My name is Liu Ruming, the word Ziliang, Guangxu 21 years (1895) was born in Xian County, Hebei Province. The ancestors have been farming for generations, and they are only a family below the average level. Later, because of the descendants of the family, the family property was constantly divided, and by my grandfather's generation, the family had only five acres of thin fields and three earthen houses. Fortunately, my father knew a little bit of medical skills, and he was able to see people and subsidize the family a little. Later, my father heard that there was gold everywhere outside the Guandong, and many people who broke into the eastern part of the country made foreign money, but there was a lack of doctors there, and many people shot a few taels of gold sand, an old mountain ginseng, mink and bear paws in order to treat diseases. My father was very moved when he heard this, so he went to the Northeast to seek development.

Who knew that there was an outbreak of plague soon after arriving in the Northeast, and my father happened to be in Harbin at the time, but he was also unfortunately infected and was in danger. At this time, Sun Xiansheng, who was then the minister of the Qincha and handled the affairs of epidemic prevention inside and outside the customs, took his father into the nursing home and took care of him. Later, Mrs. Sun Zhao discovered the special medicine and the father turned the corner.

After this ordeal, my father also rested his heart to make a fortune in the Northeast and returned to his hometown to live a stable life. But he often said to our brothers: "My old life was given by Master Sun and Mrs. Sun, which is equivalent to our Liu family owing others a life." I'm old, and I don't have much ability, I'm afraid that I won't be able to repay it in this life, but you are still young. If you grow up and have a chance, you must remember to repay the favor! ”

I have known Mr. Sun's name for a long time.

When I was about ten years old, my father was still at home and could get by, so he sent me to the school in the town. At that time, the atmosphere in the north was not open, and education was backward. Although the imperial examination has been abolished, teachers still teach old antiques such as the "Three Character Classic", "Thousand Character Text", and the Four Books and Five Classics. Until one day a young gentleman came to the school and brought a new set of textbooks printed by the Commercial Press. Let's each borrow. Turning the first page of each book was a portrait of a handsome young man, we were so curious that we asked him, "Sir, who is the picture in this book?" ”

"He is Mr. Sun Baixi, who wrote this set of textbooks!" The young gentleman looked admiring.

"He made up all the books?" We were amazed because this set of books covers primary schools, middle schools and even universities, including mathematics, physics and chemistry, literature and history. There are hundreds of them.

"Yes!" The young gentleman nodded very affirmatively: "This Mr. Sun is very knowledgeable, just like Sage Kong!" He is as knowledgeable as the sea and a scholar of heaven and man. Even foreigners all over the world had to salute respectfully when they saw him. ”

In our young minds, we don't know what it means to be "as knowledgeable as the sea and pedantic and human", but we have only heard that foreign devils are very cruel, and they don't even take the emperor and the queen mother in their eyes. Angry and broke into the city of Beijing. drove the emperor and the queen mother to Xi'an. Why would the foreign devil be respectful to the young man in the book? We don't understand.

But we know about Confucius, because we were given a portrait of him on our first day of school. Sage Kong is very ugly, and he has a long beard on his face, which makes him look very powerful. And the person in the book is very handsome, and so young, is he really that powerful? Later, when I heard my father's story, I had a superficial understanding of Mr. Sun's greatness.

In October of the third year of Xuantong, when my father was practicing medicine in the county seat, he heard that there were people in Hubei who rebelled. Mr. Sun was appointed governor of Sichuan, and along the way he recruited troops to quell the rebellion. So he hurried home and asked me to go to the army to serve.

At that time, I was just 16 years old, and I was studying hard in the school, and I had the idea of "learning and excelling" in order to change the face of my family. However, the imperial examination system has been abolished, and it is no longer possible to become an official by studying. If you want to have a good background, you must go to university. If you want to get a good job, you have to be at least in high school. However, I have a sister, a sister and a brother, and my family life is very difficult, so there are no conditions for me to go to high school. So I was very depressed.

My father wanted me to inherit his medical skills, and my mother wanted to send me to be an apprentice in a shop, but I was still a businessman, and my personality was not compatible. At this time, I suddenly heard that my father asked me to join the army, and I suddenly felt that my eyes lit up. Joining the army can not only repay the father's kindness, but also reduce the burden on the family, and if there is a future income, you can also support your parents and support your sisters and younger brothers. The day after my father told me, I left my homeland where I had lived for 16 years with what little savings my family had, and went to join the army.

Where to go to join the army? The people who spread the news in the county were unknown, and I, a fledgling stunned youth, was even more confused. Fortunately, someone pointed out: Mr. Sun is going to take office as the governor of Sichuan, whether he goes south or west, he must pass through Zhengding Mansion, so it is better to go there to find out the news. It is three or four hundred miles from Xian County to Zhengding Mansion, and I walked for five days. On the way, I also met Sun Liangcheng and Shi Yousan, who also wanted to join the army, so we went to Shijiazhuang Railway Station to inquire about the situation.

