You are ordered to support the War of Resistance against Japan; China enters Level 1 combat readines

"What do we do now?"

The bigwigs frowned.

Public opinion is now in uproar, and the Japanese are even clamoring for the handover of the murderer, or they will execute 200 prisoners every day.

"You want us to hand over Mr. Shen? Don't even think about it! Absolutely not!"

The hot-tempered boss slammed his fist on the table and glared at the crowd.

"Mr. Shen is a hero of our Eighth Route Army and a hero of the national resistance against Japan. Let alone these vile words, even if the sky were to fall, we would still stand up for Mr. Shen!"

"If you want to touch Mr. Shen, you'll have to step over our dead bodies first!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room nodded emphatically.

Hand them over? Absolutely not!

The problem is, they can withstand external pressure, but they can't stop these words from getting into Mr. Shen's ears, and they can't stop these words from stabbing his heart like knives.

"Do you think Mr. Shen would feel terrible if he saw these newspapers and heard these words?"

"He was only in his early twenties, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the war effort, only to end up with such a bad reputation. Anyone would be heartbroken in his shoes."

The bosses are having a huge headache!

Handing over people is just empty talk; both the Japanese and the mountain city know it's impossible!

Their real goal was to break Mr. Shen's passionate heart!

Once Mr. Shen is disheartened and stops protecting this land, then their goal will be achieved!

The vice president frowned, remained silent for a long time, then slowly raised his head, looked at the deputy director of the publicity department standing to the side, and spoke solemnly:

"Go to Zhicheng, set off immediately."

"There is only one task: to appease Mr. Shen."

"You must make Mr. Shen understand that the vast majority of ordinary people are innocent and kind. They have simply been swayed by public opinion and deceived by those with ulterior motives."

"What's truly despicable are those politicians in Chongqing who distort the truth and incite division, and those so-called sober individuals who take money and speak against their conscience."

"You must tell him that all the soldiers and civilians in the base area remember his kindness and recognize him as a great hero."

"No matter how much people outside curse or throw dirty water at him, we, the Eighth Route Army, will always stand with him."

The deputy director nodded heavily, but he knew in his heart how arduous this task was.

That's what they say, and everyone understands the logic, but how easy is it to get over the hurdle in one's heart?

All that effort you put in has been met with a barrage of insults and being called a butcher by the very people you risked your life to protect. Who could easily accept that?

The division commander patted the deputy director on the shoulder: "Old buddy, let's set off now, and be careful on the road."

"We must make it clear to Mr. Shen that even if the sky falls, we will hold it up for him. He can just focus on doing what he needs to do, and leave the rest to us."

"Okay! I'll set off immediately!"

The deputy director is gone, but the bosses still can't put their minds at ease.

. . .

Zhicheng, Shenwang's small courtyard.

"Oh my, look at this! Look at this!"

Shen Wang sat cross-legged on the rattan chair, holding several newspapers in his hands, flipping through them with great interest, a smile on his lips.

"What a great title, 'The Butcher's Knife, Whose Tears?' Tsk tsk tsk, this editor's got some skills, even managed to get the rhyme right."

He picked up another document and read it aloud: "Shen Mingyuan is a brute, a butcher, an executioner. His actions are violent, his heart is wild, he disregards millions of his compatriots, indulging in his own pleasure on the blade."

"This is even more ruthless, using parallel sentences. This old professor has good writing skills; in ancient times, he would at least be an official in charge of remonstrance."

"And this one, this professor from some national university, he's quite the orator, isn't he?"

Shen Wang picked up newspapers and read them intently, as if he were reading a novel.

Yu Manli stood to the side, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, pursing her lips again and again, finally unable to hold back any longer.

"Sir, are you...are you alright?"

Shen Wang looked up at her and smiled.

"It's nothing, what could possibly be wrong with me?"

"Sir, please don't believe what these people say! And don't take it to heart!"

Yu Manli's tone became urgent, and her voice rose by half an octave compared to usual.

"It must have been done by the Military Intelligence Bureau. I carried out a mission years ago where we arrested a democratic figure and his entire family, held a gun to his head, and made him read from a prepared script."

"Those people weren't sincere at all; they were forced into it, coerced at gunpoint, or bought their way in!"

"I know, I know."

Shen Wang waved his hand, picked up the cup of tea that had gone cold, and took a sip.

"Sir, are you...are you really alright?"

Yu Manli was still worried, so she took a step forward and stared at Shen Wang's face for a long time.

Not to mention Mr. Shen, even she was so angry after reading this that she couldn't sleep all night.

What does it mean to "disregard the lives of one's compatriots"? What does it mean to "provoke retaliation from the Japanese army"? Shen

What has the gentleman done that wasn't for the benefit of the people?

Who avenged the deaths in Wangjia Village? Who paid the price for the bloodshed of 137 people?

How could those people do this? How could they distort the truth like this?

Even Takashi Kusada, who was kneeling to the side, was furious.

In her heart, the strong cannot be insulted!

You can challenge the strong, you can die by the strong's blade, but you cannot use such despicable means to slander him.

Shen Wang couldn't help but laugh as he watched the two of them, each more nervous than the last.

"Alright, alright, stop looking so serious. I'm fine, really fine. I'll just treat those newspapers as a joke."

Kaoshi Kusada bowed deeply to Shen Wang, saying, "Sir, you are the most magnanimous person I have ever met!"

"You are a true powerhouse!"

Yu Manli glared angrily at Kaoshi Kusada, "You're so good at talking!"

Honestly, if the other party hadn't been a Japanese soldier, she probably would have been replaced long ago!

This woman is not only good at talking and handling things, but even... she's better than her!

Yu Manli rolled her eyes, preparing to say a few nice words as well.

Just then, the phone on the table rang.

Shen Wang answered the phone, and the voice of the duty officer came from the other end: "Mr. Shen, the deputy director has arrived, and he wants to see you."

Shen Wang sat up straight in the rattan chair, his voice changing tone.

"What? The deputy director is here? Tell him to wait a moment, I'll be right there!"

After hanging up the phone, Shen Wang stood up, straightened his clothes, and strode out.

Outside the courtyard, the armored vehicles were already running. Shen Wang jumped into one, the door closed, and the convoy started moving.

The streets of the city were not wide, but as soon as the caravan came out, pedestrians and carriages on the road automatically moved aside.

No one complained, no one panicked, everyone stood still on the roadside, watching the convoy intently.

Everyone knows that Mr. Shen is sitting inside that imposing armored vehicle!

Mr. Shen, who beat the Japanese to a pulp!

In Zhicheng, no one had the slightest dissatisfaction with Mr. Shen.

Although there are newspapers from Chongqing here, there are no so-called "sane people".

Even if there are some dissenting voices, they are quickly drowned out by the public's criticism.

Who sent the food? Who sent the weapons? Who sent the medicine to treat the plague?

How dare you insult Mr. Shen? I'll beat you to death, you little bastard!

The convoy stopped at the entrance of the command post compound.

Shen Wang pushed open the car door, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, the gate to the courtyard opened. The deputy director came out to greet him, walking quickly with a smile on his face, but there was a layer of tension in his eyes that was not easily detected.

"Mr. Shen, it's been a long time. How have you been?"