Cai Jigang, Liu Changyi, and Gao Shuxun led the remnants of the army to rush to the outside of the city of Lushi in western Henan, and as soon as they entered the city, they were stunned by the scene in front of them: there were blackened ruins everywhere, the corpses of national officers and soldiers and ordinary people lying on the ground, the military supplies in the warehouses had been burned and turned into ashes, and the streets of the county town were full of torn clothes, damaged firearms, overturned vehicles, and the corpses of mules and horses.

Cai Jigang was shocked: "Oh no! In the end, the Japanese army still arrived before us. ”

Gao Shuxun calmly took the light machine gun from the guards, pulled the bolt and said: "It seems that we have to fight again, this is the last battle, all pay attention, prepare for battle!" ”

At this time, Shen Guangya blocked Cai Jigang, and he picked up *** and shouted: "Follow me in the top platoon, search and advance!" ”

The spearhead platoon immediately dispersed, following Shen Guangya and carefully searching and advancing. They turned a street corner and suddenly noticed that someone was shaking after the sandbag construction in front of them, and then they heard someone firing a gun and shouting in a Shaanxi accent: "Stop! Which part? ”

Suddenly, I heard someone say Chinese, and everyone was so excited, could it be that reinforcements had arrived? But Shen Guangya was skeptical, the other party could speak Chinese and could not prove that he was his own person, because the puppet army also spoke Chinese. He hid at the corner of the street with his gun in his hand and shouted: "We are the troops of the First War Zone, and we have just broken out of the Kunshan Mountain, which part are you?" ”

At this time, several soldiers of the national army wearing khaki uniforms flashed behind the fortifications, and a soldier wearing a sergeant's collar badge waved and replied: "My own people, we are the 34th Army of the 16th Group Army." ”

"We've come out, and the reinforcements from Shaanxi have finally arrived!" Cai Jigang sat on a broken ammunition box.

As soon as Liu Changyi, Gao Shuxun and others behind him heard that the reinforcements had arrived, they all threw away their weapons and collapsed to the ground. Since entering the Kushan Mountain, I don't know how many battles have been fought along the way, how many brothers have fallen on the way to break through, and all the men and horses of the New 8th Army and the Temporary 15th Army have been combined, and now there are only these dozens of people left, and these survivors of the breakthrough are now unable to move a step.

A colonel of the 16th Army stepped forward and saluted Cai Jigang and others: "Sir, I am Lei Heming, the commander of the 118th Regiment of the 16th Army, please give instructions to the commanders!" ”

Cai Jigang asked with a strong spirit: "Commander Lei, we have just broken through and don't know anything about the changes in the battle situation, please give us a brief introduction to the situation first." ”

The colonel replied: "Three days ago, the enemy's 69th Division suddenly went south to attack Lushi County, our defenders only had one battalion, the Japanese army broke through the county on the same day, Lu's defenders suffered casualties, the Japanese army entered the city and burned and killed, the fire burned for two days, the base of the military station suffered heavy losses, the baggage, clothing, and guns were all burned, the Japanese army hurriedly retreated after snatching part of the ammunition and food, and our 16th Army then occupied Lushi County, and prepared to rebuild the military station after urgently extinguishing the fire. ”

Gao Shuxun asked: "Does the Japanese army have any intention of attacking Shaanxi?" Can we hold the line? ”

"There should be no problem, at present, the armies of the Eighth Theater have gone out to the front line of Lingbao, Lushi, and Xiping to build fortifications and establish a solid defensive line, and the Japanese army has limited strength, so it is impossible to make any big moves."

Cai Jigang, Liu Changyi, Gao Shuxun and others were all relieved when they heard it. In any case, in this strategic direction, the momentum of the Japanese offensive was stifled.

When Cai Jigang and others broke through the siege in the hard battle of Kunshan, the battle situation had undergone major changes. Under Chiang Kai-shek's strict orders, Hu Zongnan's 34th Army was ordered to fight out of Tongguan and deploy positions in the mountainous areas around Lingbao and Lushi to meet the Japanese army. The 34th Group Army first came out of Tongguan, the morale was strong, and the Japanese attacking troops fought a bloody battle in Lingbao, the Japanese divisions and regiments of the offensive were frustrated, and its main force, the 3rd Tank Division, lost its offensive advantage as soon as it entered the mountainous area, and was finally blocked at the foot of the Kunshan Mountain.

The 1st Army of the 34th Group Army was the elite of Hu Zongnan's elite, and was regarded by Okamura Ningji as a trump card unit as powerful as Tang Enbo's 13th Army.

Tang Enbo, who had suffered a crushing defeat in Yuzhong, sat in shame at his headquarters on Funiu Mountain. He has been in the army for more than 20 years, and he has never suffered such a major defeat as the Battle of Henan, if he doesn't find a way to get back a game, I'm afraid he will have no face to see Principal Jiang in the future.

After all, Tang Enbo is not an ordinary person, once he makes up his mind, he will always make some fame. While adjusting the various units of the 31st Army at the foot of Funiu Mountain, he kept his eyes on the map all day long, and he wanted to find a key point on the staggered front, didn't the main force of the Japanese army want to move westward? Okay, I'll do it behind your back, cut off your supply line, and let your main force turn back to help Yuzhong, so that the crisis in the direction of Shaanxi will naturally be lifted. Tang Enbo's eyes fell on Yiyang, an important town in the southwest of Luoyang, which was an excellent attack point, equivalent to the tail of the Japanese attack group, cutting off this tail, the main force of the Japanese army would turn around and pounce back like a wounded beast, then the purpose of this attack was achieved.

On the map, Tang Enbo punched Yiyang heavily with a red pencil, and he stood up and issued an order: "All units of the 31st Group Army immediately attacked, with the 13th Army as the vanguard, and launched a counteroffensive against Yiyang." ”

Tang Enbo knew very well in his heart that this counteroffensive was both virtual and real, and it didn't matter whether he took Yiyang or not, the key was to create momentum and give a signal to the Japanese attacking corps: Tang Enbo's 31st Army was going to die! Didn't Okamura Ninji dream of killing the 13th Army? Okay, now the 13th Army is going to cut off your tail, do you turn around or not?

This trick really worked, the 31st Group Army poured out of the nest, put on a desperate posture, chased the Japanese attacking troops all the way, the strategic rear of the Japanese group in the west was threatened, the supply line was facing the danger of being cut off, and was blocked by Hu Zongnan's 34th Group Army in the Kunshan Mountains, so it had to give up the attempt to attack Xi'an, and the main force returned to Henan to counterattack the Tang Enbo Corps.

The crisis in Shaanxi was lifted, and Chairman Chiang breathed a sigh of relief.

These days, Cai Jigang lived in the military headquarters of the 1st Army in Lingbao, western Henan, and he was appointed to complete the containment, reorganization, and defense work of the defeated troops in the Battle of Central Henan on behalf of the Military Commission. Here Cai Jigang saw many familiar or unfamiliar faces, those generals who broke through through the nine deaths, all of them had gray faces, depressed expressions, and a kind of desolation in their eyes. And most of his familiar faces have disappeared, and they have paid the price with their lives for this stupid battle, for holding those towns that are important or of little strategic value, and for the absurd command of the headquarters of the First Theater Commander's Department, and they have been laid to rest in the suburbs, streets, fields, mountains, and rivers of the Central Henan Plain. The price they paid was so heavy that they didn't even have a small reward for their souls returning to their hometowns, and they became lonely ghosts wandering in the underworld.

Cai Jigang often stares at the undulating peaks in the southeast and southeast of the Kunshan Mountain alone, and it is difficult to suppress the sadness and resentment in his heart...... Are they still alive?

