A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

After occupying the Kwantung region, Japan accelerated its pace of aggression. In order to divert international attention, the Japanese Marine Corps stationed in Shanghai launched an attack on the 1th Route Army, the defending force, on January 28 of the following year.

Having learned from the precedent of the previous Kwantung Incident, the three were adept at collecting various intelligence materials, closely studying the tactics and methods of the Japanese army, and frequently conducting sand table simulations.

Eager to serve his country, Wang Zhi submitted applications to Principal Smith and Wang Geng, the then-commander of the Shanghai-based tax police corps, to withdraw from school and return to China to fight in the war. As before, he was told that he should "prioritize his studies" and was refused.

Wang Geng was also a graduate of West Point, a senior in the class of 1918, and a classmate of Eisenhower, who later became a five-star general in the United States. His ex-wife was the famous beauty and talented woman Lu Xiaoman.

During the January 28 Incident, Wang Geng led three regiments of the Tax Police Corps to participate in the battle, which was publicly declared as the Independent Brigade of the 87th Division. It was successively under the command of the 19th Route Army and the 5th Army. The Independent Brigade of the Tax Police Corps fought bravely in the Battle of Shanghai and wiped out a large number of Japanese troops.

Looking at the telegram sent by Wang Geng specifically to offer encouragement, Wang Zhi couldn't help but smile wryly: "As expected, the people back home don't agree. Senior Wang Geng even offered some words of comfort, and he did extend an olive branch to us, inviting us to join his tax police corps after graduation."

Zhang Yi turned to Song Hongfei and said, "Your family's tax police corps is well-equipped, with excellent benefits. They're all imported from head to toe, and most of the officers have studied in Europe and America. Once you go there, you'll be set for life."

The Tax Police Corps was established by the Ministry of Finance of China. It was well-funded, well-equipped, and most of its weapons were original imports.

Song Hongfei said somewhat awkwardly, "Don't talk nonsense. The army is the armed forces of the country."

In fact, he himself hadn't thought about where he would go in the future.

These past few days, West Point military instructor Lieutenant Colonel "Old Cat" Winters has been so excited that his eyes are practically sparkling. He seems to have lost interest in his usual hobby of "torturing" Song Hongfei and his cadet team. His narrowed eyes flash with a cold light, and the corners of his mouth twitch unconsciously from time to time.

The trainees felt a chill run down their spines. Those familiar with "Old Cat's" habits had a vivid memory of this expression, which meant they didn't know which unlucky guy was about to get a good beating from him.

Some well-informed cadets learned that the British Military Academy Sandhurst was coming to West Point for observation, exchange, and learning, and that there would be friendly training exercises between cadets from both schools.

Soon, rumors spread that the young "Old Cat" had suffered a lot of humiliation at the hands of the British and French during World War I, when the American forces were treated like greenhorns by the established powers of Britain and France. He was now plotting how to outwit the British.

The rumors were so detailed and convincing that it was impossible to tell the truth from the falsehood.

However, during this period, apart from normal study and training, Lao Mao was not interested in how to torment Song Hongfei and his fellow trainees, which was a fact that was truly evident.

Soon, the Sandhurst Military Academy personnel arrived, a large group of twenty or thirty people.

The British gentlemen, who inherently prided themselves on the aristocratic air of the British Empire, were haughty, impeccably dressed, with gleaming shoes and meticulously styled hair. They made Song Hongfei and his companions, who were always covered in mud and dirt, look utterly insignificant, almost like a pheasant meeting a phoenix.

Is this a fashion show? The West Point cadets didn't say anything, but maintained enthusiastic smiles and a warm welcome, though their displeasure was already spreading.

Soon, the two groups were attending classes, discussing, and training together, exchanging their respective military academy's educational philosophies and methods, as well as the content and methods of military training. After afternoon classes, they participated in various friendly sports competitions.

Gradually, the friendly exchanges and mutual learning between the two sides turned into a silent competition. When the two teams got together, they had to compare everything and each believed they were the best in the world.

In the morning, West Point cadets did their morning drills, and so did the Sandhurst Military Academy cadets. The West Point cadets immediately became spirited, their slogans booming. The Sandhurst cadets, not to be outdone, shouted even louder. The West Point cadets exchanged glances: "Wow, are they here to challenge us?"

