Chapter Seventeen: The Humble in Times of War

  The old Taoist, who was known for his accurate predictions and profound understanding of the Tao, made a mistake this time. From April 28th when An Yi was conscripted by the Yunnan army to June 10th, a total of 43 days have passed, which is more than double the "two-week calamity" predicted by the old Taoist.

  For forty-three days, An Yi was only allowed to return home three times. The third time was tonight, June 10th, and like the previous two times, An Yi had two "bodyguards" from Yang Xi's military police escort team following him. Lao Dao and Dong Zi saw this scene and could only sigh helplessly. An Yi, however, was very calm and relaxed, taking out two silver dollars from his greasy jacket pocket, which were given to him by the quartermaster of the Yunnan army, and tossing them to the bewildered Dong Zi, telling him to go buy a roasted goose and two bottles of wine. He then turned around and cheerfully greeted the escort team leader Qu Da You and another lieutenant.

  "Old song, hurry up and sit down, what's with the politeness when you're at your brother's place? Bangzi, you too, sit down. This isn't a military camp, no need to follow so many rules."

  An Yi warmly greeted the two officers who were monitoring him, and smiled slightly at Er Niang who was serving tea: "Er Niang, has Er Mao gone to sleep?"

  Here is the translation:

  It's been over a month since Erniang arrived at the Liu Garden, bidding farewell to her difficult days of sewing and washing clothes for others. She brought her eldest son, who had survived the escape route, to live what she considered a heavenly life. The relatively comfortable life and abundant food made this 29-year-old woman's complexion and expression recover greatly. At first glance, she didn't seem like much, but upon closer inspection, she had a simple and elegant charm. This was Erniang's second time seeing An Yi, and when An Yi asked about her six-year-old son, she hastily lowered her head to reply: "Ermao has been crazy all day and just fell asleep. Young master, please sit with the two officials, I'll go cook."

  "Second aunt, I've told you before, stop calling me 'young master' or whatever. What a load of crap, young master this and that. I'm just a laborer, no different from Er Mao in terms of status. Got it? From now on, I don't want to hear you call me that again... Alright, my words are rough, don't be scared, go ahead with what you're doing."

  An Yi saw Er Shu leave in a hurry, sighed, and smiled apologetically at the two cheerful military officers. He turned to the old Taoist who was smoking a water pipe on the side and said discontentedly: "Old Taoist, you're not saying anything about Er Shu, is this how it's supposed to be? Does Dongzi think he's superior just because of his identity, so he likes people calling him Young Master?"

  The old man shook his head helplessly: "Don't misunderstand your brother, Dongzi has also told Ermao's mother many times. All along, whenever Dongzi had free time, he would teach Ermao to recognize characters. It's not that he didn't try, it's just that Ermao's mother was stubborn and still calls me 'old master' to this day. I've advised her many times but she won't listen, what can I do?"

  An Yi finally put his mind at ease, and with a smile, he turned to Qu Lianchang: "Two brothers, I'm afraid you've been made fools of. To be honest, this house is my landlord's villa, he was afraid of the war and ran off to Hong Kong, letting us move in to help him take care of it. You also know that I'm just a country bumpkin who knows a bit of technology, how could I bear being called 'young master'? I've only been in the city for a few days, and the mud on my legs hasn't even dried yet."

  The stout old man with a big face burst out laughing: "Brother, I just like your down-to-earth personality. Otherwise, why would I have you transferred to my side to live an easy life? You've seen it for yourself over the past few dozen days - the 7,000 or 8,000 civilians we caught are all digging trenches and moving wood day and night without rest. Who has it as comfortable as you do? It's just because you're quick with your hands and feet, and have a sweet mouth that suits my taste, haha!"

  An Yi smiled and bowed to thank them, but in his heart he was cursing, if it weren't for the increasing number of cars hijacked from Guangzhou City and not enough drivers, I would have been forced by you bunch of bastards to do that kind of hard labor in the suburbs like a beast.

  "Hey kid, I've been listening to your family's conversation and it seems like you're all from other provinces? This big brother of yours looks extraordinary with a hint of divinity. Earlier, you addressed him as 'old Dao', is he a Daoist?" Qu Lianchang asked with interest.

  Seeing An Yi laughing very cheaply, the old Taoist had to take the initiative to answer. He told the two illiterate military officers with a dignified manner that he was indeed from the Taoist family and was also from the Southern branch of the Mao Shan sect. The old Taoist's words made the two rough men look up in awe, finally listening with reverence and acknowledging him as their senior. Even when Dongzi bought roasted goose back and Erniang served a table of dishes, they couldn't care less.

  An Yi happily took a empty bowl, picked up two fat roasted goose wings and handed them to Dong Zi: "Go, take it to the back room, wait for Er Mao to wake up, he will definitely cry out that his stomach is hungry."

  "Master, this won't do, Master..." Second Aunt saw An Yi's eyes bulging like copper bells, scaring people, and hurriedly closed her mouth, not daring to speak again, turned around to make soup for everyone.

