Nine Songs of Anti-Japanese War

Noisy, worse than Shenyang.

The front page printed the news of Jiang Qiao's defeat in the War of Resistance.Qiqihar fell, and the resistance army led by Ma Zhanshan, acting chairman of Heilongjiang, disappeared.

Pushing open the door of the attic, the cold wind that rushed over made Peiping shrank from the cold.Walking up to the balcony, the downstairs is filled with the sound of boiling. Students unfurl their banners, wave their fists, and pass through the narrow alley in groups.They ignored the indifferent and even numb onlookers upstairs and downstairs. A male student walked in front of the team and shouted slogans, and the team behind followed him and shouted like a tide. The white mist was heated to boiling amid the shouts: "Expel Japanese overseas Chinese!"

"Boycott Japanese products!"

"If you don't keep it full, what will happen to North China!"

"Declare war on Japan and regain the Northeast!"

The water with a few pieces of orange peels on the stove boiled, and bubbles popped out. The fresh scent of orange peels filled the room with the steam overflowing from the kettle.Beiping went back to the house and poured boiling water into the thermos, looked up at the clock, it was already 10 o'clock.

Even after wrapping up his coat and tying his scarf, it took him a while to stop the chattering of his teeth.It was an extremely cold day in midwinter, and the north wind was like knives cutting through the streets and alleys, and their wanton and ferocious laughter could be heard several miles away.It is good to be young, as soon as the hatred of the country and the family comes up, no matter how cold it is, it will be evaporated.Peiping thought to himself, it would be great if he had this ability.

Without this ability he still has to go out.Nanjing informed him that Shanghai would arrive at the old capital at 10:[-] this morning, and Peiping did not dare to be deterred by a little cold wind, and neglect the young master who was in the limelight in the southeast coast.

Besides, the friendship between the two of them is not bad, far from being able to bond with Jinlan, but they can get along with unfamiliar friends.

On the way to pick up the station, there was a lot of people, but after turning a corner and leaving the student-centered block, the atmosphere quickly became depressed.There are few vendors, and the broken window paper of the houses along the street can't withstand the strong wind and falls into the camel dung on the street, and the sparrows huddled together in a ball and are about to die from the cold are guarded next to them.Under the gray sky are rows of bare trees, swaying alone against the cold wind.

It's been a really bad end of the year.

Every time since September, he has been informed of the latest bad news before these angry students.So when they were filled with righteous indignation and burning blood, all that remained in his heart was powerlessness and worry.The Kwantung Army marched towards Jinzhou yesterday, just as Chiang Kai-shek was resigning, the Cantonese faction was in power, and there was chaos inside and outside. Even if someone told him that Jinzhou would not be able to defend Jinzhou for a week, he would not raise his eyebrows.

If Jinzhou were lost, the only thing standing between the Japanese army and North China would be Rehe.The last time I saw Chengde was in August. I was sitting in the shade of locust trees drinking tea and playing chess with my old acquaintances from Tianjin and Hebei. From the depths of the trees, there were sometimes crisp birdsong, disturbing the dappled sunlight and cool breeze. As soon as you blow it, you will have the illusion of being in a peaceful and prosperous age.

An illusion is an illusion after all.Once Jinzhou falls, Rehe will become the only survivor in the four eastern provinces and the last barrier between the Japanese army and North China.No matter how powerful Chengde is, he might...

His head was filled with messy thoughts, identifying the arrival platform of the train in Shanghai.When I was looking for it, the train just came in with white smoke in winter.Fortunately, it arrived in time, he rejoiced, and hurried forward.

At this moment, a shout that he did not expect exploded behind him: "Down with Japanese imperialism!"

What's going on, he asked the students about today's itinerary, but never mentioned the train station at all!

On one side, the train is slowly approaching the platform with smoke rings, and on the other side, the students have flowed through the entrance of the station like a tidal wave.By the time Beiping reacted, he had already retreated surrounded by a dense and menacing crowd, everyone's faces were impassioned, and no one noticed his existence.As he backed away, he watched the train get further and further away from him.