"Report sir, your telegram!" The telegraph operator of the military headquarters handed over a telegram.

Cai Jigang opened the telegram, and the message was sent by the First Theater Command:

"Major General Cai Jigang, Supervisor of the Central Military Commission: It is planned to hold a military meeting at the First Theater Command in the near future, attended by the commanders and commanders of all group armies in the theater, to discuss the reorganization of the theater headquarters and the reorganization of the defense affairs of the various armies. The commanders of all units should set off as soon as possible with the operational reports of all units, casualty statistics, and other materials. This report was submitted to Sun Weiru of the 4th Group Army, Liu Maoen of the 14th Group Army, Gao Shuxun of the 39th Group Army, and Wang Zhonglian of the 31st Group Army...... Meeting place: Xi'an. This order, the commander of the 1st Theater of Operations, Chen Cheng. ”

Cai Jigang is happy and worried, happy that his wife Zhao Xiangzhu happens to be in Xi'an at this time, after experiencing a cruel bloody battle, it is always a luxury to see his wife; What worries me is that I, the war supervisor, have "supervised" the war like this, and I am afraid that reprimands and reviews are indispensable, and infighting and mutual prevarication at military meetings cannot be avoided.

After several days of long-distance escort, Tong Mantang and his five prisoners of war were escorted to the Yellow River Michi Ferry. By the time the ferry was boarded, the contingent of prisoners of war had increased to 50 people. The room looked closely and found that the prisoners of war were all unlucky, unkempt and unkempt, with panicked expressions on their faces. The Japanese soldier in charge of escorting shouted loudly in Japanese, and then crossed the bayonet to the prisoner's chest, and the little prisoner of war was frightened and cried at that time, he knelt on the deck and kowtowed to the Japanese soldiers, and begged the imperial army to spare his life. The Japanese soldiers laughed as if they were watching a circus show. The full house really wants to kick that little man, this kid is too cowardly, it's a gentleman, as for it? No wonder we always lost the battle, it's just that there are too many embarrassing things for his mother.

The Japanese army carried the prisoners of war across the Yellow River by ferry and into the boundary of Pinglu County, Shanxi. The prisoners of war stumbled for more than 30 kilometers under the drive of Japanese soldiers, and finally arrived at a prisoner of war camp. In front of the camp was a sign with the words "Rehabilitation Training Center" written in Chinese characters.

This prisoner of war camp was hastily built by the Japanese army after the Battle of Nakajo Mountain in May 1941 to hold prisoners of war from the Nationalist Army. The camp was backed by a hill about 300 meters high, behind which was a rolling Zhongtiao Mountain, in front of the camp wall was a small mountain stream, and a gravel road led to a hill to the south, which was the only way to enter and exit the prisoner of war camp, and it was through this passage that Man Tang and the others entered the prisoner of war camp.

The 50 new prisoners of war were taken to the courtyard to make a roll call. A young Japanese lieutenant wearing a mask and holding a form stood in the middle of the courtyard, and at his feet squatted a wolfdog with a blood-red tongue, his eyes shining with a fierce light and roaring in a low voice, as if he was ready to pounce on the prisoners of war at any moment.

The Japanese second lieutenant questioned the prisoners of war in Japanese, and a diminutive interpreter was in charge of translating, and the content was nothing more than the name, age, place of origin, and rank of each person. Although the interpreter was short, his voice was surprisingly loud, and his attitude towards the prisoners of war seemed to be more tempered than that of the Japanese second lieutenant. Mantang heard it, he didn't know how the translator spoke Japanese, but he had a pure Henan accent when he wanted to speak Chinese, and he was a native when he heard it.

After the roll call, the POWs were herded into four large houses in the North District, each housing about 60 people, in a four-story bunk made of wooden planks.

He observed his surroundings and saw that there was a three-story wooden watchtower built in the courtyard, with light machine guns on it, two searchlights on the roof platform, surrounded by blue brick walls more than a foot high, a sentry box with machine guns at the gate, and dense barbed wire on the walls. A patrol of seven devils led two wolf dogs into the small courtyard behind the prisoner of war camp, which was apparently the barracks of the Japanese garrison.

Full eyes stared at the guard box at the door and asked a thin and tall prisoner of war: "Brother, the interpreter is Chinese, right?" ”

The prisoner of war had a thin face, deep eye sockets, and a thin lip with sharp edges, and he pursed his lips disdainfully: "Oh, this thing is called Gao Sheng, a native of Zhengzhou, who studied in Japan, and is a dog of the devil." ”

Another square-faced prisoner of war booed: "Shhh...... Brother, be quiet. He tiptoed to the window, quickly looked at both sides, and came back and whispered: "Gao Sheng, this turtle grandson is okay to open the window and eavesdrop, last time there were two brothers who planned to escape, and even the time route was set, but he didn't expect to let this turtle grandson eavesdrop, he immediately reported to the devil Watanabe, Watanabe, the old devil was even more ruthless, on the surface quiet, secretly arranged an ambush, the two brothers just climbed over the wall and fell into the trick, were captured and killed in front of all the prisoners of war. ”

A round-faced prisoner of war also scolded: "Damn, I slaughtered this kid sooner or later, the last time the devil field hospital came to the prisoner of war camp to smoke the blood of the brothers, it was the bad of this son of a bitch, I let the devil smoke several tubes of blood, dizzy as soon as I went out, I saw the devil Watanabe patting Gao Sheng's shoulder, while giving him a thumbs up, if it wasn't for the bad he made, it would be weird." ”

The tall and thin man sighed to Mantang and said, "The devil used the prisoner of war camp as a blood bank in the hospital, and a brother in our class was taken ten tubes of blood at once, and his face was white at that time, and he collapsed as soon as he went out, and he never woke up. Brother, this is not a place for people, the devil will kill us sooner or later, if I knew this, I would not have handed over a gun if I said anything, and it is better to die on the battlefield than to die in a prisoner of war camp! ”

It was time to relax before dinner, and the prisoners of war were scattered in the courtyard chatting in twos and threes. Man Tang cautiously looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to it. He clasped his hands into fists and said, "Brothers, I am a newcomer, my name is Mantang, and this is my brother, my name is Tiezhu, everyone can call him Zhu." I'm a newcomer, and I don't know the rules here, so please take care of me! ”

"Well said, well said!" Everyone was polite.

The hall whispered, "We are now brothers who share the suffering, I don't know you yet, what are the names of the brothers?" When did you come in? ”

The thin and tall man hugged his fists and said, "My name is Zhang Baowang, 25 years old, from Yuanqu, Shanxi. The 27th Division, which was captured in Zhangdian Town, Zhongtiao Mountain, in the 30th year of the Republic of China, has been three years now, and it is the longest old prisoner of war held here. ”

The prisoner of war with a square face also introduced himself: "My name is Li Changshun, 20 years old, from Lijiagou, Mengjin, Henan, from the 65th Division of the 15th Army, and was captured in early May this year when I broke through in the northern suburbs of Luoyang City. I'm a mortar gunner, and this kind of gun works against infantry, but not against tanks. Obediently, I have never seen so many tanks, like locusts, I can't withstand them at all, our division is almost gone. The 94th Division is not much better, it has only been two days of street fighting, and it has not been able to defeat the number 100 people, and they all say that the Sichuan soldiers can fight, and this time I can see it with my own eyes. ”

The round-faced prisoner of war was a little shy, his lips puffed out a few times, and he said: "My name is Sun Xincang, my home is in Chaihegou, Xiong'er Mountain, Luoning, Henan, and my family is Orion...... I've been hunting with my dad since I was a child, and I ...... at the beginning of this year Let *** arrest Ding, and defend Zhengzhou in April...... The battle was really fought, Zhengzhou only held for a day and then withdrew, my company commander said that I had accurate guns, let me stay behind to cover, just like that, I fell behind and was captured in the city...... I'm 18 years old, and you're all my big brother. After he finished speaking, he glanced at the iron pillar and quickly changed his words: "Except for this brother." ”

Tie Zhu hurriedly said: "You are 18, I am 17 this year, you are my big brother." ”

Sun Xincang smiled shyly, as if he had regained some self-confidence.