Their training enthusiasm exploded, and they were both planning to show their opponents their strength. The competition between the two sides quickly became fierce.

As the saying goes, "In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second." A competitive spirit is inherent in the character of soldiers. In an army that values ​​honor more than life itself, defeating the opponent is considered the highest honor.

Gradually, the instructors on both sides also began to see some clues.

Brigadier General Edward, an earl and member of the royal family, is the leader of the Sandhurst Military Academy contingent and is known for his extreme arrogance. Brigadier General Edward enjoys the unspoken rivalry between his cadets and those of West Point, believing it to be a reflection of the superior tradition of the British Empire's aristocracy, who valued honor above life itself.

Lieutenant Colonel Winters, nicknamed "Old Cat," observed this and secretly began to ponder it.

Soon, during a military training course, Old Cat treated everyone to a feast.

That day, Song Hongfei and his group arrived at the obstacle course that Lao Mao had set up under the guise of "practical combat," and were immediately dumbfounded. Had Lao Mao been pondering this all day?

Looking around, all that could be seen were trenches, pits, barbed wire, and various other obstacles. All the low-lying areas had been filled with sewage by "Old Cat." The water was so black it was almost like ink, and it reeked of a terrible stench. No one knew where Old Cat had gotten all this foul water.

Bloody limbs and chunks of flesh were scattered everywhere—in the water, on wooden stakes, on barbed wire, on rope ladders, in pits, and in trenches. Exposed were white bones and mangled tendons, as well as intestines, hearts, livers, lungs, and pig gallbladders oozing green juice. The strong stench of blood was pungent and suffocating.

In the most conspicuous spot is a pig's head with its ears chopped off, its skull blown off by a rifle, bloody and rotten like a rotten gourd, with white brain matter splattered everywhere. Most horrifyingly, a pair of lifeless, empty pig eyes stare straight at you, and a strange smile curls at the corners of its mouth. No matter which angle you look at it from, it seems to be smiling at you in a sinister and eerie way, making you feel extremely uneasy and chilled to the bone.

Swarms of flies buzzed like bombers, rising and falling in droves on the water, on chunks of meat, bones, and entrails, greedily enjoying their feast.

Looking at the dark water and the gruesome scene, Song Hongfei and the others gasped, feeling as if their blood was about to freeze and waves of nausea washed over them.

A West Point cadet named Jones exclaimed, "My god! We're supposed to crawl through this water? We'll definitely get sick if we accidentally swallow a drop!"

The Sandhurst cadets turned pale instantly, exchanging bewildered glances, their faces filled with shock and confusion. Was West Point's usual training really this wild?

"Old Cat's" nonchalant voice came through: "On the real battlefield, it's even bloodier and more brutal than here! When you see your comrade in front of you get shot in the head, and your white brains splatter all over your face. Look, it's like the yogurt you just ate this morning."

"Wow!" Many students immediately vomited up their breakfast.

Of all the people, Song Hongfei was in the best situation. When he was at the G Military Academy in his later life, especially after participating in the development of the "X Combat Command System", he went to the troops to practice a lot. He went to various reconnaissance units and special operations brigades such as "Wolf Fang", "Flying Dragon" and "Sharp Sword" to practice and have witnessed the training in such a bloody and cruel environment.

Bloody chunks of flesh, stark white bones, gruesome internal organs, and the pungent smell of blood—this bloody and terrifying scene not only provides soldiers with a tremendous physical and sensory shock, but also puts them to a severe psychological test.

Many soldiers who experience the bloodshed of the battlefield for the first time suffer mental breakdowns due to the psychological strain. Therefore, special forces in later generations conducted training that simulated the bloodshed of the battlefield.

Amidst intense nausea, Song Hongfei was also utterly shocked. He never imagined that West Point Military Academy in 1932 already possessed this kind of training, the kind that only special forces would have in later generations? At that time, there were no special forces in the world! How could this "Old Cat" have such advanced thinking?

Song Hongfei exclaimed inwardly, "Although I have witnessed it in later generations, I have never experienced it firsthand!"