Chapter Sixteen: The Soldier's Shame

  The Tanggu Truce is a shame for Chinese soldiers. This agreement was signed after the Great Wall War, in which 350,000 Chinese troops fought against more than 50,000 Japanese troops (some say 17,000, but I believe the former). The result was that China lost 16,725 men and 24,019 were injured, while Japan only suffered 2,600 casualties (there are claims of falsification, as a single victory at Xifengkou reportedly killed more than 5,000 Japanese soldiers according to Chinese statistics). This disparity in losses is hard to accept. The commander of the 29th Army, Song Zheyuan, was heartbroken and asked after the failure of the Great Wall War: "Why can't our army of 300,000 defeat the 50,000-strong Japanese army?"

  Why? When Ouyang Yun heard this lesson in military history class, he had thought about this question. It must be admitted that the Japanese army was better equipped and of higher quality than the Chinese side, but this was not the main reason for the Chinese defeat. In fact, the Chinese side did have the strength to continue fighting. The main reason lies with the highest authorities, who were thinking only of "internal pacification before external resistance". At the most critical moment of the Battle of the Great Wall, they could actually withdraw 500,000 troops to fight an internal war, to engage in so-called "Communist suppression", and when the broad masses of patriotic officers and soldiers strongly demanded participation in the anti-Japanese war, he could brazenly say: "If there are those who fear death and talk about resistance without knowing shame, they will be executed without pardon!" What a "execution without pardon"! With such leadership, how could the National Army not lose the Battle of the Great Wall?! "Fear of death", "ignorance of shame", what big hats, only to wonder who was being referred to. History has come to this day, and the answer is already clear.

  After the agreement was signed, it actually acknowledged the legitimacy of the Japanese army's occupation of the three northeastern provinces and Rehe. The eastern part of Chahar and the eastern part of Suiyuan became "non-military zones", where Chinese troops could not be stationed, but Japanese planes could conduct reconnaissance, and China had to provide convenience and protection. From then on, the gate of North China was wide open, it was like putting a delicious cake in front of the Japanese, facing such temptation, the Japanese would not behave like gentlemen "look from afar but do not touch".

  Ouyang Yun was very familiar with this history and knew that the Tanggu Agreement was also related to He Yingqin, and the Chinese negotiator Huang Fu was appointed by him. When Qiu Jian told him that He Yingqin wanted to send someone to Tianjin, he was shocked and thought it was not good, wondering if his momentary impulse had actually led to the premature birth of the He-Mei Agreement.

  He, who had been sitting quietly as a good student, suddenly blurted out: "The He-Mei Agreement?!" As soon as he said it, he realized his mistake and quickly covered his mouth with his hand, but it was too late - the words that had spilled out like water couldn't be taken back.

  Four pairs of eyes stared at him blankly, and Chu Tiang asked, "Big brother, what is the 'He Mei Agreement'?" He was not in the military camp and was unclear about the current situation between China and Japan, as well as personnel arrangements, so he couldn't read anything from the words "He Mei Agreement". The three of them were different, they knew all about this and immediately sensed the deep meaning behind it.

  He Yingqin sent someone to Tianjin, definitely to negotiate with the Japanese. It seems that the National Government has decided to compromise again in North China. On the Japanese side, the highest-ranking official in North China is currently Lieutenant General Toshizō Nishio. If Sino-Japanese negotiations are really going to take place, the two people who will ultimately be responsible for signing will definitely be these two people. According to the convention of signing agreements, it may eventually be called the "He-Mei Agreement". Who is this young man, and how does he possess such sharp political insight?

  Three people stared at Ouyang Yun, after a long time, Chen Shaohua said: "Unbelievable, unbelievable, the younger generation is to be feared. Young man, whose family are you from? Which department does your father work in? Tell me and I'll listen, let's see if I know him."

  Only a few high-ranking officials in the National Government knew about He Yingqin's dispatch of personnel to Tianjin. They were able to learn that it was taking advantage of the landlord's convenience, and his true purpose for sending people to Tianjin was all speculative. Chen Shaohua naturally thought that Ouyang Yun must have received some small news from his father's generation, so he would have such astonishing words - he didn't believe that this young man really judged it with his eyesight.

  "Chu Tian Ge said: 'Uncle Chen, my elder brother's parents are all in America, he just came back from America too.'"

