In April, Nanjing's weather is pleasant, and the lush French plane trees in the garden rustle gently in the breeze, and the dark green wide leaves block the sun like parasols, making Shunroku Hata, who is sitting on a chaise longue in the shade, feel very comfortable. From here, Shunroku Hata can see the ancient city wall of Zhonghua Gate, the sturdy and tall city wall still has a lot of bullet marks from that year, and the wooden structure "Dysprosium Tower" on the top floor of Zhonghua Gate has been destroyed in the artillery fire of the Battle of Nanjing six years ago, leaving only the bare remnants of the pedestal and the urn city.

Like most Japanese soldiers of that era, the commander of the Japanese Dispatch Army, General Shunroku Hatata, was not tall, thin, and looked like a sick man. If it weren't for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, he would have been a very strong soldier. Before the age of 25, Shunroku Hata was physically strong like a cow, and he loved sports, whether it was judo or kendo, he had good results, but the war ruined his body. During the Russo-Japanese War, he served in General Nogi Noshinori's Third Army, and during the attack on Cockscomb Mountain on the outskirts of Arthur, artillery second lieutenant Shunroku Hata was shot through the lungs by a Russian bullet. Since then, his body has become thinner and thinner, so much so that people who don't know him think he's an addict. Of course, this injury also enabled him to receive the first medal of his military career, the Golden Bird Medal of the Fifth Grade, which laid the foundation for his future prosperity.

Born into a samurai family in Tokyo, Japan, Admiral Shunroku Hahata is the second son of a bushido family. This family is very unusual, there were two Imperial Army generals between the brothers, and Shunroku Hatata's elder brother Eitaro Hata died early, but his military career was equally brilliant, and he was also honored as an army general, and died of illness before the "918 Incident" as the commander of the Kwantung Army.

Since the outbreak of the Great War on the night of April 17, Shunroku Hata has been in a state of relaxation, eating and sleeping soundly, and every day after dinner, he has added a problem - gathering his subordinates to watch Kabuki performances with sake. He had nothing to worry about, the battle on the front line was as he had predicted, the Japanese field corps were advancing rapidly, and the Chinese army was as vulnerable as ever. On the first day of the war, hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops had an avalanche effect, and after only symbolic resistance, they retreated uncontrollably to the southwest. The commanders of the Japanese mechanized units had been wondering why these Chinese soldiers in straw sandals had fled so quickly that they couldn't even catch the wheels of their cars.

The young operational staff officers in the headquarters were quite disappointed, and in order to plan this battle, the base camp specially sent Takeji Shimakani, who was known as a strategist in the Japanese army, to the 11th Army to formulate an operational plan. Before 1942, he had studied the successful experience of the German army in the war of annihilation against the British and French forces and the Soviet Red Army in the European theater. Shimakan Takeharu is the head of the command of large corps operations, and is good at theoretical research and map operations in large-scale encirclement and large-scale annihilation warfare.

Under the leadership of Takeji Shimaguaki, the operational staff officers worked for three months without sleep or food, from the mobilization and assembly of troops, the transportation and hoarding of combat materials, to the exercises and the implementation of the plan for the synthesis of various arms of the armed forces.

The development of the war greatly annoyed Shimaguru Takeshi and his operational staff officers, who had known this and simply crossed the Yellow River three months earlier, so why bothered to draw up a campaign plan in a matter? On the vast East Asian continent, the Japanese Army has no decent opponent at all, and the German army's "blitzkrieg" theory is not even bullshit here...... No one plays with you at all. The Central Plains is such a big place, people say don't want it, anyway, most of China is occupied by you, and it doesn't matter how many places you lose. The planners of the campaign had racked their brains for fear of being damaged if they missed a certain link due to poor consideration. They were a group of extremely intelligent people, and it is not an exaggeration to call them the elite of the Japanese army, so they thought of everything about the outcome of the battle, and worked out several sets of backup plans, but they did not expect this to be the result. It's frustrating to think about! It seems that if there is no good opponent, it is really a great misfortune for the soldiers.

The six generals of Shun Hata were sipping coffee while flipping through the battle report that had just been delivered, when the attendant officer reported: "General, Shimaguan Takeji Daisa asks to see!" ”

Shunroku Hata threw down the battle report and nodded: "Please come to the garden." ”

Shimaguan Takeji held his head high, walked into the garden with the steps of a soldier, and he saluted to Hata Junroku in a proper manner: "General, Shimaguan Takeji has something to report!" ”

Shunroku Hata smiled kindly: "Wu Zhijun, don't be polite, you are a well-known strategic expert in our army, and you are sent by the base camp to guide the work, I don't dare to treat you as an ordinary Dazuo." In my eyes, a real military strategist is worthy of three generals. ”

Shimakan Takeji bowed slightly and said modestly, "Don't dare to be, general." You were the chief graduate of the 22nd class of Lu University, and I only graduated from the 45th class of Lu University in 1933, when you were already the commander of the 14th Division of the Lieutenant General. ”

Shunroku Hata pointed to the chair and said, "Please take a seat, Wu Zhijun, you are a secondary graduate of the 45th class of Lu University?" That should know Mu Dafu, who also graduated in 45. ”

Of course, I know that he is the chief graduate of the 45th class, and his grades are also in the saber group[1]

First, now he is an operational staff officer in the Fourth Army of the Kwantung Army, and we also exchange letters. ”

Hata Shunroku sighed: "Mu Dafujun was a staff officer under me, and this person is also a strategic officer, but it's a pity that Huai Cai didn't meet him, what rank is he now?" ”

"Like me, it's also Dazuo, and it seems that our 45th graduates haven't become generals yet."