  The old man is indeed a master of the rivers and lakes for twenty years, and a few words have brought the two rough men who were about to drool to the fragrant roast goose. An Yi also picked up the wine bottle and poured wine for the two, laughing and toasting each other, and the two military officers had a great time eating and drinking, finally stumbling out of the street and getting on the carriage, warmly calling An Yi brother and swearing allegiance, the words coming out of their mouths making outsiders think they were born from the same mother.

  Dongzi and Lao Dao walked into the courtyard, Er Shu hastily closed the door. Dongzi anxiously said: "Uncle, my elder brother is in danger! A few days ago, all the people from our government were afraid of being persecuted by the Yunnan-Guangxi army, so they all escaped to the Huangpu Military Academy and the Marshal's Mansion on the other side of the river. It seems that this battle is about to start, my brother was taken away as a civilian laborer to the front line, if something happens to him, what can I do..."

  "What's wrong?"

  The old man interrupted Dongzi's words: "You're a clever person, why don't you think carefully? I see that you are worried and confused. Your big brother is not suffering, who is he? Even I, the old Dao, can't figure out how to deal with him, who can control him? He's mysterious! Even the two military officers who escorted him back called him brother, didn't you see? Moreover, his money is all stored here with me. When he left in a hurry last time, he had no money on him, so why did he give you two silver dollars as soon as he came in this time? When have you seen a captured strong and healthy man get such good treatment? Don't worry blindly, think more and learn from it. If you had half of your brother's cleverness, you wouldn't be just a small clerk now..."

  A dirty Chevrolet truck loaded with a carful of old burlap sacks drove out of the east gate, turned north and arrived at the foot of White Cloud Mountain's south slope in about ten minutes.

  An Yi followed the command of the guard company commander, parking the car by a dry pond at the foot of the mountain. The bright torches and fire beacons illuminated the mountainside for several miles around, as thousands of shabbily dressed civilians dug holes, shoveled mud, and transported stones under the harsh shouts of the Yunnan army officers and soldiers.

  As the long whistle sounded, more than 30 exhausted laborers crawled out of the dry mud pit, stumbled to the side of the vehicle to unload bundles of hemp sacks, then moved them to the mud pit to untie and distribute them. They used shovels to fill the bags with mud and sand, sealed the mouths of the bags, and two people at a time used bamboo poles to lift the nearly 200-pound bags of mud and sand up the rugged mountain path, building one defensive fortification after another on the mountain.

  Lian Chang lit a cigarette and squatted down beside An Yi, handing him a pack of "Old Blade" cigarettes with foreign lettering. Due to exhaustion and frustration, An Yi had recently learned to smoke; he took out a match and skillfully lit one for Lian Chang, then lit another for himself and took a deep drag.

  "This cigarette tastes good, and the foreign cigarettes are well-made." An Yi spat out a ring and asked: "Old brother, aren't you used to smoking opium? Why do you also smoke this stuff?"

  Qu Lianlong yawned and seemed to be hooked on opium again after An Yi's words: "Don't mention it! The Huangpu Army and the Guangdong Army are now divided into three routes, fighting back, and the vanguard has already arrived at Shilongtan in the east. At the latest, there will be a fierce battle tomorrow afternoon. Where is the time to sleep on the opium couch and enjoy it? All the division commanders have personally experienced the front line, how dare we shrimp soldiers and crab generals slack off? Alas... Fortunately, I have a good relationship with Commander Hu's younger brother-in-law, so I got this fat job of escorting military supplies. I don't need to go to the front line like other brothers to block bullets."

  "Who is Commander Hu? The young commander you mentioned, isn't he the usual Yang department head of the military supplies department who often talks to you?" An Yi asked smoothly.

  "Hey, don't you recognize General Hu? You've been running around our various camps for over a month, and you still don't know him? Remember that tall general who called me in for a lecture at the end of last month in Xidaying? That was General Hu Shisheng. Our General Hu is quite something, he's the best fighter among Commander Yang's generals. He has gathered six elite guard regiments under his command, with over 160 mountain and field guns, 400 light and heavy machine guns, and a large batch of new weapons purchased from foreigners, all equipped to his troops first. This morning, they have all been reinforced to the strategic location on the east side of the city. The Huangpu Army and the Guangdong Army have been running back and forth from Chaozhou and other places to attack Guangzhou City, I'm sure they're exhausted by now. There's no way they can get any advantage over our General Hu, so just relax and enjoy yourself with me... You stay here, I'll go take a look and come back, I have to rush to the next place later."

  "Where are you going? Are you going to Shek Pai Station to pull ammunition?" An Yi asked.

  Coughing up a mouthful of thick phlegm, "Ammunition is enough, the stone tablet has become the southern line command center, and the command center is probably set up there. We don't need to go, we have to return to the west camp and pull out a car of special military supplies, and rush to the Longyan Cave three teams, four teams' positions tonight. You little devil must cheer up, old man doesn't have time to close your eyes for you tonight."

  "I understand."

