Chapter 9: The Appearance of Lei Jiang

  Leijiang is a historic small town in Jiangnan. Like many ancient towns in Jiangnan, a clear stream flows from afar, winding through the streets and alleys of the old town, and then flows gently away from here.

  The crystal-clear Lei River nourishes the children on both banks. In spring, the willows on both banks turn green, like a long corridor of green, with occasional peach trees hidden among them, forming a beautiful painting of "thousand miles of orioles singing and green reflecting red". In summer, women stand barefoot in the Lei River, accompanied by the sound of washing clothes, the gentle and elegant Huangmei opera drifts along with the river's waves to faraway places. In autumn, the two banks of the Lei River become a vast white ocean, like the clever clouds descending, it is an endless sea of cotton. In winter, when the cold snow covers the earth, the Lei River becomes clear and quiet, occasionally there are small boats sailing on the river, fishermen catching the famous Wangxiang carp, what a picture of fishing alone in the cold river!

  The ancient street paved with bluestone slabs is narrow and simple, yet not lacking in elegance. The deep and quiet alleys are connected to the main street, winding and twisting, leading the entire ancient town into a rhythmic melody. The ancient arch bridges, like a rainbow drinking water, are cleverly connected, resembling a line of cursive calligraphy, with a hint of ink fragrance lingering between the strokes, forming a perfect rhythm. The character of the ancient town is exceptionally gentle, like a shy and simple village girl, whose every move reveals a deep affection. If the entire Jiangnan region were compared to a beautiful and elegant musical composition, then Lejiang Ancient Town would be an exquisite melody.

  Leijiang's products are rich. Known as "Three Mountains and Four Waters, Three Points of Land". Located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Plain, the land is fertile, with sufficient light and heat, and rice is harvested twice a year, with abundant harvests; The area has crisscrossing rivers, lakes and ponds everywhere, and rich products. In his famous article "Climbing the Big Thunder Shore and Writing to My Sister", Southern Dynasty literary figure Bao Zhao vividly described it as "Ponds and pools are hidden, lakes and rivers are connected. Bulrushes and lotus leaves are accumulated, and water chestnuts are abundant. As for the diversity of species, there are Jiang E, Hai Ya, Yu Jiao, Shui Hu, Tu Shou, Xiang Bi, Mang Xu, Zhen Wei, Shi Xie, Tu Wan, Yan Duo, Que Ge, Kua Jia, Qu Yao, Ni Lin, Fan She, etc. The sand is covered with grass, the rain is washed away, and the wind is blown. In summer, the lake is full of lotus flowers standing upright like jade. Pink lotus drooping dew, overflowing and about to drip; White lotus with rain, bright and flawless; Furious opening, tender stamens shaking yellow; With buds, shy and wanting to speak. Adding green tiles and emerald beads, the Leijiang is dressed up as a big garden; After autumn and winter, the lake's lotus seeds and rhizomes give people a rich harvest again. Cuiyun Mountain is also known as "Xiang Que Shan" and is also a famous tea-producing area. The produced "Cuiyun Fo Shou" has a fresh green soup color, strong fragrance, and sweet aftertaste, making it a high-quality green tea. The lush bamboo all over the mountain is also an excellent building material and papermaking material.

  Leijiang's culture is profound. The ancient style of the "Tongcheng School" lingers, like the fragrance of osmanthus flowers filling the streets, influencing the children of this ancient town. Leijiang has a long tradition of "farming and reading passing down through generations", producing talented individuals with brilliant literary achievements. What the people of Leijiang are most proud of is the "Four Treasures of Leijiang": the Leijiang Academy in the city, the Chastity Archway on Mount Cuiyun, the Jade Dragon Pagoda at Old Dragon Head, and the Sleeping Ice Lake to the north of the city. These represent the spiritual monuments of the people of Leijiang. The "Leijiang Academy" represents diligence in study, the "Chastity Archway" represents loyalty and chastity, the "Jade Dragon Pagoda" represents resistance against adversity, and the "Sleeping Ice Lake" represents benevolence and filial piety. These traditional cultures have been deeply ingrained into the souls of the people of Leijiang from generation to generation.

  The 1930s was the most prosperous era for Lejiang. The "Golden Ten Years" of the Republic also brought development opportunities to this small town by the river. There were two big families in the town, one surnamed Lu and the other Mei. The Lu family had been doing rice business for several generations, basically monopolizing the rice industry in the town and expanding their business to surrounding areas, doing "export" business; The Mei family mainly dealt with silk, textiles, and basically monopolized the textile industry in the town, except for traditional Suzhou and Hangzhou brocade, Hunan summer cloth, they mainly operated Shanghai machine-made cotton fabrics, doing "import" business.