  "Is it? That's even more outrageous."

  Ouyang Yun was sweating profusely and thought to himself that this time he had gone too far, so he lowered his head and drank silently, not daring to say another word for fear of revealing more.

  Chu Kuo-chi saw that the atmosphere on the table had become somewhat heavy, so he patted the table and said: "Alright, let's stop here. Today I invited the two of you over to drink and have some fun, not to discuss national affairs. Besides, we're not in a position to make decisions about national affairs anyway. Come on, let's drink! Ouyang, lift your head up, young man, be more spirited! Don't worry, there are no outsiders here today, we've all forgotten what you said earlier. Qiu Jian, weren't you always shouting about wanting to drink with your nephews and saying something about 'heroes meeting over wine'? Why don't you have a drink with these two youngsters? They're the 'Anti-Japanese Heroes' now, and many people want to invite them out for drinks but can't find anyone!"

  Qiu Jian was good at making fun, and immediately raised his wine glass, saying: "Right, right, almost forgot, Ouyang, Tiange, uncle respects you with a cup, what you did in Beiping is great!" He was a straightforward person, after finishing speaking, he raised his wine glass, and with a "gulp" sound, he downed it.

  "Thanks, Uncle Qiu," Chu Tiangong hastily followed with a toast.

  Ouyang Yun raised his wine glass, feeling a deep sense of emotion. These three old Chinese military officers may not be the purest kind of soldiers, but they deeply loved their country. In North China, such officers should not be in the minority. As soon as the government gave the order, they would use their own flesh and blood to defend the nation's dignity. Only - thinking of the Hei Mei Agreement being signed, the 51st Army would be forced to withdraw from Hebei to "suppress bandits", he couldn't help but feel sad for them. As a soldier, not being able to die for one's country was a kind of melancholy. He let out a soft sigh, raised his head and downed the wine in one gulp.

  A fiery liquor flowed down his throat, burning him to a sudden vigor. He stood up, took the wine bottle and filled each person's cup, raised his own cup and said: "Everyone, I apologize for Ouyang Meng's rudeness earlier, please don't mind it, I'll punish myself with one more cup." After finishing speaking, he tilted his head back and downed another cup.

  Qiu Jianle laughed and said, "Not bad, young man! Your drinking style is quite like mine when I was younger. Haha, okay, let's have a drink together, big brother will keep you company."

  As soon as he put down his wine glass, Chen Shaohua burst out laughing: "You wine ghost, if you want to drink, just drink, what's the excuse. I'm saying, are you drunk? One moment it's uncle, one moment it's old brother, can't even get the generation right!"

  Chu Kuoji also laughed and said, "This generation is confusing, Tian Ge is my nephew, Ouyang is Tian Ge's older brother, Jiu Gui is my older brother, but now Jiu Gui has become Ouyang's older brother, so how should we address each other?"

  Ouyang Yun and Chu Tiange listened with a smile, accompanying them with a gentle laugh.

  Qiu Jian didn't care, shouting: "What's the big deal? Everyone has their own way of calling," and said to Ouyang Yun: "Little Ouyang, Big Brother is going to be brothers with you, do you have any objections?"

  Ouyang Yun was frightened and hastily stood up saying: "No no, this won't do, Uncle Qiu, spare me."

  Qiu Jian was a bull-headed man, and it's unclear if he had too much to drink, but his eyes bulged out as he bellowed: "What, no face?!?"

  He smiled wryly, not knowing what to do. Chu Kuaiji gave him a glance and said: "Alright, alright, let's just call each other by our names then. Ouyang, Commander Qiu was also a good guy when he was young, and having him as your older brother doesn't humiliate you."

  "Pfft!" Qiu Jian spat out a few mouthfuls, shouting: "What's the meaning of 'being a good guy when you're young', it sounds like I'm some kind of useless old man now!"

  "Am I wrong? Think back to when we were young, we also had our share of joys and grudges, now look at us today..."

  Qiu Jianduan was taken aback, holding his wine cup, looking like he had been told a shocking truth. Suddenly, he slammed the wine cup heavily on the table and said: "Damn it, being a soldier is miserable, thinking about it, it's not as happy as being a bandit."

  Ouyang Yun blinked his eyes and thought to himself, "No wonder this guy has a bandit-like aura, it turns out he has a reason for it."

