Chapter 233: Young Man 2

"Joined the army at sixteen, not bad, not bad." Li Yuxuan nodded, but then squinted his eyes, "But you don't look sixteen, you look fifteen."

The boy's face flushed as he looked at You Taizhong. You Taizhong laughed heartily, "Lord Jing, good eyesight! Xiao Wang is indeed only fifteen this year, but he falsified his age when he enlisted."

Li Yuxuan waved the boy closer, "So young to go onto the battlefield, aren't you afraid?"

"Not afraid!" the boy puffed out his chest, his voice ringing, "The American devils are bullying right at our doorstep; even if we're small we must fight!"

Li Yuxuan looked at the light in his eyes, as if seeing his own self from over forty years ago. In 1908, at eighteen, he was studying in Germany; hearing that the Qing government was about to sign unequal treaties, his blood boiled again, and he shouted loudly at a German student rally, nearly being arrested by the police.

"Little fellow, what's your name?" his voice softened.

"I'm called Wang Hongwen," the boy said earnestly, "I'm not small anymore."

"Wang Hongwen…" Li Yuxuan repeated the name, "Good name. Hongwen…promoting culture? Are your parents scholars?"

Wang Hongwen shook his head, "My father is a farmer, never went to school. This name was given by the village Private School teacher, who said my fate lacked fire and needed a 'Hong' character, and hoped I could learn to read, so he named me 'Hongwen.'"

"Can you read now?"

"I can!" Wang Hongwen's eyes brightened, "I learned it in the army, I can read newspapers now!"

Li Yuxuan nodded appreciatively, "Good, good. Literacy is good; only the literate can understand reason. What do you do in the army now?"

"I'm a communications clerk," Wang Hongwen said proudly, "I run fast, have a good memory, and the commanders all praise me."

You Taizhong added from beside, "That kid is very clever; delivering messages in Chaoxian, he almost ran into US patrols several times but always evaded them. Once, carrying vital intelligence, a US plane chased and strafed him; he dove into an artillery crater and stayed prone for a full two hours until the plane left, then emerged, and the intelligence stayed completely dry."

Li Yuxuan looked at Wang Hongwen, his gaze deep. The fifteen‑year‑old boy still wore a hint of childish innocence on his face, yet his eyes already bore the battlefield‑tempered vigilance and quickness. That mixture is strange—both childlike naïveté and a warrior's seasoned skill.

"What books have you read?" Li Yuxuan asked.

"I studied the Three Character Classic and Hundred Family Surnames in the army's literacy class, and now I'm reading Shuihu Zhuan," Wang Hongwen said, "My favorite is Wu Song; I've read the tiger‑killing episode many times."

Li Yuxuan smiled, "Wu Song is a hero, but Shuihu Zhuan isn't just about fighting. Why did Songjiang submit to the court? Why did the Liangshan heroes eventually disperse? Have you ever thought about those?"

Wang Hongwen was stunned, clearly never having considered such deep questions. He scratched his head, "I… I just feel that fighting is exhilarating, fighting the devils, fighting the American devils, it's all exhilarating!"

"Exhilarating…" Li Yuxuan murmured, a complex expression flashing in his eyes, "Yes, we all think that when we're young. Fighting feels thrilling, killing feels thrilling, achieving glory feels thrilling. But before long you'll realize the least exhilarating part of war is watching those around you fall one by one, and the survivors bearing all the suffering."

His words silenced the room. You Taizhong lowered his head, and Wang Hongwen looked at the elder with a half‑understanding stare.

After a while, Li Yuxuan waved his hand, "Alright, let's stop talking about this. Xiao Wang, go out for a walk; I'll have a word with you, Chief You."

Wang Hongwen saluted and left. At the doorway he turned back for a glance, meeting Li Yuxuan's gaze. In that instant, the boy suddenly felt the elder's eyes could see through everything—through his façade, his thoughts, even the path he might take in the future.

The door closed. You Taizhong whispered, "Lord Jing, this child… what do you think?"

Li Yuxuan sat again, lifting the now slightly cool tea, "Smart, quick‑witted, daring, ambitious. A good seedling, but he could also… go astray."

"What did you see?"

"In his eyes there is something," Li Yuxuan said slowly, "It's not plain bravery, nor plain loyalty. It's a… yearning. A yearning to stand out, to be seen, to change fate. That yearning can lift a person upward or let them slip downward."

You Taizhong, thoughtful, said, "He does perform actively in the army, but sometimes… too actively. He grabs missions, grabs credit, and doesn't get along well with his comrades."

"Normal," Li Yuxuan said, "A child from poverty wants to turn his life around, so he naturally fights hard. He just needs guidance to know what to fight for and what not to."

He paused, then asked, "What's his family situation?"

"He's from Changchun, Jilin; his father is a farmer, his mother died early, the family is poor, he barely attended school. In the 1948 Changchun Weikun Zhan, at twelve he helped the Liberation Army deliver messages. Later he kept begging to enlist; the army saw his cleverness and accepted him." You Taizhong said, "When he came to Chaoxian this time, he was technically underage, but he persisted, claiming he had seen Americans in Changchun helping the Kuomintang fight the civil war, hating the American devils, and that's why an exception was made to take him."

Li Yuxuan nodded, saying nothing more. He walked to the window and looked out at the courtyard. Wang Hongwen was helping the staff sweep fallen leaves, moving deftly, chatting and laughing with the people nearby—truly clever and likable.

But this fifteen‑year‑old boy reminded Li Yuxuan of many people—of the ambitious Young Master of his own youth, of the resentful Er Zhan Touzi he'd seen on the streets, of the Huangpu students who fought desperately to stand out. History repeats, human nature repeats. Every era has such youths—smart, quick‑witted, ambitious, wanting to change their own fate and the world's course. Some succeed, some fail; some walk toward light, some fall into darkness.

"Taizhong," Li Yuxuan suddenly turned, "How many days can you stay this time?"

"Three days; the day after tomorrow we must return to Chaoxian," You Taizhong said, "The 27th Army suffered heavy casualties, needs reinforcements, and will be reorganized. The next campaign may have to push across the th Parallel."

"Be careful." Li Yuxuan said only two words, but the concern within them You Taizhong understood.

"Lord Jing," You Taizhong hesitated, "there's something… I don't know if I should say."

"Say it."

"I heard some rumors on the front line." You Taizhong lowered his voice, "On the Kuomintang side, someone is in contact with the Americans, wanting to use the Korean War as an opportunity to counterattack the Mainland. That person may already be preparing."