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Tang Yue sat at the simple table in the command post. The dim yellow light of the oil lamp flickered on the letter paper, making her furrowed brows and focused expression appear and disappear.
Her grip on the pen tightened slightly as she began to draft a letter for Commander Kang.
She certainly wouldn't write directly to her mother; she knew how much of the letter her mother could understand. Once the letter arrived, she would simply ask Commander Kang to inform her mother that she had safely reached the battlefield.
He wrote a long and detailed piece, the handwriting neat and the content seemingly ordinary, yet it contained hidden meanings. On the surface, it was a eulogy for the sacrifice of his father and battalion commander, the words sincere and sorrowful, but between the lines were coded messages that only Commander Kang could understand.
"The old locust tree at the entrance of the family compound has sprouted new buds, and it seems that the flowers will bloom exceptionally early this year. I would appreciate it if Commander Kang could find someone to pick more and pickle them, as she wants to be able to eat them when she goes back."
It was a seemingly ordinary, mundane conversation, but she hoped Commander Kang would understand her meaning. The old locust tree had died last year; Commander Kang had seen it, so he should understand. Shouldn't he?
Tang Yue poked her nose with her pen; she really didn't know if she and Commander Kang had this unspoken understanding. These letters would undergo layers of review before being sent back, so they couldn't be written too explicitly.
At the end of the letter, she also subtly mentioned, "Please ask Commander Kang to take care of some friends she just met in Kyoto when you have time." Tang Yue sighed, hoping that Commander Kang would understand what she meant.
After writing the letter, Tang Yue checked it several times to make sure there were no flaws before carefully folding the letter, putting it in an envelope, and handing it to a reliable messenger, repeatedly instructing him to deliver it to Commander Kang personally.
After finishing with the letters, Tang Yue took a deep breath, straightened her uniform, and strode towards the commander's tent. Lifting the tent flap, she saw a serious atmosphere inside. The commander was hunched over, studying a map of Bianyue Kingdom, densely marked with red and blue dots. He looked up, saw Tang Yue, and nodded slightly, gesturing for her to sit down.
"Commander, I want to go find them." Tang Yue's tone was firm, her eyes full of stubbornness.
The commander leaned back in his chair, staring intently at Tang Yue. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Comrade Tang, you should know that the environment on the battlefield is very severe right now. I can't spare any manpower to accompany you."
"Thank you for your concern, Chief! But I don't need too many people. Sun Jinan and Zhang Dabing are enough for me." Tang Yue replied without hesitation.
"Just two people? Comrade Tang Yue, this is no joke." The commander spoke very seriously, seemingly trying to nip Tang Yue's idea in the bud.
Tang Yue insisted, "Commander, I'm not joking. This is a battlefield, I'm a soldier, and every word I say is not only for my own sake, but also for the sake of my comrades."
However, the three of us—Sun Jinan, Zhang Dabing, and I—are really enough. Since the battalion commander and my father used such a tactic, they certainly don't want to reveal that they're still alive. So even if we're looking for help now, we can't do it openly.
"The three of us are fine. Sun Jinan and Zhang Dabing were both soldiers under the battalion commander's command before. They are familiar with the commander's combat style and habits, and both have rich combat experience. We work well together now, and I believe we can definitely find some clues."
As soon as they left the commander's tent, Sun Jinan and Zhang Dabing immediately came up to them, "Company Commander, how did it go? Did the commander agree?"
Tang Yue nodded, and Sun Jinan and Zhang Dabing were very happy. Tang Yue's emotions were a little turbulent because the commander had just said, "Your three older brothers are also on the battlefield, and they seem to be trying to escape every day to find your father's whereabouts."
Several times, the soldiers responsible for their safety were almost fooled by them.
Tang Yue thought that her brothers must still have some concerns; otherwise, given their strength, they wouldn't have been unable to shake off the soldiers responsible for their safety. At the same time, Tang Yue also remembered that Commander Kang had actually requested soldiers to protect her three brothers.
So, she just asked the commander to contact her brothers and tell them to stay on the battlefield and follow the main force, and that she could take care of the search for their father.
Sun Jinan had no idea what his company commander was thinking. "Company commander, the soldiers and I have found out where the battalion commander and the others died. Should we go and take a look?"
Tang Yue nodded. "The commander has agreed to let the three of us act independently. From now on, let's separate from the main force."
Tang Yue, Sun Jinan, and Zhang Dabing followed a group heading to an area near their destination. After a long and bumpy ride, they finally got off the vehicle at the edge of the forest.
After saying goodbye to the group, the surroundings instantly fell silent, with only the rustling of the mountain wind through the treetops, like someone whispering.
Tang Yue casually surveyed the dense, towering forest before her, with Sun Jinan and Zhang Dabing standing guard on either side of her. The three of them stepped into the area.
I heard that the battalion commander and his men received orders from headquarters to come here from the southern battlefield to provide support. However, they encountered the US army before they even arrived, and a fierce battle ensued. Chang Yin, Tang Shengkai, and several others were killed in the battle.
The ground beneath their feet was damp and soft, and the withered branches and leaves crunched under their feet. They walked along a path half-hidden by weeds, and before they had gone far, Tang Yue suddenly raised her hand to signal them to stop.
“Look here.” She crouched down and pointed to several sets of footprints of varying depths on the ground. “These are the marks of military rubber boots. They were made in China. The same style as the ones we wear now.” The footprints meandered into the depths of the forest, some covered by fallen leaves. But after carefully probing forward, the footprints reappeared clearly, as if guiding them forward.
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