Chapter 142
That night, Pujiang attacked the civilians outside the city, slaughtering half of the villagers in Boguang Village. Yueming learned the news the next day and stood on the porch, gazing at the distant mountains for a long time in silence.
Lao Ben consoled her, "We have limited manpower at our disposal. We can only defend the city at our best. We simply cannot rescue them. Fortunately, you gave the order to shelter them, and most of the people outside the city have escaped. The monks from the Guanfo Temple are helping Maya treat the wounded."
Yueming said calmly, "You don't need to comfort me. I understand the cruelty of war better than you do. But I know even better that being kind is a good thing, but if you keep being kind, even wild dogs on the roadside will dare to rush up and bite you. If I don't chop off Pujiang's head this time to sacrifice it to those people who died in vain, I, Yin Tai, will not do it."
"Madam, please don't speak so impulsively. If Yunxiang City really can't be defended, then let Master Du and Yang Guotou escort you away. As long as you have a green mountain, you won't be afraid of a lack of firewood. You are a precious person, there is no need to perish with the rubble of Pujiang."
Yueming tilted her head and glanced at him: "Are you going to let me run away with my tail between my legs in front of Pujiang?"
Lao Ben said anxiously, "Madam, you are so righteous, and we admire you. But you should also think about the master. Pu Jiang has suffered such a great loss today, and he will definitely not let you go. You and the master have been together through hardships, can you bear to leave him like this?"
"How many Yunnan troops died on the battlefield, how many people in western Yunnan risked their lives on the Burma Road. They didn't retreat. I, Lan Yueming, was born and raised in Yunnan, and I am willing to shed my blood on this land for my country and its people. I would rather die standing than flee in panic."
Qiangba, who had been unable to get a word in, gave a dry laugh in an attempt to ease the tense atmosphere.
"Today is a holiday, and you're talking about life and death. It's really unlucky. We've done everything we should do, and the rest is up to fate. It's a big holiday, so we should eat and drink. Don't dwell on trivial things that only add to your troubles."
Today is the first day of the Water Splashing Festival. In previous years, on this day, everyone in Yunxiang, young and old, men and women, would go up the mountain to gather flowers. The following days would be filled with activities like bathing the Buddha, splashing water, building sandboxes, launching balloons, and racing dragon boats. Seven days of celebration and revelry await. But because of this disaster, not even the sound of pounding rice could be heard in the entire city. Every household locked their doors, in a state of perpetual fear.
A gentle March breeze blew by, and peach blossoms covered the steps. Yueming reached out to touch the peach branches that extended into the corridor, and murmured, "Yes, it's a festival today!"
The gate of Yunxiang's city was finally broken on this night that should have been a time of joy for all families.
The city was filled with gunfire, flames, cries, and pleas. Yueming watched as blood splattered like water on the stone slabs of the street, watched as civilians struggled to escape. Yueming's hand, gripping the gun, trembled uncontrollably. Du Song and Yang Laoliu shielded her behind them and told her to leave first.
Under the blazing flames, Yueming's eyes were faintly bloodshot as he spoke word by word, "It's impossible for me to let this beast go like this."
Juniper grabbed her arm and dragged her to the prepared car and guards, then opened the door and tried to push her inside.
Yueming pressed her feet against the car door and cried, "I won't leave. You stayed here for me. What's the point of leaving you behind and walking away?"
Du Song held Yueming's shoulders and said, "Yueming, good girl, now is not the time to be willful. Your life is at stake, you must go."
Yueming pointed at the flames that lit up half the sky and choked up, "Uncle Song, why did the Japanese occupy most of China? Why were more than 200,000 of our compatriots massacred when Nanjing fell? Why was Mengding Prefecture almost razed to the ground? It's because we kept running away, pinning our hopes on the executioner's mercy, and hoping others would save us. Uncle Song, we can't go on like this. We have to save ourselves. If I abandon you today and leave, I won't have the face to go back to Prime Minister Yun, and Prime Minister Yintai will be done for."
"Don't you think about your father? He only has you as his daughter. How will he live if something happens to you?"
"My father will be sad, but he will also be very happy. Although he only has one daughter, she is no less capable than any other man."
The shoulder under his palm looked pitifully lonely, but it also made Du Song feel the iron bones hidden within.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Just follow me closely. Even if I really have to die, let me die before you."