After a few greetings, Shunroku Hata cut to the chase: "Wu Zhijun, don't you have something to say?" Please! ”

Takeji Shimakan straightened up from his chair: "General, according to the intelligence of various divisions and regiments, there are some intriguing situations in the combat area of our army, and I feel it is necessary to report to you. ”

Shunroku Hata raised his head and asked with concern, "Oh, what's the situation?" ”

"Peasants in some areas of Henan voluntarily organized themselves to attack the Chinese army, and even small units in rows and companies were disarmed. It is reported that many high-ranking generals of the Chinese army have also been attacked. ”

Shunroku Hata was taken aback: "There is such a thing? What is the reason? ”

Takeji Shimakan said eloquently: "As you know, Henan has been suffering from famine since the spring of 1942, and from the information collected by our intelligence department, at least about three million people have died of starvation due to natural disasters for two or three consecutive years. ”

Shunroku Hata asked, "So what are their ** doing?" ”

Takeshi Shimakan replied: "It seems that nothing has been done, and there is even intelligence that in the past two years, Chongqing**'s grain levy on Henan has not been reduced due to famine." ”

Shunroku Hata said to himself: "Well, this is the reason, the hungry people have only two choices, either sit back and die, or take risks." Wu Zhijun, do these hungry people have anything to do with your campaign plan? ”

Takeji Shimakan smiled, "Of course there is, General. There is an old Chinese saying that it is called "put to death and then to live". I believe that tens of thousands of people on the verge of death, once organized, will have tremendous destructive power, and at the same time, they will burst out with amazing combat effectiveness. ”

Shunroku Hata smiled and said, "Wu Zhijun, I understand what you mean, are you thinking about including these hungry people in the No. 1 battle plan and making them our allies?" ”

Takeji Shimakan stood up and touched his heels: "That's right, Your Excellency General." Since the launch of the offensive, our divisions and regiments have seized a large number of grain warehouses in the Tangenbo Division, and I have counted that there are more than 1 million bales of flour and rice alone, enough for 200,000 troops for a year, and I was originally prepared to use these grains as military rations for the attacking troops in line with the principle of 'feeding the war with war', but now ...... I changed my mind. ”

Hata Junliu laughed: "Wu Zhijun, you are worthy of being a strategist, this million bags of grain can withstand tens of thousands of elite soldiers." ”

Takeji Shimakan blinked his eyes and teased with a smile on his face: "General, I just want to be a philanthropist at this time and help the victims of the disaster for Mr. Chiang Kai-shek." ”

Shunroku Hata stood up and walked to the window, and in the distance was the gray city wall of Zhonghua Gate: "Wu Zhijun, I have a small suggestion, if we can send some small troops, disguised as Chinese civilian forces, to attack the Chongqing army at some key locations, in line with our political strategy, this effect will be better." ”

"General, I think this proposal is very timely, and I will organize and implement it immediately, but ...... I'm afraid it will take a bit of effort to collect the tattered costumes of hundreds of people at once, so I'll try to do it as well as I can. General, so you agree to my plan to help the victims? ”

Shunroku Hata stood up and stretched out his hand to Takeji Shimakan: "I agree, this is doing a good deed." What I didn't expect was that fighting and doing good could be done at the same time. Now, when we return to our home country, we don't have to go to the temple in Kyoto to burn incense and worship the Buddha. ”

As soon as the sky was bright, Tong Chunfu heard the noise of people and horses on the road north of the village, as well as the roar of car engines. Thinking of the robbery of the full hall two days ago, Tong Chunfu felt half cold, did those who served as soldiers come to settle accounts? He looked out through the crack in the door tremblingly, and was immediately startled: "It's broken! The Japanese devil has entered the village! ”

The streets were full of Japanese soldiers in yellow uniforms, and Tong Chunfu recognized him from the cowhide bullet magazines hanging on the front and back of the steel helmet and girdle belt. The Nationalists rarely wore steel helmets, and there were no cowhide magazines, only canvas bullet belts that were worn cross-body over the shoulder. Another glaring sign of the Japanese soldiers was the plaster flag attached to the rifle bayonet.

Tong Chunfu hurriedly put up another thick wooden pole behind the courtyard gate, and then hurriedly went back to the house to wake up the whole family.

"Knock knock!" A Japanese soldier knocked on the door, and the sound was not loud, but it panicked the listeners.

The whole hall listened carefully for a moment and muttered: "It's not about slamming the door, it's about knocking on the door." ”

Tong Chunfu cautiously opened the door, and a short Japanese soldier stepped in, bowed with a gun, and said in stiff Chinese: "Imperial army, give food!" ”

Tong Chunfu hurriedly said with a smile: "Taijun, my family is broken, and I really can't get food." Taijun, you can do well, let my family go! ”

The short Japanese soldier still stubbornly said: "Imperial army, food, give it to you greatly!" ”

The whole family was confused. At this time, a tall Japanese soldier came in outside the door, and the rank was Juncao. The short soldier immediately took a diagonal step and stood upright, and the military Cao said in pure Chinese: "Our imperial army knows that there is a *** incident in Henan, and the above orders us to send a bag of rice to each family, if you are in emergency, please accept it!" ”

Man Tang opened his mouth wide in surprise, strange, when have you ever seen a devil speak softly and take the initiative to send food to the Chinese? His mind was full of pictures of the devils burning and looting in the past, and the contrast in front of him was too great, and it was difficult for his mind to turn the corner for a while.

The Japanese soldier Cao waved his hand, and the short Japanese soldier immediately leaned his rifle against the earthen wall and ran out, he carried a bag of rice from outside the courtyard into the house and put it on the ground, and the soldier Cao Lizheng emphasized again: "This is for your family!" After saying that, he walked out with the short Japanese soldier.

Tong Mantang quietly stretched his head out of the door, and saw many Japanese soldiers unloading grain from the truck and loading it on a small flatbed truck, two Japanese soldiers pulling, and the soldier Cao walked in front, knocking on the door of another house and delivering grain in.

Mantang Niang pulled back Mantang and closed the door with her hand. The family, you look at me, I look at you, and there was silence for a while. Tong Chunfu said: "Good girl, the sun is coming out in the west?" I've only seen devils enter the yard to grab food, but I've never seen devils deliver food to their homes. ”

Tie Zhu couldn't wait to open the rice bag.

