A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er had been upset after hearing what Shopkeeper Liu said. She had to admit that what Shopkeeper Liu said was absolutely right, and now she was also very confused about her relationship with Sha Yanxiao. She had feelings for Sha Yanxiao, and she believed that he did too, but she couldn't think of any way to make things work out for them.

Sha Yanxiao noticed that Gui'er had been depressed since that incident, and thought she was frightened, so he specially found a day after dinner and suggested that they go for a walk.

Gui'er readily agreed, and the two of them left their own yard and strolled in the courtyard of the Marshal's mansion.

After the fifth and sixth concubines left, the fourth concubine's children also returned to their own homes. The courtyard suddenly became much less crowded and seemed particularly quiet.

They walked slowly along the main road, with neatly trimmed holly trees on both sides. Every few steps there was a Roman column, and on top of the column was a Chinese stone lion squatting, with curling grass patterns carved in its curly mane.

There is a large open space, half of which is covered with lawn and has several sets of wrought iron benches with legs covered with ivy; the other half is a Chinese rockery. A crescent-shaped door is hidden among the rugged peaks, and the words "Listening to the Waves" are inscribed on the lintel. Passing through is a small fountain. By the side of the pool stands a statue of a Western naked woman, and water drips from her fingertips and merges into the lotus leaf stone sculpture in the pool.

The east side was even more spacious, dotted with a few scattered plane trees. Beneath them stood European-style cast iron trellises, covered with Chinese wisteria, whose drooping purple blossoms half-shaded the trellises. In the far corner stood a clock tower. The dial was Western-style, the hands ticking, but the sides of the clock were engraved with Chinese auspicious patterns.

The wind passed through the courtyard, carrying the fragrance of wisteria flowers over the stone lion ears, and hit the Roman columns with the moisture of the fountain. It looked very beautiful and romantic.

Seeing that Gui'er seemed to be in a good mood, Sha Yanxiao felt a little happier and asked, "Sister, you seem to be in a bad mood these past few days. Are you scared because of what happened last time? I don't blame you, but this matter is really too dangerous. Big brother is still investigating it, but as far as I know, he hasn't found anything."

Gui'er had been extremely worried when she heard about Sha Yanyao's investigation. Now that she'd heard nothing had been uncovered, she felt a little more at ease. She smiled and said, "Brother, I don't know what's wrong. Lately, I've been feeling a lack of confidence in my future, both for myself and for the country..."

She was speaking the truth. There was no future for her relationship with Sha Yanxiao. With so much time still to go until victory in the war, she didn't know if she'd live to see it. In times of war, life and death seemed equal to everyone.

Sha Yanxiao was silent for a moment after hearing this, then forced a smile and said, "Sister, you've grown up and have more worries. I really wish I could always protect you under my arms and let you be worry-free, but it seems that's unlikely."

Gui'er looked at Sha Yanxiao, who seemed to be worried too. There was a hint of sadness between his brows. She asked, "Brother, are you worried too?"

"When my father was still the Young Marshal, I always felt that even when he was sick, he had someone to look after him. Now I make all the decisions myself. I've discovered that being the Grand Marshal isn't that easy."

"What happened?" Guier said sharply.

"My wife and elder brother think the income they have is too little and they want actual control over the two mines, which are an important source of finance for Jiangcheng and Fengcheng. I have been dragging it out and I don't know how long I can put it off. Besides, the situation is not good. The spies in Shanghai reported that Japan is likely to launch an attack soon." Sha Yanxiao frowned and walked to a stool and sat down.

Gui'er counted the days. So many things had happened during this period that she had forgotten. Now it was 1937. She suddenly realized that she was still immersed in the sorrow of the future. In fact, the country was about to suffer a devastating disaster. Under this premise, many people would die in the war.

"Guier, what's wrong with you? Why do you look so bad?" Sha Yanxiao saw that Guier's face was a little pale, and asked hurriedly with concern.

"It's nothing. Brother, you just said that you discovered that Japan wanted to launch an attack. How did you get the information? Is it reliable?" Guier asked quickly.

"Of course, my father's old friend is in Nanjing. When he returned to attend the funeral, he quietly told me that the Chairman had recently sent an urgent telegram to Yang Hu, the commander of the Songhu Garrison, requesting that they secretly strengthen their defenses and pay attention to possible incidents. In addition, I also learned that the Central Staff Intelligence Department had drawn up a 'Grade A Intelligence Map of Japanese Institutions and Troop Distribution in the Shanghai Area and the Deployment of Our Army.' This map provides a detailed list and description of various Japanese institutions, Japanese military bases, and Chinese troop deployments in urban Shanghai. These are all pre-war measures. Why would they do this if war wasn't about to start? I think war is imminent."

"Then what are you going to do?" Gui'er felt that her voice was trembling, and she didn't know whether it was out of fear or excitement.

"Of course we'll do everything we can to resist. We'll blow up the railway if necessary. Following their attack trajectory, I've already arranged a team to stand guard day and night at the Fengcheng railway section."

"Is that all?" Gui'er was very skeptical. She knew that the armies of Fengcheng and Jiangcheng were only equipped with traditional guns and cannons. They were no match for the modern Japanese equipment. However, she did not dare to say it out loud for fear of undermining Sha Yanxiao's confidence.

"I heard the central government is planning to integrate the central and local armies to trade space for time. Honestly, I'm not optimistic. Shanghai is completely indefensible, and our equipment is inferior to others. Even if we use human lives as shields, it can only stop them temporarily, and it also consumes troops from various places. It's better to disperse and defeat them one by one, using the extension of the battle line to delay their offensive. Japan is an island nation, their personnel are limited, and the longer the line is, the more disadvantageous it is for them."

Gui'er was stunned. She hadn't expected Sha Yanxiao's idea to be correct. She quickly said, "Brother, what you said makes sense. Let's do it this way."

Sha Yanxiao smiled bitterly and said, "It's no use thinking this way. We don't have enough strength. Besides, we can't completely ignore the central government's order to send troops. We have to send some people. But if they don't win in Shanghai, we will be under great pressure."

Gui'er comforted him, "Brother, we just need to prepare for a long battle and unite all the forces we can. For the rest, we can only do our best. But can you promise me one thing?"