Chapter 45: Huangpu Past Events 4

In March 1925, Yangcheng had been shrouded in continuous rain for an entire week, as if Heaven itself was brewing emotions for the impending sorrow. Li Yuxuan, dressed in a crisp military uniform, stood on the Training Ground of the Huangpu Military Academy. By now, Li Yuxuan was already the Director of the Principal's Office and Commander-in-Chief.

Over the past year or so, the Military Academy had grown larger and larger, with students already recruited up to the Third Cohort. It hadn't been all smooth sailing—the Merchant Group Rebellion last October had thrown Yangcheng into panic. But looking back now, Li Yuxuan found it somewhat bittersweet and ridiculous—perhaps because the opponents were just too weak. Even Jiang Ruiyuan, with his occasionally scatterbrained command style, had managed to lead the Huangpu Student Army to capture the Merchant Group in less than a week, refining them in an instant.

"Winning too easily doesn't give much of a sense of achievement," he had joked with Jiang Ruiyuan at the time, but the other man was uncharacteristically serious: "The easier it is, the more vigilant you must be. The enemy won't always be this stupid."

Since putting down the Merchant Group Rebellion last year, the Military Academy had expanded continuously. Now, the Third Cohort of new students had been enrolled for over a month. Yet beneath the surface calm, undercurrents surged. Just last month, Sun Wen had traveled north despite his illness, meeting with Duan Qirui and Zhang Zuolin in the north to discuss state affairs, attempting to promote a National Congress, but his condition worsened due to political disagreements.

At this moment, raindrops slanted against the students' caps. Li Yuxuan spotted a somewhat lax figure in the formation and barked, "Yu An, train properly! Marching in Step isn't a folk dance—lift your legs higher!"

"Yes, Teacher Li!" Qiu Qingquan quickly adjusted his posture, his face flushed bright red.

Li Yuxuan swept his gaze across the entire formation, his brow furrowing tighter: "You are quite simply the worst batch of students I've ever taught! Look at this pace—loose and scattered like stragglers. On a real battlefield, one enemy bullet could take down three of you!"

Someone in the formation muttered quietly, "But Teacher Li, hasn't Huangpu only had three cohorts so far? We're the Second Cohort; there's only the First Cohort of seniors ahead of us..."

"Motherf*cker, don't talk back to me!" Li Yuxuan's eyes bulged. "I say you're bad, so you're bad! Why can't you learn from the Third Cohort? They've only been here a month, and their Marching in Step is already neater than yours."

The students dared not speak after being scolded. Only the sound of rain and orderly footsteps remained on the Training Ground. Li Yuxuan knew in his heart that he was using the reprimand to suppress some nameless irritation—this endless drizzle always gave him a restless feeling of a storm about to break.

Before his words faded, he saw Jiang Ruiyuan striding over, his face darker than the sky. Li Yuxuan's heart tightened. This principal, who usually placed great importance on his appearance, wasn't even wearing a raincoat now, his military uniform soaked through.

"Yuxuan, come with me." Jiang Ruiyuan's voice was hoarse, the telegram in his hand trembling slightly.

The two reached the corridor. Jiang Ruiyuan handed over the telegram, his fingers white from gripping it too hard: "Sun Wen... at 9:30 this morning, passed away in Yanjing."

Li Yuxuan felt the world spin. He recalled the last time Sun Wen had inspected the school last year, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "Jingxing, these students are the seeds of the Revolution. You must nurture them well." Though the man had shown signs of fatigue then, his gaze was still resolute.

Jiang Ruiyuan's voice was hoarse. He paused before continuing, "I want some quiet time. I won't be at school today. Keep an eye on things for me."

He slowly walked out of the corridor, rain hitting his face, icy and piercing. Watching Jiang Ruiyuan's retreating back, Li Yuxuan slowly stepped into the rain, letting the cold raindrops strike his face. Sun Wen—that revolutionary mentor with always resolute eyes and earnest words, that Father of the Nation who never wavered in his convictions even when Yangcheng was in peril—was he just gone?

Rainwater flowed along the eaves, like endless tears. Li Yuxuan walked alone into the rain, letting the icy raindrops hit his face. He remembered during the Merchant Group Rebellion last October, when Sun Wen was stationed in Shaoguan but his heart was with Huangpu, calling every day to ask about the students' safety; he remembered the sonorous "The Revolution has not yet succeeded; comrades must still strive" from every speech; and he remembered the final instructions Sun Wen gave them at the dock before heading north: "Remember, gentlemen, Huangpu is the Foundation of the Revolution..." An era had ended. Li Yuxuan muttered to himself, instinctively removing his military cap, letting the rain soak his hair. Li Yuxuan stopped, looking at the gray sky, his throat tightening. Every time he saw Sun Wen before, he always thought the man was vigorous and spirited, always thinking "there's still time, plenty of chances to hear his teachings later," but life and death never wait for you to be ready. Truly, it is hard to meet and hard to part.

"Teacher Li, what's wrong with you?" A hurried voice came. Wang Yaowu ran over through the rain, looking at him standing there with his cap off, full of confusion. "Why aren't you wearing your cap? Getting rained on will make you sick."

Li Yuxuan turned his head, looking at this student who was only twenty but already exuded a tenacious spirit, his voice low: "Sun Wen has passed away."

Wang Yaowu's eyes flew wide open, as if he hadn't heard clearly: "You... you're joking, right, Teacher? Last week I heard a senior say that Sun Wen had received reporters in Yanjing..."

"Do you think I would joke about something like this?" Li Yuxuan's gaze was calm and sorrowful.

Wang Yaowu's face instantly turned deathly pale, his lips trembling, unable to speak. He suddenly snapped to attention, saluting toward the north with a standard military gesture, rain and tears mingling as they slid down his cheeks.

Soon, news of Sun Wen's death spread like wildfire throughout the entire Huangpu Military Academy. The footsteps on the Training Ground stopped; the laughter in the dormitories vanished.

Li Yuxuan stood in the middle of the parade ground, looking at these suddenly silent young people, his heart a mix of emotions. They might have been mischievous, might have made him jump with anger, but at this moment, the sorrow and confusion in their eyes were so real—the helplessness of losing a spiritual pillar, the bewilderment of not knowing which way the road ahead led.

"Listen up, all of you!" Li Yuxuan suddenly raised his voice, seeming to suppress the sound of the rain. "Sun Wen is gone, but the Revolutionary Ideals he left behind are still here! He told us to 'Overthrow Warlords, Unify Huaxia'—that wasn't just talk!"

Li Yuxuan pointed at the Blue Sky White Sun Flag on the parade ground: "From today onward, double the training! Gunmanship must be more accurate, the pace must be more uniform, because from now on, we fight not only for ourselves, but for Sun Wen's unfinished cause!"

The students slowly raised their heads, the confusion in their eyes gradually replaced by a firm resolve. Wang Yaowu shouted, "Rest assured, Teacher Li! We will never let Sun Wen down!"

"Right! Never let him down!" Hundreds of voices merged into a torrent, breaking through the rain curtain, charging toward the gray sky.

Li Yuxuan watched this scene, quietly putting his military cap back on, hiding the moisture at the corners of his eyes. He knew that Sun Wen's departure was not only the end of an era but also the beginning of another storm. Every generation has its great figures, and all he could do was lead these young people, stand firm in this storm, and step by step, toward that goal of "Unifying Huaxia," walking forward resolutely.

The rain was still falling, but the lights of Huangpu burned brighter than ever before.