Chapter Thirty-two: Unexpected Harvest

  Ouyang Yun's original plan was to immediately lead the Student Army to Wanping after receiving the military supplies from the 25th Division, but the arrival of Yu Xichong and Chen Shaohua dispelled this idea.

  These two have roughly the same purpose as Changzhilin, and Yu Xuezong's reason for coming to the door in person as the commander of the 51st Army is different.

  It's said that without cleverness, a book can't be written. The seed Ou Yang Yun planted in Tianjin Zhong-Ri Middle School has sprouted prematurely thanks to Feng Yuan Xiu. It must be admitted that this kid Feng Yuan Xiu is born with the makings of a spy and a mastermind. Due to his uncle's connections, he knows many traitors in Tianjin City. He happened to witness Shi You San's subordinate, Jing Long Ji, buying off small hoodlums on the streets under orders from above. He immediately sensed something was amiss, and through various means, found out the truth. Knowing that things were serious, but unable to find Ou Yang Yun, he thought of General Yu Xue Zhong, commander of the 51st Army and mayor of Tianjin City, who is firmly anti-Japanese, so he entrusted his treasure to him.

  Yu Xuezong learned of the Japanese conspiracy from Feng Yuanxiu's mouth, and naturally didn't dare to take it lightly. He was thinking about how to deal with it when Chen Shaohua came to report that there were too many supplies in the warehouse, and they couldn't take them all away in a hurry. He suggested to Yu Xuezong that instead of destroying them, it would be better to leave them for the 29th Army's student brigade, which could use them to deal with Shi You San and other traitors.

  Xue Zhong began to feel that something was amiss, thinking that the 29th Army's defensive position was in Chahar, and since the Xue Bing Tuan had already been incorporated into the 29th Army, without a military committee's order, privately entering Beiping would have a very unfavorable impact on Song Zheyuan and the 29th Army if it were to be exposed.

  Chen Shaohua thought for a moment, but said that this worry was completely unnecessary. Because the transformation of the training class into a learning soldier group is currently known to very few people, and these people will not speak out for various purposes. Therefore, the learning soldier group can enter Beiping as a local volunteer armed force.

  He said that, and Yu Xuezhong thought this idea was not bad, but he began to worry about the student army, thinking that the students were too simple and had no combat experience. He was afraid they couldn't handle Shi You San's old slippery people. With a big picture in mind, he made up his mind and decided to transfer a company from his own guard team to the student army.

  The surplus materials in the warehouse of the 51st Army were naturally used as dowry and sent over together.

  Yu Xuezhong's entourage, consisting of two sedans and ten large trucks, including five cars with fully armed soldiers and five cars with military supplies, set off towards the barracks of the student army. The students on guard duty at the entrance to the barracks were startled by the grand procession and thought the Japanese had arrived, so they fired warning shots. At this time, most of the students were resting in their dormitories, except for those on sentry duty or patrol. Since Ouyang Yun had not returned yet, everyone was leaderless, and upon hearing the gunshots, they immediately panicked. Many people didn't even have time to put on their shoes before grabbing their guns and rushing out, only to discover that they had forgotten their ammunition bags. They hastily returned to retrieve them. Meanwhile, the patrol team rushed towards the entrance, forgetting the tactical principles that Ouyang Yun had just taught them.

  What a mess, until the misunderstanding was cleared up, the training team's barracks were still in an uproar, which made Yu Zong feel chilled to the bone and think that with such quality, how could they fight against the Japanese? It's almost like sending them to their deaths! He couldn't help but anxiously say to Chen Shaohua: "It seems we can't count on them. Hmm, let the Guard Battalion stay with the training team then, no need to return." Originally, he had only planned to have the Guard Battalion temporarily assist and complete the task of blocking Shi Zhong's troops before returning, but now seeing the state of the training team, from a broader perspective, he was willing to sacrifice the interests of the 51st Army and prepare to directly transfer the Guard Battalion to the training team.