  What people admire most is that both shops are run by female owners. The owner of the Lu family, Rui Xuan, is nearly 40 years old but has a slender figure and shines brightly with elegance and poise. She handles matters efficiently and treats people kindly, earning her great respect from others. Under her management, the Lu family business has developed significantly.

  The owner of the Mei family, Rui Hui, is Rui Xuan's younger sister. She is elegant and refined, pure and clean as ice and jade. Unlike her older sister, Rui Hui prefers music, chess, books, and painting, and enjoys teaching her children. Unfortunately, her husband passed away at a young age, leaving her to single-handedly support the family business, which she has managed with great success.

  Local scholars have made a comparison between the two sisters: Rui Xuan is like a plum blossom - elegant and resilient; while Rui Hui is like a lotus flower - pure and clean.

  Leijiang controls the Yangtze River's strategic location, situated at the majestic Dabie Mountains, connecting Wu and Chu, and communicating with Hubei and Jiangxi. Since ancient times, it has been a place of contention for military strategists. However, after the Battle of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Ying Wang Chen Yucheng against General Bao Chao in 1860, Leijiang County remained peaceful and quiet for over 70 years, avoiding the flames of war despite China's internal turmoil.

  In 1938, before the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival had completely dissipated from Leijiang, the town's tranquility was thoroughly shattered. The key reason was that two groups of people appeared in the town: one group came from downriver, dragging their children and looking disheveled; from them, the people of Leijiang learned that the Japanese had invaded, the National Government's capital had fallen, and the Japanese devils would soon be coming to burn and kill along the river. The other group came from upriver, wearing blue-gray military uniforms and straw sandals, lean and agile, flying the flag of the 358th Regiment of the National Revolutionary Army.

  The main body of the 358th Regiment is composed of Sichuan natives. Like General Bao Chao, who commanded the Thunder Army more than 70 years ago and came from the same region, this gives the people of Lejiang a sense of confidence. The colonel leading them was named Fang Tianjue, nearly 40 years old, with a height of 1 meter 72, a sturdy build, majestic appearance, riding on horseback with a mighty wind, standing out among these short and stout Sichuan soldiers. Lieutenant Colonel Li Zhuguo, the chief of staff, is a typical old Sichuan army officer, in his 40s, with a face full of vicissitudes. But he was dressed neatly, with a tidy military uniform.

  Since General Liu Xiang issued a declaration of war, hundreds of thousands of Sichuan troops set out, one route going north from Jianmen Pass to the front lines in Shanxi and Shandong; another route going east along the Three Gorges to the front lines in Shanghai and Nanjing. In the early days of the War of Resistance, tens of thousands of Sichuan soldiers shed their blood on the battlefield, and high-ranking generals such as Wang Mingzhang and Rao Guohua emerged who sacrificed themselves for the country, greatly boosting the nation's morale and determination to resist Japan, earning the respect and recognition of people all over the country.

  The 358th Regiment was affiliated with the 20th Army Group, and the army headquarters was located in Yicheng. As the first line of defense for Wuhan, the two divisions, four brigades, and eight regiments of the 20th Army Group formed a plum blossom-shaped defensive perimeter around Yicheng. The 358th Regiment defended the Leijiang Gate, located at the confluence of the Leijiang River and the Yangtze River, near the old Longtou. After arriving from Wuhan, the 358th Regiment underwent intensive training and was supplemented with some veteran soldiers who had experienced the Battle of Shanghai and the Defense of Nanjing, and it was basically fully equipped and manned, with over 1,200 personnel.

  Unlike the corrupt and decadent atmosphere of the warlords in Sichuan, who had multiple wives and concubines and indulged in opium and gambling, Fang Tianyu was a man with a strong sense of justice and traditional Chinese virtues. He and his wife were deeply in love. This time, his wife brought their young son Fang Zhengwu to follow the army on its eastern campaign and lived in Leijiang City. Although Leijiang is less than 20 kilometers away from Lao Longtou, Fang Tianyu rarely stayed at home and instead focused all his energy on the front line, surveying the terrain, building fortifications, deploying firepower, and studying battle plans. Since Ruihui's household was all female relatives, under her warm invitation, Fang's wife brought their young son to live with them.

  Mrs. Fang also came from a prestigious family in Eastern Sichuan, elegant and refined, warm and friendly, without any airs of a military officer's wife. She had studied at a private school and attended a Western-style church school, and was talented in many areas, including cooking and needlework, all of which she did with ease. In particular, she excelled at calligraphy, and her copies of Wang Xizhi's running script were almost indistinguishable from the originals. She soon became close friends with Ruihuan and Ruizhuang, discussing everything under the sun.