Black Flag Army

Chapter 170 Heroes Monument

Di Xiong put down his work and followed Yang Lushuang into the Propaganda Department office not far away. As expected, before he entered the office, he heard Xian Yujie crying. Xian Yujie's secretary Xian Jinlian and Le Hongmei and several other section chiefs were trying to persuade her.

Seeing Di Xiong coming in, the secretaries and section chiefs all left on their own accord. Yang Lushuang also turned around and left, carefully closing the door. When Xian Yuji saw Di Xiong coming in, she stopped crying and took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears. Her eyes were already red from crying.

Di Xiong laughed and said, "They said you cried so hard and asked me to try to comfort you. How come you stopped crying before I even said anything?"

Xian Yuji looked at the closed door and whispered, "Women become ugly when they cry. I can't let you see my ugly side. If you despise my ugliness and dump me, then I'm doomed."

Di Xiong said: "Since you know that crying makes you ugly, why do you still cry?"

Xian Yuji couldn't help crying when she heard this. She choked up and said, "The news of Subuda's death was like a bolt from the blue to me, and what broke my heart even more was that he left me a letter before he died. After I read the letter, I deeply felt how deep his love for me was! My heart is broken at this moment. If he had given me this letter earlier, maybe I would have married him without hesitation."

Di Xiong sighed heavily and said slowly: "Just a few days ago, when the telegram about General Subuda's heroic sacrifice came, it was like a heavy hammer hitting my heart. Every time I think of this, I can't help but feel sad. He is a rare Mongolian general in our army! In order to allow Outer Northeast and Outer Northwest to return to the embrace of the motherland, so many brave and fearless soldiers threw themselves into the war without hesitation, using their flesh and blood to build an indestructible line of defense. General Subuda is the best among them. His departure is undoubtedly a huge loss to the country and the army. Before this, many outstanding generals have been buried in this land they loved deeply, but General Subuda's martyrdom made this war even more tragic and difficult. He is not only the highest-ranking general killed so far, but also an indelible monument in the hearts of all soldiers."

Xian Yuji said: "I didn't realize until I heard about Subuda's death that I had been treating him as a backup. I had thought that if you dumped me and I didn't have the courage to commit suicide, marrying Subuda would be a good option. But now that he's dead, I have no choice but to cling to you. If you dump me, I'll have no choice but to die."

Di Xiong said, "You don't have to worry about this. Unless you ask for a breakup, I won't dump you. You are still young and so beautiful. There will definitely be other people pursuing you. When you meet someone you think is suitable, just marry her! Just tell me and I will end our relationship immediately."

Xian Yuji's face was filled with anger, her beautiful eyes wide open, and she said coquettishly: "Are you really so eager for me to marry someone else? Thinking about these years, I have devoted myself to you and been willing to be your underground lover. Could it be that you have never had any feelings for me in your heart at all?" She was so angry that her chest heaved up and down, her eyes were red, and tears were rolling in the corners of her eyes, as if they would roll down at any time.

Di Xiong was embarrassed. He frowned and said, "How could I not have feelings for you? It is because of this deep feeling that I am so concerned about your future! I will be responsible for the rest of your life. If you give up those precious opportunities again and again, then as time goes by and your appearance fades, you will probably end up alone! By then, loneliness and desolation will become the main theme of your life. It's heartbreaking just thinking about it..."

Xian Yuji said, "Don't worry about that. What you said won't happen. When I realized that I was going to die alone, I killed myself long ago. I was too impulsive just now. Are you angry?"

Di Xiong took a deep look at the person in front of him and said softly, "How could I be angry? I can completely understand that you are in a bad mood now. After all, Subuda has left us. If he knew that you were crying so hard for him in his grave, he would surely feel very relieved."

Di Xiong's voice was full of emotion and sorrow, as if it could penetrate time and space and reach Subuda in the distance. He knew that the man in front of him was crying for Subuda not only because of the emotional bond, but also because of his deep remembrance of the lost friendship.

At this moment, Di Xiong and his partner were immersed in the memories of Subuda, and the time they had spent together flashed in their minds like a movie. But now, things have changed, and only endless longing and pain remain. However, it is through this way that they can continue to keep Subuda in their hearts and keep that friendship forever.

