38. Republic of China (2)

"Old Wu was shot. I don't know how he is now."

Lying in the trench with his weapon in his hand, Xue Wenbo heard his comrade speak, and he lowered his body slightly. Now it was truce time, and he didn't have to worry about a shell suddenly flying from somewhere and blowing them to pieces. He was in the mood to chat.

"Didn't they say that the medical soldiers had taken him away? He was shot in the chest, and I don't know if he can be saved."

Time flies, and now squatting in the trench they dug with their own hands, Xue Wenbo can hardly remember what he looked like before he came to the battlefield.

Polite, speak softly, or never swear?

Xue Wenbo clearly knew that his essence had not changed, but he had been on the battlefield for more than half a year, and many of his habits had changed with the environment.

For example, now, Xue Wenbo, who was talking to his comrades, saw a new soldier who seemed to feel safe and slightly popped his head out.

"Hey!! Get down!! You don't want to live anymore, do you?!"

The recruit was almost immediately frightened by the thunderous roar and squatted down reflexively, and even showed some fear on his young face.

Xue Wenbo had no time to comfort him. The battlefield was much more tragic than what he had read in books. In books, artillery fire and death tolls were just a series of numbers, but in reality, he saw his comrades die on each other.

He could no longer speak gently. Only severe scolding would let those young recruits who had just arrived and were still ignorant know the seriousness of the matter and save their lives that should not have stayed here.

Taking advantage of this truce period, Xue Wenbo found the dry food stained with mud and sand, ate it whole, and then held the weapon again, vigilantly tightened his body and leaned against the mud, so that his comrades could eat without worry.

The war spread again. Xue Wenbo was not afraid, but started to fight back according to the rules he had learned in the past six months.

He noticed that the recruit who had been reprimanded before followed the people around him and rushed forward, just like he used to.

Even if he was afraid.

Even if he was terrified.

He still couldn't retreat.

Because behind him was the country. If they retreated, who would protect it?

****

Duan Qingen got off the rickshaw. The driver was hired by him for a long time. He knew that the situation was urgent, so he ran like a flash of lightning all the way.

When they arrived at the place, Duan Qingen only had time to thank him briefly before he was pulled inside by several young medical soldiers who had been guarding the door for a long time.

They were all in a mess, and some of them had torn clothes. There were bloodstains under the torn clothes. Obviously, they were attacked when they were evacuating with the wounded.

The young medical soldiers were still trembling, and some were even crying, looking speechless.

The first young man who came forward was quite rational and explained to Duan Qingen:

"Dean, the wounded man's chest is bleeding too much and the bullet is stuck inside. We really dare not perform surgery. Doctor Lu also came, but after seeing him, he said that he might not be able to sustain an operation with his physical strength. Doctor Chen is inside now, so I have to trouble you."

"Okay, where is Doctor Lu? Let him briefly explain the situation."

Duan Qingen walked forward with big strides. He had long legs, so he could catch up with the trotting medical soldiers around him. These medical soldiers were all Duan Qingen's juniors. The broken era made them have no time to spend a few years on further studies, and they could only rush into the medical team when they could barely treat patients.

Although they were young, they were responsible for the wounded on the battlefield, and they had seen countless corpses and wounded. But every time they saw a soldier who could not be saved, the medical soldiers would feel uncomfortable for a while.

Duan Qingen's arrival was like an injection of sedatives in their hearts, which made people feel very relieved.

Almost all the medical soldiers know the name Duan Qingen.

It is said that he once studied medicine abroad, and after something happened in China, he rushed back to abandon medicine and pursue literature. But later, when the war became fierce again, his classmates all went to the battlefield, and he, one of the few who stayed, picked up the scalpel again.

After that, he took over the family business and built the orphanage.

It is undoubtedly unwise to take in orphans in such an era, because there are too many children without the protection of their parents.

Maybe their family members were stabbed to death by bayonets, or they were killed by airdropped artillery fire, or they starved to death because their property was occupied, or they died of freezing and illness during the famine.

In short, there are too many ways to die, and there are too many orphans. No matter how big Duan Qingen's family business is, he still has a lot of pressure to bear the food and clothing of so many children.

Everyone thought he couldn't hold on, and everyone thought that he opened the orphanage just because of his youthful spirit, and when money couldn't support this spirit, the orphanage couldn't be opened.

