Chapter 137
The two were chatting and laughing when Feng Xiaosai hurriedly reported outside the door: "Master, it's bad! My uncle's family was wiped out by the Japanese and several chieftains who surrendered to the Japanese."
Yunkai and Yueming were both shocked when they heard this. Yunkai called Feng Xiaosai in and asked what was going on.
"A servant who escaped from the Qingdong Tusi Mansion has brought a message that the person is now in the old lady's yard. Tonglin is here to invite you and your wife over."
When Yunkai and Yueming arrived, Se Manli was kneeling at the old lady's feet. Gan Ying tried to persuade her, but Se Manli ignored her and tugged at the old lady's skirt, begging her to save Qingdong.
The old lady's face was also full of panic. When she saw Yunkai, she said sadly: "Yunkai, your uncle, your uncle..."
Yunkai asked where the person who delivered the letter was.
Tonglin pointed at a man who was kneeling in a corner and looked miserable.
Yunkai heard that when he escaped, the Qingdong Tusi Mansion was already engulfed in flames, and knew that his uncle and cousins were probably in danger. Otherwise, if a servant could escape to Yunxiang, why didn't they come?
But looking at Se Manli's expectant eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say such cruel words. After careful consideration, he said, "I'll send someone to Qingdong to investigate and find out the whereabouts of my uncle and the others."
As soon as he finished speaking, Semanli screamed and demanded, "What are you trying to find out? Why don't you just send troops to rescue them?"
Yun Kai explained: "We don't know what the situation is like in Qingdong right now. How should we send troops? How many troops should we send? We need to first find out how many Japanese troops are there and how many local chieftains support them."
She knelt before Yunkai and begged, "My father and the others can't wait. Cousin, please save them."
Yun Kai went to help her up: "You get up first, I will definitely save your uncle. But this is not something that can be done by just sending troops out, I have to discuss it with the Military Affairs Office."
"You're being so hesitant because you don't want to save them." Semanli pushed his hand away, stood up, and rushed out the door: "If you don't save them, I'll do it myself."
Yun Kai quickly hugged her around the waist. Se Manli struggled desperately: "Let me go. Even if I die, I want to die with them. I want to go home."
Yunkai kept comforting her: "Se Manli, you still have your brother! Yunxiang is your home. Listen to your brother and stay home."
Looking at the scene before her, Yueming said to Gan Ying beside her, "Did you see that, sister? In a war, it's so easy for a family to be destroyed. Sister, would you consider trying to persuade your father again?"
Looking at Se Manli, who collapsed to the ground and cried bitterly due to exhaustion, Gan Ying sighed and said, "I will return to Xincheng tomorrow. My father-in-law can come anytime. Xincheng will definitely be cleaned and ready to welcome you."
Having the servants escort Se Manli back to her own courtyard, Yun Xiang knelt before the old lady and said, "Mother, please don't think I'm heartless and abandoning my uncle and the others. Everything I do now will be in vain. Since the Japanese have already occupied Qingdong, their next target will definitely be Gunlong. If I send troops without regard for the consequences, not only will I fail to save my uncle and the others, but Yun Xiang will also become a piece of meat that can be eaten at will."
The old lady also knew that the possibility of her brother's family surviving was zero. Holding back her grief and anger, she said to Yun Kai, "You don't need to explain, I understand everything. Let's do as you say. First, send someone to Qingdong to secretly investigate. If..." She burst into tears and said, "If your uncle and the others are still alive, bring them back."
Yunkai's judgment was correct. A few months later, as every household was preparing for the upcoming March hunger strike, over 800 Japanese troops invaded Mengding from a subsidiary road of the Yunnan-Burma Railway, burning down the chieftain's office and granaries. They killed anyone they saw, burned any house they found, and looted anything they found.
A team of guards risked their lives to protect Meng Ding Yintai and his grandson and fled to Yun Xiang for help.
Yun Kai held a grudge and refused to open the city gate until the captain of the guard said that it was Pu Jiang who led the Japanese army. Only then did he let the group of people who were fleeing in.
Knowing that Grandpa was gone, the Third Miss hugged her Grandma and cousin and cried until she almost fainted. She crawled to Yun Kai's feet on her knees and begged, "Second brother, my mother had nothing to do with the death of my father and Li Yang. Please let her go and give her the dignity she deserves."
Yun Kai really felt that his sister didn't know the difference between the important and the unimportant. Was the most important thing now to beat the gongs and drums to go to the temple to bring the Third Old Lady out? The most important thing now was to go to Mengding Mansion and rescue them. Was he really going to watch them burn the Mengding Basin to the ground?
He asked Yueming to take care of the frightened grandfather and grandson, and asked the officials of the Military Department to select a thousand soldiers to go to Mengding Prefecture and save as many as possible.
A few days later, the military officer returned with a report: "In addition to the chieftain's office and granary, the three Burmese temples of Bosi, Bozhang, and Mangzhang were also burned down. Nearly 300 households in Mengding Jiezi, Shaba Village, Mangzhang Village, Bosai Village, Boguang Village, and Yunba Village suffered. Lizi Village outside the river was completely massacred, leaving no one alive." By the time the military officer led his troops into Mengding, the Japanese had already retreated, leaving him with a hell on earth. In his earlier years, he had followed the old chieftain in his conquests, but he had never witnessed such brutality. Seeing the burned houses, the bodies hanging on the stakes, and the weeping civilians who had lost their homes and property, he was filled with grief and indignation.
