Chapter 119
Although they no longer had the support of the Buddha, the Lang Ye still expressed their unwillingness to form an alliance with the garrison during the meeting.
"That's the Han Chinese's business. What does it have to do with us? We won't provoke the Japanese, and we'll live a peaceful life."
"That's right. If they lose, it's just a matter of changing the emperor. How many emperors have there been since ancient times? Didn't the Mongols and Manchus also serve as emperors of the Han people? It won't have any impact on us."
"The emperor of Manchukuo was supported by the Japanese. As long as we behave ourselves, the Japanese won't embarrass us."
All important ports on the southeast coast were lost, and only the Port of Mandalay in Myanmar in the south and the Yunnan-Burma Railway in Kunming became the strategic aid channels that could be relied upon.
Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma surrendered to the Japanese for independence, and the complete fall of Burma was inevitable. The Burma Road Blockade Committee, established by the Japanese army, continuously dispatched aircraft to bomb the road. If it weren't for Yang Laoliu's caravan, which delivered the supplies Shi Yue had collected, one horse at a time, Yun Xiang would have been like a piece of fat meat hanging on a rack, easily chopped off by the Japanese. Do these people have heads just to make up for their height? Can't they see such obvious consequences?
He was fretting over these matters, while the people below him seemed to be sitting on the sidelines, watching the fight unfold. He held his forehead and gritted his teeth, barely able to muster the energy to curse. He wanted to turn his Buddhist beads to calm his mind, but then he remembered he had left them on his desk before leaving. He tried to call Feng Xiaosai to get them for him, but he saw Feng Xiaosai frantically twirling behind the curtain like a donkey turning a millstone, as if he had something important to report.
He was already impatient to waste time arguing with the men below, so he simply declared the meeting over. As the leaders rose from their mats, Feng Xiaosai hurried to the ladder to greet them. He helped them down the steps and whispered, "Young Master Shi Yue has received a letter. The messenger said Miss Yue Ming has been found."
Hearing that Yueming had news, Yunkai was extremely surprised. He ignored the servants' exclamations, stepped down the wooden steps in three or two steps, grabbed the envelope from Feng Xiaosai's hand, tore it open and read the letter.
The more he read, the tighter his frown deepened. At the end, he crumpled the letter into a ball and said angrily, "Has her father lost his mind? Young Master Long took the opium and troops and fled back to Kunming before the Japanese even crossed the river. Tengchong fell long ago. Anywhere in southwestern Yunnan is safer than Tengchong. Why did he still want to stay in Tengchong with Yueming?"
He hurried back to the study, unfolded the crumpled letter, smoothed it out and read it again, his heart full of anxiety and panic.
What should I do? I can't let her stay in such a dangerous place. I have to find her and bring her back.
Yes, get her back!
Yunkai ordered Feng Xiaosai to send two skilled guards and set off for Tengchong immediately.
Feng Xiaosai was dumbfounded: "Master, are we going just like this?" No need to pack your luggage?
Yun Kai thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I must bring Commander Liu's name card. We may need the assistance of the Tengchong garrison when the time comes."
"No, I mean it would be unreasonable for us to leave without telling you."
Yun Kai stopped climbing over the wall and said slowly, "Go get the car ready and wait for me at the gate."
He came to the old lady's yard, kowtowed to his mother through the door curtain, and said calmly: "Mom, I'm going to Tengchong to find Yueming. I'll be back in a few days."
The room was silent for a while before the old lady said, "Go ahead. I'm here, so you don't have to worry."
Yunkai kowtowed again, turned around and ran towards the door.
Yueming looked at Yunkai indifferently, as if he were a stranger, and asked coldly, "What are you doing here?"
Yun Kai knew she would have this attitude, and whispered, "I was afraid you were in danger in Tengchong, so I came to pick you up..."
Yueming sneered and interrupted him, "You and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. What does it have to do with you whether I'm in danger in Tengchong?" Then he added maliciously, "Who do you think you are?"
Yun Kai feared this sentence the most, a resolute way of wiping out their past. But what else could he say? In the face of the facts, any defense was futile, any explanation was mere sophistry. Even if you were helpless, hurt was hurt.