This is the tide of the times, he thought sadly, each individual is just an ant, trapped in it and unable to extricate himself, being played with in the applause without knowing it.

However, individuals can also exert their subjective initiative to fight against the tide of the times, and the end is usually very tragic.He struggled against the crowd towards the train, the sound of the wind and the sound of footsteps hit the eardrums chaotically, he felt like a tortoise that was lost in the ocean and was about to drown.Finally, he was knocked down after moving five or six meters. Mr. Peiping died on the platform near the finish line in order to meet the young and old Shanghai students who came to discuss state affairs. What an epic story.

When the first team passed by, Bei Ping lay on the ground, feeling that his body had been crushed by a group of battleships, and his bones were all scattered. It was thanks to the mercy of the Bodhisattva that he was able to survive.

He climbed to the edge of a post, leaned against it and sat up to catch his breath.The train was still standing still, empty and silent, maybe all the passengers had already left.I don’t know where Shanghai is, and it’s probably full of complaints on the way to his house, thinking why no one picks up the station.

What a great injustice.He was secretly lamenting that good fortune made people fool, when suddenly a face protruded faintly from behind the pillar.

The four eyes met, and both of them were excited.

"Shanghai? Why are you hiding here—"

"I was the first to jump out of the car, and I was accidentally hit by the crowd." Saying goodbye to an acquaintance in disgrace, this made Shanghai, who has always paid attention to appearance, feel a little embarrassed. the Lord.

He stroked his hair: "Youth full of passion, the world is indeed in chaos here."

"The south is more than that."

"That's right, my poor mayor was almost torn apart by them." 【Note 7】Shanghai stood up with the help of a pillar, and at an unbelievable speed, he patted the dust off his clothes and put back his messy short hair. Thinking of Peiping who was still on the ground, "Excuse me, are you hurt more than me? Or, shall I pull you up?"

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Note 1: Russian song "White Acacia Tree".The author is unknown, but it was first seen in "Gypsy Night" in 1902, and it has also been verified as a Ukrainian song.

Note 2: After the Russian Civil War, Harbin became a settlement for a large number of Belarusian exiles, whose fields of work covered various industries.In addition, Harbin has also gathered a large number of Shandong businessmen, and they have many cooperative contacts with Belarusians.

Note 3: On June 1928, 6, under the background of the Northern Expeditionary Army advancing to Beijing and Tianjin, and Zhang Zuolin refusing to sign the "Memorandum of Manchuria and Mongolia" against Japan, the Kwantung Army planted explosives in Huanggutun, the intersection of the Jingfeng Railway and the South Manchuria Railway, blowing up the Zhang Zuolin's armored chariot.A few hours later, Zhang Zuolin died. On the 4th, Zhang Xueliang succeeded Fengtian as supervisor, and the news of his father's death was announced on the 19st.

Note 4: From May to July 1931, a land dispute caused by illegal subletting in Wanbaoshan, Changchun County, Jilin Province turned into a series of conflicts between China and North Korea, which was later revealed to be instigated by Japan.

注5：1930年5-9月□□与冯玉祥、阎锡山势力在中原大战，规模超过历次军阀混战。双方实力相当，直到9月张学良率东北军入关援蒋，大战以□□胜利告终。之后张学良又调派10余万兵力入关并常驻平津。

Note 6: In 1928, the Nanjing government launched "revolutionary diplomacy" centered on the revision of unequal treaties. Under this background, the Northeast government turned against the Soviet Union in order to recover the right of way to the Middle East and cut off the Soviet Union's aid to the CPC.After the defeat of the Northeast Army, the Soviet side signed the "Kabali Agreement", and the two sides returned to the pre-war situation. The Soviet army withdrew from the Northeast but occupied Heixiazi Island.

Note 7: In December 1931, the student movement reached its peak across the country.During this period, Zhang Qun, the mayor of Shanghai, was surrounded by the masses, and the city of Shanghai was under martial law.

