A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

The Guangxi Provincial Command has just finished a meeting on suppressing bandits.

The chairs on both sides of the long table were not yet fully in place, the ashtray was piled with seven or eight cigarette butts, and the red circles on the map representing bandit strongholds had just been crossed out by blue pen.

Military sub-district commander Lu Shaowu rushed in, clutching a radio in his hand. He took large, quick strides, and before he could even stand still, he was already speaking.

"Commander Zhang, this is incredible! That little devil Zhang has once again annihilated the US 7th Division in Korea!!"

Commander Zhang of the Guangxi Military Region, who was bending down to tidy up the documents on the table, paused upon hearing this, straightened up, and his gaze fell on the radio in Lu Shaowu's hand.

Lu Shaowu, panting heavily, placed the radio on the table, turned the knob, and after a buzzing sound of electricity, the announcer's voice flowed from the speaker, reading the Xinhua News Agency's battle report with intonation: "...Our Volunteer Army's Third Corps, in the Wusheng Mountain area, adopted the tactic of luring the enemy through tunnels and annihilated the US 7th Infantry Division..."

After listening to the broadcast, Commander Zhang was stunned for three or four seconds, then suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, the sound so loud that the teacup on the table shook slightly.

"What a magnificent shield of the Republic!"

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the several old comrades standing in the room. His eyes were slightly red; he was a man in his sixties, but at this moment, his back was ramrod straight.

"He hasn't disgraced the reputation of Guangdong and Guangxi! In this way, this brat can truly be called the number one warrior in foreign wars for China!!"

His heart was filled with more than just joy. Back then, on the eve of the Great Revolution, if he hadn't gone out to buy groceries and escaped a disaster, he probably wouldn't have witnessed the unification of China, let alone this great victory.

Two years ago, bandits were rampant in Guangxi Province, and the higher authorities put pressure on him. If it weren't for Zhang Renfeng and his staff coming to help formulate a plan to suppress them, his old bones would probably have ruined his reputation in his later years.

Moreover, once the Korean War is stabilized, it means that there will be no need to forcibly conscript troops from Guangxi Province, and the pressure on the people will be greatly relieved.

Which of these incidents doesn't have Zhang Xiaogui's shadow in it?

Commander Zhang said with a hearty laugh,

"Quickly, you there, ask the comrade from Yulin to kill a dog for us. We're having dog meat stew at headquarters today."

Furthermore, immediately send a telegram to Regiment Commander Wei in Annam, asking him to spread the word to all the officers and high-ranking officials in Annam that our Guangxi Province's Zhang Baopo, their Iron Whip Instructor Zhang Renfeng, has once again annihilated the US 7th Infantry Division!

No, record this broadcast and send a communications soldier over!!!

These people should thank us; we've sent their country a true tiger general!!!

Everyone laughed, and many of the comrades had tears in their eyes.

He turned to Li Tianyou and said, "Little Li, look at this! Look at this, everyone! Our Guangxi province has produced a shield of the Republic!! Hahahaha!!"

Li Tianyou, standing to the side, had long been listening with tears welling up in his eyes. He had watched Zhang Renfeng grow from a skinny, dark-skinned kid to who he was today.

Of the more than 7,000 men in the Seventh Red Army at that time, how many survived and made it to northern Shaanxi?

He knew better than anyone else that once when the army was almost in dire straits and morale was at its lowest point, it was this little devil who stepped forward and spoke of a bunch of wonderful visions that they had never dared to imagine at the time. Many people were able to persevere after hearing them.

Then he used homemade explosives and charged forward, he was a complete madman!

For a unit in such dire straits, how important is it to have a little kid who can give them a pep talk?

He quickly wiped his eyes, his voice laced with barely suppressed laughter: "This little brother of mine has been a tough character since he was a kid. I knew back then that he was destined for greatness. But I never imagined he'd achieve this much—annihilating two American divisions. That's a feat unparalleled in the history of warfare worldwide."

Lu Shaowu chimed in, his tone a mix of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion) and lingering fear: "To be honest, none of us had the guts back then. Given the situation, only this kid dared to stand up for the old political commissar. He was truly dragged down by this incident. Otherwise, I dare say he would have been the youngest army commander in the entire army long ago."

Commander Zhang smiled and waved his hand, "Alright, alright, let's not say anything that's detrimental to unity. That's all in the past."

He paused for a moment, unable to suppress the joy in his voice.

"When we have a chance, shouldn't we, as the older brothers, treat him to a meal? I've heard that Zhang Xiaogui had a big, healthy baby boy!! You guys are all welcome to give him a gift each, and I'll give it to Zhang Xiaogui's son after I go to Beiping, haha."

As soon as he said that, all the older comrades in the room laughed.

