A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Song Hongfei, Wang Zhi, and Zhang Yi compiled all the military, political, and social intelligence they had obtained at West Point, as well as their research on the Japanese army's tactics and methods, and sent them back to China through the confidential channels of the Office of Chinese Students in the United States and Yan Huiqing, the Chinese ambassador to the United States.

They then removed some classified information and intelligence sources from their research findings and published them in military publications in Europe, America, and China. The results were enthusiastic and well-received, earning them substantial royalties. Some publications even commissioned them to publish their articles exclusively.

The Military Commission sent a special commendation telegram to encourage and praise the three men, which made them extremely excited. What excited them most was that not only did they receive honors, but the Military Commission also rewarded them with a substantial bonus, which was real money!

That day, Zhang Yi rushed in and said to Song Hongfei, "Tomorrow is the weekend, let's go for a nice meal?"

Song Hongfei also got excited: "Great idea!"

The two ran to find Wang Zhi, who said, "You two lads, I think you're drooling over it." But actually, he himself was already tempted. Wang Zhi laughed and said, "Let's get it! I'm drooling over it too, haha."

In the afternoon, the three of them immediately took action.

Three men, carrying field backpacks, ran into the woods west of West Point Military Academy under the pretext of "cross-country training."

The area boasts beautiful mountains and clear waters, with stunning scenery, including vast forests and grasslands. The babbling mountain springs flow merrily down the mountain streams, rushing through forests, hillsides, and grasslands, before joining the small river at the foot of the hill and flowing towards the distant, surging Hudson River.

This mountainous area, situated between West Point Military Academy and the "Beast Camp" training base, is vast and rarely visited. The forest is filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, and various birds and animals frequently dart out. Having spent over two years at West Point, frequently traveling between the school and the training base, Song Hongfei and his two companions discovered this treasure trove, and were as excited as if they had found a "treasure trove."

Grouse and hares dart about, deer leap from the woods every now and then, wild mushrooms and fungi cover the mountains, wild vegetables and fruits abound, and plump river fish leap and frolic in the river like fish leaping over a dragon gate.

Zhang Yi's mouth was practically watering. He swallowed hard as he continued to condemn, "Imperialism is truly extravagant! How can they not even take advantage of such delicious food? What a waste!"

As Chinese people, we have a natural love and skill in eating.

At West Point, they were served milk, bread, sausages, sandwiches, pasta, spaghetti, steak, roast meat, roast turkey, fried eggs, and a variety of vegetable salads every day. Meat, eggs, and milk were plentiful, and the food standards were very high. However, it did not suit the tastes of the Chinese. It took the three Chinese students a lot of effort to get used to the food at West Point.

Song Hongfei was better off than Zhang Yi and Wang Zhi. As the young master of the Song family, who was quite familiar with the American lifestyle, he had also lived in the United States as a child and was used to eating Western food from a young age. However, at home, he mainly ate Chinese food, and besides, he couldn't possibly eat Western pastries every day, at every meal.

West Point Military Academy has extremely strict management of its cadets. Freshmen and sophomores only get holidays; their academic courses and military training rotate constantly, and there is no such thing as a weekend. When they first arrived at West Point, they were unfamiliar with the place and the people. Apart from the very few opportunities to sneak some snacks from outside the school to satisfy their cravings, they ate milk and bread every day, which they got tired of.

Now that they're juniors and have started serving as cadet officers managing lower-year cadets, the school's management requirements aren't as strict. Plus, the three of them have become well-known figures at West Point over the years, and they're familiar with all the instructors, staff officers, and military police there. As long as things aren't too outrageous, they usually turn a blind eye.

They had their eye on that place a long time ago, and the three of them often took advantage of weekends to sneak out there for a treat and "improve their meals."

When they were punished by being sent to the stables to brush the horses after their "assassination contest" with Musk and his gang, they took the opportunity to go out and ride the horses around the area, eventually choosing a place with beautiful scenery, abundant "resources," and the best overall conditions.

That afternoon, the three of them first arrived here, set up traps, and put ropes and locks; they tied fishhooks and bait to the fishing lines and threw them directly into the river without using fishing rods or floats; then they put down the fishing nets and fish cages that they had secretly obtained from West Point Town into the river.

Because this place is sparsely populated, the imperialist people, living in luxury, look down on these coarse mountain foods. All sorts of creatures that fly in the sky, run on the ground, and swim in the water are still unaware of the great danger to humanity and the immense desires in human stomachs.

The three of them should just go back and get a good night's sleep, and they'll be guaranteed to have a great harvest the next day.

The next day, the three of them ran here again for "cross-country training". When they got to the trap rope, they almost jumped up with excitement!

Today's harvest was so abundant, I've never gained so much before. I don't know what good luck I had, but most of the traps and snares I set yesterday didn't fail!

Five grouse, six hares, seven large fish, and countless crabs, shrimp, and small fish! The fish traps set in the river bend were heavy, and Zhang Yi couldn't lift them even when he tried. Two wild birds, almost the size of the grouse and of unknown species, were also caught in the snares, flapping and struggling wildly, crying out in distress.

The three of them were overjoyed, their eyes gleaming like hungry wolves that hadn't eaten for days.