When she saw it, she sighed with emotion: "Wow...... I've never seen such white rice, and I haven't eaten it since I can remember, so why don't I make a fire and eat something? ”

Cuihua took her mother's hand and shook it, looking at the snow-white rice with a pair of blank eyes for a while, and then looking at her mother's face, begging: "Mother, I'm hungry, I want to eat!" ”

Tong Chunfu's eyes glared: "Slow!" This food came from unclear, and I am not sure in my heart. Mantang and Iron Pillar, you two go outside and inquire about it to see what is going on. ”

When the two of them went out of the gate, they saw the dust on the north road of the village, the trucks full of Japanese soldiers dragging heavy guns with thick barrels roaring past, and the Japanese soldiers wearing goggles drove motorcycles in a long marching column, speeding eastward, leaving behind a sky full of yellow dust. Behind the mechanized troops were heavy wagons of heavily armed Japanese soldiers, while the carts were pulled by Chinese peasants, and the carts were filled with grain bags.

Tie Zhu pulled a handful of people and smiled towards the east, it turned out that the military cao was knocking on the door of the Chen family's compound. After knocking for a while, there was no movement, so Jun Cao had to turn around and walk down the steps.

The full hall greeted him with courage: "Taijun, do you speak Chinese?" Then I want to ask, why do you want to give food to the people? I don't understand. ”

The Japanese military Cao glanced at Mantang and said: "Our commander has known that there has been a famine in Henan for more than two years, and it has been published in the newspapers. Our wing commander received an order from the upper peak to take military rations for disaster relief and distribute the grain to every hungry citizen along the way. Well, that's all, I don't know anything else. The Imperial Army has a lot to do, and I hope you can help! Don't you see that the people pulling the cart are all you Chinese? ”

"Got it!" The hall was overjoyed and said, "You ghosts...... Oh, your imperial army is interesting enough, better than his mother's Commander Tang, as well as our county magistrates and security chiefs, those turtle grandsons know that it is better to rob the people's food, or the imperial army, and they will give food as soon as they come, or give it for nothing...... Middle! In the future, if your imperial army has anything to help, just say it, and my brother and I don't want money, just watch the stuttering. My name is Tong Mantang, by the way, what's your name? ”

"My name is Keiichi Yamada, the 8th Brigade of the 3rd Brigade Cao, please take care of me!" After speaking, he stood upright and bowed.

Tie Zhu quietly pulled a handful of people: "Let's go home, Dad doesn't know what to say yet." ”

Tong Chunfu suppressed his anger and listened to the statements of the two cousins, and his anger exploded all of a sudden: "What, you two turtle calves want to work for the Japanese? Want to be a traitor? No, you two are shameless, I still want this old face! ”

"Daddy!" The house was unhappy, "This is your fault, we are all starving to death, it was the Japanese who sent food to save our lives, we always learned about Entu, right?" Besides, we can't eat other people's food with red mouths and white teeth, what's wrong with helping others do some work? ”

Tie Zhu also said on the side: "Dad, in the past, we worked for the owner, and the owner gave us food, but now we work for the Japanese, and the Japanese give us food, isn't this different?" ”

"Fart!" Tong Chunfu was so angry that his tongue didn't obey him, "This ...... This...... These are two different things, the devil is a weasel to give a New Year's greeting to the chicken! Can you pull it together? ”

"I think...... It's one thing. Tiezhu muttered.

Tong Chunfu was dizzy and raised his hand to beat the iron pillar, when someone knocked on the door again, and Tong Chunfu's hand froze in mid-air.

Mantang opened the door, and the Japanese soldier Keiichi Yamada walked in.

Yamada first bowed, and then said to Mantang with a pleasant face: "Mantangjun, we have a batch of grain that has been transported to Yichuan County, and the next stop is Ruzhou, but there is no road between these two places, and there is no car, I want to ask Mantangjun to organize some people to transport it by flatbed truck, and we will pay you." Please! ”

Mantang left his stunned father and immediately went to the village to collect manpower. He studied in Chen Jiaxing's private school for three years, and he was quite familiar with literature and ink, so he was quite popular among the young descendants who were almost illiterate in the village.

In the past few years, the resentment accumulated by the people of western Henan in the bad performance of Tang Enbo's troops has reached a critical point, and the victims are dying of hunger, but when death is approaching, they actually receive generous relief from another army, and the balance in the hearts of the victims is immediately tilted. In contrast, China's government and military have become demons in the hearts of the victims, while the vicious invaders have become angels at this moment.

Now these young people, who have just eaten enough rice, have recovered their energy a little, and the anger that has been suppressed in their hearts will gush out, and everyone will be angry and scolded:

"Do a good job, brothers! Let the Japanese clean up those dogs! ”

"Damn, if the Japanese don't beat those turtle grandchildren, I have to kill them!"

"Retribution, the government's sins have come to an end, and they should be retributed!"

At this time, Mantang was like a general commanding thousands of troops, and he waved his arm as vigorously as a bull: "Listen to the fuck, the car is loaded with food, no one is allowed to steal, people have faces, trees and bark, don't fucking embarrass our village, whoever steals me will discount his dog's legs!" Brother Yamada said, when we get to the place, the Japanese will give us food, Brother Yamada, I'm right, right? ”

Keiichi Yamada stood on the steps and bowed to everyone: "Mantang-kun is right, I guarantee that after arriving in Ruzhou, each of you can receive 20 catties of rice." ”

The whole house roared: "Did everyone hear it?" ”

"I heard you!" The crowd responded in an uproar.

Mantang nodded with satisfaction, and then issued an order: "Three people push a car, follow me!" ”

More than 100 people pushed the cart and set off in a chaotic manner following Mantang and Keiichi Yamada.

At this time, the doors of every house in the village were opened, and behind them were a pair of frightened and worried eyes of the old people.

Tong Chunfu seemed to have aged a lot, and he closed the door slowly.

The full mother sighed as she helped her husband, who was struggling to walk, back to the innermost room of the thatched hut. Tong Chunfu slowly took out a few ancestral tablets from the cabinet and offered them on the table, he and Mantang Niang both knelt down, and kept chanting: "The ancestors and the ancestors are above, Chunfu is not filial, the family is out of this evil son, insulting the ancestors, there is really no place to be ashamed, the ancestors and the ancestors are above, please forgive the old man......" After reading, Tong Chunfu plunged into the kang and didn't get up for a long time.