Yun Kai was so ashamed that he could only keep mumbling, "I am Ayun, Yueming, I am Ayun!"
Yueming turned her head away from him, and the words she spoke were colder than the winter frost: "Go away! Stay away from me. Since you don't want me anymore, then I don't want you either!"
Yunkai watched Yueming walk into the dense forest, where artillery fire was raging. He anxiously chased after her, but no matter how hard he ran, he could not catch up with Yueming, who was walking at a leisurely pace. A shell exploded before his eyes, and Yueming was engulfed in flames.
He opened his eyes instantly, and what came into view was a bumpy dirt road.
Seeing that he was awake, Feng Xiaosai said to him apologetically, "You're awake? You must have been shaken awake. This road is too dilapidated."
Yun Kai was still immersed in the dream just now and couldn't come back to his senses. After a long while, he wiped his face and said to Feng Xiaochong: "You should take a break too. Let me drive."
"No need." Feng Xiaochong said, "You didn't sleep much just now. You can sleep a little longer. There's not much further to go anyway. We've already passed the snow-capped mountains of Jietou. After crossing this mountain, we'll reach the Tengchong garrison."
The dream just now left him with lingering fears. Although he was extremely tired, Yun Kai refused to sleep any longer. The two followers in the back seat were sleeping soundly and snoring.
Feng Xiaosai saw that Yun Kai had his eyes open and thought that the two people in the back seat had disturbed him, so he shouted their names to wake them up.
Yun Kai stopped them and said, "Forget it, let them sleep! They must be tired after traveling day and night with us."
Feng Xiaosai curled his lips and muttered, "They're both tired as hell. You and I take turns driving the car. What's there to be tired about for them sitting there comfortably like me?"
Yun Kai wanted to divert his attention and chatted with Feng Xiaosai, "Tengchong is known as a thousand-year-old ancient border pass. Gaoligong Mountain stopped the White Wolf Qiang people of Heiren Mountain and stopped Miandu (India). I wonder if they can stop the Japanese this time?"
Feng Xiaosai chuckled and said, "This is a natural disaster. When it rains, those little Japanese will realize how powerful it is. We are afraid of the green grass miasma ourselves, but those little Japanese don't know how powerful it is!"
Yun Kai wasn't as optimistic as Feng Xiaosai. "During the Qianlong era, the Qing army suffered heavy casualties in repelling the Ava harassment along the border. If the Ava forces hadn't been dispersed during the battle against Ayutthaya, the outcome would have been hard to predict. The Japanese were able to capture Burma so easily; they shouldn't be underestimated."
"That's not true. Burma hasn't had any capable men since Yong Jiya. Didn't the Burmese surrender Emperor Yongli because Wu Sangui simply threatened them? They've mastered the art of betrayal and changing sides." He was speaking cheerfully when Yun Kai gave him a warning look. He immediately remembered that the old lady was a daughter of a Shan chieftain's family.
He smirked and slapped himself twice: "Look at my nonsense. Our uncle is a man of iron will, fearless of power, and willing to sacrifice his life." Looking at Yun Kai's expression that said "I don't even want to hear it", his voice became smaller and smaller, and finally he shut up in annoyance.
Yunkai frowned. He wondered what Tengchong was like now. If the British consulate was still there, Yueming and the others might still have a place to stay thanks to Charles's favor. But looking at the current situation in Myanmar, those British people in Tengchong would have fled long ago if they had heard about it.
Yunkai couldn't understand what Lan Yingde was thinking. The world was so big, where couldn't they go? Why did they stay in Yunnan? In Tengchong, the most dangerous place?
The car was stopped at a roadblock at the intersection, and armed soldiers asked them to get out of the car for inspection.
Feng Xiaosai saw an acquaintance standing by the roadblock, smoking lazily. He stuck his head out of the car window and waved at the man: "Commander Luo, Commander Luo, it's me, Feng Xiaosai."
The man glanced at him and recognized him. He threw away his cigarette, walked over, held the car window and greeted them: "It turns out to be the Second Young Master Han! Long time no see."
Yun Kai smiled and nodded at him: "Long time no see, Commander Luo, how have you been lately?"
"Hey, why are you so polite? Just call me Xiao Luo."
