In just an hour and a half, almost a third of the outstanding young men of the three recruit companies were gone, leaving one hundred and seventy-three male soldiers and eighty-six female soldiers. One hundred and twenty-two determined and outstanding young men and women resolutely chose to leave the nationally renowned An Yi Regiment and the coveted model camp, and chose to use their surging blood and young lives to defend their ideals, beliefs, and dignity in their hearts.

The same thing happened to the 500 non-commissioned officers from all divisions of the First Army who had been concentrated in the battalions of the Reading Force Regiment on the front line, and by 8 o'clock in the evening, more than 300 non-commissioned officers with leftist party members had returned to the camp in the city, and Yin Jinan, Hu Jialin, and others were counting and counting before the farewell.

At ten o'clock in the evening, An Yi was still in the empty war room on the east side of the regiment headquarters, the large map on the north wall had been blocked behind by a thick dark green curtain, and the two-meter-by-three-meter precision sand table in the south was also covered by a large flannel cloth of the same color.

"Commander, Li Xiaolong asks to see you."

Shen Fengdao came to An Yi's side and whispered.

An Yi raised his head, opened his bloodshot eyes, looked around and whispered, "I knew he would come...... Ask Zhang Cheng to come in and clean up and send a new pot of tea. You help keep an eye on the door, and no one is allowed to come in. ”

"Understood."

Shen Fengdao left quietly.

The table was cleaned up, Zhang Cheng, who was diligent and loyal and had been promoted to sergeant, poured two cups of steaming Longjing and left, An Yi, who was standing in front of the window on the east side, heard the sound of sluggish footsteps, gently closed the window and returned to his position to sit down, glanced at Li Xiaolong, who was hiding his grief and indignation, pointed to the high soft chair on the side, and said in a low voice:

"Please sit down, you just came down from the Jiaoshan position, right?"

"Yes, the new observation point set up by Chief Gu Changfeng is very good, and the target indicated to the artillery battalion three hours ago is very accurate, destroying the wooden bridge at the mouth of the canal on the north bank of the enemy."

Li Xiaolong sat down quietly, took the tea handed by An Yi and said thank you, and drank it unceremoniously.

An Yi shook his head: "During this time, because of the war, the officer training class has no chance to study intensively, so you can only go down to the fourth battalion to observe and train, what is your experience?" ”

Li Xiaolong smiled reluctantly: "In the past few days following Chief Gu Changfeng, I have learned a lot, although I was not able to participate in the regular seminar presided over by the general, but I am very grateful." Commander Gu Changfeng didn't hide it, and the brothers of the fourth battalion didn't treat me as an outsider, scouting with them, crossing the river together, measuring distances together, grabbing tongues together, there was hardly a minute of wasted time, and I lived a very fulfilling life every day and benefited a lot. ”

An Yi nodded and lit a cigarette: "I know you came to me for something...... Say whatever you want, I'll listen. ”

"I ...... That's right, I have to get to Nanking as soon as possible, can you give me the pistol that was given to me? Again, some people have openly betrayed the revolution and raised their butcher's knives against their former comrades, the masses of workers and peasants have shed rivers of blood, and the great cause of the revolution has suffered serious setbacks. In this turbulent moment, I would love to hear the general's view of the situation, it is ...... for me Very important. Li Xiaolong said, gently put down the teacup, and quietly looked at An Yi with a painful face.

"Some things will come in the end, no matter how hard you try to avoid them, they will eventually be like a mantis arm as a car, and the trend of history cannot be changed!"

An Yi sighed, looked at Li Xiaolong, who was a little inexplicable, smiled bitterly, and then pointed to the teapot: "If you still want to drink, pour it yourself, it's no problem to give you a gun, anyway, I don't have a lot of guns here, I don't care about your one."

As for the current situation, I don't have much opinion. Presumably you also know the current situation of our regiment, and also know that our regiment shoulders the heavy task of defending the security of Nanjing's right flank, and the 60,000 Feng troops and Zhilu troops led by reactionary warlord leaders Zhang Xueliang and Zhang Zongchang have already left for the front line of Bengbu and Gaoyou, and we are facing an attack that the enemy may launch at any time.