1. Surprise in Kanto

Guangzhou has been talking about him all the way.

The window of the Skoda car was rolled down a few inches, and the wind poured in from the window, blowing Guangzhou's forehead to the side close to the driver's seat.Tires run over slowly melting snow, leaving shallow, dirty ruts in the freshly laid asphalt.Nanjing listened to what Guangzhou had to say, and sometimes interjected, and didn't mind the other party's reluctance to get straight to the point.Just as frankness is not always a virtue, there are occasions when speaking too clearly or doing things too directly can only be counterproductive to solving a problem or bringing a relationship closer.So he just steered the steering wheel with one hand and occasionally helped it with the other hand, resigned to his fate and chatted with Guangzhou. A lady from a local warlord made trouble in high school for the fifth time, and a certain chairman blatantly posed in the name of national defense funds. Fantan, housing prices in Guangdong have risen suddenly...

When it comes to the tacit understanding of changing the subject, they have been honed to perfection over the years.It's just that this kind of tacit understanding sometimes inevitably becomes a kind of sadness.

The car drove into the East Garden, and the chatting also came to an end under this tacit understanding.When Nanjing reversed the car, the figure of Guangzhou with his hands in his pockets flashed in the rearview mirror, and then his voice was slightly lower than usual: "I'm sorry, these disputes are completely meaningless. Nanjing,... you must believe me."

"Thinking about it, it's good that the things that didn't need to happen are over now." Nanjing smiled at the rearview mirror, "Mr. Jiang has gone to the field, and I also want to rest for ten and a half months. Finally, I don't have to do it every day." I have to thank you for being as busy as a spinning top." [Note 1] Guangzhou thought to himself, listening to this man's tone, it seemed that he was playing with a wishful thinking, but he did his own tricks, and on the surface he won, but in fact he became the one who suffered.It's just that the battle between Ning and Guangdong that lasted for half a year was not what he wanted to see. If every local avatar could control the dignitaries in its jurisdiction, at least two-thirds of the world's excitement would be reduced.Being pushed to the cusp by the fate of current events, I have to cater to it.This kind of talk is a joke at most, who is the winner, to put it bluntly has nothing to do with the two of them.

But he did not dare to ignore the intention revealed in the words: Nanjing is going to temporarily kick the KMT government to him.This is not a good sign, but he can only bite the bullet and take it.

So he asked in a relaxed tone: "Ten days and a half months? Is it a false finger or really ten days and a half months?"

"Actually, probably."

"It's only ten and a half months. The situation is so chaotic, I don't have the confidence to take the helm instead of Your Excellency the Capital."

As soon as the words fell, through the thin white mist from his breath, Nanjing, whose figure became blurred for a moment on the other side of the white mist, slammed the car door with a little too much force.

"If it can be done well, it can be done without me; if it can't be done well, it can't be done without me. It's nothing more than a set of procedures, and it's the same for anyone else. You don't have to worry about Guangzhou."

These words seem to contain resentment literally, Nanjing's tone is very calm, and his face is also full of unhappiness: "Since the Cantonese Department has adopted an anti-Japanese attitude, it will follow this attitude to the end. I will never interfere. Yours. How to communicate with the Northeast Army, you can figure it out, anyway, I have no good ideas, Shenyang probably gets upset when he hears my voice these days."

When it comes to Northeast China, Guangzhou has one head and two big ones.Riding a tiger is difficult to describe his current mood, and this tiger is not only untouchable, it is not even within sight. "I'll do my best." He tried his best to cover up the words.

"That's it. The situation is difficult, Guangzhou, and we all have a long way to go."

This conclusion is also the most sincere sentence that Nanjing said.How heartwarming and motivating this would have sounded in the past—not so long ago in terms of their lifespans.The road is long and difficult, but they have no doubts about each other, and they both firmly believe in the final victory in their hearts.

The past is like fog, like rain, and like wind.

