In the early winter in the south, the air always feels a little sticky. The clothes are also like they haven't dried thoroughly after washing, and they are uncomfortable sticking to the dampness on the body. This is what northerners are least accustomed to when they go to the south.

Huang Xing walked in the direction of the barracks with some tired steps.

The barracks were set up on a playground in the north of the city, and there were not many houses in the city that could accommodate the troops. Most of the soldiers still live in marching tents.

Turning a narrow alley, Huang Xing saw a small restaurant that usually came to drink and eat noodles. He was hesitating whether to report to the regiment commander first, or to fill his stomach first. I saw a long row, Wang Changgui, walking towards him in a hurry.

Huang Xing hurriedly hurried a few steps and was about to say hello. But seeing Wang Changgui, he didn't say a word with a solemn expression, pulled Huang Xing's sleeve, and walked towards the back alley where no one was.

When he came to a dead end, Wang Changgui didn't speak, and tears were already raining down. Seeing this, Huang Xing eagerly shook Wang Changgui's shoulder, blushed and asked, "What's wrong?" What's going on? ”

Wang Changgui raised his hand to wipe away his tears, and choked up: "Something happened to our head of the regiment!" ”

As soon as Huang Xing heard that the regiment commander was in trouble, he was even more anxious, and his big hand as strong as iron tongs pinched Wang Changgui couldn't help but get down, and said in a wheezing voice: "They killed the regiment commander." ”

When Huang Xing heard this, his whole body shook a few times. As soon as his hand was released, Wang Changgui's already weak body had been pushed two meters away. Huang Xing took a step forward like crazy, grabbed Wang Changgui, stared at the eyes that were about to spurt blood, the expression on his face was frighteningly stiff, his cheeks were bulging, and he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Who did it?" ”

At this time, Wang Changgui has also turned from grief to righteous indignation. He endured the fire in his heart and said angrily: "It's a commissioner from Nanjing, who said that our head is a Communist Party." ”

Huang Xing scolded his mother in his mouth, turned around and was about to leave. Wang Changgui hugged him from the back and asked urgently, "What are you going to do?" ”

Huang Xing said hatefully: "I'm going to kill those dogs." ”

Wang Changgui still hugged Huang Xing and didn't let go, and shouted in an eager voice: "I have been guarding outside the barracks for six days, I am afraid that your hot temper will cause trouble, and you will take revenge, but you can't force it." ”

After all, Huang Xing has followed Zhang Zhiqiang for several years, and has experienced many things, big and small, and is no longer the hairy boy who used to be and ignorant of the world. He quickly adjusted his mood and calmed down. He turned around and said, "Find a secluded place." ”

So, the two turned left down the alley and came to another street, where there were few soldiers. They went into a private room in a tea house and asked for a pot of tea. Wang Changgui closed the door carefully, and said with a still somewhat angry expression; "The day after you left, a group of people came from Nanjing, led by a commissioner surnamed Xu.

As soon as the people arrived, they went to the head of the regiment for questioning, and the head of the regiment had not come out again since he left that day. I went to ask the battalion commander a few times, and they said that the regiment commander was suspected and needed to be investigated, and no one could see him.

On the third day, Division Commander Guo came to our regiment and said that our regiment commander was seriously suspected and would be sent to Nanjing for further investigation. The post of head of the regiment will be concurrently held by Commissioner Xu for the time being, and will be adjusted after the investigation of the problem of head Zhang is clear.

Three days later, the regiment commander and the battalion commander Gao were pressed out of the city together. The battalion commander and I also secretly went to the city gate to see off the regiment commander. The regimental commander was sitting in an open-top jeep and nodded at us. But I didn't expect ......"