However, as an old friend, I still advise you not to rush back to Nanjing at this juncture, as the Qing Party is becoming more and more fierce in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian and other places, the blood will only flow more and more, and the situation will only become more and more complicated and severe. Including the more than 300 non-commissioned officer trainees who have just come down from the front line, they are all asking to leave immediately, but I don't think this is a good choice, I hope you can all think carefully and don't be rash. ”

"General, you are a model in the revolutionary army, a hero of the Northern Expedition admired by countless enthusiastic young people across the country, your talent, your talent is unparalleled, and you have an extraordinary broad-mindedness and sincere feelings for the toiling masses, but you ...... Don't you see the current situation clearly? Do you want to continue to work for Chiang Kai-shek, the chief culprit of the new warlords, who has turned into a tool of imperialism and wantonly slaughtered our workers, peasants and revolutionary masses and created the White Terror? ”

The excited Li Xiaolong finally couldn't suppress his galloping emotions anymore, and made his purpose clear in a few words, and he angrily named several crimes in a row in the treatment of Chiang Kai-shek.

An Yi sighed: "Alas, didn't you also scold me for my warlord style?" In fact, I am not as tall as you say at all, the reason why I have come to this day step by step is just because I have never wavered, from the day I made up my mind to enter Whampoa, I have been determined to complete the great cause of the Northern Expedition, as long as I wear this military uniform for a day, I will not change this original intention.

As for whether I will become a warlord in the eyes of others in the future, I dare not guarantee, but there is one thing I can say to you, that is, I always put the interests of the motherland and the people first, just like the mission of a soldier that I always emphasize in the army: the interests of the country and the nation are above all else! As for how to accomplish this mission, each has its own methods, each has its own means, born in troubled times, no matter which path you take, it will take time to prove, I hope you can understand my hardship. ”

Li Xiaolong stared at An Yi in disappointment, and asked in a low voice after a while: "Okay, I respect your choice, what are you going to do with the leftist party members under your command?" ”

"Before the evening, I received a telegram from Shangfeng to 'clear the party', and I called back within a minute, telling me that there were no leftists and rightists under my command, only the revolutionary soldiers who had died in order to complete the great cause of the Northern Expedition, and that my officers and soldiers were fighting bloody battles on the front line, and were fulfilling their oaths with blood and lives, and that there would never be any chaos and strife in my troops, and that they were all brothers who shared weal and woe." An Yi replied calmly.

Li Xiaolong nodded, and then slowly stood up: "I understand, thank you, General!" Thank you for your care of me and hundreds of brothers, but we can't help but leave at this critical juncture, just as you have your own principles, we have our own principles, so we have to leave, even if it's dangerous. ”

"In that case, take care of everything, I won't send you away...... I forgot to tell you something, starting at seven o'clock tomorrow morning, our regiment will be ordered to block all docks, stations, and land communication arteries within 10 kilometers of Zhenjiang to guard against the infiltration and possible attacks of the enemy in Jiangbei. An Yi stood up and sent Li Xiaolong to the door.

Li Xiaolong was stunned for a moment, then nodded gratefully, and solemnly saluted An Yi: "Thank you, general, we will be cautious, goodbye!" ”

"Goodbye."

An Yi returned the salute and saw Li Xiaolong walk out of the door, his eyes full of regret.

After a long while, An Yi returned to his seat happily, poured a cup of tea, and let out a long sigh again, just about to clear his thoughts, Shen Fengdao came again.

After a while, Qiu Mingxuan and Ding Molan, the squad leaders of the recruit company, entered the room, and saluted An Yi in both directions, An Yi returned the salute and motioned for the two to sit down, stood up and poured tea for the two and politely sent it to the front.

Qiu Mingxuan, who had a broad forehead and a firm nose bridge, thanked him softly, and looked at the haggard An Yi with a confused gaze, Ding Molan, who had already put on a well-fitting military uniform, brushed the bangs on her forehead, looking quite shy, and her full chest seemed to be very nervous.

