Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 321 Payment is due

Su Yaoyang and Brigade Commander Chen walked out of the Governor's Mansion side by side. The afternoon sun shone on them, dispelling the slightly oppressive atmosphere from before.

As soon as they left the hospital, more than a dozen guards immediately surrounded them, protecting them and watching their surroundings warily.

You have to understand that Taiyuan City had just been captured, and no one knew how many remnants of the Japanese puppet regime were hidden inside.

The two came to the highway outside. Although the streets had been cleaned, the traces of war were still shocking.

The buildings on both sides of the road are mostly ruins, with bullet holes and blackened marks on the walls.

Patrols of the Jin-Sui Army and carts carrying corpses passed by from time to time, and the air was filled with a complex smell of disinfectant, dust and a faint smell of blood.

What's even more heartbreaking are the ordinary people who cautiously walk past the roadside. Most of them are ragged, emaciated, and their eyes are filled with numbness, fear, and a hint of bewilderment at surviving a catastrophe.

An elderly woman with gray hair walked unsteadily, leaning on a tree branch as a cane, followed by a similarly thin grandson. The child tightly clutched half a dark, mushy cornbread in his hand, glancing nervously around as if afraid someone would suddenly jump out and snatch it away.

Looking at the devastated city and the people struggling to survive, both men fell into a long silence.

All the power struggles and scheming that I had just engaged in with Yan Xishan in the restaurant seemed so pale and insignificant at this moment.

After a long while, Su Yaoyang finally couldn't help but let out a long, soft sigh.

"When prosperity comes, the people suffer; when decline comes, the people suffer."

He looked at the expressionless people walking by, his voice tinged with emotion and sorrow, "The Chinese people are suffering so much!"

This sentiment comes from the bottom of my heart.

As someone from a peaceful era, he understood better than anyone else in this time the vast difference between the present and future generations.

Those people in later generations who claim to be cattle or horses and vent their anger online all day long, if they were to come to this era, I guarantee they wouldn't be able to stay for even a day.

"There will be a day like this."

Brigade Commander Chen's voice suddenly rang out from the side, his tone showing no hesitation whatsoever.

He turned his head and looked at Su Yaoyang, his weathered eyes seeming to burn with a flame.

"As long as we work together, we can completely drive the Japanese invaders out of our country! As long as our 400 million compatriots can unite as one, think in the same direction, and work together, we will surely be able to build our China into a prosperous, powerful, and beautiful country!"
Our people will surely live a good life, with plenty of food and clothing, and free from bullying!

His words were not flowery, but they were powerful and resounding, each word seeming to burst forth from his chest.

Looking into Brigade Commander Chen's incredibly determined eyes and listening to his words full of ideals and beliefs, Su Yaoyang's heart trembled violently.

He knew Brigade Commander Chen's background; although not extremely wealthy, his family was still quite well-off.

According to his original life trajectory, he could have lived a peaceful and comfortable life without any worries about food or clothing. However, at the age of thirteen, he resolutely gave up his comfortable life, abandoned his studies to join the army, and threw himself into the revolutionary torrent where life was extremely difficult.

Su Yaoyang asked himself honestly, and he doubted he could have been so resolute in sacrificing everything for his ideals.

From the Northern Expedition to the Long March, and now to the anti-Japanese war, his life has been almost entirely dedicated to one ideal: to overthrow the three mountains that weighed down on the Chinese people.

They are the true idealists, people who are willing to dedicate everything for a distant but bright future.

Faced with such a person, Su Yaoyang could not help but feel deep respect.

In light of this, his tone became exceptionally sincere.

"I believe in you, you can definitely do it!"

He gave Commander Chen a deep look. This sentence was both an affirmation of Commander Chen's personal beliefs and a confirmation of the inevitability of history from the perspective of someone who had been through it all.

His gaze swept once more across the dilapidated streets and over the numb and bewildered faces.

People today, including the steel-willed Commander Chen before us, could hardly imagine that just a few decades later, a prosperous, rich, and powerful nation would rise again on this land that has endured so much suffering.

