The Future

Zhang Zizhong, ordered to clean up the chaos in Beiping, only entered the city through Xibianmen at dawn. By the time he entered, Japanese troops had already poured into the city from three directions—Guang'anmen, Yongdingmen, and Zuo'anmen—while Japanese politicians who had long entrenched themselves in Dongjiaominxiang took to the streets of Beiping to celebrate openly. With Japanese forces now swarming across the outskirts of Beiping, Zhang Zizhong saw that the situation was hopeless and had no choice but to take temporary refuge in a German-run hospital. Under the pouring rain, the Japanese halted their southward advance and turned their full attention to dealing with the aftermath in Beiping-Tianjin. The Japanese 20th Division turned south, taking advantage of the clear rail trunk lines to sweep from Fengtai through Langfang, engaging the 38th Division responsible for defending Tianjin that afternoon. On the evening of the same day Beiping fell, Tianjin also fell. Song Zheyuan led the military and political officials and administrative organs of the 29th Army in a retreat to Baoding. The following day, peace preservation committees were established in both Beiping and Tianjin. …… The torrential downpour slowed the Japanese advance south, but it created an equally severe obstacle for the tens of thousands of civilians fleeing in the same direction. Rain poured into the fields, turning the vast countryside into a waterlogged marsh. The soil grew so soft and muddy that every footstep sank into a deep pit. When leaving Beiping, lacking systematic organization and control, most people had no fixed escape route. Knowing only to flee westward, they twisted and turned through detours, and many ended up going in circles, unable to cross the Yongding River. Soldiers and civilians mingled together. There was little conversation along the way, and occasional laughter quickly died down. Unlike the high-ranking officers speeding away in jeeps, the common folk pushed at most a simple two-wheeled wooden cart. Usually, a dark-skinned, bare-chested uncle pulled several children from the family, chatting, laughing, and making silly faces along the way, trying as best he could to ease the pain of leaving home. After trudging for about three days through the on-and-off summer rain, Sun Yi and his column, marching in fits and starts, finally reached Baoding. By now, Baoding had virtually become an enormous shelter. Bare-chested men with slumped heads and girls with tangled hair and soot-stained faces lined the streets. Every day, refugees and routed soldiers converged from all directions. Walking along, Zhu Shiqing felt that their traveling party seemed to grow smaller and smaller. Fortunately, they were regular troops after all, and their discipline was relatively strict compared to most routed units. Besides, full of youthful vigor, not a single one among these young men fell behind on the journey. Song Zheyuan had arrived in Baoding early on. On the day Beiping and Tianjin fell, without waiting for Nanjing's Control Yuan to initiate impeachment against him, he relinquished his military authority and offered his resignation as commander of the 29th Army. Beneath the driving rain, Song Zheyuan's mood was pitch-black. From nationwide acclaim during the Great Wall War of Resistance to the torrent of criticism now pouring in from across the country, he felt ashamed to face the nation. Across his long military career, he could no longer find any justification to remain on the battlefield. Although Nanjing continued to urge him to keep commanding the 29th Army in the War of Resistance to pursue ultimate victory, consumed by grief and indignation, Song Zheyuan still telegraphed the entire nation in early August, officially announcing his resignation as commander of the 29th Army. Counting the reinforcements Wang Bing had handed over to Sun Yi, Sun Yi still retained more than seven hundred able young men. He would remain in Baoding to undergo local reorganization, leading the embers that General Tong Linge had so carefully nurtured as they continued their story in the War of Resistance. Life is long; how could it be free of farewells? Zhu Shiqing knew well that his story with the Northwest Army was over. On this day, he and Fang Wenjian changed into civilian clothes, preparing to take a special train south to Nanjing. "Shiqing, look. Isn't that the regiment commander?" Carrying their packs, the two swayed as they made their way toward the train station, which was already packed with people. Near a street corner along the route leading to the station, Sun Yi stood waiting to see them off with a group of young men. Hearing Fang Wenjian's words, Zhu Shiqing stood on tiptoe, squinted twice, and murmured, "Seems it really is him." In truth, Zhu Shiqing had intended to leave without saying goodbye. Heaven only knew where Sun Yi had gotten wind of it. Since they were already here, Zhu Shiqing had no choice but to go forward to meet them. By the time he reached Sun Yi, his eyes were already stinging. "Regiment Commander, it's raining! Don't let these kids get soaked!" Zhu Shiqing made casual small talk, averting his gaze from the determined look in the young men's eyes. "What, leaving without even telling me, Sun Yi?" Sun Yi thumped Zhu Shiqing on the chest. "You really don't take this regiment commander of yours seriously at all! If this were before, I would have given you a thorough cursing!" Zhu Shiqing pursed his lips and lowered his head, a bit embarrassed. "I was just afraid it would be too hard to face the brothers." "Staff Officer Zhu, how are we supposed to fight without you from now on?" Xiang Chengyu chimed in teasingly from behind Sun Yi. "How about you don't leave? Just stay with us! We're willing to accept a Nanjing-appointed spy keeping an eye on us!" At these words, everyone around burst into hearty laughter. Though Xiang Chengyu's words sounded comical, they did align with one of the original intentions behind establishing the NCO Program. Assigning staff officers down to the army units had itself been designed to strengthen the central government's control over local troops. In the local military and political system, these officers were practically overt plants and inspectors sent by Nanjing. Yet in the 219th Regiment, Zhu Shiqing felt only the warmth of a loving family. Though they had weathered many trials along the way, standing now on the bustling street, everyone still harbored hope for the road ahead. Smiling for a long moment, Zhu Shiqing did not reply to Xiang Chengyu's joke. Instead, he pulled Liang Xiyun over and instructed, "You rascal, stay close to the regiment commander from now on. If there's a chance, we'll meet again." Liang Xiyun was still just a boy barely grown into adulthood, and spoke without reservation: "When we meet again, Staff Officer Zhu, will you lead me to fight our way back into Beiping?" "I will. When the time comes, Regiment Commander Sun and I will lead you all back." "Come on, you lot—we're seeing someone off, not saying goodbye between life and death!" Sun Yi chided helplessly, pulling Liang Xiyun back. "Staff Officer Zhu is going back to Nanjing for bigger and better things! But having said that, Shiqing, once you make it big out there, don't you forget about us northerners." Sun Yi spoke resolutely, but Zhu Shiqing was the first to catch the glint of tears in his eyes. Two months had flown by like galloping steeds. Zhu Shiqing solemnly raised his hand in salute to the brothers before him: "Take care, brothers." "Salute!" Sun Yi roared, causing the crowd jostling to enter the station to turn their heads. After their farewells, Zhu Shiqing and Fang Wenjian entered the station one after the other, both falling silent. They were among the first officers from the Staff Corps sent to the frontline, officers who had lived through every moment of the July 7 Incident. Here, they had gathered invaluable combat experience fighting the Japanese and witnessed the resolve of frontline officers and men willing to lay down their lives for their country. China was vast, and the world was in turmoil. What would become of their future? And what would happen to their own destinies? Zhu Shiqing did not know. He slowly approached the ticket gate at Baoding Station and handed over his officer's identification. To his surprise, the skinny young man in the railway uniform said in a chillingly cold tone: "Are you Zhu Shiqing? I'm sorry, you cannot leave. Please wait here a moment while I place a call to report this." "Why?" Zhu Shiqing's face instantly hardened. "I don't know. Orders from above."