Chapter 21: Flies Swatting at Flies

  In the grand hall of Tianjin's Song Mansion, Song Zheyuan had a greatly increased good impression of this "junior" Ouyang Yun who had returned from America. "The Reincarnation of Yue Fei" - what a big hat to wear, Song thought to himself, rubbing his own head, feeling like sneaking a smile, "So you're the Ouyang Yun who bloodily cleansed the Japanese Black Dragon Society in Beiping?"

  "You're right, junior."

  When the three words "Ouyang Yun" appeared here, the three traitors became somewhat restless - if they were compared to flies, then "Ouyang Yun" was indeed worthy of being a fly swatter. Of course, on the premise that they knew that the "Hebei Incident" was done by this young man and Chu Tian Ge, and that he was the one who executed the death penalty on the two traitorous association heads. Unfortunately, the three big and small traitors did not know these things, so their current mood was another kind of urgency - if they could pass this news to their master, it would be a great achievement! One of the old rascals was cunning enough, immediately stood up excitedly, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he spoke with mystery: "Congratulations, Song Gong, the imperial army is now offering a reward for the capture of this person. If you..."

  "How dare you!" Song Zheyuan's eyebrows furrowed as he listened, and before he could say anything, Guo Biao had already bellowed: "Huang Jiazi, what do you take our military leaders for? Ouyang Yun and Chu Tian Ge, two righteous warriors, killed Japanese devils, that was to eliminate harm for the country, it's something all Chinese people applaud. What? Do you think our military leaders are also as spineless as you guys? Losing face for our ancestors?"

  "Huang Jiazi" was indeed the nickname of the Han traitor surnamed Huang. This old fellow, relying on the support of his Japanese masters in Tianjin, had always been arrogant and domineering, but here, he could only swallow his anger and humiliation. His face turned blue with rage as he forcibly argued: "What do you know, you military ruffian? Commander Song is going to cooperate with the Imperial Army to establish an autonomous region in Chahar!" The old fellow was so angry that he lost his head and blurted out all his secrets.

  And let's not say whether Song Zheyuan has this idea or not, even if he does, he must immediately express his position and clarify. Ouyang Yun and Guo Biao are not fools, and the words they exchanged earlier were all left with hidden meanings. Ouyang Yun looked at Guo Biao with an even higher regard: His previous words seemed to be a clever way of expressing his own thoughts, but in reality, he was actually targeting Song Yijun. Song Zheyuan's city is as deep as the ocean, and his eyes are naturally very poisonous, so he understood these small tricks at a glance. Therefore, although he glared at Guo Biao with some blame, he had to speak out straightforwardly: "Huanghe Xiang, food can be eaten disorderly, but words cannot be spoken disorderly. When did I ever say that I wanted to cooperate with the Japanese? Hmph, looking at you as an old acquaintance, this is why I allowed you to come to my mansion to reminisce about old times. You actually dare to splash dirty water on me in person? How? Do you think Song certain is easy to bully?"

  Huang Zongzi regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. Now seeing Song's true anger, he recalled some of the man's past tactics and was frightened into a cold sweat. He hastily said: "Lord Song, please don't be angry, River Chancellor has been too reckless, I'll take my leave first." After finishing speaking, he made eye contact with the other two people and prepared to leave.

  Ouyang Yun furrowed his brow, glanced at Song Zheyuan, and coincidentally, Song Zheyuan was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and the latter smiled slightly. He thought for a moment, then shouted loudly to the three traitors: "You three slow down!" His gaze swept across their faces as he asked with a smile: "Do you know why Hu Enyu and Bai Yuheng weren't beheaded?"

  This question is quite abrupt, and the three traitors were shocked to hear it. Song Zheyuan and Guo Biao exchanged a glance, with the same question in their eyes: Could it be that they were also responsible for the Hebei incident?

  Ouyang Yun's smile was radiant, with two rows of white teeth exposed. However, when it fell into the eyes of Huang Jiezi and his men, there was a sinister feeling. He smiled and said: "Because they are Han traitors, but after all, they are still Chinese people, so their families have nothing to do with them, and they themselves did not lose their heads! Otherwise, it's hard to say whether the 'Hebei Incident' would be another tragic case!"

