Chapter 11: Recruiting a Fierce General on the Journey Home
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“Isn’t that Sun Desheng? What’s he doing fighting the puppet troops and the Japanese?”
“This is getting interesting.”
Sun Desheng had once served under Shi Yousan. When Sun was twelve, both his parents died. He was begging by the roadside and nearly starving to death when Shi Yousan took him in.
He joined the army at twelve and spent more than a decade fighting on battlefields. After being wounded twice during the Central Plains War, he had, in his own way, repaid Shi Yousan for saving his life.
Later, Shi Yousan surrendered and became a traitor. Sun Desheng promptly left his forces and joined the Eighth Route Army.
He was a soldier who understood gratitude and possessed an unyielding spirit.
The words, “Since I’ve become a soldier, then I must be the kind of soldier who isn’t afraid to die. When the nation is in danger, if we soldiers don’t step forward, then who will?” had moved Li Yunlong deeply.
This was a fierce warrior.
Li Yunlong had to bring him under his command.
However, Li Yunlong did not rush to intervene. Instead, he stood to one side and watched the spectacle unfold.
Facing the assault by the puppet troops and the Japanese, Sun Desheng showed no fear. He used the available cover to launch counterattacks.
There was no denying that Sun Desheng reacted quickly and fought well. Unfortunately, even two fists could not withstand four hands.
Before long, several puppet soldiers, directed by a Japanese soldier, began encircling Sun Desheng.
At that moment, Shen Quan glanced toward Li Yunlong and asked, “Commander, should we give him a hand?”
Seeing that the time was right, Li Yunlong nodded.
“Go.”
Without another word, Shen Quan led his men toward the attacking puppet troops.
Sun Desheng watched as the puppet soldiers closed in around him and could not help lamenting his misfortune.
But he had no regrets.
At the very least, he had saved the women who had been humiliated by the puppet troops and the Japanese.
“You treacherous bastards and Japanese devils! If you’re not afraid to die, come and get me!”
Bang!
Click!
He had fired his last bullet.
Sun Desheng fixed a bayonet to his rifle and prepared to fight the Japanese and puppet troops to the death.
When the Japanese realized that their enemy had run out of ammunition, they shouted orders for the puppet soldiers to press forward.
“Move in!”
“You must capture him!”
“Yes, sir!”
The puppet soldiers answered and waved their hands as they advanced on Sun Desheng, occasionally firing shots to keep him pinned down.
Sun Desheng did not dare raise his head. He knew that if things continued this way, death was his only possible outcome.
“Damn it!”
“To think I’m going to die here before I’ve even killed a few more Japanese devils...”
But before he could finish, a burst of fierce gunfire rang out. Then everything fell silent.
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When he cautiously looked out, he saw several men in gray-blue uniforms rushing toward him and firing finishing shots into the enemy.
Their movements were clean and decisive, their killing swift and merciless.
Whose troops were these?
Regardless, he had been saved.
He immediately stood and said gratefully, “Thank you, heroes, for saving my life. May I ask whose men you are?”
Shen Quan cupped his hands. “Fellow countryman, we’re with the Eighth Route Army. Come on out!”
The Eighth Route Army?
Sun Desheng was slightly stunned.
He had heard about the Eighth Route Army, especially after the Battle of Pingxing Pass.
It was a force that operated behind enemy lines.
After leaving Shi Yousan’s command, Sun had originally planned to seek out the Eighth Route Army and see whether it truly lived up to the rumors.
Their rescue today greatly improved his impression of the force.
He then emerged from the cover and walked over to Shen Quan.
“Thank you for saving me. I’ve long heard that the Eighth Route Army operates behind enemy lines, ambushing Japanese supply columns and striking at Japanese and puppet forces. Today, I’ve finally seen it for myself.”
“My name is Sun Desheng. May I ask your name, sir?”
Shen Quan briefly introduced himself.
“My name is Shen Quan. I’m a company commander in the New First Regiment.”
“What happened here?”
Sun Desheng briefly explained the whole story. Shen Quan could not help taking a closer look at him.
“You’re a real man!”
