Time flies and passes in a blink of an eye. The year 1931, which will be unforgettable in the entire history of China, arrived as scheduled.
In this year, the Chinese people encountered a variety of disasters such as the flood that had not happened in decades, the breakdown of the reunification situation, the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Red Party, and Japan's invasion of Northeast China, leaving behind indelible pain. memory; and what future generations will still feel from this year's history is regret, surprise, anger and humiliation.
It was also in this year that the Chinese people truly knew who was China’s great enemy with wolfish ambitions and plotting to destroy us?
In the same year, a new word was deeply ingrained in the hearts of the Chinese people - "anti-Japanese".
Zhang Xinhe is a native of Jiaocheng near Taiyuan. When he was a child, his family was still well off when his father was still alive, and his family even sent him to private school for several years. But his father died of illness when he was fifteen, and their family's life became tight. Most of the family's property was sold for a fortune to pay for his father's medical treatment. The only one he could count on was his eldest brother, who worked as a clerk in a business in the city. But not long after, his eldest brother separated from him at the instigation of his sister-in-law, and half of the family's only three acres of land was taken away. He and his mother lived in a state of hunger and cold.
Later, Taiyuan City recruited soldiers. In order to survive with his mother, Zhang Xinhe concealed his age and signed up for the military pay, which could barely support his mother.
But when he was training in the recruit camp, he was young and weak, so his training results were naturally not very good. After less than half a year, he had enough to eat and could send some money home to his mother, but the disarmament started again. . Recruits like him who were young and had poor training results were sent home in the first batch.
After Zhang Xinhe returned to the countryside of Jiaocheng, his life was no longer stable. He was a filial child. He would not starve to death if he ate some wild vegetables and tree bark, but he did not want his mother to suffer the same fate. Countless times I went to borrow food and money from my brother despite my sister-in-law's glare and scolding. Although in the end my eldest brother couldn't bear it, he gave me some kindness, but it was just the rough flour that people usually use to feed pigs and chickens (made from wheat husks and wheat husks). Buckwheat shells are crushed and mixed).
But the last time he went home with a smile on his face and tears in his stomach, carrying a few kilograms of rough noodles donated by his brother and sister-in-law, he saw a recruitment order that the head of the township personally handed over to him. To hope. He knew about his training situation. He heard that among the new veterans who were demobilized from his village, he was the only one who had received a conscription order. At that time, he couldn't believe his ears. He quickly took the conscription order and saw that it was true. , the name above is word for word, it is Zhang Xinhe.
The recruitment order also stated that as long as the person agreed, each person would be given a settlement allowance of five oceans and asked to sign and deposit it. After Zhang Xinhe signed and agreed, the mayor handed over five white oceans to him on the spot. The township head did not dare to withhold money this time. A word was passed down from the county that if the soldiers were found to have withheld money when they arrived in Taiyuan, they would be fined one hundred and one hundred dollars, and the provincial party headquarters would personally send people to carry out the execution.
In this way, after the ecstatic Zhang Xinhe settled his mother, he rushed to Taiyuan Xiaobeimen Barracks to report two days before the time specified in the conscription order.
Today is the morning of January 1, 1930. Zhang Xinhe is wearing a new military uniform, standing on the military camp playground with his head held high, looking around at young and expectant faces. The 550-person security guard team recruited by Zhou Wen was all present. They were all new recruits who had been training for half a year. They were all familiar with their stances and formations. Under the command of several young officers, they quickly lined up neatly.
Hundreds of people stood at the playground for two hours. But no one gnawed, no noise was made, and no one couldn't hold on. Zhang Xinhe took advantage of arriving two days early. why? Eat well and eat well. Although you came two days early, you will be a member of the Guard after you report. Every day, officers will take the recruits who reported in advance to conduct light exercise training and learn military regulations and disciplines. Otherwise, as long as you don't leave the barracks, no one will care about you. . But we have to take care of three meals, and we still have enough to take care of. There is no such thing as brown rice here, they are all sweet and delicious white flour steamed buns or white flour flatbreads. There are also thick soups or vegetable porridge filled with thick fat.
Zhang Xinhe estimated that if he hadn't eaten enough food for two days and a few pieces of fat meat, his body might not be able to hold on for long. You must know that standing upright and still may seem simple, but after a long time, it is a great test of one's physical strength and will. Although he is very tired now, and although his backache is severe, Zhang Xinhe feels that he has the strength to support himself when he thinks about his mother's wrinkled, thin and pale face, which is not old yet.
Just after two hours had passed, Zhang Xinhe began to feel a little unsatisfied. At this time, a group of officers strode up. The soldiers all felt relieved, it seemed that the time had come.
Zhang Xinhe was also shocked when he saw a colonel officer walking up to a high platform in front of the queue. He looked from behind the queue to the front of the queue with bright eyes and nodded slightly. He shouted loudly: "Soldiers, from today on, you are soldiers of the guard force of the Shanxi Provincial Party Headquarters Security Office. My name is Zhou Wen, and I am your highest officer. You are all selected by me from tens of thousands of recruits." Those of you who have come out, I regard you as the elite among the new recruits.
Elites naturally receive elite treatment. During the recruitment period, everyone receives the same military salary, five oceans per month. Six months later, recruit selection will be held, and squad leaders, platoon leaders, and even company commanders will be selected from among you. The squad leader earns 10 oceans per month, the platoon leader earns 20 oceans per month, and the company commander earns 30 oceans per month. How about it? Is the military pay high? "
"High...high!" The recruits were stimulated, and their spirits were immediately raised. I'm a good boy, isn't this military pay really high? It would be even more outrageous to choose officers from among us. Not to mention Guangzong Yaozu, that is dozens of oceans, hundreds of oceans a year, we have never seen it in this life.
Looking at the soldiers below, their morale is boosted and their fighting spirit is high. Zhou Wen then smiled slightly and said: "However, elites also have elite responsibilities. Your current responsibilities are two, abide by military regulations and train hard. Assessments will be conducted every week, and those with excellent results can be appointed as recruit squad leaders, junior class leaders, etc. Captain, squadron leader. The training content includes basic military technology and cultural learning.
Those who fail the assessment within a week will have to clean the toilets individually within a week. Those who fail for two consecutive weeks will have the whole class clean the toilets. If the team fails for three consecutive weeks, the whole team will be purged. If it fails for one month, his squad leader and team leader will be dismissed, and I will refund the military salary and resettlement allowance, and get out. Those who cannot repay the money will be treated as civilian husbands. When the money is paid back, they will be let go home. "