  It's clear what this means, it's equivalent to admitting that Hu Enyu and Bai Yuhe were killed by them. With this, Ou Yang Yun's identity as a fly on the wall is confirmed. Those three traitors instantly became genuine flies - traitors become traitors because they are more afraid of death than ordinary people, and also more cunning than ordinary people, although it's just petty cleverness. The three flies that were buzzing around Song Zheyuan earlier, led by Huang Jiazi, immediately picked up on Ou Yang Yun's implicit meaning and hastily expressed their stance: "General Song, Mr. Ou Yang, we didn't see anything today, we didn't see anything."

  Ouyang Yun smiled: "Very good, forget it after seeing it. Outsiders all think we only have two people, in fact, hehe," he looked at Song Zheyuan and said: "Mr. Song, rest assured, Ouyang came to your house without the intention of taking refuge, if anyone dares to slander you for harboring a murderer, hehe, I dare guarantee that within ten days, some people's whole family will be wiped out!"

  These words are spoken with great arrogance - a threat, a naked threat.

  Three traitors felt a chill in their hearts, and their necks were cool and refreshing, but it wasn't over yet.

  In their hearts, Song Gong coldly said to the Japanese: "Mr. Ouyang, your words are not very good, how? The two anti-Japanese heroes have arrived at Song's place, if the 29th Army can't even guarantee your safety? How can we live up to the title of 'Anti-Japanese Vanguard' given by the people of the whole country? Hmph, when I was beheading those devils at Xifengkou, was it just for fun? Don't worry, everyone here today is a good friend, no one dares to play with their own life, otherwise... Hmph, the big knife of the 29th Army has not rusted! "He mentioned Xifengkou and remembered what Ouyang Yun said before, so he asked curiously: "By the way, what was the Xifengkou tragedy?"

  As soon as Song Zheyuan finished speaking, the three traitors felt a chill run down their necks. The 29th Army's big knife was a fearsome weapon that even the Japanese were afraid of; if it were to be placed on their necks... The three men didn't dare think about it and hastily bid farewell, not daring to stay in Song's residence for another moment. As they left, they repeatedly declared: "Please rest assured, General Song and Mr. Ouyang, we have never been to the Song residence today."

  Ouyang Yun was delighted, Song Zheyuan was much more courageous than what was recorded in history books, and it could be heard that he really wanted to be a "reincarnation of Yue Fei". Laughing, he said: "In Beiping we only chopped off 26 Japanese heads, but the result became a 'carnage case'. How many Japanese devils' heads did you chop off at Xifengkou? Wouldn't that be an even more 'carnage case' than the 'carnage case'?"

  Song Zheyuan thought for a moment, laughed and waved his hand at the three traitors, saying: "Young man, can't count like that? We were fighting, the situation was different."

  Song Gong was humble, in the eyes of the Japanese, it's almost the same, right? It seems that the Japanese devils have been invading China for so long, and the biggest loss was at Jipengkou...

  Song Zheyuan smiled faintly, feeling quite proud in his heart. He waved his hand and said, "It's all in the past, no need to mention it. You may not know, but I'm currently idle at home."

  Still idle? Aren't you still the commander of the 29th Army? Ou Yang Yun thought to himself, and with a pained expression said: "I've heard about your situation, to be honest, I feel very indignant for you."

  "Oh?" Song Zheyuan looked at the young man in front of him, his curiosity growing even stronger - what did this youngster know?

  "A discerning person can see at a glance that the so-called 'Zhangbei incident' is essentially Japan's unreasonable provocation, and it is the result of some people's tolerance and indulgence. Your handling of the matter has not been problematic. However, your painstaking efforts have not been understood by certain individuals. Some people are only thinking about securing their own power, without considering the country's future or the nation's survival."

