It was dawn, but it seemed not dawn because the rising sun could not be seen. Overnight, the sky suddenly turned gray and was covered by dark clouds.
Under the gloomy sky, a road is surrounded by mountains, winding and undulating. There is no end and no end, because both ends of the road are lost in the gray vastness.
A lonely figure, far away, faintly, gradually walked out of the vastness, walking on the road, wearing a gray military uniform, the same color as the gray clouds. It seems that he came from the clouds, or maybe he is the child of the clouds, gloomy, decadent, but able to spread into overwhelming oppression, surging through countless people looking up...
The road is right under your feet, right in front of you, and it keeps shaking. Despite its ups and downs, despite its turns, the road is still the road, the mountains are still the mountains, the dark clouds are still the dark clouds, and the traveler is still the traveler. Nothing has changed.
The blindfolded man on the second bed also died, also before the wake-up call. Last night, he seemed to realize that he was dying. Although he was already weak and his voice was getting lower and lower, he kept talking, saying that he couldn't bear to leave, talking about his piece of land, saying that he liked women with big butts, saying that the patient on the first bed was tied up because he kept trying to commit suicide, and saying everything he could. It seemed that he thought that as long as he kept talking, he could survive the darkness of the night and see today's dawn. Unfortunately, there was no dawn today, because today's dawn was covered by dark clouds. It was cloudy. Even if he lived to this day, he would not be able to see the dawn.
This morning, before leaving the ward, Hu Yi untied the rope that bound the seriously injured man on the first bed. Hu Yi knew that he, like himself, just wanted to find a quiet place to get rid of fatigue and pain. He just wanted to rest.
Hu Yi envied them. He envied the bugler for being able to die without knowing it, envied the blindfolded man for still having something to cling to before he died, envied the tied man for being able to meet him, and even more envied them for being able to find a truly quiet place. They were all happy or lucky people.
This morning, when leaving the hospital gate, Hu Yi happened to meet Zhou Wanping. It looked like a coincidence, but Hu Yi knew that she was waiting because her residence and her office did not need to pass through the gate. Standing in the gate, she only said one sentence: "You are a patient, and your fatigue is due to your illness. Now I need you to promise me with your honor as a soldier that you will pay back my medical fees and the favors you owe me. Then, I will find a way to cure your illness." Hu Yi said nothing, but left a faint smile to the tall, gorgeous and mature figure in the gate frame, and then left, striding towards the dark clouds.
In the afternoon, the sky became increasingly gloomy, the dark clouds in the sky pressed lower, and a slight breeze blew. The wind was no longer dry, but became a little moist and a little cold, making Dabei Village under the clouds look gloomy and desolate.
In the office of the Political Work Department, Su Qing was sitting behind her desk. Yang Dezhi was also there, sitting on a bench beside the desk, chatting with Su Qing.
"Did the political commissar say when he would be back?" Su Qing asked.
Yang Dezhi pushed up his glasses and said, "He should be back tomorrow."
Su Qing thought for a moment and said, "I think we should let the little girl out. After all, she is still young and cannot be required to follow the same discipline as an adult."
Yang Dezhi smiled and said, "I am also kind-hearted. Do you think I can bear it? I didn't arrest her at all. The little girl was stubborn. She insisted on going back to the confinement room. I went to see her this morning. Everything was normal. She was fine. Besides, this was the order of the political commissar. It should be decided by the political commissar to lift the order. It doesn't matter if she is detained for one more day. If we give up halfway, wouldn't the seriousness of the discipline become a joke again? Isn't it?"
Su Qing didn't say anything, but just nodded hesitantly.
Suddenly, a soldier ran into the regiment's yard and said, "Report, Instructor Yang, squad leader Hu is back."
Yang Dezhi and Su Qing were both stunned. Su Qing was stunned because she was surprised by Hu Yi's disappearance and return. Yang Dezhi was stunned because he didn't understand the content of the report for a while, so he asked: "What do you mean, squad leader Hu is back?"
"The missing squad leader of squad nine, Hu Yi, is back and will be at the village soon," the soldier repeated.
Yang Dezhi suddenly remembered a saying: A gentleman's revenge is never too late. But he didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon. The grenade thrown from the other side of the river was something Yang Dezhi would never forget.
He stood up from the bench and ordered the soldier at the door: "Take your men and capture this deserter and bring him here. Quickly."
Not long after, a strong and tall soldier walked into the Political Work Department. He was covered in dust from the battle, but also had a calm and composed look. There was a hint of fatigue on his resolute face, and a hint of desolation was reflected in his deep eyes.
Hu Yi walked in two steps and stopped, quietly looking at the beautiful figure behind the desk opposite, then tilted his head to look at Yang Dezhi on the side and said lightly: "I want to see the political commissar."