Now, behind the encouragement from Nanjing, what Guangzhou has to face is the fact that after several days of scattered confrontation between the Northeast Army and the Kwantung Army in Jinzhou, there is no news from the front.Knowing that Jinzhou fell a week later, Ha Hague, who was sent by the League of Nations investigation team to discuss the Manchuria dispute first, looked incredulous: "You really don't know? The Northeast Army has already withdrawn from Jinzhou!" [Note 2] If he can answer The future is filled with the will to win... that's called hell.

The news of Jinzhou's fall immediately caused an uproar in North China.

In newspapers, at rallies... People have scolded enough, panicked and panicked, and have pursued what should be investigated. up.And then the really important question arises: what next?

This is also the concern of Peking and Shanghai, who lived in his house for a short period of time.Shanghai came under the banner of relieving Nanjing's worries, but did not bring a single executable order, and the return date was not mentioned at all. When I was tired of looking through the information of the garrison in the northern region every day, I looked at the calligraphy and painting copybooks collected in Beiping. He is a hundred times more leisurely at home.Beiping has had a bit of a psychological shadow since the stampede at the station—it’s not like he hasn’t participated in gangsters before, but his considerations are far more complicated than these students and he doesn’t like violent episodes—and it’s not suitable to travel in winter in the north , more firmly set the policy of going out as little as possible, and having a companion who can talk to him can naturally alleviate the boredom of winter, so I let Shanghai stay at his house.

On this day, Beiping returned from a two-day errand to Tianjin. As soon as he put down his luggage in the lobby, he saw Shanghai with his chin propped up and his legs crossed, with a topographic map of northern China spread out in front of him in deep thought.

He moved over with a somewhat sluggish step, and asked, "Study the map instead, Mr. Hu?"

"You can't believe it with written materials alone. Conditions don't allow it, otherwise a field trip would be better, and we can only use a map instead." Shanghai said and looked up at him, and casually dropped the sentence "Welcome back" to complete his greeting, and then He buried his head again.

It seems that there is no military field among the fields that Shanghai is good at, and there are no rumors that he came to the battlefield to command or fight in person.Peiping only thinks that young people are lively, smart, and want to challenge everything, so they don't bother Shanghai, and pick a sofa not too far away to rest for a while.

Facing the mountains and rivers on the map, Shanghai is still imagining, a new plan pops up, a moment of excitement, and then it is completely rejected. At the same time, it is still thinking that if the area under its jurisdiction is bigger and there are some mountains and mountains, life will be complete. There is a round of fierceness in the mind After the confrontation, he turned his head and saw that Peiping was sleeping deeply on the sofa next to him, with his arms resting on the armrests and his head buried in his arms.

He hesitated and stood up, walked two steps closer, raised his hand and put it down again, only carefully said: "Peking... If you want to sleep, you'd better go back to your room...?"

Fortunately, the other party was only in a light sleep, and he woke up as soon as Shanghai woke up: "Uh, thank you, I just took a nap, what do I sleep in the middle of the day."

"Did something happen in Tianjin?"

"A little thing. After Puyi disappeared in the Tianjin Concession last year, everyone guessed that he went to Manchuria. This time, the guess is basically confirmed." Beiping frowned, "And he may not be entirely voluntary. But that's not enough There is no help."

"...The last time the Japanese garrison failed to provoke trouble in Tianjin, the situation is still very tense, right? Did you help him find a way?"

"There is a good way to use it long ago. Besides, he can handle his own affairs without my interference."

"Oh..." Shanghai half understood, "That's right."

"What did you think of?"

"That's right. I made a little assessment of the defense of North China after the fall of western Liaoning. It may sound like nonsense to you. Do you want to say it?"

"Let's talk, I would like to hear the details." Peiping expressed his expectation readily.