  "Wait a minute—" Song Zheyuan stopped him. The conversation had reached this point, and certain people were already apparent on the page; anyone who wasn't politically naive knew exactly who was being referred to. Song began to suspect Ou Yangyun's identity, his gaze changing in an instant from that of a benevolent old cat to a ferocious lion. He asked sternly: "Who are you, really? What do you want? Guo Biao, go guard the door; don't let anyone else in."

  Guo Biao looked at Ouyang Yun with suspicion and went to the door, also wondering: What kind of person is this Ouyang Yun? What does he want to do?

  Ouyang Yun smiled faintly: "Chinese? Just wanting to resist Japan and save the country, Song Gong, what do you think I am?"

  Song said coldly: "Young man, anyone can talk big, but if you want to be a spokesperson for someone or some force, I advise you to dispel this idea as soon as possible."

  "Mediator?" Ouyang Yun called out to Zhu Tianqu, bitterly smiling: "Song Gong, you're giving me too much credit. I came to find you only because I couldn't bear to see my idol and the 29th Army, which I respect, become sacrificial pawns."

  Song Zheyuan furrowed his brow, his tone growing even colder: "What sacrifice? You'd better not spout nonsense again, or I'll have to order you out."

  Ouyang Yun's eyes widened, and he said loudly: "Isn't that the case? The 29th Army is such a good unit, but just because it's not under someone's direct control, has it suffered less humiliation since its establishment? Not to mention the past few years when you were in Shanxi, even in Chahar, what support did the National Government give you? You want the horse to run without eating grass, is there such a good thing in the world?! This is because of your leadership, Song Gong, which has charm and can intimidate those below. Otherwise, if it were another army commander, I think the 29th Army would have become scattered soldiers and bandits long ago. The 29th Army is sandwiched between the National Army and the Japanese Army, having to defend against the Japanese invaders while preserving national territory, and also having to follow someone's orders without provoking the Japanese... Now it's good that He (somebody) has started negotiating with the Japanese again, but I'm afraid another Tanggu Agreement will come out. If so, Song Gong, do you think Chahar can still be a clean land?"

  Song Zheyuan looked at him, the sharp side of his eyes gradually dimming down, replaced by a complex emotion - no matter who this young man was and what forces were behind him, one thing could be determined: his analysis of the situation and understanding of the 29th Army's circumstances were thorough. As he said, the 29th Army was sandwiched between the National Government and the Japanese, although nominally belonging to the National Army, but never received the treatment of the National Army. Originally, it was thought that with a piece of land, they could rest and recover for a while, and also expand their strength, but in the end, they became a chess piece, and an extremely embarrassing isolated child. He Zongxin's negotiations with the Japanese had already released news, estimating that all Central Army troops would be withdrawn from Hebei, at which time the 29th Army would have to face the North China Japanese army alone - Chahar was just such a small place, poor mountains and evil waters... He dared not think about it anymore, asking in a low voice: "Young man, did you come just to tell me these things?"

  Ouyang Yun saw that he had changed his tone and thought there was a chance, so he quickly took advantage of the situation and said: "Of course not, I have come for two purposes."

  "Oh?"

  "A private matter has now been reached."

  "Private?"

  Ouyang Yun smiled and said: "It's just meeting an idol, Song Gong, you're older than I imagined, too worried about national affairs?" As he spoke, he took out paper and pen and handed it over to him, saying: "Please sign for me."

  "Nonsense," Song Zheyuan said, his old face turning red, but he was very pleased in his heart. He took the paper and pen and wrote seriously: Today's anti-Japanese heroes, tomorrow's anti-Japanese pillars - Song Zheyuan dedicates to Ouyang Xiaoyou. After the great victory at Xifengkou, he had done this signing thing many times, a very proud feeling.

  Ouyang Yun carefully put it away, thinking that if she could travel back in time, this would be a priceless treasure.

  Song Zheyuan, seeing him like this, recalled the glorious days of the past and felt more emotional. At the same time, he became more curious about what he called official business and asked: "What's that official business? Won't it be just to kill those two traitors?"

  "Of course not, that was just a casual remark," Ouyang Yun smiled and said in a mysterious tone: "I think Chahar doesn't match the merits of Song Gong and the 29th Army, so I've come to offer you a precious land."