Chapter 20: Flattery is also an art

  Ouyang Yun left the 51st Army's logistics warehouse and got into the car without leaving in a hurry. It had been almost ten days since he arrived, and through his conversation with Chen Shaohua earlier, he finally understood that the current situation in China was much more complicated than he had imagined. Originally, relying on his understanding of history, he thought he could easily turn the tide like an experienced director and create a thrilling play to revitalize China. Now he realized that he had oversimplified things - people were not actors, Chen Shaohua and others were not performers, and in this grand historical drama, every protagonist and supporting actor was a big shot with distinct personalities. As a small soldier, who would take his words seriously?

  It still depends on himself.

  Not far away, the guards of the 51st Army stood upright, with a stern expression, and the muzzles of the Maxim guns on the fortifications were black and shiny with cold light. Looking at all this, Ouyang Yun suddenly wanted to laugh - who would have thought that this place, which looked so heavily guarded, was actually like a paper lantern, easily broken with one poke.

  Start the car, turn around and head to Tianjin. Originally wanted to get some "old goods" from Chen Shaohua's hands to arm the student training class, but now this plan has gone bankrupt. So, go find Song Zheyuan directly. Hopefully, Song is still a dutiful actor and hasn't arbitrarily changed the script...

  The Tianjin South Song apartment, since Song Zheyuan returned here to rest, there have been no cars stopping at the door. Cars in this era are still a valuable commodity, not everyone can afford to drive one. The Tianjin common people living nearby looked at the entrance of the Song mansion with envy and awe as the cars came and went, and many would show envious and respectful glances. Those who were somewhat knowledgeable would inevitably discuss privately: So-and-so, so-and-so, aren't these people working for the Japanese? How come all those going to Song's mansion are this kind of person? The more stubborn ones would sneer and say: A group of traitors, finding Song must be up to no good.

  Could it be that the Japanese have sent someone over as a negotiator? The Japanese couldn't defeat Song Gong in battle, so they're trying to win him over with soft tactics? Song Gong wouldn't surrender to the Japanese, would he?

  I don't think so, who doesn't know that Song Gong hates Japanese people the most?

  Another car came, and this person hadn't seen it before.

  So young and spirited, how could you become a traitor? Aren't you afraid of losing face for your ancestors?

  This young man was Ou Yang Yun. Seeing two rickshaws and a yellow sedan parked at the entrance of Song's mansion, he frowned and thought to himself: History didn't record wrongly after all, once Song Zheyuan arrived in Tianjin, he was indeed surrounded by traitors. Thinking about the group of big and small traitors surrounding Song every day, it seemed like a swarm of flies buzzing around, an image of a monkey flashed through his mind - this monkey couldn't bear its master Tang Monk's verbal harassment and had a tendency to wield its golden cudgel to overthrow its ancestors at any moment. He suddenly felt quite sympathetic towards Song Zheyuan. As a famous general, Song was very cautious and naturally couldn't act as freely as the monkey. If he wasn't bothered by them and really defected to the Japanese, it would be a huge mockery for both the Nationalist government and the 29th Army including himself.

  As soon as Ouyang Yun entered the main gate of the Song Mansion, two guards standing in the gatehouse came forward and asked, "Sir, who are you looking for?"

  "I'm looking for Director Song Jun."

  "Excuse me, do you have a name tag?"

  Ouyang Yun naturally didn't have a name card, and the term "name card" was something he had never heard anyone mention before. He honestly replied: "No, two brothers, please inform General Song that junior Ouyang Yun has an urgent matter to discuss with him."

  Two guards, not very old, with a hint of cruelty on their faces, seemed to have killed people before. Upon hearing the name "Ouyang Yun", an unusual glint flashed in the eyes of both men, and one of them asked: "You said your name is Ouyang Yun?"

  "Yes."

  "Is that Ou Yang Yun from Beiping? Let me introduce you, Guo Biao," said one of the guards on the left, extending his right hand for a handshake. His hand was thick and calloused, with thick skin on his palm and fingers, clearly a result of long-term training.

  Ouyang Yun smiled faintly: "Exactly," extending his right hand to clasp with him. Then, the two men simultaneously exerted their strength, beginning a contest of power and dignity between them.

