Chen Hao graduated early from the Campaign Department of Jinan Military Academy and was assigned to work in the General Staff. This result was the envy of his classmates, but it was not to his liking. Because he prefers to return to his old army to lead the troops.

He was given half a month's vacation. This gave him time to visit his relatives in Wuxi before reporting to the General Staff Department. Chen Hao did not delay, immediately went south, but he did not go directly to Wuxi, but went to Yanzhou to visit his comrades-in-arms, since the end of the Shandong campaign, the 16th Brigade was transferred to Yanzhou to rest and replenish and train. I learned from Director Zhou of the Campaign Department that the 16th Brigade was about to move west to Shaanxi. After Chen Hao arrived in Yanzhou, he found that he had come to the right place, because if it was two days late, the old troops he was concerned about would have to be transported to Shaanxi. And his old team has left Yanzhou, and the comrades-in-arms who have formed life-and-death friendships in one battle after another are basically gone.

The 16th Brigade has been reorganized into the 49th Division, and his old team, the 46th Regiment, has also become the 145th Regiment, and the old regiment commander Li Shaoqian has been promoted to the chief of staff of the 49th Division and entered the ranks of generals, while the brigade commander Qu Zhiyong, who has always taken care of himself, has been promoted to army commander and his rank has also been promoted to major general. When Chen Hao came, Commander Qu had already taken the military department to Xi'an on Longhai Road, Chen Hao did not see the old commander, but Brigadier General Li Shaoqian, who received him, told him that Commander Qu was still talking about you before leaving, and he said that he wanted you to come back. Our brigade was expanded into an army all of a sudden, and there is a shortage of people, especially an officer with actual combat experience like you, who can at least be the regiment commander when you come back, and your military rank is enough.

When Li Shaoqian learned that Chen Hao had received an order from the Ministry of National Defense, Li Shaoqian even said that it was a pity. "How can the above transfer all the people we have cultivated? You see, Yan Yulong was also transferred. However, this shows that the above attaches great importance to our brigade. ”

"If you can," Chen Hao said to Chief of Staff Li, "can you find a way to get me back?" Even if you continue to be a battalion commander, you can. ”

"Well, you're looking up to me. How can I do that? Li Shaoqian was a little dissatisfied with his promotion, the commander of the 47th Regiment was promoted to the commander of the newly established 51st Division, but he did not reach the most critical level in the large-scale expansion. The chief of staff is nothing more than a chief of staff, far from the power of the military commander, and in some respects even inferior to the regiment commander. "Don't be pretentious. This fully proves that the superiors attach great importance to you, and you will be gilded in the General Staff, and you will be at the division level if you go down, and your brother will be on an errand under you in a few years. ”

"Just kidding. You will always be my commander. Chen Hao said so. But I was thinking about it. Li Shaoqian is indeed a bit "soft", and is more suitable to be the chief of staff rather than the military chief. Those guys from the Personnel Bureau of the Ministry of Defense are still amazing.

Stayed in Yanzhou for a day and then went to Wuxi. Arrived home. I learned that my mother had gone to Beijing, and there was only my father-in-law's family and wife and children in Wuxi. His father-in-law was very satisfied with his transfer to the General Staff Department, while his wife Xu Yi was overjoyed by his return. And he put most of his feelings on his son.

On the third day of returning home, Xu Yi took Chen Hao to a neighbor's house for a meal. Xu Yi said that Tao Jing is her colleague and a very good friend, Professor Tao is a learned and respected senior, they heard that you have come back from visiting relatives, they must invite you to a meal, you have to give me this face.

Professor Tao's house was only 50 meters away from his father-in-law's house, and when Chen Hao and Xu Yi, who were holding their son, came to the door, Professor Tao's family banquet was ready to stop. Chen Hao concluded from Professor Tao's wife and the graceful Teacher Tao's love for their children that his wife was very close to the Tao family.

