The tomb is very neatly built, with the lower circle made of rocks. The soil on top is very new, there is not a single weed, and the surrounding area has been cleaned very clean. There is a stone tablet in front of the tomb, with a line of vigorous and powerful characters engraved on it:
The tomb of Zhao Ziming, the anti-Japanese rescue commander...
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The skeleton kneeling in front of the grave has turned gray-yellow after decades of wind and rain. It can be clearly seen that the bones in the neck were broken and were later tied up with wires. The skeleton was not tall.
He's less than 1.6 meters tall, so he might be Japanese.
Liu Ziguang asked: "Old man, who is this Zhao Ziming? Is his surname Guo or Communist?"
Old Chengtou said: "It's a long story. In 1937, when the Japanese invaded the Central Plains, they attacked the Marco Polo Bridge first and then Shanhaiguan. Our soldiers from Nantai County ran away without firing a shot. The Japanese soldiers occupied Nantai and stationed themselves there.
He assembled a small team of troops to control the people in four townships and eight counties. We Chinese also have fierce men who do not want to be slaves to the subjugation of the country. Commander Zhao pulled up the team and carried the Japanese gun towers overnight, chopped off eighteen heads, and surrendered one
This is a crooked thing, and from now on we have raised the banner of Nantai's resistance to Japan. Some people say that his surname is Guo, some say that he is surnamed Communist. We ordinary people don't know what is going on. We only know that Commander Zhao's team is a hero who fights the Japanese!
"
When the old man mentioned those years, he had a look of emotion on his face, as if infinite memories were flooding into his heart. Liu Ziguang was in awe, lit three cigarettes and placed them in front of the grave, and bowed three times respectfully.
"Old man, do you know Commander Zhao?"
Old Cheng slapped his thigh: "Not only do we know each other, I am also Commander Zhao's guard. I was sixteen years old at that time, and I was a hunter in the mountains with my father. My father and Commander Zhao hit it off immediately, and we became friends. Later, I
Dad died fighting the Japanese and entrusted me to Commander Zhao as a guard."
"Then what happened next? How did Commander Zhao die?"
Old Chengtou had finished smoking a pack of cigarettes, knocked the pot on the sole of his shoe, and was about to start talking when a voice came from the direction of the village: "Grandpa, Uncle Liu, it's time to eat!"
"Let's go, I'll tell you Commander Zhao's story later when I have time." The old man stood up and walked back to the village.
The banquet has been set up, with a thick wooden table placed in the yard, and half a wild boar is placed on the bonfire. The hair of the pig has been peeled off, and the skin is brushed with a layer of wild honey. It is roasted with fruit trees until it is brown and fragrant. There are also wild rabbits and wild mountains.
-Chicken, homemade rice wine brewed by the farmer, all on the table.
The simple men in the mountains smiled innocently and invited the distinguished guests from the city to sit down. Everyone gathered together and drank a lot of rice wine. They chopped large pieces of wild boar meat into strips with a knife and gnawed them directly with their hands, making their mouths full of oil.
, let alone that refreshing feeling.
Bei Xiaoshuai was very drunk. When he saw a group of dogs gathered outside the yard, he picked up a piece of wild boar and threw it out. The dogs moved for a while, but no one dared to move, because it was Maohai's big gray lying at the door.
, this dog stands tall enough for a person. Judging from the breed, it seems that it is not a Chinese pastoral dog, but a purebred wolf dog.
Dahui is like the leader of the dogs in the village. No one dares to move if he doesn't move, but Dahui actually throws the fragrant wild boar meat around him without even smelling it, looking proud.
"You have character, I like it!" Bei Xiaoshuai stood up unsteadily and wanted to touch Big Hui's head, but was stopped by Mao Boy: "Don't dare to touch it!"
"Why, is this dog so vicious?" Bei Xiaoshuai looked unconcerned and continued to walk forward, but at this time, Dahui had already sensed his malice and stared at him fiercely with a pair of green eyes.
"Big Hui is not a dog, he is a wolf!" Mao Boy's words frightened Bei Xiaoshuai half out of his drunken state. He was actually a wolf! No wonder his eyes were so fierce.
"You're really good at Mao Boy. It's too luxurious to have a wolf as a guard dog!" Bei Xiaoshuai stretched out his hands to show that he was not hostile, and walked back backwards, not forgetting to tease Mao Boy.
"It's a wolf cub picked up by my great-grandfather. I've raised it since I was a child. Even the dogs in the village are afraid of it. Also, it's not a housekeeper, but a hunting assistant for my great-grandfather." Mao Boy explained seriously.
"So, it catches all the wild rabbits?" Bei Xiaoshuai asked.
"It's almost the same. Grandpa's body is not as good as before. In the past, it was no problem to deal with a few wild boars. Now we have to rely on Big Hui's help, right? Grandpa."
Upon hearing his great-grandson's question, Old Chengtou laughed and said, "I'm old, but I can't deal with a few wild boars."
Liu Ziguang asked: "Do you really rely on steel forks to hunt wild boars?"
Old Chengtou said: "That's still false. When I used a gun, I used to shoot more. Later, the gun was confiscated by the township government, so I had to dig pits and use steel forks."
Everyone was ashamed. The wild boar was not as naive as the big fat pigs in the breeding farm. Instead, it was extremely tough, with no trace of fat on its body, a hard black mane, and a mouth full of tusks. It also liked to rub against the pine trees and get all loose.
After the oil dries, it becomes natural armor. This kind of ferocious and cunning prey is even more dangerous than a tiger. And Lao Chengtou, an old man in his eighties, can actually hunt it with cold weapons. This is simply a myth!