  Guo Biao was a child prodigy who entered the Shaolin Temple and learned the Iron Sand Palm technique. After mastering his skills, he joined the 29th Army to serve his country. Due to his exceptional martial arts abilities and loyalty, he gained the recognition of Song Zheyuan and became the captain of his guard unit. When Song arrived in Tianjin, Guo didn't need to stand guard at the gatehouse due to his status, but he couldn't bear the sight of traitors and felt stifled, so he came here instead. Deep down, he had great respect for Ou Yangyun and Chu Tiange, two peers who single-handedly slaughtered 26 members of the Black Dragon Society. Their bravery and strength were not something ordinary people possessed. If it weren't for his responsibility to ensure Song's safety, Guo would have liked to be like them, a national hero who specialized in causing trouble for the Japanese. In private, he had once boasted to his subordinates: "Tianjin has a Black Dragon Society branch too, when will I go and slaughter their entire household!"

  Generally speaking, people who practice martial arts have a stronger desire to win than ordinary people, and Guo Biao is no exception. Now that Ou Yang Yun, such a "master", is in front of him, he can't help but feel the urge to compete, thinking that he wants to see how much this guy, who made the Japanese suffer a crushing defeat, is worth.

  Ouyang Yun was just a special soldier, and although he had practiced hard qigong, he couldn't compare to Guo Biao who made a living from it. At first, Guo Biao didn't use his full strength, after all, the palm of someone who had practiced iron sand palm wasn't ordinary, if not handled properly, it could cripple his opponent. Fortunately, he held back, or else Ouyang Yun would have suffered greatly.

  Ouyang Yun didn't know what kind of person the other was, and at first he was full of confidence. However, after a few minutes, he felt something was off. The other's palm was as hard as an iron plate, while his own had become like a soft dough, the more force he used, the more it hurt. Alright, now he couldn't even muster up any strength. He was sweating profusely from the pain, and seeing that Guo Biao was fine, he knew he was far from being a match for him. He was also quite bold, immediately opening his mouth to admit defeat: "I lost."

  His temper is very much to Guo Biao's taste. Guo Biao laughed and let go of his hand, saying: "Brother, you're straightforward, I like that."

  Another guard beside him said: "No wonder the Japanese called them 'tragic heroes' of the anti-Japanese war, they even have such momentum when admitting defeat, impressive!"

  Ouyang Yun's face turned red, was this good or bad? If it was good, why did it sound so unpleasant to the ear? He said: "Killing someone doesn't necessarily require great strength. Is General Song in?"

  Guo Biao nodded in agreement, saying: "Now is the era of firearms, guns and cannons are much more useful than big knives, but I still like this kind of thing. Ouyang brother, I heard that those 26 Japanese people were all beheaded by you?"

  Ouyang Yun smiled and said, "The Japanese are most afraid of being beheaded. I'll behead them instead. If I don't make them suffer, how can it be called a 'tragic case'?"

  "Brother, you're ruthless!"

  "It's actually learned from you," Ouyang Yun said, singing: "The big knife chops the devil's head!"

  "Hahaha!" The three of them looked at each other and burst out laughing. Guo Biao grinned and said, "There are a few flies buzzing around Jun's head, should we wait a bit before going?"

  "Fly?" Ouyang Yun's eyes lit up, thinking this was a great metaphor. Unexpectedly, the soldier was quite an interesting person and said: "No need to wait, I'm just a fly swatter, perfect for helping Commander Song drive them away."

  "Haha, Brother Ouyang is really good at joking, Little Li, you stay here and I'll take Brother Ouyang inside."

  "Brother Guo, you seem older than me. If I may say so, just call me younger brother and it's settled. But I don't dare to be called elder brother."

  Kuo Piao smiled and said: "Alright, little brother, let's go!"

  Song Zheyuan, around fifty years old, had a somewhat portly figure, wearing a typical old-fashioned outfit, holding a teacup and sitting in a taishi chair, with the demeanor of a dignified elder. Below him sat three people, two of whom were roughly his age, while one appeared to be around thirty years old.

  Arriving at the entrance, Guo Biao took a step forward and whispered to Song Yi. Song raised his head, his eyes scanning towards Ouyang Yun at the entrance, looking seriously for two seconds, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

  Song Zheyuan was removed from office this time, mainly because of the "Zhangbei Incident" planned by Tōyama Isao, the head of Japanese espionage in Northeast China. As for Tōyama himself, those who have some understanding of China's anti-Japanese history will not feel unfamiliar with him. The puppet Manchukuo regime was also planned by this person. After he took office as the head of the Shenyang Special Affairs Bureau again in 1933, he began to plot the "North China Autonomous Movement". On May 30th, the day before Ouyang Yun and Chu Tianguo killed two Han traitors, he plotted the "Zhangbei Incident" and then pressured the Hebei-Chahar authorities to force Qin Dechun, the head of the Chahar Provincial Civil Affairs Department, to sign the "Qin-Toyama Agreement". The agreement required the 29th Army to apologize to the Japanese army, replace officers related to the incident; the Nationalist Party must stop all activities in Chahar; establish a non-military zone in eastern Chahar, and the 29th Army would withdraw from the area; eliminate anti-Japanese organizations and activities in Chahar Province; remove Song Zheyuan as the chairman of Chahar Province; assist Japan in establishing various military installations.

