"Jianming, we meet again." The Chairman took off his white gloves and shook hands with Chief Su with a smile on his face.
"Yes, it has been more than a year since I last said goodbye to Nanjing. I have been busy with official duties in my humble position, and I have never been able to go to Nanjing to listen to your teachings. I am ashamed and ashamed." Someone said this, but the expression on his face did not
Did this.
"Puch!" A soft laugh came from the side. It turned out to be Mrs. Chiang.
Chief Su quickly said hello to the elegant and smiling First Lady, "Hello, madam."
Mrs. Jiang calmly extended her hand to Chief Su and said with a smile: "You must be Su Tong. I have heard of your name a long time ago. When I saw you today, you were indeed as young as the rumors said.
Well, you are indeed young and promising." Mrs. Chiang's communication skills are indeed as powerful as the rumors say.
"Madam, you are very flattering. What you said really puts Su Tong to shame." Su Tong stretched out his hand and shook Mrs. Jiang's hand gently, and said modestly.
At this time, Jiang Baili, who was standing next to him, also saluted Chairman Jiang and said: "Hello, Chairman."
"Haha, brother Baili, you ran from Nanjing to Chahar last time but didn't say hello to me. This doesn't seem like your normal style." It seems that the chairman of the committee was not satisfied with Jiang Baili's last departure without saying goodbye.
Still a little concerned.
"Fang Zhen was also very quiet and restless that day, which made the Chairman laugh." Jiang Baili remained calm and said something softly about the Chairman's words. Su Tong glanced at the people who were looking over with curious eyes and frowned.
Tou Xun said: "If you have anything to say, just say it."
"Yes," the officer reported loudly, "Sir, Sir, they are back."
The officer's voice was so loud that everyone around him heard it.
"What's going on? According to the distance, we can't arrive tomorrow?" Su Tong asked a little strangely.
"Chief Shi and the others traveled all night, so they felt it a day in advance."
Su Tong pondered for a moment and waved his hand, "I understand, you can go down first."
"Yes." The officer saluted and turned around to leave.
"Jianming, what happened?" The chairman of the committee who was talking to everyone in front turned around and asked.
Su Tong sheepishly gave the Chairman a forced smile and said, "Commissioner, I am afraid that due to my humble position, I cannot accompany you to the Provincial Government Building to hold a press conference."
"Oh" the Chairman frowned.
People around him also looked over curiously. What else is more important today than accompanying the chairman to the press conference? This Su Tong can't be so ignorant of propriety, right?
"Chairman, it's like this." At this time, Jiang Baili next to him spoke: "The staff officer just came to report that General Shi Haoxing came back escorting the coffins of the soldiers who died on the Siberian front. According to the rules and etiquette established by the Chahar government
, Jianming, as the highest military and political chief of Chahar government, will go out of the city to meet him thirty miles away."
"Oh, that's right." Chairman Chiang and the surrounding bigwigs were all moved.
The chairman waved his hand and said loudly: "This is what should be done. This is how it should be. Everyone, everyone should follow Jianming to greet our heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country. How about it?" Although the chairman used a questioning tone, there was something in his words.
The meaning cannot be rejected.
"Of course, I should go." The surrounding military leaders and celebrities from all walks of life all looked awe-inspiring. No one dared to be absent from such an event. That would be someone's backbone, so they all agreed one after another.
"Bah, bah, bah!" Following several long blasts of horns, a convoy of hundreds of trucks drove into the western suburbs of Zhangjiakou, a checkpoint thirty miles away from the city that was originally set up during the Qing Dynasty.
After being requisitioned by the Chahar government, it was changed to the Chahar National Cemetery. This is the final resting place of all Chahar soldiers after they died in battle.
I saw a big white flower hanging on the front of each of these cars.
There were crowds of people standing on both sides of the lushly forested national cemetery. Some of them were ordinary people, some were military and political officials from all walks of life, and there were also the chairman and his wife. But they all carried the same thing, that is, they were carrying the same thing.
Wearing a small white flower on her chest.
Shi Haoxing, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, was sitting in the first car. To be honest, he didn't want to take this job from the bottom of his heart. He believed that the thousands of brothers behind him were not willing to take this job either. This feeling was too uncomfortable.
His heart felt uncomfortable for as long as he walked along the way. Let's put it this way, during the journey of more than half a month, none of the brothers here had a smiling face.