The sun was setting, and someone outside shouted, "It's time to eat!" "The prisoners of war came out into the courtyard. Mantang saw two Japanese soldiers carrying a basket of nests, another soldier carrying a bucket, and a Japanese soldier Cao Chang standing seven or eight meters away, silently watching the prisoners of war eat.

The prisoners of war were each given only a fist-sized nest of coarse cornmeal mixed with half of the bran, and then a bucket of cold water. Man Tang felt strange and hurriedly asked Zhang Baowang: "Just a nest head?" Don't have a dish? ”

Zhang Baowang sneered: "Do you think the devil invited you to the banquet, and you still want to eat?" ”

"Then if you don't eat salt for a long time, can you stand it?"

"A small piece of pickled radish a week is called improving life. Mantang, I have a little pickle left over from last week, I can't bear to eat it, can you make do with it first? Bao Wang said as he took out a small paper bag from his bosom and peeled off the three layers of paper, revealing a little pickle the size of his little finger.

Mantang couldn't bear to touch his baby, and blocked his hand: "Thank you!" I just came, and it was not yet time for the lack of salt, alas! Brother, I really don't know how you survived the past three years? ”

Zhang Baowang didn't speak, he turned around and silently ate the ration that was only enough to survive. The full hall looked at his thin back, thinking that this person should not look thin, the skeleton is big, he must have been a strong man before, and now he looks like he has been hungry in the past few years.

Tie Zhu quietly walked to Mantang, and pointed his chin at the Japanese soldier Cao Chang in the distance: "Brother, look at that devil, why is he a little familiar?" ”

Only then did Man Tang notice the Japanese soldier Cao Chang, he took a closer look and said: "It's his mother's face, we must have seen ......"

Mantang pretended to walk to the bucket and bent down to scoop water to drink, and the moment he looked up, he found that the Japanese soldier Cao Chang had also been looking at him, the two looked at each other, and Mantang's heart was suddenly shocked: It's Keiichi Yamada! Almost at the same time, Keiichi Yamada recognized him as well. Mantang's eyes lit up, and he was excited to just want to say hello, Keiichi Yamada quickly made a stop gesture with the index finger of his right hand, and he quietly swept his eyes to the sides, without any expression on his face.

After dinner, Mantang returned to the house, sat down opposite Zhang Baowang, and said straight to the point: "Brother Baowang, I see that you are a reliable person, so I will make it clear, this ghost place ...... I don't want to stay anymore, can my eldest brother give me some pointers? ”

Zhang Baowang didn't look up, rolled his eyelids up and whispered: "I have long seen that your kid is a clever ghost, what's wrong?" It's only been less than a day since you've been here, and you're going to run? It's kind of kind. ”

"I saw it a long time ago, if I stay here, I will die sooner or later, I don't want to die so badly, if I want to die, I will die on the battlefield." Mantang said.

Zhang Baowang called Sun Xincang: "Xincang, you go outside and aim at the point, pay special attention to the high ascension." ”

Sun Xincang obediently walked outside the door.

Zhang Baowang looked at the hall carefully: "Brother, let's talk to you like this, there is no brother in the prisoner of war camp who doesn't want to run, but you kid has to have the ability to run, who wouldn't be stunned?" Do you see the wall? At the head of the wall is the power grid, a few days ago there was a brother who wanted to run, he didn't know that the barbed wire was electrified, in the middle of the night with a rope on the barbed wire over the wall was electrocuted, people were burned to charcoal, the next day the devil took us to see the corpse, the brothers shed tears, alas, I will never forget that tragic scene in my life......"

A cold light shot out of the eyes of the full hall: "Big brother, this can't scare me, I've seen a lot of dead people, I have to run, if I catch him, I can't catch him." ”

Zhang Baowang was silent for a moment, as if he had made up his mind: "Okay, I'll tell you." This prisoner of war camp is now holding more than 800 brothers, but in fact it is just a shelter, and every ten days and half a month, batches of prisoners of war are sent from here, and I heard Gao Sheng say that they are sent to Tianjin, Beiping, Jinan, and as far as Northeast China. In the past three years, the prisoners of war have changed many times, these 800 people are divided into four brigades, and the captains are all old prisoners of war, this is the idea of Watanabe, the commander of the prisoner of war battalion, to let the prisoners of war manage the prisoners of war, and I am also one of the captains, so I have not been sent away. On the devil's side, there are many officers and few soldiers, and the biggest officer is Watanabe Shaosa, and there is a captain, two lieutenants, three second lieutenants, and a garrison of more than sixty soldiers below him, well, and the interpreter of that dog day, Gao Sheng......"

The hall was a little puzzled: "Why are there only more than 60 soldiers, and there are a lot of officers?" ”

"Most of them are technical officers, I guess there are a lot of projects outside the battalion, I often see officers studying engineering drawings, do you think we will stay in the house? It's not so beautiful! Every day, they had to do heavy work, repairing bunkers, building barracks, repairing ferry ports, erecting electric wires, digging trenches, and transporting munitions...... Do anything. The devil soldiers who oversaw the work beat people to death at every turn, if you are sick, I'm sorry, you just wait to die, the devil has never seen us sick. In the past three years, not counting those who have been killed, shot, or killed in accidents, there have been more than 560 deaths from illness alone. ”

Mantang lowered his voice and asked, "What was the Japanese soldier Cao who was standing far away when the meal was served just now?" ”

"You're talking about Keiichi Yamada? This man is not bad, he is a good temper, he is rare among devils, he has never been seen to beat anyone, and he is rarely seen to speak. He seems to be a squad leader, and he is also in charge of the room, there are only two full-time cooks, and every day he is transferred to a class of Japanese soldiers to help cook, after all, there are more than 800 people to eat. ”

"How long has this Keiichi Yamada been here?"

"It didn't take long, just over a month."

Mantang didn't ask anymore, he nodded at Zhang Baowang: "Thank you, big brother!" ”

Late at night, Tie Zhu lay beside Mantang and whispered in his ear: "Brother, Yamada is here, this is easy to do...... What are your plans? I listen to my brother. ”

Mantang gently stroked the back of the iron pillar on the head: "Pillar, it's not your turn to worry about this matter, sleep on your own!" ”

The iron pillar fell asleep, one arm still resting on the full chest.

That night, the house was full of insomnia. There are many heart-pounding images in his mind: the burning city of Xuchang, the bloody street battles...... The overwhelming **** fell like raindrops, turning his hiding place into a sea of fire...... The platoon commander of the pockmarked platoon limped to the front of the Japanese troops, the pockmarks on his face turned purple, and his upper body was covered with bleeding knife cuts...... My platoon commander...... Mantang couldn't help but whimper......

I never dreamed that when he and Tiezhu walked out of the house that morning, so many things would happen one after another. In just one month, he and Tie Zhu have been rolling back and forth in blood and fire for a few times...... Mantang is very nostalgic for the life of the farmer in the past, there were not so many troubles at that time, the sunrise and sunset, although the days are hard, but the family depends on each other to be together, for a farmer, this kind of peaceful life is really golden. If he could go back to the past, then he must be filial to his father and mother, and never cause trouble. Marry another daughter-in-law, have a few babies, and live a good life.

