Chapter 13: Changing Guards (59)

On February 4, 1942, the beginning of spring, the day of the month of the lunar calendar, it is suitable for sacrifice, bathing, consecration, plastic painting, praying for blessings, asking for heirs, making alliances, crowning, tailoring, marrying, breaking ground, removing clothes, making clothes, moving and breaking ground, starting to accumulate, traveling, announcing, releasing water, opening the market, establishing bonds, and trading. The West Street of Mengxia Town became lively for a while because of the Zhou family's happy event. Counting nine cold winters, the green leaves have fallen, the new shoots have not yet emerged, and the two rows of green trees on the West Avenue are only a few branches with teeth and claws. Today, the branches are draped in red and hung with colors, and I suddenly feel very festive.

Early in the morning, Sun Cheng, the chief of the Xinzha Tongcheng County Police Department, walked out of the bureau, dressed brightly, with a large-brimmed police hat on his head, a woolen police uniform on his body, a wide leather armed belt tied around his waist, and a small yellow cowhide quick-draw holster. There are a lot of open-mouth pedals in China, which are the best products in German-made weapons, but most people have only seen the old-fashioned open-mouth pedal, that is, the Mauser M1914 pistol, but rarely see the new open-mouth pedal Mauser M1934 pistol, which Director Sun carried on his waist, is clearly a Mauser M1934 pistol that is difficult to buy with money. This kind of gun, generally the wearer must be a lieutenant colonel or above the rank of officers and staff officers of the Central Department, Sun Cheng can get one, if it is not a good life, it will take a lot of time.

Underneath the holsters are police-style breeches that can cut tofu through the trouser line, and underneath the pants are a pair of black leather boots that can be used as mirrors. After Director Sun walked out of the police station, he also went around to the pork stall in the market, got a piece of pigskin the size of a palm, and painted the leather boots with another layer of oil.

The reason why Director Sun is so solemn is because he got a task today to be the best man of the groom.

The bride Zhou Shiming's bridesmaid is Liu Ruyan, the eldest lady of the Liu family's sugar, tobacco, alcohol, and grocery store. Compared with Director Sun, Miss Liu is much more normal, a corset cheongsam, elegant terrazzo blue, dotted with a few red flowers, standing next to the bride in red, a small freshness is even more eye-catching.

Mo Di seems to have been tricked, it is actually a bright robe and horse coat, as if he is a remnant of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and he also has a thin top hat on his head, and on both sides of the top hat, there are two red flowers. Fortunately, there are three-joint leather shoes under the feet, and if there is another pair of cloth shoes, it will be a real old product in the Guangxu years.

Looking at Sun Cheng standing behind him, Mo Di was very awkward, and finally found the reason for the awkwardness, and said: "I said why do I feel uncomfortable, I know, you kid is dressed like this, where am I the groom, a prisoner." ”

Zhou Shiming and Liu Ruyan suddenly laughed and trembled, completely ignoring their identity and image.

Only then did Director Sun realize that he was wrong, rushed out of Zhou's store, grabbed a bicycle at the front of the entrance, and flew back to change clothes.

An invincible wedding, a typical combination of East and West. Because there is no in-law's house, because the new house is arranged in the backyard of the mother's house, most of the old rites are canceled at once. At the right time, a couple with the best man and bridesmaid and the woman's parents waited for the guests in front of the store, including the woman's relatives and friends, as well as some representative figures of the man.

At the beginning of noon, the personnel arrived to hold a wedding ceremony, the woman's maternal uncle and uncle were all in place, and the man's representatives Zhang Guangwei and Li Benyi also came to Zhou's store. As the main wedding person who finally grabbed it, Wei Jiqing was also excited. I heard him shout: "The hour has come, ascend to the church!" ”

After everyone paused, there was a burst of laughter.