At this time, Shi Haoxing saw the endless crowd in front of him. He looked at the mirror in the car and adjusted his clothes and appearance so that he looked more energetic and would not damage his image as a soldier.
"They're coming, they're coming," an old man in gray robes said loudly, standing on tiptoe and seeing the convoy arriving from a distance.
Suddenly, a series of dense firecrackers sounded nearby. Amidst the sound of firecrackers, the motorcade slowly drove over and stopped in front of the cemetery.
Su Tong and the chairman of the committee, together with a group of military and political dignitaries and countless civilians, hurried forward to greet them.
Shi Haoxing tidied up his appearance one last time, opened the car door, and jumped out of the car. He slowly walked up to Su Tong and the chairman of the committee who were standing at the front of the team, with red eyes and a hint of crying in his mouth, he said: "Sir, I have a humble position.
Shi Haoxing, the commander of the Third Infantry Division, was ordered to bring all the brothers back. He has fulfilled his promise. He took them out and now he has brought them all back."
Su Tong gave a solemn salute to Shi Haoxing and the convoy, and said in a low voice: "Soldiers, your merits will always be remembered by the motherland, and your heroic names will always be known to the world. You have practiced it with your lives.
Chahar is proud of you, and your motherland is proud of you." Then Su Tong shouted loudly as if he was trying to use all his strength: "Brothers, you are home."
Low sobs rang out from the crowd nearby. In a solemn atmosphere, the twelve thirty-seven-caliber Krupp salute set up on the roadside began under the guidance of dozens of artillery officers and soldiers in uniforms.
Fire cannons to welcome the return of the heroic spirits of our comrades.
"Dong dong dong"
Amidst the heavy and solemn salute, the officers and soldiers on hundreds of vehicles began to slowly get out of the car. The first to get off each vehicle were two officers and soldiers in uniforms holding rifles with bayonets. They all held guns after getting out of the car.
He stood solemnly on both sides of the carriage with a serious look on his face.
Immediately afterwards, two more officers and soldiers jumped out of the car. They pulled hard on the carriage door and heard a "clattering" sound as the door was opened.
The moment the carriage door was opened, all the soldiers belonging to Chahar saluted the convoy. At this time, Jiang Baili, standing at the door of the cemetery, shouted loudly in accordance with Chahar military regulations: "Soldiers, your merits will forever be remembered.
The motherland will remember you, your heroic name will always be known to the world, you have fulfilled your promise with your life, Chahar is proud of you, your motherland is proud of you, now you go home."
At this time, all the soldiers present, regardless of whether they were Chahar soldiers or not, regardless of their military rank, stood aside solemnly and gave a standard military salute. This is the respect of soldiers for those who sacrificed their lives for the country, and it is also a tribute to those who died.
Paoze's final farewell
The non-soldiers all bowed their heads, and there were cries of sadness everywhere in the crowd.
The gates of Chahar Cemetery are all made of Shandong Cangshan ink jade marble. On the left side of the cemetery is engraved a bright blue sky, white sun and red ground flag, and on the right side is the unique black tiger of the 37th Group Army.
The flag looks solemn and solemn.
When six officers and soldiers in uniforms carried the coffins of the fallen soldiers out of the car, the bugler standing at the entrance of the cemetery raised the copper bugle from his armpit, put it to his mouth and blew slowly
The lights-out signal sounded, and amidst waves of low-pitched bugles, the funeral officers and soldiers slowly raised their steps, and then lowered them slowly, as if they were afraid of disturbing the rest of the fallen soldiers. The sound of bugles floated in the gloomy sky.
The slow and solemn sound of the trumpet seemed so sad. At this time, drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky, as if it was also crying for these heroic fallen soldiers.
When the funeral officers and soldiers carrying coffins covered with red national flags and black tiger flags in the blue sky and white ground solemnly passed in front of people, people seemed to be so gloomy that they could not breathe.
Soon hundreds of coffins passed through, and people slowly followed the coffins to the rows of foundation stones made of white marble from Cangshan Mountain in Dali, Yunnan.
In front of the cornerstones of these tombstones are densely packed tombstones that have been buried long ago, with endless rows of tombstones.
At this time, the relatives of the fallen soldiers have been invited to the front row. They include gray-haired old fathers and mothers, as well as young women in their prime with babies waiting to be fed. At this time, their tears may have dried, and their eyes
There were eyes filled with grief.
