Starting from 1950

"Go back to Shenzhou? The battle isn't over yet! The 1st Cavalry Division is decimated, but there are still many more enemies roaming around online! Our regiment has just changed its uniforms and is ready to make a big splash! If you leave, Xiaoyu will definitely follow you. Our 'aerial scouts' will be gone, which is like crippling ourselves!" Luo Pojun wrung his hands anxiously, as if the sky would collapse if Su Yang left.

"This is Chief Lan's order," Su Yang sighed.

Upon hearing this, Luo Pojun fell silent.

Hearing the commotion, the political commissar of the 352nd Regiment came over and patted Luo Pojun's arm: "Old Luo, calm down. Xiao Su's situation is special. He's young, and his family is worried. The commander is letting him go back to rest; it's out of concern for him."

He turned to Su Yang and said gently, "Little Su, don't listen to the regimental commander's rant. Go back and rest well, spend time with your family. We all remember your contributions to the regiment. You will always be a hero of our 352nd Regiment, and the 352nd Regiment will always be your home."

The surrounding soldiers also gathered around, chattering amongst themselves:

"Comrade Su Yang, are you heading back? Be careful on the road!"

"Xiao Su, take some more canned goods back with you! This canned beef is delicious!"

"Don't forget us! Write to us when you have time!"

"Sigh! Without you and Xiaoyu, we don't feel at ease fighting the war!"

Li Weixin squeezed through the crowd and stuffed a heavy little cloth bag into Su Yang's hand. Inside were a few pieces of chocolate, a packet of fruit candy, and a small can of coffee powder—all rare items that had been seized.

"Here you go! This is the spoils the whole group left for you!"

Looking at the faces marked by the smoke of battle yet brimming with sincerity, and listening to their words of concern, Su Yang felt a sudden pang of emotion, and his eyes welled up with tears.

He clutched the cloth bag tightly in his hands and nodded vigorously: "Thank you everyone! I will never forget you! I... I will miss you all! Regimental Commander, Political Commissar, Battalion Commanders, Company Commanders, Comrades, take care!"

Looking at Su Yang's slightly red eyes, Luo Pojun, the rough and tough regimental commander, also felt a pang of sadness.

He sighed heavily, then vigorously rubbed Su Yang's head: "Sigh! Let's go, let's go! Go back and live a good life! Eat well, grow strong! Once we've completely driven the lighthouse lord back into the sea, I'll treat you to roast duck! Plenty to go!"

......

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a biting cold wind was blowing.

Outside Liujing City, a convoy of transport vehicles consisting of captured American trucks and a small number of Soviet GAZ trucks is ready to depart.

The vehicle was loaded with spoils of war captured from the front lines, as well as some wounded soldiers who needed to be evacuated.

Su Yang wore a thick cotton-padded coat, with a captured M1943 field jacket over it for warmth, and carried a simple bag. Luo Pojun still came to see him off in person.

"Kid, this is for you!" Luo Pojun took off the leather pistol holster from his waist and stuffed it, along with the gleaming, well-maintained Colt M1911 pistol inside, into Su Yang's hand.

"Take this for self-defense! I seized this from an enemy major. It's a good gun! Use it carefully! Remember, always point the muzzle at the enemy!" His tone left no room for refusal.

Holding the heavy pistol, Su Yang was filled with mixed emotions.

"Thank you, Commander! I will keep it safe!" He solemnly accepted it and carefully put it away.

"Alright, get in the truck! Follow the convoy's instructions on the road, don't wander off! When you get back, give your factory manager a good word and tell him to take good care of my logistics so that the soldiers of our 352nd Regiment won't go hungry for too long." Luo Pojun patted Su Yang's shoulder hard one last time and pushed him into the passenger seat of one of the trucks.

This was specially arranged by Luo Pojun; it's more comfortable than being squeezed into the back of the car, and the view is better.

With engines roaring, the convoy slowly started, rolling over the frozen ground, and headed north.

Luo Pojun stood tall like a pine tree in the cold wind, waving his hand vigorously until the convoy turned and disappeared from sight.

......

The convoy struggled northward on the bumpy, makeshift road.

