At lunchtime, Cai Jiheng sat sullenly at the dining table in a daze, he was thinking about the mission assigned by Chennault, 10 days had passed, and the two Japanese prisoners of war had not yet agreed to cooperate. Cai Jiheng was a little anxious, he felt that he was just a pilot, his duty was to fly fighter jets to fight the enemy, General Chennault was a bit of a strongman, he was not suitable for the work of persuading prisoners, this should be the business of the political training department. I heard that the CCP had a very good management of Japanese prisoners of war, so it first established a "Japanese Workers and Peasants School" in Yan'an, whose students were all Japanese prisoners, and the principal was a "Lin Zhe"[1]

of members of the Japanese Communist Party. Their work was so successful that most of these Japanese prisoners of war later joined the "Anti-War League of Japanese in China"[2]

, many even joined the Eighth Route Army and directly participated in the battle against the Japanese army as soldiers.

Cai Jiheng really wanted to talk to Chennault, he didn't have the ability to work as prisoners of war, and suggested that Chennault had better send the two prisoners to Yan'an and let the Communist Party brainwash them.

Shen Xingyun was wearing a white nurse's uniform and was assisting the waiter in delivering food. She saw Cai Jiheng smile and joked: "The big star is here to eat." ”

Cai Jiheng was stunned: "What star?" ”

"You are a big star in the Sheep Street base, so many people saw your air performance that day, and you are not a star?"

Cai Jiheng said unhappily: "Xiao Shen, don't talk about this kind of nonsense in the future, what kind of performance?" That's a war, you know? ”

Shen Xingyun hurriedly apologized: "Ouch, are you unhappy?" Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Brother Cai, I'm glad that you have completed the daily egg ration, and it seems that the eating habits you developed when you were a child are not insurmountable. ”

"Oh, you mean eating eggs? I'm sorry, but I forgot about it since you said it that day, and besides, didn't you mention it again? I thought it was over. ”

"Actually, you have completed the regulations, I told the chef to knead eggs into flour, and there are eggs in the bread, steamed buns, and noodles you eat every day, and you don't seem to have eaten them, which means that your stomach is not rejected, but your taste doesn't like eggs." Shen Xingyun said proudly.

Cai Jiheng immediately jumped up from his chair: "What, I actually ate eggs?" Why don't you discuss it with me? ”

"This is a matter within my authority, I don't need to discuss it with you, besides, you don't have any adverse reactions, isn't this problem already solved."

Cai Jiheng reprimanded dissatisfiedly: "Xiao Shen, I warn you, you have to discuss everything with me in the future, don't make your own opinions, do you hear?" ”

"Oh, I heard you!"

"Well, for your sake of wiping the plane for me, I won't pursue it this time."

"You still say, I was tired to death by wiping the plane that day, and I didn't recover for several days, and the sun peeled off my arms."

Cai Jiheng praised: "Your performance is still good, if I meet your brother in the future, I will praise you well." ”

Shen Xingyun said naughtily: "If I meet your brother in the future, I will have to praise you." Brother Cai, you are really great! I didn't really see it when I first met you. Alas, the little woman is gone. ”

Cai Jiheng squinted at her and asked, "What, you mean, you have a bad impression when you first saw me?" Why? I don't think I've offended you. ”

"Don't say it, don't say it, you're in a hurry if you talk too much, let's eat!"

"Don't, what's the rush to eat? I'm most afraid that people will say that half of them will be left behind, so you should make your opinion of me clear, I promise not to rush. ”

"Actually, it's nothing, it's just that your image is a little ......" Shen Xingyun didn't seem to dare to say.

"Say!" Cai Jiheng is very sensitive, especially when it comes to his own image.

"Brother Cai, I said don't be angry, your image is like a little student in Peking Opera, although it is very beautiful, it is difficult to make me have a sense of trust."

"Why?" Cai Jiheng glared angrily.

"Don't be angry, didn't you promise me not to be angry? You listen to me slowly. Brother Cai, in fact, there is a problem with the aesthetics of men in Chinese culture, if you think about the description of men in classical novels, you can't help but be a handsome little student who 'faces like a full moon' and 'eyes like a green lotus', such as Jia Baoyu in "Dream of Red Mansions" and Zhang Sheng in "The Story of the West Chamber", you see how Wang Shifu describes Zhang Sheng: 'He has a beautiful face and a handsome body, and his temperament is gentle and smooth, and he can't help but think in his mouth and heart...... 'Listen to the fleshy numbness, and the description of women is also applicable. Of course, there is also a kind of male image that is a brave and unscrupulous person like Li Kui and Lu Zhishen, and this kind of aesthetic view is too extreme......"

Cai Jiheng interrupted her impatiently: "I understand what you mean, I belong to the former, right?" But even if I'm a little girl, it won't make people feel distrustful, right? ”

"The problem is that most of the Chinese women recognize this aesthetic, so this kind of white-faced Xiaosheng has become the dream lover of many women, and in this way, it has spoiled Zhang Sheng, and they can easily become men who eat by their faces, so many playboys are born from among them."

Cai Jiheng opened his mouth, but he didn't say anything, he had to admit that Shen Xingyun's analysis still made some sense. But...... It's not Lao Tzu's responsibility to look like this. Cai Jiheng also doesn't like his image, this is given by his parents, what can he do?

