In the afternoon, Hongxiu and Zhou Yongbin were resting in the room upstairs to recuperate, while Feng Tianpei was making medicine for them. Uncle Wu and his brothers returned to their old profession, preparing meals for the evening dinner in the kitchen.
All members of the other transportation teams lined up in the compound for a meeting.
Zhou Wen stood in front of the team and said loudly: "Brothers, we started from Dawangzhuang and went all the way to today. We have experienced countless fierce battles and life and death tests. We have come here, and I, the scholar, are proud and proud of you. You can say that , our first phase goal has been completed.
Next, we are preparing to all retire and go home. Instead of letting you go home by yourself, I will ask you to follow me home, back to Shanxi. Where do we break new ground and start a new journey.
Now, I want to ask for your opinions. No matter which brother has an opinion or has any questions, you can raise them. If some brothers are reluctant to go, that's okay, I will give them enough money to live without worries for a lifetime. This is not a handout, this is money you deserve, money you have earned by risking your own lives.
No one will look down on you as a brother who wants to quit. You are a brother today and you will be a brother throughout your life. Any choice you make is understandable. No matter where we go in the future, as long as there is someone who needs our help, we will never look back. There is only one thing: you cannot betray the country, and you cannot use the skills I taught you to do evil. No matter who commits this crime, I will never let him go even if I chase him to the ends of the earth.
Of course, some of you may want to continue joining the military, and I fully support that. Whether you want to go to the Second Division or teach the Second Division, I guarantee that you have been an officer in the past and I guarantee that you will have a good starting point. I will give you the money you deserve.
Today I will let the brothers choose for themselves. Three choices: follow me, stay in the army, take the money and go home.
You don't need to answer me now. Whether you want to leave or join the army, you have time to think about it carefully. Let's have a good meal tonight. After you're done, you can come to me, Brother Shanzi, or Brother Miaohua at any time. I'll give you the money tonight.
If you are still willing to follow me, you don’t need to tell me. I will blow the wake-up whistle at six o’clock tomorrow, and the people who will come to gather and line up will be the members of our new team. There will be no guard at the gate tonight, so you can come and go freely. "
After saying that, he stood silently. The team members were all a little confused. What happened to this scholar today? Why do you say this as if you want to separate the family? Everyone started looking at me, and I looked at you. Who wants to leave? Some people started talking quietly...
Five minutes later, Zhou Wen called again: "Zhang Xiaoping, go take out the box in the room."
"Yes!" Zhang Xiaoping responded loudly, ran into a room, and walked out carrying a small wooden box.
Zhou Wen took the wooden box and opened it in front of his brothers. He saw that the box was full of wads of green banknotes. Zhou Wen said with a smile: "This is U.S. dollars, American money. One U.S. dollar is equivalent to four oceans. You can exchange it at any bank or larger store. This is hard currency. It is for your convenience to carry, otherwise How can you take away four thousand oceans?"
The crowd suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Darling, four thousand oceans, many people have no idea about the number four thousand oceans. But it is certain that I will have enough food and clothing for the rest of my life.
Zhou Wen smiled and said: "Yes, four thousand oceans, which is one thousand US dollars. Every brother who wants to leave can just say something at night and he can get the money and leave immediately.
What can four thousand oceans do? You can settle anywhere in the country with your discharge certificate. In the countryside, you can build a big house and buy a large piece of land. The land can be rented to others for farming, and you only have to collect the rent. Buy a few more maids and servants, and you'll be a landlord.
In the city, you can also buy a big house with servants and housekeepers. If you do some business on your own, you will be the best in the city.
No longer need to face the hail of bullets, no longer need to worry about being injured or even losing their lives. Brothers, you can choose the life you want. How about it? There won’t be anyone who doesn’t believe my scholar’s words, right? "
All the brothers fell silent as they listened to Zhou Wenzu's bewildering words...
Zhou Wen saw that the time was almost up, and said loudly: "Disband now, everyone should go back to rest and think, and you can also discuss with each other. At 6 o'clock, go to the cafeteria for dinner and drinks."
…
Zhou Wen asked the players to make a choice after careful consideration. First, Chinese people in this era still adhere to the traditional thinking of "people are humble when they leave their hometown". It is said that those who do good things return to their hometown with rich clothes and it is hard to leave their homeland. It's understandable if there are brothers who don't want to leave their hometown. If you just walk away without asking clearly, you will inevitably have a grudge in your heart in the future, which will bring hidden dangers to the future team.
Second, the brothers all grew up in poor circumstances and are afraid of poverty. In the past, people had to join the army to fight because of poverty. Now that they have money, and a large amount of money at that, it is inevitable that some people will want to retreat and be unwilling to go to the battlefield again. What I fear most is that when I go to the battlefield, I don’t have the courage to face life and death that I had in the past. This is the biggest hidden danger. Because the enemy we will face in the future will be the most brutal and inhumane army in the world.
In order to eliminate these hidden dangers, Zhou Wen ruthlessly allowed the brothers to choose, and it was even a bit encouraging and bewitching. In fact, this is too cruel for these young people who have just begun to come into contact with a corner of society. Because there is no one to guide them, and without the guidance of their elders, they can only make their own decisions. It is very possible that one wrong choice will lead to lifelong regret.
But Zhou Wen must do this. In the past, he was the one making the decisions in the team. This time he wants to return the right to choose the path of life to his brothers, letting them ask their own hearts and think about it, thereby promoting their growth. In the past, it was to train their combat skills, but now it is to train their thinking ability and exercise their psychological endurance.
After the team members returned to the dormitory, they started talking in twos and threes. Ergazi felt confused, so he came to find his good friend Sun Dazhu and said seriously: "Dazhu, what do you think?"
Dazhu looked at Ergazi with disdain and said, "What's wrong? Do you want to go to the local land to make money? Do you want to find a maid to warm your bed?"
Ergazi became anxious and cursed at Sun Dazhu: "You are such a hothead, don't look down on me. I just want to let the brothers think like this. I'm afraid there will be some fools who randomly choose the ball on their own. I want to kill several team leaders." Call me, let’s unify our thoughts first, and then go talk to the brothers.”
"That's pretty much it. He's still my good brother. Come on, let's go right away."
"Wait a minute, let's stop calling Dacheng and Xiaoping, otherwise the brothers will think it's the scholar's idea, which is not good. Anyway, after we make up our minds, each group will talk about it."
The two of them called Uncle Ma, Niu Bao, Li Hu, and Cui Dayong together without much effort. Ergazi didn't waste any time and said directly: "Let me tell you first, this is what I think. The scholar will supplement the group." What kind of life did we live before? Do you all feel it? After he came, he not only taught us the skills of fighting, but also helped us get revenge. The key is that I feel that I have a goal and live vigorously. Son. I feel like I can raise my head wherever I go and live my life no longer depressed. For this reason, I decided to follow him to the end. Even if I die in the end, I will live happily."
