While leading the five students out of the Sihang Warehouse, Lieutenant Colonel Smith gave a military salute to Xie Jinyuan seriously.

"I think I have understood you and respect you for your great patriotism. But I still hope to see Lieutenant Colonel Xie and your loyal subordinates in our British concession.

As long as a soldier like you can survive, there should be a bigger stage and create a greater sky than guarding the Sihang Warehouse! If you are willing to lead your troops to retreat from the concession, you don’t have to hand over the weapons.

We will greet you by treating heroes and ensure that you will be sent to the concession safely. As long as you march day and night, you will definitely be able to catch up with the Nanjing Defense War that may break out at any time! And... Please rest assured, I will reconsider the decision to open channels for students.

”

If the two lieutenant colonels were also a negotiation that represented the interests of the army and the country, perhaps this was the first time that China had achieved real victory and success in negotiations with Britain since the Opium War.

Lieutenant Colonel Smith has already highlighted the bottom line they can bear in the negotiations in front of Xie Jinyuan.

Putting aside the national position, the military responsibilities, and his negotiation mission, Lieutenant Colonel Smith really hopes that Xie Jinyuan can leave the Sihang Warehouse alive!

Although the five students were all following Smith, they all looked at Xie Jinyuan in a daze until they turned into darkness and desolation behind them, and they still turned back frequently.

They seemed to be engraving his face, his perseverance, and his unfaithfulness and freedom when facing death in the deepest part of their hearts.

With the order that Xie Jinyuan gave to them, "pass on the light of hope, pass on it, pass on it!", and live hard!

When these five students walked across the new garbage bridge across the Suzhou River and through the military camps of the British Concession, facing a pair of red eyes and a tear-filled scar, but still unable to hide their beautiful faces, the five of them were suddenly stunned.

They walked into the Sihang Warehouse, which really gave them too much shock. Every soldier there seemed to have stories and legends that could be discovered, and every weapon there attracted their attention.

And their idol Xie Jinyuan walked up to them, and he felt calm.

That kind of perseverance, that kind of unfaithfulness and freedom, and that kind of worrying about the country and the people without any hypocrisy made them lose in Xie Jinyuan's deep and bright eyes in an instant.

They actually forgot to help Yang Huimin, a girl who risked her life to escort the national flag into the Sihang Warehouse, to ask Lei Zhen's whereabouts.

"By the way!" Suddenly a student slapped his thigh and shouted: "You want to invite us to ask someone with a dog.

He is still wearing a scout uniform. Is the whereabouts of a man about eighteen years old? I saw him and he is still alive. Although he is injured everywhere, he looks very energetic!"

Seeing that the other four companions were wide open, they showed a "You're a scam" expression, and the student shouted: "Do you still remember that, who visited the Sihang Warehouse with us and sat on the ammunition box with us.

The man loading the bullets! The Japanese used such dense artillery to bombard the Sihang Warehouse. Not to mention us, even the soldiers led by Chief Xie Jinyuan seemed a little panicked, but at that time he had been sitting there quietly, inserting bullets into the bullet link without saying a word.

I was a little curious about him and wanted to chat with him, but I talked for a long time. But he didn't say a word, which made me think he was a mute at the time! Finally, I heard him say, "Son, come here" to a dog lying on the corner of the wall.

I was so angry at that time!”

Seeing the student in front of him, Yang Huimin couldn't help but let out a "pop" and burst into tears and laughed. He didn't like to deal with strangers, and would never say a word if it was unnecessary. This place was indeed Lei Zhen's style.

The tide like waves in Yang Huimin's eyes had not disappeared yet. A bright joy suddenly rose, and there was still a crystal water line on her face. But the corners of her mouth were already raised happily.

Is Lei Zhen still dead? The big boy who never likes to talk too much, but stays on the right wing of the Sixing Warehouse for her sake, and participates in the most tragic battle of the day, but he is not dead!

At this time, what else can be more happy than this news that makes Yang Huimin feel more happy and happier?

"Lei Zhen!" Yang Huimin suddenly synthesized her hands into a tube shape. She shouted in the direction of the Sihang Warehouse: "I'll wait for you here, I will stand here and wait for you until you walk to me by yourself.

If you really have the heart to keep me here being blown by the wind, hit by the rain, and standing here stupidly, you don’t come out! Have you heard that you must live and walk to my side by yourself! Are we not friends, aren’t we partners? Even if you want to leave, you have to come here in person and tell me, right?!"

As he shouted loudly at the top of his lungs, the hot tears once again cut through Yang Huimin's face.

Because she suddenly remembered that when she finally swam across the Suzhou River, Lei Zhen raised the arm representing goodbye and parting to her through the flowing river.

Everyone around was quiet. They were quietly watching this girl who was hurt by love. The crystal tears and pride in their eyes flashed at the same time, looking so beautiful and charming, but like a lonely and helpless girl.