Cai Jiheng subconsciously touched his face and said self-deprecatingly: "This is the mistake my parents made, my brother and I are basically the same style, he is just one size older than me." I often wonder why no one says he's a white-faced kid. I thought about it and finally figured it out, he was 16 years older than me, he had traveled to many countries, experienced a lot of things, and his face was full of vicissitudes, just like the Egyptian sphinx, which was engraved on his face for more than 4,000 years. Alas, Xiao Shen, I don't lack anything now, just the carving knife of the years, don't you say? ”

Shen Xingyun laughed: "You just talk nonsense, you still have a human face and a sphinx, you can barely be a crocodile." Brother Cai, I used to hate this kind of reptile and thought it was hideous and ugly, but I don't feel this way now, probably because of you. ”

Cai Jiheng's heart moved, he remembered Ding Zhentian's words, he said that Shen Xingyun is not beautiful, this girl you have to taste it carefully at close range, just like tasting high-quality red wine, you don't feel anything when you first enter it, the longer the time, the richer the taste, the more mellow and fragrant. Of course, to appreciate this kind of woman, you must first have a taste that is different from ordinary people. The pirate really has some truth in saying that this girl does have a taste, but where is the taste? Cai Jiheng couldn't tell for a while, and he couldn't help but think about it......

For women, Cai Jiheng is not as responsible as his brother. Although Cai Jigang has studied in the United States and traveled to many countries, after all, he grew up deeply immersed in Chinese culture, and because he is the eldest son, his parents have been strict since he was a child, and the influence of this old-style Chinese family on him is everywhere. When Cai Jigang was studying at the Virginia Military Academy, it was the 20s and 30s in the United States, and the mainstream values representing American society at that time were the religious feelings that emphasized God's chosen people and destiny, as well as the positive orthodox ideas such as patriotism, family supremacy, and the inevitable victory of justice over evil, which was determined by the political and economic structure of American society at that time, and it was also a historical process of interaction between politics, economy, and culture. Cai Jigang, who came out of that era, was deeply influenced by this kind of values, and the way of thinking and life of his younger brother Cai Jiheng was naturally very different.

Cai Jiheng has not been a peaceful person since he was a child, he is a naughty teenager who has become famous in that area, and he has done countless bad things. Father Cai Chaoyun was originally a gentle and elegant scholar, always advocating the way of Confucius and Mencius, and hating violence, but even such a gentle person was often mad by the bad deeds of his younger son, and he wanted to strangle this indisputable obstacle. When the young Cai Jiheng was fighting with others, he often found that he had some ability to resist hits, and he was a little puzzled at first, but later he realized that this kung fu was practiced by his father.

Therefore, being beaten also has the advantage of being beaten, Cai Jiheng, who grew up like this, has a natural resistance to all preaching, and he believes that life experience is explored by himself, not educated. As for moral issues, Cai Jiheng also has his own opinions, didn't someone say: There is no road in the world, and when there are more people walking, it becomes a road. Morality seems to be the same, that is the powerful used to regulate the behavior of ordinary people, although there is nothing wrong, but Cai Jiheng thinks that this is too general, not as accurate as the law, since the law says what people can do and what they can't do, so good, whatever the law does not provide, people can do it, if someone does something bad that the law does not provide, then someone should not be held responsible, the responsibility lies with the legislator, who let the legislator not think it through, leaving a loophole?

In fact, in the moral category of the Chinese, the relationship between men and women is a very important issue, the ancient Chinese scholar class is very casual in the relationship between men and women, not to mention three wives and four concubines, it has always been a very fashionable thing for literati to drink flowers and wine and prostitutes. Li Bai once had a prostitute poem: "Take the prostitute to the east mountain, and the spring is halfway urging." Looking at it from afar, it is like a peach and plum, and it is like opening in the mirror. "Nanguo Xinfeng wine, Higashiyama little courtesan. If you are not happy with Junjun, why is Huayue worried? It seems that the great poet is very good at this, but Li Bai's debauchery has not left any bad moral comments in history.

As an adult, Cai Jiheng has been to Nanjing many times, and whenever he sees the tribute courtyard on the bank of the Qinhuai River, he is dumbfounded. The ancient ** examination place is only separated from the fireworks willow lane by a small river, that is to say, after the ancient candidates, they only need to cross a small stone bridge to enter the fireworks willow lane of the Qinhuai River, and enjoy attracting bees and butterflies. This seems to be a normal thing to do, and no one sees it as a moral issue.

There is a theory that the May Fourth Movement in 1919 severed the inheritance of traditional Chinese culture and successfully destroyed the traditional Chinese cultural order. Scholars of later generations have different opinions on the significance of the May Fourth Movement, and there has never been a unified understanding. However, Cai Jiheng believes that perhaps while we abandon the dross of traditional culture, we have also unconsciously severed some excellent traditional cultures, but there is no doubt that after the "May Fourth" Movement, the moral value orientation of Chinese cultural people has undergone tremendous changes, and the new generation of cultural people has indeed made a complete break with traditional culture in the relationship between the sexes. Cai Jiheng's moral value orientation should belong to this generation, he does not like sexual relations without emotional foundation, and he also dislikes the traditional culture of prostitution, he believes that only the most unconfident men of the opposite sex will use money to buy women.

Cai Jiheng recognizes the kind of Western-style romantic, spiritual and physical love, and has long practiced it and tried the forbidden fruit, which is his own secret and has never been revealed to others. His first woman was a classmate in middle school, the family was very wealthy, the daughter of a silk merchant, and he couldn't say who seduced whom first, anyway, when the love was strong, he went to bed in a daze, but the relationship was extremely short-lived, and it ended in less than two months. In Cai Jiheng's impression, the girl is very beautiful, and she is also a new-school character, despising all old etiquette and religion, and quite feminist-style.

After the May Fourth Movement, some Chinese youths greatly admired the "Cup-and-Water Doctrine" from Russia[3]

The basis of this indulgent theory is that in a communist society, it is as easy as drinking a glass of water for people to meet the requirements of ** and love. This moral theory found a certain spread among the Russian workers after the October Revolution, especially among the young students. It is conceivable that, before the proletarian revolution, the weaker groups in a state of sexual repression would have driven some young people mad once they were guided by such moral theories. And Cai Jiheng's first girlfriend is a fanatical pursuer of "cup of water", and the ignorant Cai Jiheng has become an experiment that she doesn't know how many times.

