Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 5 I Want to Curse

Upon seeing the approaching vehicle, Su Yaoyang's heart tightened. He reached into his pocket with his right hand, and only when his hand touched the cold metal grip of the pistol did his panicked heart calm down a little.

Just as Su Yaoyang was feeling uneasy, the convoy pulled up beside him.

Seeing these long-nosed trucks and the prominent Mercedes-Benz logo on the front, Su Yaoyang recognized them as German Opel Lightning trucks, which should have been introduced by the National Revolutionary Army in the early 1930s when it formed German-equipped divisions. Before the introduction of American trucks, this model was the most popular among the National Revolutionary Army officers and soldiers.

Although he was curious, he still moved a few steps to the side of the road to make it easier for trucks to pass.

He didn't want to cause trouble, but trouble came knocking on his door. With a hiss, a thick plume of white smoke billowed from the front of the truck in the lead vehicle, and then, coincidentally, it stopped right next to him with two clicks.

Before Su Yaoyang could leave, the truck door opened, and a colonel jumped out, cursing.

"Wang Dadan, you son of a bitch, get down here right now and take a look at this damn car!"

Soon, a corporal got out of the car. He first lifted the hood, and a white mist with the smell of engine oil immediately spread out.

The corporal looked at it for a while before hesitatingly saying, "Sir... it looks like it's boiling over. Let me try to fix it."

"Hurry up, the wounded brothers in the truck are waiting to be taken to the hospital." The colonel's tone was quite anxious.

After he finished speaking, he took out a cigarette from his pocket.

Without saying a word, the corporal stepped onto the front of the vehicle by the bumper and was about to unscrew the radiator cap.

"Wait a minute!"

But before his hand could even touch the water tank cap, a loud shout came from the side, startling the corporal so much that he almost fell off the vehicle.

The colonel, who was about to light a cigarette, was so startled that he dropped his match on the ground.

After he came to his senses, he angrily pulled out the pistol from his waist, pointed it at Su Yaoyang, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Kid... if you don't give me a straight answer, I'll fucking kill you!"

Seeing the pistol pointed at him, Su Yaoyang, who had never seen anything like this before, was so frightened that his legs went weak, but he still forced himself to remain calm and said to the corporal, "Sir, you just said that this vehicle has boiled over."

But do you know what would have happened if you had rashly unscrewed the radiator cap just now?

"What consequences could there be?" the corporal replied irritably. If Su Yaoyang hadn't been dressed decently, he would have kicked him long ago.

"you……"

Su Yaoyang was speechless, but he also knew that the illiteracy rate in China was alarmingly high these days. It was already quite an achievement for an average person to be able to drive a car, let alone master car repair skills.

He explained in a tantrum, "Even if you can't fix a car, you've at least boiled water before, right?"

What would happen if you suddenly opened the tightly closed lid of a pot of water that was boiling vigorously?

"This……"

When it came to boiling water, the corporal immediately understood.

Seeing the other person's expression, Su Yaoyang continued, "Now you understand why I stopped you, right? If you had rashly opened the water tank lid just now, putting aside whether you would have burned your hands, I can guarantee that the moment the lid was opened, a large amount of water vapor would have sprayed onto your face and body, and then... hehe..."

"Oh my god..."

The corporal's face turned deathly pale instantly. He could imagine what the consequences would be if he were sprayed with a large amount of water vapor on his face and body in an instant.
Disfigurement is the least of your worries; you could end up being scalded to death.

Su Yaoyang spoke very frankly, and even the colonel understood him.

He holstered his pistol and glared at the corporal. "Idiot, this gentleman saved your life. Hurry up and thank him."

"Oh……"

The private also realized what was happening. Although he had a bad temper, he was grateful. His face, which was dark from years of exposure to the sun and rain, turned red. He quickly saluted Su Yaoyang and said loudly, "Corporal Xu Yougen, squad leader of the motor transport regiment, thanks you for saving my life, sir."

Seeing the other person salute him, Su Yaoyang said nonchalantly, "No need to be polite. We are all Chinese. Although I cannot personally fight on the front lines, I am happy to make a contribution to the soldiers fighting against the Japanese."

"Well... I didn't expect a young person like you to have such awareness!"

Upon hearing this, the colonel's face first showed appreciation, then he asked somewhat anxiously, "Young man, do you have any way to get this car moving again?"

The truck was carrying more than ten wounded soldiers who urgently needed to be transported to a field hospital in the rear for treatment.

Upon hearing that there were wounded soldiers on the truck, Su Yaoyang didn't waste any words. He rolled up his sleeves and asked the corporal, "Is there water and towels on the truck?"

"Oh...yes, wait a moment."

The corporal paused for a moment, then jumped onto the hood of the vehicle and grabbed half a bucket of water and a towel.

Su Yaoyang first wet the towel, then poured water onto the water tank, creating a misty, steamy effect and a sputtering sound.

After the temperature dropped, Su Yaoyang wrapped his hands in a towel and slowly opened the water tank lid. He then had a corporal bring a bucket of water to fill the tank.

After he finished all that, he let the corporal get in the car and try to start it.

Soon, accompanied by a low rumble, the truck was restarted.

The colonel was overjoyed at the sight and looked at Su Yaoyang with a hint of appreciation.

Although what Su Yaoyang did might not seem like much in later generations, he was already considered a rare talent in this era.

He couldn't help but pat Su Yaoyang on the shoulder, "Young man, I am Ma Wenxuan, the director of the Logistics Department of the Nanjing Garrison Command."

I think you're quite talented, young man. Have you ever considered joining the army?

"Join the army?"

Su Yaoyang was startled by this. The Japanese were about to invade; joining the army now was practically suicide!

He instinctively wanted to refuse, but was afraid of upsetting the other person. After hesitating for a moment, he smiled wryly:

"Commander Ma, to tell you the truth, I fled from Rehe to Nanjing a few days ago to seek refuge with relatives, but they have already disappeared. I am currently staying at the Fulai Inn not far away."

We're currently trying to leave Nanjing, and we also have female relatives with us, so we can only disappoint Commander Ma's kind offer.

"That's it."

Ma Wenxuan smacked his lips. "Since you're unwilling, little brother, I can't force you."

However, leaving Nanjing is no longer easy. Commander Tang (Tang Shengzhi) issued a notice yesterday that no one is allowed to leave Nanjing without a pass issued by headquarters; violators will be executed without exception.

"Can't ordinary people do it either?" Su Yaoyang asked anxiously.

“I’m afraid that won’t work.” Ma Wenxuan slowly shook his head: “Commander Tang is afraid that the deserters who have retreated from the battlefield will mix with the civilians and leave the city, so he has implemented a blanket ban on anyone leaving the city.”

“I…%￥#”

Su Yaoyang was too exhausted to even curse. No wonder some people in later generations said that Tang Shengzhi should bear at least half the responsibility for the Nanjing catastrophe.

Brothers, A-Ding has started a new book! Hope you all will support it!

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(End of this chapter)