"Calling you sir is no small courtesy! When I returned to Yunxiang that year, I was lucky to have you see me off and I had a safe journey."
The greetings aside, the question still needed to be asked. Seeing the two people still sitting in the back row, the young officer surnamed Luo asked curiously, "Are you going to Tengchong City?" He pointed at the pedestrians hurriedly walking with their families and said, "Everyone is heading out these days. Why are you still going in?"
Yun Kai was just about to ask him about Yue Ming, so he said bluntly, "I'm going to look for my fiancée. Have you seen her?"
Miss Lan? Why are you looking for her? Didn't they break up? He said in surprise, "Looking for Miss Lan? You'll have made a wasted trip. She and Mr. Lan have gone to Burma, and we don't know when they'll be back."
Is Lan Yingde crazy? He takes his daughter wherever there is danger!
Yun Kaixin was extremely anxious and said to the young officer named Luo anxiously, "Then please let me go. I must find her immediately."
"Even if I let you go, you won't be able to find her! She's gone to Burma."
Yun Kai said patiently, "It's okay. I'm very familiar with Myanmar."
The young officer surnamed Luo thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll take you there. There are still a few checkpoints ahead, and with me here you can get through more smoothly."
Yun Kai was overjoyed to hear that he was willing to see her off. He let him sit in the front passenger seat while he squeezed in at the back.
The young officer surnamed Luo waved his hand and said, "No need. I can drive the military vehicle."
The two cars bumped along the way to Huitong Bridge, and Myanmar was on the other side of the bridge.
The bridge was so crowded with refugees that it was difficult to squeeze through the crowd even on foot, let alone drive across.
The young officer surnamed Luo felt that the atmosphere was a little off. There were many more soldiers guarding the bridge than usual. He got off the car to get information. When he came back, he said to Yun Kai with a heavy face, "Second Young Master Han, Commander Song has ordered the bridge to be blown up. It's very dangerous here. You'd better leave as soon as possible!"
Yun Kai felt a chill in his heart. He pushed open the car door and was about to go up the bridge, muttering, "No, Yue Ming is still over there. I have to go find her."
Feng Xiaosai and the junior officer surnamed Luo quickly stopped him. He growled, "Are you crazy? The bridge blew up before you even reached the other side. Aren't you courting death?"
Yun Kai struggled to break free from them, roaring, "Yueming hasn't come back yet. I have to go find her. I can't leave her behind again."
Several gunshots were heard from the bridge, and an order came from a distance: "Japanese have infiltrated the refugees. Commander, blow up the bridge immediately."
Yun Kai went crazy and desperately tried to shake off the restraints of Feng Xiaosai and the young officer named Luo and ran towards the bridge. After running a few steps, he heard a loud "boom" and was blown away by the air flow of the explosion.
At this moment, the Huitong Bridge resembled a purgatory, its broken structure tumbling into the river. Cars and refugees who hadn't had time to cross the bridge were plunged into the surging Nu River. Cries and screams were heard everywhere.
Yunkai struggled to his feet, his forehead struck by a flying stone. Blood flowed down his forehead into his eyes, leaving a blood-red vision. He stumbled a few steps, his heart filled with sadness as he looked at the shattered bridge before him.
She couldn't come back. The bridge was broken, and her chances of survival were most likely cut off as well. Why couldn't he be faster? If he had gotten on the bridge earlier, he could have gone to the other side and found his Yueming.
This time, he completely lost his Yueming.
His mind was broken, and he roared towards the broken bridge: "Moonlight...Moonlight."
"The clouds are clearing."
A soft call from behind stopped his roar. He slowly turned his head and looked at the woman in front of him in disbelief.
It was Yueming. Although she was thinner, darker, and covered in dust from a long journey, he recognized her as his Yueming at a glance.
He walked towards her, stopped two or three steps away from her, and whispered, "Yueming..." The sob and pain in his throat made him unable to speak.
Yueming was also extremely surprised: "Yunkai, why are you here?"
His head hurt, and everything in front of him was spinning: "I... I came to find you." After saying this, Yun Kai's eyes went dark and he fell down limply.
Before he lost consciousness, he saw Yueming open his hands in fear.
She is still willing to catch him, does that mean that she still can't bear to let him go?
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