Chapter Eight: The Crimson Transport Line
When Chen Kan arrived at the Axe Gang, Qiao Yuan was still squatting on the ground stacking crates. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, saw it was Chen Kan, paused for a moment, then could only stand up, wiping his hands on his trouser leg, a somewhat unnatural smile appearing on his face: "Boss Chen, what brings you here?"
Chen Kan smiled and stepped over the threshold: "What, did you not expect me to find this place?"
Qiao Yuan smiled lightly: "Boss Chen is now very powerful. As long as I am in Jiangcheng, finding me will be a piece of cake."
Chen Kan walked up to him. "Want to chat sometime?"
Qiao Yuan looked around, then nodded and pointed into the room, saying, "Let's go inside and talk."
As soon as Chen Kan and Qiao Yuan entered, a few peasants came up behind them and started gossiping with Zheng Hao.
"Brother Zheng, who is this Qiao Yuan? How does he know so many important people?"
Zheng Hao looked at them with a disappointed expression and tapped them on the head with the ruler in his hand. "What, you don't even recognize Chief Qiao of the Crescent Moon Gang?"
"The Crescent Moon Gang? Isn't that Miss Lin's gang from Jiangcheng?"
Zheng Hao, with his hands clasped behind his back, sighed and shook his head: "You guys! Did you know that Miss Lin was originally Chief Qiao's wife? And Mr. Chen, who just went in, is Miss Lin's current husband!"
"So, Chief Qiao was killed and left without any offspring?"
Zheng Hao: "..."
...
Qiao Yuan had no idea that someone was talking about him behind his back! He picked up the teapot, poured a cup of water for Chen Kan, and looked at the coarse yellow tea, feeling a little embarrassed. He could only say, "This is the only condition here."
Chen Kan smiled slightly, "It's alright."
"I heard you went to No. 76 to look for me."
Chen Kan smiled slightly, "I'm doing this on someone's behalf."
Qiao Yuan naturally knew who he was talking about. His face darkened slightly, but a touch of tenderness appeared on his face.
Chen Kan said, "Qiao Yuan, no matter what grudges we have against each other, now that the country is in crisis, we must join hands to save each other."
Qiao Yuan nodded.
Chen Kan held the bullet casing in his hand, his fingertips tracing the engravings on it, a cold glint in his eyes: "Just like the intelligence I received. The Japanese are going to transport this batch of weapons to the front lines in North China. If they do, our soldiers will bleed even more." He looked up at Qiao Yuan, his voice lowering slightly, "The government ordered me to intercept this batch of weapons, but I don't have anyone I can mobilize... I can only ask you for help."
Qiao Yuan was taken aback: "Looking for me? How can I help?"
“You’re now with the Axe Gang,” Chen Kan said, pulling a Browning pistol from his pocket and placing it in Qiao Yuan’s hand. “Tomorrow morning, you’ll go with the convoy to Wusong Wharf. I heard that Cheng Qing is leading the way. Our men will intercept this shipment of weapons.”
Qiao Yuan gripped his gun, paused for a moment, and said, "But the Axe Gang... don't know this is a shipment of weapons... if you engage in battle, they..."
Chen Kan's face darkened: "Qiao Yuan, now is not the time for sentimentality. How many Chinese will this batch of weapons kill? Have you calculated it?" He released his grip, took out a stack of silver dollars from his pocket, and placed them in Qiao Yuan's hand. "This is a compensation payment for the Axe Gang brothers."
When Qiao Yuan saw the silver dollars, he felt they were an eyesore. In his normal temperament, he would have thrown them to the ground. What did these politicians think of their lives? But when he thought of the old, weak, sick, and disabled people in the gang, and then of Zheng Hao trying every means to earn money for his brothers who had contracted tuberculosis, he remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding: "Okay, I'll help you. But try not to hurt them."
Chen Kan smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I'll arrange for someone to meet you there."
Qiao Yuan watched his figure disappear through the courtyard gate, the silver coin in his hand causing his palm to ache.
He came out of the house.
The brothers gathered around, all curious, "What did that important person just tell you?"
Qiao Yuan forced a smile, "What can I say? Just some words of reflection!"
At this moment, Zheng Hao came out of the house, carrying a ceramic jar in his hand, and called out to him with a smile: "Qiao Yuan, come and have a couple of sips! This is freshly brewed rice wine, it's very sweet."
Qiao Yuan stuffed the silver dollar into his pocket, walked over, took the wine jar, and took a sip.
The sweet rice wine slid down my throat, but it felt like swallowing a mouthful of bitter herbs.
Zheng Hao, unaware of his thoughts, simply patted him on the shoulder: "You need to get up early tomorrow and go to bed early."
Qiao Yuan nodded, got up, and walked towards his room.
As darkness fell outside the window, Qiao Yuan placed the gun under his pillow, lay down, and stared at the beams on the roof.
Moonlight streamed in through the window and fell onto the blankets.
