The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 5 Eight Hundred Thoughts
...When meeting someone, only say three-tenths of what you want to say, and don't reveal your whole heart; everyone should clean the snow in front of their own door, and not worry about the frost and snow on other people's roofs.

In the modern world, these words seem to be taken for granted; even many parents have been teaching their children these principles since childhood.

This approach is right and wrong.

The reason why it is right is that the world has become more and more selfish and indifferent. If you don’t know this truth, you may suffer a great loss.

It is wrong because there are always some things that cannot be measured by reason and interests.

By the time I understood this truth, I had already witnessed too many men who put everything aside and stood up to the danger of national destruction and extinction die before my eyes.

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

Three days later, around 8:22 p.m. on August , under a big tree on the roadside in Changshu.

He spat several times, then spit out the butt of a "Three-Patrol" cigarette without a filter and the tobacco residue in his mouth.

Hu Biao then asked the four people in front of him:
"Brothers, it's not a good idea to keep going like this. I estimate that in two days, the Third Replacement Company will reach the Magic City. By then, it will be too late to run."

Since Hu Biao could ask such a question, the other four people must be unlucky guys from the modern dimension.

In addition to Zhou Kun, who is considered an elite man studying abroad, the other three are named Wang Peng, Gao Yi and Zhang Wei.

The situation of the other three people is as follows: Gao Yi is a greasy middle-aged man who is almost forty years old.

In the modern world, he works as a low-level employee in a company. He has elderly parents and young children to take care of. He faces enormous family pressure, but his status in the family is even lower than that of a dog.

I guess he always thinks about what would happen to his family members, young and old, if he died here, or could never return to the modern world. He has a sad face all day long.

Zhang Wei is a young man from Guangzhou, about 20 years old. He is very prestigious in the local area and his name is very effective when you mention it when encountering problems.

He originally had a cool head of blond hair, and wore a lot of fashionable things like earrings and nose rings.

But after crossing over, for some reason, his hairstyle became a short flat head, and the miscellaneous things on his body disappeared.

So during this period of time, he often shouted that he wanted to know which bastard brought him here, and he would definitely bring his brothers to kill the man.

Wang Peng is a young man in his twenties who claims to be a salesperson from a sales company.

By drinking tea and chatting with clients every day, I can easily earn 20 to 30 thousand yuan a year.

It should be noted that the above situations are all from their own introductions. It is not certain whether the actual situation is true or even whether the names are real.

Hu Biao always felt that these guys were hiding something, more or less.

For example, he was basically certain that the boasting of Zhang Wei, a gangster, was only half true, and he would be thankful if it was true at all, as the other party might just be a small-time gangster.

The salesman Wang Peng must have been a soldier before, because his usual posture, walking, etc. always inadvertently reveal some traces of his military service.

But even though he saw it, Hu Biao did not point out these problems directly.

When marching during the day, the veterans were watching closely in front and behind the marching column. Even when they needed to relieve themselves, they were not allowed to run far and were only allowed to go to the roadside where they could see them.

When we camped at night, there were always several sentries guarding everywhere. How can you tell me how to escape?"

Hu Biao, who was involved in the incident, was naturally aware of Gao Yi's complaints, otherwise they would not have been able to escape after so many days.

He asked such a question simply because he really had no idea.

Feeling extremely upset, Hu Biao reached for the cigarette box in his pocket again.

We would like to thank the folks in northern Jiangsu for their enthusiastic support on the way to Shanghai for the Third Supplementary Company.

Although at this time the Japs had not yet brutally ruled the occupied areas and the common people had not yet witnessed the brutality of these inhumane guys, there was a deep hatred between the two sides.

However, due to the thousands of years of cultural heritage in their hearts and the simple family and country feelings that were subtly cultivated, these villagers still spontaneously did a lot of things, not only providing them with accommodation, but also giving them chickens, ducks, fish and meat that they themselves would not eat, so that they could eat well and fill their stomachs.

Even during this process, some supplies for the troops were sent from time to time.

For example, the pack of San Paotai cigarettes in Hu Biao's pocket was given to him by a man selling bamboo baskets, so that this heavy smoker would not run out of cigarettes.

The man selling bamboo baskets was wearing a coarse cloth shirt and seemed to be smoking a hand-rolled cigarette.

To the extent that every time Hu Biao smoked, he felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

Unfortunately, ever since their third supplementary company crossed the Yangtze River yesterday afternoon and arrived in Changshu, everything here has felt a bit chaotic, and almost all the people on the roadside have run away.

Naturally, no one delivered any gifts to comfort the troops.

So when Hu Biao touched the cigarette box, he found that the last cigarette in it had just been smoked. He had no choice but to ask the other four people: "Brothers, who of you still has a cigarette? Give me one."

After hearing this, Wang Peng and Zhou Kun both shook their heads.

Zhang Wei, a social man, first took out a round flea from his collar and crushed it to death. After his hand was covered in blood, he cursed:
"When you're out there, the most important thing is loyalty.

If I had cigarettes, I would have given them to you long ago. Why would you ask me like that? "

Gao Yi even took out a cigarette box, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it away, yelling, "I only got a pack of cigarettes three days ago, how could I have any left now?"

Looking at the crumpled cigarette box on the ground, Hu Biao felt more depressed.

He gritted his teeth and swore fiercely, "Oh my God, please open your eyes.

I don’t ask you to use your divine power to sink the Japanese islands into the sea; I just ask you to be effective just once, so that I can exchange ten years of my life for a chance to escape successfully~”

As soon as the voice fell, various echoes came from the mouths of several other people, representing their determination to escape at any cost.

"Hiss~ Hu Biao, you are really cruel, but count me in on this kind of thing."

"As long as I can escape, I'll accept losing ten years of my life~"

They had just finished their complaints when the company commander, who was riding on a warhorse, started yelling at the top of his lungs: "All the company, assemble and set off immediately.

"Move faster, everyone! If you miss the arrival date, I may recognize you, but the officers at the frontline headquarters won't."

Amidst the shouting and cursing, Zhang Wei started to curse:

"This idiot, I'm going to kill him one day."

But despite all the scolding, this kid still had some basic vision. He stood up and followed Hu Biao and the others to gather.

During this process, Gao Yi, a middle-aged man with a simple and honest face, walked at the end. When he stood up, he quickly picked up the wrinkled cigarette box on the ground and put it into his trouser pocket.

You know, there are still three cigarettes in it.

It might be a little wrinkled, but that doesn't affect his smoking.

As for this approach, does it seem a bit disloyal to him? What a joke! It's just like what he often warned his son in the modern dimension:
Be more careful when you go out, and don’t be too open with everyone you meet. Who knows who they are?

Zhou Kun secretly touched his pocket, the cigarette box with five cigarettes still in it, and muttered in a voice that only he could hear:

“That’s all I have left, and I’m saving some for when I go to the toilet.

These days, dry toilets are so smelly. If you don't smoke them before squatting, you might die from the stench...

(End of this chapter)