A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

"You've arrived! Welcome, welcome, both of you!" As soon as the car stopped, Song Hongfei greeted them with a big smile.

Liang Wanyi and Lin Shuyao, two beautiful girls, were both dressed in hunting outfits today, looking dashing and charming under the winter sun.

Song Hongfei's eyes lit up, and a phrase from later generations came to mind: "Both beautiful and cool!"

Not far away, a silent commotion had already broken out in the command and observation post, drawing the attention of all the officers and soldiers.

Liang Wanyi looked around and said, "Weren't we supposed to be shooting? Why are we here? I wanted to have a marksmanship contest with you."

"That's a training ground over there, where they're doing tactical training," Song Hongfei said with a smile. "We won't go there; there's a shooting range here too."

Hearing their conversation, Gao Muyu's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed, "You want to have a marksmanship contest with the brigade commander?!"

Liang Wanyi laughed and said, "What, you underestimate me?"

Gao Muyu quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, please don't misunderstand. I had no intention of looking down on you, it's just, it's just—"

"Just what?" Liang Wanyi glanced at Song Hongfei with her beautiful eyes.

Gao Muyu also looked at Song Hongfei, only to find that the brigade commander was looking at the beautiful woman in front of him with a smile in his eyes.

“Many people used to challenge the brigade commander to marksmanship contests, but later on, no one came to challenge him anymore,” Gao Muyu replied earnestly.

"Wow, is your brigade commander really that good with a gun?" Liang Wanyi asked.

At this moment, Gao Muyu noticed the pistol hanging on Liang Wanyi's waist—a unique pistol. His eyes widened, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face. He looked at Song Hongfei, then at Liang Wanyi, and their expressions made him understand something.

"Reporting to my sister-in-law! Yes, the brigade commander is a very skilled marksman!" The quick-witted young man, Gao Muyu, straightened up abruptly and answered loudly.

Lin Shuyao chuckled, unable to suppress a laugh as she pursed her lips.

This left Liang Wanyi secretly wringing her hands, completely at a loss for what to do.

"Hey, don't call me that, you're so disrespectful!" Song Hongfei came to Liang Wanyi's rescue. "Let me introduce you first, this is Miss Liang, and this is Miss Lin."

"Since you love to talk so much, why don't you introduce yourself?" Song Hongfei said, glancing at Gao Muyu.

"Yes!" Gao Muyu straightened up again. "Miss Liang, Miss Lin! My surname is Gao, and my given name is Muyu, Mu as in admiration and Yu as in Yu the Great taming the floods. It is a great honor to meet you two ladies today."

Liang Wanyi said gracefully, "The name Mu Yu comes from the Nine Chapters of the Chu Ci, which means to cherish the memory of the wise and virtuous."

Gao Muyu was truly shocked and exclaimed sincerely, "That's exactly it! Miss Liang is truly learned and erudite."

“This kid is the company commander of the special operations company of my brigade headquarters. He comes from a family of Southern Fist masters and is quite skilled with a pistol,” Song Hongfei said to Liang Wanyi and Lin Shuyao.

He then said to Gao Muyu, "Today, Miss Liang and Miss Lin are here to experience shooting, so you will be in charge of their safety. Also, go find a Type 24 semi-automatic rifle."

"Yes!" Gao Muyu excitedly ran off to prepare.

In the command observation post not far away, several bold and mischievous officers ran out upon seeing this and said to Song Hongfei, "Brigade Commander, your wife has graced us with her presence, why don't you introduce her to us?"

As they spoke, the officers took the opportunity to greet Liang Wanyi and Lin Shuyao.

Liang Wanyi and Lin Shuyao, both daughters of prominent families, were used to all kinds of situations and responded to the officers' greetings with composure and grace.

Song Hongfei could only manage a wry smile. He knew his men very well; if they hadn't already realized the extraordinary relationship between the two beautiful women and him, they would have already been vying to shake hands, exchange pleasantries, and try to get closer to him. And some of them would have been so excited after shaking hands that they wouldn't have wanted to wash their hands for two days.

Song Hongfei deliberately cleared his throat and feigned anger, saying, "Look at you all, so unruly and disrespectful! You're not acting like officers at all! Do you all want to run 3 kilometers?"

The officers exchanged glances, then dispersed with smiles on their faces. One mischievous officer even turned back and continued to call out, "Hello, sister-in-law!"

Lin Shuyao couldn't help but laugh: "These officers are quite interesting."

Liang Wanyi said, "It seems you're quite popular!"

“That’s right, these are all my subordinates!” Song Hongfei said with a smile.

Liang Wanyi and Lin Shuyao were clearly unaware that their appearance had caused a stir at the training ground of the Training Corps. To call it a stir was an understatement; it was more like a commotion.

The soldiers' training slogans and unit numbers immediately changed tone.

Song Hongfei could naturally tell the difference, and could only laugh and cry at the same time.

But even he himself did not expect that the news of "The brigade commander's wife has arrived!" would spread so quickly.

At the foot of Mount Mufu, a shooting range.

Liang Wanyi and Lin Shuyao, two girls who rarely have the opportunity to shoot, cheered happily when they came to the shooting range today.

Lin Shuyao was using the Browning HP pistol that Song Hongfei always carried. It was also an exceptionally beautiful handgun, with the exquisite Browning family crest engraved on the barrel. It was a gift from the gun master Browning when he visited him in the United States last year.

He felt the PPK gifted to him by the German leader was a bit too small, and he always wore the Browning HP on the battlefield.

