I hurried back to my home in Foshan, but Gong Er was not at home.
Wang Yan rushed to the Ye family mansion again. As expected, in the central hall, Ye Zhun was playing with his younger brothers and sisters, while Gong Er was learning embroidery with Zhang Yongcheng.
Seeing Wang Yan coming in, Gong Er screamed "Ah" and got pricked by the needle.
Walking quickly to Gong Er, Wang Yan took her hand and looked at it: "Why are you so careless?"
Gong Er didn't say anything, just looked at Wang Yan with her watery eyes. Not long after they got married, Wang Yan left home. In the past year, they had been apart for most of the time and the number of times they met was pitifully small.
This pitiful look really made Wang Yan feel a little bit uncomfortable. He held Gong Er in his arms and said softly, "Okay, I'm back."
Gong Er hugged Wang Yan tightly, unwilling to let go.
Zhang Yongcheng watched with a smile, but said nothing. The children nearby stopped playing and stared at the excitement with wide eyes. The youngest, who didn't know where he learned this, covered his eyes with his hands, revealing huge gaps.
"Hey, Ah Yan, be careful." Ye Wen, who had received the notification, walked in and said, "The child is still watching."
Gong Er also missed Wang Yan too much. When Ye Wen interrupted her, she blushed and quickly pushed Wang Yan away, leaving the embrace that made her intoxicated.
Giving Ye Wen a cold look, Wang Yan said unhappily, "You're really ruining the mood." Seeing that he was about to retort, Wang Yan quickly interrupted, "No more joking, time is running out, quickly pack up your things at home and leave tonight."
Ye Wen's body trembled: "Is he hitting me?"
Gong Er and Zhang Yongcheng also looked at Wang Yan nervously.
"They're coming, and we can't stop them at all." Wang Yan sighed, "Okay, let's pack up quickly and travel light." After saying that, he pulled Gong Er and was about to leave.
"Where is Brother Quan?" Ye Wen asked quickly.
"Someone has already been sent to inform him."
Looking at the disappearing figure, Ye Wen sighed: "Yongcheng, go and pack up, we don't have much at home, just take some clothes with you."
Ip Man could be said to have sacrificed his family fortune to help others in need. Apart from daily expenses, his fortune was basically all used to support Wang Yan. Ip Man could no longer support Pedrill.
Zhang Yongcheng nodded in agreement and quickly ran to pack his things.
Ye Wenqiang smiled absentmindedly as he played with the children, his heart filled with worries and a myriad of thoughts.
Talking with Gong Er all the way, the two arrived at the house where Gong Baosen lived.
When the two of them came in, Gong Baosen was discussing a problem with a group of senior doctors, using both gestures and words. Ever since Wang Yan mentioned it last time, Gong Baosen had been studying these things all day long, and even without Wang Yan mentioning it, he had already recruited several medical experts to come.
When Wang Yan found out, he was quite impressed. After all, he was in a high enough position to get several people involved right away. Unlike him, he used both threats and inducements.
Leading Gong Er forward, they both bowed and saluted: "Master Gong (father), hello to all the seniors."
Gong Baosen smiled and nodded, indicating that there was no need for formalities. Aside from the fact that Gong Er's belly never grew, he was very satisfied with his current life and was in much better spirits than before. As for the matter of children, he also understood that having a child these days was too much of a pain.
Knowing how busy Wang Yan was, and that he rarely came back unless there was something important, he asked in surprise, "Why did you come back so suddenly?"
Everyone present was also waiting for Wang Yan's answer. If they said something nice, it was to give face to Gong Baosen, but if they said something bad, it meant they were trying to escape.
"Master Gong, the Japanese are attacking us in a few days. We have to leave today." Wang Yan explained.
Upon hearing this, the eyes of everyone present dimmed and their expressions became unclear.
"Hey..." Gong Baosen came back to his senses and sighed, "Old brothers, go pack your things."
"What a world this is..." The others sighed and dispersed to pack their things.
Watching everyone disperse, Gong Baosen said to Lao Jiang beside him, "Fuxing, go clean up."
