Go to hell!
Zhong Shuhuai remained calm as usual. He knew Zhang Chenglin's emotions were fluctuating. He had panicked when he first learned that Zhang Chenglin was outnumbered, but he was, after all, a decision-maker.
It is necessary to stabilize one's own emotions when necessary, and in this situation, stabilizing Zhang Chenglin's emotions is what he should do.
“You left from East Street, but by the time Xin Jie returned with the message, you had already moved to West Street. The people I sent out first couldn’t find your location immediately, which is why the support time was delayed.”
Zhong Shuhuai spoke clearly and plainly, but things had already come to this point, and no one could change the course of events.
"I will explain the situation to my superiors and request that they send more people to help. Handan cannot be lost no matter what."
Zhang Chenglin listened, simply nodding, and stood there without saying a word.
Zhong Shuhuai sent the telegram in the morning, and the people dispatched from Beijing, Shaanxi, and Gansu arrived as dusk was falling.
At that time, Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing were squatting at the gate, drawing a small map and analyzing the current domestic situation. Someone stood in front of them, completely blocking the moonlight overhead. A pair of shiny black military boots made the person seem even more ruthless.
Zhang Chenglin was the first to look up, and Ji Yuxing followed suit. When he saw the face clearly, he blurted out "You dog!"
Zhang Chenglin's expression remained unchanged; he simply stared at the newcomer, neither speaking nor moving.
"See what I told you? I told you to stay away from Zhang Chenglin, but you didn't listen," Gong Jingyi said, unconcerned about being scolded by Ji Yuxing, his smile still intact. "You can't learn anything good from following him."
"Go to hell."
Zhang Chenglin stood up, stretched his ankles, threw the small wooden stick in his hand at Gong Jingyi's chest, and turned to leave.
"Are you a sore loser?" Gong Jingyi teased him, shouting at Zhang Chenglin's back.
Ji Yu walked up to him, stared at him for a moment, and then threw out a disdainful "Tch".
Gong Jingyi looked at his childish appearance, which was no more than three years old, and shook his head with a helpless chuckle.
Ruan Jin, who had just been trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, took two steps forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Gong Jingyi. "Why did you have to provoke them?"
"Heaven and earth bear witness," Gong Jingyi deliberately feigned a sense of helplessness, "which of your dog eyes saw me offend those two?"
Ruan Jin waved to the large group behind him, and as he led them inside, he said, "You deserve to be scolded."
Gong Jingyi: "..." Are you being polite? I'm asking you.
Upon meeting Zhong Shuhuai, Gong Jingyi abandoned his casual demeanor and introduced himself formally: "Hello, Mr. Zhong, I am Gong Jingyi, a subordinate of Xu Xuanming in Beiping."
Ruan Jin then spoke up: "Hello, I am Ruan Jin, a subordinate of Tan Dexing from Shaanxi."
After hearing their self-introductions, Zhong Shuhuai's eyes lit up. "It turns out it's the two of you who've come."
"I've heard about your reputations every time I see you, Lao Xu and Lao Tan. They're really willing to bleed you dry by giving me their best soldiers. After the war, I'll definitely treat them to the best wine in Hebei!"
Gong Jingyi and Ruan Jin exchanged a smile but neither spoke.
“Come, come, let me introduce you two,” Zhong Shuhuai turned to look at Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing and said, “These two are from Shandong, but they are under the command of Mr. Sheng Dongsheng from Shanghai.”
"Oh," Gong Jingyi's expression of extreme admiration and envy left Zhong Shuhuai completely bewildered. Then he said, "So you're Mr. Sheng's subordinate. No wonder you have such an arrogant air about you."
"I was truly blind to your greatness, my apologies."
Zhong Shuhuai, still bewildered by his inexplicable expression, was interrupted by Ji Yuxing's outburst from behind: "Damn it, Gong Jingyi, are you asking for trouble?!"
“You’re number one at being a jerk,” Zhang Chenglin retorted without backing down.
Ruan Jin reached out and patted Gong Jingyi on the shoulder, forcing a smile as he said, "I'm serious, they always have a reason for scolding you."
Even the slow-witted Zhong Shuhuai understood at this moment, "You...know each other?"
“Yeah,” Gong Jingyi shrugged, “Who else would dare to insult me like that besides them?”
Upon hearing this, Zhong Shuhuai's gaze immediately fell on Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing. Zhang Chenglin did not argue, but Ji Yuxing did not give him any leeway: "I have never seen such an annoying person in my life except for you."
"You're just prejudiced against me!" Gong Jingyi retorted angrily.
Zhong Shuhuai agreed, thinking that if there was no prejudice, how could there be such hostility? He was about to speak when Ruan Jin interrupted him, saying, "Whether there is prejudice or not, you know it in your heart. You should calm down, sir."
"You're prejudiced against me too," Gong Jingyi suddenly said in a wronged tone, his previous arrogance gone.
"Alright, alright, I also have a prejudice against you." Ruan Jin pushed his shoulder to make him sit down at the table before looking at Zhong Shuhuai: "Mr. Zhong, Ah Lin and Ah Xing, tell us about the situation here."
Zhong Shuhuai now fully understood that they were just joking around and there was probably nothing serious going on.
Gong Jingyi sat there defiantly, not uttering a single word from beginning to end.
