In early autumn, the Weihe Plain is still lush and green, and as far as the eye can see, the Guanzhong Plain is full of vitality. On the post road on the bank of the Wei River, dozens of war horses appeared, and the heroic posture of a female officer in the middle of the horse team was very eye-catching, she rose and fell on the horse, and her black hair fluttered in the wind under the military hat. Next to the woman, a young general in his thirties, holding the reins of his horse and looking ahead, looked mighty and powerful. The young general and female soldier were none other than He Meng and his wife Deng Xiuhua, who were ordered to go to the capital to attend the founding ceremony.

He Meng, his wife Deng Xiuhua and the accompanying guards drove out of Xi'an side by side, and the war horse galloped for two hours, and the speed began to slow down. The war horse runs for a long time, and it must be allowed to breathe, otherwise the war horse will not be able to bear it. The war horse began to walk slowly with small steps, and the husband and wife stood side by side. "I really want to get to the capital quickly, I haven't seen my wife for several years, I really miss her!" Xiuhua broke the silence, and her eyes were a little confused.

He Meng smiled and said: "You think Mrs. and I also want to be the commander-in-chief, but we must temporarily hide our thoughts in our hearts and go all out to go to Tongguan to rest tonight." "Can't we travel at night?" Deng Xiuhua said urgently. "Along the way, the guards are the most fortunate, they not only have to stand guard but also serve as guards, you can't be too willful." Deng Xiuhua laughed and said: "Where am I, why should you take it seriously, we will stay in Tongguan if you listen to you." ”

After crossing the Wei River, a large number of Russian prisoners of war were working along the way. Deng Xiuhua reined in the war horse and watched with some curiosity, He Meng also stopped the war horse and said: "This is the Russian prisoners of war paving the railway roadbed, this is the roadbed from Zhengzhou to Xi'an." It is estimated that in a year, the train from Xi'an to Zhengzhou will be opened. "Are you telling the truth?" A look of surprise appeared on Xiuhua's face.

Suddenly, on the construction site where the Russian prisoners of war were working, there was a pig-like cry. A soldier on a horse was seen beating a prisoner of war with a wave of his nose. The sound of howling came from the mouths of the beaten prisoners of war. Deng Xiuhua frowned and said, "Weishenme beats people, if it's not good, let's go and see what happens." He Meng hurriedly grabbed the reins of Madame's horse and said, "Madam, I am a dignified commander, what do you want me to say?" Besides, the beaten prisoners of war must be lazy. Sure enough, the whip-wielding soldier shouted, "Damn, good food and drink are available for you." You're still lazy, you have to finish this section, or you won't be allowed to eat at night. ”

He Meng smiled and said, "Madam! Let's go! It's just a few whips. No harm. The husband and wife hit the road again. He Meng saw that his wife was entangled and comforted: "At present, hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war are building roads, this kind of thing will inevitably happen, if it is how to manage the heart of a woman like you, some things cannot have a bodhisattva heart." Nothing can be done without blame. "You're a piece of stone. War makes you too cold. After Deng Xiuhua finished speaking, his legs were forced, and the war horse rushed forward.

Go all the way east along the Wei River, and after passing Huayin, there is Tongguan. Despite entering the mountains, the valley of the Wei River is very flat. There was another scene of construction in front of it. Suddenly, Deng Xiuhua reined in his war horse and asked, "He Meng, are they also prisoners of war?" How do you look the same as the Chinese? He Meng smiled: "They are Japanese, they belong to the Oriental, and of course they look the same as us." The difference between the Japanese and us is their short stature. Others have no obvious features. ”

Deng Xiuhua smiled and said, "You haven't seen the Japanese, why do you know so much?" He Meng flashed his big eyes and smiled: "When I was in the military academy." The commander-in-chief spoke about the situation of the Japanese. I remember very well that Japan is an island country with very poor natural resources, and with the expansion of the population, the land of the island country cannot support the increasing population at all, so the Japanese people are forced to live and have the ambition of expansion in their bones. ”