Mantang thought so, but he also knew that the past days were gone forever, no matter how nostalgic you were, it would never come back, and now what to think about is what to do in the future? If he and Tiezhu didn't want to die here, they had to find a way to escape.

Lying on his back, staring blankly at the roof, Keiichi Yamada's face gradually became clear, what the hell is he a ghost soldier, will he help himself? If there is no better way now, I can only make up my mind with him...... Fuck it! Even if you are killed while escaping, it is better than staying in a prisoner of war camp and suffering alive!

A gust of mountain wind blew, and the window paper rattled. The snoring of the prisoners of war in the room came and went, and the whole room turned over, and suddenly saw a dark figure quietly approaching the window, and the silhouette of the man was clearly reflected on the window paper. Man Tang recognized it as Gao Sheng at a glance, he quietly freed his right hand, and lightly tapped on the wooden board, and the black shadow suddenly retracted, and gradually disappeared with a string of small footsteps......

Cai Jigang sat in the room of the guest house waiting for his wife Zhao Xiangzhu. Located in the center of Xi'an, this guest house is an internal guest house for middle and senior officers of the First War Zone's Commanding Department. According to Cai Jigang's military rank, he was arranged by the Commander's Department to live in a nice suite on the second floor.

Cai Jigang was anxiously pacing around the house, he missed his wife very much and was eager to meet her. But at the same time, he didn't want his wife to come to Xi'an. The reason is very simple, this Zhao Xiangzhu is a woman who likes to cause trouble, and this female reporter from "Central Daily" will definitely cause trouble when she comes.

Zhao Xiangzhu's family background is good, his father is a famous cotton yarn king in Shanghai, and his mother is also from the Jiangnan Wang family. After graduating from Jinling Women's University, Zhao Xiangzhu ignored the opposition of his parents and insisted on applying for the "Central Daily" and became a reporter.

This is troublesome, Zhao Xiangzhu is naturally a bit rebellious, she relies on her good writing to fight against senior officials in the military and political circles. This woman is a generalist, and she can come up with news reports, interviews with people, and even editorials, literary reviews, and film reviews. She usually talks with people gently and elegantly, and is very affinity, but once she picks up the pen, she becomes quite hideous, and has the strength to turn words into knives, for which she has offended many powerful people, and several times she was almost fired from the newspaper, but Zhao Xiangzhu still goes his own way.

In Cai Jigang's words, she is rich and has never been afraid of losing her job. Fortunately, "Central Daily" is an organ newspaper of the Kuomintang and is subordinate to the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang.

After becoming a military correspondent, Zhao Xiangzhu was out of control, and she published in the newspaper one after another eloquent war reports, detailed and objective interviews with celebrities, and spicy and to the point commentaries; she used the international vision and military knowledge that ordinary female reporters lacked to write about strategic issues and assessments of the development of the war situation, and was often praised by some generals of the national army, so that some generals did not want to believe that the reporter was actually a woman.

Cai Jigang met Zhao Xiangzhu after he was wounded in the Battle of Songhu, when he was recuperating in the army hospital in Wuhan. After the Battle of Songhu, the Nationalist army was defeated like a mountain, and the capital Nanjing was defeated in less than three days, with nearly 300,000 military and civilian casualties. Cai Jigang was so angry in the hospital that he was smoking, an evil fire was swimming in his chest but there was nowhere to vent, all he could do was smash the medicine plate that the nurse gave him medicine. Fuck, the battle is like this, all the high-ranking generals should kill themselves and die for their country, and they are embarrassed to wear this military uniform?!

It was when there was no place to sprinkle that female reporter Zhao Xiangzhu came to interview. Cai Jigang has always hated reporters, he thinks that reporters are mediocre people who eat by revealing the privacy of celebrities and hyping up lace news, and the country has become like this, these reporters should pick up guns to fight and run to the hospital to talk nonsense? Cai Jigang yelled angrily at the orderly: "I don't see! Missing! What kind of mess are journalists coming to make trouble? ”

The orderly whispered, "Sir, this reporter is ...... It's a woman. ”

"The woman is even more missing, does she know how to fight? What soldiers did she interview if she didn't know how to fight? What a fucking ......"

Zhao Xiangzhu, who had already arrived at the door of the ward, heard Cai Jigang's roar, and he was also angry, why is this person so unreasonable, but he is just a little lieutenant colonel, who does he think he is? Zhao Xiangzhu also moved the eldest lady's temper, she used all her strength, kicked open the door, and broke in angrily.

"Mr. Cai, you are so unreasonable, do you know how to respect women? I think you're a U.S. military school for nothing, at best you're a rough hill, and you don't deserve to be interviewed by me at all! Zhao Xiangzhu shouted to Cai Jigang in a hurry.

Cai Jigang happened to have his back to the door, but he didn't move at this time, just frowned and asked the orderly: "Who put her in?" ”

"Sir, she broke in on her own."

Zhao Xiangzhu said provocatively: "I came in by myself, how about it?" You don't have to push me away, I'll leave myself, and if I had known that my interview subject was an uneducated person, I wouldn't have come even if I lost my job......"

At this time, Cai Jigang turned around and glanced at Zhao Xiangzhu, the moment the two looked at each other, Zhao Xiangzhu seemed to have been struck by lightning suddenly, and the mean words that she didn't have time to say were stuck in her throat, and she was silent all of a sudden.

Zhao Xiangzhu was horrified in his heart, the man in front of him was already extraordinary just from his appearance. He had a narrow Caucasian face, with an angular facial contour, a pair of cold eyes under the thick sword eyebrows, and a healthy bronze skin, which looked the result of a long military career. Zhao Xiangzhu has been a reporter for several years, and she has been in the rivers and lakes for a long time, especially in big cities like Nanjing and Shanghai, she has read countless people, and she has really never seen a man like Cai Jigang. This person's demeanor seems to be lazy, and he always raises his head slightly when he looks at people, giving people a sense of condescension. There is a faint aura, a formidable killing aura in his calm and watery temperament, Zhao Xiangzhu knows that this kind of man must not be despised by others.

Zhao Xiangzhu felt an unprecedented panic in his heart......

Cai Jigang originally planned to reprimand this female reporter who didn't know the height of the sky, but when he turned around and saw Zhao Xiangzhu for the first time, he changed his mind. The reason is very simple, when a man suddenly sees a beautiful woman, he will be stunned for a moment, and then quickly adjust his mood, even if there is a big unhappiness, he must restrain it, and Cai Jigang is of course no exception. He has always been picky about women, and women with ordinary appearances can't get into his eyes, so he hasn't met a favorite girlfriend in his thirties. But when he saw Zhao Xiangzhu, his heart moved slightly. This girl's appearance is really beautiful, her facial features are very delicately matched, and she shows a lovely charm even when she is angry. That day, Zhao Xiangzhu was wearing a moon-white dark flower soft satin cheongsam, outlining his slender figure with attractive curves. Cai Jigang secretly thought that China's cheongsam is designed for women with good figures, and women with bad figures don't even think about cheongsam. Cai Jigang regretted it a little, feeling that he was a little unreasonable just now, and he complained about this damn war, and the defeat of the war made him really angry.

Cai Jigang looked at Zhao Xiangzhu and nodded and smiled, although this smile was fleeting, it was enough to make Zhao Xiangzhu lose his breath all of a sudden.

Cai Jigang seemed to be speaking to an old acquaintance: "Angry? ”

Zhao Xiangzhu nodded his head with a ghost: "Well, I was a little angry just now...... But now it's better......"

"Why?"