At this time, one hundred and twenty-eight officers and soldiers wearing uniforms and holding rifles came from below. They came to the cornerstone and lined up neatly to fight one after another. They pointed their muzzles at the sky at an angle of 45 degrees and listened.
Following the command of the commander, he prepared to send off his robe in the manner prescribed by Chahar.
"Ready to release"
"bump"
"Ready to release"
"bump"
Whenever the deafening gunshots sound, people's hearts can't help but tremble. The grief of the families of those fallen soldiers has reached its highest point, and the tears that have dried up flow out again. At this time, most of them need
Only with the help of others can he stand.
When the gunfire ended, the soldiers lined up again and saluted the tombstone. Following the command of the commander, they left without looking back.
At this time, there were six soldiers in front of each coffin wearing snow-white gloves. At the same time, they gently lifted the white-backed black tiger flag covering the coffin and folded it along the middle line. The soldiers followed the standard steps of folding the flag with six hands.
Intersect and slowly fold the flag into a triangle shape.
The black tiger flag with a white background, folded into a triangle, was folded by the leading noncommissioned officer with his arms folded in front of his chest and he slowly walked towards the family members who were immersed in grief.
Standing in front of Su Tong and the Chairman was a young woman holding a nursing baby in her arms. A corporal slowly walked in front of him.
"This flag is dedicated to you in the name of a grateful nation and the Chahar regime to express gratitude to your husband for his honorable, loyal and honorable service to the country. Please allow us to use this flag.
On behalf of the entire country and the Chahar administration, I would like to express my gratitude to him and you. You have a good husband who deserves our admiration."
Although the corporal's expression was calm, his voice was trembling. When he crossed his arms and gently handed the black tiger flag to the young woman's hand, the young woman solemnly took the flag and said with
Her hand gently stroked the black tiger flag made of silk, her expression strangely tinged with tenderness, as if she was stroking her husband's face.
After handing the flag to the young woman's hand, the corporal took a step back, saluted the young woman with a solemn military salute, and then quietly walked away.
At this time, another group of young officers with childish faces came up from below. Most of them had the rank of second lieutenant on their shoulders, and the highest rank was only captain.
The officers came to Su Tong, and the leading captain saluted Su Tong and the officers and said: "Sir Su, Rong Peng and all the classmates will leave the military academy today and leave Chahar to go to the Siberian front line.
I come here to say goodbye to you and all of you."
"Well, you are Yang Rongpeng, the student who won first place in the Army School," Su Tong asked happily.
"The student is Yang Rongpeng." Well, Su Tong also serves as the principal of the military academy.
"Okay, you go ahead." Su Tong nodded.
"Please allow the students to say goodbye to Pao Ze here." After saying this, Yang Rongpeng and the others slowly walked to the front of the row of tombstones. Under the leadership of Yang Rongpeng, they raised their right hands, clenched their hands into fists, and said firmly and loudly.
: "Brothers, your mission has been completed. You can rest in peace. It's time to look at ours next."
"It's time to look at us below," the officers behind swore in unison.
After the oath was taken, the officers slowly retreated and formed a line again. Under the leadership of Yang Rongpeng, they walked down without looking back.
"Darling and the others are so respectable," Mrs. Jiang had already cried and fell into her husband's arms, her voice choked with sobs.
Commissioner Jiang couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "Yes, yes, it's time to look at us next."
Looking back at the big bosses from various places who came from the surrounding areas, as well as their officers and soldiers, they all had a look of envy on their faces.
The Chairman knew that they were envious of those who died in battle. In this era when human lives are as trivial as insignificant, and in this era when being a soldier means having your head cut off, no one would have thought that the funerals of soldiers would be so grand. This is okay.
It is comparable to the funeral of a president or prime minister of a country.
Bai Chongxi said with emotion to Li Zongren next to him: "Master Virtue, now I finally understand why Chahar's army was able to beat Lao Maozi to pieces after they arrived in Siberia."
Li Zongren also sighed and said: "A man died in a hundred battles on the battlefield, and his ambition was wrapped in horse leather and returned to me. If I can get this honor, it doesn't matter if I die."
There is an old saying: A soldier dies for his bosom friend. When the soldiers know that they will have such honor after death, will they still be afraid of dying in battle? It seems that Su Tong has already bought all the hearts of his men.
Duke Zhou, the generals behind him, and Wang Qiang, the thousands of men and women who were rescued by Su Tong, all stood solemnly, watching the young officers walk out of the national cemetery until their figures disappeared from their sight.