But Duan Qingen held on.

He accepted orphans, invited teachers to teach them, taught them to read and know etiquette, and gradually let these orphans understand that they were born in the wrong era, but they could become the right people.

In order to maintain the expenses of the orphanage, he sold a lot of his property, opened a factory to make a living, and then opened the first military hospital in Lucheng.

This military hospital was jointly funded by several gentlemen who are now on the battlefield. Although Duan Qingen's money still accounted for the majority, he was able to persuade these gentlemen who would have some friction from time to time to contribute together, which was enough to show his ability.

The opening of the military hospital made Duan Qingen's funds a little easier. After all, he had investment, but this relief could not last too long. As long as the orphanage was still there, the silver he had to pay every day would be jaw-dropping.

Even if the orphans were sensible and worked to make money, it was still not enough.

At that time, these medical soldiers who were still students thought that this senior brother could not hold on.

At that time, as far as they knew, many people were considering investing.

Not for the goodwill of the orphanage, nor for the medical level of the military hospital, but simply to help him.

They could see that what Duan Qingen did was to preserve the fire for China.

While everyone was busy deciding the outcome on the battlefield, he was doing his best to protect the children of China.

Even if the war was lost and China was separated from then on, these children who received the right education would know that they were Chinese.

When someone couldn't help but propose investment, Duan Qingen unexpectedly held on again.

The factory he opened was running, and the factory mainly produced some food needed on the battlefield.

It is simple and convenient, small and easy to carry, but it can make people full immediately after eating, so that they will not be distracted by hunger when fighting.

The most important thing is that a small piece can last a whole day.

Although the factory said that these foods can last for a whole day when launching this product, if you do not eat normal meals all the time and eat this kind of food for three meals a day, the human body cannot replenish what it needs normally, and it will still become weak over time, so it is still recommended to supplement one normal meal a day.

But now it is wartime, no one can take care of the future, and those gentlemen at the top see how convenient it will be if they can have these foods during the war.

Batches of strategic foods were ordered, and Duan Qingen had money again, and these were foods that consumed quickly. As long as the war was not over, this business would not end.

Since then, Duan Qingen has completely been free from the shackles of money. He can continue to maintain the orphanage and continue to develop the military hospital.

The military hospital welcomes any medical student to study, which is a little different from other hospitals, because hospitals are often very busy, with patients, doctors, nurses, and patients' families. These people squeezed together can always make people busy.

Duan Qingen didn't think so.

At this moment, the medical soldier who followed him the closest looked at the person in front who was walking too fast, as if walking with the wind, and suddenly remembered the day when he first came to the military hospital to study.

For these students, it is difficult to find a hospital willing to accept them, because they are still young and immature. They can't do anything in the hospital. They can only be like stupid young birds, following their mentors and watching them treat patients and save people.

No one likes to have a bunch of people who can't help when they are busy, especially in wartime. War makes everyone's irritable factor very active. When a doctor is walking and suddenly remembers that he should go to check the room, or wants to go to the toilet, he suddenly turns around and bumps into a group of useless students. The irritable factor in his body is likely to make him speak harshly to these young students.

When they were still in school, they heard their seniors who went to the hospital mention these things, and they were afraid of the future.

But the military hospital belonging to Duan Qingen did not have the suffocating atmosphere.

No matter how busy they were, the doctors tried their best to treat them with a good attitude. Occasionally, if there was any surgery worth learning, someone would come to tell them specifically so that they could observe and learn.

Later they learned that this was the instruction of Dean Duan Qingen.

He said, "I know everyone is very busy and don't want people to make trouble, but when everyone doesn't know anything, the doctors present are excellent no matter where they are, but the knowledge you have is not innate, everyone needs to learn, and these students are now in the learning stage, which is the stage we have passed and they are experiencing."

"We will eventually get old, and when we are old and can no longer participate in treatment, someone will always take over. If everyone is too troublesome to take students, they can't learn anything. Who will take over our class in the future?"