Those once unattainable goals of "having enough to eat and wear" will become the most basic guarantees of life.

This difference in perception across time and space filled Su Yaoyang's heart with complex emotions.

The two walked silently along the street for a while, each processing their emotions. Whenever Brigade Commander Chen and Su Yaoyang passed by, the Jin-Sui Army soldiers would stand at attention and salute.

After walking past a street corner, Brigade Commander Chen suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Su Yaoyang with a serious expression.

"Commander Su."

He stopped talking about ideals and instead brought the topic back to the most pressing reality: "Taiyuan is located in the heart of Shanxi. It is not just a city, but also the political and military command center of the entire province."

The Japanese will absolutely not willingly cede Taiyuan; I'm certain they will soon launch a furious counterattack.

He paused and continued.

"Given the current state of the Jin-Sui Army, it would be extremely difficult for them to hold Taiyuan independently."

"At that time, our Commander Yan will definitely ask you and our Eighth Route Army for help. I wonder what you plan to do then?"

This issue is more direct and more realistic than Yan Xishan's "mutual aid alliance" just now.

Su Yaoyang remained silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

He had actually discussed this issue with Pi Ruoyu several times before deciding to hand Taiyuan over to Yan Xishan.

"I've also considered this issue."

He met Commander Chen's gaze calmly and said slowly, "Taiyuan was taken back from the Japanese with great difficulty and with tremendous effort."

To conquer it, we not only expended enormous manpower and resources, but also sacrificed countless soldiers' lives. Therefore, under no circumstances should we allow the Japanese to retake it.

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared in Brigade Commander Chen's eyes.

"I've thought about it. If Commander Yan really can't hold on and asks me for help, I will send our flight squadron to assist him. It would be good to help Commander Yan share some of the pressure."

He deliberately emphasized the words "flight squadron".

This also indirectly shows our attitude: we can help you, but we won't send ground troops to fill this bottomless pit and make them cannon fodder for the Jin-Sui Army.

He then added, "But the planes we sent out weren't sent for nothing..."

Su Yaoyang stretched out his finger and pointed it in the air, then said slowly and deliberately, "You have to... pay... money." He emphasized the words "you have to pay money."

"Pay?"

Brigade Commander Chen suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with disbelief. He clearly hadn't expected such an extremely mercenary remark to come out of Su Yaoyang's mouth.

In his view, resisting Japan was a matter of national righteousness. Although various forces had their own ulterior motives, talking about money when it came to fighting the enemy together seemed a bit... too mercenary.

Su Yaoyang, however, acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and even started counting on his fingers to calculate the costs for Commander Chen.

"Of course I have to pay!"

He said confidently, "Brigadier General Chen, you may not know how much it costs to maintain our aircraft."

Let me put it this way: for one of our P-40 fighter jets, the visible costs of a single mission—just the aviation fuel, oil consumption, and ammunition consumption—essentially add up to at least 1,200 yuan. This doesn't even include engine wear and tear and the depreciation of parts.”

He glanced at Commander Chen's stunned expression and continued to escalate the situation.

"If it's a twin-engine bomber like the B-25, that's even more incredible. One flight, dropping a belly full of bombs, and you can't get off without four or five thousand dollars."

Just do the math. If we were to send out a squadron of sixty fighter jets to escort a squadron of bombers in an air battle over Taiyuan, the direct cost of that mission alone would be close to 100,000 silver dollars!

This doesn't even include the daily operations of our airport, the salaries, meals, training costs, and so on for hundreds of pilots and ground staff..."

Su Yaoyang spread his hands, looking like he was in a difficult position.

"With so much money being spent, it's impossible for me to be the one who loses out, right?"
"That's just not fair! Our militia is poor; we can't afford this kind of turmoil."

"This……"

Brigade Commander Chen was completely dumbfounded by Su Yaoyang's "cost accounting" and was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Although he didn't calculate as clearly as Su Yaoyang, he was a worldly man and knew that the Air Force was an absolute money-devouring behemoth.

