Chapter 21: The Heroic Feat After Being Abandoned

  At dawn, the bright sunshine illuminated the earth, and the Longyan Cave area was in a mess after the fierce battle. Villagers near ZUILU*** came out of their homes and hiding places, and brave children had already rushed to both banks of the small river to pick up shells or other valuable things.

  "Look! There's a car under the bridge..."

  "Really? It's really a car..."

  "There's someone inside, run quickly!"

  The children were so scared that they ran away immediately. After a while, no gunshots were heard and no one came to chase them. The two brave children stopped in their tracks, discussed briefly, and cautiously approached the car again, lying on the riverbank to look down.

  "Old Fifteen, there are people inside who are still groaning, they might be injured. Are they from the Revolutionary Army?"

  "It's possible, you see, the half flag hanging from the side of the car has twelve pointed stars on it, it must be the revolutionary army... You quickly go back and call San Bo and the others to come over, our village's farmers' association helped the revolutionary army transport many wounded soldiers and ammunition yesterday, San Bo and the others will know for sure when they take a look."

  "Then you wait for me, I'll go call the adults..."

  In the midst of a noisy crowd, An Yi slowly opened his eyes to see an old face right in front of him, which gave him a big fright. However, the "old face" was smiling warmly and kindly asked: "Comrade, are you injured? Are you from the Huangpu Army? Ah... Yesterday's battle was very intense, and they retreated too quickly. Our Farmers' Association Self-Defense Corps Women's Team helped them clean up the battlefield, and the dead bodies and wounded were all sent to the riverbank and transported to the Huangpu Military Academy. Everyone was too tense and rushed, and no one noticed you under the bridge. If I had known, I would have come back home last night and taken you to my house. Come on, open the door and let's take a look at your injuries."

  An Yi wiped away the blood and dirt on his face, stretched out his hands to rotate them, then pulled them back to squeeze his chest, which was aching with a groan. His hands stopped for a while before continuing down to his feet, only to find that one of his shoes had gone missing.

  An Yi let out a long sigh, knowing that his sternum was not broken and his hands and feet were fine. He looked down to find his shoes but couldn't find them anywhere. He then turned to the middle-aged man with a rugged face outside the car and explained in fluent Cantonese: "I'm fine, just got knocked out and slept for a while. Uncle, yesterday I was driving this car into the battlefield with Old Song from Huangpu Military Academy's special forces unit, after we fell into the river I don't remember what happened next. Uncle, can you tell me where the Huangpu army has reached?"

  "Wow! So you're from the Special Task Force. That's impressive! The Huangpu Army is the elite force! Haha... Let me tell you some good news. Your troops took down Shou Gou Ridge last night. It was a quick battle, only two or three hours. Thousands of Yunnan soldiers fled in all directions. The Huangpu Army didn't stop and has been pursuing them relentlessly. I estimate they've already entered the city by now. Your superiors said it won't take three days to eliminate the Yunnan-Guangxi warlords who have occupied Guangzhou and its surroundings for years. I think it might not even take that long... Wow, you guys captured countless guns and cannons, piled up like a small mountain! Last night, before I returned to the village after delivering ammunition, Director Zhou awarded our Longyan Cave Farmers' Self-Defense Team with twenty rifles... Come on down, don't worry about your injuries. You must be starving. I'll get my kid to bring you some food..."

  Half an hour later, with the help of Third Uncle and a young man, An Yi was pulled out from under the deformed car door and sat on the shore. The bloodstains on his face had been washed away, revealing several purple-red gashes on his forehead. A large bruise on his left cheek, about the size of a teacup, did not mar his handsome features. His stomach was filled with several handfuls of rice and a small plate of dried fish. The wads of cash in his pants pocket and jacket were still intact. Only his bare feet were covered in mud. A pair of eyes, restored to their vitality, sparkled incessantly.

  A group of young men sat in a circle around An Yi under the leadership of San Bo. They pointed and gestured at the deformed truck riddled with bullets in the river, marveling and sighing. They all said that An Yi was lucky to have escaped unscathed despite being shot at so many times. However, An Yi didn't feel lucky at all. On the contrary, he felt extremely unlucky. Under Old Song's cunning leadership, they had risked their lives to charge here, but not a single person stayed behind to check on him. Regardless of whether there was any credit to be gained, shouldn't someone from the Huangpu Military Academy have come to see if he was dead or alive? If he were really hit by a stray bullet and left with his last breath, wouldn't it be a silent and bloody death without anyone noticing?