Lao Jiang responded and turned away.
"Where are we going?" asked Gong Baosen.
Wang Yan replied, "Aomen, everything is ready over there. Some will also be sent to Hong Kong Island and some more stable areas in the south."
Gong Baosen nodded without saying anything.
Seeing this, Wang Yan said, "Master Gong, let's go back and prepare first."
Seeing Gong Baosen waving, Wang Yan bowed and took Gong Er home.
At home, Gong Er was packing her things while asking, "Will you come with me?"
"You know, I..." Seeing Gong Er stopped moving, Wang Yan didn't say anything else.
Gong Er said nothing and cleaned up with tears in her eyes.
Wang Yan sighed and went forward to hug Gong Er. Gong Er buried herself in Wang Yan's arms and cried silently.
After a long time, Wang Yan let go of Gong Er: "Okay, don't worry, I will be fine. Time is running out, let's pack up quickly." After that, Wang Yan went out to arrange the transfer.
That night, strong men with guns surrounded the dock, where their family members and elders were.
There were not many words. Gong Baosen just sighed and patted Wang Yan, Ma San just looked at Wang Yan with complicated eyes, Gong Er just clenched her teeth with tears streaming down her face to hold back her tears, Ip Man just held the child in a daze for a long time without saying a word, and the others looked at a place around them reluctantly, as they didn't know if they would see each other again in this life.
Wang Yan sighed as he watched the people waving at him as they walked away. His abilities were limited, and he couldn't help many people. This many people was already his limit.
In October 1939, the Battle of Yangcheng broke out. The defenders were outnumbered and Foshan fell.
Wang Yan was unable to stop the Japanese from killing people.
They kept fighting guerrilla warfare and were chased around by the Japanese.
In the same month, the Battle of Jiangcheng ended. The National Army suffered 400,000 casualties, while the Japanese suffered more than 200,000 casualties. The enemy's vitality was greatly destroyed, and the war entered a stalemate phase.
The Japanese offensive was contained and they turned to manage the areas they had already occupied.
The plot returned to what it should be. There was a brigade of more than 7,000 troops stationed in Foshan, and the leader was still the original Major General, Miura.
That day, Li Zhao, who had served the Japanese all day, returned home tired. Outside the door, he heard laughter and joyful conversations from inside, without any trace of the previous sorrow.
Li Zhao's tired face lifted into a smile. He opened the door and said, "What good news? Why are you so happy?" Without waiting for a reply, Li Zhao closed the door and turned around to see the person sitting on the side: "Wang... Mr. Wang?" Then he was about to kneel down in front of Wang Yan: "I have my reasons, Mr. Wang..."
"Okay, the child is here to watch over me. I have something to talk to you about." Wang Yan grabbed Li Zhao and stopped him from kneeling down.
Li Zhao didn't know why Wang Yan wanted to talk to him, but seeing that he didn't want to kill him, he quickly said, "Then... Mr. Wang, come with me." After that, he took Wang Yan to a small house next to him.
Wang Yan didn't waste any time. He found a place to sit down and said to Li Zhao, who was standing obediently in front of him, "I know you're translating for Sanpu, and time is urgent, so I won't waste time with you. What you need to do is observe Sanpu's whereabouts, the garrison's meal and rest rotations, and the armory's guard and shift changes. I'll give you half a month. Is that okay?"
Li Zhao said in embarrassment, "Everything else is fine, but I can't access the armory, Mr. Wang."
"Then find out the first two, and when you're done, I'll send you out of Foshan."
"Okay, no problem. How do I contact you?"
"I'll come find you. That's it. Be careful. I'm leaving." With that, Wang Yan pushed the door open and left. He could do these things himself, but since he wasn't very familiar with them, there were bound to be omissions. He went to Li Zhao just to confirm it a second time, to ensure that everything was foolproof.
Walking outside, looking at the children eating meat with big mouthfuls, Li Zhao smiled with satisfaction. It was great.
Miura still found a lot of boxers to compete with and humiliate Chinese martial arts. He killed a few of them every day.
However, compared with the more than 200,000 compatriots who died or went into exile before, these may not matter much. We have become numb.
