Hu Hao and the others drove straight toward Langcheng. Everyone was exhausted after a day of frantic escape. Now that they were safe in their vehicles, many couldn’t help but drift off to sleep. It was after 4:00 PM by the time they reached the outskirts of the city.
There were numerous units stationed in the area and checkpoints everywhere. The guards were shocked to see the state of Hu Hao’s column, but after checking their credentials, they allowed them through.
Langcheng’s citizens were already fleeing, but the city remained organized. The railway system brought in fresh troops and carried away civilians on the return trips, and the advanced highway network allowed people to evacuate north without obstructing the military’s defensive preparations.
“Look, those are all 25th Army troops,” Hu Hao noted, pointing at the units they passed. He turned to Li Jingsong. “Where the hell is our 27th Army?”
“Hao-ge, where are we heading? Do we just keep driving?” the soldier at the wheel asked. Behind them, a massive, mismatched convoy of civilian and military vehicles followed their lead.
“Find some open space. A park, a large housing complex entrance—anywhere with room!” Hu Hao shouted.
“Where is my army? Where did they go?” Li Jingsong was also scanning the area. Without finding their parent unit, they were effectively stateless soldiers.
“There, you see that? Those are our logistics trucks!” Hu Hao pointed at a distant convoy of supply vehicles.
“Yes, that’s our Army Headquarters logistics train!” Li Jingsong recognized the markings.
“Turn left. Cut one of those trucks off so we can ask where our units are regrouping,” Hu Hao ordered.
“On it!” The driver swerved, expertly forcing a logistics truck to a halt.
“You got a death wish?” the driver and a guard from the supply truck yelled, sticking their heads out.
“Say that again and see what happens,” Hu Hao’s driver retorted, pulling his sidearm.
“You want to find out?” the other soldiers in the bus joined in, aiming their rifles out the windows.
“Go down and ask,” Hu Hao told Li Jingsong.
“Right.” Li Jingsong stepped off. The two logistics soldiers sat paralyzed, staring at the dozen rifles pointed at their windshield.
When Li Jingsong returned, he informed them that the 27th Army was digging in at the eastern suburbs of Langcheng. They had to cut through the city to get there.
“East suburbs! Let’s go!” Hu Hao barked.
“You got it!” the driver laughed, then shouted at the two supply soldiers: “Watch your tone next time or I’ll end you!”
They moved out, a long tail of civilian trucks, buses, and cars filled with soldiers following in their wake. They eventually pulled into a park in the eastern suburbs. Hu Hao sent a soldier to drive Li Jingsong to the Army Headquarters while the rest of the men collapsed onto the grass.
“Hu Hao, what’s the move?” Xiao Quan and the other Regimental Commanders approached, crouching beside him.
“We wait for the General’s word. How should I know?” Hu Hao said, leaning back.
“Dammit.” The Commanders sat down, lighting cigarettes. They were essentially a band of stragglers now, uncertain of their future.
It took Li Jingsong about thirty minutes to locate the headquarters. The reunion between father and son was an emotional affair—mostly on Jingsong’s part, who broke down in tears. He spent an hour at headquarters before returning to lead Hu Hao and the men to a bunker beneath a residential complex. On the way, he explained that they had no immediate combat orders and were to focus on regrouping.
Once they were settled in the bunker, the men sat and stared at Li Jingsong. The Regimental Commanders stood beside Hu Hao.
“General, you just going to stand there?” Hu Hao asked.
“Huh?” Li Jingsong looked lost.
“It’s 6:00 PM. We haven’t eaten since breakfast. When is the food arriving? And it’s summer, but we can’t just sleep on bare concrete. We need mats at the very least.
And look at these wounded—they’ve held on this long, but you can’t just let them rot here. Where’s the hospital? Also, we’re a combat unit and there’s a war on; can you get us some ammunition? You’re a Division Commander and the Army Commander’s son—don’t you have any pull?” Hu Hao rattled off the demands.
“I… I’ll contact Headquarters right now to get supplies sent over!” Li Jingsong’s face reddened. He took a radio from his new guard detail and began making calls.
Hu Hao walked out of the bunker and up into the residential complex. The buildings were clean, six-story walk-ups, but the streets were eerily quiet—most of the residents had already fled. He found a bench, sat down, and lit a cigarette. Soon, the Regimental Commanders found him.
“Mind if we join you?” Hu Hao offered the pack, and they sat.
“So, what happens next? Are we still fighting? We only have about 2,000 men left—basically a single regiment. Do they fold us into one unit?” Xiao Quan asked.
“Ha. Worried about your rank?” Hu Hao laughed.
“Well, can you blame us?” they chuckled.
“They won’t reorganize us yet. The Army Commander doesn’t have the time. Most likely, we’ll stay under Jingsong and be sent back to the front once the reinforcements arrive,” Hu Hao predicted.
“Works for me.”
“Did the wounded get moved? I saw some trucks earlier,” Hu Hao asked.
“They’re gone. Li Jingsong stayed by the doors until the last man was loaded. He also had a load of rations and fresh vegetables sent over. He said we have to cook for ourselves, so we found some of the mess crew and they’re on it,” Xiao Quan reported. Hu Hao nodded.
“He’s coming,” one Commander noted, spotting Li Jingsong approaching with his guards. Hu Hao and the others stood up.
“I’d like to talk to you all, if that’s alright,” Li Jingsong said.
“Sure, you guys talk,” Hu Hao said with a shrug, moving to leave.
“Hu Hao, you stay. I want you here for this,” Li Jingsong called out.
“Me? They’re Commanders. I’m a Private. What do you need to talk to me about?” Hu Hao asked, gesturing to himself.
“What’s there to discuss?” Xiao Quan asked coldly.
“I know you hate me,” Li Jingsong said, looking at the group. “I… I lost my head. I was terrified by the scale of the landing and I made a catastrophic mistake. I abandoned the men, and for that, I am truly sorry. I’m asking for your forgiveness—and your trust. That’s why I want to talk.”
“Sir,” another Commander laughed, though there was no humor in it. “We’re your subordinates. There’s no ‘forgiveness’ required. You’re the General, we’re the Colonels. We follow orders. But don’t ask for trust.”
“Please. I need you to believe in me,” Li Jingsong pleaded.
“What about the men who died because you ran? You want us to trust you? How? So you can run again next time while the boys die counting the seconds until help arrives?” Xiao Quan barked.
“Exactly. You’re asking us to gamble our lives on your spine, General. If it were you, would you take that bet? Especially when the odds are this bad?”
The Commanders continued their barrage while Hu Hao watched from the sidelines.
“Please. Believe in me,” Li Jingsong insisted. “If I ever run again, any one of you—any soldier in this division—has my permission to shoot me on the spot.” He looked genuinely remorseful.
“Hu Hao,” Xiao Quan turned to him. “What do you think? Can we trust him?”
“For god’s sake,” Hu Hao groaned. “What does this have to do with me? I’m just a soldier!”
“You’re not ‘just a soldier’ anymore, Hu Hao,” Li Jingsong said. He took a file from his guard. “I just came from Headquarters with your promotion orders. You’ve been commissioned as a Captain. I tried to get you Major, but since we lost the battle, my father couldn’t justify a two-rank jump. Here are your papers, your ID, and your bars.”
“Are you insane?” Hu Hao roared as the file was thrust toward him. “I told you I don’t want to be an officer! I’m planning to hit 50 merit points and retire!”
In his heart, he still wanted out. He wanted to see the world, not bleed for it. Based on his performance today, he figured he had earned at least 10 merit points. With 5 points for every year of service, he calculated he could be gone in a year.