  A sense of indignation and despair at being abandoned made it really hard for him to let go!

  Take another look at the truck with nails all over the stairs and door panels. An Yi was even more furious. The flattened driver's cab made An Yi's anger soar: Fortunately, the American-made car body was still quite sturdy. Otherwise, wouldn't those bastards have trampled him to death? It was really not enough!

  "This... Xiao Yi, I see your car is broken. Just leave it here then. Let's just use it as a bridge pier. The original stone bridge was blown up by the Yunnan army. Now we have this ready-made bridge for temporary use. It's convenient for our villages up and down. Haha!" Sanbo laughed while looking at An Yi.

  An Yi suddenly jumped up, thinking that it was just a broken car, but how could he leave behind the 1,500 yuan and 60 kilograms of top-grade tobacco sauce that he had risked his life to get? He had helped Huang Pu's group of ungrateful sons fight in the war without any merit, and now all his future success depended on this hard-earned fortune. For this fortune, he was willing to kill people! Even if you killed him today, he would still take the car back!

  However, An Yi was about to speak and found it difficult again. He knew that the car couldn't be started, let alone how to get it ashore. Now with soldiers everywhere, he couldn't possibly carry several tens of kilograms of opium and a bag of silver ingots on his back, could he? If so, he might not even make two steps before getting shot.

  San Bo saw An Yi's excited face turn red and white and was also startled: "Little Yi, what's wrong?"

  Seeing the genuine concern on Third Uncle's face, An Yi suddenly cleared his mind and sighed with a tinge of sadness. He spoke in a moving tone: "Third Uncle, if I had my way, it would be great to leave this broken car here as a bridge. It would cost a lot of money to take it back for repairs, but leaving it here can still be convenient for the villagers. However, this car is no ordinary one! This was specially donated by Mr. Ou Yaoting, a patriotic and wealthy businessman, before Sun Yat-sen left Guangzhou. Mr. Sun was so moved that he personally got on the car and sat in it for a circle. Mr. Liao Zhongkai was also on the car at that time, and I was the one driving it. Mr. Sun entrusted me with great emphasis to take good care of this car, to treat it as a symbol of revolution, and even if it couldn't be driven anymore, we had to preserve it well. When the country is unified, we would send it to the Revolutionary Military Museum for future generations to visit and pay their respects to the revolutionary martyrs. At that time, I was so moved that my eyes were filled with hot tears, and I secretly made up my mind to protect this car with my life. Now, this car has achieved great merits again, and Mr. Sun's spirit in heaven must be deeply comforted. Therefore, even if I have to carry it on my back or shoulder, I will definitely take this car that symbolizes the revolution back! If one day is not enough, then ten days; if ten days are not enough, then a year. I absolutely cannot betray Mr. Sun's sincere hopes when he was alive!"

  "Xiao Yi..."

  San Ba was so moved that he didn't know how to express his excitement, and he quickly spun around in a circle twice on the spot. He resolutely gave an order: "Xia Zai, you immediately go to Shangtou Village, Xiatao Village, and our village to gather all the brothers, and pull out all the cows from the homes of the militia members in the three surrounding villages!"

  "Yes!"

  A lean shrimp carrying a worn-out Han Yang-made flying sword quickly departed.

  "Listen up, everyone! Within ten minutes, bring all the hammers and saws from your homes here! Ah Bing, lead twenty brothers to carry those long wooden planks from my courtyard over here. Even if we have to shed our skin, we must get this carriage ashore and pull it back to Guangzhou City smoothly!"

  "Yes!"

  The mighty power of the people's unity was greatly demonstrated in just one hour. More than 140 honest and hardworking members of the peasant self-defense team, who were full of firm faith in the revolution, worked in unison under the command of San Bo, sweating profusely as they quickly dismantled the wooden bridge built by the Huangpu workers, jumped into the knee-deep mud, using oxen to pull, poles to lift and shoulders to carry, shouting slogans of labor, exerting all their strength, and finally managed to move the two-ton truck onto the west bank.

  The militia members didn't take a break, skillfully tying the hemp ropes to the front bumper and corner posts of the carriage, led by thirty militiamen carrying rifles on their shoulders, more than twenty militiamen with big knives inserted in their backs driving nine large oxen, stubbornly pulling the severely deformed Chevrolet truck towards Guangzhou City with an unshakeable determination and conviction.