Wang Yan used the space to avoid the Japanese inspection and transported weapons and ammunition to the city one by one. At the same time, his brothers also slowly gathered in the city.
Finally, the time came, at Li Zhao's home.
"That's it, Mr. Wang."
Wang Yan nodded without saying anything, comparing the intelligence he had gathered in his mind.
After a long time, Wang Yan said, "Okay, I got it. Pack up and wait for me at home tomorrow night." After that, he got up and left.
"Mr. Wang..." Li Zhao called out, and after a moment's gaze meeting with Wang Yan who had turned back, he said emphatically, "Be careful!"
Wang Yan smiled gently at Li Zhao and turned to leave.
Li Zhao gritted his teeth and watched Wang Yan leave: "You must stay alive."
The next day, night.
Miura and several of his officers inspected the military camp and drove back.
"Be more alert today. The soldiers are all suffering from stomachaches. It's obvious that something is wrong." Miura said to a colonel beside him.
"Yes, General. I've already ordered an investigation, and we'll have the results tomorrow. Fortunately, it's only a small part of the case, and I've already arranged for the rest."
Miura nodded without saying anything.
Suddenly, a gunshot broke the silence of the night.
With a gunshot, the colonel saw Miura's thing spurting out, and then he saw a grenade flying over. He didn't have the chance to know the rest.
The gunshots seemed to be a signal, breaking the silence of the night. Then came the sirens, the cries of the Japanese, the explosions from the arsenal in the west of the city, and the sounds of gunfire and shouts of killing pouring out from all directions.
Wang Yan and his men had already ascertained this, and the guards consisted of only one squadron of about 200 soldiers. After all, in a city that was already under complete control, these people were quite a lot.
After he fired the shot, he quickly turned around and ran. The soldiers guarding Miura subconsciously raised their guns and fired in the direction of the gunshot. Dense bullets hit the windows and walls, making a popping sound.
At the same time, a large number of our own troops rushed out and dealt with these people in a short while.
Wang Yan then led the charge, leading his men to charge in all directions. But the Japanese were not to be trifled with, and perhaps because of their poor planning, they were shot several times.
Jin Shanzhao quickly supported Wang Yan and shouted, "Mr. Wang, are you okay?"
"I won't die for now, leave me alone and go help others."
Jinshanzhao was no fool and knew the situation. Seeing that Wang Yan was in good condition, he left a few people to protect him and ran away with his men.
Gradually, the sound of gunfire died down, and what followed was the cheers, curses, and cries of the people that echoed throughout Foshan.
The cheers are for the death of the invaders, the curses are for the invaders' cruelty, and the tears are for the dead relatives.
Hearing this, amid the screams of his brothers beside him, Wang Yan's head tilted and he fainted with a smile on his lips.
That night, Foshan was liberated.
Seven thousand enemies were killed, Wang Yan was seriously injured, and nearly a thousand of his brothers were killed or wounded.
The next day, the news spread. Although the liberation lasted only one night, it was a shot in the arm for our fellow brothers who were resisting in other regions.
Half a year later, Macau.
"Are you leaving?" Gong Er asked while lying in Wang Yan's arms.
Wang Yan stroked Gong Er's hair and sighed, "My body has recovered. It's time to go..."
"Then you better be careful and don't be so reckless like this time." Gong Er recalled how Wang Yan was sent back half a year ago, and said with a tearful voice.
"Don't worry, I promise there won't be a next time." Wang Yan said as he stretched out his hand and teased, "Then let's do it again..."
Gong Er said emotionally: "I want to have a child."
Without listening to the movements, Wang Yan said, "Wait a little longer. Giving birth to a child these days is also a pain."
"No, I want to have a baby." Gong Er stopped and looked into Wang Yan's eyes, speaking word by word.
Wang Yan understood that Gong Er was afraid that he might die outside at any time and wanted to leave a descendant for both families. After thinking for a while, Wang Yan sighed and looked at the stubborn Gong Er and said, "Then give birth."
