Courtyard House: I only wiped out 30,000 Japanese pirates

The two shook hands without moving.

A few barks came from afar outside the window, but then it quickly fell silent again.

The wick of the kerosene lamp sputtered, and the flame flickered, casting swaying shadows on the two people's faces. They sat there in silence for a long time.

The next morning, He Dajun went to work at the steel rolling mill as usual, leaning on his wooden cane.

When he reached the factory gate, he saw a new notice. It was issued by the Japanese military headquarters, stating that the Imperial Army had achieved great victories in Suzhou and Wuxi and would soon capture Jingzhou.

The notice was arrogant, stating that the Great Xia army was powerless to resist and that the Imperial Army would end the war within a month.

Several workers were looking at the notice nearby. Some kept their heads down and didn't say anything, some muttered something under their breath, and some turned and walked away. He Dajun stood in front of the notice for a long time, leaning on his wooden cane, before walking into the factory area.

At noon, Lao Yang came to change He Dajun's dressing.

He secretly brought Xiao Zhou a piece of intelligence: the Kuomintang government had officially moved its capital, and all important institutions had been relocated to the mountain city. Only a few garrison troops and some civilians who had not yet evacuated remained in Jingzhou.

The major party is organizing underground forces to prepare for guerrilla warfare after the fall of Gyeongju.

Old Yang spoke in a low voice, his fingers trembling slightly as he changed He Dajun's dressing.

He Dajun asked him what was wrong, and Lao Yang said that the organization wanted him to tell He Dajun that if He Dajun wanted to go to Jingzhou to help, the organization could arrange vehicles and routes.

He Dajun looked at Lao Yang and paused for a moment.

He didn't tell Lao Yang that he was going to Jingzhou.

Seeing that his expression was off, Lao Yang quickly explained that it wasn't Bai Ling who told him, but that the organization had analyzed it themselves.

Because He Dajun had been closely monitoring the battle situation in the south, checking the latest battle reports daily, the organization believed he might soon travel south to participate in the defense of Jingzhou. Therefore, arrangements were made in advance.

He Dajun was silent for a while, then said he would think about it some more.

That evening, He Dajun told Bai Ling about it.

Bai Ling remained silent for a long time. She didn't want He Dajun to go.

Jingzhou is now a giant meat grinder, with hundreds or even thousands of soldiers dying on the front lines every day. After the city falls, who knows how many more civilians will suffer.

What can He Dajun change by going alone?

But she knew she couldn't stop him.

No matter how strong this person is in combat, it's useless.

Seeing He Dajun's resolute attitude, Bai Ling said again, "I'll go with you."

He Dajun shook his head.

He said Jingzhou was too dangerous, and that it would be easier for him to move around alone, while two people would only be a burden to each other.

More importantly, someone needs to guard this part of Beijing. The puppet troops are still there, Old Yang is still there, the underground network is still there, and He Daqing's family in the courtyard is still there.

If they both leave, everything that has been painstakingly built up here will collapse.

Bai Ling bit her lip and said, "Then you have to promise me you'll come back alive."

He Dajun said, "Okay, I promise you." He reached out and pulled Bai Ling into his arms, patting her back gently twice, just like he always did before leaving home to reassure her.

Bai Ling buried her face in his chest and said nothing more.

A few more barks came from afar outside the window, but then it quickly quieted down again.

The flame of the kerosene lamp flickered gently in the darkness, casting their shadows on the wall, overlapping and making it impossible to distinguish who was who.

A day later, He Dajun made a decision.

He told Bai Ling his decision in a very calm tone.

Bai Ling sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), clutching the newly sewn bandage in her hand, and remained silent for a long time.

She had already guessed he would make this decision. So she asked, "When are you leaving?"

"The sooner the better. Jingzhou won't hold out for long." He Dajun sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). "Before we leave, we need to make proper arrangements here. We need to find a reliable person to temporarily manage the puppet troops."

At this point, He Dajun paused for a moment, lowering his voice even further than before, "If anything happens in Jingzhou, everything here will depend on you."

Bai Ling didn't speak. She lowered her head, but her fingers trembled involuntarily.

She knew what he meant by "in case something happens in Jingzhou".

Jingzhou cannot be defended, and the consequences after its fall may be worse than anyone imagines.

He went alone, facing tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of Japanese soldiers, as well as the impending chaos after the city fell.

No matter how good he is at fighting, he's still just one person.

He Dajun squeezed her hand and said he would be careful. He also said that the situation in Jingzhou was not so simple. He was not going there to kill all the Japanese soldiers, but to hold them back from behind before the city fell, so as to buy more time for the defenders in the city.

He wasn't going to his death; he was going to give them a few more seconds. He also said he'd be back as soon as he was done, without lingering.

Bai Ling raised her head and looked into his eyes. After a long while, she softly said, "Don't lie to me."

He Dajun said he would definitely not lie.

……

When He Dajun returned, it was almost dark.

He walked back to the courtyard house with his wooden cane. Before pushing the door open, he suddenly remembered something, took a few steps back, and walked to the door of He Daqing's room with his cane.

He Daqing was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) feeding Shazhu water when he saw He Dajun come in. He put down the bowl and was about to ask him a question.

He Dajun spoke first, saying that he might be going out on a mission soon, and he would be leaving his family in the care of his brother.

Looking at the smile on his face, He Daqing felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He just nodded and said, "Okay, be careful."

He Dajun squatted down, picked up Sha Zhu, gently patted the little guy's cheek, and told him to listen to his father.

Sha Zhu nodded vigorously. He Dajun put Sha Zhu back on the kang, stood up and said to He Daqing and He Liushi, "Brother and sister-in-law, I'm going back to my room first," and then walked out the door with his wooden cane.

He Liushi was still calling from behind, "Dajun, come back and have another bowl of porridge!"

He Dajun stood in the courtyard, looking at the kerosene lamp shining from He Daqing's room. The light was dim, but it illuminated the expression on his face clearly.

He grinned, trying to put his usual smile back on, and said, "Okay."

……

While sleeping at night, Bai Ling suddenly turned over and reached out to hug He Dajun's waist.

He Dajun was taken aback. Although the two of them had slept on the same kang (heated brick bed) every night and occasionally hugged each other, Bai Ling rarely took the initiative like this.

She always huddled at the very back of the kang (a heated brick bed), her back against the wall, leaving most of the kang open for him, like a cat ready to jump out the window at any moment. But tonight was different.

"Dajun." Bai Ling's voice was very low, her face buried in his chest, her breath warm and ticklish against his skin through her thin shirt.

He Dajun responded and habitually placed his hand on her back.

Then Bai Ling said something that made him freeze in place: "I'll have your child."

He Dajun lowered his head and looked at her face in the moonlight that was seeping in through the crack in the window.

Bai Ling's eyes were bright, like two black pebbles washed clean by water. There was no shyness or hesitation in them, only a quiet determination, as if she had thought about it for a long time and finally said it.