  Chen Shaohua, however, felt that it was not appropriate and said: "Military seat, isn't this not good? The Learning Soldier Corps is currently under the 29th Army after all. In that case, wouldn't we be handing over the Third Guard Company to Song Zheyuan? I'm afraid the brothers of the Third Company won't agree either."

  Yu Xuezhong thought for a moment and asked: "Then what do you think is the best way to handle it?"

  Chen Shaohua saw that there were many student soldiers beside him, and he leaned in close to his ear and said: "Commander, shouldn't we let Li Tieshu come up with a way to control the Student Soldier Corps, and then pull it into our ranks?"

  "No, no, what about Peiping then? Are we just going to abandon it to the Japanese?"

  "It's going to be lost sooner or later."

  Yu Xuezong thought for a moment, sighed and called Li Tieshu over to his side in a low voice: "Tieshu, I'm leaving you and your men with the Student Army to guard Beiping. You won't have any objections, will you?"

  Li Tieshu stood up straight, chest out, and saluted. Then he said loudly: "Reporting to the commander, I and my fellow brothers will definitely guarantee the completion of our mission, we absolutely will not lose face for you or the 51st Army."

  "I know you are all good people, but you must make long-term preparations for staying in Beiping."

  "General, isn't it time for us to return after completing our mission? You, you don't need us anymore?"

  "Don't be so pessimistic, what's with the 'do you want or not', let me tell you... got it?"

  "I understand, but what if Ouyang Yun doesn't listen to me?"

  "If you really have no other way out, come back. The 51st Army's door is always open to you, including the Student Brigade - if you have a chance, tell Ouyang Yun this truth."

  "Yes!"

  At this time, Ouyang Yun pulled back a truck driver and saw the array in the garrison. He was somewhat unclear about the direction, but when he saw Chen Shaohua, he saw that the middle-aged man standing with him had three stars on his epaulets. He immediately guessed the other's identity and couldn't help but be surprised. Yu Xuezong was a general whom Ouyang Yun admired very much, belonging to the idol level. He didn't dare to slack off, so he stopped the car immediately, without paying attention to Chen Shichang and others who came up to greet him. He walked directly in front of Yu Xuezong, gave a neat and tidy military salute, and said loudly: "29th Army Cadet Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Deputy Commander Ouyang Yun, pays respects to General Yu!"

  With just this one military salute, Xue Zhong couldn't help but feel a good impression of this young man who had been famous for a long time. He put away his bad mood and replaced it with a smiling face, asking: "Are you Ou Yang Yun, the 'Anti-Japanese Hero'?" Looking behind him, he asked: "And where's Chu Tian Ge? Why haven't I seen that kid? Isn't he also in the Xue Bing Tuan?" From his tone, it seemed as if he knew him.

  Ouyang Yun's admiration for Xuezhong is sincere, from the perspective of resisting Japan. The general in front of him dared to fight with real swords and guns against the Japanese devils. Because of his presence, the Japanese were restrained in Tianjin and did not make a big fuss like Sun Wukong. Also because of this, in the Hebei-Mengjiang Agreement, he was the highest-ranking National Army general demanded by the Japanese military to be relieved of his duties. He replied with a loud voice: "The heavenly song has gone to Ping Bay."

  "Oh? What is he going to Wanping for?"

  "Monitor the movements of those traitors."

  Yu Xuezhong smiled and asked: "So you're saying that you already know about Shi You San and the others planning to start a riot in Wanping?"

  "Yes, we were just preparing to head towards Wanping."

  Yu Xuezhong looked around at the student soldiers and was surprised to find that with Ouyang Yun's return, these little guys who were just panicked and flustered had now stood up straight, looking like real soldiers. This made him look at the young man in front of him with newfound respect, and he smiled as he said: "Shi Yong San and others have Japanese backing them, and Shi himself has a military background, so they're not to be underestimated in battle. Your student army alone might not be enough," he said, pulling Li Tieshu forward and introducing him: "Li Tieshu, commander of the 3rd company of the 1st battalion of the 51st Army's direct-affiliated guard regiment. From today on, he and his brothers will be under your command."

