Chapter 235

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Wei Yue, come with me!"

After seeing off the old man's plane, Liu Zhi grabbed Lv Muzhi's arm and pulled him to a corner of the airport.

At this time, there were still many other officers at the airport waiting to take planes to handle business.

Liu Zhi, this man who had met defeat in North China and was always smiling in the past, now had fatigue and anxiety hard to hide on his face.

"Wei Yue, you've really been muddleheaded today! And in front of so many people!"

"Defend Jinling? Is that a joke? The Japanese are too terrible; in North China... sigh!"

"Once the city falls, think about it—tens of thousands of troops, plus the lives of everyone in the city, all rest in your hands!"

"That fellow Tang Mengxiao—when the critical moment of the city's fall and people's deaths truly arrives, what good will his impassioned words do?"

"Who ends up cleaning up the mess and taking the blame? Isn't it the two of you? Actually you're better off; the Commander-in-Chief bears the main responsibility. If something goes wrong, your responsibility as Deputy Commander isn't small either—watch out for being recorded in the history books!"

Lv Muzhi wanted to speak, but Liu Zhi continued on his own, as if he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time: "I was defeated terribly in North China, and people call me the Flying General behind my back!"

"Do you still remember the Pig Tactics Theory I taught you in class? Now people call me the Pig General—damn it!"

"I'm beyond saving, but your reputation can't be ruined here in Jinling City!"

"Unless you listen to Tang Shengzhi's nonsense and die in Jinling City—that would be fine, becoming a national hero, becoming a paragon!"

"But are you willing? Can you bear to give up your Youth Army? Can you bear to give up your ambitions? Wei Yue, listen to me—go find He Yingqin now, the two of us together, find an excuse, push off this Deputy Commander post, and get out while there's still time!"

Lv Muzhi listened quietly, his expression unchanged. After Liu Zhi finished speaking in one breath, he gently broke free of Liu Zhi's hand and calmly shook his head: "Senior Commander, the pros and cons—I have my own reckoning in my heart."

"Since I put on this uniform, I never thought of being a paragon; I only seek to be guiltless before my heart, guiltless before the land and countrymen beneath Jinling City."

Liu Zhi looked at Lv Muzhi, opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him further, but found himself speechless.

He sighed deeply, knowing that although this student looked gentle, once he made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back.

At this moment, a hearty laugh came from nearby: "Haha, well said! Guiltless before my heart, guiltless before my countrymen! Junior Brother Wei Yue, I admire your courage!"

The two turned and saw Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth War Zone Li Zongren walking over.

Li Zongren extended his hand to Lv Muzhi: "Going to Xuzhou, the road is long and far, the battle situation unpredictable."

"Your great fame over these past few months has spread throughout the country, inspiring a large number of soldiers! I'm about to go to Xuzhou to command Fifth War Zone operations. Meeting you, this blessed man, before I leave—I think it's a good omen!"

Lv Muzhi shook hands firmly with Li Zongren: "De Gong, you flatter me. Going to Xuzhou, I also ask De Gong to take care."

"Han Fuqu in Shandong once banned anti-Japanese propaganda, contacted the Wang Jingwei Regime, and his attitude is ambiguous."

"De Gong, going north to preside over the battle situation, you must pay more attention. Be sure to urge him to resist the enemy with all his strength, and guard against anyone preserving their strength and retreating without fighting, causing the overall situation to collapse. Especially the Yellow River natural barrier—it cannot be easily given up..."

Hearing this, Li Zongren's expression turned serious, and he nodded: "Thank you for the reminder, Wei Yue. I've heard something about his matter."

"Rest assured. As Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth War Zone, I have the power to unify command and control, and I will absolutely not tolerate such things!"

At this moment, the roar of engines came from the distance. A transport aircraft was taxiing over—it was Li Zongren's special plane for going north.

Li Zongren said no more, bade farewell to Lv Muzhi and Liu Zhi, turned and strode toward the plane, boarding and departing.

The airport grew quiet again. Liu Zhi watched Li Zongren's plane take off, sighed again, turned to Lv Muzhi, and asked: "Did you take my words to heart or not?"

Lv Muzhi smiled but did not answer directly. Instead, he said: "Senior Commander, you leave tomorrow. There's still time. Let me take a walk with you in Jinling City."

Liu Zhi was a bit puzzled, but seeing Lv Muzhi's expression was normal, he nodded.

Lv Muzhi did not call a car. Instead, he and Liu Zhi got into an ordinary military jeep, had the driver drive, with the Guard Company escorting them, slowly passing through Jinling City.

They first came to a large courtyard near Xiaguan Wharf. At the gate there was a long line, mostly young and strong men, but also some common folk dragging families and carrying simple luggage. A sign hung on the gate: "Burma Road Construction General Bureau Jinling Recruitment Office."

"This is..." Liu Zhi looked at the bustling scene, somewhat puzzled.

"Recruiting strong men to work on the Burma Road," Lv Muzhi explained. "Food and lodging provided, with wages. I've set up several points inside and outside the city, and placed advertisements in the newspapers."

"Those willing to go are given a livelihood, and also contribute to the country's construction."

Liu Zhi looked at the faces of those in line. Though there was some sorrow at leaving home, there was more hope of finding a way out. He couldn't help but nod: "This is a good thing. One more who can leave is one more."

"People like us with money can live well anywhere. It's just a pity these poor people have no way to survive once they leave Jinling."

Next, Lv Muzhi had the driver turn through several streets in the city, deliberately stopping briefly in front of some buildings that looked solemn and had obvious Western styles.

Most of these buildings had crosses at their gates, and some had names written in German or English.

"In recent years, many such foreign churches have appeared in Jinling City. They're run by Hans State people and Americans, right? They look strange," Liu Zhi said, looking at the churches with some disapproval.

Liu Zhi's thinking leaned toward tradition, and he had no fondness for these foreign religious buildings.

There were really too many of these churches, enough to make one doubt whether Jinling City actually had so many believers.

But this was also a product of the friendly trade background among Xia Guo, Hans State, and the United States. Active cultural exchange and more foreigners were normal phenomena.

After touring for about an hour and a half, the jeep returned to a place near a Youth Army liaison department. Lv Muzhi said to Liu Zhi: "Senior Commander, you're leaving tomorrow, aren't you? In my opinion, don't wait for the arranged plane."

"I have a private special plane. You can take it to the Southwest today. The earlier you leave, the more at ease you'll be."

Liu Zhi was stunned: "This... is it appropriate? Your special plane, for me to use..."

"It's fine," Lv Muzhi waved his hand. "Hasn't Senior Commander heard of 'a cunning rabbit has three burrows'? I was taught by you, after all."

"When you get to the Southwest, go directly to Chongqing to find the Zhu Family, or go to my Youth Army's office in the Southwest. They'll arrange everything properly for you."

"If you have no business to attend to for now, I've prepared a leisurely post for you over there—an Advisor title, generous salary, not much work..."

Liu Zhi stared blankly at Lv Muzhi, his eye rims suddenly turning a bit red.

"Wei Yue is 33 this year, right? I remember when I was thirty-three, you were twenty-one. I was a Battalion Commander, you were a Platoon Leader. We both rose step by step, until today I became a Second-Class General and you became this Lieutenant General!"

"Now saddled with the nickname Pig General, I can only stop here!"

"But rest assured. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. You are my best student. I will certainly strive for progress opportunities for you!"

"You must come back alive!"

Lv Muzhi smiled and nodded, personally seeing Liu Zhi onto the long-awaited Junkers Transport Aircraft.

Watching the plane charge into the clouds, disappearing into the clouds in the Southwest Direction.