  As a result, the 29th Army and Song Zheyuan became the ultimate victims of the "Zhangbei Incident".

  Historically, Song's dismissal and the signing of the Qin-Tu Agreement both took place in June, now it has been advanced by a month. Among them, Ouyang Yun and Chu Tian Ge, this pair of "anti-Japanese heroes", obviously made a great contribution, their manufactured "April 26th Massacre" thoroughly enraged the Japanese, as a result, Old Chiang to appease the Japanese anger, actually removed Song's administrative duties on the day after the "Zhangbei Incident".

  Song Zheyuan was an old man who understood the relationship between them, so he had some opinions about Ou Yangyun and Chu Tiange - in his opinion, these two young people were not doing things in a thick way. They were seeking temporary pleasure and glory, but in the end, they would have to clean up the mess and take the blame. Tianjin was now under the control of China on the surface, but in reality, it had been jointly managed by China and Japan since the Tanggu Agreement. The Japanese side must have known about Ou Yangyun's identity, so how could he still dare to come to Tianjin? Song Zheyuan didn't know whether to admire his courage or laugh at his foolishness. He couldn't help but think: it was good to be young, with hot blood and the ability to quickly take revenge, unlike himself, who had to consider the consequences of every action, considering the 29th Army as a big family.

  If he knew that "Hebei Incident" was also done by this young man at the door, I don't know what kind of feelings he would have.

  Song Zheyuan would not betray the anti-Japanese hero, he himself was one, but now he didn't want to get into trouble - the Japanese were staring at him with a tiger's gaze. Today, they sent three wolf dogs. "Let him go, just say I don't want to see him," Song instructed Guo Biao, and Ouyang Yun had already walked in big strides, looking at him loudly saying: "Is this the famous General Song Zheyuan, who shook China and foreign countries with his determination to defend against foreign invasion, and created the 'Ji Fengkou' tragedy that made the Japanese people cry like a funeral? This is quite a long speech, but it expressed an idea without repetition. After finishing this long sentence, he had already walked in front of Song, standing still and looking at him with a worshiping gaze, continuing to say: "In America, everyone says you are the reincarnation of Yue Fei, today I see that your reputation is not in vain." Then, with a loud voice, he said: "Junior Ouyang Yun salutes his idol General Song!"

  Ouyang Yun's efforts are truly painstaking, and even invited Yue Wu Mu and Ou Xiang.

  There is a saying: the official position and the depth of one's city are in direct proportion. This sentence cannot be considered true, but it is not entirely false either. As the commander-in-chief of an army, Song Zheyuan naturally has a deep understanding of the situation, like the ocean. He can remain calm and composed amidst a group of traitors, and he can also reflect on this point. However, when faced with Ouyang Yun's flattery, Commander Song still felt a shiver run down his spine.

  After the great victory of Zijinmen, Song Jun's reputation as a famous anti-Japanese general had long been known to all, and boastful words had long since made his ears calloused. According to common sense, he should have been immune to such phrases.

  However, thinking again, the great victory of Xifengkou has passed for almost two years. In these two years, the former glory has gradually faded. At the same time, the 29th Army, because it borders Japan and is not Chiang Kai-shek's direct line, Song Xilian struggled to make a living in the gap, and it was quite difficult. Especially after being removed from office, a grievance in his heart almost burst out! Even these past few nights, he dreamed of the great victory of Xifengkou, which kept emerging.

  Flattery is something anyone can do, for example the three traitors sitting here today are all masters of it. But they cannot compare with Ouyang Yun. Who are they? Traitors! The kind that everyone kicks around; who is Ouyang Yun? One of the two anti-Japanese heroes whose names are currently resounding throughout the nation!

  Moreover, Ou Yang Yun's passionate and stirring speech was extremely sincere, with a look that came from the heart - of course, having prepared for one night, if it didn't reach this level then hurry up and commit suicide as a "crosser"! Which crosser isn't an Oscar-winning actor?!

  Ouyang Yun has already decided to let go, Chen Shaohua's path is basically cut off, so Song Zheyuan's side absolutely cannot have any problems - he is now considered to be performing exceptionally well.