The First Part of the National Hero's Lonely City Blood War Chapter 6: The Debate Over the Wine

  "Hey, young man! Don't sleep anymore! Get up quickly!" A loud voice like thunder shocked Song Yuanghai awake from his drowsiness! A pair of rough big hands pulled Song Yuanghai out of the car and shook him vigorously, saying: "The master wants you to hurry up and wash your face, change your clothes, and go to Fengyu Pavilion for a welcome ceremony!"

  Song Yuanhao struggled free from the other's grasp and took a look at the big man in front of him, who was Wu Jiuming, the commander of the 600th regiment, who had only started calling him brother since yesterday.

  Taking a glance at the setting sun, Song Yuanhang yawned and said: "Jiuming big brother! Don't shake me off! You guys go first, I'll follow soon."

  Wu Jiuming was unwilling to yield, loudly shouting: "Men should be quick and resolute! I'll wait for you right here!"

  Helpless, Song Yuanhang casually took off his shirt, squatted beside the water cart, splashed some water to wash away the sweat on his face, changed into a clean set of clothes and accompanied Wu Jiuming to ride to Fengyu Xuan.

  The Fengyu Xuan was located near the new city police headquarters, but now there were no more police to be seen within the old city walls. The British who had held high-ranking positions in the police force had withdrawn on their own before the arrival of the 200th Division, and those local police officers who had been trained with great effort by the British Empire suddenly collapsed.

  Apart from a handful of Western journalists lingering in the city, there were only a small number of local Chinese expats! And Feng Yu Xuan was the largest Chinese restaurant in town.

  After getting off the car, Song Yuanhang raised his head and a ancient-style building with a Ming-style gate tower suddenly appeared in front of him. Wu Jiuming leaned over and mysteriously patted Song Yuanhang's shoulder, saying: "If you don't eat sour plum when you arrive in Myanmar, it's like not visiting the Fengyue Pavilion in Tonggu! The service here is said to be better than domestic ones, I heard that a few of them are from Shanghai!"

  Song Yuanhang naturally understood the implication of Wu Jiuming's words, but he didn't care whether there really was such a paradise in the ancient city that was about to be engulfed in war.

  Under the invitation of several officers, Song Yuanghai and Wu Jiuming yielded to each other and stepped into the main hall together! As soon as he entered the main hall, Song Yuanghai's eyes lit up instantly, and after experiencing the prosperity of the Night Club in the past, he couldn't help but applaud the unique style of Fengyu Xuan.

  Inside the hall, it's a picturesque landscape of Jiangnan water town? Small bridges and flowing water are separated by emerald bamboo screens into various seats. The bamboo-made waterwheel is slowly rotating, and the flute music floating from the second floor makes one's spirit refreshed, driving away the scorching heat and fatigue.

  In Song Yuanhang's view, calling a girl "table" and the actual difference between being an escort in a nightclub is not big. Three tables were arranged in a pin shape, with Dai Anrui sitting in the east seat wearing military uniform, next to an empty seat that was obviously left for himself.

  Song Yuanhang didn't realize until he sat down that, except for himself and Dai Anrui sitting next to each other, everyone else was seated with an empty seat in between. This empty seat naturally went unspoken.

  Zhou Zhai, sitting opposite Song Yuanhang, nodded to serve the dishes and smiled slightly at Song Yuanhang: "Younger brother, you've worked hard today! Later, I'll have to help Master's seat toast you a few more cups!"

  In a chorus of assenting voices, Song Yuanghai realized that almost all the seated were regimental officers of the 200th Division. Several main force reinforced regiment commanders he had dealt with before, and there was also a sense of gratitude for providing ammunition and supplies, so they seemed very familiar. The rest, even if they didn't know him, also greeted him with warm smiles. At this moment, Song Yuanghai felt that he had already been integrated into the atmosphere of the 200th Division. Most military men in this era were just that simple: eating rations, receiving pay, and fighting devils; whoever treated them well, they would treat them even better!

  Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a group of swallows flew in with a burst of fragrance. Song Yuanhang had been paying attention to Dai Anya's attitude and found that Dai Anya also looked natural. After thinking about it, this group of hot-blooded soldiers fought for the country and nation in foreign lands, and it was not unreasonable to relax slightly before the war.

  At this time, a 27 or 28-year-old woman with a mature aura, a pair of willow eyebrows matching her bright and watery eyes, a delicate and high nose bridge, fresh red and plump lips, wearing a fitting pink cheongsam caught Song Yuanhang's attention.

  Zhou Zaijian grabbed the woman's hand and said, "Xiangwen, wait a minute. Let me introduce you to a young man named Song Yuanhang, the chief of staff of the Military Law Enforcement Corps."

  The woman looked up and down at Song Yuanhang with shining eyes, saying: "I've long heard of your name but never seen you! Could it be that this is the very Song Counsellor who left the Englishman with only one undergarment? Please let me offer three cups to Counsellor Song first, to thank him for venting our anger as overseas Chinese!"

  Dai Anwei smiled slightly and nodded, indicating: "This is the boss of this place, Ouyang Xinhuan, Boss Ouyang. Today you must take good care of our Chief of Staff Song! The officers and soldiers of my 200th Division owe him a favor!"

  At the mention of stripping off British military uniforms again, Song Yuanhang was embarrassed and could only raise his wine glass to toast first!

  A full three or four liang of liquor was swallowed in one gulp by Song Yuanhang, a spicy and numbing sensation spreading from his throat to the bottom, his abdomen felt like a raging fire.

  Song Yuanhang had just put down his wine glass when he found Xīnwén raised another cup towards him, then took a sip and flipped her wrist to indicate the cup was empty.

  In the midst of thunderous applause, Song Yuanhang downed three cups of white wine! His eyes suddenly became blurry!

  Xianwen, with a rosy complexion, raised her fourth cup of wine and toasted: "This humble woman dedicates this cup to the pillars of our nation present here! I wish that our national army will annihilate the little Japanese devils, leaving not a single piece of armor behind. Today we defeat the enemy in Burma, tomorrow we'll raise our flag in Tokyo!"

  "Good! Well said!" Diana cheered first, taking the lead to drink a glass, and the enthusiastic atmosphere was instantly mobilized under the effect of alcohol!

  However, Dai Anrui just had this one cup, and his subordinates who knew his temperament also did not persuade him to drink more, and they all started drinking on their own.

  Four cups of wine downed, Song Yuanhang also entered a state of excitement, addressing the military officers who came to toast him as "brothers" and "younger brothers", indeed welcoming all comers!

  The little maid standing next to Xīnwén exclaimed in a low voice: "Miss! The one with the surname Song is really formidable! You had already taken the sobering medicine, and then used the Cloud Brocade Handkerchief trick to spit out the wine. That guy must have drunk at least two catties of fiery liquor, yet he's still standing!"

  Xīng Wén's gaze also fell on Sòng Yuǎn Háng, who was still clinking cups with others. This young master of the Song family had been heard of before, but today, upon seeing him, it seemed that this person was vastly different from what she had heard?

  It is undeniable that wine is indeed the best bridge for communication among soldiers, but after getting drunk, many people unconsciously shifted their topic to the incoming Japanese army.

  Although Dai Anlan was very cautious, he thought that Song Yunhou's view was too pessimistic. The follow-up troops of the New 5th Army, the new 22nd Division led by Liao Yaoxiang, had already arrived west of Mandalay, only a few days' journey from the 200th Division. Moreover, the 200th Division was the favorite of Du Yuming and the old master, and it was the only one that truly completed mechanization in the National Army sequence. Although lacking heavy weapons and air support, the Japanese thought they could swallow the 200th Division with just one division, which was simply a delusion.

