Chapter 256: The Fourth Defeat (V)
"Gao Qi, step out!"
"Yes!" Gao Qi ran out of the team. Although he was puzzled, he stood at attention as required.
"Go to the armed forces department immediately." the instructor ordered.
When Gao Qi entered the county armed forces department, he saw several people waiting inside. Then several more came in one after another. When the deputy head of the armed forces department came in and closed the door, the meeting began.
"You go home now. Let your family take shelter quickly."
After hearing the simple order, the group of people changed their faces. Gao Qi couldn't understand why his family didn't take shelter quickly at such a time. Are they crazy? The Qing army is coming, but they really want to kill people!
The deputy leader didn't say much, and dismissed the meeting after giving the order. Gao Qi couldn't wait any longer, so he took the order and the pass issued by the armed forces department, rushed back to his residence and prepared his things. He had been assigned two comrades in the company, and the three of them immediately rushed to Gao's house.
He hurried along the way without stopping, and when he finally saw his home it was early morning. There was smoke coming out of Gao's yard, but the faint smoke made Gao Qi's nose sore and he almost cried.
When we entered the village, we saw that every house was empty. The cold and deserted feeling made us feel a little creepy.
There was a series of knocks on the door, and finally a voice was heard from inside. Someone asked carefully, "Who is it?"
"I, Gao Qi. I'm back!" Gao Qi's heart completely fell back into his stomach.
The two comrades who were traveling with him did not want to come in, but went to the village instead. Gao Qi did not care about anything else, and rushed into the house and began to ask his family to take shelter quickly . He also told his family about the Qing army's looting in various places.
After speaking hastily, Gao Qi finally had the mood to see his family's reaction. However, he saw that they looked indifferent. Gao Qi was anxious, "Is grandpa here? I want to see grandpa."
"The master is sleeping now."
"Let him get up."
"no."
Gao Qi obviously felt something was wrong, and no longer wanted to see the head of the family. He turned around and went back to his own home. His parents were still close to him. After listening to Gao Qi's account of what happened, fear appeared on his face.
"Dad, we defeated the Qing army in Chenzhuang. We blocked Xiaoqing River, and the Qing army fled south. Let's go to Qingzhou to hide. Once we kill all the Qing troops, we can come back."
I don't know if it was intentional or not, but my father said, "What do you mean by killing all the Qing troops? Is that how you say the government now?"
Gao Qi turned his head away helplessly. If he hadn't said that, he would have been chased back by the army. But at the moment, he really didn't have the energy to argue with his parents. Gao Qi turned around and said, "Dad, let's go now."
"What will we do with the things at home after we leave?" Dad asked unhappily.
"Dad, what do you think is more valuable, things or life? After the Qing army was driven away, they lost their baggage. That is, food. Now all over Shandong is like our village. Everyone has fled to the village where the army is to hide. The officers and soldiers can't find food, so they rob those who have not left. The army has seen that the Qing army is coming to our side, let's leave quickly."
At this point, Gao Qi thought his parents should know how serious it was. Unexpectedly, his father was unmoved and his mother said nothing. His father even began to doubt whether Gao Qi was exaggerating.
Gao Qi was already extremely anxious, and now he was even more furious at his father's stubbornness. He couldn't help but raise his voice.
Unexpectedly, the old man immediately became furious and scolded: "You son of a bitch, you only know how to side with outsiders. I asked you to join the army so that you can help the family. This year, you only know how to work hard for others. Let me ask you, have you brought back any benefits for the family?"
Gao Qi was confused by the scolding and asked back: "The army said that we would be given land, watered, given seeds, and taught how to use new farm tools. Didn't they give us all that?"
"If you keep making noise, keep making noise!" The old man got so angry that he slapped Gao Qi twice.
Gao Qi had received various combat training in the army , so he instinctively wanted to resist. But in the end, he didn't do anything and just took two hits.
However, the old man was not calmed down by this, and he cursed even more, "It used to be to collect rent, but now no one wants to farm for us, and we still have to pay taxes. We let you join the army so that you can do this. Look at those poor guys, they dared to attack our family after joining the army. Look at what kind of soldier you are! You work hard for others, but you still let your family be bullied..."
Gao Qi had never expected that his family would have such an attitude towards military service and was stunned.
Daddy was cursing so much that mom couldn't stand it any longer. "You got it! You got it after just a few curses. The kid came back wanting to live with us after all!"
After hearing what my mother said, my father just paused for a moment and changed the subject, "You are still scolding the government troops at this time. What's wrong with the government troops..."
Hearing his father actually mention the military topic, Gao Qi gained confidence and retorted: "Dad, are the government soldiers human? Will they be hungry?"
"What's the matter? You still want to say something to me?" Dad said angrily.
"I'm not going to criticize you! Why do I want to criticize you? I'm just asking, are the Qing soldiers living people? Do living people need to eat? The reason for clearing the countryside now is to prevent them from finding food to eat."
The old man said angrily, "Can't they eat some wild vegetables they picked?"
"Dad, one of the trainings in our army is marching. We walk dozens of miles a day. On weekdays, we have to eat meat and cook with oil every day. During the march, we have to have meat for every meal, and oil is even more important. If we don't eat well and have no nutrition, we won't be able to walk for two days..."
"Why are you pretending? Why are you pretending?" Dad was furious. "What's the matter? Are you saying that you didn't eat well at home, so you can eat well if you live with someone else? Ah! You're saying that I'm sorry for you, right?"
