A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1028 The Bodyguards Join the Revolutionary Army

Deng Jun recounted the story again, and the comrades all fell silent.

Sha Yanxiao comforted him, saying, "That comrade might not have been killed. Maybe he escaped. We can try to send a telegram back to our hometown to contact him and find out what happened. Right now, our priority is to get these supplies back safely. Our comrades really need them."

Everyone nodded, and Wu Mingqiang asked, "How do you plan to transport these supplies? I have a suggestion: let's use this delivery truck. It belongs to the Aiqun Building and is used to transport goods to various places. The Japanese and puppet troops remember the license plate, so it's very convenient."

Upon hearing this, Manager Liu hurriedly said, "We still need it? Where are we shipping it to? If it takes too long, we'll be exposed."

Sha Yanxiao looked at him and smiled.

Wu Mingqiang immediately stepped forward, put his arm around Manager Liu's shoulder, and pulled him aside, saying, "Manager Liu, didn't you not want my brother to go to your house? Go home now and tell him to meet me at the dock, and then I'll tell you where to get your car back. That way you won't take any risks. If anything happens, just say your car was stolen, and that's it, right?"

“That won’t do. If something happens and the car gets damaged, I won’t be able to do this job. It’s not easy to find a job like this in Guangzhou these days. If I didn’t have this job, I wouldn’t even be able to save my life, let alone make any money. This is my talisman. I absolutely cannot agree to this.”

Wu Mingqiang glanced at Sha Yanxiao, who considered it for a moment, then nodded and pointed to his eyes.

Wu Mingqiang immediately understood and said, "Okay, you can come along, but you'll have to make do for a while." Then he winked at Ah Hu and Zhu Zi.

Suddenly, Ah Hu and Zhu Zi rushed up and grabbed Manager Liu, quickly tying him up. Manager Liu cried out in panic, "Hey, hey, what are you doing? What are you doing?"

Wu Mingqiang took out a strip of cloth and blindfolded him, then stuffed a rag into his mouth and said, "Stop arguing. Only the dead know where we're going. If you insist on going, this is the only way. Do you want us to kill you?"

Upon hearing this, Manager Liu was so frightened that he shook his head repeatedly, muttering incoherently.

Sha Yanxiao turned to the group and said, "Let's move the goods onto the truck."

Everyone nodded, and in no time at all, they had loaded all the goods onto the truck.

Seeing that the moving was almost complete, Wu Mingqiang said to Zheng Huaichang, "Chief Zheng, we were worried that we wouldn't have enough manpower, so we troubled you. Now that we've arrived, the mission is considered successfully completed. The next location is where we deliver the goods, and it's not convenient for outsiders to know. Let's settle the payment here." As he spoke, he took out a heavy cloth bag that made a rustling sound when shaken, indicating that it was likely filled with a considerable amount of silver dollars.

Zheng Huaichang took the silver dollar and suddenly turned to Sha Yanxiao, saying, "General, I, Zheng, have a favor to ask. May I follow you to fight the Japanese?"

Sha Yanxiao paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It is truly commendable that Chief Escort Zheng has such awareness. We should all be of one mind to fight against foreign enemies. Don't worry, if I need any help from Chief Escort Zheng in the future, I will definitely come to him for advice. I am no longer the commander-in-chief; now I am just an ordinary member of the anti-Japanese forces."

Zheng Huaichang and the other bodyguards exchanged glances, as if they had made up their minds. Zheng Huaichang said, “No, Comrade Sha, we want to fight the Japanese with you. We’ve already run out of options. Most of our customers have been forced to close down by the Japanese. This time, the goods we delivered to Ren’an Hall in Hong Kong were the only order we’ve had in the past few months. Those who haven’t closed down have basically surrendered to the Japanese or the puppet regime’s collaborators. They have travel permits, and to show their loyalty, they’ll have the collaborators escort their goods and give them extra money. They call it a salary, but it’s really just a bribe. Of course, we don’t really want to work for them. It’s like being an accomplice to the devil. But if this continues, we’ll really starve to death.”

Sha Yanxiao thought for a moment and said, "In the current environment, everyone is having a hard time. But you have to know that our resistance against Japan is not a business, but a real fight against the Japanese. Sometimes, after a battle, a comrade who was joking and bragging in the morning is gone."

A bodyguard stepped forward and said excitedly, "I'm going to fight the Japanese to the death. Before, we had no food at home, so I went out to find some odd jobs. When I came back, my wife had been violated by the Japanese without any explanation. The puppet regime said that they spared her life, which is already merciful enough. They didn't take her to be a comfort woman. I should be grateful. I can't swallow this insult."

The others chimed in, saying, "General, please take us in. We've actually wanted to fight the Japanese to the death for a long time, but we're just a few men with a few knives. We can't beat them with guns, and we're afraid they'll retaliate against our families. We saw the goods being transported this time, and there are guns in them. If they have guns, things will be easier. We can fight them."

Sha Yanxiao glanced back at Deng Jun, who nodded in response. The two then went outside to discuss the matter.

After a while, the two returned. Sha Yanxiao said, "Since you are all so determined to fight the enemy, our team welcomes you to join us. Come with me."

The bodyguards were very excited. Zheng Huaichang hesitated for a moment, then picked up the bag of silver dollars that Wu Mingqiang had just given him and returned it to Wu Mingqiang, saying, "Mr. Wu, we're all on the same side now, so please don't take the money."

Wu Mingqiang quickly said, "You should keep this. It's my own money. When you return to Jiangcheng, you'll need to settle your families and prevent retaliation from the Japanese and the puppet regime. All of this will require money. If you're skilled enough, you can fight side by side in Jiangcheng. Please take good care of my brothers."

The bodyguards were deeply moved and clasped their hands in a fist salute, saying, "Don't worry, Mr. Wu, we will definitely look after each other."

Deng Jun said from the side, "Let's go, time waits for no one."

Wu Mingqiang said, "I'll drive. We need to get to Manager Liu's house first and get my brother out."

Upon hearing this, Manager Liu became excited and fidgeted, stammering and fidgeting.

Wu Mingqiang slapped him on the head and said, "What's your rush? When it's all over, you won't be shortchanged by a single penny."

So everyone got into their cars. Sha Yanxiao and Wu Mingqiang sat in the driver's seat, while the others hid in the back. Gui'er was very reluctant to part with Sha Yanxiao, and kept glancing at him through the driver's seat and the rear window along the way.

Sha Yanxiao noticed her gaze, turned around and smiled at her, gesturing for her to squat down. He and Wu Mingqiang talked a lot in the driver's seat, glancing at Gui'er every now and then. Gui'er felt a pang of sadness in her heart.