On the morning of April 4, 1919, the Qingming Festival, the inauguration ceremony of the white marble Monument to the Heroes of the Recovered Territory began on a high mountain outside the city of Beitang. Four Black Flag Army soldiers stepped forward together and removed the huge gray cloth, revealing a white monument about 30 meters high and 5 meters wide. The back was engraved with the names of more than 50,000 dead soldiers. At the top of the list were the army commander Zhang Zhenyang and the deputy commander Subuda, followed by division commanders Liu Chengliang and Gu Mingliang, and dozens of brigade commanders and regiment commanders. Many wreaths and flower baskets were placed under the monument.

Although Zhang Zhenyang died of illness, he made great contributions in the battle to recover Beihai Province and is certainly a hero who recovered the lost territory.

There were tens of thousands of people standing at the foot of the mountain, including more than 10,000 Black Flag officers and soldiers, more than 50,000 family members of the fallen, and hundreds of representatives from all walks of life.

There is a podium in front of the monument, and there is a loud speaker on the podium. Di Xiong walked to the podium and said loudly: "In September 1689, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Xuanye, signed the traitorous treaty "Treaty of Nerchinsk" with the Tsarist Russians after winning the Battle of Yaksa, ceding the Beihai Lake area. Since then, China's northern territories have been ceded piece by piece. In 1858, we lost Sakhalin Island. From 1860 to 1900, we successively lost Outer Manchuria. In 1864, we lost Outer Northwest. In 1912, we lost Outer Mongolia. In total, we lost about 4 million square kilometers of land. From 1917 to now, our Black Flag Army soldiers have taken them back in three years! Hundreds of years of national humiliation have come to an end!"

There was thunderous applause and cheers from the audience, as well as cries. Yuan Xiaobao's parents and Guo Jincai's mother were all in the audience.

Di Xiong continued, "But in order to recover these lost territories, we sacrificed more than 50,000 brothers and sisters. Among them were brave Black Flag Army soldiers, intelligence personnel and supervisory personnel on the secret front, and security personnel and ordinary workers who sacrificed their lives to protect Beihai and Weili Company. Someone once asked me why the names of Ma Tiehan and Zhang Kuwa were also engraved even though they did not participate in the battle to recover the lost territories? Can anyone tell me why?"

Chen Xianglian, general manager of Weili Group, stepped forward and said loudly, "Because they sacrificed their lives to protect Weili Company, and Weili Company provided strong logistical support for the soldiers on the front line."

Di Xiong said: "That's right! The predecessors of the Beihai and Weili Groups are Weili Company. The salaries, food, weapons, ammunition, clothing and medicines of the Black Flag Army were all provided by the two groups. Without the two groups, how can the army fight? The front line and logistics are an inseparable whole. So Ma Tiehan, Zhang Kuwa and others are also heroes who recovered the lost territory. Of course, the people who provided transportation for the Black Flag Army and donated money and materials are all heroes."

The audience burst into warm applause again. Di Xiong said, "Here, I would also like to mention some female intelligence officers on the secret front. They gave up their reputation and dignity, went deep behind enemy lines, endured humiliation, collected intelligence, and made great contributions to the recovery of lost territory. For example, in the Battle of Chita, the intelligence officers captured the enemy commander alive, and the surprise attack was successful. We won the victory with less than a thousand casualties, reducing the casualties of the troops by at least 5,000. In the Battle of Hailar, we did not have such an opportunity, so we had to attack by force, which resulted in 8,000 casualties."

Yang Lushuang carefully held the teacup in front of Di Xiong. After Di Xiong took the teacup, he took a sip of the water, then put the cup down and continued, "However, these brave and fearless female warriors survived and returned after going through untold hardships, but what awaited them was worldly prejudice and accusations. They were burdened with a heavy stigma and lived in agony like zombies. This is truly a sad and lamentable thing! Today, I will definitely clear their grievances and restore their innocence! Anyone who dares to slander and abuse them again will be severely punished!"

Upon hearing this, Xian Yuji, Bian Zhimei, Cha Jingfeng and others who were sitting in the audience had already burst into tears, with tears pouring out of their eyes like a dam bursting.

After the ceremony, Di Xiong had just returned to his office when Wu Chunfeng from the Intelligence Department sent him two pieces of intelligence. One piece of intelligence was that the British commander in Afghanistan had given the Black Flag Army of Suiye City a final plan, asking them to withdraw from Suiye City and all the territory of Haohan State, otherwise Afghanistan's 50,000 troops would attack Suiye City. The other piece of intelligence was that the southern part of Sakhalin Island was attacked by the Japanese army. Although the Japanese army was not large, only more than 3,000 people, they used poison gas bombs in a despicable way.

