Liu Afu, who had already served as the commander of the third company of the second regiment infantry battalion, was standing in the middle of the queue. Looking at Commander Zhou in a suit talking to people on the dock, he had mixed feelings in his heart.
Liu Afu is a native of Guangzhou. His mother died young. He has been working as a coolie at Huangpu Wharf with his father and elder brother since he was 12 years old. Although he lived in poverty, under the careful care of his grandfather and elder brother, Liu Afu not only had enough to eat, but also could eat from time to time what the fishermen sold on the spot, which was cheaper than cabbage. Although it was not fresh, it was There are still dead fish and shrimps that have certain nutritional value.
Because he has been doing physical work all year round, and his grandfather and elder brother care about him and will never let him overwork himself, when he is 16 years old, Liu Afu is not only much taller than his peers, but also the muscles on his body are beginning to show.
As a result, when the revolutionary army went to Huangpu Wharf to recruit soldiers and promote propaganda, Liu Afu, who was originally there to watch the excitement, was infected by the officers who were also young but exuded passion and fiery contagion. His eyes were filled with envy and yearning.
In particular, the officer with a beautiful moustache on his lips, wearing a military uniform that looked majestic and heroic, came to Liu Afu, smiled brightly, stretched out his hand to squeeze Liu Afu's arm that was tanned by the sun, and praised Liu Afu. He said: "What a good young man. He is strong enough. He is a good soldier."
Then he smiled and said to Liu Afu: "How about it, young man, come and become a soldier. Not only can you have military pay to support your grandpa in his retirement, but most of our army members are from Guangzhou. We are as close as brothers, and we are at home in the army." It’s no different.”
When Liu Afu asked shyly and hesitantly if he really had military pay, the mustachioed officer chuckled and took out three shining silver coins from the cloth bag carried by his entourage and handed them directly to him. Liu Afu said in his hand: "There are three yuan every month. When you pass the recruit period and officially become a second-class soldier, you will get five yuan every month."
You must know that during this period, the military pay standards for the army, whether it was the national army or the warlord army, were actually similar. But this includes daily food expenses.
In other words, it is claimed that a private has 10 oceans of military pay, but in fact, food expenses are deducted when disbursing it, and only four or five oceans are actually paid to the soldiers.
Therefore, the so-called "receipt of soldiers' pay" as commonly known in the old army actually refers to the "empty quota". Originally, there were only 100 soldiers, but the quota you reported was a full quota of 120 soldiers. In this way, you have swallowed up the military pay of 20 people.
And what does it mean to drink the blood of soldiers? In fact, it is to start with the food expenses of the soldiers. Obviously you only need 3 oceans for food a month, but you charge 5 oceans for each person. You have pocketed 2 oceans per person. Over time, it will be a windfall.
This situation was common in the old army, and it also formed an unspoken rule.
The platoon commander had to hand over part of what he swallowed to the company commander, and the company commander also had to hand it over to the battalion commander, and so on. All the officers made a fortune together, forming an interest group, and naturally the officers protected each other. Even if you, the top soldier, find something wrong, you have no place to complain. Over time, it has become an unwritten rule.
However, even three or four oceans is still an income that is beyond the reach of ordinary people. What is rare is that as long as no major changes occur, it can be earned every month.
You should know that before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the common wage level in the Republic of China was that in the countryside, a domestic worker only earned 1 yuan a month; in the city, the monthly salary of a rickshaw puller and a nanny did not exceed 3 yuan.
The three members of Liu Afu's family are strong laborers, and they all work as coolies carrying large bags at the dock. Over the course of a year, excluding daily living expenses, if they can save a few oceans, it is considered a good year.
Therefore, serving as a soldier is also a way out for poor people, but it is more dangerous.
At that time, Liu Afu felt hot in his heart when he looked at the three big oceans in his hands that were getting hot.
Three oceans a month, even if it is just the standard for new recruits, it will be more than thirty oceans in a year. My eldest brother has enough money to marry a wife.
Liu Afu's eldest brother is already in his twenties, and it is because he is poor that he cannot afford a wife.
Liu Afu knew that although his grandfather didn't say anything on the surface, he looked at his elder brother and his seemingly kind eyes with a look of sadness that he couldn't hide.
In this way, Liu Afu handed Dayang into the hands of his elder brother and broke away from his grasp, and then followed the team without looking back.
He didn't dare to look back, didn't dare to look at the anxiety of his elder brother calling out hoarsely, and didn't dare to look at the face of the grandfather who came over after hearing the news, which had been damaged by time like the bark of a tree.
Later, he learned that the officer with the beautiful mustache was the pride of their Guangzhou people. He was also famous among the people as Tiger Brother, Commander Jiang, and Master Jiang.
Liu Afu followed Brother Huzi and the 10th Division of the Northern Expeditionary Army all the way from Guangzhou and fought all over the country. They defeated countless Beiyang warlords in the Northern Expedition, and later defeated the Gui army, which was famous for its superior combat power in the Republic of China, several times in the Guangdong-Guangxi War.
During the Battle of the Central Plains, Liu Afu followed Commander Jiang, his brother Huzi, who had been promoted to army commander, and defeated the Northwest Army, which was also famous for its strong army.
It can be said that they almost defeated the most famous warlord troops in the Republic of China at that time, but they themselves had no defeat. The Iron Army became famous on the land of the Republic of China.
And Liu Afu has also grown from a small soldier into a young squad leader with rich battlefield experience.
During this period, he also went back home several times, and was pleased to see that his eldest brother had gotten married and had children, and had also started a small business with the money he had sent back in the past few years. Grandpa no longer has to go to the dock to carry out heavy work. He happily spends time at home with his children and grandchildren every day, which can be considered a stable life.
At this time, Liu Afu no longer had the ignorance and rashness he had when he joined the army, but had a sense of belonging and pride in the army.
Until... During the Songhu Anti-Japanese War, the Iron Army, which had defeated all the invincible opponents of the Republic of China, met the Japanese army, known as the strongest army in Asia.
Only then did Liu Afu and his brothers in the 19th Route Army realize for the first time what there is in the world, and what it means to be strong and strong.
The little devil is really cruel.
Planes exploded in the sky and artillery bombarded the ground.
Before you even saw the enemy, a large number of your own people fell in the hail of bullets and artillery fire.
Looking at those Japanese soldiers who were precise in their marksmanship, skilled in tactical movements, and coordinated with each other like a killing machine, Liu Afu felt that the usually extremely fast combat movements of himself and his comrades were always half slower than those of the little Japanese soldiers. shoot.
