The award was officially announced on a hot afternoon more than two months later, and it was Li Longdao, adjutant general of the General Headquarters of the 23rd Route Army. Li Longdao said: There are two reasons why the award of the medal has been delayed for so long: First, the injuries of the three comrades are too serious, and they are afraid that they will not be able to get out of bed when the award is awarded; Second, we must also wait for the response of the Chongqing Central Committee. Now, although their injuries have not completely healed, they are all able to get up, and they have received a commendation telegram named by Chairman Chiang himself.

The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. the next morning at the compound of the General Headquarters of the 23rd Route Army.

When parting, Li Longdao repeatedly explained that he asked them to pay attention to military appearance and discipline, and not to show foreign appearance in their own general headquarters and make Chinese and foreign reporters laugh.

At 8:20 a.m. the next day, two cars from the General Headquarters of the 23rd Route Army drove to the hospital. Adjutant General Li Longdao and two entourages took Duan Renyi, Huo Jack, and Ouyang Gui, who were wearing the new uniforms of the 23rd Route Army, into the car. Fifteen minutes later, the two cars arrived at the compound of the former land-based beach special administration where the headquarters was located.

General Han Peige was waiting at the gate of the compound, surrounded by a group of retinue officers. As soon as Duan Renyi got out of the car, he noticed that the general was dressed in a brand-new lieutenant general's uniform and had a shaved beard, he was very majestic and energetic, and he seemed to be younger than when he saw him in the provincial headquarters more than half a year ago. The general is still a general, and this tragic battle, which buried the entire New Third Regiment, not only did not leave any traces on the general, but made the general appear more calm and magnificent.

Duan Renyi was shocked by General Han Peige's magnificence, and before he could walk in front of the general, under the gaze of the general's majestic gaze, he raised his arm and saluted the general and the entourage officers beside the general. Huo Jack and Ouyang Gui beside him saluted when they saw him, and they also saluted one after another.

The salute was very standard, and the general seemed quite satisfied, and returned the salute, hehe, laughing. The general's eyes under the two thick eyebrows narrowed slightly because of the smile, and many deep wrinkles appeared at the corners of the eyes and forehead. Lang Lang smiled, the general took a few steps in front of them, grabbed his hand first and shook it, and then shook hands with Huo Jack and Ouyang Gui.

The general held Ouyang Gui's hand and said with his face to him:

"Commander Duan, your new three regiments are fighting well! I, the commander-in-chief, have a light on his face! I want to salute you! ”

Ouyang Gui withdrew his hand from the general's hand and snorted:

"More than 1,800 old and young masters have been killed, can you fight badly!"

The general glanced at Ouyang Gui attentively, and then turned his gaze to him. He was shocked in his heart, calmed down his emotions, and reluctantly smiled:

"Yes...... It's the head seat that you command well! ”

The general shook his hand:

"Where! Where! It's the brethren who fight well! Without the three days of stubborn resistance and containment by the brothers, there would have been no great victory in promoting the prestige of the army and the country! After reading our operational summary, the chairman of the committee said at a recent military meeting: 'If all units of our army have such dedication, they will surely be able to conquer the country day by day within three years!' 'The evaluation of the commission is very high! ”

The committee also knows about this bloody battle? So, does the commission know how the New Third Regiment was betrayed? I don't think you know. The general in front of him will never report the real situation to the commission, and the dark curtain of the war is too deep.

Duan Renyi thought.

The general was so powerful that he seemed to see through his thoughts, and when he invited them to the lounge to sit down, he straightened his face and said:

"There are a lot of Chinese and foreign journalists coming today, and some of them may have to ask some bizarre questions. Well, for example, some people suspect that there is some secret behind the sacrifice of your new three regiments, which is ridiculous! Here, the commander-in-chief can responsibly tell you that the sacrifice of the new third regiment was entirely necessary for the overall situation of the battle, and there was no non-combat reason at all. To fight a war is to kill people, and there is no question of who deserves to die and who does not. In the overall situation of the Battle of Hexi, the New Third Regiment was a chess piece; In the overall situation of China's War of Resistance, even our entire 23rd Route Army was just a chess piece. You should know this as well as the Commander-in-Chief. ”

The general may have a point, but Duan Renyi doesn't believe it. The Jiadian incident is real, and he Duan Renyi will not forget it, and General Han Peige will not forget it. This narrow-minded general can penetrate the military map with one shot in the provincial city headquarters, and can order the destruction of the Jiadian, so he will inevitably be able to retaliate against the people of the Jiadian by means of war.

The general was still talking, calmly and naturally:

"There is also a rumor, which has a nose and eyes, that the brothers of the New Third Regiment fought well because the commander-in-chief sent a team of overseers, and they also killed many brothers behind their backs. Now, the Commander-in-Chief can also responsibly tell you that the two clashes with the 1761 Regiment were due to misunderstandings, especially on the last night, when the 1761 Regiment thought it was a sneak attack by devils. Oh, by the way: the 1761 regiment was ineffective this time, and the commander surnamed Zhao had been withdrawn by me. I have already made it clear to the reporters that not a single person in the New Third Regiment retreated in fear of the enemy, and not a single person escaped from the battle. ”

The general glanced at him, Jack Ho and Ouyang Gui, and said lightly:

"Gentlemen journalists are difficult to deal with, you all have to be careful when answering questions!"

At this time, it was almost time to confer the medal, and the general looked at his watch and got up to take his leave.

