Chapter 1 Rebirth

  This night belongs to 1.3 billion Chinese people.

  When Zhang Yimou directed the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony in the Bird's Nest, the world's attention was once again focused on China, on Beijing, on the Bird's Nest, and on the perfect combination of ancient four great inventions and the Maritime Silk Road with modern technology.

  Oriental charm, dragon horse spirit, civilized origin, great country style, interpreted by Zhang Yimou with vivid and dreamlike, thorough and perfect.

  China is cheering, China is excited, China is boiling. 1.3 billion people, accounting for one-fifth of the world's population, the 1.3 billion descendants of the Chinese nation have gone completely crazy: This is our Olympics, the Olympics of 1.3 billion Chinese sons and daughters, no one in this world can stop us from rushing to the Olympics!

  Excitement, admiration, astonishment, surprise, jealousy, indignation, and trepidation. As the world witnesses China's sacred moment of rise, the gaze of the world has become complex and bewildered.

  Liu Hua stood in a corner of Tiananmen Square that was not noticeable to others, facing a crowd that was excited to the point of madness: some were dancing with ribbons, some were beating gongs and drums, and some were waving their right hands and shouting slogans like "China, let's go!" and "Beijing, let's go!", all with smiles on their faces that were a mix of happiness and frenzy, as if everyone was happy, joyful, and delighted.

  Looking at the joyful ocean in front of him, Liu Hua felt an indescribable sense of happiness. He recalled the scene when he accepted the task.

  That day, the dean gathered them together and said: "Comrades, the Olympics are about to open in Beijing. This is a long-awaited sports event for 1.3 billion Chinese people, and it is also a symbol of the comprehensive revival of the Chinese nation. It is also an examination of the results of our thirty years of reform and opening up. The eyes of the world are all on us. However, there will always be some hostile forces, such as East Turkestan, Tibetan independence, and Falun Gong, who are not happy about this. They always try to use the opportunity of the Olympics to carry out terrorist activities. Therefore, we must take emergency action to safeguard the Olympics and safeguard the glorious image of our great motherland. Originally, you were all undergraduate students, graduate students, and doctoral students, and it is generally impossible for you to be mobilized. However, considering that this is a rare opportunity for actual combat training, and also an opportunity for your own exercise, the college party committee reported to the Central Military Commission for approval, and took away some of the backbone from the students to participate in the security work of the Olympics. This task has great significance, do you have confidence?"

  "Yes," said the students loudly.

  A man, dressed in casual clothes, quietly wandered around the outside of the venue. He watched as people came and went in a hurry. Suddenly, a suspicious face entered Liu Hua's line of sight. He felt something was off, but still waved his hand and headed towards the target.

  The man seemed to sense danger and suddenly threw a tin can at Liu Hua. "Looking for death," Liu Hua cursed in his heart, while jumping up to catch the can.

  "Be careful", "Hurry up" When the voice of teammates reached my ears, with a loud "Boom", a grenade exploded. My mind subconsciously thought "I'm done for"!

  "Monitor, monitor!"

  Suddenly hearing a loud shout, Liu Hua opened his own eyes dazedly. He saw a small yellow face shaking constantly, with tears still flowing in her eyes. Seeing Liu Hua open his eyes, she excitedly shouted: "The class leader is awake, awake!"

  "Where am I? Who are you?" Liu Hua asked subconsciously.

  "What's that? Class monitor, you won't be blown to bits, will you! I'm Xiaolong! Don't you remember me?" Xiaolong shouted loudly.

  At this time, Liu Hua, who had finally sobered up, saw the scene in front of him clearly: several people wearing military uniforms that could only be seen in movies, with octagonal hats on their heads, surrounded him and looked at him anxiously.

  What's wrong? Am I dreaming? Liu Hua pinched herself hard. "Ouch!" No, it's not a dream, that is...

  Thinking of this, Liu Hua fainted again. Finally, she was stirred awake by them and regained consciousness, starting to ask: "What time is it now? Where are we?"

  "It's November 29th, 1934 now. We are near Guanyang, close to the Xiang River." Little Dragon replied.

  At this time, Liu Hua's heart was boiling "Will it be that bomb that blew me back to the Long March period!" As a graduate student at National Defense University, he was very clear about what would happen on the Xiangjiang River in November 1934...

  "Monitor, monitor! The company commander has come to see you!" Xiaolong shouted again, calling Liu Hua back to reality with the turmoil in his heart.

  "Alright kid, nothing's wrong! Take your squad and assemble, get ready to depart, we'll arrive at the Xiang River in four hours." The company commander ordered.

  "Reporting to Company Commander, I'm fine. I'll set off immediately." Liu Hua still remembered his identity and quickly stood at attention, giving a standard military salute.