"The soldiers who came back from the front line are angry, I understand."

"I'm sorry, it's not for you, the battle is not good, and I have no shame to see Jiangdong's father!" Cai Jigang's expression was gloomy.

"Don't say that, you have done your best, didn't the Japanese brag about destroying China in three months? The Battle of Songhu lasted for three months, and with you soldiers, China would not be able to die. Zhao Xiangzhu comforted softly.

Cai Jigang turned his head to look out the window, he didn't want Zhao Xiangzhu to see his tears.

Zhao Xiangzhu said softly: "Head Cai, I hope you can accept my interview, if it is not convenient now, I can come tomorrow." ”

"Madam Reporter, what do you want to know?"

"I read the battle report, in the Fuzaobang Resistance Battle, your Fourth Regiment of the Tax Police fought very bravely, and the results were outstanding. I would like to know, how did you take over the command after the head of the regiment, Sun Liren, was wounded and carried out of the line of fire? And how did he get hurt? ”

"When the country is in trouble, soldiers should serve the battlefield, but they are just doing their duty, which seems to be nothing to say." Cai Jigang was not accommodating at all.

"Well, let's not talk about war, let's talk about anything else, let's just talk. Head Cai, I take the liberty of asking a personal question, ...... Do you have any family members? ”

Cai Jigang glanced at Zhao Xiangzhu in surprise and asked rhetorically: "What, this kind of private question is also your interview plan?" ”

"Of course, the soldiers at the front are bleeding and dying, and what we people in the rear can do is to take out the best things to support the front line, including weapons and ammunition, clothing and food, the care of relatives, the thoughts of wives, and ...... The girls' love ......" Zhao Xiangzhu's face suddenly turned pink.

Cai Jigang finally laughed: "This is a fresh saying, even love can be sent to the front line as a condolence?" ”

"This is as it should be, the Anti-Japanese War is prosperous, the people have the money to contribute, and they have the strength to contribute, the girls have neither money nor power, so they will dedicate their love to the soldiers at the front, which is a matter of course!" Zhao Xiangzhu closed the interview and didn't plan to interview, she suddenly wanted to study this lieutenant colonel officer.

"I don't have any family members, so I don't want to bother for the time being." Cai Jigang honestly admitted.

"Why, love is trouble? Please explain, head Cai. ”

"Don't you know? Fighting is a death story, and I have already died once. I heard from the doctor that many people gave me blood transfusions when they rescued me, otherwise I would not have been alive. When my injuries are healed, I will return to the front line, and I may not be so lucky next time. For a soldier who is fighting, love is a double-edged sword, hurting both oneself and others. ”

Zhao Xiangzhu smiled and mocked: "Oh, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, are you so noble, do you lock your love in the safe for yourself to be a hero?" But that's what you think, women don't think so. ”

"So what do the women think?" Cai Jigang asked.

Zhao Xiangzhu blinked slyly: "I won't tell you now, I'll talk about it later!" ”

"You mean, you're going to come later?"

"Unless, of course, you don't welcome me."

Cai Jigang shrugged his shoulders, which is typical of the Virginia Military Academy school spirit, and he said with a little cynicism: "It is always pleasant for a beauty to come to the door." ”

Two months later, Cai Jigang and Zhao Xiangzhu held a simple wedding in a church in Wuhan.

The phone rang, Cai Jigang picked up the microphone, and the voice of Adjutant Zhang of the War Zone Commander's Department came from inside: "Is it Chief Cai?" ”

"I'm Cai Jigang."

"Chief Cai, I have been instructed to convey the notice of the Theater Commander's Department that at 9 o'clock this morning, a military review meeting presided over by Chief Chen Cheng will be held in the conference hall of the First Theater Commander's Department, please attend on time!"

Cai Jigang looked at his watch and asked dissatisfiedly: "There is still half an hour before the meeting, why is it only notified now?" ”

"I'm sorry, Chief Chen Cheng just got off the plane, it was his temporary decision, and now a large number of reporters have rushed to the venue, and the car to pick you up will be there immediately!"

"Okay, got it, I'll be right there." Cai Jigang hung up the phone and thought, it seems that Zhao Xiangzhu is too late to come, she should have come on the same plane as Chen Cheng, and I am afraid that she has already gone to the venue at this time.

When Cai Jigang arrived at the venue, Chen Cheng, the newly appointed commander of the First Theater, and several senior generals were already in their seats. Chen Cheng knew Cai Jigang, he nodded, motioned for Cai Jigang to sit down, and then announced the meeting.

Cai Jigang looked around and found that the commanders of the various group armies of the First Theater, the commanders of the various armies, the officials of the Political Department and the Military Command Department of the Central Military Commission, and the staff officers of the headquarters were present at the meeting, and his adjutant Shen Guangya was already sitting in the back row of the auditorium.

Gao Shuxun, Liu Changyi and others, who were already seated, nodded to Cai Jigang, Cai Jigang smiled at them, and then sat upright and listened to Chen Cheng's speech.

Chen Cheng was not in a good mood today. Just a few days earlier, while he was still commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Yunnan, in mid-April, Chiang Kai-shek, under pressure from US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, ordered the expeditionary force to cross the Nu River and counterattack Burma. In just over a month, when the war in northern Burma was in full swing, he suddenly received an urgent order from Chiang Kai-shek to take over as commander of the First Theater and clean up the mess of the Battle of Central Henan. But unwilling to return unwillingly, orders still have to be obeyed, this Baoding Military Academy artillery department of the 8th phase of the graduate has always been obedient to Chiang Kai-shek, never complained about the execution of orders, and his loyalty was deeply appreciated by Chiang Kai-shek. In the Kuomintang military and political system, Chen Cheng was hot, his official fortune was prosperous, and he was the second person in the national ** after Chiang Kai-shek, and was known as the "small chairman".

For Chen Cheng, orders must be obeyed, but words cannot but be said. After receiving the order, he immediately wrote to Chiang Kai-shek to express his inner dissatisfaction: "The commander of the theater should be responsible for the affairs of the first theater today, but the failure of the military and the government, the imperfect quality of the army, the lack of clear distinction between command and responsibility, and the lack of the central departments in charge of the overall initiative plan, lack of insight and sincerity, etc., make it impossible for anyone to change places...... Now that I was ordered in a hurry, there is no way to make up for the difficulties, and the overall situation is so deep that the root cause of the disease and the deterioration of personal health are far worse than in those years, so this trip is meaningless and ineffective except to obey Junzuo's orders......"

After Chen Cheng sent the letter, he came to Xi'an depressed and took office.

After the army commanders reported the losses of their respective troops, Chen Cheng snorted and paced around the conference table, staring at each general for three to five seconds with a straight face, only to see that the generals were frowning and did not dare to face it squarely.

Cai Jigang knew that he couldn't hide from this day, and he was quite mentally prepared, but at this time, he was still like a thorn in his back, and his head was slightly sweating.

Chen Cheng paced in front of the huge military map at the head of the case, slowly turned around, and said word by word: "I received the letter from the chairman: 'Due to the defeat in the battles in Luoyang, Zhengzhou, and Henan, Jiang Dingwen is the enemy, and he left his post and fled in a hurry, which is really despicable, and he is dismissed from the post of commander. Tang Enbo was in a panic and miscommanded, which made the battle situation so unbearable, and ordered: the two immediately went to Chongqing to receive the commander's face-to-face training and wait for treatment. Chen Cheng is hereby appointed as the commander of the First Theater of Operations, and the southern Shaanxi region of the Eighth Theater is to be under the jurisdiction of the First Theater, with the headquarters of the chief in Xi'an. Deputy Commanders of the Theater: Hu Zongnan, Tang Enbo, Zeng Wanzhong, Guo Jiqiao, and Sun Weiru. ’”

There was silence in the room.

