The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 466 Heading Towards the Tiger's Den (Two Chapters Combined)

...I have lost count of how many times I have tried to describe the beauty of the modern world to my compatriots and ancestors in the world I traveled to.

Try to convince them that the difficulties are only temporary and that the future is bright.

It won't be long, less than a hundred years. In just seventy or eighty years, our civilization, which has been glorious for thousands of years, will achieve a great revival.

To put it simply, it means that everyone will no longer be bullied by the Japanese and foreign devils, and everyone can live a good life.

Whenever we describe it this way, the feelings of our ancestors and compatriots are very complicated.

Firstly, they couldn't believe it; secondly, they were always captivated by these beautiful descriptions that they wouldn't even dare to dream of in their daily lives, and they eagerly anticipated being able to visit the modern world.

Each time, we offer our sincerest blessings, hoping that their wishes will be fulfilled.

This time, however, he traveled to the Pingxi base area and faced the desire of children like Cao'er, Shi Suiban, the cultural troupe, and Xiaohao to see the modern world.

Our hope that they will receive their blessings is more sincere than ever before…

...Excerpt from Hu Biao's diary collection "Hu Shuo"...

While everyone was racking their brains over how to get through the Mendun Mountain checkpoint, a cough reached Hu Biao and the others' ears, which served as a wake-up call for them.

In an instant, all the veterans instinctively looked towards AT.

There's no way around it! This guy, nicknamed 'Consumption Demon,' has his coughing voice become his personal trademark.

Then, they saw AT's incredibly pained face, and then they saw this unemployed white-collar worker explaining with a helpless expression:

"What's wrong?! I wasn't coughing just now."

Goodness! This guy got so excited that he even started using the Tianjin dialect.

He mainly felt that people had too deep a prejudice against him. After all, he hadn't coughed for a long time, so why should this preconceived notion be welded to his head?

Just then, another bout of rapid coughing broke out.

This time everyone could see clearly that among the group of children who were now huddled together sleeping fully clothed on one side, the ten-and-a-half-year-old was still awake.

He was coughing continuously, as if he were sick.

Upon seeing this, everyone immediately became tense.

Because in these terrible circumstances, getting sick can easily turn a minor illness into a major one, and a major illness into something life-threatening.

No one dared to be careless, and Annie and Xiao Cui quickly stepped forward.

Annie pulled out a piece of firewood to use as a torch, since they had carelessly forgotten to bring a flashlight when they traveled through time.

Xiao Cui used some simple diagnostic methods to examine the ten-and-a-half-year-old's condition.

A short while later, Xiao Cui breathed a sigh of relief and then said in a relaxed tone, "It's nothing serious. I just caught a cold after being chilled, but I haven't even developed a low-grade fever yet."

I've ground some Isatis root powder here. I'll mix some with boiling water and give it to him to drink. He should sweat it out and be fine then.

Upon hearing this explanation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. Who would want to see such a pitiful and sensible child, dragging his sick body, to complete an unknown mission with them?

Right on the smokeless stove, there was a pork kidney lunchbox that was boiling water.

Xiao Cui used the hot water to brew a cup of Banlangen (Isatis root) and then made the ten-and-a-half-year-old drink it quickly.

However, this kind of Chinese medicine powder is not the kind of prepared Chinese medicine available in modern worlds; it contains a lot of sucrose.

So it tasted a bit bitter, which made the ten-and-a-half-year-old frown deeply; but even so, he didn't cry or make a fuss.

Seeing him like this, Annie felt a pang of pity. She took a piece of hard candy from her backpack and handed it to him, whispering:

"Eat a piece of candy to sweeten your mouth, and it won't be so bitter."

As soon as these words were spoken, several people began to swallow hard.

When Hu Biao and the others turned around, they were both amused and exasperated. It turned out that the old soldier, Shiwu, the art troupe member, Xiaohao, and all the other children were pretending to be asleep.

Kids love sweets, especially in times of extreme scarcity.

After hearing Annie say "have a piece of candy," even the most sensible children couldn't help but drool and swallow.

"Cao'er, come tell your uncle why you're not asleep yet."

AT stepped forward and picked up Cao'er, asking her a question very gently. He probably never spoke to his wife this gently.

Or perhaps it existed in the past, but it certainly doesn't exist now.

Upon hearing this, Cao'er opened her eyes, which she could no longer see, and said timidly, "Uncle, I actually wanted to sleep, but I was scared and couldn't fall asleep because I was thinking about breaking out tonight."

Faced with this explanation, everyone was at a loss for words.

After all, no matter how strong they appear on the surface, they are still just children at heart.

Faced with such an intense and dangerous process of breaking through, even Xiao Ding, an adult, broke down; it is entirely reasonable that these children were frightened and suffered some psychological trauma.

Instinctively, they wanted to do something.