After taking a sip of tea to soothe his mood, Qiu Mingxuan solemnly asked An Yi: "Regiment Commander, the atmosphere in the company is very depressing now, and the two hundred and fifty-nine people we chose to stay after filling in their resumes as required, and then asked to write a short essay about life ideals, we don't know what the purpose of the group's request is so, so everyone specially recommended the two of us to come and ask." ”

"Yes, this is the third time I've filled out my resume in a week, so is it related to the changing situation that so many surveys are going on? Everyone is a little confused, and there is a lot of discussion in private! ”

Ding Molan didn't dare to look at An Yi's eyes, and the slender ten fingers holding the teacup lay nervously on the cup, and the face of the melon seeds that had been tanned to wheat was slightly red.

An Yi explained kindly: "The reason is very simple, that is, to clarify each person's expertise, education level and political outlook, this practice is a system that our regiment has adhered to since the beginning of the model battalion. The reasons why you are asked to fill it out three times are as follows:

First, we need to find out whether there is a difference in each fill-in, because under the current conditions, it is impossible for us to conduct a routine visit to investigate the family background and educational background of each new recruit, and we can only confirm the identity and background of each person as much as possible from every aspect; Second, your recruits are all intellectual youths, and many of them have a solid cultural foundation and expertise, such as Mingxuan, it is rare for you to study mechanical design for two and a half years, and you can also understand English, which is amazing. As for Mo Lan, you are majoring in mathematics in Shanghai, and Zhang Ruyi, who loves to cry, studied pre-medical for three years, both of which are very rare talents, so we must select them and distribute them reasonably, and try to give full play to everyone's talents; Third, the reason why we want everyone to write down their ideological understanding and views on the current situation is to grasp everyone's ideological consciousness so that we can understand everyone's level of understanding and ideals and beliefs, so that we can decide to arrange everyone in a reasonable post.

We are an army, and the various aspects involved are very complex, and the slightest negligence can have incalculable impacts, so we cannot be cautious. After you have completed three months of training, it is estimated that many of you will be assigned to the confidential department, and if the war is urgent, it will not even take three months, do you understand what I say? ”

Qiu Mingxuan and Ding Molan glanced at each other and nodded in unison. Qiu Mingxuan replied solemnly: "I understand, the army is the army, and there are similar requirements on the secrecy regulations, it is estimated that what happened today is too unexpected, and it is very easy for people to have bad associations, so everyone panicked." ”

An Yi nodded happily: "I want to ask a digression, have you two considered continuing your studies?" Studying in the U.S. and Germany, for example? ”

Ding Molan slowly let go: "I have thought about it, but in this extraordinary period, we all think that enlisting in the army can contribute more to the country and the nation, and it is more direct, not to mention that this is still the most glorious unit in the whole army, and none of the sisters regret it, but ...... Almost half of the sisters who are gone today make us feel very sad, but we also admire them, and they can move forward for their beliefs, this perseverance and perseverance are very rare. ”

"I feel the same way, and although I would love to continue my professional studies and practice, I prefer to be tested by the bullets and test whether I am as determined as I think I am. Although I have no political leanings and I have not joined any political party, I admire my classmates who left today, and I feel a little lost and a little cowardly in comparison, which is an important reason why I decided to join the army. ”

The honest and open-minded Qiu Mingxuan shook his head and said with some emotion.

An Yi's eyes lit up, and then he smiled slightly: "In fact, everyone has times when they are confused and cowardly, in fact, I am the same, but I don't have the courage of Mingxuan's self-analysis, haha!"

It's not early, it is estimated that the students are waiting for you to go back to solve your doubts, and after going back, I will tell you that tomorrow morning will be reorganized, two companies for men, and one company for women, starting tomorrow, I will take three nights a week to give lectures to you, the content is the exploration of the development direction of military foundation and modern military, Instructor Yin is responsible for the course of political ideology, I hope everyone can persevere. ”

Qiu Mingxuan stood up happily: "Great! We had been looking forward to listening to the regiment leader's lecture for a long time, and the instructors were all impressed when they mentioned the regiment leader's lecture, and they envied us to death. ”

Ding Molan stood up excitedly and looked at An Yi, her big eyes revealed an indescribable charm and gentleness, An Yi generously sent the two out of the door, turned around and immediately exhaled heavily, revealing a lustful scoundrel, and kept muttering in his mouth:

"Grandma's, this chick is even more seductive in a military uniform! Luckily, there were no nosebleeds......"

(To be continued)