Chen Cheng's tone softened slightly: "The current enemy in the theater is actively completing transportation and strengthening fortifications, and there is a possibility of attacking the northwest at any time. In order to cope with the above-mentioned situation, the tasks of this theater are, in short, to carry out a protracted war with a wide range of frontal areas, and to hold the main force to hold the key passes between Baihe Ankang, Xiping Shangnan, and Lu's Nanjian, as well as the Henan-Shaanxi River defense, the key points of Yuhan, and the blockade line of Longdong in northern Shaanxi; In addition, the necessary forces were advanced into the occupied areas to establish the basis for a counteroffensive. It also controlled the effective troops to step up training in various localities and complete the operational preparations for both offensive and defensive situations. ”

Chen Cheng then asked: "Regarding the review of the failure of the battle between Henan and China, what are your opinions, you may wish to speak freely. ”

The audience was silent for five minutes, and the generals raised their heads from time to time to observe each other's words, but no one spoke first.

Chen Cheng asked with a slight mockery: "What, are you dumb?" ”

Cai Jigang couldn't help it, he only felt that the blood was gushing on his head, and he didn't vomit and was unhappy after many days of depression, otherwise he would really go crazy, he was the first to raise his hand and ask to speak.

Chen Cheng nodded: "Major General Cai Jigang, you say!" ”

Cai Jigang stood up and made an impassioned statement: "I think the biggest mistake of the First Theater Commander's Department is that it neglected to take precautions in advance. Before the Japanese army attacked, our side had obtained information and saw the enemy repair the Yellow River iron bridge, and Li Jiayu, commander of the 36th Group Army, put forward a very strategic proposal - send a small force to attack the north bank and blow up the Yellow River iron bridge again, but it was helplessly not adopted, and it was determined that it was a rumor offensive deliberately issued by the Japanese army. As a result, a small Japanese unit smuggled across the river two days before 17 April, and the river defense positions on the south bank of our country were clearly reconnoitred. In particular, the Japanese sappers repaired the bridge for several months in full view of our army! Our army sat idly by for a long time and did not move, causing the Japanese 3rd Tank Division to rush across the bridge and rampage on the central Henan Plain, as if entering a no-man's land. Now that Chief Li has been martyred, and in his words of concern and misfortune, how can all of us here comfort Chief Li's soul in heaven? ”

The generals present all bowed their heads and were speechless.

"There is also a fatal problem, that is, the deployment of our army's troops before the war, although the number of troops in the first theater is as many as 400,000, but a division guards a county, ten fingers press ten fleas, and each point is a disadvantage, and the Japanese army maneuvers back and forth, and at each point can concentrate absolutely superior forces to break through. No matter how brave and tenacious our officers and men are, they are unable to resist the attack of the superior forces of the Japanese army, and it is only a matter of time before they run out of fights, and there is no chance of victory. ”

Chen Cheng nodded and asked, "Is there anything else?" ”

Cai Jigang replied: "Not for the time being, let's talk about it when I think about it." ”

After Cai Jigang spoke, the atmosphere at the meeting became lively, and Li Junru, director of the logistics department of the commander's department, stood up and said very cautiously: "Logistics is also a big problem after the defeat in this war. ”

There was an uproar at the venue, and the generals exchanged heads and ears, all showing indignation.

Seeing this, Li Junru seemed to be encouraged, and plucked up the courage to continue: "In addition, the warehouses under the headquarters of the military station usually lend military rations to the peasants and collect interest, and there are even those who steal and sell military rations, so the troops are very short of military rations. In addition, the military rations distributed were all raw grain wheat, and the units had no choice but to use combat soldiers to grind their own flour, and it was difficult for all members to go into battle when the battle was fought together. In addition, many troops directly eat the people, resulting in the deterioration of military-civilian relations. Well, there are also military stations that requisition too many civilian vehicles, but most of them are used to transport goods for merchants, or smuggle goods for troops. ”

Chen Cheng's face gradually turned pale, and his right hand subconsciously tapped on the table.

A colonel from the office of the Chief's Office spoke: "When the Commander's Department moved, the management was lax and chaotic, the structure of the telegraph was chaotic, the responsibilities were unclear, and every time we arrived at a new location, there were always people who could not follow the action and were separated. Telephones were even more lost, and due to the loss of the codebook and the wrong wavelength call sign between the radio station and the troops, the contact was lost and the command was not possible. However, when the headquarters of the military station was transferred, most of the staff above the section chief level retreated without authorization, resulting in no one being responsible for the operations of the forward military station. It can be said that the command and management of the First Theater Commander's Department is paralyzed. ”

A lieutenant general stood up and said: "The troops generally eat empty quotas, but the actual shortage is huge. Before the war, more than half of the grain in the Luoyang market was sold by the troops. ”

Another lieutenant general immediately defended: "Combat units have the difficulties of fighting units, since the beginning of this year, prices have skyrocketed, and the prices of grain and commodities in the market have not been the same sooner or later, but there has been no increase in military salaries, and the monthly salaries of soldiers are only equal to a few cents or even a few cents before the war." All the expenses for non-staple food and office expenses have also been invisibly reduced, so that if the officer does not eat the empty amount, not only will he himself starve to death, but the whole army and the whole division will starve to death. ”

Another major general rushed to speak: "The most infuriating thing is the logistics personnel in charge of ammunition, I even suspect that they are traitors, they refuse to cooperate with the combat troops." There are ammunition warehouses in every county, but none of them are willing to send ammunition to the front. No matter how tense the war is, these bastards will wait for the troops to send troops to collect the bill of lading, if there is no bill of lading issued by the superior officer of the military station, even the deputy commander Tang Enbo will not expect to receive a bullet! On April 26, Chief Tang touched the nail of the junior officer of the military station in Dengfeng, and on May 10, he touched the nail of the military station in Song County. ”

Someone else continued, but the voice was much quieter: "The generals are not in harmony, and they do not trust each other. There is still a distinction between the local army and the central army. Many northern troops are poorly equipped, and there is a large shortage of soldiers, but they are used exclusively on the cusp of the storm, and the most fierce and tenacious battles of Xuchang and Luoyang in this battle were fought by miscellaneous armies, while some of the descendant troops have been recuperating and recuperating, and they are in a corner of peace, so unfair that the friendly forces cannot help each other in the same boat and cooperate with each other in combat. ”

Cai Jigang didn't look up, and when he heard the voice, he knew that it was Liu Changyi, the commander of the provisional 15th Army.

Chen Cheng didn't say a word, and paced back and forth in front of the map in annoyance.

Because Jiang Dingwen and Tang Enbo were not present, the military review meeting was very enthusiastic until 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the press conference of the headquarters of the first theater was held in the entrance hall of the headquarters guest house.

Xi'an party and government system, social elites, celebrities from all walks of life, social organizations, mass organizations, chamber of commerce representatives, and news media gathered together, noisy voices and warm atmosphere. On the north side of the hall was a podium covered with a tweed tablecloth and a microphone. All the senior officers in the First Theater sat behind the podium in the front and back rows according to their ranks, and Cai Jigang deliberately sat in the farthest position in the back row. He glanced up and saw his wife Zhao Xiangzhu standing in the front row of media reporters, and the couple glanced at each other without saying anything.