Cuihua watched all this with teary eyes behind the curtain of the door, and her body trembled for a while.

A few days later, in the early morning, an old man living opposite Chen's house went out to sweep the street and saw a military jeep parked outside the gate of Chen's house, and two soldiers of the Nationalist Army were sitting in the car with guns in their hands, smoking boredly.

"It must be a senior officer of the national army who came to ask for a car, that's right!" Thinking like this, the old man hurriedly turned around and ran to Tong Chunfu's house behind him to report the news.

In the Chen family's courtyard, Chen Jiaxing and the visitor Xiao Wancheng sat down, after the tea, Chen Jiaxing bowed slightly, and said respectfully: "Brother Wancheng is really a rare guest, some days are gone, there must be something important to come to the cold house so early today." ”

Xiao Wancheng is in his early sixties, his temples and beard are gray, his waist is straight, his movements are agile, he is an old soldier, he clenched his fists with both hands, and his voice was like a bell: "Virtuous brother, there is nothing to do to go to the Three Treasures Palace, today is a little early, forgive me for disturbing, now there are 100,000 urgent things to ask for, stupid brother is really embarrassed, sorry!" ”

Chen Jiaxing hurriedly returned the salute and said, "Why did Brother Wan Cheng say this? If there is something to order, the little brother will naturally help! ”

This Xiao Wancheng is a native of Song County, western Henan, and was originally a major general and division commander of the 15th Army. Yesterday afternoon, he received an urgent telegram from Jiang Dingwen and learned that Tang Enbo's command car and radio station had been hijacked, and that Xiao Wancheng was drinking tea at the time. He also couldn't understand why these Henan villagers were so bad? ! Even if there is no food to eat, you shouldn't help the devil fight your own army, right? This is simply an out-and-out traitorous act! Xiao Wancheng hurriedly sent someone to investigate, only to find out that it was the victims of Gangzi Village, Yichuan County. There have been no big names in the western Henan area from ancient times to the present, and it is also a great thing that there is a general in the western Henan area, so Xiao Wancheng is quite popular in the western Henan area, and his reputation is very big, and he and Chen Jiaxing of Gangzi Village are friends, and there is some kinship between the two families. After learning the details, Xiao Wancheng did not dare to slack off, immediately boarded the jeep sent by Jiang Dingwen, set off overnight, and knocked on Chen Jiaxing's door just after dawn.

Chen Jiaxing listened to Xiao Wancheng's narration, did not speak immediately, and was silent for a while.

Xiao Wancheng was anxious: "Brother Xian, you are talking!" Are you going to kill me? ”

Chen Jiaxing sighed and said slowly: "The younger brother has already known about this matter, let me be fair, ** In the year of the catastrophe, heavy taxes were still levied, and the 'soup grain' was forcibly levied, which made it thousands of miles of red land and mourning all over the wilderness, resulting in the people's resentment boiling now, and the officials forcing the people to rebel." It is reasonable for the people of this village to rise up, but it is just ...... It's just that the timing is wrong, at this time, it is a foreign invasion, and the national disaster is at the head, what about this...... That's it! That's it! The rise and fall of the country, the husband is responsible, please Brother Wan Cheng follow me to see the leader of the disaster Tong Mantang, bitterly Chen Guoyun's difficulties, Xiao with national righteousness, persuade him to return the looted materials, Brother Wan Cheng, what do you think? ”

Xiao Wancheng hurriedly stood up: "Since Brother Xian understands the righteousness, then I won't say anything, I owe Brother Xian a favor." ”

After the whole hall led people to transport munitions for the Japanese army, and Tie Zhu earned a total of 40 catties of rice, he just went home last night, who knew that the neighbors came to inform him early this morning that there was a jeep of the national army driving to the village.

Mantang said in his heart, those who are soldiers are afraid that the comers are not good, anyway, the matter has already been done, and now it is useless to be afraid, it is a big deal to fight to the death of the net. Mantang and Tiezhu carried an axe and a kitchen knife, and rushed out of the house without hesitation.

The empty field outside the gate of Chen's house was crowded with people, and the men, women, and children of the whole village came out, and many of them were still carrying guys in their hands, and everyone watched vigilantly as Chen Jiaxing accompanied an old man out of the gate. The old man was dressed as a squire, about sixty years old, although his beard and hair were gray, his waist was straight, his expression was tough, and there was a bit of heroism between his eyebrows.

As soon as Man Tang and Tie Zhu appeared in the empty field, Xiao Wancheng decided at a glance that this guy must be a leader. Compared with ordinary villagers, Mantang can be regarded as dignified, he is tall, with a Chinese face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a bit of strong and domineering between his eyebrows, which is very outstanding among a group of mountain villagers.

Xiao Wancheng took a step forward and clasped his fists with both hands towards Mantang: "The contemptible Xiao Wancheng is polite, I think this is Tong Mantang's strong man, right?" ”

Man Tang shook the axe in his hand fiercely, and said nonchalantly: "I said old man, you are here to find those two cars, right?" Hey! I don't do dark things, I robbed the car, and if I want to kill it, I have to bear it, and it has nothing to do with the villagers. ”

Xiao Wancheng looked directly into the eyes of the full hall and said unceremoniously: "Okay!" Dare to act, but a gentleman! Tong Mantang, do you know who you robbed? ”

Mantang sneered: "I don't care who he is, he is the king of heaven, and I will rob him!" ”

Xiao Wancheng frowned, he didn't like the arrogant tone of this later life, in order not to make things stiff, Xiao Wancheng had to swallow a breath and said: "Young man, I can't hide it, the person who was robbed by you is General Tang Enbo, the deputy commander of this theater!" ”

The crowd roared, and the young people who participated in the carjacking were overjoyed and whispered.