  Ah, Xiangjiang! The bloody battle of Xiangjiang, where the blood of tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers was shed. Liu Hua seemed to have been doused with a large basin of cold water, quickly cooling down. First and foremost, he had to survive this impending bloody battle before thinking about anything else. As someone who knew the outcome of future events, he clearly remembered the reasons for the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Xiangjiang. If he could change one of those reasons, who knows what the outcome would be? Would the course of history change? Thinking about this, Liu Hua's blood began to boil. As a soldier and a passionate young man from modern times, if he could leave his mark on history and save the lives of tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers, even if it meant sacrificing his own life, so be it! No matter what, he had to give it a try. If he was lucky, after this battle, he might still be able to return to his own era, and this experience would be something to brag about to his family and comrades.

  Liu Hua couldn't help but think: "Since I couldn't be a general in that era, maybe now, through my own efforts, based on my own limitations, I can finally become a general... Thinking of this, Liu Hua smiled foolishly.

  At this time he did not forget his duty and hurriedly led his troops towards the Xiang River.

  Through his conversation with Xiaolong all the way, he knew the members of his class.

  My name is Liu Hua, from Guilin, Guangxi. I am a fellow townsman of my later self. Before the fourth encirclement campaign, I resolutely put down my pen and took up arms, coming from Fudan University in Shanghai to Ruijin to join the Red Army at the age of 21. I am now the leader of the first squad of the eighth company.

  The members of the squad are: Li Xiaolong, from Anfu, 17 years old, looks younger than 16, very clever and skilled in shooting; Liu Defu, from Guangchang, a simple farmer, 23 years old; Zhang Dahai, also from Guangchang, neighbor of Liu Defu, 23 years old, brave and fierce; Liu and Zhang joined the squad after the fourth encirclement campaign as supplementary troops from local guerrilla forces; Chen Geming and Chen Guorong, brothers from Ruijin, orphans, originally named "Big Dog" and "Little Dog", now renamed by Chairman Mao Zedong, who led them to join the army when they were 19 and 18 years old respectively; Zhang Wangcai, from Xingguo, 22 years old, from a business background, always smiling; Huang Tian, from Tongling, an old Red Army soldier, 25 years old, hot-tempered; He Gan, also from Tongling, an old Red Army soldier, 23 years old, calm and gentle; Huang and He were both under the command of Peng Dehuai, one of the few veteran Red Army soldiers in the squad with outstanding military achievements; Sun Xingbang, over 30 years old, with a messy beard, nicknamed "Old Sun", the oldest member of the squad. There are 10 members in total.

  After understanding his unit's situation clearly, Liu Hua did not speak. He quietly thought about every detail of the Battle of Xiangjiang.

  Due to the wrong command of Bo Gu and others, the journey that should have been completed in one day took four days, resulting in a huge loss for themselves. Thinking of the defeat at Xiangjiang, Liu Hua consciously quickened his pace, hoping to reduce some losses with his arrival.

  At this time, Comrade Li De, the military advisor of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's highest three-person team, who was being remembered by Comrade Liu Hua, had just walked into the city of Guanyang County. Without even drinking water, he ordered the opening of the military map and began to carefully examine it. Li De was a typical European, with blond hair, blue eyes, and an eagle nose. He didn't look like the thin figure in the TV series "Long March", but rather robust, a head taller than Zhou Enlai and Bo Gu. With the help of the translator, Li De quickly marked out the positions and troop deployments of both sides, then asked: "Comrade Enlai, what is the situation with the troops dispatched to seize the Xiangjiang ferry crossing and provide cover?"

  At this moment, Comrade Zhou Enlai, despite being dusty and tired, with a weary face, still had his military uniform neatly dressed, that enviable big beard was still tidy. He took a big sip of water, calmly replied: "The vanguard troops, the First Army Corps' Second Division has already started crossing the river, the Third Army Corps' Fourth Division is rapidly advancing along the Xiangjiang River, the Fifth Division is also advancing along the east bank of the Xiangjiang River to the left, the Eighth Army Corps is advancing along the east bank of the Xiangjiang River to the right, protecting both flanks. The rearguard is the Fifth Army Corps."

  Bo Gu, although not understanding military affairs, could see that the situation was not bad. He connected and said: "It seems that we will have no problem crossing the Xiang River. This vast Xiang River, and yet the enemy doesn't have a single soldier or guard! Chiang Kai-shek's brain is really something else! Haha!"

  Li De's mood also relaxed, sat down in a chair, and put his legs up. Zhou Enlai rarely smiled and reminded: "We are not yet at the time to be happy, our troops still need to speed up their march." "OK! We'll rest here for one night and continue on our way tomorrow." Li De said, closing his eyes, leaving the rest to Comrade Zhou Enlai to worry about.