In fact, if a young man and a woman are both very individual, and have an uncompromising spirit in their character, their relationship will generally not last long. Cai Jiheng believes that this girl was born in the wrong place, and if she was born in a Western country, she would definitely become like Emmeline Pankester [4]

Such a feminist politician. Unfortunately, she was born in China, where there is no suitable soil for her to grow up, unless she inherits a rich inheritance, learns to manage her assets effectively, and first achieves financial independence, and then she can choose to live a lifestyle of never marrying.

Despite this, this first love still left Cai Jiheng with good memories, although this girl is not suitable for lovers, but she is transparent and elf, by no means vulgar, and there is no utilitarian color that ordinary women often have. In fact, the interaction between men and women, as long as it does not involve vulgar utilitarianism, should be beautiful, because the enjoyment of the process is more pure and romantic than the pursuit of the result.

Cai Jiheng's second girlfriend is his classmate at Southwest Associated University, a native of Chongqing, this girl has a dream-like name, called Tan Chasing Dreams. She entered the school in the spring of 1940 as a first-year student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the College of Engineering. This love was launched by Cai Jiheng, and I heard from my classmates that there is a beautiful girl in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and in terms of her appearance, it is not an exaggeration to call it the school flower of the United Nations University. After hearing this, Cai Jiheng decided to go to the Department of Chemical Engineering to reconnoitre, and that day he specially skipped a class and went to the Department of Chemical Engineering to look for it in the classroom. At that time, all classrooms were in session, and Cai Jiheng sneakily looked in front of the window of each classroom, and the result was that Mr. Huang Ziqing, the head of the department, caught it squarely. Although Mr. Huang Ziqing was only in his 40s at that time, he was already a leading figure in China's chemical industry with the title of Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and enjoyed a high prestige among the teachers and students of Southwest Associated University. In the face of the professor's questioning, Cai Jiheng naturally didn't dare to be wild, he simply said that he was here to find Tan Chaimeng's classmate, and he had something important to tell him. The professor asked, "What's the matter?" Answer, I'm sorry, I can't say, I can only have an interview with Mr. Tan.

Looking at Cai Jiheng, who was calm, Mr. Huang also made a difficulty, maybe this student is really in trouble? So Tan Chasing Dream was called out of the classroom. Mr. Huang asked, do you know him? Tan Chaimeng glanced at Cai Jiheng and shook his head. Mr. Huang said, "This student from the history department, aren't you in trouble? Now it can be said. "I'm sorry, Professor, but you have to avoid it, or it's not convenient."

When Cai Jiheng and Tan Chaimeng faced each other alone, he couldn't remember what to say for a while. Tan Chaimeng smiled and teased: "Hey, why don't you make it up?" Keep making it up. ”

Cai Jiheng found an excuse in the blink of an eye: "Classmate, help, I made a bet with my classmates in the department, and they said that if I dare to find you in front of Mr. Huang during class time, this bet will be considered as if I won." ”

Tan Chaimeng's eyes widened in surprise: "Just for this?" What is the stake? ”

"Tonight...... There is a steamer chicken to eat. ”

"Oh my God, you're so greedy?"

"Yes, I'm very greedy, but when I see you, I don't want to eat steamed chicken. I want to change departments and be classmates with you, this is just the idea. ”

"Why?"

"Do you need to ask? Yes, of course...... You can tempt me more than steamer chicken. By the way, my name is Cai Jiheng, from the Department of History. To be honest, I'm not sure if I can be your boyfriend, if you don't agree, it's best to do me a favor and go to the history department with me for a spin, let's cheat a meal of steam-pot chicken first, okay? ”

Tan Chaimeng was finally amused: "I found you a scoundrel, people like you are relatively rare." ”

"Let's go, let's go, let's fill our stomachs first, and then we will go our separate ways, even if we have never met."

Cai Jiheng didn't expect that Tan Chasing Dream actually went to have a meal outside the school with him, which made Cai Jiheng have a great glory in the history department, and his classmates said that Tan Chasing Dream must have been a ghost at a moment.

In the following period, Cai Jiheng's academic performance plummeted, so that he failed the midterm exam, and he was completely immersed in the gentle countryside and could not extricate himself. Tan Chaimeng is a charming girl, but also a new woman, her father studied in France in his early years, and after returning to China, he worked as an official in the ** department, and he is a typical Western-style character. Therefore, Tan Chaimeng has few traces left by old-style etiquette, she dares to hate and love, never cares about other people's discussions, and dares to openly walk hand in hand with Cai Jiheng in front of everyone.

Two months after the two met, on a quiet meadow by Dianchi Lake, Cai Jiheng began to propose: "Dream chasing classmates, can we end this 'spiritual love'?" I'm not a Plato believer, and I'm getting a little impatient to wait. ”

Tan Chaimeng looked at Cai Jiheng's eyes carefully: "Well, there is indeed a fire burning here, it seems that it has reached a critical point, dear, do you want me to be a firefighter?" ”

"No, firefighters only put out fires, and what I need is to help burn, you'd better throw yourself in as a piece of firewood, and we'll burn together."

"Well, I'll have to think about your proposal, it's a bit sudden, and I need a reason."

"I'm like a big firecracker, you can't light the fire and step on it, it's very irresponsible."

"But once this big firecracker explodes, I will also get nothing, only some fragments left, what is the use of me asking for fragments?"