  Chen Shaohua saw that he had digressed from the topic, coughed twice and said: "Alright, let's not mention those trivial matters. Wine Ghost, what's going on with your team? Last month you just allocated a new batch of medium-formal attire, and this month you're applying again?"

  "Ah..." Qiu Jian glanced at the two young people, hesitating to speak. This rough and hearty man actually had a delicate side, it seemed there was something he didn't want to say in front of them.

  Ouyang Yun understood the situation and said to Chu Tian Ge, "Tian Ge, let's go for a walk." He stood up to leave but was stopped by Chu Hua Ji, who said to Qiu Jian, "You wine ghost, you were just calling him elder brother with such enthusiasm, now why are you avoiding him? Sit down and ignore him."

  The two had no choice but to sit down, Chu Tiange was fine, but Ouyang Yun felt embarrassed.

  Qiu Jian scratched his head and said, "Isn't it because I'm afraid of teaching bad things to little kids?"

  Chen Shaohua burst out laughing: "Damn wine ghost, what's the fear of teaching bad things to kids? Is it the fear of losing face for yourself? Speak up, where did that batch of guns go?"

  Qiu Jian's face turned red, and he chuckled, saying: "Time to pay for the wine."

  "Change the wine money! You damn well don't tell the truth, humph, this month's target can't be given to you guys."

  "Hey, old brother, it looks like we're about to go into battle, and I still have a few hundred men without guns - can't you make an exception?"

  "Compromise, I suppose it's not impossible. However, I heard you just acquired a treasure in Beiping, supposedly a painting by someone from the Ming dynasty... Ah, that painting I've seen before, and it's indeed quite good."

  "This one, big brother, that's what I'm preparing to give away. You also know, I've been stuck in this position for three years already. We're not from Whampoa, and there's no one above..."

  Qiu Jian said pitifully, Chu Kuo's machine felt a bit unbearable and helped to persuade: "Shao Hua brother, help him once again."

  "Considering it's for your sake, I'll help you one more time. However, this is the last time. Next time, you'll have to give me something in return."

  ……

  Chu Tian Ge was fine, he had seen such scenes before and wasn't surprised; but Ouyang Yun was stunned, thinking that the contrast was too great. One moment ago, he was still swearing loyalty to the king and country, with a devoted appearance, how could he change into this kind of behavior after just one cup of wine? Was this what they called revealing one's true nature, or was it about being patriotic and getting rich at the same time?! If an army led by such a person could win battles, then heaven must be blind.

  Chen Shaohua and Qiu Jian's argument had just ended when Chu Kuo joined in: "Brother Shaohua, there's something I almost forgot to tell you."

  "Really?"

  "My pistol is broken."

  "Which one?"

  "Chu Kuaiji shouted at his orderly: 'Little Zhu, go to my quarters and bring out that Browning.' Apparently, he had more than one pistol on him."

  Chu Tian Ge leaned in close to Ouyang Yun's ear and said: "My uncle likes collecting guns."

  Browning is still new, the blue is not worn out at all, just the machine head is stuck. Chen Shaohua took it in his hand and looked at it, saying: "The machine head is stuck, I'll send someone to fix it later."

  "Why bother fixing it? Just get a new one."

  "It's still new after being fixed!"

  "It's not genuine anymore!"

  ……

  Ouyang Yun smiled, it seems that Chu Kuaiji, this gun collector, just wanted to make a name for himself. To know, a true gun collector wouldn't care about the new or old, but only care about the rarity and origin of the gun. He smiled and said: "Let me take a look." He picked up the Browning, took a glance, then quickly disassembled it in three to five seconds, bent the clip, reassembled it, pulled the bolt back, cocked the trigger, and with a "click" sound, handed the gun back to Chu Kuaiji saying: "Done."

  His move was so beautiful that everyone was stunned. Chen Shaohua was the first to come back to his senses and asked, "Ouyang, have you learned about gun maintenance?"

  Ouyang Yun also didn't show modesty and replied: "En."

  "Will that fix the Vickers machine gun?"

  "Haven't learned it before, need to take a look to know."

  "Come on, follow me now. There are dozens of them stored in the warehouse. Commander Yu is so anxious about this that he's thinking of putting up a recruitment notice. If you can fix them all, the 51st Army will be your home from then on."