"I read the articles in the newspaper, and the focus of my worries is all on North China, and those that fall on North China are mostly concentrated in Pingjin. Pingjin is the two most eye-catching metropolises in North China. This kind of thinking is very natural, but I stayed here and read some After reviewing the information, I feel that although Pingjin is important, it is not the focus of defense. If the Japanese army is still unsatisfied after occupying the Northeast and continues to move south, China should really stick to it, and it can stick to Rehe.” [Note 3] Shanghai said Turning the map around and pulling it closer, the eyes are full of concentration.Although talking about North China's defense in front of a North China person, especially Peiping, is suspected of being outrageous, he will stick to it when he opens the chatter box.Even in unfamiliar fields, he is more or less confident in his own judgment.

"After the fall of Jinzhou, most of the former Northeast Army went to Hebei and Chahar, and a small part retreated to Rehe. This was a reasonable result considering the situation at the time of the retreat. As a long-term arrangement, it was a bit inappropriate. Although we cannot predict The specific plan of the Japanese army and the general offensive route are relatively clear. They will definitely fight at Shanhaiguan, and then they will inevitably invade the areas along the route. There should be sufficient troops in these places, and they should also be prepared to lose. Since the Japanese army has such a large At this time, our army stationed elsewhere must quickly come to fill the gap. In any case, the number of the Northeast Army is there, which is always an advantage. Do a good job with Chengde as the center There are still many things that can be done below. The southeast of Rehe River is full of mountains, which is an excellent obstacle to the Japanese mechanized troops, and even the dispatch of aircraft will be affected; Gubeikou, Xifengkou and Henan The mouths are all natural dangers. If you make good use of them and supplement them with more than [-] defenders, even if the Japanese army’s combat capabilities are much stronger than ours, they will encounter great setbacks here. As for Pingjin—”

Seeing Shanghai hesitate, Beiping moved his gaze from the map to Shanghai's face, imitating his tone and repeating: "As for Pingjin?"

"...there are Japanese troops stationed in Tianjin. Theoretically speaking, they have nothing to do with the Kwantung Army. But in fact, it has already become clear whether the riot that was suppressed last year has shown signs. It will be very difficult once the two sides really cooperate. Compared with Rehe , Tianjin’s terrain is not conducive to war. It is necessary to defend it. Whether you can defend it or not is another matter. Beiping, you..." Shanghai began to regret that he was too open. Even if it is a friend, this is not something that should be said casually. "What is the original defense of your jurisdiction, just keep it that way."

"Oh." Peiping naturally understood the meaning behind Shanghai's words, and was not annoyed at all, as if he had already drawn this conclusion through Shanghai's previous speeches. "Following your thinking, my jurisdiction is not of much strategic value, it's normal."

"Then what do you think my train of thought...?" Shanghai was eager to pull the topic away from the embarrassing area.

"It's interesting. It's just that if you implement it, there may be unexpected obstacles." Beiping's knuckles lightly landed on the map in Rehe Province, paused for a second in Chifeng City, passed Lingyuan and Hiraizumi, and slid towards Chengde. "...No, I'm not saying that your idea is unrealistic. It is a problem that no matter who adopts the plan will encounter. If the strategic focus is on Jehol, can the authorities in Jehol, who are in charge of military power, work together with the Northeast Army and the Central Committee? ? Without this guarantee, let alone the success of the strategy, even the chance to execute it..."

Both fell silent for a moment.

Tang Yulin, Chairman of Rehe, is a veteran of the Feng family and a senior of Zhang Xueliang, the current commander-in-chief of the Northeast Army.The relationship between him and Zhang Xueliang is not very good, and Zhang Xueliang can't command him at all. This is something that many people know.

"It is said that the withdrawn Northeast Army didn't want to enter Rehe for defense, but that Tang Yulin didn't let them in." Beiping sighed, "There is no evidence that Tang has a tendency to fall to the sun, and this can only be said to be the bottom line of comfort. .”

Shanghai gritted his molars secretly, and said, "The enemy is now, let's find the fastest way. It's best to directly—"

"Get rid of Tang Yulin."

The two said this in unison, but there was no surprise.It is easy to say harsh words, but the difficulty of implementing them immediately follows.There was no chance to discuss any more, and the living room phone rang suddenly.

Beiping went to answer the phone, and his tone suddenly changed significantly after answering twice.

