! Hang his head on the big tree at the village entrance to show off to the bandits!"

  Zhao Erzi led four strong men to rush up, twist Zhang Songling's arm, and use a rope to tighten it. Zhang Songling was so tight that his forehead sweated, but he didn't dare delay any longer, opened his throat, and shouted loudly: "I am not a bandit! You are framing an innocent person! You can't kill me, otherwise, it is killing people and silencing them, it is colluding with the Japanese, and assisting the traitors!"

  "Take him down and rip his belly open! I want to see how many guts he has!" Wei Zhan Kui bellowed in rage.

  Two more sturdy men came up, grabbed Zhang Songling's legs and dragged him out with Zhao Er and others. "I'm not a bandit, nor am I a Japanese spy! You're framing me!" Zhang Songling was scared out of his wits and shouted loudly. After shouting for several sentences, he realized that no one was listening, so he took a deep breath and shouted the slogan he had just learned, "Down with Japanese imperialism! The Chinese people will never be exterminated! Traitors will never have a good ending!"

  "Stuff his mouth with horse dung!" Wei Zhan Kui's face turned iron-green as he impatiently barked the order. Several burly men were about to carry it out when an old man with a hunched back, standing closest to the left side of the incense table, suddenly cupped his hands and said in a low voice: "Master, be cautious! This child looks like a genuine student, not a Japanese spy or a bandit from the mountains!"

  "Yes!" A young man wearing a white cloth jacket, sitting at the far right, also whispered in agreement. "Those students who went to Beiping to join the army are being treated as treasures by Song Zheyuan. It's said that after a few years, they'll all be sent out as officers. Once today's events reach their ears, someone will lead troops to avenge their classmates..."

  "Master, Second Master, you don't know!" Without Zhang Songling's outsider in front of him, Wei Zhan Kui no longer needed to find any excuse for murder. "Qin Debang that scoundrel is a true cousin of Song Zheyuan's confidant Qin Deping. He sent someone to spread the word saying that bandit spies had stolen students' clothes and were sneaking around gathering intelligence for Japan, how could I refute it? Even if this person doesn't look like a bandit spy, he must be treated as one!"

  "After all, a cousin is not as good as a brother! You're the master of the house!" The old man with a hump on his back shook his head and spoke again to dissuade him, "Besides, Qin Dequan's side didn't give you any written orders or documents, they just sent someone to deliver a message. If he goes back on his word in the future, you'll have no proof here!"

  "Yes, indeed. One can't be too extreme in doing things! Qin Deguang is not a trustworthy person, we must leave a way out for ourselves. Besides, according to the elderly, killing bookworms will bring heavenly punishment!" The young man nicknamed Lao Er continued to show off his cleverness.

  It's unclear which sentence took effect, Wei Zhan Kui furrowed his brow, hesitating. The teacher and the second master saw this and quickly seized the opportunity, "As long as we hide this child and don't let the Qin family know, in the future, we can secretly release him, and we will have accumulated great virtue!"

  "He looks refined and pampered, obviously a young master from a wealthy family. If you send a letter to his home, won't they remember your kindness afterwards?! Even if they don't remember your kindness, just sending someone over with some gifts will be enough for us to enjoy several good meals!"

  "Hmm!" Having heard that there might be gifts to receive, Wei Zhan finally became interested. He stroked his beard and muttered in a low voice, "Sealing off the news is easy to do. Our side has never had much contact with the other side of the gourd island, and the brothers who did things today were all brought out by me. I'll let them shut up, they definitely won't dare to fart outside! But, damn it, I just said something so full...

  "Don't worry, sir. I'll take care of this matter with Xiao Er. I guarantee that we will make you proud!" The teacher hastily took charge, fearing that Wei Zhan Kui would change his mind.

  "Yes, Master Wei is so old, dealing with a little kid like that, it's still easy as pie!" Xiao Er continued to tap the bricks and nail the corners.

  Two of the most powerful men's subordinates insisted on not killing innocent people. Wei Zhan Kui had no choice but to compromise, nodding his head and smiling, "I trust you, Xiao Lao Er, to handle this matter. Alright, let your son-in-law take care of the good people, I'll continue sitting there playing the white face!"

  "Wait and see!" Xiao Er, the second master, cupped his hands to obey, then turned around and shouted towards the outside of the hall, "The great master has an order, bring the scout back again!"