After hearing the explanation from the military officer, all the attendants were deeply moved by Meng Ding's tragic story. The Great Buddha cursed with a trembling voice, "What a bunch of beasts! They even spared a peaceful monk."
Yun Kai said gravely, "Last year it was Nansan, this year it's Mengding, and in a few days it will be Yun Xiang's turn. If you still want to keep saying you don't care, then all of you should resign and go back home to hatch eggs."
The gentlemen knelt down hurriedly: "We are terrified, and we will leave it to the master to decide."
Yun Kai said to the officer of the Military Affairs Department, "Pass on my order. All the Mengquan forces must gather their government and private soldiers. They will gather at the Tusi Mansion in two days and pursue this Japanese army."
Yunkai stayed in his study for two days straight, not even returning for meals. The officials from the yamen were rushing in and out of the mansion, their expressions hurried. Messengers from other chieftains' mansions and tribal leaders were also arriving in droves. Yueming watched with a cold eye and quickly guessed what Yunkai was up to.
The night before departure, Yunkai returned to the bedroom and saw Yueming sitting at the table with a bottle of red wine and two crystal glasses on it.
He smiled and said, "Madam, you are in good spirits. Are you waiting for me to have a few drinks?"
Yueming smiled without saying anything, and patted the chair beside him to motion him to sit down.
Yunkai sat down and looked at the table where there was only wine: "Drink it all! I can't get used to drinking watery wine." After saying that, he called Feng Xiaosai and asked him to bring some snacks.
"No need." Yueming pulled his sleeve to stop him, saying, "It's a farewell drink, and we drink it for our momentum. It doesn't matter if there are any dishes or not."
Yun Kai's smile faded, and he said bitterly, "I really can't hide anything from you."
Yueming said with a smile: "The mansion is almost in chaos, and you still want to hide it from me?"
Yun Kai remained silent, poured himself a glass of wine and drank it in one gulp.
Yueming was speechless. She wasn't even angry, but he was being pretentious. She held down his hand as he was about to pour the wine, and coaxed him softly, "I don't really understand what happened. How about you tell me about it?"
Yun Kai smiled bitterly; he just didn't know how to start. He had spoken sweetly in Tengchong, worried that she would be in danger, so he used both soft and hard tactics to trick her into returning to Yun Xiang. But Yun Xiang couldn't escape the war either, and he had to abandon her to fight.
He held Yueming's hand, slowly led her to lean against his chest, and wrapped his arms around her tightly.
He inhaled the fragrance of the flowers in her hair and chanted slowly, "A lover is reluctant to spit out the betel nut in his mouth, a girl is reluctant to remove the golden hairpin in her hair, and I am reluctant to let go of my beloved girl. My girl! Only now do I feel that I am a proud king. My girl! Our happiness has just begun when misfortune strikes. But please rest assured, I will never scare you. A fallen tree will scare away a flock of birds, and a disaster will harm people's lives. I have to leave my beloved, but my heart will always be with you."
Listening to the strong heartbeat in his chest, Yueming's eyes moistened, and she responded, "Your love is like blood, forever stirring my heart. Having you here is like sitting by the fire in winter. Please don't be sad for me, and don't be afraid to go to war because of me. Your wife has lived for you for ten thousand years. You must lead those warriors well, and they will help you defeat the enemies. I will be at home, praying to the gods with my most sincere heart for help. You will feel that your wife is always standing by you. Sunflowers always face the sun. You will definitely win, and the days ahead will be as long as pine and cypress trees."
Then, like Nan Mu Nuna in the poem, she kissed his headscarf. Yun Kai kissed her forehead in return, chuckling softly, "All those years I went to the teahouse with you to listen to Zhang Ha, it was really worth it."
Yueming smiled tearfully and asked, "So, do you still want to drink this farewell wine?"
Yunkai rolled up his sleeves and said, "Drink, let's drink to our heart's content tonight. I also have a box of Bordeaux that Shiyue gave me hidden away, I'll give it all tonight."
The chilly February wind blew through the window lattice, causing the candlelight in the room to flicker.
Yunkai lay on the couch in front of the window, his wine glass in one hand and the other hand behind his head. Yueming also held a glass of wine and rested his head on his chest. The floor was littered with scattered wine bottles.
Yun Kai asked Yue Ming, "Are you cold?"
Yueming touched her face, flushed red from the alcohol, and shook her head. She clinked her glass with his and drank it all in one gulp. She wanted to get off the couch to get another glass, but Yunkai grabbed her shoulder and rolled over. The candlelight on the small table beside the couch danced in his eyes.
Yun Kai asked in a deep voice, "Do you blame me?"
Yueming shook her head, raised her body slightly, held his face and kissed him carefully, mumbling: "You always said you wanted to be my hero, and you did it."
Yun Kai closed his eyes and opened them again, his Adam's apple moving violently. He said in a hoarse voice, "From childhood to adulthood, I have always been a silly girl."
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