  An Yi sat on the ground with a thud, thinking of Qu Lianchang's words earlier, and couldn't help but feel deeply worried about his Huangpu brothers. For over a month, he had been transporting goods for the Yunnan army, and An Yi was familiar with the various camps of the Yunnan army and the defensive positions that had been rapidly constructed in recent days. He had also seen the weapons and ammunition of the Yunnan army officers and soldiers, as well as some of the Guangxi army officers and soldiers. In his heart, he made a silent comparison, and felt that the revolutionary army really didn't have any chance of winning. Just looking at the ammunition, the consumption during the Eastern Expedition had already left the various departments of the revolutionary army in a precarious situation. If they continued to rush around like this, it would truly fulfill Qu Lianchang's words: "A tired army is no match for strong crossbows!"

  An Yi, feeling anxious and irritable, stood up, threw away the cigarette butt, raised his head and looked up at the Skinny Dog Ridge which was everywhere with torches and shouting voices.

  The terrain of Gaoyang Ridge is very familiar to An Yi, who was still carrying two boxes of tobacco with Qu Lian yesterday afternoon to entertain the troops. He knew that this was a strategic location on the south slope of Baiyun Mountain. The shape of Gaoyang Ridge is like a thin dog crawling northwest. If you stand on Baiyun Mountain and look out, the dog's skeleton is very vivid, and even the ribs on its body formed by the protruding rock layers can be counted. It is very apt to call it Gaoyang Ridge.

  There is a legend about Gaoyang Ridge. In the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, Lun Wenxu, a talented scholar from Lingnan, won the title of Zhuangyuan, which aroused the jealousy of some people in the court. These people then fabricated a song and spread it everywhere, saying that "there is a sleeping dragon on the top of Gaoyang Mountain, thirteen years later it will rush to the sky, gold and fire will invade the empire, and the sun will shine on Guangdong". As a result, the court was worried about the instability of the dynasty and spent a lot of manpower and resources every year to bombard Gaoyang Ridge with cannons in order to destroy its Feng Shui.

  At this time, the Thin Dog Ridge had become a strategic location for defending the eastern entrance to Guangzhou City. Semi-circular defensive fortifications stretched from the top of the mountain to the bottom, several meters apart. With only light and heavy machine guns set up in a commanding position, it would be strange if the attacking revolutionary army did not pay a heavy price.

  Suddenly, a commotion and shouting erupted at the foot of the mountain, the heavy sound of rifle butts striking human bodies was clearly audible, and the mournful cries were heart-wrenching. The crowd immediately became chaotic, with civilians shouting loudly and dozens of them fleeing in desperation. As soon as the Yunnan military officer gave the order to "open fire", the sound of gunfire echoed through the night sky, and the fleeing civilians were shot dead one after another, not even making it a few dozen steps. An Yu was so frightened that he forgot to crouch down for cover.

  "Stop him—"

  A small figure rushed towards An Yi at the risk of his life. Perhaps the pursuing Yunnan soldiers were afraid of mistakenly injuring their own people and did not dare to open fire, but instead shouted loudly for An Yi to stop him. The raging bonfire allowed An Yi to see clearly that the person who had escaped was just a child. His heart couldn't bear it, and he hastily shouted loudly: "I'll stop him, don't shoot——"

  "Bang——"

  The frail child's head jerked back suddenly and fell to the ground with a thud at Anyi's feet. Anyi, who had already stretched out her hands to catch the child, stood there like a wooden stake, unable to believe what was happening before her eyes.

  The thick smell of blood awakened An Yi's confused mind. He suddenly knelt down and hugged the child who had been shot in the head, seeing the blood and brain matter gushing out from his forehead. An Yi cried out in agony: "He's still just a kid... looks like he's not even fifteen years old yet... why are you so ruthless... you..."

  Several Yunnan soldiers who were chasing after them seemed to have not heard An Yi's cry at all, and when they saw that everything was fine, they scolded and turned away. At some point, Qu Lian came to An Yi's back, looking satisfied with his brand new rifle, gently blowing air into the smoking muzzle, and said with a smile: "It's really genuine German goods, my old boss is really generous, such a good gun, even the regiment commander can't get it, haha..."

  "You... why did you kill him... Do you know I could have stopped him? Why did you still have to kill him? How can you be so heartless?"

  An Yi raised his head and looked up at Qu Lianchang with a satisfied smile, but his originally kind eyes were filled with anger.

  Qu Lianyong was taken aback, and suddenly kicked An Yi twice on the back, making a dull "thud" sound: "You dare to teach me? If you provoke me, I'll shoot you dead, believe it or not? Put down the body, it's not your son, why are you sad? Get up! Leave immediately, if you didn't know how to drive, you'd be like those thousands of worthless civilians, no one would even bury your corpse! You're still standing there with your nose up and eyes wide, tired of living? Ah? Stand up for me!"

  An Yi gently put down the child who was still warm in his arms, his face expressionless. He walked step by step to the car door, mechanically got on and started the engine, without saying a word, and drove back to the city with Qu Lianchang...