Hearing the laughter, Wei Jiqing realized that he had made a mistake, his face flushed, and after snorting himself twice, he said again: "The auspicious time has arrived, and the bride and groom will visit the church." After finishing speaking, he asked Jiang Hongxi beside him: "This time there is nothing wrong, right?" ”

Jiang Hongxi rolled his eyes back and said, "If you weren't the county magistrate, you would have been dragged out and beaten just now." ”

"Worship heaven and earth." On behalf of heaven and earth, it is the ancestral tablet, and in the middle of the hall, it is clearly the tablet of Mo's heaven and earth.

"Two worship the high hall." The representative of the high hall is the old grandmother of the Zhou family, and the old lady sits in the middle of the hall and is very happy.

"Husband and wife worship each other." This work must be done in person.

Next, it is the performance time of other people, under the witness of the witness Jiang Hongxi, the man's representative Zhang Guangwei and the woman's representative Zhou's father spoke as representatives, the content is similar, but some words wishing a couple a hundred years of happiness and old age. Tan Heyi went to Chongqing to report on his work, and Mrs. Tan's wife Qiu Yunying carried the matchmaker's pig's head. With the order of the parents, the words of the matchmaker, the rigorous ceremony, and the witness of everyone, the ceremony was completed.

Next, it's time for the woman's wedding feast.

Zhang Guangwei and Li Benyi, as the men's representatives, must be seated, and similarly, Wei Jiqing and Jiang Hongxi, who are staff members, must also be seated. Zhang Guangwei and Li Benyi are both in military uniforms, Li Benyi's rank of major general may not be unfamiliar to most people, but Zhang Guangwei's rank of lieutenant general is rare in Tongcheng, the length of the first army, and the rank is not low. Fortunately, Qiu Yunying will arrange to make a table of eight immortals in the study outside Mo Di's new house and settle the four of them.

"Thank you, Director Jiang, the magistrate of Wei County, for your condescension and dedication to the invincible marriage." Zhang Guangwei said politely. Li Benyi also bowed his hand to the two county magistrates to express his gratitude.

Li Benyi, the commander of the 138th Division, and Director Jiang, the magistrate of Wei County, had also heard of it, but as for Zhang Guangwei, they were very unfamiliar with it. After being introduced, I learned that it was the deputy of the 84th Army, stationed in the mall, a little far away. Jiang Hongxi said with a smile: "We and Mo Tianzong are on the same acre of land in Tongcheng, and it is natural for us to help each other." I am a native of Guangxi County, and I am also a fellow countryman, so I should do my best. ”

"That's it, the two chiefs are polite." County Magistrate Wei said: "Although we haven't known Mo Di for a long time, we also hit it off at first sight, I don't know how long the two of you have known Tianzong?" ”

"I am a native of Guilin Yongfu, Tianzong is a Baishou person, not far away, we are a real little fellow countryman." Zhang Guangwei said: "In the fourteenth year of the Republic of China, I went to Baishou to recruit soldiers with Shankuan, and met Mo Di, who was only fourteen years old at the time. As Confucius said, the deceased is like a husband, reluctant to give up day and night. ”

Li Benyi also shook his head and sighed. From the small orderly soldiers of the year, to today's dominating one side, creating the name of "invincible in the world", the years are really a carving knife, and every stroke and every knife will leave a deep imprint.

Zhang Guangwei arrived in Tongcheng tomorrow night, and for the sake of the invincible wedding, he resigned from the important task of going to Chongqing to report on his work. The recruits recruited from Vinh Phuc back then, the dead, the disabled, the discharged, the fleeing, and the last remaining ones were invincible. What is rare is that for 17 years, everyone has been taking care of each other and contacting each other closely, not brothers, but like brothers. He knows that this time apart, he doesn't know when he will be able to meet, and in the years of fighting, although he is scattered and gathered, he always has a feeling of longing in his heart.

