Southern Hawks and Northern Sky
Under the moon, silvery raindrops floated gently in the air, as if gilding the rows of buildings with silver.
Another busy day came to an end. In the back seat, Gao Junxiao yawned. Lu Xian, who was driving, kindly advised Gao Junxiao to close his eyes and rest for a while.
Gao Junxiao stared blankly out the window at the diverse crowd of people, pedestrians carrying umbrellas of different colors, materials, and styles. He idly counted how many black umbrellas and how many red umbrellas brushed past him.
The more he counted, the more exhausted he felt. He closed his eyes and listened to the pattering rain outside the window, imagining the water droplets slowly sliding down the car window. Suddenly, an explosion pierced his eardrums, and in a daze, shards flew towards him. He abruptly opened his eyes and found that the rain outside the window had begun to intensify, accompanied by lightning.
His fingers touched the stock of the gun, the cool touch bringing him a little peace of mind. It seemed he still needed some time to adjust to the comfortable environment. Gao Junxiao wiped the car window and watched the playful splashes of water on the asphalt road, his tense mood relaxing.
For some reason, whenever he saw splashes of water, he would think of the white rose around Miss He's neck, which was just as lovely. The smiling face reflected in the car window pulled Gao Junxiao back to reality. He coughed lightly twice, feeling awkward, and tried to suppress his smile, pretending to be calm and composed.
However, she was thinking: "Damn rainy day, it's so hard to hail a rickshaw. It seems Miss He will have to make do with taking the bus. Is she going to wear high heels again? How will she squeeze past everyone else? A young lady like her still needs someone to pick her up..."
"Big brother, we've arrived." Only after Lu Xian reminded him did Gao Junxiao finally break free from his agonizing thoughts. Oh well, she's got hands and feet, she should be able to take care of herself. He might as well spend this time reviewing the battle report.
Holding an umbrella, Gao Junxiao watched Lu Xian drive away. He hadn't told anyone his new apartment address yet, but seeing the mailbox, he habitually opened it, only to find a letter lying quietly inside. When he saw the handwriting on the envelope addressed to Gao Junxiao, he smiled knowingly.
Back in his room, Gao Junxiao opened the envelope and read it through. He was so angry at the contents that he laughed. His parents were pressuring him to get married, his superiors were pressuring him to get married, and even his old friends were pressuring him to get married. Was he breaking military law or national law if he didn't get married? What kind of world is this? Why can't a single man be tolerated?
Under the soft yellow light, Gao Junxiao wrote his reply carefully. The brush tip seemed to be pulling a continuous thin line, dancing across the paper as he wrote line after line, expressing his dissatisfaction and reasons for not getting married.
Before the ink had even dried, the phone on the table suddenly rang. The unfamiliar ringtone startled Gao Junxiao, and he clutched his chest as he answered the phone.
"Hey bro. I've arrived in Shanghai. Come pick me up at the West Station." The tone on the other end of the phone was unusually arrogant.
Gao Junxiao immediately recognized that it was his friend on the other end. He cursed Chen Yao inwardly, thinking, "Go to hell, who cares about you?" He suppressed the urge to throw the phone away and gathered the thousand "greetings" in his mind into one sentence: "Sir, you have the wrong number."
Just as he was about to hang up, the person on the other end suddenly raised their voice and begged for mercy: "Brother, don't hang up—it's me, Chen Yao. Brother, can you hear me?"
"Speak your mind, or shut up." Gao Junxiao really hoped that the little brother opposite him could feel his eye roll.
Upon hearing a response, Chen Yao chuckled twice: "Hehe, I wanted to give you a surprise. No, I'm here for a meeting, the East China Bandit Suppression Conference."
Gao Junxiao replied impatiently, "Are you crazy? Calling me so late at night, and in the rain. Can't you find a rickshaw to the hotel yourself? Where's Lieutenant Zhang?"
Chen Yao said pitifully, "I left Lieutenant Zhang in Hangzhou. Have pity on me, I don't even have a place to stay yet."
Gao Junxiao didn't believe Chen Yao's story at all: "Heh, are you kidding me? You're a division commander, after all. Would Lieutenant Zhang not help you book a hotel? You're kidding me."