As soon as the press conference began, a male reporter immediately preemptively asked: "I am a reporter from the "Sweeping Daily", may I ask General Chen Cheng about the rout of the battle between Henan and China...... Forgive me for using these three words to describe it, don't you think so? Could General Chen please talk about the main reason for this rout? ”

Chen Cheng replied: "First of all, I think this gentleman's words are basically true, the Japanese army's No. 1 operation, the total strength of the eight divisions and regiments of 148,000 people, and our troops stationed in Henan have seven group armies, although there is a serious shortage of personnel, but there are also 400,000 local troops. From April 17, when the Japanese army broke through the Zhongmu River defense, to May 25, when Luoyang fell for 38 days, our army lost 38 towns, which can be described as a city lost in a day, and our army lost 200,000 soldiers, and the troops were crushed for thousands of miles, and the Japanese army rushed to Lushi County, western Henan. Another Japanese army almost broke into Tongguan, but fortunately it was blocked by the five armies of the Eighth Theater and established a defensive line in the areas of Lingbao, Lushi, and Xiping. Shaanxi's defense has been solidified, so please rest assured. ”

Chen Cheng wiped his sweat and continued: "Regarding the reasons for the failure of this battle, I think the first thing is that the command is not unified and the order is difficult to implement. The commands of the First Theater Commander's Department and the Deputy Commander's Department could not be unified, and Commander Jiang Mingsan and Deputy Commander Tang Enbo went their own way and did not consult with each other, which had a great impact on operations. After the loss of Xuchang, the main force of the Japanese army detoured to Luoyang and approached Longmen, and our headquarters ordered Deputy Chief Tang and all armies to join Luoyang, but they did not comply, so that the Japanese army was finally able to encircle Luoyang and divide its troops to attack the location of our commander's headquarters. The Commander's Headquarters of the First Theater did not judge the time of the instructions, so that the troops moved separately, creating an uncontrollable situation. The second point is that the troops' will to fight is low, the Japanese army used only a few hundred men at the beginning of the attack, and then gradually increased to 1,000 people, and our army collapsed without a fight. Seeing that we had no fighting spirit, the Japanese army began to concentrate on the transfer of large troops, and successively attacked our Mixian, Fanshui, Xinzheng, and Xuchang. At this time, the enemy's occupied areas north of the Yellow River and the newly occupied areas of the Japanese army were empty of defense, and as many as six or seven armies in the area from the Mengjin River to Fanshuimi County actually stood by and watched, refraining from attacking, and waiting for the enemy to come and break through, and this was also the main reason for our army's defeat. ”

Zhao Xiangzhu finally grabbed the microphone and asked: "I am a reporter from the Central Daily, and I have heard that our army lost a considerable part of its troops in this battle, and a considerable part of them were disarmed by local armed peasants. ”

Cai Jigang listened to it in the back row and thought: "Oh no, no one even dared to mention this matter at the military review meeting in the morning, there are too many political reasons involved, where can I make it clear for a while?" Xiangzhu, you really can't open a pot! ”

Chen Cheng did not answer immediately, a trace of imperceptible embarrassment flashed in his eyes, he was obviously considering the words: "I admit that the military discipline of the troops stationed in Henan has been extremely lax, and the people of Henan have long had the slogans of 'water and drought locust soup' and 'I would rather the enemy army burn and kill than the national army stationed'. Deputy Chief Tang can't lead by example, and his personality is too strong, and he often blinds each other and doesn't dare to raise his head. Yichuan, Songxian, and Dengfeng were sacked by the 85th Army, the 13th Army was in Mixian and Yucheng, the 8th Division was in Lushi, and the 40th Army was in Mudonggou. ”

Speaking of this, Chen Cheng paused for a moment and glanced back at the two rows of senior officers sitting behind him, and several generals lowered their heads in embarrassment.

Chen Cheng continued: "The special service group of the Chief's Department acted with the Commander's Department, and there were no chickens and dogs left everywhere. The army and the people are like enemies, and it is natural that the army cannot win the support of the people during the war. In addition, the enemy has already lurked traitors in the lower administrative cadre strata and in the townships and police stations to confuse the people and obstruct the national army. After the enemy broke through from Longmen, he immediately fled to Datun and held a meeting of the puppet armor chiefs, and the people welcomed it with flags at that time. The local team of Yiyang County was ordered to destroy the Luoyi section and Xinluo section of the road, and the people of Luoyang resisted with weapons on the pretext that they did not dare to anger the Japanese army, and secretly repaired the damaged place at night. In this case, how can we hope for the principle of military-civilian cooperation? ”

Zhao Xiangzhu was still unrelenting, and she took the microphone again: "General Chen said to Wang Gu that as far as I know, the robbery and killing of the scattered troops of the national army and the disarming of weapons are not just the local inferior bullies such as the chief of the township or the captain of the self-defense team, but the spontaneous behavior of a large number of people. My question is that in the war of resistance to aggression, some people in our country actually helped the enemy to surrender their own troops, and the reason for this unbelievable incident involves the relationship between the state and the people and the life and death plan of the War of Resistance. ”

Chen Cheng was a little displeased, but he used diplomatic rhetoric with grace: "This lady, I don't know what you said, if the situation is really as this lady said, I will investigate this matter clearly and give an explanation to friends from all walks of life." Which friend is asking below? ”

"General Chen, I am a reporter from Ta Kung Pao, and there are rumors among the people in Henan that the corruption of the garrison is not only a matter of military discipline and military rations, but also that the main energy of the Governor's Department is not to run the river defense military, but to do business to make money. Please do not protect your shortcomings and inform the public of the details so that you can set the record straight. Another male reporter started to attack again.

Chen Cheng replied calmly: "The Governor's Department opened a flour mill in Luoyang and used Longhai Road to operate coal for profit; In order to raise his own funds and seek his own supply plan, Deputy Chief Tang set up a material adjustment office at the head of the industry, which was later changed to a people's livelihood company to collect taxes in disguise; In addition, the Zhonghua Tobacco Factory was opened in Luohe, the Sany Alcohol Factory was opened in Jieshou, the paper factory was opened in Songxian, the Sany Textile Factory was opened in Zhenping, and the coal factory was opened in Lushan. Since this is the case with the commander's department, all the troops at the lower levels have followed suit, and they have been out of control. Officers at all levels have almost become figures who do not distinguish between officials and businessmen, all of them have thousands of dollars in their pockets, and they are extremely poor and luxurious. The vast majority of ordinary soldiers were starving, severely malnourished and emaciated. Officers and men cannot share weal and woe in their lives, and it is undoubtedly a fool's dream to ask such a unit composed of officers and men to carry forward their fighting spirit. ”

Zhao Xiangzhu grabbed the microphone again and asked a question that was not only difficult for Chen Cheng to answer, but also unexpected for the audience: "When General Chen was answering the reporter of the "Sweeping Daily" just now, he talked about the poor cooperation between Jiang Dingwen, the former chief and deputy commander, and Tang Enbo, who went their own way, resulting in the inability to unify the command and seriously affecting the operation. This is indeed a big problem. So, my question is: How will General Chen Cheng, the new commander of the First Theater of Operations, cooperate with the two deputy commanders, Generals Hu Zongnan and Tang Enbo, to command the operation? Because it is rumored in the party, government, and military system that it is difficult for General Chen Cheng to get along with General Hu and Tang due to his personality and faction, I think this may be a folk rumor and is not credible. However, this issue has a bearing on the safety of the military situation in China's First Theater, on the housing and livelihood of millions of people, and on the country's course of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. With all due respect, I hope General Chen will forgive me. ”

The audience was silent for two seconds, and then there was a cacophony of people talking to each other. The generals behind Chen Cheng first looked at each other, and then focused their eyes on Hu Zongnan. The eyes of the audience were focused on this good-looking and elegantly dressed female reporter.

Zhao Xiangzhu smiled, neither humble nor arrogant, quietly waiting for Chen Cheng to answer.