He knew perfectly well that Su Yaoyang was not speaking carelessly or exaggerating. The manpower, material resources, and financial resources required to maintain an air force were absolutely astronomical.

Otherwise, before the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, even with the nation's overall strength at the time, and after tightening its belt, China could barely assemble an air force of more than 300 aircraft, most of which were outdated models with inferior performance.

The sheer scale and advanced fighter jets of Su Yaoyang's flight squadron must have resulted in an astonishingly high level of daily expenses.

From the perspective of national righteousness, Su Yaoyang's demands seem somewhat "unethical".

However, from a practical point of view, his words happen to be "reasonable".

Commander Chen fell into a deep silence. He found that he could no longer understand the young man in front of him.

After a long silence, a wry smile suddenly appeared on Brigade Commander Chen's serious face.

"Never mind... Never mind."

He let out a long breath, looking at Su Yaoyang with a complicated expression, "We, the Eighth Route Army, will not get involved in the business dealings of Commander Su and Commander Yan."

Our 386th Brigade achieved considerable success in this attack on Taiyuan, but we also suffered significant casualties. I will soon be leading my troops back to our base for rest and reorganization. Until we meet again!

He stopped dwelling on Su Yaoyang's outrageous business theories and simply put the matter aside.

"Take care, sir!" Su Yaoyang also saluted solemnly.

"Take care of yourself!"

Brigade Commander Chen returned the salute forcefully.

After saying goodbye to each other, the two went their separate ways.

Brigade Commander Chen walked towards several Eighth Route Army cadres who were waiting for him at the street corner, while Su Yaoyang walked towards a military jeep parked not far away.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of them on the dilapidated street.

……

Three days later, dust billowed along the winding dirt road.

After a three-day march, the massive Shanxi militia convoy finally returned to their base camp in Wutai County.

There were no welcoming flowers, nor thunderous applause.

They were greeted only by the well-organized logistics personnel at the base and hot meals that had been prepared in advance.

The soldiers who jumped off the trucks were covered in dust, their faces showing exhaustion from the battle and relief at surviving.

That evening, in the militia's temporary command post, Su Yaoyang summoned all officers of battalion level and above.

Instead of delivering a rousing victory speech, he issued a series of orders that invigorated all the officers.

"Brothers, you've worked hard." Su Yaoyang looked at the tired but excited faces in front of him and said calmly, "Starting tomorrow, all troops that participated in the Battle of Taiyuan will be given a two-week leave."

Salaries will be paid as usual, and each soldier will receive an additional wartime allowance of thirty silver dollars as a reward; officers will receive this allowance according to their rank.

Upon hearing this, a burst of barely suppressed cheers erupted in the conference room.

"The compensation for fallen brothers will be increased to five hundred silver dollars, and must be delivered to their families by a special person in person. No deductions are allowed! All wounded brothers will be sent to Director Song's field hospital to receive the best medicine and the best treatment."

Su Yaoyang stood up and announced finally, "We've finished this battle, and we've won it. Now, it's time to rest properly. Go back, everyone, and tell the brothers to get plenty of sleep and good food for the next two weeks!"

After announcing all this, Su Yaoyang returned home under the escort of Xu Dapeng and a group of guards.

Song Mei and Xiao Lu, his two wives, were already waiting at home. After taking a nice bath and having a sumptuous dinner with their help, the couple chatted and drank tea in their room.

As soon as Xiao Lu opened her mouth, she dropped a bombshell: "Young Master... I have some good news to tell you, Sister Mei is pregnant."

"What... Sister Mei is pregnant?"

The news instantly jolted Su Yaoyang up from his chair. He practically rushed to Song Mei and grabbed her arm, demanding, "When did this happen? How many months ago?"

“It’s been more than two months, but I didn’t tell you because you’ve been fighting on the front lines all this time, so I was afraid you’d be distracted. Now that the war is over, I’m telling you.”

(End of this chapter)