Wang Changgui was so choked that he couldn't speak, Huang got up, poured him tea, and asked in a stiff voice, "What happened later?" ”

Wang Changgui wiped away his tears vigorously and sobbed: "Those dogs, when they drove to the woods in the south of the city, they shot the regiment commander and the third battalion commander. ”

Huang Xing listened, the roots of his teeth clenched, and the bowl-sized fist slammed into the tea table, his eyes spraying angry flames. Arched up, dead fish-like eyes, staring at Wang Changgui. The voice was a little hoarse, and he said, "Where is the corpse of the regimental leader?" ”

Wang Changgui was stared at excitedly, flashed his eyes to the side, and said, "We only found out the day after the accident. I, the first battalion commander and the three brothers of my platoon searched for a long time in the woods before we found the bodies of the regiment commander and the third battalion commander in a ditch that had been washed out by the flood. After discussing with a few brothers in the third battalion, I pooled the money to buy two coffins and buried them in the woods. ”

Huang Xing grabbed the handle in great pain, his thick but not long hair, suppressed his anger, and whispered: "You now hire a carriage with a canopy and wait for me outside the West Gate." ”

Huang Xing bought some sacrificial supplies, wine and meat, and then made a detour out of the west gate and walked towards the woods in the south of the city.

The sun was only a pole high, and its reddish-yellow glow pierced through the chaos of poplars and some unknown trees, and sprinkled dense and mottled bright spots in the rare clearings of thick rotten leaves. A few crows, fed with carrion, quacked, and flew towards a stout old poplar tree.

This forest grows naturally, but everything that can be made is turned into a stump by greedy people. It is a forest, but it is just clusters of trees that have grown from the stakes that have been cut down, clinging to the new branches of the trunk, trying to cover the bare ground. The old poplar tree, like an old grandfather, is still alive and well, because it is so winding that it can't find a foot of usable material.

Huang Xing and Wang Changgui drank and talked, talking and eating. Before you know it, the sun in the west has turned into a huge fireball and smashed heavily on the horizon. Only a red glow was left behind, staining the woods and their faces with a thin layer of color.

Huang Xing took the last sip of wine in the bottle and sprinkled it on Zhang Zhiqiang's grave. With a solemn expression, he said, "Big brother! Go all the way, I will definitely carry the head of the surname Xu to worship you. ”

Wang Changgui reminded again: "The person surnamed Xu already knows that you went to Shanghai, you have to think about it, how to deal with him." ”

Huang Xing patted the dust on his body and said in a calm voice; "Don't worry, I know it."

As soon as he had breakfast, Huang Xing was taken away by two gendarmes wearing white steel helmets and carrying American Tom*.

Commissioner Xu is a slightly chubby medium-sized person, about thirty years old. Hidden behind the short-sighted eyes, those small eyes with a sparkle of suspicion. is like a smile on his face, and it is even more hazy that people can't guess his mood at the moment. Seeing Huang Xing coming in, he greeted him with a smile rolling on his face.

"It's Huang Lian Chang, right?"

"Report sir! Huang Xing, commander of the guard company directly under him. ”

"You went to Shanghai the other day?"

"Yes."

"What are you going to do?"

"To Captain Zhang, no! Send a letter to Zhang Zhiqiang. ”

"What letter?"

"I don't dare to look at it, I don't know the content."

"To whom?"

"Give it to a young man who bought cigarettes at the dock, wearing a straw hat and new and old straw sandals. I asked, are there any extended camel brand cigarettes? He said that there was only one of them. So I gave him the letter. ”

"Did he reply to you?"

"Yes."

"Where is the letter?"

"I just had a word."

"What's that?"

"The wind is strong, dormant and ready to be called."

"You've been there for so many days, and you haven't seen anyone else?"

"Head Zhang, no! Zhang Zhiqiang asked me to go around Shanghai for a few more days, saying that he wanted me to see what the flower world was like. As a result, he also had a fight with the Japanese and was almost not caught in the patrol room. ”

"What's going on?"

"There were three Japanese who wanted to bully the Chinese girl, so I knocked down the Japanese with three punches and two kicks, and ran away with the girl. The Japanese are ridiculously dead, they are all wearing a wooden plank on their feet, and they can't run fast, and when they can't catch me, they are so anxious that they scream and scream. ”

"I heard that you have a good relationship with Zhang Zhiqiang?"

"Before joining the army, he was the son of a landlord, and I was the son of a tenant farmer in his family. After becoming a soldier, he was an officer, and I was a soldier. At home, I don't treat him well, and he withholds my rent. As a soldier, I treat him badly, and he deducts my ring. ”

"You're his guard company commander."