Therefore, they all turned their eyes to Annie, their eyes conveying only one meaning: Isn't it said that eating candy increases happiness?

Boss lady! Stop being so stingy with that damn bastard, give each child a piece of candy.

Before Old K traveled through time, he casually bought some fruit hard candies at the supermarket. These candies were slightly larger than regular candies, so 1.5 kilograms of fruit hard candies would only yield about 120 or 130 pieces, which wouldn't last very long.

Given the current situation, Anne could only give one to each of the other eight children.

When the veterans were given candy, this little adult still frowned and said no.

But when Annie peeled off the candy wrapper and forcefully stuffed a pineapple-flavored hard candy into his mouth, the boy's eyes lit up uncontrollably.

This precocious young man, trying to act mature for his age, is actually quite adorable...

*****
After all this commotion, it seems no one can sleep.

For a moment, in the crowded shack, the only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the children's reluctant chewing of the candy, which they kept twirling in their mouths, making the atmosphere somewhat somber.

Under these circumstances, for reasons unknown, Lao Yu, usually a man of few words, actually took the initiative to start a conversation.

He asked, based on an adult's perspective, "Children, come and tell your uncle, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Perhaps even in such harsh and difficult circumstances, these children still had countless fantasies and expectations about their future.

Faced with Lao Yu's question, they all answered without hesitation.

It was the veteran, the oldest of the group, who spoke first, and from the moment he opened his mouth, his eyes began to shine.

It's even shinier than a fruit hard candy when it's popped into your mouth:
"When I grow up, I will continue to fight the Japanese devils. After the Japanese devils are driven away, if Baldy behaves himself, then I'll let it go. Otherwise, I'll keep fighting Baldy."

Once even the bald guy is defeated, the villagers will surely live a better life.

The words had barely faded when the second oldest, fifteen, followed suit, blurting out the same thought without hesitation, proving that this idea was already firmly established in his mind:
"My thoughts are the same as the veterans'; I also want to fight alongside our army."

We must drive out and defeat all the bad elements who oppress us. Then, surely our fellow villagers will be able to eat their fill and won't have to go hungry anymore, right?

Just as Fifteen finished speaking, a deliberately suppressed voice reached Hu Biao and the others' ears:
"Fifteen is from Zhongyuan Province. A few years ago, when the Huayuankou dike breached, his family had no choice but to flee the famine. Except for him, the rest of the family starved to death." It was only then that Hei Xing realized that Fifteen was actually from his hometown.

That's why he answered Fifteen and the others with absolute certainty:
"China will definitely prosper in the future. At that time, everyone will not only be able to eat their fill, but also eat well, with rice, wheat flour, and meat at every meal."

Many people even dislike fatty meat because they think it's too oily, and avoid eating meat altogether when trying to lose weight.

The veteran seemed to have heard a fantasy, muttering to himself, "Having rice and flour every meal, and not even caring about fatty meat, how could that be possible?"

Clearly, even in his most daring dreams, he wouldn't dare imagine such a scene.

In response, Lao Yu smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying earnestly, "You are still young. As long as you take good care of your health, you will definitely see this day."

When Lao Yu said this, he was quite sincere.

Because by 2000, the oldest veteran among this group of children will only be 76 years old, and the youngest, Cao'er, will only be 67 years old, so they won't be too old.

The veteran and Fifteen exchanged a glance, then shook their heads and said in unison:
"We won't see it, because we'll have already died in battle long before that day comes."

When they spoke of the heavy word 'died in battle,' the two teenagers were incredibly calm and composed, until Old Yu's eyes reddened and he could no longer continue the conversation.

Fortunately, Xu Feng spoke up in time, preventing the situation from escalating further.

Because he already had a daughter, he was even more concerned about his son. He asked the handsome Xiao Hao, "Xiao Hao, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Oh, right! Everyone else should tell Uncle about it too."

Under these circumstances, the innocent voices of several other children rang out.

Xiao Hao picked up his small schoolbag, opened it like a precious treasure, and pulled out some well-worn literacy booklets before answering:
"When I grow up, I want to go to university and become a great scholar."

"Uncle Xu, I've loved reading since I was little, but the Japanese invaders come to raid every few days, and my parents are too busy with work, so there's no one to teach me."

The young girls in the performing arts troupe raised their heads, their eyes seemingly able to pierce through the tarpaulin overhead, and their clear voices rang out like a lark: "I want to continue singing, to go to bigger stages, and to sing for more people."

Grass: "No matter what, I want to stay by my mother's side forever."

Xie Liang: "I want to be bald. When my dad hits me, he always likes to grab my hair so I can't run away. When I grow up and become bald, I'll see how he catches me."

When this unique dream was revealed, everyone couldn't help but laugh, including Xie Liang himself.

Ma Fei: "..."

