You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

"I want to see General Lin."

The beam of the flashlight flickered. Clearly, the defenders hadn't expected that at this moment, the person climbing out of the river would be a young man, soaking wet and with a bluish-purple face.

Several soldiers emerged from behind the bunker, their expressions softening as they looked at Liu Xiaodao's stubborn eyes.

"Kid, are you out of your mind?" An old soldier took off his military overcoat and draped it over him. "Come on, come with us."

They escorted Liu Xiaodao as if he were some rare treasure, protecting him in the middle, and quickly passed through the ruins, leading him to the entrance of the warehouse's lower level.

Liu Xiaodao's heart was pounding the whole way.

Not only because of the danger just now, but also because I was about to meet that legendary figure.

Lin Feng!

These past few days, this name has been practically legendary in Shanghai.

He was on the front page of the newspapers every day, called "the backbone of China," "the nemesis of the Japanese devils," and "the reincarnation of the God of War."

Some say he was eight feet tall, with a leopard's head and bulging eyes, and that his roar could scare the Japanese to death; others say he had a face full of scars, exuding a murderous aura, and that the large knife in his hand was always dripping blood.

What kind of person is he?

Filled with trepidation and anticipation, Liu Xiaodao was led into a hastily cleaned room after a brief search.

There, the lights were on.

"Trainer, the person has been brought."

As the guard reported, Liu Xiaodao raised his head and looked towards the center of the room.

There stood a young man, who looked no older than himself.

The other person was wearing a gray woolen military uniform with a black leather overcoat and tall riding boots.

He was tall and slender, as upright as a pine tree.

When he turned around, Liu Xiaodao was stunned.

Is this General Lin, who killed countless Japanese soldiers?

But his face didn't have the fierce look of legend; instead, it carried a calm demeanor.

His eyes are bright and piercing; when he looks at you, it's as if he can see right through you.

He exuded a calm and confident aura, a confidence that seemed to indicate that everything was under his control.

This confidence is not ostentatious, but rather like a mountain, making people feel incredibly grounded.

Is this the hero who annihilated the entire Japanese regiment and captured their flag in Qibao Town?

Liu Xiaodao was somewhat dazed.

This doesn't resemble a tough general at all; he's more like a gentle, refined, and knowledgeable older brother next door.

On the contrary, the burly man standing next to him, carrying a large, menacing sword, was more in line with the newspaper's description of "Lin Feng".

At this moment, the other officers and soldiers in the room, as well as the guards escorting Liu Xiaodao, saw the young man turn around and instinctively straightened their backs, trying their best to smooth out the wrinkles on their uniforms and hold their guns more upright.

That look in their eyes was one of heartfelt admiration and conviction.

"What do you need me for?"

The young man's gentle voice interrupted Liu Xiaodao's reverie.

"General Lin... General Lin!"

Liu Xiaodao suddenly came to his senses, his voice trembling with excitement.

He quickly unbuttoned his coat and took out the tightly bound oilcloth package.

Because of the cold and excitement, his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't untangle it no matter how many times he tried.

The burly man carrying a large sword next to him wanted to help, but Lin Feng stopped him by raising his hand.

He waited patiently.

Finally, the package was opened.

A huge military flag was revealed.

"The flag...the flag is here!"

Liu Xiaodao held the flag in his hands as if it were his own heart:

"This side is bigger and stronger than the previous one. The people on the other side are watching, hoping it can rise again."

As he spoke, he shakily pulled out another newspaper from his pocket, which was also wet, but which he had carefully separated with an oilcloth, so the writing was still clear.

He unfolded the newspaper, pointed to the bold headline on the front page, and said urgently:

"Look, the Shenbao and Ta Kung Pao... it's all about you. Everyone says you're the 'tough nut' of our Great Xia, the 'pillar of stability' of Zhabei."

"Everyone says that as long as you are here, Zhabei will exist; you cannot fall, and neither can the flag."

Lin Feng took the heavy flag, still damp from the river.

As my fingers traced the rough fabric, a warm feeling welled up inside me.

He glanced at the exaggerated yet passionate headlines in the newspaper, smiled, and said nothing more.

But in that smile, there was more determination and less composure.

"A large sword."

Lin Feng handed the flag to Li Dadao beside him:

"Go find the strongest steel pipe and weld it to the roof."

"Yes!" Li Dadao took the flag with both hands and roared like thunder.

Lin Feng turned his head and looked at Liu Xiaodao.

In the 21st century, someone that age would be considered a student.

He reached out and gently tidied the other person's messy, wet hair, saying in a gentle tone:

"Young man, thank you. Please also thank the people on the other side of the strait for me."

"Go back and tell everyone that Lin Feng is still here, and the First Honor Brigade is still here."

"This flag will be flying atop Fengmao Department Store first thing tomorrow morning, so that the whole of Shanghai can see it."

-----

On the south bank of the Suzhou Creek, the darkness before dawn is the thickest.

Tens of thousands of ordinary people, students, and even dancers from the Paramount Ballroom did not leave.

They were like a group of night watchmen, quietly waiting by the riverbank.

"Splash—"

The sound of splashing water broke the silence.

Several sharp-eyed young men immediately jumped down from the riverbank and hurriedly pulled the soaking wet, shivering figure back up.

"They're back. That young man from the Green Gang is back."

The crowd erupted in cheers, with countless hands reaching out, some offering blankets, others hot ginger soup.

Liu Xiaodao's face was purple from the cold, and his lips were trembling, but his eyes were bright.

Facing the anxious, questioning gazes around him, he raised his frozen hand, pointed to the massive dark figure on the opposite bank, and shouted with all his might:

"It's been delivered! I've met General Lin! General Lin accepted it!"

He said...the flag will be raised as soon as it gets light.

"boom!"

An uncontrollable cheer erupted from the crowd.

Several emotional female students even ran over and hugged Liu Xiaodao, crying their hearts out.

At this moment, Liu Xiaodao enjoyed a more dazzling treatment than any movie star.

He is a hero.

……

"It's rising! It's rising!"

On the south bank of the Suzhou Creek, as the first rays of dawn illuminated the flag, the crowd, which had been suppressed all night, finally erupted.

There was no organization, no rehearsal.

Long live the Great Xia Dynasty!

"Down with the devil."

The shouts of tens of thousands of people converged into a thunderclap, rolling across the Suzhou River and soaring into the sky.

Countless people wept, and countless people embraced and wept.

Those citizens who had been in despair felt their hope reignite as they looked at the flag fluttering in the morning sun.

As long as the flag remains, Shanghai is not dead.

On the balcony of Sassoon House, Hans journalist Wolfgang put down his camera, took a deep breath, and wrote a line heavily in his notebook:

"...This is a symbol of a nation's indomitable spirit."

The Japanese tried to destroy it with bombs, but they only destroyed a piece of cloth and erected a monument instead.

...At that moment, that place became the spiritual high ground of the entire East.

at the same time.

North bank, the forward command post of the Japanese 3rd Division.

"puff--!"

Lieutenant General Fujita Susumu, the division commander who was observing the battle situation through binoculars, suddenly felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood directly onto the binoculars.

"Baka! Baka yarou!"

Fujita Susumu's binoculars fell to the ground with a "thud".

His whole body was trembling violently, his face turning from red to white, then from white to green, as colorful as a palette.