"What gun did you use before?" Liu Ziguang asked.
"That's a lot. When I learned to hunt with my father, I used a cannon. Later, I followed Commander Zhao and was issued a Hanyang-made gun. Oh my god, the rifling of the gun was flat and the bullets came out sideways. I couldn't get used to it.
So I handed over a big 38 cap myself. That guy is really easy to use. He can hit wherever he points within 500 steps. The Japanese are short, but the gun is tall. Plus the bayonet is taller than me.
Bayonets are so powerful that three or five of our guerrillas can't kill one of them." Old Cheng gestured and unknowingly began to tell stories from the past.
Everyone listened with interest, and occasionally interrupted to ask a question or two. Liu Ziguang thought of the articles introducing the 38-type rifle in some magazines he had read, and asked: "I heard that the 38-type rifle is not very powerful. If it hits, it will cause a penetrating wound. Lie down."
Is it true that ten days and half a month are enough?"
"Penetrating wound?" Old Cheng was stunned for a moment, then understood and said: "That's right, but it's also wrong. If you get a shot from close range, it will be a small transparent hole. It can grow out after a few months. If
If you get shot from a few hundred feet away, even the gods can't save you. Do you know what's going on? The bullet will roll out when it enters the flesh, enters through a small eye, and exits through a hole as big as the mouth of a bowl. It's a wonder if you don't die."
Liu Ziguang thought thoughtfully and understood what Lao Chengtou meant. The bullets used in the 38-gun had small caliber, fast muzzle velocity, and too stable trajectory. Hitting at close range would not cause rollover. At long distances, the bullets would not fly stably and would hit the target.
It flies horizontally, so it causes more damage. The magazine said that the 38-gun is not as good as the medium-sized gun. This is probably due to rumors.
Old Chengtou drank several bowls of corn wine and got into a lively conversation. He began to tell the story of Commander Zhao killing the Japanese. He pointed at Liu Ziguang and said: "Commander Zhao was about the same age as you back then. He had two box guns, and the sights were both flat."
His shooting skills are really unbelievable. He can knock down sparrows in the sky with just a raise of his hand. He can put bullets into the shells from twenty paces away. The Japanese will be afraid when they see his flag, and the puppet soldiers will be scared when they hear his name.
Run, he dares to go into the county town alone to drink in broad daylight and listen to a show under the Japanese gun tower."
"Then..." Liu Ziguang hesitated.
Old Chengtou sighed: "Well, Commander Zhao is the reincarnation of Zhao Yun. He can kill every one in and out of a circle surrounded by thousands of Japanese soldiers, but he can't stop the traitor from betraying him. The Japanese offered a reward of 10,000 yuan to buy Commander Zhao's.
That day, Commander Zhao went to the city to have his head shaved. The barber tied his hair to a chair and blindfolded him with lime powder. What a pity for a good man. He was killed like this.
He killed more than a dozen puppet soldiers, was shot three times and was captured alive."
The atmosphere was a bit depressing. Everyone shook their heads and sighed, feeling sad for the heroes who died more than sixty years ago. Old Cheng was a little sad and didn't want to go on. Liu Ziguang also changed the topic at the right time and asked him how many wild boars he could kill in a month.
This is because Liu Ziguang noticed that the men accompanying guests in the village did not eat much meat, and thought they were tired of wild boar meat. However, looking at their physiques and faces, they did not look like they were well-nourished. Looking at the children at the entrance of the courtyard,
Each of them had a variety of dishes, and while holding a large porcelain bowl and putting something into his mouth, he stared at the fragrant wild boar meat with salivation.
Yezhuyu is very poor, Liu Ziguang knows this, otherwise Maohai would not drop out of school and go to the city to work. There are also several teenagers from the same village who stopped going to school at the age of twelve or thirteen and went to the city to work as small workers.
They were very happy if they were given three hundred yuan a month to take care of food, housing, and housing. According to them, three hundred yuan a month was enough to cover their family's annual income.
Seeing Yezhuyu with his own eyes further confirmed Liu Ziguang's judgment that this place is a paradise, using the most primitive method of slash-and-burn farming, a few acres of thin fields, fruit trees in the mountains, and not-so-plentiful prey, which maintain the life of the small village.
Economically, there are few electrical appliances in the village. Apart from going to the countryside to buy salt and matches and kerosene, the villagers are isolated from the outside world.
"The past few years are not as good as in previous years, and there are fewer wild boars. If you can kill two in a month, it is not bad to complete the tasks in the village," a villager interjected. He was wearing an old military uniform that had been washed white, and the buttons were still red.
There are bakelite buttons, but this dress is obviously his best dress. The clothes of other mountain people are also similar, old military uniforms, jackets that are at least twenty years out of date, Jiefang shoes and straw sandals stained with yellow mud. If this
Even the beggars are more glamorous than them when they walk around the city dressed in the same clothes.
But the smiles on the faces of the mountain people are extremely sincere. Their enthusiasm is completely different from that of Township Chief Gao. Chief Gao hopes that these people can invest in Tianjie Township, while the mountain people are entirely out of simplicity.
of hospitality.
"Are there any tasks in the village?" Liu Ziguang asked curiously.
"Yes, two wild boars every month. Only after handing in can we send a teacher to my village's primary school." The mountain man replied.
Everyone felt that this crispy and delicious wild boar meat could not be swallowed. After a moment of silence, Liu Ziguang asked: "How many teachers do we need in Yezhuyu Primary School?"