Chapter Twenty-One: When Adversaries Meet, the Brave Prevail—The Faith and Hope of the Rainbow Army Warriors-Guerra de Resistência: Estrela de Huangpu, Subjugando Li Yunlong no Início(As coisas mudaram, e as pessoas também não são mais as mesmas.)

"Advance, advance, advance!"

"Keep moving forward! Charge! Crush them!"

"They are nothing but a group of Red bandits in straw sandals. They are at the end of their rope!"

The commander of the Ma Family Army’s First Cavalry Brigade roared, his voice nearly cracking.

Yet, it was to no avail.

The cavalrymen of the Ma Family Army, already terrified by the Red Army, no matter how brutal they were, faced the threat of death and found their courage shattered. How could they dare to continue the charge?

A force forged on the core of savagery stood against a force of steel, tempered by iron will and faith. They were simply not on the same level.

The Ma Family Army was brutal, that was true, but they had never seen an army like this. Even when mortally wounded, these men would grit their teeth and pull the pins on their grenades, just to take their enemies with them. They had never seen men whose eyes had been blinded by explosions, yet who still carried comrades with shattered legs on their backs, charging toward them.

Madmen!

They were madmen!

Only madmen would act this way. Only a deranged army would treat life and death so lightly, willing to pay any price for final victory.

One could see it in the hollow, fearful, and cowardly eyes of the Ma Family soldiers—they were truly terrified!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

A series of shots rang out, cutting down the soldiers who faltered. But even this could not reignite the fighting spirit in the hearts of these already broken men.

"Bring them up!"

"Bring them up!!"

"Damn it, bring them up here!"

Following the brigade commander's order, several wooden crates were carried forward. The lids were pried open, revealing piles of gleaming silver dollars—Yuan Datou—before the soldiers. Under the scorching sun, the crates reflected an alluring luster. Even the cold-hearted soldiers could not help but cast longing glances at the silver, swallowing hard.

"Brothers, look! Silver dollars!"

"You see them!"

The commander pointed his riding crop toward the distance. "Over there, Baizhang Pass!"

"Whoever the hell can take Baizhang Pass for me, these silver dollars are theirs. I, for one, keep my word!"

"What do we fight for? Isn't it for money? For women?"

"With money, you’ll have all the women you want!"

"Once this battle is over, there will be enough money here for you to squander, enough to go find those wenches who make you drool..."

As the saying goes, men die for wealth just as birds die for food. Though these brutal cavalrymen were fearful, the temptation of the silver drove a sudden spark of madness into them.

"Damn it!"

"A man only dies once. I don't believe those Red bandits have heads made of iron!"

"Brothers, I'm taking that money!"

"Whoever wants to get rich with me, follow me!"

Money can make the devil turn the mill; once one stepped forward, others followed. Soon, a suicide squad was formed. On the other side, the Second Cavalry Brigade used the same tactic. Two desperate, money-hungry suicide squads were born, becoming the new hope for the Ma Family Army to take Baizhang Pass.

"Brothers!"

"Follow me! Charge! Kill these Red bandits and show them who the real men are!"

"Show them who truly owns this land!"

A squad leader, wielding a light machine gun, charged toward the right flank of the Baizhang Pass position like a madman. This fierce, suicidal onslaught was entirely different from the cowardly conduct of the Ma Family Army before. Under the intensity of the assault, the suicide squad actually reached the first line of defense.

"Hahaha, hahaha!"

"This money is mine, it's mine!"

"Brothers, charge! Keep charging!"

Facing the aggressive onslaught, the eyes of the veteran Red Army soldiers remained as still as an ancient well. They were terrifyingly calm!

Because the suicide squad charged with such ferocity and the frontline units had depleted much of their ammunition in previous engagements, the enemy managed to reach the first line of defense.

"Squad Leader!"

"Squad Leader, the enemy is overrunning us! They're breaking through!"

With ammunition gone, Milong’s light machine gun had become nothing more than a club. He could no longer suppress the swarms of Ma Family soldiers climbing up like ants.

"Comrades, attention!"

"Fix bayonets!!"

"Remember, we are nails. We are the nails driven into this position!"

"Even if we die!"

"We die pinned to this ground, buying time and contributing to the final victory of the war!"

"Comrades!"

"When narrow roads meet, the brave shall prevail! Long live the First Column!"

"Long live the Red Army!!"

"Follow me and charge!!"

The veteran squad leader leaped up, charging toward the incoming suicide squad like a tiger descending a mountain.

"Kill!"

"Kill!!"

The aura of blood and iron filled the air. The veteran Red Army soldiers followed their leader, charging forward without a hint of hesitation.

This scene left the former Northeast Army captives, recently integrated into the Red Army’s First Column, stunned. In all their years of soldiering, they had never seen a unit with such iron discipline. Facing death, they were so calm, without a shred of fear.

Hand-to-hand combat! It tested courage far more than the exchange of gunfire. Yet, in the eyes of the veteran Red Army soldiers, this seemed to be a matter of routine.

Isn't being a soldier just about getting paid, filling your stomach, and living a numb existence? Isn't it better to live a wretched life than to die a noble one? Shouldn't soldiers let the cannon fodder go first while they hide in the back, clinging to life?

Despite their political training, the former Northeast Army captives had never believed that such an army truly existed—one that would sacrifice everything, even their own lives, for their ideals, their faith, and the overall strategic goal.

"What do you serve for?"

The familiar question echoed in the ears of the former captives.

"For pay!"

"To get a wife!"

"To feed the family!"

"Better to live a dog's life than die a hero's death!"

"To sleep with women!"

"To not be bullied!"

Their past answers had been a chaotic mix. Then, Milong had asked the officer on the platform a question: "Sir, what does your Red Army serve for?"

The officer had smiled and given an answer that none of them could believe.

"Faith!"

"To ensure the Great Xia nation is no longer bullied!"

"To ensure the poor can have enough to eat, live in peace, and be treated as human beings!"

"To build a brand-new Great Xia on this war-torn land."

"But that requires people to sacrifice, to die!" Milong had pressed.

The officer had smiled and replied, "Before we reached this base area, countless comrades had already sacrificed themselves for this goal."

"We will also sacrifice; we will also die!"

"But we believe that our sacrifice, our death, will not be in vain."

"Our comrades-in-arms will carry on our path."

"One day!"

"Our dreams, our blood, will nurture and bloom into the most beautiful flower on this land of Great Xia."

Watching the veteran Red Army soldiers fall one after another, their successors stepping over them, tears welled up in Milong’s eyes.

"My home is in the Northeast, on the Songhua River..."

"Where there are forests and mines, and fields of soybeans and sorghum..."

"Damn it all! I want to go home, and I want to follow my comrades to build a new Great Xia."

"Kill!"

"Kill!!"

"Long live the First Column! Long live the Red Army! Long live Great Xia!!"

At that moment, Milong and the other former captives forgot everything. They were no longer captives, no longer cannon fodder, no longer cowards who turned to run at the sight of a gleaming bayonet.

They were soldiers!

They were soldiers of Great Xia!

They were heroic warriors of the Red Army.

Their bayonets and their broadswords would carve a new, clear sky out of this dark and desolate land.