Cai Jiheng said bitterly: "Then can't you still listen to it?" The value of firecrackers is to hear. Love is not like collecting antiques, it may be worth more in a few hundred years. Things between men and women are very time-sensitive, just like writing an article, you can't stop the inspiration when it comes, but if the inspiration disappears, you can't chase it back no matter how much you search your stomach. In wartime, human life is thinner than paper, and life and death may be two in an instant, and if a Japanese plane lays an egg one day and it happens to fall on my head, then you will regret it. Or Li Bai said it well, the five-flowered horse, the daughter Qiu, Hu'er will exchange for fine wine, and sell eternal sorrow with you. ”

Tan Chaimeng put the book on Cai Jiheng's mouth: "Crow's mouth, quickly spit out the words just now!" ”

Cai Jiheng was lying on the grass with his head on his hands, he looked into Tan Chaimeng's eyes and said softly: "Do you know, even God will not refuse the carnival before death." ”

"Well, this firecracker still makes a lot of sense, so I'll light it......" Tan Chaimeng obediently threw himself into Cai Jiheng's arms.

The year 1940 was the most difficult year since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression entered the stalemate stage, and although the Chinese army tried its best to cut off foreign aid, it was repeatedly defeated. The people are struggling to support, from high-ranking officials to ordinary people, no one can see the dawn of a turn of fate, and only blood and death are presented in front of the eyes of 40,000 people. At that time, Cai Jiheng had a deep sense of disillusionment about the fate of the country and the future of the individual, in extreme depression, he thought most about death, everything is meaningless in the face of death, if the country is going to perish eventually, he Cai Jiheng is willing to perish with the country. At this time, the only bright spot in his life was Tan Chaimeng's beautiful and soft body and passionate body. Tan Chaimeng's body contains a magical fragrance, this young woman's unique fragrance makes Cai Jiheng fascinated.

Once the desires of the flesh are awakened, they will become terrible and crazy, and they will do everything possible to have trysts in all kinds of hidden places, in the forests of the West Mountains of Kunming, the grass by the Dianchi Lake, the dirty inns on the streets, and the lawns of the school in the quiet of the night, leaving traces everywhere that they release their passions.

It's a pity that the way of heaven is unpredictable, creation makes people, and Cai Jiheng has become a prophecy in the dark. The two got along for less than a year, and Tan Chaimeng died of incense and flowers. In June 1941, Tan Chaimeng's mother died, and she took leave to rush back to Chongqing to mourn her mother, but unfortunately caught up with the tragic "June 5 bombing" [5]

, Tan Chaimeng died in the big tunnel at the entrance of the field, and tens of thousands of people were killed at the same time in this tragedy.

After graduating from the Air Force Military Academy, Cai Jiheng never had intimate contact with women again, not because he had no desire for women, but because he felt that he didn't want to make trouble anymore, and his current identity was a fighter pilot, which was a high-risk occupation that was very easy to create widows.

People who usually don't know the situation often think that pilots are the pride of the sky in the military. The elimination rate of one in 10,000 miles, the living treatment that is much better than that of ordinary soldiers, and the great prospects in their careers are all dazzling halos on the heads of pilots. In the various gatherings and social places held by Chongqing's military and political dignitaries and social elites, young pilots are often eye-catching stars and objects of worship by celebrities and ladies of high society, especially ace pilots who have shot down more than five enemy planes.

In fact, only the pilots themselves know that compared with other branches of the military, the death rate of air force pilots is really amazingly high, especially the pilots of the Chinese air force. From the early to the middle of the Anti-Japanese War, the pilots have changed several times, and there are few old pilots with the same qualifications as Gao Zhihang, Liu Cuigang and others in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, and most of them died in air battles. Japan has been preparing for this war for many years, and its pilots and planes have an overwhelming superiority over the Chinese Air Force in terms of both quantity and quality, and the result of the Chinese Air Force's method of fighting with eggs and stones is bound to be tragic.

After the Bishan air battle in 1940, the Chinese air force was exhausted, the people were shocked, and Chiang Kai-shek was so angry that he almost lost his mind. Hearing this unfair accusation, the air force personnel attending the meeting were in tears, and Liu Zongwu, deputy captain of the 4th Brigade, took the case and made an impassioned statement: "Chairman of the National Committee, I am the third phase of the aviation school, and I am your student. But even if it is a sacrifice, it is better to make the Japanese pay a certain price, not a senseless sacrifice. You know, our planes were inferior to them in terms of quantity and quality, and now they are coming out with new planes this year to hit our old goods from 10 years ago. We don't even have a chance to fight back, so what's the point of such sacrifices? Chairman of the Committee, today I express to you that I will die to show you that I will die for you to obey orders! ”

At that time, Cai Jiheng had not yet joined the Air Force, and an old pilot told him that the words of the chairman that day had infuriated the few remaining pilots, and they knew that it would be a no-go operation to challenge the Zero aircraft again, but they still concentrated the last nine IL-152 fighters, and formed an "air death squad" with Liu Zongwu and other nine pilots, ready to fight to the death for the last time. It is said that most of the pilots did not carry umbrella bags at that time, and once the air battle started, they were not ready to return alive. When the group of planes took off in a tragic atmosphere, all the ground staff at the airport burst into tears, and they wept bitterly and saluted the departing planes......

Later, Chairman Chiang woke up to the fact that this was not the time to act rashly, and that these few remaining pilots with actual combat experience were too precious, and it was not a wise move to sacrifice them all meaninglessly like this. Chairman Chiang, who regretted it, gave a death order to the Air Force Headquarters, demanding that the aircraft group return immediately, so as to leave some seeds for the Chinese Air Force, otherwise, the Chinese Air Force might be completely wiped out in 1940.

Cai Jiheng calculated that since the establishment of the Sino-US Air Force Mixed Regiment in Karazi, India, in October 1943, dozens of Chinese and American pilots have been killed in air battles, most of whom were his classmates at the aviation school. The profession of a pilot is too cruel. Cai Jiheng's joking words were: I only saw the thief spending money, but I didn't see the thief being beaten.