  To highlight the importance and extraordinary value of this truck, San Shu, under the suggestion of two small team leaders, washed the party flag with a lot of bullet holes left only half, and inserted it high in front of the carriage with a sturdy bamboo pole. The troops marched towards Guangzhou City in a mighty manner.

  No one had expected Third Uncle's actions would have such a tremendous impact:

  The team of nine-headed cows pulling cars had just left the village and hadn't gone far, but before they reached the big village on the south side of Skinny Dog Ridge, they saw flags and villagers who were curious about this special team. They came out in twos and threes to watch, and the proud militiamen eagerly introduced their revolutionary actions. Before long, the news spread quickly, drawing in crowds from all over the village, and the militiamen, filled with pride, excitedly told the story of An Yi's heroic deeds, saying that he had driven into the enemy's position with Old Song, causing chaos among the enemy. As they spoke, the content of the heroic tale grew richer, with legendary episodes emerging one after another, such as charging through gunfire and destroying Yunnan army bunkers, killing countless Yunnan soldiers. The villagers listening to this were stirred up, cheering loudly, and hundreds of onlookers followed behind the team, discussing it excitedly. When they encountered an uphill slope, everyone worked together to push and help, leaving An Yi, who was holding the steering wheel in the car, feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

  As the crowd gathered, hundreds of cheering people followed on both sides of the car door, all vying to catch a glimpse of the legendary hero Xiao Yi. Seeing An Yi's bruised face looking straight ahead without blinking, they couldn't help but exclaim, "Hero!", "Young!", "Beautiful like a famous actor on stage!" Even the nine diligent oxen pulling the cart were basking in the glory, and the phrase "Nine Oxen and Two Tigers" was reinterpreted once again. The heroic story spread far and wide, causing An Yi to become more and more embarrassed as he sat in the car, clutching the steering wheel, his head hung lower and lower in regret, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

  At 4 pm, under the traction and push of nine big oxen and hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic people, An Yi and his clattering old car miraculously arrived at Dongmen Avenue, where a massive escort team of over 3,000 people had formed. The Wu Tiecheng police force guarding the city gate was frightened by the sight, but fortunately, they saw the half-mast party flag waving high in the sea of people with guns and did not open fire. After the responsible police captain rushed up to talk to San Bo, who was firm and proud, he immediately ordered his subordinates to follow the team to maintain order and generously took on the task of clearing the road.

  Then, a spectacle that had never been seen before in Guangzhou appeared. A nine-headed giant cow pulled a broken cart into the city, and An Yi's broken cart had not yet been pulled onto the Nan Ti Avenue when the magnificent procession of tens of thousands of people developed, with slogans such as "Down with warlords", "Long live the revolutionary army" and "Learn from the heroes of Huangpu" echoing through the sky. Even the nine-headed giant cow was draped in red and decorated with streamers to attract attention. The citizens of Guangzhou, who had just been liberated by the revolutionary army and were restoring their peaceful lives, poured out onto the streets to watch, filling every street and road with people. The officers and soldiers of the Guangdong Army patrol team also ran to the front of the procession, forming a neat line, holding high the national flag and party flag, and marching forward in unison.

  San Ge, radiating revolutionary youth, was now standing on the right footboard of the swaying driver's cabin, slanting his back and holding his head high, continuously waving to the cheering crowds on both sides of the street. Meanwhile, our protagonist, An Yi, the heroic figure being discussed by millions, had his head hung low on the steering wheel, deeply afraid of being seen by acquaintances. It wasn't until they were almost at the "Tai Chang" commercial building's backyard warehouse alley that he hastily called out to San Ge, pointing out the direction and strongly requesting him to stop there.

  Although San Bo felt a bit regretful that the journey had ended so quickly, he still actively cooperated and, after discussing with the leaders of more than a dozen different parts of the team, finally persuaded the reluctant leaders to move Sun and Liao out several times. The car was sent to the backyard of the business hall, and only then did the tens of thousands of people reluctantly disperse.

  Years later, An Yi, who had achieved great success and fame, went to San Bo's home to confess his past mistakes and ask for forgiveness. Unexpectedly, San Bo was not at all concerned about the matter and instead said that it was the most glorious and meaningful thing he had done in his life, which would bring honor to their ancestors and be remembered by future generations.

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