"Zhang Xuecheng is the eldest son of the Young Marshal's second uncle's family." At dusk, Battalion Commander Zhang Lianjie explained to his three company commanders.
At this time, they were sitting in the woods beside the mountain. After repelling three attacks from Zhang Xuecheng's troops in succession, they took the initiative to retreat into the mountains.
They were not in Jinzhou City, and their battalion's defense area was not defensible.
Precisely because there was no strategic location to defend, Hu Biao's company ambushed behind the high hill and launched a short, close-range assault against the attacking Zhang Xuecheng's troops.
Their battle has come to this point. If they persist, their casualties will surely increase.
Hu Biao reported to the battalion commander Zhang Lianjie that the people on the opposite side were the troops of the young marshal's uncles and brothers. Zhang Lianjie hurriedly sent someone to deliver the news to Jinzhou City.
When the communicator returned, he brought back the corresponding order, "Since there is no strategic location to defend, then appropriately block the camera's retreat."
At this time, they were hiding here to avoid the enemy and began to listen to Battalion Commander Zhang Lianjie talk about Zhang Xuecheng's origins.
Zhang Lianjie used to be a guard for the young marshal, so he knew a lot about the young marshal's family affairs.
When the prisoner who surrendered voluntarily said that their leader was Zhang Xuecheng, the people of the Northeast Army could not help but be surprised.
They are uncles and brothers to the Young Marshal, and they are blood relatives. Unlike Zhang Lianjie, although he also has the surname Zhang, he is nominally a family member of the Young Marshal, but they just have the same surname and are not related by blood.
They defeated the attack of Zhang Xuecheng's troops and killed many of Zhang Xuecheng's men, but it didn't matter, because it was them who defected to the Japanese.
But if one day they faced Zhang Xuecheng himself, would they fight him or not? In the past, Zhang Xuecheng was the "royal relative" of the young marshal, and they naturally could not kill Zhang Xuecheng without the young marshal's explicit order.
Now that there was no need to fight for the time being, Zhang Lianjie began to tell his subordinates about Zhang Xuecheng.
"The Marshal's second elder brother used to follow the Marshal, but he died during a bandit suppression campaign more than 20 years ago.
He has two sons. Since their father is gone, the old general naturally treats his two nephews very well. What's the difference between them and his own sons?
This kid Zhang Xuecheng first studied at our Northeast Military Academy, and then was sent by the old marshal to study at the Japanese Army University.
You all know that our old commander is very clear about rewards and punishments. He treats his own people like this, let alone his own nephew. He is really good to this kid.
But I don't know what this guy was thinking. After returning to China, he didn't come to serve the old marshal. Instead, he defected to that devil Zhang Zongchang and became a division commander.
Having said that, Zhang Lianjie took out an iron cigarette box from his pocket, but when he opened the box, there were only two cigarettes left inside.
"Damn it, once Beidaying is lost, I can't even keep smoking!" Zhang Lianjie complained.
His original intention was to give one cigarette to each of his three company commanders, but there were only two cigarettes, so who could he give them to?
"Battalion Commander, I have it!" Hu Biao said hurriedly. He reached out and took out a whole box of cigarettes from his pocket.
When Hu Biao was busy distributing cigarettes to them, Zhang Lianjie asked, "It's been so many days, how come you, a heavy smoker, still have cigarettes in your hand?"
Hu Biao chuckled: "When we were taking guns from the armory in Beidaying, my men found quite a few of them! We don't know who they belonged to."
"Are you trying to profit from the national disaster?" The company commander next to him laughed.
"It's gone, it's gone. Once this box of cigarettes is finished, it's really gone!" Hu Biao explained hurriedly.
After the four highest-ranking officers of their battalion lit their cigarettes, Battalion Commander Zhang Lianjie exhaled a puff of smoke and continued, "Later, Zhang Zongchang was defeated by the Northern Expedition Army, and Zhang Xuecheng defected to Shi Yousan.
Shi Yousan, you know that they are against our Fengtian Army.
But later on, Shi Yousan was defeated by the Central Army and our Fengtian Army. This guy ran to the Japanese Concession in Tianjin and then there was no news of him.
Now it seems that he has defected to the Japanese again!"
At this point, Zhang Lianjie shook his head, obviously disdainful of what the young marshal's uncle had done.
"What did you say?" At this time, the third company commander said from the side.
But in his haste, he just couldn't remember it and just stood there with a grin and a frown.
"What the hell is that sentence?" Hu Biao asked.
"It's that word. I can't remember it when it's on the tip of my tongue. It's about that, that, that Lu Bu from the Three Kingdoms."
"A slave of three surnames?" Zhang Lianjie asked tentatively after a moment.
"Yes, yes, that's the word. How come this uncle of our young marshal has become a slave of three surnames?" The captain of the third company, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, patted his thigh.
His shot can be seen as a reflection of Zhang Lianjie's knowledge or as a lament for Zhang Xuecheng's surrender to the enemy.
The so-called three-surname slaves first appeared in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The Chinese people are all exposed to the same cultural influence. Although people like them who march and fight in wars may not have read many books, they have read or heard of books like Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Lu Bu, who was known as the number one hero, originally had the surname Lu. He was Ding Yuan's adopted son, so he could also have the surname Ding. But later he recognized Dong Zhuo as his godfather. Doesn't that mean he has three surnames?
This is where the story of a slave of three surnames comes from, which means that a person without integrity is like a fence-sitter.
"They are traitors, but when we really meet them, it is not up to us to decide whether to beat them to death or not. We have to wait for orders from above." Zhang Lianjie also sighed.
The three company commanders understood what he meant and naturally responded with a "yes".
But at this moment, they heard the rustling sound of leaves. When several people turned their heads to look, they found that it was the communications soldier of the regiment who had arrived.
Zhang Lianjie stood up and the communications soldier handed him a folded piece of paper.
Zhang Lianjie opened the paper and read it for a moment before his face turned serious. He then said, "We have received an order from above that our battalion should go back and look for an opportunity to kill that guy.
No matter what family he belongs to, if he becomes a slave to the Japanese, he will definitely not have a good ending! "