Mantang smiled: "That's great, I can be regarded as robbing the right person, if I had known that it was Commander Tang, I slaughtered this turtle grandson with one sword, saving him from harming the people." ”

Xiao Wancheng tried to ease his tone and said, "Young man, don't you know that there is a war now? Your actions are helping the Japanese devils, you are committing a crime, do you understand? ”

"Whoever gives me food will help whomever I want, no matter how bad the Japanese are, they are better than Tang Enbo, how many people have starved to death in the past two years? Did he Tang Enbo manage the common people? ”

"Shut up!" Xiao Wancheng finally broke out, and a fierce cold light shot out of his eyes, "Let me ask you, are you Tong Mantang or not Chinese?" ”

Mantang did not show weakness: "You ask me, who do I ask?" If you have to starve to death as a Chinese, then it is not appropriate. ”

Xiao Wancheng roared: "Boy, then you mean, as long as you stutter, it doesn't matter if you are a traitor, right?" ”

Mantang was also moved, and he blushed and said, "If you want to say that, then I will be this traitor, what can you do to me?" ”

Xiao Wancheng was dizzy, and his hand habitually touched his waist: "Damn, I'll kill your ......" He didn't say anything before he finished speaking, because the iron pillar was silently close to him like a shadow, and a kitchen knife that sharpened quickly was already on Xiao Wancheng's neck.

At this time, Xiao Wancheng really wanted to crash to death, it was a great shame! He Xiao Wancheng has been in the army for more than 40 years, and he has fought hundreds of battles large and small, including the Zhifeng War, the Jianggui War, and the Central Plains War. This battle-hardened general has commanded tens of thousands of horses, seen large battles, and escaped death from the battlefield like flying locusts many times. His major general brand was not blown out, it was fought out of blood and fire, and now he was actually put on his neck with a kitchen knife by a hairy boy in front of everyone, not to mention a lot of pockets in his heart. Just now he habitually touched the gun into his waist, which is the subconscious action of a person who is used to being an officer, in fact, he understood in his heart before his hand touched his waist, and now he is no longer a general with heavy troops, just a retired soldier, no different from the common people.

Chen Jiaxing saw that things were going to be stiff, and hurriedly came out to stop them: "Tiezhu, you are stunned, if you have something to say, put away the knife!" ”

Tie Zhu didn't move, just looked at Man Tang, and that expression seemed to indicate that as long as Man Tang nodded, he Shi Tiezhu would not hesitate to cut Xiao Wancheng's neck.

Mantang shook his head at Tiezhu, who immediately put away the kitchen knife obediently.

Chen Jiaxing and Xiao Wancheng whispered a few words, Xiao Wancheng gradually calmed down, he walked up the steps in front of the gate of Chen's house, and said to the villagers with a heartfelt heart: "Folks, in the year of the catastrophe, you have suffered, and it is not easy for everyone to live." Chief Tang asked me to apologize to the villagers on his behalf, and Chief Tang knew that water could overturn a boat. Xiao is not talented, I implore you to look at my thin face, raise your noble hand, return the car and the radio station, I Xiao someone to the whole family life and my personality as a guarantee, this matter is stopped here, the official family is absolutely not to blame! Now that the national crisis is at hand, the war is urgent, and because there is no radio, the headquarters has been unable to convey military orders to all units for five days. I hope everyone will help me Xiao a certain ......"

Man Tang interrupted Xiao Wancheng's words, and said impatiently: "Old man, it's time for this, can you tell me something real?" I don't know why, it doesn't treat the people as people, I don't recognize it. Tell me, after two years of disasters, dozens of people starved to death in my village alone, ** no matter what, but the military rations are levied, taxes are paid, and the chief of the security department takes away the last bit of seed food. **If I am unkind, I will be unjust, and if I am in a hurry, I will oppose his mother! ”

Everyone echoed in unison, and there was another buzz.

The old man Zhao Youcai in the east of the village is over 70 years old, and in the past two years, four people have starved to death in the family one after another, leaving only the old man and a five-year-old grandson, and Zhao Youcai's eyes are blind from crying. At this time, he sat on the ground with his buttocks, slapped his thighs with both hands and cried loudly: "Do evil, don't let my people live, my own ** robbed me of food, the Japanese poured food to me, resist the Japanese, resist the Japanese, resist the ......"

Xiao Wancheng was a little embarrassed, and his voice was much quieter: "Folks, don't just look at what you are looking at, the Japanese have ill intentions and buy people's hearts, and their purpose is to destroy our country and exterminate the species......

The crowd was in an uproar again, gossiping:

"What did you do early? Wait until the Japanese come and buy us? ”

"Let Commander Tang give each family a bag of rice, and also come to buy us poor!"

"The official family suffers by himself, this is retribution!"

Chen Jiaxing was anxious, he knew that if this continued, not only would Xiao Wancheng's matter not be done, but even his own personal safety would be a problem. Chen Jiaxing raised his hands and shouted, "Folks, let me say a few words." ”

Everyone immediately quieted down, Chen Jiaxing has accumulated virtue and good deeds for many years, and he is deeply respected in Gangzi Village and the surrounding villages, and his reputation is very good, and the villagers look at him respectfully, wanting to hear what he has to say.

Chen Jiaxing walked up to Mantang and said: "Mantang, I'm not blaming you, you have also been in private school for three years, and you can be regarded as a rough understanding of the truth, **sorry for the people, you did bad things, that's** is not good, but the country is not wrong, do you understand?" It was the country that gave birth to you and raised you, and now ......"

Although Mantang was stubborn by nature, he didn't dare to be polite to Chen Jiaxing, he whispered: "Master Chen, it was my father and mother who gave birth to me and raised me, but it is not a country, let me say that the country is the same as **, it is not a thing!" ”

Chen Jiaxing said in a pleading tone: "Full hall, the country and ** are not the same thing, I can't tell the truth for a while, let's put it this way, now the country is in a big disaster, the military situation is urgent, every minute of delay, it is related to the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the front line, I implore everyone to put aside the grievances of ** for the time being, I Chen Jiaxing to the villagers, to you Tong Mantang bowed." After speaking, Chen Jiaxing bowed 90 degrees, and then stood still for a long time, like a sculpture.