He put down the microphone and turned around, his grim face was enough to make people feel that the situation was serious.

"It's from Guangzhou. He said that there is trouble in your concession, which may turn into a war, and he wants you to go back immediately."

Passing through the cover of dark clouds and descending quietly to the wilderness, it is still the starlight that has not changed for dozens of centuries and is gazing tenderly at all living beings on the earth.

Maybe it has changed... But the range is too small, so small that the naked eye can't detect it, and it can't shake the inherent pattern of the sky.Even if one has lived for a thousand years, experienced vicissitudes of life, and witnessed countless people survive and die, what can one sigh in the face of such a starry sky?The ups and downs of the situation, the ups and downs of emotions, the turmoil of the current situation, bathed in this gentle and silent starlight, can you pour out your heart and forget them all?

What's more, this gentleness is just an illusion.The truth is that they are lifeless, far away from humans, so hot that if they get close they will be evaporated to the bone, but they are indifferent to their sorrows and joys.

The gunpowder smoke that has only recently risen from the Songhu battlefield can't be seen at all in Hebei... Is it possible to see it?Shen Yang moved his eyes from the sky back to the ground, almost sneered to himself.It seems that even he will become hypocritical if he is too flustered to a certain extent, so it is better to wash up and sleep quickly.Although the winter nights in Hebei are terribly cold, they are still milder than those in Liaoning, which is why he has stood outdoors for so long unknowingly.

He walked to the single dormitory, most of the rooms were turned off, only a faint light came from a nearby window.He knew at a glance whose house it was, so he didn't care about it, and went back to the house after turning a corner.

In the house where the kerosene lamps were turned off and candles were lit, Harbin and Changchun put on their clothes and shoes and lay on their respective beds, already a little sleepy but refused to say good night and went to sleep.The two of them usually don't chat, but when they reunited after being separated for several months, all kinds of worries and fears during the reunion finally came to a partial stop. How could they not have a long talk when they had the opportunity?

As for the return of Jilin and Changchun, it was almost the only happy thing for everyone in the Northeast for several months.After the defeat in Jinzhou, the mood of the people on the way to retreat with the army was extremely bad. It was better for those who analyzed the situation like Shenyang and were psychologically prepared.At the moment when they were struggling to get in touch with Rehe, the return of the two undoubtedly calmed their anxiety a lot.Jilin didn't say much about the escape process, but only said that "the boss has people who sympathize with us." When Changchun was asked, he smiled and changed the topic.

But when it comes to Harbin, Changchun has more to say.

"Someone walked by in the corridor just now, and stopped in front of our door..." Harbin yawned, "Who hasn't slept so late?"

"Brother. He looks a little irritable recently, and he doesn't seem to be sleeping well."

"Oh, I'm sure I can't sleep well. Since the start of the war, I've been defeated or retreated, and I can't get in touch with Rehe. The battle in Songhu is loud, and we lost a whole piece here, but there is no movement. I If only he would have gone crazy."

Speaking of the battle in Songhu, Changchun remembered something, and sat up on the bed wrapped in a quilt: "In the morning, I heard my eldest brother and sister Jilin discussing matters with the young marshal's cronies. They said that the central government has new instructions for the Northeast Army..."

"Hey, are you eavesdropping?"

"I happened to hear it, and I didn't deliberately hide it." Changchun said it with peace of mind, and Harbin was eager to learn the content and didn't expose him: "What new instructions?"

"It is said that the Songhu War of Resistance was tight, and the Nineteenth Route Army was exhausted. It would be very bad if it couldn't win by surprise. The central government wanted the Northeast Army to transfer part of it to the southern battlefield, forming a north-south pincer attack on the Japanese army, in order to reverse the situation of the war. "

Harbin was taken aback, and the drowsiness disappeared when he recovered: "Are you kidding? There is no shortage of troops in the south. The [-]th Route Army can't hold back and there are other Cantonese troops. If the Cantonese army can't stop it, they can still get reinforcements from the Central Army. Why should they choose?" hit us?"

