Chapter 51: The Young Man Sets Out

  Before he knew it, Zhang Lieyang's car had arrived at Xiao Yajie's doorstep. As Zhang Lieyang sent Xiao Yajie off the car, he suddenly hugged her and they shared a kiss. After a while, Xiao Haixuan suddenly opened the door and came out. Zhang Lieyang and Xiao Yajie immediately separated. Xiao Yajie shyly called out to Xiao Haixuan: "Brother!" before turning around and fleeing into the house.

  Zhang Lieyang looked at Xiao Haixuan with embarrassment and said: "It's so late, are you still going out?!"

  "Don't worry! I didn't see anything just now!" Xiao Haixuan said with a smile to Zhang Lieyang: "You fought great in Shanghai! A reinforced company without a single casualty basically wiped out two of the enemy's regiments!"

  "It's alright! If you were in command, you might have done even better than me!" Zhang Lieyang said humbly.

  "Alright! Don't embarrass me anymore! But, Liefeng, have you considered incorporating these household troops into our army?" Xiao Haixuan asked with a smile.

  "No! That's it! You hand over the new recruits to them for training, isn't that enough?" Zhang Lieyang said, looking around and continuing, "In a few days I'll be going to Nanjing, take care of things at home for me!"

  "Don't worry!" said Xiao Haixuan as he left.

  When Zhang Lieyang returned home, he saw Zhang Zihuan waiting in his room with red eyes. Seeing this scene, Zhang Lieyang smiled and asked: "Is it that our Liu Da Caizi bullied our Zhang Xiaojie again?"

  "It's not that! Even if he lends me a bit of courage, he wouldn't dare bully me! Are you preparing to go to military school?!" Zhang Zihuan said tearfully.

  "Ah! But don't worry! Brother won't die until he sees you get married!" Zhang Lieyang comforted with a smile.

  "Then I'll never get married, and brother will never die!" Zhang Zihuan said with a pout. Suddenly, Zhang Zihuan seemed to think of something and asked: "Brother, if Kaifeng asks me, how should I explain it to him?!"

  "The Hero's Way": In the land of the Yellow Emperor, many heroes have emerged. With one against a hundred, they do not fear. Their blood is strong and their hearts are like iron. They wield golden swords and wear white jade pendants. They drink the blood of the enemy and eat the flesh of the brave. They cast aside love and affection, and their ambitions know no bounds. They travel thousands of miles, cutting down the Hu and Jie tribes. Their songs echo on the shores of the sea, singing of the glory of China. In the city of Tokyo, they dance with steel knives, staining them with the blood of the enemy. They stand firm like Ban Chao, guarding the integrity of Su Wu. They sing the words of Wu Mu, and bid farewell to Yi Water. The leaves fall, the heroes' blood is hot, the cold wind cuts like a knife, and their songs are sorrowful. They ride fast horses over the Tian Shan mountains, and shoot long bows at the enemy. Their iron ships sail straight into Sydney Bay, shattering the night with one shot. The Western barbarians have been defeated, and the great Han dynasty is in its prime. We will take ten million heroes' courage, and swear to paint the globe with the same color as China. When that time comes, we will drink wine together under the bright moonlight, and get drunk. A hero's way is to be fierce and bold, not to be gentle and weak. To kill a person is not to show mercy. The achievements of a thousand autumns are all in the act of killing. In the past, there were heroes who valued loyalty and honor. They would kill someone with just one glance, their bodies as light as a feather. There were also brave warriors who killed people like they were cutting grass, running wildly across the land, only to boast about their swords and guns. Now, I want to find such people, but it's like grasping at moonlight. Don't you see that the heroes have died, and the country is in chaos? The scholars are fleeing, and the common people are crying. I want to learn from the ancients, and revive the heroic spirit. Fame and reputation are like dirt, not worth mentioning. I wear a sword at my waist, and with one anger, I will kill someone. I cut off my arm to make a pact, and talk and laugh with ghosts and gods. I travel a thousand miles to kill an enemy, willing to spend ten years of my life. I am like Zhuan Zhu and Tian Guang, with a deep and unbreakable bond. I go out the west gate in the morning, and return with someone's head at night. My spirit is tired, but I only think of sleep. The war drums blow suddenly, and I go to battle. I bid farewell to my mother, but she does not cry. I have dedicated my life to this cause, and will never return. I kill in the heavens and on earth, shocking the spirits. I take three steps and kill one person, my heart stops, but my hand does not. Blood flows like a river, corpses pile up like mountains. The brave warriors are tired of battle, and sleep on the enemy's corpse. In their dreams, they still kill people, smiling with joy. Don't ask me, I have my own heroic way. A hero's way is to be fierce and bold, not to be gentle and weak. To kill a person is not to show mercy. The achievements of a thousand autumns are all in the act of killing. In the past, there were heroes who valued loyalty and honor. They would kill someone with just one glance, their bodies as light as a feather. There were also brave warriors who killed people like they were cutting grass, running wildly across the land, only to boast about their swords and guns. Now, I want to find such people, but it's like grasping at moonlight. Don't you see that the heroes have died, and the country is in chaos? The scholars are fleeing, and the common people are crying. I want to learn from the ancients, and revive the heroic spirit. Fame and reputation are like dirt, not worth mentioning. I wear a sword at my waist, and with one anger, I will kill someone. I cut off my arm to make a pact, and talk and laugh with ghosts and gods. I travel a thousand miles to kill an enemy, willing to spend ten years of my life. I am like Zhuan Zhu and Tian Guang, with a deep and unbreakable bond. I go out the west gate in the morning, and return with someone's head at night. My spirit is tired, but I only think of sleep. The war drums blow suddenly, and I go to battle.