Li Yunlong had arrived and offered the praise.
Seeing the regimental commander approach, Shen Quan introduced him.
“This is our commander, Li Yunlong.”
“Meeting us means you weren’t meant to die today.”
Sun Desheng immediately saluted and made a request.
“Commander Li, my name is Sun Desheng. May I join you and fight the Japanese?”
Li Yunlong was delighted that Sun had volunteered. He did not agree at once, however, and instead asked with a smile, “Judging by your skill just now, you’re no ordinary fighter. You used to be a soldier, didn’t you?”
“My army can’t compare with the Shanxi-Suiyuan forces or the Central Army in wealth and equipment. Why choose us?”
“Yes, I was!” Sun Desheng answered cheerfully.
“To be honest, I used to be a cavalryman under Shi Yousan. I’ve been fighting for more than a decade...”
“But Shi Yousan surrendered and became a traitor. I’m a rough man and don’t understand any grand principles, but I refuse to become a traitor or a seller of my country.”
“Although the Central Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan forces have decent equipment, they lack the spirit to take the initiative. They do nothing but defend, and that is why more than half the country has fallen into the hands of the Japanese devils.”
“I’ve long heard that the Eighth Route Army operates behind enemy lines, strikes at the Japanese, and enjoys the people’s support. I believe it must be a good army.”
“If you don’t mind having me, Commander Li, I’m willing to fight the Japanese alongside you.”
Seeing how forthright Sun Desheng was, Li Yunlong readily agreed.
“Well said!”
“The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every man!”
“Welcome aboard!”
Seeing Li Yunlong’s easy acceptance, Sun Desheng excitedly raised his hand in salute.
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“I won’t say any pretty words. I’m not good at them anyway. Commander, just judge me by what I do from now on.”
“Very good!” Li Yunlong nodded slightly. “Come on. Let’s leave this place first.”
“Yes, sir!”
By then, the other soldiers had finished clearing the battlefield.
They had collected five sets of equipment: one Type 38 rifle, four Shanxi-made rifles, and various supplies such as canteens.
The soldiers followed the principle of never leaving behind anything that might still be useful.
Sun Desheng stared at the scene in astonishment.
The group soon left the area and returned to their base.
On the road, Sun Desheng could not resist asking, “Commander, does our regiment have a cavalry unit?”
“We will eventually,” Li Yunlong replied, already knowing what Sun had in mind. “As long as you have the ability, I’ll make you the commander of a cavalry unit in the future.”
“When it comes to appointing men, we believe in fairness and impartiality. As long as you’re willing to work hard, kill the enemy, and earn merit...”
As Sun Desheng listened to Li Yunlong paint this promising picture, he could not help feeling somewhat doubtful.
After all, whether in the Shanxi-Suiyuan forces or the Central Army, it was extremely difficult to rise through the ranks without money or connections.
It had taken him more than a decade of risking his life to become a cavalry platoon commander.
For now, however, all he could do was wait and see.
Li Yunlong said no more on the subject. Instead, he chatted idly with Sun Desheng and probed into why Sun had left Shi Yousan’s forces ahead of time.
After all, Shi Yousan was not supposed to formally defect to the Japanese until 1940.
That was still some time away.
As they talked, Sun Desheng concealed nothing and told him everything he knew.
It turned out that Shi Yousan had considered surrendering to the Japanese several times and had already held secret discussions with them on multiple occasions. As a result, the senior commanders of both the Shanxi-Suiyuan forces and the Central Army no longer trusted him.
From this, Li Yunlong could infer that Shi Yousan would indeed formally defect to the Japanese in 1940.
Sun Desheng was a fierce warrior. This was an unexpected stroke of good fortune for Li Yunlong.
Even so, Li Yunlong retained a certain degree of caution.
He arranged for Sun to serve as an infantryman for the time being.
Sun accepted without hesitation. To him, as long as he could kill Japanese soldiers, nothing else mattered very much.
Besides, he had yet to earn any military merit.
A day later, Li Yunlong and the others finally returned to their base.
But the sight before them left Sun Desheng utterly bewildered.
This...
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