Changchun slightly turned his neck, revealing a section of blue veins under his fair skin: "Look at the large number of us, and there is no long-term fixed garrison area..." Because it has been lost.

"There is no long-term fixed garrison area. Don't we need to garrison these places? The Kwantung Army is eyeing the north, Rehe, Chahar, and Hebei. Is there any place that can be taken lightly? Oh, right, the Cantonese faction is in power now, right? ?”

"Ah."

"They mentioned that if the Northeast Army is willing to go south, how much food and salary will it allocate?"

"No."

"...their brains have been kicked by donkeys! Don't say that the food and pay are sufficient, we may not dare to leave North China, what's the point of not paying any money? I thought it would be easier to change the boss. What is Guangzhou thinking?"

"It's nothing to do with Guangzhou..." Changchun said lightly, "He has been supervising the war in Shanghai for more than a month, and he doesn't have the energy to do this kind of whimsy. Compared with these things that are impossible to implement, we still think about ourselves. The Kwantung Army’s influence in the Japanese military headquarters is rising steadily, and their domestic political situation is not yet stable, but there are already bad omens, and God knows what else they can do in the future..."

During the four months trapped in the city, Changchun also learned from the officers and soldiers of the Kwantung Army that he could not take out the situation in Japan.It is impossible to touch the core information with only a rough outline, but Changchun picks up all kinds of small events one by one like shells and strings them into necklaces, which makes Harbin hard not to be convinced. "The Japanese cabinet has long suspected that this series of conflicts was a conspiracy directed by the military. However, seeing that they have achieved such a great victory and hardly encountered decent resistance, they have gradually lost their position. The Songhu battlefield is It gave the Japanese army a certain amount of setbacks, but even if they can get a better result, they can’t shake the victory of the Kwantung Army at all. They originally invaded the Northeast under the banner of restoring the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Now seeing that we are unable to counterattack, Rehe The reality of the defense is still unclear, and they will probably choose to consolidate the victory first before attempting to expand. In my opinion, when the January [-]th Incident comes to fruition, no matter whether it is good or bad, they will eagerly establish a new Manchu court in the Northeast, right?"

"Do you think that doing this will make their rule justifiable..." Harbin said disdainful words on his mouth, and his dark gray eyes reflected the solitary candlelight but dimmed even more. "Those survivors, old and young, really thought they could go back to the old days? They will be disappointed soon, I'm sure."

Changchun smiled wryly: "The problem is more complicated... let's not talk about it for now, it is our own people anyway. Back to what we were going to talk about, Binzi, have you ever thought about what our future will be like?"

Changchun asked, Harbin thought about it when he left Qiqihar, and asked himself many times after learning that Jiangqiao was defeated and it was impossible to reunite in a short period of time.When the words came to my lips, I found that these thoughts were worthless.

"...I don't know, I don't know at all. We definitely won't do it when we go south, and we don't have a clear plan for staying in the north. I can't get in touch with Rehe. I really...can't make a judgment..."

Harbin never considers itself weak or lacking in assertiveness. If so, his city cannot afford such prosperity and reputation.But he racked his brains and searched for all the relevant information, but he couldn't get rid of the thick fog that covered his eyes and opened a path. It seemed that his thinking ability plummeted as he bid farewell to his city in a hurry, and only one more star was left. Everywhere trembling heart.Those who have lost their territory are just bereaved dogs. They have no support, no backer, and no sense of security. A little wind can blow them around and turn them into helpless dust rolling in the air.

He could still think of the new railway plan he and Qiqihar had discussed enthusiastically on the eve of the accident, and saw the lights of Wanjia floating in the dark night from the window.The light is still there, but it no longer belongs to him.Accompanying him is only a lifeless candle on the bedside table, and the long candle tears winding down.

Why... something that was so real and held firmly in my hand was crushed into powder in an instant?

His eye circles suddenly turned red.