Beautiful women and weapons—such a scene is rare, especially two such beautiful women. Gao Muyu, who was providing support for them, was so excited that he was almost floating on air.

Song Hongfei was quite surprised when he saw Liang Wanyi fire a few shots; her marksmanship was indeed excellent.

Liang Wanyi looked at Song Hongfei and said, "How do you suggest we compete?"

Song Hongfei smiled at her and said, "How about we stop competing? Your marksmanship is excellent, you have a real feel for the gun, you're truly talented."

Liang Wanyi glanced at him with her beautiful eyes and said, "No, we have to compete!"

Song Hongfei laughed and said, "Alright, alright, then let's do it this way. We'll stop comparing the ring score on the 25-meter pistol target and just compare whether it hits the target. I haven't fired this one with live ammunition yet, but a gun is bound to be used eventually."

"Okay! I'll fire first!" Liang Wanyi raised her gun, aimed, and fired all seven rounds from the magazine, hitting the target every time.

"Well done!" Lin Shuyao and Gao Muyu both applauded.

Lin Shuyao was fine with it; she just thought it was incredibly exciting. Gao Muyu, however, was an expert. He knew that shooting a 25-meter target with a small pistol like the PPK was no easy feat.

“It’s really great!” Song Hongfei nodded and smiled, then replaced Liang Wanyi’s magazine with a new one. “That’s fine, I’ll use my left hand.”

Liang Wanyi glanced at him again and said, "Who asked you to give way! I want to see if you're just bragging."

Song Hongfei laughed and said, "Of course I'm not bragging."

He suppressed his smile, held the guns with both hands, and fired simultaneously. The rhythm was tight and the speed was very fast, and naturally every shot hit its mark.

Liang Wanyi's beautiful eyes showed surprise, thinking to herself that this guy really lived up to his reputation.

Song Hongfei laughed and said, "Wanyi's marksmanship is outstanding even in the training brigade. This kind of gun feel is very rare and different from what you get from being fed bullets. The only thing she lacks is that she hasn't fired enough live ammunition."

"The brigade commander is absolutely right," Gao Muyu thought to himself, admiringly. "This innate gun sense is something not everyone can have; these two's talent is truly exceptional."

Song Hongfei then asked, "Have Wanyi and Shuyao ever fired a rifle? Would you like to try it out?"

"Have you ever fired a hunting rifle before? Does this gun have a lot of recoil?" Both of them were eager to try it out.

Song Hongfei said, "As long as we keep our shoulders close together, it won't be a big problem."

Gao Muyu took two Min 24 semi-automatic rifles from the table next to him.

"Is this the rifle you designed?" Liang Wanyi asked.

Song Hongfei nodded and said, "It's this one, the semi-automatic one."

Liang Wanyi took it; the pistol-style grip was comfortable and easy to hold.

Apart from the grip, handguard, and stock being made of wood, there is not an inch of wood on the entire gun. Compared to old-fashioned rifles that are all made of wood, it feels simple, harmonious, and has a beautiful and cool design!

This elegant shape, with more steel than wood, was a groundbreaking and avant-garde design at the time.

"It's a very nice gun." Liang Wanyi nodded and smiled, looking extremely charming.

Song Hongfei felt a surge of joy and said with a smile, "Wanyi and Shuyao can try it out. There's no need to pull the bolt; just pull it directly."

He helped the two men cock and load the gun, then said, "Remember, make sure the shoulder is properly against the barrel. Shuyao, pay attention to the shoulder and cheek. Hmm, that's right." As he spoke, he adjusted Lin Shuyao's gun-holding posture.

No one else would know that Lin Shuyao only felt a tingling warmth from his touch on her hands and shoulders.

"It doesn't even feel as strong as the recoil of the hunting rifles I've used before," Liang Wanyi said with a smile after finishing a magazine.

She turned her gaze to Song Hongfei and said, "Everyone says you're an amazing marksman. Show us your marksmanship."

Song Hongfei laughed and said, "Since Wanyi has given the order, of course there is no problem."

He then said to Gao Muyu, "Go find a few soldiers and prepare 10 'plum blossoms'."

"Yes!" Gao Muyu was also very excited and ran off.

Everyone in the training brigade knew that Song Hongfei's performance of shooting plum blossom bullet casings was exceptional. Gao Muyu, the newcomer, had only heard of it but had never seen it, and he had long wanted to broaden his horizons.

"What plum blossom?" Liang Wanyi and Lin Shuyao were both curious.

Song Hongfei smiled mysteriously and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

Ten "bullet shell plum blossoms" were placed on top of the 50-meter target.

Lin Shuyao exclaimed, "It's so far away, I can barely see anything!"

Song Hongfei laughed and said, "Shuyao, you don't know this, shooting is not just about using your eyes, but also about using your heart, energy and spirit."

Gao Muyu's eyes widened in disbelief. To crack an egg from 50 meters away! This was no joke; he himself wouldn't be confident if he were doing it.

Song Hongfei's strong confidence seemed to be innate. His bright eyes became sharp and piercing. He raised his gun, loaded it, and aimed, his movements very graceful.

The group held their breath and stared intently at him.

Song Hongfei pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Clang clang clang clang clang..." Ten rhythmic gunshots rang out, and the bullet casings 50 meters away were hit and scattered in all directions, like flowers suddenly blooming, which was quite a sight.

In just over ten seconds, ten plum blossoms bloomed in response, a truly magnificent sight!

"Clap clap—" The group clapped excitedly, already completely convinced.

Gao Muyu thought to himself that this marksmanship was truly superb, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Song Hongfei had changed from admiration to worship.