"Isn't it you I have here, you rascal?" Chen Yao deliberately said something inappropriate, then changed his tone, "Don't be angry, I was just kidding. I came early on my own, I didn't want anyone to know, not even Lieutenant Zhang. So you're letting me stay at your place, just for one night."
Gao Junxiao felt nauseous at Chen Yao's coquettishness and decisively refused, saying, "It's inconvenient. I'll book you a suite at the East Asia Hotel; you can just take a car there."
"Oh ho ho, Ah Xiao, do you... have a woman? Then you should definitely meet her. After all, we've been brothers for years, so you should meet your sister-in-law and say hello." Chen Yao said with a strange laugh.
"No—I didn't—" Gao Junxiao said through gritted teeth.
"Then what are you afraid of? We're all brothers, I don't look down on you." Chen Yao's tone suddenly became urgent.
“…………But I despise you.” Gao Junxiao helplessly touched his forehead.
"Come pick me up quickly, something really happened, I..." The phone was suddenly hung up, and the uneasy atmosphere pounded in Gao Junxiao's heart with the dial tone. He sighed and dialed Lu Xian's number again, asking him to bring the car back.
By the time Gao Junxiao arrived at the West Station, the rain had stopped, and the station had long since closed. It was pitch black inside, and nothing could be seen. The phone booths next to the streetlights were empty, with only the fallen receiver indicating that someone had been making a call there earlier.
Under the streetlights, Gao Junxiao looked around, wondering if Chen Yao was playing a trick on him. Where was he? Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past him, and his hand unconsciously reached for his sidearm. In an instant, he was pulled into a dark corner, and at the same time, the muzzle of his gun was pressed against the other man's throat.
At that moment, Chen Yao's soft reply came from the other side, "Brother, don't make a sound." Chen Yao's furtive actions made Gao Junxiao very nervous. He silently put away his gun, thinking to himself, seemingly lost in thought.
Following Chen Yao's gaze, Gao Junxiao saw a man in a dark gray Zhongshan suit wandering aimlessly around the station entrance like a headless fly. Chen Yao then silently gestured, roughly meaning that he was being followed and should try to shake off the man after getting off the train.
Gao Junxiao made a throat-slitting gesture, and Chen Yao hurriedly shook his head. This was a difficult situation. After a moment of contemplation, Gao Junxiao threw a silver dollar at the feet of the follower, much to Chen Yao's surprise.
Upon hearing the noise, the man was subdued the moment he lowered his head. However, Gao Junxiao only knocked him unconscious and took all his valuables.
They decided to teach him a lesson with facts: never go out alone after dark, especially in Shanghai. Before leaving, Chen Yao, still angry, kicked him again, almost waking him up. He was so frightened that he dragged Gao Junxiao and ran for several hundred meters before stopping, panting heavily.
Just to be on the safe side, the two circled around several times before finally getting into the car. Once the car had left the West Station area, Chen Yao suddenly became agitated, stuck his hand out of the window, made a gesture, and shouted: "Damn it, stalker, disgusting, utterly disgusting!"
"Fasten your seatbelt. Don't die in my car, I need it tomorrow."
"Ah Xiao, you have no idea how... how disgusting they are... I'm so angry." Chen Yao touched his chest and could barely speak. "You don't have any bugs in your car, do you?"
"I don't know." Upon hearing this, Chen Yao immediately panicked and even tried to unbuckle his seatbelt to search the inside of the carriage.
"If you don't sit properly, I don't mind kicking you out of the car," Gao Junxiao warned fiercely.
"No, I'm terrified of them. They've been planting listening devices everywhere, even on people's bedside. Now they're going to the principal every day to tattle, saying that so-and-so is a member of the CCP or is suspected of being a member of the CCP."
"How come the principal doesn't even trust a trusted confidant like you?" Gao Junxiao looked at Chen Yao suspiciously.
"Oh, you overestimate me. I'm barely a direct subordinate, but not a confidant. After all, we're not from the Whampoa Military Academy, so we don't have the yellow jackets," Chen Yao said seriously, tilting his head.