Di Xiong put down the intelligence and asked Wu Chunfeng: "Does the British army have 50,000 troops in Afghanistan?"

Wu Chunfeng said: "The real British white army only has more than a thousand people, but the Indian army stationed in Afghanistan and the Afghan native army together really have 50,000 troops."

Di Xiong laughed and said, "Can the Indian Army and the Afghan Army be considered as troops? They may be OK in defense, but if they attack, one of our divisions is enough to stop them. Don't bother with them. Where did the Japanese troops attacking Sakhalin come from?"

Wu Chunfeng said solemnly: "According to reliable intelligence, these vicious Japanese troops came from the distant Hokkaido region. They set out from Sapporo there, and when they landed on transport ships and landing craft, they were repelled by bombers and artillery commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. What's outrageous is that they also carried a large number of inhumane poison gas bombs! These poison gas bombs descended on the battlefield like demons, bringing tragic losses to our brave and fearless army, and have caused more than a thousand casualties! Behind every number is a living life, and they are the hope and future of our country and nation!" His voice was full of grief and pain, as if he could feel the battlefield filled with the breath of death.

Di Xiong immediately called Air Force Commander Gu Yuan and ordered: "Immediately dispatch a squadron of bombers, carrying 300 chlorine gas bombs, to fly to Sakhalin Island first, then fill up with gasoline from Sakhalin Island and drop all 300 chlorine gas bombs on the Japanese city of Sawada. At the same time, dispatch a squadron of fighter planes to provide cover. I want to let the Japanese know the consequences of being retaliated against for using poison gas bombs."

Since the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and the Germans used poison gas bombs in the Battle of the Somme, Di Xiong asked the military industry department to research poison gas bombs, and they were produced in 1917.

Wu Chunfeng was surprised and said: "Directly attack the Japanese mainland? It will trigger crazy retaliation from the Japanese."

Di Xiong sneered: "Do you think the Japanese won't retaliate if we don't attack? When we were recovering Outer Manchuria, we killed and captured more than 40,000 Japanese soldiers. We have long been mortal enemies."

Xian Yuji from the Propaganda Department walked into the office with light steps, holding a document in her hand, which looked a bit heavy. Xian Yuji gently placed the document on the table, and then smiled at Di Xiong who was busy.

The document came from Fu Liangzuo, the frontier defense army chief of staff and a close confidant of Duan Qirui, the commander-in-chief of the frontier defense army. He sent a surprising list of 500 people! These people were required to be arranged to serve as officials at the director level or above in the two provinces of Beihai and Beiling. This extremely excessive request was very shocking.

Di Xiong laughed and said, "This Fu Liangzuo is shameless enough. He has lost all his face just to make money. If I am not mistaken, these people are from the Anhui clique or have given gifts to Duan Qirui and Fu Liangzuo. The state power is ruined by these villains. Is Fu Liangzuo gone?"

Di Xiong recalled that in 1920, when Yan Xiangwen was the governor of Shaanxi, Cao Kun, the leader of the Zhili clique and the inspector of three provinces, sent 800 candidates to Shaanxi to serve as officials. Yan Xiangwen did not dare to offend Cao Kun, and had no way to arrange for these 800 people, so he was forced to commit suicide by taking poison. Later, Feng Jishan became the governor and drove all these 800 people away.

Xian Yuji said, "I haven't left yet. I'm still waiting for your reply in the corridor outside."

Di Xiong said, "Please ask him to come in. I have something to ask him."

Fu Liangzuo looks old. He is only in his forties, but he looks like he is in his fifties. He walked into the office with a smile on his face. Di Xiong politely asked him to sit down and asked his secretary Yang Lushuang to pour him a cup of tea.

Di Xiong asked, "Are you sure these 500 people are suitable to be officials above the rank of director?"

Fu Liangzuo said, "Everyone here has been carefully selected and is absolutely suitable to be a director or a department head. Beihai and Beiling provinces have just been established, and you must be short of a large number of officials. Lord Duan and I have chosen 500 officials for you as quickly as possible. If you have no objection, I will ask them to come over after I return."

Di Xiong smiled and said, "So, I should thank Lord Duan and Chief of Staff Fu?"

Fu Liangzuo said: "You're welcome. This is what we should do."

Di Xiong smiled and said, "It's no problem to be an official in Beihai Province and Beiling Province, but you must pass our examination. As long as you have real talents and knowledge, we will definitely recruit you according to your ability."