"Wow, pan-fry, stir-fry, cook, deep-fry, steam, boil, braise, roast, try one of each! And there will still be leftovers!" Song Hongfei said excitedly.

Zhang Yi just chuckled to himself, wiping the drool that was about to spill out, and suddenly said with some concern, "We only have one wok and one pot, can we manage?"

Song Hongfei patted Zhang Yi's helmet, sighed, and said, "I think you've gone crazy with joy, silly boy, use a helmet!"

"Hahaha!" Wang Zhile burst into laughter. Zhang Yi scratched his head and chuckled as well, not bothering to argue with the two of them.

The stoves had been dug before, and today's harvest was plentiful and abundant; they even built several more stoves using stones. The three of them took out the pots they had collected here, and pulled out the oil, salt, and seasonings they had brought from their backpacks, excitedly getting to work.

In the pot, the pheasant stew with mushrooms was bubbling gently.

In the wok, braised chicken pieces, braised fish, stewed wild rabbit, stir-fried wild vegetables, and stir-fried wild mushrooms are being stir-fried and swirled around.

Inside the helmet, there were steamed fish, crabs, prawns, snails, river clams and other freshwater delicacies, as well as bird eggs that Zhang Yi had retrieved by jumping around in the woods like a monkey climbing trees.

The bonfire was roaring, roasting chicken, rabbit, bird, fish, crab, and shrimp;

Around the campfire, several sections of cured pork and bamboo tube rice were sizzling.

They got sweet potatoes, corn, and cantaloupes from the residents of West Point Town, built a kiln with mud blocks, and cooked sweet potatoes, braised corn, smoked fish, and beggar's chicken.

There were also delicious wild dates and fruits picked from nearby.

An alluring fragrance permeates the mountains and forests.

With its beautiful mountains and clear waters, gentle breeze and bright sunshine, wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, and wild delicacies from the mountains, these people really know how to enjoy life!

They used whatever materials were available: tree branches as chopsticks, field lunchboxes as bowls and basins, and the ground as a table.

The sizzling, fragrant pheasant and rabbit legs were coated with thick, sweet honey from a huge beehive the three of them had brought from the distant forest. The aroma was so enticing that the three of them licked their fingers clean.

The bee pupae inside the entire honeycomb were naturally stir-fried in a wok by the three of them, turning into a dish of "stir-fried honey bee pupae." The result was a large helmet full of golden, crispy, and tender bees, with a wonderfully fragrant aroma.

Take a sip of the delicious chicken soup, then a crispy bee larva. One bite, and the honey bursts out, so tender it melts on your tongue.

The three of them enjoyed the meal immensely and were extremely satisfied.

While happily munching on a pheasant leg, Zhang Yi made clicking noises and almost couldn't form a complete sentence: "Mmm, so good! So good! This is fucking good!"

Wang was the smallest in stature and had the smallest appetite. While gnawing on a honey-glazed rabbit leg, he burped and said, "There's just too much. I can't finish it. What should I do with the rest? Maybe I'll come back tomorrow?"

Song Hongfei scratched his head and said, "Take the leftovers back for 'Black Panther'! As for the rest, let the ones that are still alive go for now, and we'll deal with them tomorrow."

"Black Panther" was a military dog ​​of the West Point Military Police. It was tall and mighty, almost as big as a calf. Its tongue was more than half a foot long. Its fur was shiny and black. It was very handsome. Its eyes were dignified and piercing. It was extremely domineering. The three of them gave it the nickname "Black Panther".

The three men often secretly bribed Black Panther with all sorts of good things. Normally, military dogs don't recognize anyone except their handlers, and they will bare their teeth at any stranger who dares to approach them. If a stranger tries to feed them, the well-trained military dogs will treat them as enemies with ill intentions who are trying to poison them.

The military strictly prohibits feeding military dogs, and the dogs are also rigorously trained not to eat food from strangers, so as to prevent them from developing the habit of eating food from strangers and being poisoned by the enemy.

But "Black Panther" had already been successfully "bought off" by Song Hongfei and his group. Black Panther was quite clever; it knew that meat and fish were much tastier than the dog food issued by the military academy. Now, when Song Hongfei and his group called it, it was more effective than when the dog handlers in the military police station called it. Whenever "Black Panther" saw them, it would enthusiastically pounce on them.

All of this was thanks to Zhang Yi's special skill: he was incredibly adept at handling animals. He was a master at petting cats, teasing dogs, training horses, and playing with birds. He seemed to have a natural talent for connecting with all sorts of animals. The military dogs in the unit were as close to Zhang Yi as family, showing him more affection than their handlers. Song Hongfei even secretly wondered if this little rascal Zhang Yi could understand animal language and recognize animals as relatives.

Zhang Yi has trained Black Panther to understand Chinese commands. Whenever he gives the command, "Sit!", "Lie down!", "Run!", "Shake hands!", Black Panther wags its tail excitedly and obeys the command obediently!

Everyone at West Point burst into laughter upon seeing this, much to the chagrin of the military police.

Song Hongfei was puzzled, thinking, "This kid actually managed to recognize a foreign relative?"