The five students looked at each other, and finally one of them stood up and whispered: "Let's wait with you."

Lieutenant Colonel Smith looked at the patriotic Chinese students and ordinary citizens standing in front of the barracks with complex eyes. As soon as they were crowded, they could rush into the barracks.

In order to prevent such accidents, the British army even set up machine guns in front of the barracks as if facing a great enemy.

Looking at the Sihang Warehouse in the distance, which was like a giant standing in the dark, Lieutenant Colonel Smith sighed softly, "Lieutenant Colonel Xie, the Ministry of Works has already protested to your government and demanded that your government order the cessation of the Sihang Warehouse's resistance to prevent the war from affecting the concession.

I think you should have received the order to retreat yesterday? Are you really planning to force the Japanese army to use heavy weapons at your own expense in the Sihang Warehouse and bring us Britain into this war.

Will it force Japan to stop this war?"

Yes, on the morning of 30, Xie Jinyuan received a call from Chief of Staff Zhang Boting, who had been staying in Shanghai and assisted them in defending the Sihang Warehouse.

Notifying them that the defense battle had ended successfully, they ordered them to hand over their weapons immediately, evacuate from Shanghai through the British Concession, and arrive at Nanjing as fast as possible. Participate in the upcoming Nanjing Defense Battle.

However, as a soldier who obeys orders as his duty, Xie Jinyuan did not retreat.

"Our souls can leave our bodies, but our guns must not leave our bodies! You are willing to cover the retreat of hundreds of thousands of troops and sniping the Japanese army to me such arduous work, and give me the lives of hundreds of thousands of brothers to me. That is to give me the face of Xie Jinyuan. I Xie Jinyuan must continue, and I must do it well! Jinyuan is determined to die for the country.

I vow not to retreat easily, and I will never make a trick to survive for a moment. Before Jin Yuan died... I will ask the Japanese pirates for a considerable price. If you shoot and shoot, you will also deal with the enemy to the end."

Zhang Baiting, Chief of Staff of the 88th Division who stayed in Shanghai and also witnessed the sniper battle in Sihang Warehouse with his own eyes.

He really knew Xie Jinyuan very well. Facing Xie Jinyuan's answer, Zhang Boting didn't say anything more, but just said "Take care" and hung up the phone.

But when Lieutenant Colonel Smith failed in negotiations and faced with the increasingly crazy Japanese army, everyone knew that in order to remove the last nail left by Shanghai before mobilizing the large army, the Japanese army might use heavy weapons to attack the Sihang Warehouse at any time.

Within fifteen minutes, the public concession authorities sent three consecutive telegrams, demanding that the Chinese government take a humane position and seriously consider the personal safety of residents in the public concession. They ordered the Chinese defenders in the Sihang Warehouse to retreat.

Zhang Boting had to call the bottom of the Sixing Warehouse again.

"Jinyuan, retreat." Zhang Boting whispered: "The Ministry of Industry and Technology has been constantly protesting, and the sniper battle in the Sixing Warehouse has been reported to Chairman Jiang.

‘Take care and retreat into the concession and continue to work hard for the country’, this is the order given to you by Chairman Jiang himself!”

Faced with the Supreme Leader's orders that encouraged, Xie Jinyuan was silent, and he was really silent. Zhang Boting also remained silent on the other end of the phone. He stood there, quietly waiting for Xie Jinyuan's reply.

"I can't figure it out!"

I don’t know how long it took. Xie Jinyuan finally spoke.

His low voice seemed to squeeze out directly from his chest, "Brother Baiting, you and I understand that from the beginning, Chairman Jiang adopted the policy of first calming the country and then resisting foreign countries invasion.

The chairman's judgment was to use the three northeastern provinces to feed the hungry Japanese wolf. He even planned to sign a secret treaty to ced the three northeastern provinces to the Japanese. After appeaseing the hungry wolf, he concentrated all his efforts to eliminate the Communist troops.

At that time, we can consolidate our rule, unite the United States and the Soviet Union, and drive Japan out of our country."

"This plan looks good, but today, the Japanese army has captured Shanghai, started to assemble in Nanjing, and even started to support traitors like Wang Jingwei, trying to establish a new pseudo-government to fight the central government. Is it still unclear that we are facing a hungry wolf that is constantly cutting our bodies, and it is impossible to feed them. We are just hungry wolf that wants to swallow us in one bite?!"

"The fantasy is gone, the plan is not successful, and Chairman Jiang has lost the most important people's hearts to win this war.

I just can't understand why at this time, Chairman Chiang didn't understand that we can no longer put our hopes on the intervention and mediation of Britain, the United States, and France, and we have to act according to their expressions! I thank Jinyuan, who is guarding this Sihang Warehouse, and I want to die in the battlefield and wrap the body around me to let the people of the whole country see our party and country's determination to resist the Japanese invaders!"