From this point of view, on the issue of women, it is better not to act rashly, this is no longer the time to be a student, in a sense, Cai Jiheng's life no longer belongs to him, he doesn't want to create tragedy.

At dinner, the POWs were pleasantly surprised to find that each of them had an extra nest, which had never happened before. The prisoners of war talked about it, and they all said that the devil was bad and bad, but once they said good things, they were still very trustworthy. Everyone knows that this increased grain ration was not given by the Japanese in vain, and this was the condition that Zhang Baowang and Watanabe agreed upon during the morning contest.

Watanabe had gone to Taiyuan with Noto and other officers in the afternoon, and he fulfilled his promise before leaving, first ordering Xue Zhankui to be nailed to a thin coffin, and then burying Xue Zhankui in front of the prisoners of war by the small river behind the camp, and a wooden plaque was erected on the grave, and Noto, who loved calligraphy, also showed his hand, and he wrote down "Xue Zhankui's Tomb of the Heroes" on the wooden plaque in seven regular script characters. Watanabe even made an exception to allow the prisoners of war to pay respects at Xue Zhankui's tomb in batches under the escort of Japanese soldiers.

Zhang Baowang, Man Tang, Tie Zhu, Li Changshun, Sun Xincang and others stood in a row according to the etiquette of soldiers, silently took off their hats to the deceased, and then performed a military salute together.

On the way back to the camp, Man Tang quietly told Zhang Baowang: "Big brother, there is news from Yamada, act in the second half of the night tonight." ”

"Got it, what else is there to do before leaving?"

"There is only one thing, that is, to kill Gao Sheng's dog day, this is what I mean, Gao Sheng has a dog nose, very smart, don't kill him, Yamada will not be safe after we run away." Mantang replied softly.

"Is it all arranged?"

"It's arranged, Watanabe's absence tonight is an opportunity, it's a hammer deal, if you're unlucky, a few of our brothers will die together tonight."

Zhang Baowang said: "Brother, there is no turning back when you open the bow, once you move, you have to accept your fate, live to do it, and die to count." As long as there are people blocking the road on the road, we will meet the Buddha **, meet the demon and kill the demon, and we must have a desperate strength! ”

"Don't worry, big brother, isn't it just gambling on your life? I staked my life. Mantang stretched out his hand to Zhang Baowang.

The two held hands tightly together.

In the evening, Keiichi Yamada found Gao Sheng, he saluted and said in Japanese, "Mr. Gao, today is my birthday, if you don't dislike it, I want to invite Mr. Gao to drink." ”

Gao Sheng was a little surprised: "Yamada Cao Chang is too polite, since it's your birthday, it should be my treat, how can I let you break the bank?" ”

Kei Yamada smiled: "It's not just you, I also invited a few officers, usually busy with military affairs, and it's rare for everyone to get together, so please Mr. Gao must appreciate it!" ”

Gao Sheng said excitedly: "Since this is the case, then I might as well be respectful." ”

Keiichi Yamada had been thinking about the escape of Mantang and the others for several days, and he understood that this was by no means a trivial matter, but a great risk, and once the incident happened, he would have to go to a military court. Keiichi Yamada is not a fearful person, but he needs to give himself a good reason when he does everything. Why help these prisoners of war escape? Is it worth the risk? He hadn't found a reason for himself for a while.

Influenced by the fact that Keiichi Yamada's parents were both devout Buddhists, he chose Buddhism as his lifelong faith from the age of 16, and although he did not formally pass the refuge ceremony, he has been using Buddhist teachings to bind his words and actions.

The Buddha said, "There is no good or evil in man, but good and evil exist in his heart." "There is no distinction between good and evil in human beings, the difference between good and evil is only defined in one's own heart. Keiichi Yamada agreed with this statement, while also finding a reason for his actions.

He grew up with a mild-tempered temperament and an aversion to violence, and when he was in elementary and middle school, most of the male students in his class were interested in judo, karate, and kendo, but he had no interest in them. In his opinion, the only use of learning these things is to fight with others. The men of the Yamato nation are all a little temperamental, so the probability of conflict with others in life will be higher, and it is understandable to learn some self-defense techniques. But the problem is that Keiichi Yamada doesn't need these violent methods, he has been a good-natured child since he was a child, and he has never quarreled with others when he is so old, let alone fight. His ideal is to be an entrepreneur, and in Yamada's view, there is nothing more interesting in the world than capital accumulation and capital operation, and the power of capital is amazing. Some people believe that Japan, with its narrow territory and poor resources, can only become strong by war and by seizing overseas colonies. Keiichi Yamada believes that those who hold this view are crazy, and that plundering wealth by war and violence is an equal means, and that the Yamato nation is an excellent and intelligent nation, and there are many ways to make the country rich and powerful, such as relying on the operation of transnational capital, financial markets, the development of manufacturing, and the development and export of new technologies...... Why is it necessary to use war and violence to solve problems?

Keiichi Yamada never thought that he would be a soldier in his life, and that he would come to China to fight. I blame those damn politicians, these days, it's really helpless to be a small people, you want to stay away from politics, but politics just finds you. You love peace and hate violence, but you can't avoid it, and politicians send you to China with a "Military Service Law" to force you to kill and use violence in the name of the state.

Thinking of this, Keiichi Yamada's heart was full of sadness.

Today, Watanabe Shaosa's duel event made Yamada Keishi unable to endure it anymore, he hated Watanabe and Noto, two bloodthirsty people, what right did they have to trample on humanity and life so coldly? Their mistreatment of Chinese prisoners of war was already an unforgivable act, and what was even more infuriating was that they also despised the lives of their own compatriots. From the ancient Roman era to the 20th century, mankind has gone through more than 2,000 years, and Watanabe and Noto's way of thinking and acting is still stuck in the Colosseum of ancient Rome.