"If... if the commander-in-chief was still here, we wouldn't be as desperate as we are today, right? I know he has some deals with the Japanese, but he is still an arrogant person, and he won't allow his homeland to fall into the hands of the enemy... If He will never let our homeland be given to Japan so easily!"

Changchun silently lowered his eyes.

"Perhaps. But, Hammer... After the commander became stronger, he did violate the will of the Japanese more and more. Because of this, he was killed." Changchun hugged his knees and looked at the wall, where the candlelight could not shine , It was pitch black and nothing could be seen. "What's more, do you really think that the presence or absence of one person can change the direction of the times? In the years since we were born, we have seen the Northeast being gradually eaten away by the rivalry between Japan and Russia. Is there any hero who can do that?" Change this matter? Even if he escaped death by chance and is alive today, must it be better than the status quo? Maybe the North is still trapped in endless civil wars, and Japan takes advantage of it... We are not the only ones who suffer in that way. "

"I understand everything you said." Harbin turned over, her face buried in the pillow, only the thick silver hair on the back of her head was exposed, "But I can't stop thinking, if some things didn't happen, would it be possible? Change it to a better ending..."

The more Harbin talked, the more annoyed she became.He knew everything and told Changchun, it was like going back 50 years and turning into a vexatious little boy.But it’s hard not to talk about it, and there is no one to share the burden of the heart, which is more painful than being tortured.It was good that Changchun could listen to him; but he acted so rationally that he felt a new imbalance.

"Stop talking. I'm sleepy, go to bed first."

Changchun said softly: "Then go to bed quickly."

"Um... oh, I'm just trying to answer you, but you haven't told me yet. Changchun, do you have any ideas about our future?"

"Like you, I don't have any ideas yet. For the time being, I can only take one step at a time... But..." Changchun's gentle words have gradually become unclear, "There will always be."

Harbin faintly heard the meaning beyond the literal meaning, but the tiredness surged, and he was carried away without waiting for him to think about it.Looking back many years later, Changchun's words seem to have become a preview of their future.Just let him turn this sentence upside down to guess infinite meanings, and there is no chance to confirm what he really thinks in his heart face to face.

Engines roared in the air, eardrums were throbbing, and limbs were numb.The cloudy sky soaked in gunpowder smoke presented a gray and empty picture, and in this monotonous and indifferent picture, a black spot suddenly appeared out of thin air.

"Get down!"

After Guangzhou finished yelling, he fell sideways into the ditch while pressing the back of the head of the herald who was still talking to him just now.A shell exploded right in front of them, shaking the mountains instantly, and the mud and sand mixed with the flesh and blood of the human body rained down.The wounded soldiers were howling miserably, and their companions had become numb to this, mechanically loading ammunition and continuing the difficult positional battle.Guangzhou poked out the trench and cast a glance at the northern river, but no longer had any luck in holding this position.

"The enemy gunboats have new reinforcements," he said to the herald. "Let everyone retreat."

The herald looked skeptical: "But just now I said that this place can be kept..."

"Just now there was only one ship in the north, but now there are three ships! Rather than waiting to be killed by the bombing, it is better to go deep and hold a place that can be held!" Guangzhou snapped, "Withdraw!"

As the evening approached, the sound of gunfire gradually faded away, and the lead-ash clouds that had accumulated for two days slanted down with raindrops.The pattering rain in early spring was accompanied by muffled thunder, which became heavier as it fell.

Guangzhou didn't know whether his luck was good or bad—his command from the rear usually didn't need to go to the front line. Today, he wanted to know the specific deployment of the riverside and went to the position, only to encounter new Japanese ships as reinforcements.Although he thought it was right for him to withdraw a battalion immediately, he still had to be scolded by his superiors afterwards.

It doesn't matter.He returned to the temporary residence, sat at the table and stared at the battle report with his eyes getting blurred, his head hanging down.Tired as hell but unable to sleep, when he had nowhere to vent his depression, the unlocked door was pushed open with a click.

Guangzhou sat up straight again.Shanghai entered the door and threw the coat on the arm to the sofa.