After washing his hands, he took the seat. Professor Tao smiled and said, "Xiao Chen, Xiao Yi and my daughter are good friends, so I won't call you Lieutenant Colonel." Xiao Yi didn't tell us much about your deeds. I salute you for this first glass of wine, because you are a war hero who fought against foreign aggression. ”

"Don't dare to be, don't dare to be. Professor Tao, aunt, Teacher Tao, thank you for taking care of Xiaoyi, I respect you. ”

"Haha, you're welcome. There is no such thing as taking care of it. Not to mention that you are a hero who fought for the country, so because of the friendship between Xiaoyi and Ah Jing, help should be done, and Xiaoyi's family is very good to us. ”

Chen Hao noticed that the teacher Tao Jing, who looked far better than his wife, kept scanning his right hand. And the boy next to her, who was about six or seven years old, must be her son, but I don't know why the child's father didn't show up.

"Xiao Chen, Shandong fought a good battle, and it was very happy. I've long wanted to know some unconfidential information from you in person, and I heard that when you came back, I asked your aunt to prepare a light meal, and tell us more about the Shandong War. I lived in Shandong back then, and it's been 10 years since I left. ”

Chen Hao gave a general introduction to the situation of the Battle of Shandong. He was already completely familiar with the entire course of the campaign when he was studying at the Jinan Military Academy, and as the largest major battle since the founding of the National Defense Force, it was impossible for the campaign department not to do research. Of course, Chen Hao omitted the number of the troops and the number of casualties, and gave Professor Tao a detailed description of the course of the battle.

"It seems that the Japanese are still underestimating the enemy. It is no wonder that since the First Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army has not taken us seriously. I didn't expect that our national defense force is not the Eight Banners Green Battalion that is about to collapse. It's a good fight, it's a good fight. How can you say that the four divisions of Japan's invasion of China were basically wiped out? ”

"You can't say that. In fact, there were five divisions, and they later reinforced a 11th division. This reinforcement and the 9th Division that attacked Qingdao were not surrounded by our army, but they were also broken. The remaining three divisions were annihilated, and even if the Japanese troops who were trapped in the encirclement were released due to the signing of the final battle agreement, and even if the 3rd, 6th, and 18th divisions were rebuilt, I think they would not have the courage to resist when they encountered our troops again. ”

"Where did you get your hand?" Professor Tao looked at Chen Hao.

"Oh, this is in Qingdao. It was an injury from a fight with the Germans. ”

"Unexpectedly, we defeated Germany and Japan in a row. It really makes the Chinese people raise their eyebrows. In comparison, who is more powerful? ”

"The president once taught, 'This army must have an indomitable spirit, overwhelm an enemy without being overwhelmed by the enemy,' and whether it is the German army or the Japanese army, it is all our defeated generals!" Chen Hao remembered the impact of the troops sacrificing their lives and forgetting their lives when Xiao Zhanshan broke through, and his eyes couldn't help but moisten, "Professor Tao." I don't know how many officers and soldiers died on the battlefield of resisting aggression, but my injury is really nothing. ”

"Amitabha! Ten fingers to the heart. Kid, it hurt a lot, didn't you? Mrs. Tao, who was kind and kind, grabbed Chen Hao's hand and looked at it, as if she was afraid of moving the wound.

"Auntie, where can I take care of it at that time? The troops are crushed in the trenches, and they are in a hurry to die, where can they take care of it? ”

Tao Jing, who had not been silent, spoke, "Your second-level hero was obtained in that battle, right?" ”

"Maybe. In fact, our brigade did not rest after fighting Qingdao, and broke away from the main force of the division and has been fighting on the periphery. The battle to annihilate the regimental headquarters of the 18th Division was fought mainly by us. I don't know if I was given the medal because of Qingdao. However, the Qingdao Fortress, which was claimed to be impossible to open for three months, was broken through by us in one day, and even the British military observer group watching the battle was frightened. To say that such a strong offensive spirit is difficult for even European armies to do. ”

"The most tragic thing is this battle, right?"

"It's not. It was another brigade of our division with Japanese reinforcements. It was the Shantong Temple division that fought in Jiaozhou Bay. It has achieved the prestige of the 50th regiment of 'Double Emblem Regiment'. It is said that the battle is over. The blood in the trenches can be lost in the feet and necks...... Our regiment is also considered the main force, and after listening to the battle of the 50th regiment, we can only be convinced. ”

"Your division. It's a unit of the Shandong Army, right? ”

Chen Hao was a little surprised, because ordinary people rarely said about the Shandong Army, "Yes, the president raised troops in Guangzhou to oppose the Qing Dynasty, and the Shandong Army was reorganized into the 6th and 7th divisions, and our 6th division is the absolute main force." Although the 7th Division won a great victory at Linjiaqiao, it was far worse than our division defending Texas. We are facing three Beiyang elite towns. Mr. Tao, you are very familiar with military history. ”

Tao Jing did not answer. Chen Hao didn't know that when the army rose in Guangzhou, this beautiful young woman was one of the witnesses and participated in the core secret.