The audience was stunned, Chen Jiaxing's actions regardless of his identity and seniority made the villagers silent, and then a buzzing discussion erupted.

Tong Chunfu was anxious, he strode forward, grabbed Chen Jiaxing, turned around and yelled at the full hall: "Evil obstacles! Master Chen is the great benefactor of my Tong family, without Master Chen, there would be no family for me, you ...... You get down on my knees! ”

At this time, even the good-tempered Mantang Niang finally couldn't help it, and she scolded: "Mantang! Listen to your father's words, don't kneel down for Master Chen! ”

Many elderly people in the crowd also shouted reprimands.

Man Tang didn't expect that the situation would take a turn for the worse after such a while, just now everyone was still angry, cursing together, who knew that they came to themselves again in a blink of an eye. This is the reality of China, in rural China, it is not the law that restricts people's behavior, but the ethical program under the patriarchal system, the cultural atmosphere formed by this ethical program is very unique, and its performance is that it is both hierarchical and affinity, the common maintenance of patriarchal authority between relatives and neighbors, and the observance of human ethics and blood affinity and etiquette, righteousness and filial piety.

Under the scolding of the elders, Man Tang knelt down for Chen Jiaxing very reluctantly.

Chen Jiaxing stepped forward and dragged the full hall and said, "Hurry up, child!" Let's not mention any country now**, I, Chen Jiaxing, personally thank you in advance! ”

Man Tang had no choice but to take people to the wheat field, took out the two jeeps, counted the radio guns and other materials, and handed them over to Xiao Wancheng.

Before getting into the car, Xiao Wancheng held Chen Jiaxing's hand tightly and said with emotion: "Brother Xian, don't say anything, I thank you for the country and the army!" ”

Chen Jiaxing looked at Xiao Wancheng with a gloomy expression: "Brother Wancheng, take care!" If we can all live until the end of the war, we will meet by then. ”

The whole village silently watched as the three jeeps sped away, and a yellow dust band gradually stretched to the horizon and disappeared.

Since the Japanese army launched the "Operation No. 1" offensive, the units of the First Theater of the Nationalist Army hastily responded to the battle, and within a few days they fell into chaos, and the commander-in-chief, General Jiang Dingwen, was so anxious that he was in a hurry; to be precise, he had lost control of the hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, and he could not even figure out the specific locations of some corps and division-level units. In this battle, which is known in history as the "Battle of Henan-Zhong", hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops lost almost any resistance and were defeated.

Although the Japanese Army can dominate the East Asian continent for a while, it is not a modern army in the true sense of the word by the standards of the European battlefield.

When preparing the "Operation No. 1" campaign plan, the staff group headed by Takeji Shimakani was well aware of the weaknesses of the Japanese Army itself. As the war dragged on until 1944, the Japanese Army's field divisions maintained the original A and B divisions, and successively formed the C Division and the D Division. This is also something that cannot be helped, after a long period of war attrition, the resource-poor Japanese Empire is left with only this little bit of money.

What gave Shimakan Takeji Daisa a headache was that when drawing up the campaign plan, it was very difficult for the four divisions and regiments A, B, C, and D to form a joint force, and the strong ones were too strong and the weak ones were too weak, and it was difficult for the C and D divisions to complete the assault mission alone. As far as the Japanese Army as a whole is concerned, it has a low degree of mechanization. For example, the strongest division of the A division has only a large fleet of trucks and a large fleet of mules and horses. Among them, the truck brigade has up to 150 trucks with a load of 1.5 tons, which are used to transport troops and supplies. This pitiful mechanized equipment is still far from the requirements of a modern army, not to mention that this is still the best division regiment. If the C and D divisions were replaced, the situation would only be worse. Since the mobility of the divisions and regiments is uneven, there will inevitably be an imbalance in the speed of attack.

In addition, the Japanese Army's ability to combine arms is also very weak, and after the launch of "Operation No. 1," the offensive of the Japanese divisions and regiments has also fallen into chaos, with armored troops, cavalry, infantry, artillery, engineers, and boat-bridge units all rushing forward in a swarm of noise, and the coordination between various divisions and regiments, between various arms of the armed forces, and even between ground-air coordination, infantry-tank coordination, and infantry artillery coordination have all been in a mess, showing a chaotic situation. On the same day, some troops made a rapid assault of 30 kilometers, and when they looked back, they saw that there were no friendly troops behind them and on both flanks, and they had already broken through the depth of the Chinese army's defenses and were encircled. At the same time, some C and D divisions were still standing still, and they could not open a gap in the national army's defense line with all their strength...... The 12th Wing of the 3rd Tank Division of the Japanese Army actually threw the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Wing 40 kilometers behind it......

In short, in the battle of Henan-Zhong, the commanders of both sides were almost driven crazy by the complex situation presented on the battlefield, and in the headquarters of both sides, a large group of staff officers and staff members each shouted into the microphone, and all shouted hoarsely. In the air, the pilots of the Japanese Army Air Corps and the mixed regiment of the Chinese and American Air Forces were also dazzled and at a loss as they looked at the staggered battlefield situation on the ground.

The 400,000 troops in the first theater of the national army finally had a terrible avalanche effect under the chaotic attack of the Japanese army.

In the words of Major General Cai Jigang, the commander of the Central Military Commission: It is not that the enemy is too strong, but that we are too weak.

Now Cai Jigang and adjutant Shen Guangya are on their way from Luoyang to Ye County, and according to the order of the Military Commission, he will meet with Liu Changyi, the commander of the provisional 15th Army, in Ye County, and then go to Xuchang to supervise the battle together.

The simple highway was crowded with fleeing people, some carrying burdens, some driving pigs, sheep and cattle, and some wealthy families driving carts, and families of men, women, and children crowded into the carts, and the huge, invisible, crowds of people slowly wriggled along the road. Cai Jigang's jeep driver was so anxious that he honked his horn desperately in an attempt to seize the road, but the numb crowd remained indifferent and continued to swell forward, no one gave way, not even interested in looking at them.