Hearing Wang Yan's agreement, Gong Er's stern face immediately turned into a bright smile like a peach blossom in early spring, and she slowly came over.
Gong Er didn't know Wang Yan's ability, so she dragged Wang Yan to the bed and fought with him for three days before letting him go.
After bidding farewell to Gong Er, who often looked at her stomach with melancholy and laughed foolishly, as well as Gong Baosen, Ip Man and others, Wang Yan set out again, heading north to kill the enemy.
Ye Wen watched the boat go by on the shore and sighed deeply. He repeatedly expressed his desire to follow Wang Yan to fight the enemy and serve his country, but Zhang Yongcheng refused to agree.
Zhang Yongcheng wanted nothing more than for her family to be safe and sound. She had witnessed Wang Yan's return this time, and she knew that nearly a thousand people had been killed or injured. Wang Yan's skills were far superior to Ip Man's, but if Ip Man were to escape, would he be safe? Zhang Yongcheng didn't dare to think about it, but she refused to give in.
Wang Yan didn't know that Ip Man's passion was overflowing with energy, but he had nowhere to vent it. With his newly replenished troops, he continued his old guerrilla warfare. He led his men across the country, being surrounded, dispersed, and of course, betrayed.
There was no one above him giving him orders. Without disrupting the layout of other forces, he just found a place with weak defense, took the spoils, and ran away. Then he was chased by the frustrated Japanese and ran around everywhere.
After two years of fighting, Wang Yan was already a bit stretched to the limit with so many people, most of whom were elite soldiers. If Zhou Qingquan hadn't been in Hong Kong Island, with a group of people working day and night to find ways to get things from him, he would have collapsed long ago.
In late February of 1940, Gong Er gave birth to a son. However, as the war stretched on and the Japanese continued to send more troops, Wang Yan had already been driven to North China and was unable to witness the birth of her child.
When Wang Yan left, he left a message that the child's surname would be Gong. However, Gong Baosen refused to do so, fearing that Wang Yan's death would wipe out the family. It was only after Wang Yan found an opportunity to return and stay for a while, and after Gong Er became pregnant again, that Gong Baosen finally agreed. The name "Ji" (Ji) means to carry on the family line and pass on the spirit.
Unfortunately, that same year, Old Yang, with whom he had a good relationship, was besieged for several days, ran out of ammunition and food, and ultimately failed to escape. He was also out of reach and could not help at all.
In June of the 41st year, Gong Er gave birth to a daughter. This time Wang Yan was there and named her Zhilan.
That same December, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, opening the Pacific War. Hong Kong fell, while Macau remained under siege. Zhou Qingquan had already fled Hong Kong, so nothing serious had happened. The people he had relocated there were also doing okay, mostly surviving. As for whether they cursed or not, Wang Yan had no control over it. People just couldn't get enough. There was no place for peace at that moment.
The siege of Macau caused prices to soar, leaving the people destitute. Wang Yan saw it all, but he couldn't save them, and was powerless. He had to save himself before he could save others. He had tens of thousands of brothers and family members who had risked their lives for him, scattered across many places. He was already very lucky to be able to keep them alive. But if there were more people, he really wouldn't be able to help.
Wang Yan had been actively leading his team on the battlefield. Since he would retreat to Hong Kong Island, he mainly operated in the southern battlefield. Of course, he also collaborated with the legendary figure here, Liu Heizi, on many occasions.
Needless to say, the danger was immense. He was nearly killed several times, but he managed to survive.
In August of 1945, the two mushrooms were planted, the Japanese surrendered unconditionally, and the War of Resistance ended.
People across the country breathed a sigh of relief, leaving their homes to pay respects to their deceased loved ones, celebrating amidst a mixture of sadness. Meanwhile, amidst this joyous atmosphere…
Wang Yan, along with a large number of his men and horses who were unwilling to return home and continued to follow him, as well as his family and friends, and many other people who had fled and did not want to return home, crossed the sea and headed towards Kowloon. Due to a series of reasons, this place had been deserted for a long time and there were few people there.
Moreover, right now, the forces are calling for connection, so the timing is perfect.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would have spent most of the rest of his time there.