"The president brings good soldiers. Talking about this, it is impossible not to be admired. In the late Qing Dynasty, if there were three fifth towns brought out by Long Qian, they would never have lost their teachers to such an extent, leaving a big mess for future generations. ”

"Officers are not afraid of death, and soldiers naturally have no reason to be afraid of death."

"Well said. But how easy is it to make sure that officers are not afraid of death? ”

"Uncle Tau, the president shook hands with him when he inspected the front line. He never let me tell you that he knew the president when he was a kid. ”

"Oh? There is such a strange fate. Can you tell us about it? ”

"Actually, it's nothing. My hometown is Chenjiaya, Fei County, when the president led his troops to Mengshan and set up in our village. It is fate, my father was a long-term worker in Minister Chen Chao's family, and died in the invasion of the official army. Later, Minister Chen took care of our whole family and regarded me as a nephew ......."

"Ah, the Minister Chen you are talking about is Chen Chao of the Ministry of Police? His niece married to the president? ”

"Exactly."

"I see. No wonder you're a teenager ......"

Obviously, Professor Tao regarded his promotion as clinging to the powerful, but he was promoted to lieutenant colonel at this age but he thought that he was the result of a bloody battle. But he was reluctant to explain. told his wife several times not to talk about family affairs, but she still couldn't help but say it.

The topic turned to the present, Professor Tao seems to be very concerned about national affairs, "I heard that the center has the idea of joining the European war, and the Jinan Military Academy is the highest institution of learning in the army, there must be rumors, right?" ”

"I don't know that." Of course, Chen Hao had heard a lot of inside information, which was related to military secrets, and he couldn't say it.

"Neutrality is good. I didn't say anything about Japan, but people bullied me. But to send troops to Europe is to be reckless. 'Although the kingdom is great, the warlike will perish', not to mention that we are poorer than others. How much steel does Russia produce in a year? 3,000,000 tons! We don't even have 2 million, right? ”

"Without the victory in Shandong, the Japanese 'Chinese garrison' would not have withdrawn, and the concessions of Tianjin and Hankou would not have been recovered. Our president has said that it is an inevitable choice to seize the opportunity of the European war to establish our position in Asia. ”

"Alas, I speak in vain, and I listen to it. I'm just a sour Confucian, and I shouldn't have talked about national politics. But I'm curious......"

"Curious about what?"

"I'm curious about what benefits I will gain from participating in the European War. However, the sacrifice of the army was too heavy, and my colleagues have already lost two sons, both in Shandong. Most of the 18th division are children of Jiangsu, and there are many children in Wuxi. By extension, how many young and promising children like you have turned into loess ......"

"If the country is weak, it has to be sacrificed."

"You're right! Here, a toast to your exploits! Professor Tao raised his glass again.

"Lieutenant Colonel Chen. You must have met the president's wife, right? After the meal, before Chen Hao and his wife said goodbye and went home, Tao Jing asked.

"Of course. We live in the same yard. At that time, I always called her eldest sister, although we were servants, Uncle Chen always regarded my father as a brother, and we were all brother and sister to his family. ”

"Oh, how is she?"

"I don't know what to say......"