Zhang Boting sighed softly. He knew that he could not persuade Xie Jinyuan. He knew that even Chairman Jiang's order would not be able to bring a warrior who was ready to sacrifice his life for the country and the people out of that battlefield.

"Brother Jin Yuan, I know I can't persuade you, and I also know that you are ready to sacrifice your life for the country." Zhang Boting sucked in a light breath and said, "But..."

Zhang Boting could no longer say anything, so he forwarded the phone number in his hand to another woman beside him.

This is a woman in her early thirties. She wore a coarse cloth dress, but she was washed cleanly. The heavy pressure of life inevitably made the marks of time appear on her body.

But on her face, the beauty of her youth can still be seen. She obviously received considerable education. Even though she dressed simply, she could still maintain a generous attitude when facing the Chief of Staff of the 88th Division.

But when she reached out to take the phone, her hands began to tremble constantly, and the corners of her mouth were trembling. Before she could speak, tears kept pouring out of her eyes.

Listening to the other person's rapid breathing, he crossed the space through this telephone line that closely linked the two hearts of the two people, Xie Jinyuan clearly felt the fiery and silent tears that were sliding down on the other person's face.

Xie Jinyuan suddenly became obsessed.

"Zhongmin... Hello, you are so good..."

She finally spoke, but after just a few words, she burst into tears.

Next to her, a little girl who looked only six or seven years old and a little boy who was five years old were both anxious. They reached out and pulled the corner of her clothes and kept shouting: "Mom, mom, why are you crying?"

Through the microphone, Xie Jinyuan heard the cry of the two children. Xie Jinyuan, who could be calm and unfashioned in the face of death, finally changed his expression at this time, "Weicheng... is it really you?"

"Zhongmin, you are so nice. Zhongmin, you are so nice. Zhongmin, you are so cruel! You are going to be a hero, you are going to sacrifice your life for the country, but... Have you ever thought that you have parents and children above you, and you are not only a soldier?

He is also a son, a husband, and a father!"

The woman standing next to Zhang Boting is Xie Jinyuan's wife Ling Weicheng, and the two children beside her are her and Xie Jinyuan's two children.

"As the saying goes, raising troops for a thousand days, you will go to the battlefield in a short while, wearing military uniforms and holding military pay. My wife can understand you and support you. But I really don't understand why she can retreat.

Why do you want to retreat in the opposite direction, but you are determined to go to death! Why does this country have to have your sacrifice from Xie Jinyuan to awaken and win this war! You sacrifice your life for the country and the people, you are a great hero, but have you ever thought about what your parents should do and what will we do with our two children? Once you die, how do you want us orphans, widows and the elderly to live?!"

Xie Jinyuan opened his mouth, but he felt like a rock weighing thousands of pounds was pressed on his lips, and he could not speak.

He really wanted to say sorry to his wife Ling Weicheng, but how could he make up for the trauma caused to his family, especially to Ling Weicheng after his death?!

He stammered his lips and listened to the crying of his wife and children on the other end of the phone. Xie Jinyuan felt that his heart was being pulled hard by more than a dozen invisible hands. After a long time, he asked, "Weicheng, why are you here?"

"Can I not come? I received your letter. Can I not come? They don't understand you. I am your wife or your classmates when you were in school together. Can I not understand you?!"

Ling Weicheng took out a letter from his close pocket with his hands trembling.

This is a letter from Xie Jinyuan to Ling Weicheng by himself! After opening this letter that she had read and could even recite, Ling Weicheng talked about the words written on it in front of Chief of Staff Zhang Boting.

"Half of the country is eroded every day, and the disaster of the country and the destruction of the country and the seeds will be caused by others. If you don't pay attention, your descendants will be inseparable! Killing enemies for the country is the ambition of a revolutionary soldier.

But soldiers should not have family members. Now I have family members, and my family is poor and I have few relatives. My heart is not iron, so I can’t live without spring? But my responsibilities are that I cannot take care of my family for the country.

The old relatives are fully responsible for the comfort of their children, the upbringing of their children, and all measures of housework, so as to reduce the distraction of the recruitment people."

Big tears kept falling onto the letter paper in Ling Weicheng's hand, making a slight "puff" sound, and then quickly absorbed by the letter paper, mixed with the words written on it, and turned into a ball.

Looking at the letter paper that had been blurred and had experienced many times of tears, Zhang Baiting stood aside and sighed silently.

"Can I not come after seeing this letter?" Ling Weicheng cried and shouted: "This letter was written by you three months ago. You have been in Shanghai for three months, and I have been in Shanghai with my children for three months.

After we ran out of money, we moved into the refugee camp in the concession.
To be continued...