"It's because you're too clean, the principal is worried." Gao Junxiao's words had a double meaning, revealing Chen Yao's concerns.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yao immediately jumped up and said, "What are you saying? The principal has it tough too, facing foreign powers, the Communist Party, and those restless warlords. I heard that the Guangxi clique and the Northwest clique are both making moves recently, and they may be planning to continue the Northern Expedition."
Gao Junxiao didn't reply, but simply gave a curt response.
"Don't play dumb. If our 8th Central Army and the Northwest Army were to fight, whose side would you take?" Chen Yao slammed his hand on Gao Junxiao's chair and asked sharply.
"Tch, do you think we were still fighting in school? Who would we be helping? I only follow orders," Gao Junxiao said in an extremely official tone.
"Fine. Let me stay here for one night. I haven't had a good night's sleep in ages." Chen Yao leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, his tone softening.
Gao Junxiao had no choice but to accept this, and planned to kick Chen Yao out the next day.
Once at the apartment, Chen Yao reverted to his usual frivolous self, unpacking his luggage while placing his reading materials on the fireplace.
His nonchalant attitude, as if he owned the place, displeased Gao Junxiao: "Chen Yao, you're being too impolite. I'm only letting you stay for one day, don't push your luck."
"Oh, what's the difference between one day and several days? Don't be so fussy." Hearing Chen Yao's words, he really intended to stay permanently.
"How about I go stay at a hotel and leave this to you?" Gao Junxiao said deliberately with a forced smile.
"No need for that. You have plenty of space here. Come and read some books and soak up some culture. Come on, stop being so dramatic." Chen Yao said, shoving a book into Gao Junxiao's hands.
Gao Junxiao's blood pressure spiked to his head, and he hurled the book at the other person. "Damn it! Who's messing around here? Have they no shame?"
"Fine, don't read it then. Why take it out on the book? I'm warning you, you can hit me, but you can't smash my book. For the sake of our years of brotherhood, this is a one-time exception." Chen Yao caught the book quickly, blew on it like a precious treasure, and said, "Today is too unlucky. I'm going to take a shower now."
"Get lost, get lost, get lost." Gao Junxiao was too lazy to pay attention to him anymore, and casually poured himself a cup of hot water to moisten his throat.
Just as Chen Yao put down his book and went into the bathroom, he suddenly poked half his body out from inside the door, blinked, and said, "Don't peek, my body is only for beautiful women to see."
This time, what was brought over was a teacup filled with water. Chen Yao was so startled that he immediately closed the bathroom door. The teacup hit the wooden door with a crisp clanging sound, and then the world returned to silence.
Sigh! Gao Junxiao let out a long sigh, got up to clean up the mess, and glanced at the book title "Eternal Night" written by Jin Xiaoyin, but didn't pay it any mind; his attention was drawn to the water stains. He thought to himself that he shouldn't act impulsively in the future, otherwise he would be the one cleaning up the mess.
The following day, Commander Xiong of the Shanghai-Songjiang Command Headquarters gave the opening speech at the East China Bandit Suppression Conference: "You all, today's newspapers reported the fall of Manzhouli. Our country has once again suffered from the invasion of foreign powers. Fortresses and railways have been occupied by the Soviets. This is a great disgrace to the country! It is a misfortune for the people!"
He couldn't help but slam his hand on the table as he spoke, saying, "I told Chairman Chiang long ago that the Northeast Army cannot be left in the hands of that spendthrift, otherwise the Northeast will be finished sooner or later. It's a pity that my voice is too weak to carry out my words."
"Let's put the Northeast matter aside for now; we can't forget our own mission. First, let me introduce Deputy Division Commander Sun Mao from the Jinan Military Region. With the help of this formidable general from Jinan, our bandit suppression efforts will definitely be much more effective. Please welcome him." As Deputy Division Commander Sun stood up, applause immediately followed.
This Deputy Division Commander Sun was a favorite of Commander Han Fuqu of the Shandong Military Region. Commander Han was originally a general in the Northwest Army, but he betrayed his former boss and defected to Chiang Kai-shek. This time, his willingness to cooperate with the Central 8th Army was considered a favor.