Yang Dezhi put his hands behind his back, raised his glasses and took two steps forward: "The political commissar is not here, I will handle the situation now."
"Why do you do that?"
"Because I am the instructor of the independent regiment"
Hu Yi had never expected that after he had been away for three days, this Yang had actually become the instructor of the independent regiment. With a pair of narrow eyes, he carefully scanned Yang Dezhi, who was stiff-necked, from head to toe, and then asked calmly, "Which battalion's instructor is he from?"
The two guards standing behind Hu Yi suddenly looked very unnatural, and they tried to keep a serious look. Class 9 is full of talented people, and they are not something that ordinary people can surpass. If the title of instructor continues to be abused by Class 9, it will probably become a synonym for a joke, right
Yang Dezhi was choked, choked by the same sentence for the second time. His throat hurt and he couldn't speak for a while.
Su Qing knew Hu Yi's character too well. Yang Dezhi couldn't suppress this devil, so he had to help Yang Dezhi. So Su Qing spoke to Hu Yi: "If you were still a soldier, he would have the right to deal with you." The voice was not loud, but every word was clear. After saying only this, Su Qing lowered his head and fiddled with the pen in his hand, no longer looking at those narrow eyes.
Su Qing's words were like a sedative, and the rebelliousness in Hu Yi's eyes disappeared in an instant. He looked quietly at Su Qing behind the table, and finally straightened his gaze, focusing on the opposite wall and standing still.
"Tie him up for me." Yang Dezhi was fed up with all this useless stuff and went straight to the point.
The two guards looked at Yang Dezhi, then at Su Qing who didn't look up, then at Hu Yi who didn't move, and finally they looked at each other. Finally, someone ran out to find a rope.
"I heard that you were a deserter over there, and now you're a deserter again here. You can't change your ways..." Yang Dezhi suddenly remembered that Su Qing was still behind him, and he was the instructor, so he paused for a moment before continuing, "Let me ask you, how should we deal with deserters?"
Most people would have remained silent at this time, or would have made excuses and begged for mercy. But Hu Yi did not do that. He answered without hesitation, with no expression, and a calm tone, as if he had nothing to do with the matter: "Execute on the spot. I demand that I be shot."
Hu Yi knew that the Eighth Route Army often used special methods to save bullets when executing people. As a soldier for many years, he hoped to die at the gunpoint, so he made a direct request.
Su Qing still didn't look up, but the pen she had been fiddling with stopped instantly.
This answer also surprised Yang Dezhi. Did he hear it wrong? So crisp? So direct? Was he waiting for you to explain and beg for mercy before crushing your hopes? Was he still planning how to humiliate you? Now you saved him all the trouble. He didn't know what to say for a moment and was at a loss.
Seeing that no one spoke, Hu Yi repeated to Yang Dezhi: "I demand that I be executed by firing squad. You have not answered yet."
Yang Dezhi finally reacted and found that the pair of narrow eyes had been looking at him without knowing when. The gaze was filled with a chilling coldness that made the person looking at it feel cold. The chilling coldness was wrapped in danger, which made Yang Dezhi shudder and he subconsciously took a step back. The distance did not make the sense of danger fade. It was as if a sharp knife was pressed against his throat, making Yang Dezhi feel like he was being held hostage. The beast seemed to have bared its fangs and was ready to pounce. The room was too small and there was nowhere to hide, so he could only give in: "I... agree."
Those narrow eyes finally straightened themselves and continued to stare at the wall in front.
The guards behind Hu Yi were stunned and couldn't believe it. The one who went out to find the rope came back at this time: "Captain Hu... that... I..."
Hu Yi didn't react at all, so the two guards tied up Hu Yi's hands behind his back.
Yang Dezhi, whose forehead was covered with sweat, finally let out a long sigh. The bright luster of his glasses returned to normal. He loudly ordered, "Let the whole regiment gather on the playground."
The two guards escorted Hu Yijing out of the door. Yang Dezhi, in a good mood, turned around and called Su Qing: "Let's go, let's go to the playground together... Su Qing? Secretary Su? Hey? What's wrong with you?"
"Uh... um? I... I'm fine, I'm fine, um... I'll be there soon."
Yang Dezhi noticed that Su Qing looked very bad, as if she had lost her soul. He thought she was afraid of seeing such a scene, so he said, "There is nothing we can do about it. The army is the army, and discipline is discipline. I originally wanted to hold a small meeting to discuss it, but he has already admitted it, so there is no need. If we tolerate such a black sheep, it will harm the entire army. Oh, I'll go over first, you hold on tight." After he finished speaking, Yang Dezhi walked out of the Political Work Department with his hands behind his back.
The white fingers holding the pen finally began to exert force, squeezing tighter and tighter until the fingers began to tremble slightly. Snap - after a crisp cracking sound, the blue ink burst out and scattered all over the table, one by one, like blue flowers...