The doctor who told them about this sighed a little ashamedly when he said this: "In fact, everyone knows these principles, but I can't help it. You know, when you are busy, you will always feel a little unbalanced when you see a bunch of idle people. "

"But the dean described to us that you will also reach our stage in the future, and we will feel much better. "

Speaking of this, he laughed, "Enjoy it. When you reach my age in the future and can teach students, you must remember not to reject them. We will leave this world one day, but our students will preserve some things, pass them down from generation to generation, extract the essence, discard the dross, and in the long run, in a sense, we can also achieve immortality. "

From that moment on, the student regarded Duan Qingen as his object of worship.

From ancient times to the present, as long as it involves teaching, the inheritance is always inevitable.

The inheritance is passed down from generation to generation. Maybe in the middle, maybe at the end, someone's thought can make the inheritance break at that point.

When a master teaches his apprentice, he always has to hide something.

When the apprentice grows up and becomes a master, he also has to hide something.

After being passed down from generation to generation, how much will be left in the end?

From that day on, this student began to write a diary quietly. Although it was called a diary, in fact, it was all Duan Qingen.

[Mr. came to the hospital to perform surgery today. He saved a child who was stabbed with a bayonet more than ten times. Because the operation was too difficult, we were allowed to watch. No one made a sound, only Mr.'s voice. When Mr. finally announced the success of the operation, I found myself crying.

Mr.'s gloves and surgical gowns were covered with blood, and even his face was splashed with blood because of the child's ruptured blood vessels. He stood in front of the operating table for several hours, with sweat on his forehead. At this moment, Mr. was embarrassed, but also tall. 】

He called Duan Qingen "Mr.", which was a very noble title in his eyes, because nowadays, prestigious people in power can be called Mr.

He felt that Duan Qingen deserved to be called, although he only dared to call him Dean when he really met him.

He wrote a lot of diaries like this. He wrote them not to take credit or show how much he admired Duan Qingen.

Instead, he wanted to be a recorder and record his actions. A hundred years later, if China is still there and they are no longer there, these diaries can tell the world.

There was such a good person who remained in this world.

Since this student became a medical soldier, he rarely saw Duan Qingen again. This time it was a long-awaited meeting, and he was no longer the student who could only stand aside and watch silently.

He can help the teacher.

After listening to Dr. Lu's brief explanation of the situation, Duan Qingen quickly changed into surgical clothes, put on a mask, and entered the operating room.

With the arrival of these medical soldiers, the military hospital became busy again. Because the medical soldiers sent the soldier here and knew his situation best, he appointed a medical soldier as his assistant.

As for the others...

Duan Qingen scanned these young people and said in a slower voice, "Go find a nurse to help bandage your wounds."

The medical soldiers supported each other and walked away, leaving only the only one who was not injured.

That was a very young guy. Duan Qingen vaguely remembered him. He should have studied in a military hospital. He was a very serious and talented young man.

He should admire him. After all, every time he met him, this guy would look at him with sparkling eyes.

After entering the operating room, Duan Qingen first heard a groan of pain, from the injured.

He frowned, stepped forward quickly, replaced the doctor who was originally standing there, and asked while quickly checking the situation: "What's going on?"

The doctor was sweating all over his head and his hands were shaking. He took a second to calmly say in a dry voice: "The injured is allergic to anesthetics and cannot be anesthetized."

And there are still two bullets in his body, one of which is threatening him now, and if they want to remove these two bullets, they must use a scalpel to cut open the flesh.

The wounded man lying on the ground groaned again. Hearing what the doctor said, he raised his head with difficulty. With sweat all over his forehead, he said intermittently and with difficulty: "It's okay... Just do it, I can bear it."

Duan Qingen knew why he was called here urgently.

The doctor could cut open the skin and flesh of any wounded person and take out the bullet, but if the wounded person was not anesthetized, the pain would make him struggle and tighten his skin and flesh. The bullet was fine in ordinary places, but if it hit a place like the chest, any struggle could turn the doctor's life-saving scalpel into a death warrant.

There was no time for Duan Qingen to think about these.

"Give him a mouth restraint, don't let him bite himself."

"You two, hold down the wounded's hands, you two, hold down the wounded's feet."

After giving the order quickly, Duan Qingen picked up the scalpel and fell on the wounded's chest.

"Um————"

The wounded soldier suddenly raised his neck, which was full of blue veins due to the force. After he groaned, he seemed to have used up all the oxygen in his body and could only breathe heavily.