This kind of cold weapon duel is so cruel that within a minute or two, a living life becomes a bloody corpse. When the soldiers carried back the bodies of Yanagawa Nobuzhe and Xue Zhankui, he saw that the two corpses seemed to be soaked in blood, their chests and abdomen were opened by sharp blades, the internal organs of the people hung outside the body, and a strong bloody smell could be smelled from more than ten meters away. Back in the dormitory, Keiichi Yamada vomited in Haiti. He had seen corpses on the battlefield, but it was a specific environment, and the fear of losing life on the battlefield was far greater than the fear of seeing the corpse. And in today's dueling arena, two young people are meaninglessly fighting to the death with sharp blades in their hands, and the blood splashed in the sun, the impact of knives and guns, and the screams of the dying are really shocking and miserable...... Keiichi Yamada finally decided that he wanted to help Tong Mantang and the others escape, he didn't want to see these familiar Chinese suffer bad luck again, even if the East Window incident happened in the future, he would not hesitate to be tried by a military court, otherwise he would regret it, and the rest of his life would be spent in darkness.

Yamada arranged the place for the reception in the accounting room in the backyard, which was next to the dormitory, and the warehouse was on the east side of the dormitory. Yamada was familiar with the layout of the POW camp, and from the perspective of an escaped prisoner, the warehouse was the safest passage to the outside world, and if he could enter the warehouse, he could jump out of the window on the back wall of the warehouse. The window was only two meters above the ground, and the prison escapees certainly didn't care about that height. This is a dead end in the security system of the prisoner of war camp, there are no sentry posts nearby, and the only danger is the patrol. Keiichi Yamada had already calculated that the patrol would have five soldiers and a wolfhound, which would patrol every 15 minutes. These 15 minutes were enough time to run away from 100 people, and as long as the escapees ran through about 100 meters of open land to enter the green gauze tent, the escape was more than half successful.

The designers of the POW camp were certainly not fools, and he took into account that it would be impossible for the escaped prisoners to enter the courtyard where the Japanese garrison lived, since there was a sentry post from the POW quarters.

As far as this prisoner of war camp is concerned, it should be said that it is very tightly designed, and it is no wonder that in the three years since the camp was established, there has been no precedent for a successful escape from prison. But if some of the guards in the garrison had different aspirations and took the initiative to cooperate with the escapees, it would be a different matter.

Gao Sheng and the five Japanese officers came to the table, and their eyes suddenly lit up. Keiichi Yamada prepares a wide variety of sake dishes, including canned braised eel, salt-grilled saury, teriyaki chicken rolls, and assorted tempura fried to a golden brown. The liquor is Shanxi Fenjiu and "Daiseki" sake shipped from Japan, as well as five or six different flavors of sushi. Gao Sheng has the experience of studying in Japan and likes Japanese food very much, and he knows at a glance that this meal is very particular.

At this time, it was the end of the war, Japan's national strength was weakened, and the supply of the Japanese army's overseas combat troops was even more stretched, and the food ration for each meal of junior officers and ordinary soldiers was only 400 grams of rice and two pieces of salted fish.

For Keiichi Yamada, it was nothing to take out these things for a treat, he was the secretary general, and he often handled these foods. The native of Osaka also had a tradition of doing business, and he could also barter with the chiefs of other troops, and he could also get the supplies enjoyed by the senior officers. Keiichi Yamada is not very good at fighting, and when it comes to trading, he is definitely a good hand.

Gao Sheng rubbed his hands in surprise and said, "Mr. Yamada, you are so polite, I don't know what to say......

Keiichi Yamada poured everyone a full bottle of wine, and then raised his glass: "Everyone, I'm sorry, by my standards in Osaka before the war, today's birthday dinner is very shabby, and I can't find even a little raw fish, I'm really ashamed." Ladies and gentlemen, when the war is over, if I am still alive, I will invite you to enjoy a good meal. Here, cheers! ”

The officers politely drank a glass of wine in their mouths.

Keiichi Yamada gave Gao Sheng a saury and said with a smile: "Mr. Gao, you speak Japanese very well, when I first met you, I thought you grew up in Tokyo, but I didn't expect you to be Chinese." ”

Gao Sheng took a sip of wine and sighed: "I have studied in Japan for four years, and I have carefully compared the differences between the cultures and lifestyles of China and Japan...... How can I say it, I really like Japan, not to mention far away, walking in the cities and villages of Japan, everywhere is clean, unlike China, which is so dirty and shabby everywhere......"

At this time, Lieutenant Okamura of the garrison interjected with a smile: "The Chinese really don't pay attention to hygiene, their dwellings are always dirty and messy like pigsty, I don't understand, they don't live in a desert with a lack of water, and they don't need to spend money to pay for hygiene, why can't they clean themselves up?" ”

Lieutenant Okamura's words were insulting, and he did not consider Gao Sheng's feelings as a Chinese at all. But Gao Sheng obviously did not have this kind of national pride, he seemed to have met a bosom friend: "Lieutenant Okamura, I very much agree with your point of view, this is indeed the current situation in China, poor, barbaric, dirty. It is precisely because of this that the need to establish a 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere' can be demonstrated. To tell the truth, the reason why China is poor and backward is because China's traditional culture has long since declined, and in this regard, we are certainly inferior to Japan, and your 'Meiji Restoration' is powerful. That's why I say that China needs Japan's support very much, and it is absolutely necessary for China and Japan to 'coexist and prosper.' ”