  Song Yuanhang also realized that Dai Anrui, although appreciative of his minor tactical suggestions, was ultimately unable to influence his strategic deployments and determination. It seems that history is not something that can be easily changed.

  That night, Song Yuanhang was really drunk, and it can be said that he was drunk to the point of being muddled. Although Ouyang Xunwen tried her best to persuade Song Yuanhang to stay overnight, Dai Anrui refused in the name of Song Yuanhang's position as a military law officer and insisted on sending someone to send Song Yuanhang back to the Garrison Command.

  Finding a girl to accompany him for drinks was already the bottom line for Dai An, how could the iron-clad military discipline of the 200th Division tolerate staying overnight? Especially since Song Yuanhang's identity was still that of the Provost Marshal.

  Drunk like a pig, Song Yuanhang occasionally spat out lotus flowers, making several guards busy to the point of being flustered!

  The next day, Song Yuanhang's headache was so severe that he went around looking for water, startling the guards. The five big and rough guards actually poured him a cup of boiling hot water?

  Song Yuanhang, whose throat was parched and smoking, bellowed at the guard: "I want iced tea! Iced tea!"

  After drinking the cool tea, Song Yuanhang suddenly remembered those female soldiers full of youthful vigor he saw at the headquarters of the 200th Division. Their eyesight and service were truly worlds apart compared to these rough and unrefined guards!

  In the late afternoon, accompanied by Xu Tu'an, he inspected the progress of the construction of the fortifications near the Central Bank. Looking at the fully-covered "Z"-shaped traffic trench that had taken shape in just one day, the dense bunker group coordinated with hidden bunkers and hidden firepower points, and the three-layered stereoscopic ring-shaped defensive fortifications had already been built out of rough outline, and had become a place where the engineering soldiers were shouting slogans, laying down row after row of fir wood, and then connecting them with steel nails.

  "Dig the artillery cave a bit deeper, add another layer of camphor wood, pay attention to the setting of the ventilation hole, and also dig several more secret passages through the surrounding wall. In case we are surrounded by the Japanese army, using the secret passages to transport the wounded and replenish ammunition can reduce the opportunity for our personnel to be exposed to enemy firepower."

  After a round of inspection, Song Yuanhang conducted another thorough examination of the defensive fortifications of the Central Bank. On the solid third floor rooftop of the bank, Song Yuanhang discovered a blind spot in the line of sight! A top-notch mortar emplacement site, six 60mm mortars and two US-made 80mm mortars were installed here.

  After deploying the tanks in the underground bunker, Song Yuanhang personally called Dai Anlan and asked to borrow half of his tank troops. Dai Anlan, who didn't have any tanks on hand, wouldn't be so stingy, especially since Song Yuanhang solemnly promised that his tanks would be at his disposal at all times.

  Taking advantage of the waiting armored vehicle, Song Yuanhang had the soldiers below push out 30 excellent marksmen with good shooting skills. After his careful examination, although these people did not yet possess the qualities of a sniper, their foundation was very good and they were highly valuable for training.

  30 Mauser rifles are enough to equip a platoon of snipers, but the training time is too tight for just ten days, unless they use intensive training. Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Song Yuanhang's mouth, after all, this was his favorite thing.

  The thirty poor devils who were selected at this moment were rejoicing that they did not have to work under the scorching sun, but little did they know that their chief of staff, Song Yuanghai, had already prepared a hell for them!

  Mauser series pistols are roughly divided into two categories according to their automatic method: semi-automatic and fully automatic. The fully automatic Mauser refers specifically to the M1932 Mauser pistol, which was preceded by models with fixed magazines and clips. What people often refer to as a 'clip' is actually a 'bridge-style magazine plate'. When using a fixed-magazine Mauser pistol, the bolt is pulled back, the action is opened, and the cartridge is ejected through the ejection port with the help of the ejector. The Mauser M1932, on the other hand, can use 10-round or 20-round magazines.