"The Japanese don't live well in their own homes, so why come to us to be robbers, it's just beyond their means." Deng Xiuhua said angrily. "The Japanese are now holding the thick legs of Westerners, trying to get a piece of the fat of China. The commander-in-chief once said that the Japanese people are very special, they are like a school of small fish holding a group of balls and always swimming in one direction. In order to survive, the Japanese government has ever enacted the most brutal measures, and the elderly who have reached the age of 60 must voluntarily choose to die. Some old people are as strong as oxen, and they have to send them to uninhabited places to wait for death, and the most terrible thing is that all old people are voluntary. ”

Deng Xiuhua couldn't help but widen her eyes and said in surprise: "It's so cruel, how can the Japanese do this, it's just too inhuman." "At that time, I listened to the commander-in-chief describe this phenomenon in Japanese society, and I felt some pity for them. But the Commander-in-Chief did not think so. Japan is a nation, if you are strong, he will be willing to surrender, and if you are weak, he will ride on your head. Although the Japanese are deeply influenced by Chinese culture, they have not learned the essence of things. Commander-in-Chief Deng said well that a poor person must have something to hate, so the Japanese nation must not let him become strong, otherwise there will be endless troubles in the future. ”

Deng Xiuhua sighed: "It seems that you are deeply influenced by the commander-in-chief, look at your three sentences without leaving the bank, not to mention your every move, a little bit of the commander-in-chief's momentum." When we were young, the Commander-in-Chief never lost his temper with us, but we were all afraid of him. "The commander-in-chief is like my reborn parents, it is the commander-in-chief who gave me a brilliant future, without the commander-in-chief, there would be no me He Meng today, in this life, I am born as the commander-in-chief, and death is the commander-in-chief's ghost." Whoever dares to disadvantage the commander-in-chief is my greatest enemy. ”

Deng Xiuhua looked at her husband affectionately and said, "He Meng, do you know that I liked you at the beginning?" ”“weishenme？” He Meng was confused. "Because you have the shadow of the commander-in-chief!" The war horse suddenly rushed forward, Deng Xiuhua's silver bell-like voice floated in the air, and He Meng chased after him. The war horse began to gallop again, looking at his wife's vigorous figure, He Meng was in a happy mood. Since his wife arrived, he felt that his mind had become quicker. He remembered what the commander-in-chief once joked: It does make sense for men and women to match and work without getting tired.

The couple and the guards stayed in Tong for a night without saying anything. The next day, the group continued on the road, in front of the Tongguan Pass, on one side of the cliff, under the feet of the rushing Yellow River. On one side is a steep mountain peak, and there is only one passage through it, so it's no wonder that Tongguan is so steep. The husband and wife dismounted. Hand the reins to the guards and start crossing the border on foot. Looking at the steep pass, the guards led the war horses and seemed very careful.

"Tongguan is really steep, no wonder it is so famous!" Deng Xiuhua couldn't help but sigh. He Meng echoed: "Tongguan is the throat of the Guanzhong Plain in the west, which was famous in the Han Dynasty and has always been a military powerhouse. This is the only passage between the Central Plains and the West. It has always been a battleground for soldiers. But now for us, it's just a steep one, but here we can feel it for ourselves. It seems that he can hear the horn of the ancient battlefield Jin Ge Iron Horse, urging people to move forward bravely. ”

"You men are aggressive in your bones, why don't I feel that way? In the face of a steep pass, there is a sense of fear. Deng Xiuhua was surprised. That's the difference between a man and a woman. Just as the commander-in-chief said. Men are born warriors, and their greatest enemy is self-defeating. The kind of realm that the commander-in-chief said, I am far behind. When you listen to the roar of the Yellow River, isn't it a clarion call to forge ahead? Deng Xiuhua faced her husband's resolute face, and couldn't help but hold her husband's arm and lean her head on her shoulder.