Keiichi Yamada poured wine for Gao Sheng: "Mr. Gao, since you don't like China so much, why don't you become a Japanese citizen when you study abroad?" ”

Gao Sheng smiled bitterly: "Ouch, my Yamada Caochang, you really respond to the Chinese saying, called: Standing and talking does not hurt your back." Why don't I want to become a Japanese citizen? What the am I ...... I dreamed of it, but your country has to let it? The threshold for becoming a Japanese citizen is too high, and only those who have money, status and social status are considered, and there is no door for a small person like me who wants to become a naturalized citizen. ”

Keiichi Yamada joked, "Who said it wasn't easy? If you find a Japanese woman to marry, you will have a reason to apply for naturalization, but it may take longer. ”

Gao Sheng raised his neck and toasted another glass of sake, and then complained: "I have also tried this trick, how can it be so easy?" When I was a student at Waseda University, there was a female administrator in the school library named Edako...... I can't compliment, I think that although the conditions are not too good, it is always okay to marry an ugly woman, right? And guess what, I just said it, and before I could finish it, the girl spat on my face......"

Yamada and several of the officers burst out laughing.

Lieutenant Okamura wiped tears from laughter and said, "Gao Shengjun, you can't find a woman in college, you should try it in Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Tokyo, there may be a woman there who is willing to marry you." ”

The officers burst out laughing again. They all know that Kabukicho in Shinjuku is a famous red light district in Tokyo, where there are only prostitutes.

Gao Sheng had already drunk a little too much at this time, and he was not at all embarrassed by Okamura's insulting jokes, and he said with his tongue wide open, "I don't care about finding ...... Find a prostitute, but someone else is a prostitute...... Prostitutes too...... Didn't look down on me either, I was ...... at the time It's just a poor student, and he doesn't have ...... in his pocket. No money......"

Second Lieutenant Kawashima, another officer of the garrison, was also drunk, and his joke was even more excessive: "Gao, Kabukicho is still ...... There is also the 'Cowherd Shop'[6]

Well, you can ...... Go and be a cowherd, the income is very high, you use the money you earn as a cowherd...... Wouldn't it be nice to marry a prostitute......"

By this time, few people were laughing, and most of them were already drunk.

The two cooks under Kei Yamada had been busy since the afternoon, and they had not stopped until now, they kept serving food and pouring wine, and when the sushi was not enough, they went to roll sushi, and they had to take care of the officers who had fallen under the table drunk, and the two dedicated cooks were already tired.

Keiichi Yamada also made a drunken appearance, and he ordered the two cooks to eat with his tongue wide open. An older cook had the courage to ask, "Sir, shall we drink?" ”

Keiichi Yamada pinched Takasheng's nose and poured beer into his mouth, and replied, "Of course you can, but you are only allowed to drink Fenjiu, there are a number of sake and beer, and soldiers can't drink it." Also, you can call the two soldiers standing guard to eat together, Watanabe Shaozo is not here today, and there should be no one to check the post. ”

The cooks happily took the order and left.

Keichi Yamada looked at his watch and calculated that in another hour, these soldiers would be drunk. He specially prepared four bottles of 60-degree Fenjiu for the soldiers, these guys usually have a terrible meal, and suddenly they have good wine and good food, and it is not over if they don't drink it.

Gao Sheng was still quite drunk, and although he was top-heavy at this time, he was not actually drunk, but Yamada's last few bottles of beer did the trick, and his bladder felt a little like it was about to burst. Gao Sheng staggered to his feet and said inarticulately: "Yamada-kun, I'm really sorry, I'm going to the toilet, forgive me for not accompanying me!" ”

Yamada helped him to the courtyard, Gao Sheng stumbled and ran to the toilet, Yamada grabbed Gao Sheng and pointed to the outside of the courtyard: "Mr. Gao, your toilet is outside!" ”

Gao Sheng suddenly came to his senses: "Oh, yes...... Excuse me, drink ...... I drank too much, I forgot......" He staggered out of the courtyard.

There was a clear rule in the POW camp that Chinese prisoners of war were not allowed to use the toilets of Japanese soldiers. Watanabe ordered the construction of two separate sanitary toilets in the front office and the barracks in the back yard, strictly prohibiting Chinese from using them, even the translator Gao Sheng.

Gao Sheng, who was in a hurry, covered his stomach and trotted, ran into the toilet used by the prisoners of war in the southwest corner of the front yard, and as soon as he entered the door, he was busy untying his pants...... Under the influence of alcohol, his consciousness was a little blurred, he didn't know what was happening, he only felt a stronger and stronger feeling of suffocation, he struggled to raise his hand and touch his neck, only to find that there was an extra thick hemp rope around his neck, and this hemp rope was getting tighter and tighter as if it was on a winch...... Gao Sheng's eyes began to roll upward, as if studying the structure of the ceiling, a strange sound came out of his throat, his face gradually turned the color of pig liver, and urine in his bladder squirted out disobediently......

Playing with the rope is Zhang Baowang. Zhang Baowang, who is not amazing, has extremely strong arms, he disdains to use his knees against Gao Sheng's back, this kind of strangulation method is too formal, and the dog that strangles Gao Sheng can't do it at all. Zhang Baowang strangled the hemp rope with both hands, bent his arms and put his elbows on Gao Sheng's shoulders, and in less than a minute, Gao Sheng's body was paralyzed...... With nothing to do to help, he simply picked up his legs and stuffed him headfirst into the dung pit.

Gao Sheng's head was stuck in the dung water, and his feet exposed on the edge of the pit were still twitching slightly, and he kicked his feet all over the house, and Gao Sheng's whole body gradually sank into the dung water. Zhang Baowang and Mantang glanced at each other and nodded in relief. It was so easy to take out the dog, and the whole process took less than two minutes.