  Li Tiejun stepped forward politely and saluted Ou Yangyun, saying: "I've seen Commander Ou Yang."

  Ouyang Yun looked at the young military officer in front of him, who was 25 or 26 years old. He saw that his eyes were bright and spirited, with an expression that was neither arrogant nor humble, clearly a seasoned veteran. Looking at Yu Xuezhong and then Chen Shaohua, he couldn't react for a moment, feeling a bit flustered. Yu Xuezhong's move was completely unreasonable, his first thought was that General Yu was indeed a patriotic general, who would sacrifice himself for the country and the people, this "generosity" was truly "selfless". But then he thought it didn't feel right, if the Third Guard Company were to be mixed into the training battalion, then which one did the training battalion belong to, the 51st or the 29th? He awkwardly saluted Yu Xuezhong and said: "General Yu, this is probably not suitable, Li's Third Guard Company is the elite of the 51st, they must have been through a hundred battles, how could I, Ouyang Yun, dare to command them? If possible, I would rather go under Li's command as a low-ranking soldier."

  Yu Xuezhong suddenly laughed after hearing this, and looked around at the students with a smile. He saw that many of them had wide eyes, clearly not understanding why their commander was being self-deprecating. Yu Xuezhong knew he was worried about not being able to command the old veterans of the Third Guard Company, so he threw Li Tieshu a glance. The latter understood and immediately spoke seriously to Ouyang Yun: "Commander Ouyang, you can rest assured on this point. From now on, the remaining 123 men under my command will be part of the Student Army as well. As such, we should follow your orders unconditionally. If anyone disobeys, they will be subject to military law."

  He made such a statement, and Ouyang Yun felt that refusing again would be hypocritical. So he solemnly shook his hand and sincerely said: "In that case, from now on, we will unite as one to fight the devils, and vow to drive the Japanese out of the three northeastern provinces." Then, looking at the guards, he said: "The student army is newly established and has no combat power. If Bayan really fights, it will have to rely heavily on you brothers. Ouyang asks for your help here!" After finishing speaking, he gave everyone a military salute.

  Many people in the guard regiment began to look down on this young commander, but because Yu Xuezong was here, they didn't dare say anything to his face, only secretly grumbling: What is the commander doing? This little guy looks like a rookie, how can we listen to him? Although he is one of the "anti-Japanese heroes", but someone who has never been on the battlefield, does he understand commanding battles? Now that they saw his "performance", seeing his upright military posture and his precise salute, their impression of him changed involuntarily. Many people subconsciously returned the salute, some even opened their mouths to say: "Commander, please be at ease," "You're too polite, sir..." and so on.

  Yu Xuezhong was extremely dissatisfied with Ouyang Yun's words, and with a collected smile said: "What kind of talk is this? What about the guard company, the student army... from now on, they are all under your command. The officers' orders will naturally be obeyed." He looked at the soldiers of the guard company and asked loudly: "Is that right?"

  The warriors of the guard company, under the gaze of the military commander, involuntarily puffed out their chests and replied loudly: "Yes!" Then, as if they had rehearsed it, under Li Tieshu's lead, they shouted in unison: "From now on, we will only follow Commander Ouyang!" The shouting was loud and deafening, very inspiring, the students' blood boiled with excitement, and their gaze at their own commander added a few points of spirit. They deeply felt proud to have Ouyang Yun as their commander. However, some of the 29th Army guards sent by Guo Biao thought: This student army is part of the 29th Army's organization, and the guard company's slogan seems to imply that they will only listen to Ouyang Yun, but not follow the 29th Army! Hmm, this matter should be reported to the higher-ups.

  Ouyang Yun was deeply moved, and this reminded him of the National Day military parade in that era. When thousands of soldiers shouted "Chairman is good" in unison during the parade, it seemed to be the same scene as what he saw now - with a little self-admiration, he thought: Hey, we are also leaders now. A different kind of emotion filled him, and he stood at attention, saying loudly: "Ouyang Yun will not betray General and all of you who trust me!" After finishing speaking, he gave a military salute to Yu Xuezhong and the guards with force.