Cai Jigang looked helplessly at the thousands of refugees on the highway through the car window, tearing open his collar irritably, trying to control his anxiety. If you can't walk, you have to wait, you are so anxious that it is useless to get into the house, and you can't knock a bloody way out of the crowd.

The common people of China are really unlucky at this time, the administrative efficiency of the first is low, no official will really help the people, they have always been in a state of self-survival. Before the start of the war, no ** officials informed the people, and they didn't know that there was a war until they heard the sound of gunfire, so they spontaneously packed up their finesse and drove the cattle and sheep out to flee. As for which direction to go and where to take refuge, they were at a loss in their hearts, and at this time they were surging in the direction of the line of fire, ignorant, and crashed headlong into the battlefield where the fire was raging.

Cai Jigang finally calmed down, he believed that this situation on the road was very dangerous, once the Japanese planes were in the air, the consequences would be unimaginable, and those Japanese pilots had always been happy to attack civilians. But he was helpless because he was weak, and in the face of these thousands of refugees without any organization, he was so small and incompetent, he could do nothing, and no one would follow his commands.

As soon as this thought flashed, what Cai Jigang was worried about really happened, two Japanese Zero fighters swept along the highway at an ultra-low altitude, the machine guns under the wings sprayed clusters of flames, and the dense rain of bullets beat the crowd on the road to the back......

The jeep driver was quick-eyed, he slammed the steering wheel, increased his horsepower to drive the jeep off the roadbed, and adjutant Shen Guangya quickly pulled Cai Jigang out of the car and threw him down.

Cai Jigang angrily pushed Adjutant Shen away, and casually took out the **** and fired six shots at the Japanese plane, until all the bullets in the bullet nest were gone. He knew in his heart that these shots would have no effect except to vent his anger.

At this moment, four formations of P-40 fighters appeared in the sky, and they swept over the road and swooped down on the Japanese Zero, and the sound of continuous firing of large-caliber machine guns was faintly heard in the distance.

Cai Jigang judged from the shark mouth pattern on the head of the P-40 fighter and the blue sky and white sun emblem on the tail of the plane that this is an aircraft of the mixed regiment of the Chinese and US Air Forces. Many people know that the head of the plane of the Sino-US Air Force Mixed Regiment is painted with a shark's mouth pattern, but few people know that there are actually many kinds of these painted patterns, and each pilot will create his own cute shape according to his own ideas, showing different expressions from the shark's mouth, some baring teeth to express anger, some pouting to express mockery, and some expressing sadness, disappointment or longing for friendship. The Chinese pilots who had been trained abroad, like their American comrades-in-arms, almost everyone was an unconventional and tried to make the patterns on their planes as different as possible.

The flow of people on the highway squirmed again, Cai Jigang got into the jeep, the car slowly moved forward with the flow of people, Cai Jigang closed his eyes tiredly. As soon as he saw these planes with shark mouth patterns, he remembered his younger brother Cai Jiheng.

Cai Jigang's only younger brother is 16 years younger than him, and he is a pilot in the mixed regiment of the Chinese and American Air Forces, and the brothers have not seen each other for a long time.

Once Cai Jigang met General Chennault in Kunming, and during the casual conversation, he mentioned that his younger brother Cai Jiheng served in the mixed regiment of the Chinese and American Air Forces, and Chennault's eyes widened in surprise: "Cai, why didn't you say it earlier?" It turns out that the 'crocodile' is your brother. ”

Cai Jigang was stunned for a moment: "What crocodile?" His name is Cai Jiheng. ”

Chennault affirmed: "This is this guy, his nickname is 'Crocodile', not to mention in the Sino-American mixed regiment, even in the entire 14th Air Force he is also a celebrity, this is a daring crocodile." ”

Cai Jigang's heart sank, did this muddy boy make trouble again? He knows this younger brother too well, and since he was a child, he has been extremely restless and good at deviating from the norm.

"General, I haven't seen him in a long time, how is my brother doing?" Cai Jigang asked nervously.

"Well, he's a fitting nickname, fierce and cunning, and lives up to his name. Others aim at each other's planes in air combat, but the 'Crocodile' shoots specifically at the opponent's cockpit, as if he doesn't care whether to shoot down the enemy plane, but is bent on killing the opponent's pilot. Now this 'crocodile' has shot down three enemy planes, two of which are Zeros, and each time it killed the opposing pilot, causing the plane to crash naturally. It is worth mentioning that the 'Crocodile''s own plane has not been shot down so far, which shows that he is very cunning. So his rank has risen very quickly because of his military exploits, and now he is a captain, and I think he will soon become an ace pilot, what a good young man! Chennault was full of praise for Cai Jiheng.

"General, what kind of record do you have to earn the title of ace pilot?"

"Oh, that's right, according to the tradition of the Air Force, you can get this title as long as you shoot down five enemy aircraft, and the 'Crocodile' has already shot down three enemy aircraft, and sooner or later he will become an ace."

Cai Jigang believes Chennault's words, his younger brother has been a bold child since he was a child, and it is really a material to be a soldier, and his father Cai Chaoyun wants to train him to be a scholar It is pure wishful thinking, Cai Jigang believes that his younger brother will be a brave pilot. The question is, this deviant guy is used to being casual, can he stand the constraints of military discipline?

"General, has my brother caused any trouble?"

"Oh, the military discipline is a little worse, and he's a drinking buddy with an American pilot named Thomas, who also has the nickname 'Tuna.' When they weren't flying, they often slipped out of the base to go to bars for drinks, and were sent back to the base by the gendarmes last week......"

"God, what did they do?" Cai Jigang asked uneasily.

Chennault said lightly: "Hey, it's not a big deal, but I got a little drunk and played 'Russian roulette' with ****[2]

, the tuna pulled the trigger first, and he was lucky that the gun did not go off. When it was crocodile's turn to play, the gendarmes arrived, and he was about to pull the trigger on his head, when the gendarmes rushed up and grabbed the pistol. Tsai, guess what? There was exactly one bullet in the firing position of the pistol wheel, and if the gendarmes had been a little late, the crocodile's brain would have blossomed. ”

Cai Jigang was shocked into a cold sweat, this seems to be what Cai Jiheng did, this muddy thing has not been worrying since he was a child, if his father knew about it, he would definitely be scared of heart disease, and his old man still counted on this little son to succeed the incense.