The medical soldier was not assigned anything, and he did not dare to ask Duan Qingen for his own arrangements at this critical moment. He could only walk to the head of the soldier and cheer him up quietly.

"Captain Wu, you have to hold on, your wife is waiting for you at home."

He still remembered that on the way here, they were busy helping Captain Wu stop bleeding, but he did not look panicked at all. Except for his slightly frowned eyebrows due to pain, cold sweat and blood all over his head, he did not look like a wounded person at all.

"Don't be so scared, I won't die, my wife is still waiting for me."

He had heard of this Captain Wu, who was said to be very powerful, had won many victories and saved many people.

When he did not study medicine, he was still a child, a teenager, and followed his parents in Huangcheng. At that time, Huangcheng was occupied by the enemy. His father was a scholar and he knew some foreign languages. That day, when they were driven out, his father understood what those people said, and he was held in his arms with a pale face.

"They are going to kill us all."

The father's hand holding him trembled, and his voice was shaking. He said to his child, "Dad will always carry you. If Dad falls to the ground, you must also fall to the ground. No matter what happens, you must not open your eyes or make any sound. Do you understand?"

At that time, he did not know that his father was going to use himself to protect him so that he could fake his death and deceive those evil ghosts with bayonets.

But when they were all brought to a big pit and someone forced them to jump down, their father cried.

He knew there was no hope. No matter whether they would die by bayonets or bullets, their bodies would be buried in this pit. Those who were dead would be buried alive, but those who were not dead would be buried alive.

He couldn't save his son.

Then, like a miracle, the Chinese team came.

They used their blood to exchange for a city of civilians.

At that time, he had not yet studied medicine and injured his leg. He was carried out by a soldier. Later, his father decided to take him away. When his father took him to Lucheng, he chose to study medicine.

Be a medic.

You saved me once, and when I grow up, I can save you too.

While in the car, he simply prayed that Commander Wu would survive.

I don’t know if the soldier heard this, but he just bit the gag in his mouth harder, his eyes filled with tears.

The soldier’s tears of iron were born out of real pain.

The people around him were worried and their eyes were full of nervousness. Only Duan Qingen, who was standing by the bed, was still as steady as before and his face was completely calm.

A bullet was removed.

The last bullet was in a deeper and more dangerous place, and the scalpel had just cut through the deeper flesh.

“Well——————”

The wooden mouthparts were chewed to pieces.

The soldier let out an unbearable cry of pain, "Ahhhhh--"

Duan Qingen changed tools without moving his eyes away from the wound. He opened his mouth under the mask and asked calmly to divert the soldier's attention, "How old are you?"

"Forty...less than forty."

The soldier gritted his teeth, even though the pain swept through his body, he still answered the doctor.

"Is there anyone else at home?"

Soldier: "No."

He spat out each word with difficulty, "My parents... were killed by stray bullets, and my wife, who was pregnant, was spotted by the Japanese, and was forced by them... uh - "

The soldier's eyes were bloodshot from the pain. His body bounced violently, and because his limbs were restrained, he couldn't move. He gasped for air, "I was forced to jump into the river."

Every strand of his soaked hair seemed to be stained with sweat, and it trembled moment by moment with his breathing, "I was still an ordinary farmer at that time. I went to the city...well...bought a quilt. When I came back, The whole family is gone.”

Duan Qingen saw the bullet, he clamped it, carefully and slowly avoiding the surrounding danger zone, and lifted it up little by little.

Even when he was doing such a dangerous thing, he could still find some concentration and said to Captain Wu: "You are the only one left in your family. If you die, who will avenge them?"

"Yeah, I'm the only one left."

The soldier's eyes were a little distracted, and he felt life pulling away from him little by little, but he was strong and refused to leave.

"I can't, leave, I want to kill the Japanese and drive them... ah!! drive them out of China."

"My wife, my parents, they are all...waiting for me, waiting for me to avenge them...I want to live, uh-"

--bite.

The bullet stained with a layer of blood was placed in the tray and collided with the bullet that came out first.

Duan Qingen began to quickly sew up the wound and stop the bleeding. Everything was done quickly and silently.

The soldier felt that he could not hold on any longer.

His head fell weakly and his eyes looked at the bright light. He suddenly felt very sleepy and wanted to sleep.