Commander Xiong continued, "Our main purpose in this bandit suppression campaign is to ensure that the people can live and work in peace and contentment. This is the duty of us soldiers. In order to better suppress the bandits, I have specially invited Mr. Tan Dachuan, a senior military advisor and staff officer of our Party and State, an outstanding military strategist, and my teacher."
A middle-aged man in military uniform slowly walked out from behind the curtain.
"I am very pleased that Commander Xiong invited me to attend this East China Bandit Suppression Conference. I am even more pleased to see many familiar faces at this conference. I hope everyone can contribute their sincere dedication to the country." As the former principal of Baoding Military Academy, Tan Dachuan has always been confident on the podium.
Another round of enthusiastic applause rang out. Gao Junxiao and Chen Yao exchanged a smile and clapped even more enthusiastically. They hadn't expected to be able to invite their teacher. Speaking of which, their teacher had settled in Shanghai after the Baoding Military Academy closed down, and they hadn't had a chance to visit him yet.
After the meeting, Commander Xiong led everyone on a tour of the Shanghai-Songjiang Command Headquarters. Chen Yao and Gao Junxiao whispered about the past: "Now, whenever I see our teacher, I feel itchy all over."
"You must have lice," Gao Junxiao said disdainfully, taking a few steps to the side to create distance between them.
"Bullshit, don't you remember taking a big bath?" The "big bath" Chen Yao mentioned was actually a type of water prison, semi-open-air and leaky, euphemistically called "automatic shower." It was stuffy in spring and summer, and deadly in autumn and winter.
Luckily, they were punished in the summer. If it had been in the winter... Gao Junxiao said angrily, "Shut up. Back then, wasn't it you who dragged me down? Otherwise, would I have been punished?"
"Who's implicated? It was clearly you who suggested sneaking out for drinks tonight." Chen Yao shifted the blame to Gao Junxiao again.
“I told you to come back early, but you were soaking in a wine vat and wouldn’t budge. You missed the changing of the guard,” Gao Junxiao retorted.
Time seemed to flow backward to those days at military academy. Gao Junxiao felt that his plan should have been flawless. Taking advantage of the time when the first and second classes were changing showers, the two of them changed their clothes and slipped out of the back door of the bathhouse. Then they climbed over the wall and went out. The guards patrolled for about 4 hours before changing shifts.
As long as they climbed back over the wall during their shift change, no one would notice them sneaking out. Who knew that they would be caught red-handed by the teacher with a flashlight while climbing over the wall?
"Planning? You didn't even consider the teacher's schedule," Chen Yao retorted dismissively.
Gao Junxiao still doesn't understand how their old principal knew that the two of them had sneaked out.
At that moment, Gao Junxiao had just jumped off the wall when several guns were pointed at him. Helplessly, he raised his hands. Their Principal Tan smiled and looked at him with a flashlight. Chen Yao was even more embarrassed. He was still on the wall, unable to go down or up. He could only wave to the crowd and say hi.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Principal Tan valued the talent but only gave him a major demerit instead of expelling him. However, Principal Tan kept an eye on him afterward and kept pulling him aside for "special tutoring." The two were interrupted before they could finish their argument.
"Well, so you, Gao Junxiao, were the mastermind. You even used all the tactics and strategies you learned on your teachers and classmates. It seems that giving you only a major demerit is too lenient for you two." Mr. Tan Dachuan suddenly turned around and looked at the two of them with a smile.
"Teacher!" they both called out in unison, their salutes remarkably synchronized.
"Hmph! You still have the nerve to bring up those past violations of military discipline." Anyone with eyes could see that Principal Tan was quite fond of these two students. Back then, Principal Tan had spent a great deal of effort and tried various different methods to smooth out the thorns on their heads.
Moreover, their principal placed great emphasis on military strategy at the time, and he would personally teach the troops every time. Therefore, Tan Dachuan was both the principal and the instructor.
"Teacher, please speak softly. Senior Brother Xiong is still here," Chen Yao said in a low voice.
"Now you know you have some shame." Tan Dachuan still squinted, his smile as kind and amiable as ever.
"Everyone has some shame. We knew we were wrong, but we haven't made the same mistake since," Gao Junxiao said in a rare low voice.
