bookcurios Chapter 168: Scarlet Banner
Chapter 168: Scarlet Banner
Three o'clock in the morning on October 10th, Ping An Pharmacy.
Jiang Shiyuan suddenly sat up from the bed in the staff lounge with a splitting headache.
"Water..." she murmured softly, her throat so dry that it seemed like it was smoking.
"Ayuan, you're awake!" A warm hand gently supported her shoulder, and Chen Qingyan brought a cup of warm water to her mouth, "Drink slowly..."
Jiang Shiyuan greedily drank a few sips of water, his consciousness gradually returned, and memories came flooding back like a tide.
Sihang Warehouse, gunshots, bloody battles… and my brother’s painful murmur: “Little sister, I’m sorry…”
She suddenly grabbed Chen Qingyan's hand and asked anxiously: "Ayan, where is my brother? How is he now?"
Chen Qingyan's eyes turned red and he hesitated to speak.
"Don't cry, tell me quickly!" Jiang Shiyuan's heart sank suddenly.
"Ms. Jiang, don't get excited. Listen to me..." Wei Yuqing hurriedly held her other hand, her voice trembling.
"Captain Jiang knows that tomorrow's flag-raising and flag-protecting battle is very dangerous, and given your temper, you will definitely not be willing to evacuate easily, so he can only knock you out and let us take you back to the International Settlement..."
"What about my brother's current physical condition?" She held Wei Yuqing's hand tightly and asked with concern.
Wei Yuqing couldn't bear to see her like this, but had to cruelly tell her the truth.
"Before we left, we saw that Captain Jiang was getting weaker and weaker. He was now relying on his spirit to hold on. I don't know when he will..."
"What will happen? Just tell me!" Jiang Shiyuan's tense emotions in recent days almost collapsed at this moment, and he shouted loudly out of control.
"Xiaoyuan, calm down!" Fang Lansheng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Captain Jiang... has already written a suicide note and asked us to give it to you after we return..."
Jiang Shiyuan slowly loosened his hand and looked at Fang Lansheng with a dull look.
"Suicide note..." She murmured to herself, tears silently sliding down her cheeks.
"Ms. Jiang, don't be like this, you still have us..." Wei Yuqing hugged her with heartache and comforted her softly.
Jiang Shiyuan didn't say anything, just let the tears flow freely.
She knew that her brother knocked her out in order to protect her, so he let his friends take her away from the Sihang Warehouse.
She hated herself, why couldn't she be stronger, why couldn't she fight alongside her brother, why...
"Xiaoyuan, this is the suicide note and keepsake your brother asked us to give you..."
Fang Lansheng walked up to her and spread out his palm. A bullet pendant with a very smooth surface that had been rubbed lay quietly on it, and next to it was an envelope stained with a little blood.
Jiang Shiyuan picked up the bullet pendant with trembling hands, and saw four small words "Drive out the Japanese pirates" engraved crookedly on it.
This is the bullet that my brother dug out from the body of the first Japanese soldier he killed in Northeast China. He used it to motivate himself to always remember his mission of expelling the Japanese pirates.
Now that this bullet pendant is in her hands, it is equivalent to her taking over the historical responsibility that her brother shouldered.
The bullet pendant in her palm had become extremely hot and heavy.
Then she hung the bullet pendant around her neck, took a deep breath, suppressed her grief, and slowly opened the blood-stained suicide note.
On the letter paper was his brother's familiar handwriting, vigorous and powerful, yet revealing a deep sadness and reluctance.
"Little sister, when you see this letter..."
The content of the letter is very brief, but every word is heart-wrenching and every sentence is heart-piercing.
Jiang Shiyuan read word by word, tears blurred his vision and the words on the letter paper.
After reading to the end, she could no longer control her emotions and burst into tears.
"Brother..." She clutched the letter tightly, and her heart felt like it was about to be crushed like this thin and heavy suicide note.
"Ayuan, just cry, don't suppress your emotions..." Chen Qingyan hugged her with heartache, and he was already crying.
"Ayan, tell me this isn't true!"
"Brother will not die, brother will live a long life!"
Jiang Shiyuan held her hand tightly, as if he was grabbing the last straw.
Chen Qingyan burst into tears and didn't have the heart to refute.
She knew that what Jiang Shiyuan needed at this moment was not comfort, but venting.
She patted Jiang Shiyuan's back gently, letting her vent her sorrow in her arms.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Shiyuan's crying gradually stopped, leaving only intermittent sobbing.
She slowly raised her head, her eyes were red and swollen, but her gaze became unusually firm.
"At 7 o'clock this morning, let's go to the bank of Suzhou River to witness the flag-raising ceremony of the Sihang Warehouse!"
“Even though we are no longer in the Sihang Warehouse, our hearts will always be with them!”
When everyone heard this, they understood that Jiang Shiyuan had accepted the reality and adjusted his mood, and they all nodded and said, "Okay!"
It was dawn, and the streets of Shanghai were still shrouded in a thin layer of fog.
The air was filled with gunpowder smoke and the smell of blood, reminding people of the cruelty of war.
Jiang Shiyuan and his group walked to the bank of Suzhou River with heavy steps.
On the other side of the river is the Sihang Warehouse, which has been destroyed beyond recognition by war.
The walls of the warehouse were covered with bullet holes and bloodstains, silently telling of the brutality of the battle.
Jiang Shiyuan's eyes were fixed on the roof of the warehouse, where a special flag-raising ceremony was about to be held.
At seven o'clock sharp.
On the roof of the warehouse, Xie Jinyuan and Jiang Shijia led all the soldiers, facing the east, standing solemnly.
Everyone's face was filled with the determination to face death.
"Raise the flag!" Xie Jinyuan gave the order, and his voice echoed over the Suzhou River.
A bright flag with a blue sky, a white sun and a red earth rose slowly in the morning light.
The flags fluttered in the wind, as if announcing to the world that the Chinese nation's anti-Japanese spirit will never surrender!
"salute!"
All the soldiers took off their hats and saluted, their eyes following the bright red flag flying high, tears welling up in their eyes.
This is the national flag they protect with their lives and blood!
This is their final promise to the motherland!
On the south bank of Suzhou River, thousands of citizens spontaneously gathered at the riverside to witness this solemn and sacred scene.
They took off their hats and bowed deeply in the direction of the Sihang Warehouse.
At this moment, the hearts of all Chinese people are closely connected.
For national independence and freedom, they will fight to the end!
The crowd raised their arms and cheered.
"Come on China! China will win!"
"Four lines of isolated troops, terrify the enemy!"
"Chinese men stand tall and proud!"
Cheers and shouts resounded through the sky, gathering into a powerful force that shook everyone's heart.
Jiang Shiyuan stood in the crowd and couldn't help but burst into tears.
She saw her brother standing under the bright red flag flying high, with a heroic posture and ready to die.
At the same time, the soldiers at the Sihang Warehouse were ready to defend the flag with iron and blood.
They knew that raising this flag would mean facing even more fierce attacks.
But they were not afraid at all, because they had only one belief in their hearts: "Defend the national flag to the death, and live and die with the battlefield!"