How long has it been since you had a good night's sleep?

Endless battles, blood, sacrifices.

There was no longer pain on his face, but gradually confusion, and a trace of peace.

"Captain Wu!!"

The young medical soldier noticed something was wrong with him. Having seen many dead people on the battlefield, he knew clearly that this was a near-death state.

After subconsciously shouting, he turned to the gentleman he admired most for help.

"Dean, Captain Wu..."

Duan Qingen didn't raise his eyes and just asked: "Did you encounter any accidents on the way here?"

The soldier, whose consciousness was slowly blurring, suddenly had a clever idea and opened his eyes wide.

"The medics are carrying me to the car."

"We were attacked..."

He spoke word by word with difficulty, with confusion and pain in his eyes. Finally, he closed his eyes.

"A medic was killed trying to save me."

The medical soldier standing next to the bed was confused, "No, it's been a smooth journey..."

He suddenly stopped talking.

The medic lowered his head and looked at his hand, which was passing through the soldier's head.

The memories come back not too slowly.

Strictly speaking, it cannot be said that it was just to save Commander Wu, but to save all the injured.

They were fighting on the front lines, bleeding, sweating, and getting injured, which was when they were at their weakest.

They fought for the country, and as a medic, he fought for them.

It's not self-sacrifice or anything, it's just human instinct.

Instinctively want to protect these soldiers who are fighting for the country.

Also instinctively, I want to do something.

The eyes of the soldier on the operating bed lit up again.

He cannot die.

If he died, the medic's sacrifice would have been in vain.

He wanted to survive, return to the battlefield, and continue to defend their country.

****

"He has stabilized. If nothing happens, his life will definitely be saved."

After coming out of the operating room, Duan Qingen changed out of his surgical clothes and found the medical soldier sitting on the steps with his knees in his arms at the small door on the left next to the operating room.

The young man's originally stunned face showed surprise because of his words, "Can you see me?"

"Yes, you can see it."

Duan Qingen sat next to the medical soldier and followed his gaze just now and looked outside at Lucheng.

"I thought, no, I mean..."

The medical soldier, who was originally immersed in confusion and loss, became visibly energetic. His eyes were bright, and he looked at Duan Qingen with admiration.

"Dean, I, I have always wanted to tell you that you are a powerful and great person. I have always dreamed of becoming someone like you!!"

He spoke stumblingly, just like that, and it was only because of the stimulation brought by death that he had the courage to say it.

If he were still alive, someone had borrowed his courage to say these words, and he would not even dare to say them to Duan Qingen.

Duan Qingen looked at his young face.

How old is he?

Twenty-one? twenty? Or smaller?

The medical soldier was still stammering, "I dreamed about you once. You are really amazing. It would be great if I were half, no, one-tenth as powerful as you."

Duan Qingen touched his head from afar, as if he were a child.

"You're already an amazing person."

The medic's face became even more excited when he was stimulated by these words. He simply couldn't believe that the person he admired most said this to him.

Duan Qing'en: "Go and reincarnate. I've seen it. You can reincarnate in China a hundred years later. That is a very good era."

"A-a hundred years from now?"

Obviously, one hundred years is a bit too far away for the young medical soldier, but after the shock, he quickly fell into excitement, "You mean, one hundred years from now, our country of China will still be there?"

He was so happy that he didn't look like a person who had just died. He stood up and danced, "Did our country win? Did we survive?"

"Yeah, we're going to win."

Maybe it was because Duan Qingen could see himself, maybe because he had always admired this person, maybe because deep down in his subconscious he felt that the person he admired was omnipotent, the medical soldier believed Duan Qingen's words very easily.

With bright eyes, he looked at the person he admired curiously and hopefully, "Sir, what will China look like in a hundred years?"

Duan Qingen answered.

"One hundred years from now, most Chinese people will have enough to eat and clothing, and the state will take care of those who cannot live on their own. Children without parents will be sent to orphanages. They can be raised by the state until they are eighteen years old, even if Even orphans can go to school. Children can go to school for free. If their families are poor, they can also apply for state subsidies. Children as old as you should be attending college in China a hundred years from now. "

There are college students now, but this title is too far away and too impressive for medical soldiers. When he heard that he would become a college student, he was surprised and at a loss, "I, I don't deserve it, I know too few things." , that’s a university.”