With the enemy's defeats at Gunuri and Samsori, the enemy seemed to know that the war wouldn't end anytime soon. These days, both sides maintained a tacit understanding, silently licking their wounds behind their respective lines.

We did not rashly advance south, and the enemy did not send planes to bomb our rear again.

For an entire day, Su Yang spent looking out the car window at the land ravaged by war: charred tree trunks, collapsed houses, and twisted steel wreckage.

Our soldiers have already begun helping local people build houses, repair roads, and restore farmland.

As evening fell, the convoy arrived at the river that divided war and peace.

"Buzz~!" The buzzing sound of fighter jets flying overhead suddenly rang out.

"Enemy aircraft!"

"Lie down!"

"Scatter quickly! Protect the supplies!"

The soldiers accompanying the convoy jumped off the trucks one after another, and many wounded soldiers struggled to roll off the truck beds despite their injuries.

Su Yang's expression also changed!

Xiaoyu was flying over him, but she kept her eyes on the south. She never expected the plane to come from the north!

"Prepare for battle!"

He pulled out the pistol that Luo Pojun had given him, jumped out of the car, and started looking for cover.

"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! Comrades, don't be afraid! These are friendly planes!"

On the rebuilt bridge, a platoon leader guarding the checkpoint noticed the commotion and quickly ran over to shout.

"Friendly forces?"

"When did we get airplanes?"

Hearing the platoon leader's shout, everyone stopped their preparations for battle.

Su Yang also noticed that the planes overhead were just flying by without dropping bombs, and with some doubt, he followed the crowd to surround the platoon leader.

"The comrades have just returned from the front lines and don't know the situation..."

As he explained, everyone suddenly understood.

It turns out the plane overhead was sent by Big Brother!

Upon learning the truth, everyone's faces lit up with joy. It had been such a long time! We have airplanes now!

Will future battles be easier to fight?

Many people excitedly high-fived each other in celebration.

Compared to them, Su Yang was much calmer.

He spent a few days with Luo Pojun and Division Commander Zhai, and knew more inside information than the ordinary soldiers.

In fact, Big Brother's planes were ready long ago, and the pilots had arrived in Andong as soon as the war began.

However, due to certain political reasons, they have been delaying sending aircraft to provide reinforcements.

Now, after two major battles, the higher-ups on Big Brother's side are shocked. They never expected that their "average fighting strength" little brother would be so fierce.

They dared to go head-to-head with an opponent that even the big brother wasn't confident of winning, and they actually won!

Seeing how capable his younger brother was, the older brother dared not be careless anymore, and began to provide support in the form of planes, weapons, and supplies.

Su Yang sighed.

Indeed, everything in this world must be earned through one's own efforts. No one will sympathize with the weak; the strong only help the strong.

Su Yang stayed in Andong for one night and set off again the next day.

The bridges over the river have all been repaired, and the railway is now running smoothly.

The train back to Shenzhou rattled and clattered across the vast snow-covered plains of Northeast China.

The world outside the car window was covered in a blanket of silver, peaceful and vast, seemingly a world apart from the devastation on the opposite bank of the river.

The carriage was packed with people, including soldiers, officials, and most ordinary citizens.

The air was filled with the smells of smoke, sweat, food, and noisy conversations.

Xiaoyu followed the train leisurely high in the sky, while Su Yang would occasionally switch to Xiaoyu's perspective to look down on the beautiful landscape from above.

......

It was evening when we arrived in Shenzhou.

Su Yang took the tram back to Tiexi District, and the stop was only a few hundred meters away from Limin Flour Factory.

Along the way, people around him were quite curious about Su Yang's conspicuous American-style jacket and his slightly weathered but bright-eyed appearance.

Occasionally, someone who recognized Su Yang would greet him warmly.

The news of Su Yang's audacious trip to the front lines had already spread throughout the Limin Flour Factory.

The flour mill workers on their way to and from get off work all looked at them with amazement and admiration.

Su Yang dealt with various questions from his neighbors in the residential compound all the way back to Building 3.

He hesitated for almost 5 minutes as he walked the short distance of a few dozen meters from the stairs to his front door.

Arriving at his doorstep, he peeked out and saw the faint black smoke rising from the chimney above the door frame, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.