Chapter 36: Some Things Must Be Admitted

February 1932, 2 was New Year’s Eve, but Liu Dapiezi had no intention of celebrating the New Year on that day. Not only was he not in the mood to celebrate the New Year, but it was estimated that no one in the entire Northeast could have a good New Year’s Eve dinner.

Because the news of the January 28 Incident in Shanghai has arrived, the most timely news now is that the 19th Route Army is facing a general attack by the Japanese invaders who are rushing towards Zhabei in three directions.

At this moment, every Northeastern person’s face is burning. Every Northeastern person is anxious inside under a silent appearance. The complex emotions make people a mess!
The 19th Route Army was great. At least they fought with real weapons.

General Cai is great. He has completely aroused the determination of the people across the country to fight the war to the end.

But what about people from Northeast China?
I even want to die!

Look at people!

Look at what people mean when they say ‘we have the responsibility to defend our territory’!

After Liu Dapiezi got the news, he went straight to the west yard, as if their family had not prepared New Year’s Eve dinner. He entered the house, picked up the wine on the table and drank it all.

After drinking, he looked at Xu Chaoyang and said, “Life is unbearable…”

Without waiting for Xu Chaoyang to speak, Liu Dapiezi said in agony: “I really hope that the 19th Route Army can win, but I am from the Northeast. If the 19th Route Army wins, the whole world will only curse the Northeast. But I can’t hope that the 19th Route Army loses just for fear of being scolded, right?”

Xu Chaoyang could understand Liu Dapiezi’s feelings and replied: “Don’t worry, the 19th Route Army can do it.”

The source of this sentence is not his understanding of the 19th Route Army, but his knowledge of the history of the whole incident.

In this battle, the 19th Route Army forced the Japanese to change their commanders four times. From January 28th to March 3rd, it blocked four general attacks of the Japanese, causing a total of more than 10,000 casualties!
Liu Dapiezi looked at Xu Chaoyang absentmindedly and said, “Then, is there anything good that people in this world can say about people from the Northeast?”

Xu Chaoyang shook his head: “Not a single word.”

It was from this comparison that the people of Northeast China were completely nailed to the rack of shame, and almost every person in Northeast China was burdened with the stigma of being a target of criticism!

What is unexpected is that this infamy has been carried for nearly a hundred years, and in Xu Chaoyang’s time, he was still being ridiculed! !
Xu Chaoyang looked at the depressed Liu Dapiezi and asked, “Why, do you feel that life is meaningless because of this?”

Of course he knew that Liu Dapiezi was devastated, but the question was, if you were depressed, could you make the situation better?
No!
“Isn’t this serious enough?”

Liu Dapiezi looked at Xu Chaoyang questioningly. He found that Xu Chaoyang seemed to be particularly calm when facing this kind of thing.

“It’s extremely serious.” Xu Chaoyang said earnestly, “But, in this matter, it should never be what you think.”

Xu Chaoyang used the example of the country for the first time and said: “If the country is like a person, when this person is stabbed in the left rib, he will not blame his left hand for being incompetent and failing to protect his left rib.”

“But if we talk about this separately, if you think the 19th Route Army is also a warlord army, then the Fengtian Army is indeed inferior to them. In this matter, you must stand at attention if you are beaten!”

It is a fact that cannot be denied that Xu Chaoyang is a traitor.

He also hopes that a force will emerge in the Northeast that can achieve the same results as the 19th Route Army, but don’t you have one?
“What do you mean?”

Like all Northeastern people, Liu Dapiezi got mad when he heard this and asked this question with his eyes wide open.

“What I mean is, we are bound to get scolded for being a big mouth, but as a man, the only way to prove that you still have a penis in your pants is not to be dejected, but to prove through your own achievements time and time again that you can still piss standing up.” “At this time, forget about dignity and face, first dye the battlefield red with blood. If you don’t have these two skills, when others talk to you, either shut up or don’t admit that you are from the Northeast.”

Xu Chaoyang didn’t shout or scream, but used the most ordinary tone to say what had been pent up in his heart for many years.

This is how the world works. If Zeng Guofan had not been successful in the second half of his life, his first half of life would have been a negative example and he would have been criticized to death.

How are you now?

By Xu Chaoyang’s time, Zeng Guofan was known as half of two and a half perfect men, and this half was the second half of his life.

In this world, only successful people have face, and only achievements can speak for themselves. As for the rest, don’t talk about it.

This is the cry of a soldier, the most sincere cry expressed in the most ordinary tone.

Liu Dapiezi looked at Xu Chaoyang;

Xu Hanshan also looked at his son;
Even Min, who was holding the child, was paying attention to this man who spoke slowly and softly but with powerful words.

“Brother Chaoyang…”

Liu Dapiezi picked up the wine glass for the second time, drank all the wine in front of Xu Chaoyang, then turned and left.

He seemed to know something vaguely, but he didn’t say anything.

“Is this ridiculous? I was planning to have a good New Year. This time it’s OK.”

Xu Hanshan made Liu Dapiezi so upset…

Xu Chaoyang said something fair at this time: “Dad, it’s us who made it so that they couldn’t celebrate the New Year.”

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became quiet, as if no one had the heart to celebrate the New Year. Only Xu Chaoyang was still concerned about eating and drinking.

He took a bite of food and ate the rice in the bowl and said, “Dad, I have to go out in a few days. If I am not back by the 18th day of the first lunar month, you will take all the money and take Min to northern Shaanxi.”

“It’s a poor place, but it’s a good place to live.”

Xu Hanshan slowly put down the chopsticks in his hand, wanting to say something, but he couldn’t say it, so he went around in circles and said, “Chaoyang, there are some things that don’t need to be taken so seriously. Sometimes people’s lives just go by in a daze, oh?”

Xu Chaoyang knew exactly what the old man wanted to say. This was how communication between fathers and sons in Northeast China was. The old man always played dumb and thought the child could understand, but in fact he had something to hide that he couldn’t say.

As a man from Northeast China, he could say to his son, “You can’t go! You are not the only one being scolded by people in the world who is from Northeast China. Why are you standing out?”

He couldn’t say it!
But I also know that what the child is doing is right. Once it is accomplished, it will not only benefit the whole family, but also make everyone in the family stand up straight and be a good person. How can I say this?
So, a good New Year’s Eve dinner turned into a difficult situation for the old man, Liu Dapiaozi, and everyone except Xu Chaoyang. Because at this time the old man finally tasted the meaning of the situation. He realized that his son had done so many things, actually, to fight against the Japanese!

(End of this chapter)