Qiao Yuan turned over, hearing the dogs barking in the yard, the sound of a car horn in the distance, and his own heartbeat. He thought about tomorrow's mission, tossing and turning, naturally unable to fall asleep.
...
The next morning, Qiao Yuan got up with dark circles under his eyes.
Zheng Hao assumed he was nervous and laughed, "After five years away, aren't you used to the life of risking your life?"
Qiao Yuan twitched the corners of his mouth, stuffed the cold cornbread in his hand into his mouth, and chewed until his cheeks ached.
He looked up at the moon in the sky, which was now just a thin crescent, like an old knife stained with blood.
"I'm used to it, how could I not be used to it?" He smiled, but the smile couldn't hide the bitterness in his heart.
Zheng Hao patted him on the shoulder, turned and walked towards the truck in the yard, calling out Xiao Douzi's name: "You little rascal, keep your candied hawthorn skewers safe, I'll buy you two more when we're done!" Xiao Douzi skipped and hopped over, the pigtails behind his head making Qiao Yuan's eyes sting.
"Little Bean is going too?" Qiao Yuan felt a pang of pity. "He's so young, let's skip it!"
Zheng Hao said dismissively, "He cried and made a fuss about going, so be it. After all, he's twelve now! He'll have to make his own way in the world from now on."
Qiao Yuan gritted his teeth, feeling a soreness in his back teeth.
"What's wrong, Chief Qiao? You seem rather restless."
Qiao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and decided to stop thinking about these things. He would give his life when the time came, so that he could be worthy of the country and his brothers.
Thinking about it that way, he became more open-minded and laughed, "It's nothing, let's go!"
...
When the convoy set off, the sky was still as dark as a cloth soaked in ink.
Fog drifted over the Suzhou River, and the truck headlights, like two will-o'-the-wisps, made the shadows of the roadside trees look menacing.
As they approached the Suzhou Creek Bridge, Qiao Yuan suddenly sat up straight. He heard a sound in the distance, like wind blowing through the grass, but deeper, like the breath of some wild beast.
Gunshots suddenly rang out. "Rat-a-tat-tat," like popping beans, breaking the silence of the early morning.
Zheng Hao's eyes widened. "How could there be guns? Someone intercepted the shipment!"
"They want the goods, not our lives, get out of here!"
Qiao Yuan kicked open the car door and dragged Zheng Hao and Xiao Douzi off the car.
Gunfire erupted.
The fighting between the two sides had long since turned this place into a web of fire.
Little Bean screamed and crouched down on the ground, covering his head.
Zheng Hao cursed "son of a bitch" and pounced on him, pinning him down.
Bullets swept across, hitting the truck's sidewalls and sending sparks flying.
Cheng Qing's laughter was shrill. "Whether they're from the Chongqing government or the Communists, it doesn't matter! Since you came here alive, you won't leave alive!"
Qiao Yuan's eardrums were almost shattered by the gunshot. He saw several bloody holes suddenly appear on the back of Zheng Hao's old cotton-padded jacket, and the bright red blood flowed down the fabric, soaking the patches until they turned black.
Zheng Hao cursed, "Fuck your mother," but then pressed Xiao Douzi closer to his chest, shielding him with his entire body.
"Zheng Hao!" Qiao Yuan rushed over, but just as his fingers touched Zheng Hao's shoulder, Zheng Hao threw him aside with all his might, and then Xiao Douzi was also pushed over.
"Help me survive! Help the Axe Gang survive!"
Zheng Hao's face was as white as a wet sheet, with blood foam at the corner of his mouth, yet he threw the iron plaque engraved with the character "义" (righteousness) over. The plaque still carried Zheng Hao's body heat, like a red-hot charcoal, burning Qiao Yuan's palm.
"Help, help me guard... the Axe Gang..." Zheng Hao's voice was like a leaky bellows, every word laced with blood and foam.
Qiao Yuan saw the last glimmer of light in his eyes disappear, and his body, as if its bones had been removed, slumped softly onto Xiao Douzi. Xiao Douzi screamed and tried to pounce on him, his hands stained with Zheng Hao's blood, crying out "Chief!" in a voice like a cat being strangled.
Qiao Yuan's eyes were almost bleeding!
If he had known this would happen, he would have definitely tried to stop it!
"Qiao Yuan!" Cheng Qing's voice suddenly rang in my ears.
Qiao Yuan looked up and saw her standing three steps away from him, the gun in her hand pointed directly at Xiao Douzi's head. A cold smile played on her lips, like a menacing demon: "If you want this brat to live, drive me away!"
He looked around and saw that the members of No. 76 and the Axe Gang were all dead on the bridge!
It seems that Cheng Qing underestimated his opponent after all.
“Zheng Hao…” Qiao Yuan said softly, his voice drowned out by the sound of the car engine.
His tears streamed down his cheeks, mingling with the dust on his face and turning into streaks of black dirt.
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