Bright Sword: Follow Kong's fun and build the strongest military industry

When he arrived at the agreed location, he found that Leopard from the Jingwu Society was also there, so the two exchanged pleasantries.

"Brother Feng, did you also receive an invitation?"

"Brother Leopard, it looks like we brothers will be fighting side by side again. That's great. It reminds me of the glorious days when I first came to Shanghai."

"Back then, I was a blacksmith and you were a rickshaw puller. We were both lowly nobodys in Shanghai. Who would have thought that decades later, we brothers would build such a large business? It's truly amazing."

At this moment, Leopard also recalled those days and continued to sigh:

"That year I had just turned twenty. I was dissatisfied with the meager earnings I made pulling a rickshaw, which made it difficult to even support myself, let alone provide a better life for my family."

"So I followed my cousin to explore the martial arts world and joined the Jingwu Society, hoping to make a good future for myself."

"I remember the first day I joined the gang, I asked you to forge a dagger. Back then, you were a famous blacksmith in Shanghai. I emptied my pockets to get it for me."

Speaking of the past, Feng Ye was filled with emotion.

“Back then I was young, and I was originally planning to be a blacksmith honestly. My family has been a blacksmithing family for generations. But ever since I met you, my fate has changed. I ended up joining your gang without really knowing what was going on, which made my old father so angry that he almost kicked me out of the house.”

"Speaking of your cousin Tiger, he was a real hero. Back when the National Army was fighting the invaders to the death in Shanghai, he led more than 300 elite members of the Jingwu Society into the most dangerous battle. In the end, they all died for their country. The Jingwu Society was also severely damaged because of that battle and was on the verge of disbanding."

"Among the underground gangs in Shanghai, any Chinese person with a conscience would give a thumbs up and praise the events of that year."

Speaking of this, Leopard remembered his cousin, the former president of the Jingwu Society, who was also the closest person to him in his life.

To be honest, if it weren't for his cousin, he would probably have remained a lowly rickshaw puller looked down upon forever, with no chance of ever getting ahead.

Actually, before joining the war, Leopard also wanted to participate. He wanted to fight the Japanese invaders and defend his country, which would be a great thing to bring honor to his ancestors.

Although he was getting on in years and his physical strength couldn't compare to that of younger men, his marksmanship was still quite good. In particular, he was skilled with a dagger, and in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy on the battlefield, he could definitely cut off the heads of three or five Japanese soldiers, proving that there were still plenty of men in China protecting this long-suffering nation.

Unfortunately, his cousin ultimately did not let him go to the battlefield. His reason was simple: to let him live and lead the remaining elderly, women, and children of the Jingwu Society to continue fighting.

Sometimes, it takes more courage to live a life of ignominy than to die a heroic death. The banner of the Jingwu Society cannot be scattered like this.

At that time, most people in Shanghai knew in their hearts that the city could not be defended, but someone had to stand up and fight, and someone had to do something for this suffering nation.

It is said that at the most critical moment, Tiger, with his last dozen or so brothers, was surrounded by the Japanese devils. He used his broadsword to kill enemies several times his size, and in the end, they all died heroically for their country. This was so heroic that it made countless people sigh.

A few days later, one night, Feng led dozens of family members to secretly collect the bodies of his deceased family members. Hu had more than a dozen wounds on his body, all inflicted by Japanese soldiers with bayonets.

On the day of Tiger's funeral, many gang leaders from Shanghai came to see him off, and even many ordinary people came spontaneously to send off these heroes who fought against the Japanese invaders on their final journey.

Although Tiger did many wrong things when he was young, he also accidentally injured many innocent people in the fighting.

But now that he has died for his country, and in such a tragic way, all the mistakes and blunders of the past will become less important.

Years later, the people of Shanghai only remember that iron-willed man who stepped forward when the country and the nation were in peril, and whose body was stabbed more than a dozen times by the brutal enemy.

This is the kind of romance that only the Chinese people understand. Even if someone is deeply sinful or has done countless wrong things, as long as they die for their country at a crucial moment, then everything will be judged. This is a person with noble character.

In ancient China, there were countless examples of this.

For example, during the Southern Song Dynasty, the prime minister Lu Xiufu's personal abilities were actually quite average. He was a typical scholar who only studied books. At that time, the entire Southern Song court was in chaos.

But in the end, he carried the last emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty and jumped into the sea, sacrificing his life for his country, which can be considered as giving the Southern Song Dynasty a last bit of dignity.

Whenever later generations mention this event, they all deeply admire the loyalty and integrity of the last prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty.

The reputation of the Northern and Southern Song dynasties was also poor, as they generally valued civil officials over military ones. After all, Emperor Taizu of Song seized power by donning the yellow robe, and his vigilance against military generals was stricter than that of any other dynasty, even to the point of being somewhat pathological. After all, no one knew better than the Zhao family how to seize power.

However, it was precisely because of this that the Song Dynasty, whether it was the Northern Song or the Southern Song, was not militarily strong. Even though its economic strength was unparalleled, it was still bullied by its neighbors everywhere.

The Qin Dynasty was powerful, the Han Dynasty was strong, the Tang Dynasty was prosperous, the Song Dynasty was wealthy, and the Ming Dynasty was resolute.

If it weren't for the dramatic leap by the emperor and his ministers at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the title "Incompetent Song" would probably have been passed down for a thousand or even ten thousand years.

After all, the Jingkang Incident of the Northern Song Dynasty was already enough to humiliate later generations. If the Southern Song Dynasty were to suffer the same fate, the entire Song Dynasty would probably be utterly disgraced.

It was precisely because the Southern Song emperors and ministers chose to die for their country that the last shred of dignity of the Song Dynasty was preserved. Of course, there were also the 100,000 soldiers and civilians who died for their country. When later generations mention it, they can only sigh with regret.

Besides the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was also like this.

To be honest, Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty was an ambitious but incompetent man, with a heart as high as the sky and a life as fragile as paper. He was stubborn, fond of grand achievements, and extremely suspicious.

The Ming Dynasty originally had several opportunities to save itself in its final days, but Emperor Chongzhen ruined them all, leaving later generations of Chinese people deeply saddened.

According to the laws of history, Emperor Chongzhen lost the Han people's empire, allowing the Manchus to enter the pass and causing the collapse of China. He will certainly be cursed by future generations and nailed to the pillar of historical shame.

Just like the last emperor of the Tang Dynasty, nobody knows his name, and nobody cares about the life of such a person.

But who could have imagined that when faced with the destruction of his country and the loss of his family, Emperor Chongzhen would not choose to flee or surrender, but instead hang himself on a crooked tree on Coal Hill to die for his country?