"General, did you figure things out later? Are they gambling money? I'm afraid there are some accomplices who are betting on the sidelines, right? ”

Chennault shrugged and said, "There are no accomplices, just the two of them, the gendarmes have investigated and said that these two guys did not gamble money, but just wanted to prove their luck." Cai, although their game is ridiculous, but I like these two bastards, I have an experience, all this kind of bastards, fighting is good. ”

"Have these two bastards been punished?"

"No, I just rebuked the tuna for a bottle of 1920 whiskey, because Thomas deserved more than a crocodile in terms of age and military age."

Cai Jigang couldn't help laughing: "General, I've never heard that a soldier who violates military discipline will be punished if he is fined a bottle of wine." ”

Chennault said sentimentally: "Three days later, the tuna died in the sky over Wuhan, and I was saddened and wrote a letter to his parents. Cai, my experience is that in times of war, we should try to be as lenient as possible for our subordinates, let small things pass if they can pass, and the most important thing is to destroy the enemy. ”

Cai Jigang remembered the scene when he met his younger brother in Chongqing last year, when Cai Jiheng's squadron was transferred at Baishiyi Airport, and the brothers met once in Cai Jigang's office.

The first thing Cai Jiheng said when he saw his eldest brother that day was: "Brother, today is my birthday." ”

Cai Jigang has never paid attention to such trivial matters, and he has never celebrated birthdays, so he will not pay attention to other people's birthdays, he casually said: "Oh, so what? ”

Cai Jigang blinked slyly: "Big brother, don't you want to give me a birthday gift?" ”

Cai Jigang replied while flipping through the documents: "Why do you follow this cliché? It's a birthday, what kind of gift do you want? ”

The younger brother immediately played Lai: "I'm 23 years old, and you've never given me a gift as a big brother, is there such a brother?" ”

Cai Jigang thought for a while and said, "Okay, then you say, what gift do you want?" After thinking about it, you must not say that you want a P-40 fighter, I can't afford it, big brother. ”

"Then I said, I want to support the 'Stern' style."

Cai Jigang jumped up as soon as he heard it: "What, ***, you don't have a fever, right?" Are you and I an arms dealer? Besides, don't you pilots all wear pistols? ”

"Ouch, big brother, are we worthy of a gun? A three-eight broken revolver, six bullets, can't hit the birds, I think it's a suicide tool at best. Yan Haiwen[3]

If you have a *** in your hand, you may not be able to die. I don't want to be Yan Haiwen, whether it's in heaven or on earth, I have to win, so I have to have a guy to take advantage of, you don't want your brother to be a prisoner of the devil, right? ”

The "Stern" type was developed by the British in early 1941 and was just installed in the British army in 1943. The British Garrison in Burma provided a small number of "Stern" types to the Chinese Expeditionary Force and the Indian Army. Due to the small number, it is generally only distributed to the security personnel of senior officers, but with Cai Jigang's identity, it is not difficult to find one.

Cai Jigang decided to fulfill his brother's wish, and there was a colonel in the US military advisory group in Chongqing who was his alumnus, and the colonel patted his chest and said: "No problem, Major General George, the British military attache in Chongqing, is my friend, and I will ask him for one." ”

The alumnus really said what he said, he sent a brand-new "Sideng" type *** the next day, during the war, the exchange of weapons between senior officers was nothing, and a mere gun could be written off with a "battle damage".

Cai Jigang gave this gun to his younger brother, and he only said one sentence: "Jiheng, the gun can be given to you, but I hope you will never use it." ”

Yes, a fighter pilot, once it is time to use ***, it is more than lucky, Cai Jiheng's way of thinking is to always think of the worst possibility.

The roar of an airplane brought Cai Jigang back to reality, and the four P-40 fighters painted with shark mouth patterns once again skimmed the road and returned.

Cai Jigang poked his head out of the car window and watched the plane go away, he was thinking in his heart, will there be a younger brother Cai Jiheng in those planes just now?

[1]

Saber Group: Before the end of World War II, the highest university in the Japanese Army, the Japanese Army University, the top six students in each class of graduates, named after these graduates who were able to receive the Emperor's sabre. This kind of outstanding graduates of Lu University are called the "saber group", also known as the "gift group", and they will generally have a better development in the future. The first place winner in each of these classes is called the "Chief Graduate" and often receives a special award to meet the Emperor. There have been many high-ranking Japanese generals and influential figures in Japan's modern history, including Akira Muto, a class-A war criminal, and Hidekyo Tojo, the father of Hideki Tojo, a class-A war criminal.

[2]

Russian roulette: It is to put one or more bullets in the six slots of ****, rotate the wheel at will, and then close the wheel. Participants take turns pulling the trigger on their heads with their pistols. Of course, those who are shot will automatically quit, those who are stage frightened will also lose, and those who persist until the end are the winners. Bystanders gamble on the lives of the participants. Legend has it that this Russian roulette originated in Russia in the 19th century.

[3]

Yan Haiwen, a native of Beizhen, Liaoning, is a pilot of the Chinese Air Force and graduated from the sixth phase of the aviation school. On August 17, 1937, when Yan Haiwen flew a plane to bomb the Japanese headquarters on North Sichuan Road in Shanghai, he was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft guns and the fuselage caught fire. Yan Haiwen parachuted and fell into the enemy line, was rounded up by dozens of Japanese soldiers and persuaded to surrender, Yan Haiwen shouted: "China has no captured air force!" "He killed several Japanese soldiers with a pistol, and then committed suicide with the last bullet. The Japanese also respected Yan Haiwen's integrity, buried and erected a monument "The Tomb of the Chinese Air Force Warriors". There is another theory about Yan Haiwen's death, according to Japanese historical records: Yan Haiwen shouted this sentence when the parachute did not land, and then shot at the Japanese army with a gun, and was finally killed by the Japanese army in the air.