Commander Xiong, who was originally accompanying the Jinan representative, also chimed in, his eyes sweeping back and forth between the two junior students: "Teacher, how about we put on a show for Representative Sun from Jinan?"
"Alright, everyone come and see! These two officers are planning a shooting competition. Let's all be judges!" Principal Tan called out loudly, attracting a group of officers from Jinan.
At the shooting range, everyone surrounded the two of them. Gao Junxiao and Chen Yao exchanged a wry smile and looked at each other, realizing they had to get serious.
"Are you sure you can handle this? You've had a long and tiring journey. Don't say I'm bullying you." Gao Junxiao picked up his Mauser rifle and started loading bullets.
"Tch! You're not saying you can win just because I'm not in good form." Chen Yao lowered his head and assembled the gun, snapping it twice before finishing first.
"One round, 10 shots in total. Whoever gets the most rings will go up to the 50-meter half-body target." After Commander Xiong gave the order to the guards, the guards quickly set up the target. The soldiers training nearby all gathered around to watch, and soon the two men were surrounded by eyes.
"Begin." With Commander Xiong's order, bang bang bang, without hesitation, bullets shot out like meteors, leaving only a puff of smoke and a hot barrel. Before the smoke from the muzzle could even dissipate, the two men skillfully and smoothly changed the empty magazines and replaced them with new ones.
Another series of crisp, clean gunshots rang out.
As soon as the guard blew his whistle, everyone opened their eyes wide, waiting for the "target report".
"10, 10, 9, 10, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10." This is Gao Junxiao's score.
"10, 10, 9, 9, 10, 9, 9, 10, 10, 9." Chen Yao's score was also very good.
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted behind him. Commander Xiong glanced at the scorebook and nodded in satisfaction. Continuous shooting tests the shooter's mental fortitude and stability; shooting technique comes last.
"Good, your basic skills are all solid, but Chen Yao, you're still missing one point. You couldn't control the last shot." Tan Dachuan commented with a smile. "And you, Junxiao, don't rush when reloading. Although you have an extra point now, if you stay steady in the middle, you'll get more than just this many points."
The crowd behind them began to whisper among themselves: "These two officers are really something."
"Yeah, yeah, when will I be able to hit so accurately?"
"Hey, isn't this Commander Chen from 'Southern Hawks and Northern Hawks'?"
"Really? He's a big favorite of the Chairman."
"There's a reason he's so famous. During the Eastern Expedition, he led a group of Whampoa Military Academy students to attack the enemy's logistics fortress. The students had never used imported cannons before, and they couldn't hit the target no matter how they fired. He personally operated the cannon, and every shot hit the fortress, directly turning the tide of the battle. Then he directly picked up his gun and rushed to the front line, leading a group of student soldiers to fight the enemy. They captured a large amount of supplies."
"I didn't expect him to be so fierce. He's quite handsome. I thought he was someone's confidential secretary."
The discussion was mostly about Chen Yao, after all, Chen Yao was a very famous person and often accompanied Chiang Kai-shek to various parties and events. Today, we had the good fortune to see this popular young man in person.
"Hehe, being pretty is an advantage too. Our Chairman loves to read people's faces. If it were Zhong Kui, he could never become a celebrity in his life."
"That Inspector Gao isn't bad-looking either, refined and upright, but why isn't he famous?"
Suddenly someone realized: "Wait a minute, wait a minute, what's our Inspector Gao's full name?"
After scanning around, everyone shook their heads in confusion. At this moment, Commander Xiong solemnly introduced to Division Commander Sun in Jinan: "This is our chief superintendent for bandit suppression, Gao Junxiao, Chief Superintendent Gao."
"Nice to meet you! You're the one who wiped out Sun Chuanfang's entire regiment with just one battalion during the Northern Expedition, right? I didn't expect you to be so young." Commander Sun excitedly patted Gao Junxiao on the shoulder.
Gao Junxiao smiled and said, "It's because my teacher taught me well."
"But you have to apply what you've learned. Commander Xiong, you have a truly discerning eye. You've managed to get both Nan Yao and Bei Xiao." As soon as Division Commander Sun finished speaking, everyone fell silent, all thinking to themselves: Commander Xiong, awesome.
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