  Then Zhang Lieyang sent Zhang Zihuan away. After watching Zhang Zihuan leave, Zhang Lieyang rewrote "The Ballad of Mulan" and put it on himself again.

  Three days later, Zhang Lieyang arrived at Ningbo Railway Station with a simple luggage and a special suitcase. Only Grandfather Zhang, Grandma Zhang, Zhang Zihuan and Xiao Yajie came to see him off. Grandma Zhang held Zhang Lieyang's hand, constantly reminding him of things that needed attention.

  Finally, Mrs. Zhang couldn't help but cry and said to Old Master Zhang: "Old master, since Lieyang returned, no one has gone out for a long time. Can someone be sent to follow him this time?"

  Mr. Zhang said with a cold face: "How can you be so reckless! A good man's ambition is in all directions! How can a man bear the weight of great responsibility if he doesn't go out and temper himself?" After hearing Mr. Zhang's words, Mrs. Zhang dared not say more, but secretly shed tears.

  At this time, the train to Nanjing had already stopped at the platform. Before getting on the train, Old Man Zhang gave Zhang Lieyang a small package and said coldly, "Remember, in all things, plan before acting!" He didn't say anything else.

  Before long, the train started. Watching Xiao Yajie and Zhang Zihuan desperately waving their hands to chase after the train but couldn't run fast enough, Zhang Lieyang's tears finally flowed down. After calming down, Zhang Lieyang opened the small package that Old Man Zhang gave him before he left. Upon seeing it, Zhang Lieyang was stunned.

  There were three things in the bag. The first was a letter written by Grandfather Zhang, as a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party, introducing Zhang Lieyang to apply for the Central Military Academy, with the large seal of the Ningbo City Party Committee on it! It wasn't until then that Zhang Lieyang knew his grandfather was a member of the Nationalist Party! The second thing was five recent 2-inch half-body photos of himself in small paper bags. The last thing was a graduation certificate from a certain middle school in Ningbo, with the name clearly written as - Zhang Lieyang!

  That night, after arriving in Nanjing, Zhang Lieyang first found an ordinary inn to stay in, living in a standard six-person room. Although this was his first time traveling alone far from home, Zhang Lieyang had been a travel enthusiast before joining the army and enjoyed touring around, so he quickly became fast friends with the others staying there. The others also soon developed a good impression of this extraordinary young man, and it wasn't long before Zhang Lieyang had figured out the address of the Central Military Academy. Upon hearing that this young man had come all the way from Ningbo to take the entrance exam for the Central Military Academy in Nanjing, the others' tone when speaking to Zhang Lieyang unconsciously became more respectful.

  The next day, Zhang Lieyang easily found the Central Military Academy and saw a large crowd of enthusiastic people signing up at the "Admissions Office". It seems that the "Whampoa Military Academy" is still very attractive to young students. Following the crowd, Zhang Lieyang completed all the registration procedures. In a few days, it will be the various assessments mentioned in the recruitment announcement.

  Not long after Mr. Zhang and his family sent Zhang Lieyang to the train station, Liu Kaifeng came to the Zhang's house. At this time, Zhang Zihuan's father, Zhang Qihuah, saw Liu Kaifeng and curiously asked: "Why didn't you go see off Lieyang?! He left Ningbo for Nanjing today to take the entrance exam for the Central Military Academy!"