Being scolded by his father, Gao Qi also got angry, "Dad, what's wrong with you? I came back to save our family. The officers and soldiers were chased everywhere by the army. Now they have no time to pick wild vegetables. Even if they picked them, they have no time to cook them. They are running around like dogs now. Let them find a family with people and food. What do you think they will do? They will definitely rob! It's no use staying here if you don't run away now!"
After saying that, Gao Qi looked at his father's angry expression and suddenly didn't want to pay attention to him. He turned to his mother and said, "Mom, let's go. Take my brothers and sisters with you and go first. I will be at ease only after I settle you down in a safe place."
Gao Qi was not the only one. Only a few of the soldiers who returned home were able to convince their families. And those who were able to be convinced were those who had already begun to feel uneasy. As long as they thought that the Qing army was more friendly than the Han army, they were unwilling to leave.
In Linzi, Huo Chong went to the General Staff Office. Before he even entered the room, he heard the people inside happily chatting: "This time we should slow down and chase the Qing army to those places. It's just the right time to kill all those gentry. It's great!"
There was a burst of laughter in the staff office, and the room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Huo Chong also felt a little joy, but after a moment he felt something was wrong. When they pushed the door open, everyone stood at attention and saluted when they saw Huo Chong coming in. After Huo Chong returned the salute, he asked everyone to talk about the current situation of the battle.
The staff confidently told Huo Chong the latest news. The fifteen battalions had wiped out more than eight thousand Qing troops in the past few days. Together with the more than twelve thousand killed in Chenzhuang, only thirty thousand of the fifty thousand Qing troops remained. These thirty thousand people had also dispersed and fled southward.
Huo Chong already knew this and asked, "What's the latest progress?"
"No latest news has been sent back yet. But please look here, Governor." The acting chief of staff pointed to the southern part of Qingzhou, "We have already caught up with the Qing army commander Basai and his group. We will probably have to surround and annihilate them."
Huo Chong looked at the map and it was pretty much the same as planned. He waited until the staff had nothing to report, so he wanted to say something but didn't.
When he returned to the headquarters, Huo Chong called the head of the political department. After much selection, the person he finally chose was his third apprentice brother, Li Tieniu. When Tieniu heard Huo Chong mention the Qing army's looting of the gentry, he said with some embarrassment, "Big Brother, why do we have to save them? They have already surrendered to the Qing. Isn't it good for them to be robbed by the Qing?"
"Tie Niu, do you really think so?" Huo Chong asked.
Tie Niu frowned and shook his head, "Big Brother, I also feel a little sorry for them. But those people are not good people either."
"Tie Niu, you've been with me for almost ten years. Guess what, I've done something in these years that makes me feel clear conscience."
Tie Niu thought for a while and shook his head, "Big Brother, there are so many things, I can't guess."
"It was during the disaster relief. I didn't allow everyone to buy everyone's stuff at a low price. I asked them to return all the stuff. In other things, I was thinking about myself, but that time I was really thinking about everyone. I was really angry! How could you bully others!"
Tie Niu thought for a while before remembering that incident. He nodded repeatedly, "Yes. That incident was really like that. It turns out that I also think that you are so kind, Big Brother. You sacrifice yourself and think about everyone."
"It's the same this time. Those people are not good guys, but do all of them deserve to die? After this battle, the whole of Shandong will belong to us. Do we have to kill all those who have offended us? Tieniu, I think it's not fair to do so. The eyes of the masses are sharp, and they see their own interests more clearly than anyone else. What do you think the masses will think? Will they think we are good people? The Qing army is a bad guy, a bad guy with no ability. We are just capable. Like the Qing army, we are also bad guys. What is a bad guy? A bad guy is someone who bullies others."
Tie Niu frowned and thought for a while, "Big Brother, didn't we get Saileng'e's list? Those people sent letters to the Qing Dynasty, wanting to be their accomplices."
"So, we have to enforce the law. If someone commits a crime, we as the government must take care of it. We arrest those who should be arrested and kill those who should be killed. Besides, although we have the list of names, do we have the letter? Those people must have written the letter, but that is not a reason for us to deliberately harm them. Executing criminals is not the same as harming people secretly."
Tie Niu frowned and thought for a long time, and finally said: "Big Brother, I still don't understand. But you tell me what to do, and I'll do it."
"Yes. I've thought about it. Send a platoon from all those who have joined our army. Even if it means kidnapping people, at least take away the immediate family members of our troops. Take away all the others who can be taken away. For those who have not joined our army, at least take away the elderly and children. Mobilize all the cavalry and do this matter quickly. The Qing army has committed heinous crimes, even if it is propaganda, it is enough. This time, we must do our best."
No matter how Gao Qi tried to persuade him, it was useless. His father got even more excited. Not only did he firmly deny Gao Qi's opinion, he also refused to let Gao Qi take his family away. This made Gao Qi anxious, like an ant on a hot pot.
However, there were three people in total, including him. Not to mention taking the person away, if they angered the family, the three of them would probably be arrested.
After staying in the village for two days, there was suddenly a movement outside. Gao Qi and the other two had been on guard against the Qing army's attack, and they immediately became alert. When they saw the clothes of the people coming, Gao Qi and the others were greatly relieved. It turned out that it was the troops who came.
The leader of the troops was Gao Qi's platoon leader. Gao Qi and his men immediately returned to the team, and together with the thirty comrades with weapons, the three of them immediately felt at ease. They were all very excited.
"Gao Qi, we have to take people with us by force. Don't say that we are not polite enough." The platoon leader instructed.
Standing at attention, Gao Qi happily replied, "I follow orders!"