Zhong Shuhuai spent more than half an hour explaining the current situation to them, and Gong Jingyi listened very attentively.
"What a clever feint and diversionary tactic!" Gong Jingyi's expression was very serious, maintaining his persona by not immediately launching into a tirade.
"Now that three counties in Handan have been occupied, the four of you will each..."
When I left Zhong Shuhuai's place, it was already completely dark, and there wasn't even a lamp outside.
"Luckily, the moonlight is bright enough." Gong Jingyi said this casually as he walked side by side with Zhang Chenglin.
Because of his words, Zhang Chenglin also looked up.
In the middle of the month, the moon is naturally round.
After taking two more steps, just as they were about to part ways, Gong Jingyi suddenly spoke again: "The sun will always rise eventually."
Behind them, Ji Yuxing and Ruan Jin exchanged a glance, both seeing the same emotion in each other's eyes, but neither of them spoke.
The four of them met in Paris five years ago, when the World Youth Congress was in session. Ji Yuxing and Zhang Chenglin were representatives from Cambridge, while Gong Jingyi and Ruan Jin were representatives from Munich.
The topic of that conference was: if a country wants to develop, it must first develop its military; weak countries have no diplomacy; and the strong have an eternal voice.
The World Youth Conference is held every seven years, selecting outstanding individuals aged 21-27 from top-ranked universities worldwide. China has always had very few participants, and at that particular conference, there were only four of them.
At that meeting, Zhang Chenglin and Gong Jingyi held absolute power, using countless facts to prove the correctness of the statement, and using countless theories they adhered to to refute the "absoluteness" in the statement.
After that, Chinese youth gradually gained recognition in the World Youth Congress, forcing those arrogant foreigners to re-evaluate these students from China.
After the World Youth Conference that year, Zhang Chenglin and Gong Jingyi seemed to hit it off, and the two often visited each other's schools—even though they were really far apart.
Later that year, after graduating, Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing returned to Shanghai from Cambridge, while Gong Jingyi and Ruan Jin returned to Beijing from Munich.
At that time in Cambridge, Zhang Chenglin, Gong Jingyi, Ruan Jin and Ji Yuxing met for the last time. Before leaving, Gong Jingyi said: "The world is in turmoil, and the domestic disputes are getting more and more intense."
Ruan Jinxian continued, "So it's time for us to go back."
Zhang Chenglin reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "The sun will always rise."
At that time, Gong Jingyi only vaguely understood, but nearly three years later, he finally understood the deeper meaning of his words.
The sun will always rise.
*
Because the central government has sent troops from Beijing, Shaanxi, and Gansu, and these are practically the most elite troops outside of Northeast China and Shanghai, the Japanese army's progress in Handan is unlikely to be further advanced.
Zhang Chenglin, Gong Jingyi, and others led their troops and recovered several lost cities in Handan within a few days. The Japanese army was forced to withdraw from Handan, and as a result, the sovereignty of Hebei was bound to be lost.
A few days later, Zhang Chenglin received a secret letter from the Tangshan border, with writing in broken Chinese on the cover—
[To Mr. Zhang Chenglin]
The content is in Japanese.
Standing under the covered walkway, Zhang Chenglin put the letter he had just finished reading back into the envelope, and looked up at the garden full of spring colors with newly sprouted buds.
In mid-to-late April, Hebei is not yet so hot; it is the best time of spring for the year.
In March, orioles sing sweetly; in April, peach blossoms bloom in abundance; and only in May can spring truly fill the world.
The flames of war in Hebei can finally rest for a moment, but what about the Northeast, where lives are being ravaged? And what about Shandong, where people are filled with fear and unease?
What should be done?
"What's wrong?" Gong Jingyi, dressed in military uniform and looking travel-worn, had come to see Zhong Shuhuai, but stopped in front of Zhang Chenglin. "Why do you look so worried?"
Zhang Chenglin turned to look at him, not intending to hide it: "The Japanese want to see me."
"No!" Gong Jingyi's hair stood on end at the mere mention of the word "Japan": "Absolutely not allowed to go see them!"
"Brother, don't make a foolish decision when the country is in danger."
"One hundred thousand silver dollars."
The moment Zhang Chenglin looked up at him, his expression serious, he said this.
Gong Jingyi saw not a trace of wavering in his deep-set eyes, and he had to admit that he panicked for a moment.
Because the determination in Zhang Chenglin's eyes was a determination to accept the "ten thousand silver dollars" he had mentioned.
"You think 100,000 silver dollars can buy you off?" Gong Jingyi frowned, his brows furrowing with barely concealed anger. "When did you become such a vulgar person?"
“In the past, 100,000 silver dollars certainly wouldn’t have been enough to bribe me.” A slight smile appeared on Zhang Chenglin’s serious face. “But things are different now.”
"Do you want to hear what nonsense you're spouting?!" Gong Jingyi felt that if Zhang Chenglin continued, he could pull out the pistol from his waist and execute him on the spot.
"The world is going to the dogs, but we still have to live."
After saying this, Zhang Chenglin didn't wait for Gong Jingyi's reply, turned around and walked out of the gate along the connecting corridor.
Looking at his straight back, Gong Jingyi gritted his teeth and said, "You'll regret this."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com