Cai Jigang's brain was already oozing sweat at this time, and he secretly complained in his heart. Zhao Xiangzhu really deserves her reputation, and she is really a reporter who causes trouble, and she doesn't give any face to senior officers. According to the practice of reporters, it is more appropriate to ask such questions only in private, so how can they be rashly asked in public?

Chen Cheng remained silent, waited for the noise in the venue to be a little weaker, raised his right hand and pressed down, and the audience immediately fell silent. Only then did a smile appear on his face, and he said slowly: "This female reporter dares to ask such a question, it can be said that she is bold and wise, and it seems that she is not an idle person. ”

The audience burst into good-natured laughter.

"At the beginning of my order, I was indeed a little lacking in confidence, some friends persuaded me to refuse, and some people in the military and political circles also wanted to see jokes, thinking that Chen could not get along with Hu Zongnan and Tang Enbo, and contemptible people could also feel it. Here, contemptible people should honestly inform friends from all walks of life, and people have fellowship with each other. To err is human? As long as there is no other mind, the rest is negotiable. Although Tang Enbo's negligence or crime in Henan is too numerous to mention, it is only after a thorough investigation that I know that many of them were committed by people with ulterior motives pretending to be Tang Bu. After I investigate this matter clearly, I will clear his name to the elders of Henan and friends from all walks of life, and I will surely get the people's understanding. ”

Zhao Xiangzhu picked up the microphone again: "General Chen only mentioned Tang Enbo, so what about Hu Zongnan?" General Chen didn't seem to mention it. ”

Chen Cheng frowned and said patiently: "Regarding Hu Zongnan, this person's loyalty and responsibility and his lack of collusion with politicians and bureaucrats can be called an election. His disadvantage lies in his secrecy and lack of proximity to people, so he has become a well-known mysterious figure in the northwest, not only unknown to the local fathers, but also found by the central government that he is not easy to control. Some specialize in its shortcomings, saying that his troops are weak in combat. I think this is probably a misunderstanding, except for the First Army, the 34th Group Army was incorporated by him on the orders of the Central Committee, and it was originally all our troops, but now they don't fight us, which is already very good. Therefore, it would be unfair to be too him. I want to live in harmony with Hu and Tang with this mentality, and strive to cooperate seamlessly. At present, some people think that the country is in danger and the world is difficult because no one speaks useful words, so this is the case, first, people who have officials do not need to speak; the second is that people who want to be officials dare not speak; The third is that people who know that they can't speak, and that it's useless to talk won't speak. I want to use my efforts to eliminate the malpractices and rectify the official system, and I will do my best and make every effort to make the country prosperous, and I also rely on the fathers and elders from all walks of life here and all my colleagues behind me to work together and cooperate sincerely, so that those who watch jokes will have no place to be ashamed! ”

There was silence again. Zhao Xiangzhu put down the interview book with a smile on his face, and was the first to applaud, followed by warm applause from the audience, which lasted for a long time.

Chen Cheng raised his hands and pressed down gently: "Please understand, today's press conference is here, because there are other arrangements below, the coffin of General Li Jiayu, commander of the 36th Group Army who died heroically in our theater, passed through our city, and now it will stop in the square outside, I will preside over the public memorial meeting of all walks of life in Xi'an, I hope everyone will actively participate in it, and send a final ride to General Li Jiayu, who sacrificed his life to go to the country!" ”

The audience responded strongly, and everyone left the venue in an orderly manner and came to the square outside.

The square was already crowded with people, people from all walks of life, staff of ** organs, and representatives of citizens on both sides of the square, and in the middle was a phalanx of soldiers lined up neatly by a fully formed infantry battalion. The audience was solemn, the atmosphere was sad, and in the slow mourning music, 12 tall soldiers lifted Li Jiayu's coffin from the car, while six people carried the coffin to the front of the steps and put it down gently. Chen Cheng and the generals all wore black gauze, took off their military hats, held them with their left hands, and stood solemnly on the steps.

Chen Cheng slowly raised his right hand and signaled for the mourning to pause. He opened a document with both hands, scanned the audience with his eyes, and read word by word:

"Praise Order: Li Jiayu, General of the Army and Commander-in-Chief of the 36th Group Army, is brave and resolute, and skillful. He was subordinate to Rong as early as possible, and the army was strictly organized. The division and brigade commander led the army, appeased the place, and had meritorious achievements. The Anti-Japanese War army was prosperous, and he was ordered to go out of Sichuan, transfer to Jin and Henan, defend key areas, thwart the enemy's planning, and be loyal and diligent. In this battle of the Central Plains, the superintendent rushed to the front, shed blood and died. For the country, it is deeply mourning. It should be praised by an explicit order, handed over to the military committee for preferential consideration, and enshrined in the Martyrs' Shrine. The life deeds are stored in the Xuanfu National History Museum, and they are heroic, and they are shown to come. This order! Republic of China**, 10 June 1944. ”

When the mourning music sounded, Chen Cheng led the generals to bow three times in front of Li Jiayu's coffin, and then came to Li Jiayu's wife An Shufan to shake hands and mourn and comfort the family.

Cai Jigang deliberately ranked last in the queue of generals, and when it was his turn, he stepped forward quickly, holding An Shufan's outstretched hand with both hands, his mind was blank, and he couldn't remember a word of the comforting words he had prepared before, just stared blankly at An Shufan's old face.

A relative who accompanied her said: "When my wife received the obituary, her black hair turned gray overnight. ”

An Shufan choked up and said: "I heard from friends in the army that General Cai led his troops to risk death to recapture the body of his deceased husband, and he was immeasurably loyal. His gratitude, even if there are thousands of words, will eventually show paleness! He bowed deeply.

Cai Jigang held on: "Why did Madame say this?" At the critical moment, his brother personally broke off, covered the whole army, and left us the hope of survival, which is a real chivalrous courage! It's just that Cai heard that there was a change behind him, and he was too late to return to help, and he failed to save his brother alive, so far he feels guilty and embarrassed, and he has no face to face his brother's soul in the sky! ”

Cai Jigang took out Li Jiayu's family letter, choked up and said: "Two days before his brother's martyrdom, he repaired a letter to his family, telling Cai to hand over this letter to his wife, but I never thought that it was his brother's masterpiece!" Please accept it and talk about Cai's wish! With that, he solemnly held the letter in his hands.

An Shufan took the letter tremblingly, slowly pasted the letter on her face for a long time, and sobbed silently. By the time she opened it, it was mostly soaked with tears.

Cai Jigang looked up with blurry teary eyes, and the elegiac couplet in front of Li Jiayu's coffin was written by his wife An Shufan herself:

"The horse leather shroud is returned, it is a man who ends proudly, and he has no hatred! Only pity the old mother for her declining mother, and she is sent to death by her health, and it is still difficult to wish for her eyes; ”

"The cuckoo cries blood, and the painful master does not return, and he thinks it is love? It is like the orphans and naïve, clothed and taught, sad and empty, and the surviving are left. ”

At this time, Zhao Xiangzhu, who was standing in the crowd, stepped forward, gently grabbed Cai Jigang's right arm, and the two bowed deeply to the portrait of Li Jiayu in front of the coffin.

An Shufan and his family members boarded the sedan arranged by the Theater Commander's Department and guided the coffin to leave slowly, and all the officers and soldiers in the square solemnly raised their hands and saluted under the leadership of Chen Cheng, and everyone in the citizens stood in silence. An Shufan's long-suppressed cry came from the car.

Cai Jigang muttered to himself with tears in his eyes: "Brother Qixiang, you are leaving, my brother has seen you off......"