"This company commander, I bought it in exchange for my life, I saved his life, I don't owe him anything."

"Will you follow me?"

"I'm a soldier, and I'll do whatever the commander tells me to do."

"You can go, don't leave the barracks recently, I'll look for you at any time."

"Yes! Sir. ”

Commissioner Xu's first interrogation of Huang Xing ended in a relaxed and natural atmosphere. After Huang Xing left, Commissioner Xu crossed his hands behind his back and crossed the house, muttering to himself: "This kid is quite honest. ”

For Huang Xing, Commissioner Xu is conflicted in his heart. According to his understanding of Huang Xing during this time, Huang Xing is a loyal person, and his skills are good, if he can use it for himself, he is much stronger than that group of wastes. However, loyal people are often very nostalgic, and they are afraid that it will be difficult to subdue Huang Xing's heart. So, he rushed out the door and shouted, "Someone! ”

A gendarme rushed in in response, and Commissioner Xu lowered his voice and said: "In the past few days, you don't have to do anything else, just keep an eye on Huang Xing for me, see where he goes, meet with whom, and report to me once a day in the morning and evening." ”

"Yes! Sir. ”

These days, in addition to morning exercises and daily training, Huang Xing spends most of the day drinking and playing cards with his brothers. It's just that the night post is more diligent than before.

After breakfast, Huang Xing was called by Commissioner Xu again. Commissioner Xu is still so polite, and he still has that kind of tireless smile on his face.

Commissioner Xu let Huang Xing sit on the sofa opposite, and his phantom gaze swept over Huang Xing's face for a while. He lit a cigar and took a deep breath, staring at the cigar in his hand, as if looking for something. It is like observing Huang Xing's inner world through the curtain of smoke.

A cloud of green smoke was softly wrapped around Commissioner Xu's face. He gently knocked the soot that was not long, looked careless, and asked, "What have you been busy with lately?" ”

Huang Xing immediately got up and replied: "The troops are resting and training. ”

Commissioner Xu waved his hand lightly and motioned for Huang Xing to sit down and speak, without restraint.

"Zhang Zhiqiang is*, did you know in advance?" Commissioner Xu pushed the glasses that had slipped down the bridge of his nose, and asked in a calm tone.

Huang Xing was just about to stand up, but was stopped by Commissioner Xu again. So, he sat down and said: "Report to the chief, whether Zhang Zhiqiang is * I don't know, he never tells me this." Besides, I don't know what it is*. ”

Commissioner Xu sighed lightly and said, "Then what do you know?" ”

Huang Xing raised his voice and said, "I only know that it is the duty of a soldier to obey orders. I'll do whatever the chief tells me to do. ”

Commissioner Xu glanced at Huang Xing with an approving gaze, and said with a slightly excited expression: "Not bad! Like a soldier, follow me. I'll guarantee you two levels of promotion. You go back and hand it over, and in three days, come to me to report. ”

Huang Xing immediately gave a military salute: "Thank you for the cultivation of the chief, the humble position will definitely live up to the high expectations of the commander!" ”

When running morning exercises, Huang Xing pretended to tie his shoelaces at the waist of a cat, and waited for Wang Changgui, who was running behind. Still bent on his waist, he lowered his voice and said, "You go into the woods from here, turn around and wait for me at the west end." ”

Wang Changgui understood, pretended to be relieved, staggered into the grove in front of him, and quickly went around to the west of the forest and hidden.

Huang Xing shouted to speed up. When the team reached the end, he scolded the fallen soldiers in his throat, and walked towards the forest casually. Seeing Wang Changgui, Huang Xing glanced around like lightning, lowered his voice and said quickly: "Start at 3:20 tonight, in the afternoon, you go to get two sets of ordinary people's clothes, hide next to the regiment leader's grave, and only take short guys at night." ”

After speaking, Huang Xing pretended to tie his pants and came out of the west of the woods, but Wang Changgui quickly went around to the middle of the woods, and then blew leisurely, whistling out of the forest like a urinal blown by the wind.