Coincidentally, the 3rd Battalion of the 87th Standard of the 44th Mixed Association of the Provisional Army passed by the railway station that afternoon, and General Jiang Zuobin, who was the battalion commander at the time, warmly received us in his busy schedule. After listening to our request to join the army, General Chiang was a little embarrassed: "We do want to recruit soldiers, but we only recruit students from the school affiliated to Jingshi University, because they are healthy, educated, and have undergone military training, so they can directly participate in the battle. Although you are all strong young men, I am afraid that you will not meet the requirements in other aspects, right? ”

Shi Yousan hurriedly said: "Report to the chief, I have studied for a few days in Xia, Guangxu 34 years (1908) dropped out of school to join the army, and served as a soldier in the Sixth Association of Wu Ziyu (Wu Peifu) Battalion in the Third Town of the Army, and then the Third Town was exiled after a mutiny. Under the safety of the commander, you can directly participate in the battle, please take it in! ”

General Jiang nodded when he heard this: "Since this is the case, you can stay!" ”

I also hurriedly said: "Chief Report, although I am not a student of the school affiliated to Jingshi University, I have read the textbook written by Mr. Sun. Moreover, my father was infected with the plague in Harbin at the end of last year, and Mr. Mengsun and Mrs. Sun's treatment saved the day. When my father heard the news of your recruitment, he ordered him to join the army from Xianxian County. Although I don't know anything about the army, as long as I can stay, I will study hard and not lag behind! ”

General Jiang laughed: "You and Mr. Sun actually have such a relationship, that's good." You can stay too! ”

Of the three of us, only Sun Liangcheng couldn't say anything, but fortunately, he was also literate, and Shi Yousan and I were on the side to help intercede. After begging for a long time, he reluctantly stayed, and was assigned to the 2 teams, 2 platoons and 1 shed of the 3rd Battalion.

Although the three of us enlisted in the army at the same time, Sun Liangcheng and I had never been in contact with the army before, so we only felt novel; Shi Yousan had been in the army for a period of time before, and he felt that our 44th Concord and the Beiyang Army were very different, for example, the instructors in the platoon would give us lessons every night, in addition to the knowledge of military training and ideological education. There are also history, geography, Chinese language, mathematics, current politics and so on. All of the above are subject to regular assessment. In addition, there are more difficult courses in physics, chemistry, electronics, philosophy, etc., which are available to interested soldiers, and it is said that after three years of enlistment, soldiers who have taken enough courses and perform well can be directly escorted to Jingshi University.

Sun Liangcheng and I both just came out of school. The foundation is good, and it is easy to learn. Shi Yousan was twenty years old when he joined the army, the oldest of the three of us, and the longest out of school. It's very hard to learn. often complains to us: Where is this soldier's salary? It's clearly just a show of study!

Another characteristic of the 44th Association is that it is rich in money. For example, a few of us recruits who had just joined the army had eight taels of silver every month (later converted into the ocean), and the head of the shed was ten taels of silver, and they were paid on time without deductions. According to Shi Yousan, the regular soldiers of the Beiyang Army only have four taels of silver per month, and the head of the shed is five taels, which is half less than that of our troops. Maybe this is one of the reasons why Shi You complained every day but was reluctant to leave the army, right?

Although there is more money on hand. But my life in the army was very frugal, and I didn't have any hobbies. Except for food and daily necessities, I didn't need a penny, and I saved more than six taels of silver in the first month. When I had accumulated thirty or fifty taels, I asked someone to bring them home, and wrote to my parents not to be too tired, and to let my younger brother read as much as possible if he could read. Every time I send money, I am very happy in my heart because I feel that I am an adult and can afford the responsibilities of the eldest son and the eldest brother. But the parents did not spend much on the money they received, the father still farmed and went to the doctor's office, and the mother still spun and weaved from morning to night, and they saved all the money for us children in the future.

Another characteristic of the 44th Association is that it is new, for example, it was established late, from the commander to the soldiers, they are very young, and the knowledge they learn is the most cutting-edge, wearing a steel helmet on their heads, wearing camouflage uniforms, holding a Zhonggong 1911 rifle in their hands, the heavy firepower in the platoon is mortars, and the silver is Sun Datou...... Everything embodies the word "new". Most of the robes in the same row were young students who had just come out of school at the age of seventeen or eighteen, and they were very lively and simple, without the slightest habit of military camp. This is also what I like the most about the 44th Association.

After enlisting in the army, we arrived in Luoyang with the train, where we received weapons and uniforms, and replenished new soldiers. General Chiang did not lie to us, and the people who enlisted in the army were indeed students from the school affiliated to Jingshi University. After the unit was reorganized, the platoon commander knew that I had studied and had no military training, so he asked me to work as a clerk in the platoon.

The so-called paperwork is to make a roster and write an official document. I thought to myself: Since I came to be a soldier, I have to get a straight background with a knife and a gun, what is the strength of being a clerk? So I begged the platoon commander to let me go back and continue to be a private. The platoon commander couldn't be worn down by me, so he had to hand me a copy of the "School Military Training and Drill Code" compiled by Mr. Sun, and said: "If you learn this book well and do it to the same standard as other soldiers, you can go back and continue to be a private." If you can't study well, then continue to be your essay! ”

So I carefully read the "School Military Training Manual", and whenever I had time, I went to observe the drills of other soldiers, and at night I worked hard to ask the instructors and the head of the shed for advice, and often trained alone until late at night. After hard work, before the troops arrived in Xi'an, they finally met the requirements of the platoon commander and became a glorious private. In the process of recovering Xi'an, I took the lead in entering the city from the east gate and attacking the yamen of the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and was commended by the governor of Zhao and won the "first-class commemorative medal of Shaanxi Guangfu".

The above is excerpted from the first chapter of "Enlistment" of "Memories of a Soldier" (also known as "Liu Ruming's Memoirs"). (To be continued......)