And so, one by one, the children shared their dreams—whether grand, ordinary, or even somewhat ridiculous.

This continued until he was ten and a half years old when he finally spoke: "When I grow up, I want to become an Eighth Route Army soldier; but before I grow up, I want to go back to Yangcun as soon as possible. My father said he would come to pick me up after this battle."

This was the second time in less than a day that the people had heard the ten-and-a-half-year-old say that his father was coming to pick him up.

With a hint of curiosity, Hu Biao asked Fang Youcai, the second platoon leader, in a voice only two or three people around him could hear:
"Platoon Leader Fang, who exactly is the father of this ten-and-a-half-year-old boy?"

After a slight pause, Fang Youcai answered in a bitter voice, "He was from the military sub-district staff. He died in battle a few days ago during the breakout."

So, at ten and a half years old, this child still doesn't know that his father will never come to pick him up again.

Upon realizing this, the adults fell silent, causing the previously lively atmosphere to suddenly become deathly still.

At this crucial moment, the only boy among the four students who had been quietly listening to the conversation suddenly spoke up.

He muttered to himself, "Is everything about the future of our Chinese nation really that good?"

Upon hearing this, Cao'er asked expectantly:
"Uncles and uncles, Sister An and Sister Xiao Cui all say that the people of your Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment are amazing. They are cultured, knowledgeable, and can even manufacture their own guns and cannons. They can tell us what the future holds."

So, what was life like after the Japanese invaders and the bald-headed principal were driven out and victory was achieved?

Before Hu Biao and the other men could raise any objections to the crucial question of why the little girl Cao'er called them "uncle" and "aunt" but called Annie and Xiao Cui "sister,"...

Annie and Xiao Cui had already spoken, their clear voices ringing out.

The various aspects of modern life in the modern world are gradually depicted in front of these people in an understandable way and with clear explanations.

In this description, whether it was Hu Biao and his companions' imagination or not, the brightness inside the shack suddenly seemed to increase considerably.

It must have been the gaze of everyone in the world, especially the increasingly bright eyes of the nine children.

It was as if the Milky Way in the sky had suddenly fallen into this small shack.

Those eyes were filled with an indescribable longing, which made Hu Biao and his companions' souls tremble.

Even though they had seen that expectant look in their eyes during other time travels more than once, this time it was particularly shocking.

They were even willing to pay any price to help these children realize this dream.

But they also knew that achieving even this was simply impossible...

Finally, after Xiao Cui finished speaking the last bit about the modern world, a ray of sunlight pierced through the oilcloth and shone into the narrow shack.

Before we knew it, it was already quite bright outside.

The golden sunlight dispelled the last trace of darkness in the shack, and made Hu Biao and the others feel inexplicably warm, and their previously gloomy mood vanished.

In a better mood, Hu Biao lifted a large piece of oilcloth in front of him, letting the rising sun shine in even more.

Suddenly, an indescribable surge of pride and an extremely audacious idea welled up within me.

He turned around and shouted to the crowd:
"Everyone went out to find more wild vegetables, and then cooked them together with the remaining beef jerky and dried vegetables for a good meal. All the chocolates and candies were also distributed."

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they marched directly to Mendun Mountain.

Haven't the Japanese been on high alert at night lately, waiting for our troops to break out and deliver themselves to our doorstep?

We decided to do the opposite of what they expected. Knowing full well that there were tigers in the mountains, we went anyway and robbed them of their lives during the day, catching the Japanese off guard.

"Once we capture the stronghold at Mendun Mountain, we'll have everything we need—food, ammunition, and other supplies."

Upon first hearing this crazy idea, Anne, the chief of staff of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, thought that her husband was about to do something reckless again, and instinctively wanted to object.

Upon closer examination, it turned out to be the only feasible solution at the moment.

He immediately called over the other transmigrators in a deep voice, and they finalized the details of Hu Biao's bold idea bit by bit.

She had a good working relationship with Hu Biao; Hu Biao proposed the tactical direction, and she led her team to refine the details.

This final action plan, which the group spent half an hour discussing, was considered by everyone to have about a 50% chance of success after a deliberation.

To be honest, such a 50% success rate is still somewhat risky.

However, at this point, Hu Biao and his men had no better options than to fight for their lives.

After everyone had drunk their fill of meat soup, Anne distributed all the candies and chocolates to everyone.

The main objective is to eat and use everything, restoring your stamina and condition to their peak for a do-or-die adventure.

It should be noted that when Hu Biao and others tore open the wrappers of chocolates and candies, they popped the delicious candies into their mouths to replenish their energy.

AT and Xufeng each glanced at the two children, Cao'er and Xiaohao, from a distance.

He swallowed hard, unable to resist the urge to drool, and carefully placed the chocolates and candies he had been given into his inner pocket...

(End of this chapter)