Yueming wiped her tears with her sleeve and smiled at Dusong: "Why are you so pessimistic? Maybe none of us have to die. Pujiang wants to kill me the most right now. I will lead him to Paifang Street and perform a show for him: the barefoot are not afraid of the shod."
She wasn't truly fearless; she was afraid too. As she led Pujiang and the chieftains to Paifang Street, bullets whizzed past her clothes, and the heavy thud of the people falling to the ground behind her made her tremble uncontrollably. But she couldn't stop. She could only grit her teeth, her heart pounding, and keep running.
Passing through the archway gate in the thick fog, she saw what Ai Ye and Xiao Lahu had been guarding all night. She stroked her heart that was about to jump out of her chest and smiled excitedly. She had been dealing with things all night for this moment.
Seeing her coming, Ai Ye and Xiao Lahu hurriedly lifted the covering oilcloth, revealing the explosives that had already been piled up.
Yueming leaned in Ai Ye's arms, gasping for breath, while Du Song and Yang Laoliu protected her with light machine guns in their hands.
Pu Jiang chased up to Yueming and grinned at him: "Lan Yueming, run! Why don't you run? I haven't chased you enough!"
Yueming suppressed the suffocating feeling and laughed heartily, "Little Lahu, the sun hasn't risen yet. Shine some light on these animals so they know why I, your aunt, am not running away."
Little Lahu held up a torch and shone it behind him. The big words "TNT" came into view. Pu Jiang wanted to say something obscene to scare Yueming, but the explosives behind Yueming frightened him so much that his face turned pale: "Lan Yueming, are you crazy?"
Yueming was still breathing heavily, his smile distorted, looking faintly terrifying in the dim firelight. "Yes, I'm crazy! Rather than letting you Japanese dogs trample us, it's better to die together and have a quick death. This dynamite is enough to raze this street to the ground. Just shoot and we'll all go to heaven together."
The Lan family's little bitch had explosives behind her and two machine guns in front of her, so there was no way he could get any advantage. He was pretty much done with his anger anyway, so there was no need to go crazy with the little bitch.
Yueming's expression of not wanting to kill himself immediately made Pujiang want to retreat. He quietly signaled to the chieftains around him, signaling them to retreat.
As soon as they took a step back, the machine guns in Du Song and Yang Laoliu's hands swept towards their feet.
Yueming lit a cigarette and said proudly, "Want to leave? It's not that easy! Do you think Yunxiang City is your backyard? You can come and go as you please? To tell you the truth, there are also a lot of people like this at the city gate! You can't escape."
Pu Jiang stared at the cigarette in her hand and exclaimed, "Lan Yueming, don't move. We can talk about it if you have anything to say." The cigarette in her hand almost hit the bomb, and Pu Jiang broke out in a cold sweat.
"Negotiate?" Yueming looked at him with contempt: "Don't you know what I want? I want your life. There is no room for negotiation."
"Lan Yueming, please don't go too far..."
"Bah!" Yueming spat at him forcefully. "You, a bunch of bandits, broke into my home, killed my people, burned my house, and you still dare to accuse me of going too far? If you dare to move today, I will immediately set it on fire. Let's all go to heaven together."
Looking at the group of people in front of her who looked like they had lost their parents, she smiled and said, "However, there is no room for negotiation with you. There is still room for easing the situation with the other chieftains." She tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "You and I have a deep hatred, but I won't fight to the death with the others. How about this, if you can help me kill this bastard, I will let you go. I will pretend that nothing happened."
Pu Jiang sneered, "You're trying to sow discord again. We still remember how Langbang Tusi died! Do you think they'll believe you?"
Yueming smiled and said, "What can I do if you don't trust me now? Why don't you take a gamble? It's better to have a way out than to be stuck in this stalemate."
The chieftains thought the same thing. It was better to have a way out than to watch this girl scare them by poking a bomb with a cigarette butt.
Seeing the chieftains drop their guns and reach for their swords, Pu Jiang knew he was going to die here today. He pointed his gun at Yue Ming and gritted his teeth, "Then it will be as you wish. Let's all perish together."
Before Du Song and Yang Laoliu could pull the trigger, a crossbow shot Pu Jiang's hand. A man and a horse rushed out from the misty morning light.
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