The iron pillar that was ventilating outside the toilet ran in and whispered, "Yamada has signaled, and a flashlight flashed three times on the wall over there." ”

Man Tang raised his legs and left, but was pulled by Zhang Baowang: "Don't move, the searchlight has swept over...... Several people flashed into the shadows in the corner.

The searchlight on the watchtower swept over with a "flicker", and everything was back in darkness......

Zhang Baowang said: "Hurry up!" The group slipped along the wall into the backyard where the guard had been removed, and Keiichi Yamada flashed out of the room, he didn't bother to say hello, turned around and led the way in front with a flashlight, and led everyone into the warehouse. Yamada locked the door behind his back, brought a low ladder and leaned against the back window, he climbed up and opened the back window to observe for a while, and suddenly he gently closed the window and gagged his index finger in his mouth, signaling not to make a sound. Mantang and the others held their breath, and the rhythmic footsteps of Japanese patrols and the wheezing of wolf dogs could be heard outside the window. When the footsteps faded away, Yamada advised, "You only have 15 minutes, jump down and run across 100 meters of open land, and it will be safe to enter the green gauze tent." Good luck to all! Iron pillar, you go first! ”

The pillar leaped up the ladder with agility, jumped down, and disappeared silently into the darkness......

Then Zhang Baowang, Li Changshun, and Sun Xincang also jumped out of the window.

Mantang grabbed the ladder for the last time, he suddenly turned around, hugged Keiichi Yamada, and burst into tears: "Brother Yamada, you gave me this life, and I will remember it for the rest of my life...... If I can't die, I'll repay the favor sooner or later......"

Keiichi Yamada said calmly: "Life is like a dream, one rubs shoulders, the other turns around, and things are wrong." For the past, there is no need to look back, when it is as clean as the breeze and as free and easy as the clouds. ”

Mantang couldn't understand what he was saying at all, and looked at Keiichi Yamada in a daze.

Keiichi Yamada didn't say anything anymore, just gave him a punch: "The patrol will be here soon, let's go!" ”

Man Tang stomped his feet, turned and jumped up the ladder, and jumped out of the window......

Keiichi Yamada let out a long sigh of relief as he looked out the window at the thick night, closed the window, and methodically carried out the aftermath with the shrewdness and meticulousness characteristic of a businessman. His idea is that he will save people and save people, but he will not be able to cause trouble for himself, and he will live until the end of the war and return to Osaka to realize his dream. Keiichi Yamada carefully removed the dirt and shoe prints from the windowsill, put the ladder back in its place, gently locked the door, and silently sneaked back to the accounting room.

Several of the officers were already drunk and staggered on the table. Keiichi Yamada walked into the room and saw that the two cooks and the two sentries had already fallen down. The alarm clock on the table pointed to 2:15, everything was planned, and tomorrow morning the prisoner of war camp would be in turmoil, and Yamada Keiichi could imagine what kind of thunderous fury Watanabe Shaosa would let out. Anyway, the law doesn't blame the public, five officers, one soldier, and four soldiers are all drunk and drunk at the same time, and the responsibilities are almost the same, let Watanabe watch it, he can't send all ten people to a military court, right? What's more, he organized a duel in private, and even killed people, and this kind of serious violation of military discipline has not yet ended.

Keiichi Yamada picked up a bottle of Fenjiu and filled most of it in one go. He felt dizzy and slowly lay down, resting his head comfortably on Lieutenant Okamura's belly. He hadn't drunk much just now, but now he was really drunk, and this drunkenness was also planned.

Keiichi Yamada closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep......

[1]

"Lin Zhe", whose real name is Nosaka Sanzo, was one of the founders of the Communist Party of Japan and the representative of the Japanese Communist Party to the Comintern. In May 1940, he and Zhou Enlai, who was in the Soviet Union at the time, came to Yan'an from Moscow. In Yan'an, he assumed the pseudonym "Lin Zhe".

[2]

On July 20, 1940, the famous Japanese anti-war writer Wataru Kajiwa established the "Headquarters of the Japanese People's Anti-War League in China" in Chongqing, and the 33 members of the league unanimously elected Wataru Kajiwa as the chairman of the headquarters. After the establishment of the "Headquarters of the Japanese People's Anti-War League in China" in Chongqing, many branches were established under the leadership of Nosaka Sanzo, among which the "Yan'an Branch" was the most famous and had a great international influence at that time.

[3]

"Cup-and-water" was born in Russia after the October Revolution as a theory of sexual morality. It believes that in a communist society, satisfying the needs of ** is as simple and ordinary as drinking a glass of water. Its representative figure is Alexandra Mikhailovna Kollontai (1872.3.31~1952.3.9), she was appointed by Lenin as People's Commissar of Social Welfare, and was the only female minister among Lenin's. During the Stalin era, she became the world's first female ambassador. To this day, she is held up as a pioneer by feminists in the West.

[4]

Emmeline Pankester (1858.7.15~1928.6.14), a British politician and feminist, was one of the founders of the women's suffrage movement.

[5]

On June 5, 1941, Japanese bomber groups carried out air raids on Chongqing for more than three hours. More than 10,000 people poured into the large tunnel that could accommodate five or six thousand people, but because the tunnel was not a regular air-raid shelter, there were only three entrances and exits. According to this situation, the masses should have been allowed to go out of the cave to breathe fresh air between the two bombings, and someone in the Chongqing Air Defense Command asked Hu Bohan, the deputy commander of the air defense who was specifically in charge, but Hu Bohan claimed that for the sake of safety, the cave door was not allowed to be opened without authorization. As a result, the oxygen in the cave gradually thinned, and finally caused the tragedy of tens of thousands of people suffocating to death.

[6]

The Japanese "cowherd" is an elegant name for a male prostitute.