At about nine o'clock, he, Jack Huo, and Ouyang Gui were surrounded by Li Longdao and a group of adjutants, passed through the side door of the war room of the headquarters, entered the conference hall, and sat down in the prominent seats reserved for them in the audience. As soon as they sat down, two blue-eyed and blonde foreign reporters and four or five Chinese reporters crowded over to take pictures, and the photographic lights flashed incessantly and white smoke rose from the explosion.

Before the photo was taken, someone on the stage was already speaking, as if it was a person from the General Headquarters wearing the uniform of a major general. Probably to read Chairman Chiang's commendation order. Many people in the audience applauded, and amid the applause, the military band played military music. Li Longdao asked them to come to power, saying that General Han Peige, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Liu, and Chief of Staff General Shao would give them medals respectively.

He looked at Huo Jack and Ouyang Gui, who took the lead in standing up as the head of the regiment, and climbed the steps with heavy steps.

The long-awaited moment has finally arrived.

A county town that has lost a man will take revenge on a general.

The Ma'anshan Blockade will be in the general's own headquarters and will be finally concluded at this award ceremony.

No panic, no fear, he had died once in that wet night. This death after revenge is only a supplement to that unfinished death.

He calmly and calmly walked up to the general.

The general smiled at him.

The general's smile was far-fetched and harsh, and his mouth seemed to be pulled apart by several invisible pincers, which closed very slowly, very slowly......

The general held in his hand a medal tied with a red ribbon, red as blood, which hung limply from between the general's fingers, and hung above the long table covered with a white tablecloth, shaking slightly.

The short and fat Deputy Commander-in-Chief Liu and Chief of Staff General Shao also held the medal in their hands, but it was not the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal. The Order of the Blue Sky and the White Sun, which represents the highest honor for a soldier, was only awarded to him, the former county magistrate, on an exceptional basis.

When he walked in front of the general, Jack Ho Jack passed him and walked in front of General Shao, and Ouyang Gui also stood in front of the short and fat Deputy Commander-in-Chief Liu.

Chinese and foreign reporters rushed to the steps and pointed their cameras at them again.

It's time to get started.

He slowly raised his wounded right hand, and before touching his military hat to complete a military salute, he resolutely used his left hand to pull out the six-wheeled pistol hidden in his arms.

However, as soon as the gun was taken out, the shell gun in the hands of Jack Ho and Ouyang Gui had already exploded first, and at least four shots hit the general's chest. The general did not have time to react to the sudden onslaught, and slumped into the sheepskin-covered chair behind him.

The general's blood, as bright red as the more than 1,800 brothers who had fallen from the New Third Regiment, burst out of his chest, staining his straight uniform, the white tablecloth in front of him, and the medals that fell on the tablecloth.

Revenge was achieved, the attack was over, he didn't have time to shoot, and he didn't need to shoot,—— Jack and Ouyang Gui had more reason than him, and they were more qualified to shoot, and they still had the warheads and shrapnel given to them by the 1761 Regiment on their bodies.

The hand slowly drooped, and the six-wheeled pistol, which had not yet been unslotted, fell to the ground.

Almost at the same time, a large number of guards poured into the side. The gun in the guard's hand also rang out, Ouyang Gui was shot several times in his body and killed at his feet, and Hojack also took a shot in the leg. Before he could recover his senses, he and Hocek, who had been wounded again, were restrained by the guards who swarmed him.

Incredibly, after being shot four times, the general did not die, but stood up with his body propped up, and with a hand full of blood, he handed over the blood-stained Blue Sky and White Sun Medal tremblingly, and said to him with a wry smile:

"Take ...... Take it! You...... Yours! ”

This came as a big surprise to him. He was not ready to accept the medal at all, he was determined to take revenge with death, and the general asked him to take the medal now! He didn't want to take it, he couldn't take it, his hands were clutched by the guards, and his whole body couldn't even move.

The general waved his hand and asked the guards to let him go.

After being released, he remained in his original distorted posture in shock, standing dumbfounded, like a painful and numb statue.

The general desperately supported his body, let the short and fat Deputy Commander-in-Chief Liu stuff the medal into his hand, looked at him kindly, and said intermittently:

"Looks like an officer, Duan...... Captain Duan! Remember...... I remember in the provincial headquarters, I ...... What do I say to you? I...... I said, use ...... It won't take half a year, it's called ...... that you will be an elephant...... Decent regimental leader! No...... Not bad! ”

The medical officer came up to bandage the general's wounds, and the general pushed him away, gasping for breath, and continued:

"New ...... The number of the new third regiment is still ...... You're still there, this regiment leader...... You're going to keep doing it! Resist...... If the War of Resistance is not over, it will ...... Just do it! And you...... Your regimental deputy, too...... Keep doing it, I'm ...... I will call Deputy Commander-in-Chief Liu and ...... The younger brother of the 23rd Route Army...... Brothers, treat ...... well Wait for you ......"

Finally, the general straightened up his bloody body and said to him, to the officers around him, and to the people in the audience:

"Both...... It's all gone, the award knot...... Come to an end! ”

After speaking, the general fell with a bang, as if he had fallen a wall.

He was stupid, numb, and didn't know whether he was alive or dead, or where he was. Holding the bloody medal in his hand, he seemed to have returned to the front of Ma'anshan, which was filled with the smoke of artillery fire, and seemed to see the corpses all over the mountains again. He thought that the fallen general was a staff officer of the Fang and Lan Duzhong, who was hit by the enemy's guns, and he wanted to cry and shout, but he couldn't cry or shout. He thought he was dead again, that the wet night bullets had pierced his skull, that he was not a man, but a wandering ghost.

It was dark in front of him, and he fell down......