"Forget it. I'm just asking. I wish you to continue to rise and make more achievements. ”

"Thank you, Mr. Tao. Does your spouse also work at the school? ”

"Nope. He was also a military man. He is a veteran of the Mengshan Army. Died in the founding battle. ”

"Yikes. It turns out that you are a martyr. Disrespectful. I don't know which front he is in? ”

"Southern Army. It's been years, and I don't want to mention it. ”

On the way home, Chen Hao said to his wife, "Don't tell anyone about my origin in the future." It's as if my rank of lieutenant colonel is based on the relationship of the powerful. ”

"Remember. There's nothing I can't say. ”

"If you don't talk about it, don't talk about it. I hate this. Unexpectedly, Mr. Tao's husband turned out to be a senior martyr...... No wonder she is so familiar with military history. ”

"It's the first time I've heard of this. Her mouth is so steady. ”

"Teacher Tao is so young and beautiful. You can find one for her. Will she be widowed for the rest of her life? ”

"Who's to say no? But she has a very high vision. There is no intention of remarrying at all. ”

Chen Hao did not stay for the holidays and returned to Beijing four days early. On the first day of his report from the General Staff Headquarters, he received an order to transfer him to the headquarters of the First Army of the newly established Expeditionary Force as an operational staff officer.

Chen Hao became excited. It's only been a few days at home. It has been a thousand years. Unexpectedly, an expeditionary force had already been formed, and it was undoubtedly decided to enter the war. Moreover, the commander is General Ye Yanbing, who he is familiar with, and when he was a child, he always called Commander Ye his brother-in-law.

"Where do I report?"

"Lieutenant Colonel, the expeditionary force has not been made public, and it needs to be kept secret. You are the person named by Commander Ye, so go and report immediately. Your relationship has shifted to the Expeditionary Force. Commander Ye has gone to Harbin, but the headquarters' stay in Tongzhou has not yet been revoked, so you can report there. ”

Chen Hao couldn't wait to leave the General Staff Building. I rented a taxi and rushed to Tongzhou, and found the place where the First Army of the Expeditionary Force was left behind without any signs.

Brigadier General Kong Dongyuan, deputy chief of staff of the group army who had seen his military ID card and personally received him, said to him, "Welcome to the expeditionary force. From now on, we are comrades-in-arms. Our group army has just been formed, the troops come from three military regions, and the officers from various departments of the headquarters also come from all directions, but Chief of Staff Xue has already arranged your work, according to your situation, you have fought in battles, you are a heroic battalion commander, and you have studied in military academies twice, so you are appointed deputy director of the combat department. The Operations Department has already gone to the Northeast with Commander Ye and Chief of Staff Xue, and the remaining office will go north in a week at most. Now you have two options, the first is to follow us out of the country, and the second is to rush back to the team right away. ”

"Chief of Staff Kong, I hope to return to the team immediately."

"That's good. Units of the 7 Army are being transported to the northeast. I'll give you a letter of introduction, you go directly to Tianjin, the military headquarters of the 7th Army is still there, and they will probably be out of the customs in the past two days. By the way, I will hand over this confidential letter to you and bring it to Chief of Staff Xue. I'll send you a guard. ”

Chen Hao took the temporary guard, a corporal, to Tianjin by ticket car that day. He found the military headquarters of the 7th Army and showed his identification, and the military headquarters of the 7th Army immediately arranged a temporary accommodation for him and asked him to set off with the main officers of the military headquarters. Because Chen Hao is the deputy director of the Operations Department of the Headquarters, Colonel Gao Xilin, deputy chief of staff of the 7th Army, gave a briefing on the transfer situation of the 7th Army, the two divisions of the army have already left the customs, and the military headquarters will set off early tomorrow morning. Now that the Railway Bureau has arranged a special train to transport the military department, the conditions are certainly much better. ”

After confirming the time for taking the military train, Chen Hao asked the corporal to stay at the temporary residence of the military headquarters with secret documents and was not allowed to go out. I found the post and telecommunications bureau and asked if I could make a long-distance call to Wuxi, and after a lot of effort, Chen Hao finally called Xu Yi's school, and the person who answered the phone happened to be the teacher Tao Jing, Tao Jing said to him, "It's really unfortunate." Xu Yi went to the Education Bureau to deliver the materials, do you need me to tell me? ”

"Yes. You tell her that I have transferred the field troops. Now in Tianjin, but tomorrow I will leave with the troops, I can't say the direction, and it's not easy to say the time for vacation. Please take care of her body and take care of the child. ”

"Oh, then you have to take care too. Write to her more often if it's convenient. "The line signal is very poor and the sound sounds a little distorted.

"Thank you, goodbye." After thinking about it, Chen Hao still said, "Teacher Tao, please help her pay attention to the news, she will get our news." ”

"Understood, I wish you a good luck." (To be continued......)