  "Push the probe back, push it back!" The brothers shouted in unison, their voices echoing back and forth among the mountains.

  Zhao Er and the others heard this, and quickly untied Zhang Songling from the wooden stake, who had closed his eyes waiting for death. They carried him back to the main hall. As soon as they entered, Xiao Er, the master of the house, walked forward, patted Zhang Songling's shoulder forcefully, and loudly declared, "Good kid, you have some guts! Our master was afraid that you were a scout for the bandits, so he intentionally scared you earlier. Unexpectedly, you really do have some courage!"

  "Hahaha, hahaha......" Ming knew that Xiao Er's words might not be true, but Zhao Erzi and others still burst into loud laughter.

  Zhang Songling was laughed at like a monk, unable to touch his head. Dizzy and looking around, he lightly pursed his lips, "So the master just tested me, almost scared my soul away. How's that, did I pass?"

  "Considered and reconsidered!" Wei Shifu walked forward with a stoop, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "You're young, but you've got guts, I'll give you that. Still, not every Japanese spy is a coward. Next, you need to prove to the brothers that you're not a Japanese agent!"

  Zhang Songling's luggage was all lost at the He Ping Hotel, how could there be anything to prove his identity?! Seeing that the old man didn't seem to be intentionally looking for an excuse to kill him, he thought for a moment and asked very politely: "How can I prove that I'm not Japanese? Would you please show me the way? I really am one of the scattered..."

  "It's very simple, very simple!" Before Zhang Songling could finish speaking, the hunchbacked master hastily interrupted, "Since you say you're a student, you must be able to write Chinese characters. Write some brush calligraphy for me to see. If it's good, I'll let you pass. Otherwise, I won't be able to help but suspect you! Come on, untie him!"

  "Yes!" Zhao Er and the others stepped forward again, seven hands and eight feet loosening Zhang Songling's bonds. Someone ran to the backyard to fetch pen, ink, and paper, and arranged them on the incense table. "Well, I'll make a fool of myself!" Zhang Songling rubbed his wrists, which had been bound so tightly they had turned purple, and slowly walked towards the incense table, thinking carefully about what he should write to prove his innocence.

  He thought of his original intention when he joined the Blood Flower Society, Lu Qing's talent, Tian Qingyu's loyalty, and Big Brother Zhou Ju's bravery at the last moment. He thought of one by one classmates falling in the sound of gunfire, and the eyes that could never be closed again. His heart suddenly felt a surge of heat, he grasped the desk, his pen moved swiftly, "The universe has its own moral integrity, and all things are assigned their proper places. Below, it forms rivers and mountains; above, it forms the sun and stars. In humans, it is called magnanimity, overflowing and filling the vast expanse of heaven. The imperial path should be clear and level, with harmony and clarity in every courtyard. When times are difficult, integrity appears, and each one leaves a legacy."

  In Qi, it was Taishi Gan; in Jin, it was Donghu Bi. In Qin, it was Zhang Liang's mallet; in Han, it was Su Wu's arm.

  For General Yan's head, for Ji Shizhong's blood. For Zhang Yuanyang's teeth, for Yan Changshan's tongue.

  Or as Liaodong hat, Qing Cao's icy snow. Or as Chu Shi Biao, ghosts and gods weep at the majestic sacrifice.

  Or as a ferry boat crossing the river, generously swallowing the Hu and Jie tribes. Or as a stick striking bandits, reversing the upright head and splitting it open.

  It is the majestic energy, forever preserved in its intense grandeur. When it penetrates through the sun and moon, life and death are at peace with each other!

  ……..

  Note 1: Qin Dechun, Deputy Commander of the 29th Army and Mayor of Beiping. Before the July 7 Incident, he was ordered to deal with the Japanese and had a very ambiguous attitude. This person's experience is quite complex, with both bright and dark sides. He once insisted on fighting against the Japanese, but also tried to use compromise to achieve peace (one theory being that he received secret orders from the central government to delay the start of the war). He supported intellectuals in running newspapers to supervise the government, while also strongly suppressing student movements. After the July 7 Incident, he refused to surrender to the Japanese army and served as Chief Advisor to the First Group Army of the National Government, later becoming Deputy Minister of Defense. Like other high-ranking KMT generals, he was skilled at writing memoirs. He died in Taipei in 1963.