Someone suggested, "Get ready! I'll get a bundle of sugarcane. This kid loves sugarcane and has strong teeth. I'm just afraid you, Commander, won't be able to carry it."

Someone else laughed and said, "Hey, then I'll prepare a whole truckload of briefcases, my wife brewed them herself."

"Then I'll get some star anise and cinnamon."

"Hey, get some Shatin pomelos."

"Monk fruit, we can't do without it."

"I'm in Wuzhou, I'll get some Liubao tea."

"Well then, I have plenty of shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and fragrant herbs from the Dayao Mountains at home."

"Are you also taking live pigs?"

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, as if they were about to move all the specialties of Guangxi Province to Beiping (Beijing).

Commander Zhang looked at the group of brothers from Guangxi Province. Although he was from Hainan, the two provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi were inseparable, and the friendship they had formed over the years had long been intertwined.

Ordinary people don't get this kind of treatment, which shows that back then, this kid was practically everyone's darling in the Seventh Red Army.

"I have a suggestion!" Commander Zhang stood up. "Two years ago, the brothers came back to repair their graves. Let's try to find them in their village first. If we do, we can restore the Zhang family's former residence and establish a memorial hall..."

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered!

Many of the generals were from Guangxi Province, so they attached great importance to the repair of ancestral graves and ancestral worship in Guangxi. Most of them began to compile separate family genealogies and repair graves...

Therefore, everyone is enthusiastically supporting this matter.

In Guangxi province, this is even more exciting than getting promoted or making a fortune!

Just as everyone was getting excited, the guard rushed over, stood at the door, and snapped to attention, giving a sharp salute.

"Commander Zhang, Commander Li, Commander Ye from the Central and Southern Military Region is here."

Commander Zhang laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Alright then, everyone go ahead and get busy, I'll go take a look."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a voice with a Hakka accent came from the doorway, cheerful and enthusiastic: "Hey, it's so lively here!"

......

Commander Zhang laughed heartily, walked around the table, and shook Commander Ye's hand. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

The two had a good relationship; they were comrades-in-arms back in the National Revolutionary Army. Commander Zhang was the chief of staff of the 25th Division, while Commander Ye was the chief of staff of the Fourth Army. Both were subordinates of Zhang Fakui in the Guangdong Army.

Today, the two are respectively the first and second secretaries of the South China Military Region. The plan to liberate Guangdong and Guangxi was also jointly finalized by the two, and its implementation was carried out by the Fourth Army Corps.

Commander Ye laughed and said, "You've won people's respect! I heard you're eating dog meat from Yulin today? You've come at just the right time."

The two went for a walk outside together. Commander Ye said with great interest, "That Zhang Baobo used to be in your Red Seventh Army, right? He fought very well. I heard the news on my way here, and I was so excited that I felt much better."

The two men exchanged a smile. To be honest, after working on the revolution for so long, their old injuries were starting to show, and the two of them had agreed to go north to recuperate.

Commander Zhang joked, "How could your health be bad? You need to be moderate in your relationships with men!"

Commander Ye's expression turned serious. "You old man, you really are..."

"But then again," Commander Ye changed the subject, his tone carrying the sentimental quality typical of old comrades-in-arms.

"Back then, Nie, Tai Lei, Xu and I launched an uprising in Guangzhou. More than 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Brother Tai Lei has been gone for over twenty years. If he knew in the afterlife that his daughter married a pillar of the Republic, I reckon he'd be up in his lap bragging to me, Nie, and Lao Xu! Haha!

Commander Zhang smiled but did not answer.

His experiences were too complicated. Looking back, he was heartbroken to think about the tragic deaths of so many of his colleagues.

His mind was churning with memories of those bloody years, but he didn't utter a single word about them.

Some things are better kept inside than spoken aloud. At his age, he's long since learned to swallow his emotions.

Seeing that Old Zhang remained silent, Commander Ye did not press him further, but changed the subject:

"The commander-in-chief of this military parade is Zhang Liangshi. You'll definitely be going, right? I heard from Lao Nie that he put on a three-section spear-splashing parade, which was very impressive. It was for the American imperialists to see."

"What a difference between a 'tough girl' and a 'fearsome girl'! I never expected that such a formidable young man would emerge from our Guangdong and Guangxi regions. I'm so happy!!"

Seeing the excited Commander Ye, Old Zhang chuckled, "I just want to know how pathetic Chiang Kai-shek looks now. Didn't he spout nonsense, saying we were like eggs hitting a rock? Now that we've wiped out two American divisions, I don't believe he'll still be so arrogant!"

The two men burst into laughter, their voices echoing down the corridor for quite some time, demonstrating just how satisfying this battle was for their predecessor.