Li Benyi came to Tongcheng relatively early, it has been three days, he is sincere to help Mo Di do things, as a brother to manage all kinds of affairs, he has a big wife in his hometown, and married a little wife in Anhui, he is more familiar with marrying a wife, it can be said that he is familiar with the road. He is grateful to Modi, not to mention that he received Modi relief in Zhejiang before, even when he came to the 138th Division this time, he also got great help from Modi, and the division headquarters moved to Yuexidian, and he was able to take root in Qianshan Taihu Susong, all thanks to Modi's assistance. It can be said that in the two major battles of Yebu Mountain and Bayang River, although the 138th Division lost its troops and lost its generals, it won with the help of the invincible, and it was these two victories that established its absolute authoritative position in the 138th Division. After moving to the front of the store, Cui Jian, the former deputy commander of the 138th Division, was transferred, and Li Pinxian's own nephew, Major General Li Yingjun, who graduated from the 2nd phase of the Guangxi Military Academy and the 16th phase of Lu University, served as the new deputy division commander, and the 138th Division once again entered the field of vision of the group army, and the previous C-level division was largely restored to the B-level division level. Before Li Yingjun went to participate in the 16th study period of Lu University, he was the commander of the special service battalion of the 21st Group Army Headquarters, and when he graduated, Li Pinxian upgraded the special service battalion to a special service regiment, and Li Yingjun was still the head of the regiment. As soon as Li Ben was transferred to the 138th Division, one of the most important tasks was to open the way for Li Yingjun, as long as Li Yingjun was ripe, he could easily take over the 138th Division. In the past two days, Mo Di gave him an analysis of the current situation of the 138th Division, in one sentence: The tide rises and the boat rises, Li Yingjun wants to be promoted, so he will help him be promoted, as his superior, if there is no big mistake, he will not be dismissed or demoted, he can only be promoted steadily, and the worst is also a flat adjustment. Li Benyi and Li Pinxian have a good relationship, and putting Li Yingjun here is not a manifestation of Li Pinxian's concern for Li Benyi. After flipping through the analysis, Li Ben's mouth suddenly opened, and the future was bright.

Before the banquet of the woman's family ended, the bride and groom moved to the military camp.

The best men and bridesmaids accompanied them, Zhang Li and Jiang Wei followed, and Zhou Shiming's two younger brothers, running back and forth like monkeys, took the lead out of the gate of Zhou's house.

As soon as they went out, everyone took a look, only to see that the right half of West Street had been sealed, and the heavily armed military police had three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry, blocking pedestrians from the cordon. Mo Di smiled and said, "What do you want to do?" Sun Cheng said proudly: "Happy." Mo Di said: "Disturb the people too much! Sun Cheng replied: "Once in a while, the people can understand." ”

Mo Di had no choice but to leave surrounded by a group of people. What happened next, even more surprised Mo Di and others, every time they passed in front of a business, someone came out, said a few words of congratulations, and then hung a red ribbon on Mo Di's body, and when he arrived at the guard camp, Mo Di hung dozens of them, the whole person was like a big red silk group, the wind blew, and the ribbons danced.

Entering the guard camp, Mo Di was immediately carried up by a group of brothers, the sound of firecrackers, shouting, all together, until the chief manager Su Tingxun opened the banquet, Mo Di was put down by the brothers and returned to the bride.

The face is great, Mo Di is sincerely excited, Wei Yongcheng and Jin Tongxuan from Lihuang, Zhong Ji from Lu'an, Xu Ping from Jiashan, Hao Wenbo from Shipai, and Song Erhu from Bengbu...... As for the 48th Army, the officers at or above the regimental level of the two divisions of the 176th Division and the 138th Division were basically all in place, no less than a major operational meeting of the 48th Army. What Mo Di didn't expect was that among the crowd who came to congratulate him, there were actually two unexpected figures, one was Li Shigui, commander of the 11th Brigade of the Anqing Peace Founding Army, and the other was Lin Weixian, deputy chief of staff of the 7th Division of the New Fourth Army.

Li Shigui was accompanied by Liu Jin, head of the Gaohebu Garrison Regiment, and Liu Renkai, head of the Zongyang Garrison Regiment, who accompanied Lin Wei. What excited Mo Di the most was that Lin Weixian actually sent a congratulatory message from General Zhang Yunyi, which Mo Di thought in public that this was the best gift he received at his wedding.