Chapter 4 Monument

Baxi Township is located at the foot of Wufeng Mountain. It was originally a part of Wufeng Township. It was not until the completion of the large reservoir that it was separated from the other side of the water and established as a separate township.This is a small town with a vast land and few people, bordering the mountains of neighboring counties.The peasant revolution led by the Communist Party in the early twentieth century, a great chaos that changed the fate of many people, came easily from the other side of the mountain. There is still a bluestone tablet here, with some broken and damaged inscriptions on it, recording the names of more than 200 dead people, and recording that period of turmoil.

At that time, two or three strangers came, and everyone thought they were just oil or salt dealers, and they didn't take it seriously.It was only later that I found out that those people were here to "join up". It is said that whoever does not "join up" with them may have a white note posted on their door, which may cause disaster.Finally one day, the piercing gong sounded in a line in the ravine, and someone was running around with a bloody head.Everyone saw that it was the head of the well-known nobleman Wu Si.Only then did people know that the revolution had already taken place, and the poor could go to Master Wu Si's house to distribute grain, burn land deeds, move flower beds, and pickle altars, and old bachelors could even go there to distribute wives.

The world turned upside down, and Chadong immediately pulled up the ranks of the Red Army. Even a thirteen-year-old bamboo craftsman put on red armbands in a blink of an eye and became a company commander (Guohua's father said).He is very courageous and has the most ruthless shots, but he is too short. When killing people, he has to stand on the bench and jump up with both feet, so that the blade can reach the opponent's head.Under the applause of some people, he hugged the corpse that had just fallen, pointed his mouth at the headless neck, and drank its blood (according to Wu Huanming).

Famous for his bravery, it is no surprise that he later became a general among the Red Bandits.In a big country after the collapse of the imperial power, although there is a new government, it is torn apart and has almost no tax sources. It relies on borrowing money to support some unsightly spearmen, and it is powerless to even defend a few cities. Sporadic "bandits" can only be left alone.This state of affairs may have lasted only for a brief period.After the war in the north ended, the officers and soldiers freed up their hands, calmed down, and bought German guns, so they took the "shoveling communist team" and "door-to-door regiment" and other militia groups to fight back, threatening to spend three times in the cradle , The coffin boards have to be scraped nine times, and those with the surname "Su" must be killed.

Sure enough, they were red-eyed all the way.Sometimes a family member of the Red Army was hacked to death in front of the dining table with a knife, and food, such as toothpaste squeezed out of the deceased's throat, came out of muddled sweet potato shreds or pumpkin leaves. Some farmers who had distributed the property of the landlords were so frightened that they slaughtered chickens and sheep, served wine for apologizing, and even joined the militia to clear the countryside together.Whether they like it or not, they have to be ordered to stretch their chopsticks into the cauldron and eat a piece of the heart, lungs, liver, and intestines of the "thumping brain", otherwise they have to prepare for others to eat.

The general's eldest brother and his family died in this Qingxiang.The second elder brother was timid, so he made an apology drink to save his life.The general was a regiment commander of the Red Army at this time, and it would be a few years before he left Jiangxi to find a chance for revenge.He didn't find the grave of the elder brother's family, because the elder brother had been eaten until not a single bone was left, so there was nothing to put in the grave.He could only cry while hugging a wooden stool that his elder brother used to sit on.On this day, a table of squires having a banquet had no time to escape, and hid in the buns. They were finally discovered by the Red Army soldiers, who raised their hands in fright.The general drew his broadsword and rushed there.His mother knew what he was going to do, and ran over like crazy, knelt down with a plop, and hugged the general's leg: Son, son, it doesn't matter if you kill him.If you leave, more than 100 people in Chadong will die.

The general cried and shouted: I will goug them out! The old lady knew that he was going to goug out the eldest brother's family, and she was so frightened that the ground hit the ground with a bang on her forehead: If you want to goug out, goug out your mother first! The second brother also came and knelt down: Third brother, third brother, I also ate the meat of the eldest brother, and I also ate the meat of sister-in-law Qiu.I'm not as good as a beast, so you go out here too... The general couldn't move his legs and let out a long howl.The three mother and son tore each other, tugged, tugged, and finally hugged and cried together.Many people in the village also cried with them.

In this way, Chadong was preserved. When I saw Chadong, it was supported by dozens of scattered roofs. There were cows grazing on the edge of the fields, and women were making insoles in front of the door.The general died more than ten years ago, and died in the post of a deputy commander in the north.It is said that when the telegram of the bad news came, an old camphor tree in front of his house had just snapped and died, which aroused many people secretly discussing it.His family's old house has not been destroyed yet, but it is very dilapidated, and the paint of a signboard of a revolutionary memorial room is peeling off and blurred.Looking in from the window, there are a few dusty agricultural tools stacked there, such as grain buckets and waterwheels, with thick spider webs hanging on them.

I heard from a villager who herded cattle that the general seldom returned to his hometown when he was in office.The villagers thought that chickens and dogs ascended to the sky, and the moon was near the water, but the general did not allow any of the villagers to find jobs in the city.When he went back to his hometown many years ago, he just invited the whole village to have a meal. He said it was stewed pork with radish, but in fact there were more radishes and less meat. dissatisfied. The general's second brother has also passed away.During his lifetime, he received remittances from the north from time to time, and he also went to the city to enjoy a few days of happiness.But he didn't like the city. After getting off the train in that northern city, he got into the car and was shocked when he sat down. He said what kind of chair was it, and his heart almost jumped out of his mouth in fright.He couldn't even smell the gasoline smell, he would get out of the car alive, and he would walk if he said anything.The general had no choice but to walk all the way with my brother, letting the car follow slowly behind.

Of course the general's mother died too.The woman who kept the village was buried on the back hill of the old house.Two black goats used to bleat there, which sounded like haunting whimpers.I heard from the villagers that the two black goats came from no one knows where they came from. Because they didn't know the details, no one dared to catch them and let them roam freely.