"It doesn't matter. Before you go to college, you will go to elementary school, middle school, and high school. The teacher will teach you."

When the medical soldier thought that he could go to college in the future, he couldn't stop smiling. He touched his head and asked: "A hundred years from now, will China stop fighting?"

"No fight."

Duan Qing'en gave an affirmative answer: "A hundred years from now, in China, everyone is eager to join the army. Everyone can walk freely on the streets, and beautiful women don't have to worry about being kidnapped. At night, they They will also light up lamps, as bright as day. Most of the diseases that we cannot cure now will be almost overcome in a hundred years. Everyone will pay for something called medical insurance. When they get sick, the state will help pay most of it. cost."

"Every child will be vaccinated when he is born. As long as the child is vaccinated, he will no longer have to worry about contracting diseases, such as measles. If he is vaccinated, he will not get measles again in the future."

"Is that so good?!"

The medical soldier quickly asked: "What about tuberculosis? Can tuberculosis also be cured?"

His father died of tuberculosis.

"There are anti-tuberculosis drugs."

Duan Qingen was very patient with this young man who had just died.

The medical soldier heard this and giggled twice, "Sir, I feel now that I am not dead. I am going to heaven as those foreign devils said."

"Without war, everyone would have enough to eat."

He repeated, his eyes full of longing and a little unbelievable: "After a hundred years, has our country actually become so good?"

Duan Qingen looked at the giggling child, "It will become so good because of your efforts a hundred years ago."

"Very good."

The medical soldier smiled happily, laughing and crying at the same time, "It's great to be able to make it so good."

"Sir, can my father also go there? That way if he gets tuberculosis, he doesn't have to worry about being cured."

Duan Qingen shook his head: "I have never met your father and cannot see his future, but I think he will also go."

"Sir, can you see the future of people? What does my future look like? I mean, the future of China a hundred years after I go there."

Duan Qingen looked into his eyes, straight, as if he had traveled through a hundred years.

"You are lively and popular, wearing a black hat, eating bread, and there are many children of your age around you. You stood up and seemed to be discussing something with those children."

The medical soldier was even happier.

He had never eaten bread in his life, which was something only foreigners could afford.

Death did not bring him pain, but filled him with hope and joy.

"Then how should I reincarnate, sir? After I reincarnate, will you still remember me?"

He looked at Duan Qingen a little shyly and a little eagerly: "You are the best person I have ever met, I want you to remember me."

"Of course, what's your name?"

The medical soldier smiled happily, "My name is Song Jien."

Duan Qingen nodded, indicating that he remembered it, "My name is Duan Qingen, our names are quite similar."

The young man was a little embarrassed, "Actually, I didn't have this name originally. When I was a child, my father and I were about to be killed in a pit, but I was saved. My father changed my name to Song Jien, meaning that I should remember the kindness."

"It's a good name, you did it too."

The medical soldier looked at Duan Qingen who slowly stood up, and realized that he was going to send him away.

He asked the last question in this world as Song Jien: "Sir, why can you see me?"

Duan Qingen stretched out his hand, held his hand and walked forward, and a path that had never appeared before appeared in front of the two of them.

They set foot on this path, surrounded by countless flowers, delicate and full of vitality.

"Because there are too many spirits in this era who should not be lost."

Among the countless flowers, the medical soldier saw a large aperture, and Duan Qingen took him to the aperture.

"They have already made all the efforts, they deserve a good ending, they should know what their efforts have brought them, and they should go to the future they once longed for but could not reach. My existence is to heal them and let them leave without regrets."

"Go in."

The doctor, who was still wearing a white coat and had a handsome appearance, faced him and smiled.

"You are worth it."

The medical soldier looked at him gratefully, and with hope, he slowly stepped into the aperture.

Duan Qingen stood there, watching the aperture slowly turn into a door, and the door slowly opened, allowing the medical soldier to walk in.

What he paid, what he worked hard for, the future world he exchanged for with sweat and blood, pain and sacrifice.

- After all, a door was opened for him and accepted him.

The author has something to say: Nine thousand!!!

Ah, I am so tired of writing

Good night, little angels, random red envelopes, muah