Seeing that the husband and wife were intimate, the guards hurriedly turned around to cover up. "Look, the guards are looking at that. What kind of system? "The commander-in-chief and his wife are intimate in front of us, what do you have to do with you?" When it comes to the moment of truth. Deng Xiuhua used the commander-in-chief to press him, and it can be said that his wife found his weakness. The wife is a little willful, plus it was trained by the wife, and it is reasonable to be coquettish at times, so He Meng had no choice but to let her.

After passing the pass, the group continued on their way. After passing through an intersection, a group of ragged people were found resting on the side of the road. One of them, an unkempt little girl, knelt on the ground with a dirty face and straw stuck in her head. Seeing the little girl who sold herself, Deng Xiuhua couldn't help but strangle the war horse. Perhaps this situation reminded her of her own miserable childhood. He Meng saw his wife jump off the war horse and dismounted.

Deng Xiuhua approached the crowd and asked, "What are you doing, weishenme is here." One of the women with a yellow face said: "Official, we are from a village on the edge of the Yellow River, and this year the Yellow River flooded and washed away the village, so we had no choice but to flee." Deng Xiuhua said dissatisfied: "Find the government, the government will help you." When everyone heard this, their faces were blank. He Meng interjected: "The northern Xinjiang region has just taken over, and many things cannot be done in place. So be it! I am the commander of the Western Front of the Chinese National Defense Forces, and I will write you a note, and you will find the local government to solve your living problems. ”

Hearing this, everyone knelt on the ground. He Meng hurriedly persuaded them to get up, and said that this was what he should do. The little girl was still kneeling, and Deng Xiuhua asked, "What's the matter with this little girl, weishenme wants to sell herself?" The woman sighed and said, "This is a miserable child, his parents and family were drowned in the flood, leaving only his grandparents and grandchildren." This child's grandfather also went, and the child was filial to her grandfather who was going to be buried by himself. We are all worthless, we can't afford a thin coffin, and we can't help the little girl, so the little girl sells herself, and she is very assertive at a young age. ”

He Meng did not hesitate, and immediately ordered the guards to go to a nearby town to buy a coffin. Deng Xiuhua lovingly pulled up the little girl, pulled out the straw on her head and asked, "How old are you this year and what is your name." "My name is Peony and I'm 10 years old. You are good people, and I will make you cattle and horses from now on. "Look at what nonsense you are talking about at a young age, making a mess of cows and horses, your life has just begun, don't think nonsense."

There was a stream nearby, Deng Xiuhua took the little girl's hand and came to the stream, then took out soap and towels from her satchel and washed the little girl's face herself. Removing the dirt from his face, a beautiful little face was suddenly revealed. "And voila! The little beauty with many signs, God is so unfair. "Who else are you in the house?" The little girl shook her head. Deng Xiuhua hesitated for a moment and seemed to have made up her mind: "He Meng, I decided to adopt this little girl!" ”

"You have the final say in this kind of thing, I have no opinion." He Meng doesn't care. "Godmother is on top, please bow to the little girl!" The little girl Bingxue is smart. “haha！ In the blink of an eye, I became a godfather. The little girl reacted faster and immediately continued: "Godfather is worshiped by the little girl!" Deng Xiuhua picked up the little girl and took her into her arms affectionately. The husband and wife discussed and took the little girl to the capital, so they bought a few clothes for the little girl in the town ahead, and then ordered a guard to send the little girl back to Xi'an.

Deng Xiuhua didn't expect that the adopted daughter Peony would add a lot of trouble to her in the future, which is a later story, so let's not mention it for the time being. Two days later, the couple hurried to the capital. (To be continued......)

PS: Did He Meng, the commander of the Western Front, take his wife to the capital to participate in the founding ceremony, what they saw and heard along the way made them feel a lot of emotion.