Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

After the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered Beijing, Da Dao Wang Wu led the brothers of the Yuanshun Escort Bureau to go underground and fight against the foreign soldiers in a mysterious manner.He comforted the neighbors and said: "With me, Wang Wu, foreign devils will not be allowed to come here to run amok. Don't be afraid." The shop opened by a man named Shi in Xibanbi Street was robbed by Russian soldiers. The bodyguard fought against the Russian soldiers, killed dozens of people, and protected the transfer of Shi's family.On the third day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, German and Russian soldiers surrounded the Yuanshun Escort Bureau due to the informants of neighbors. Wang Wu, who was discussing against the enemy in the backyard, and four Boxer leaders were besieged inside; after a bloody battle, they failed to break through. , was finally arrested.When Wang Wu was escorted to walk on the street, he shouted to the common people on the side of the road: "A man can't serve justice, and there is no regret in dying for the great cause!"

After they were arrested, they were sent to the German Army Headquarters located in Qianmen Grinding Factory, where they were severely tortured, but none of them succumbed.Wang Wu's wife, Wang Zhangshi, heard that Sai Jinhua had friendship with the commander-in-chief of the Eight-Power Allied Forces, Wa Dexi, so she approached Sai Jinhua and asked her to try to rescue Wang Wu, but to no avail. Soon, Wang Wu and others were shot to death on the east riverside of Qianmen. .When Wang Wu was martyred, he sat on a wooden chair safely, facing the guns of the German soldiers, without changing his face, and said to the German soldiers word by word: "Real Chinese people have backbone, you kill them." I killed one Wang Wu, but I can't kill tens of thousands of Chinese!" The German soldiers fired three consecutive volleys of guns before Wang Wu fell into a pool of blood.None of the people surrounding the house did not cry.

After hearing the news, Wang Wu's wife, Wang Zhangshi, and adopted son, Wang Shaobin, were devastated. They buried Wang Wu grandly in the Xisanlihe Muslim Cemetery in Beijing according to the custom of Hui people. Zhang San couldn't help fainting after hearing Cheng Yanhua's tragic narration, and when he woke up, he was already lying on the kang in Cheng Yanhua's house.Cheng Yanhua gritted his teeth and said, "If China hadn't been a mess, would foreigners have swaggered in one by one? Chaoyan lured wolves into the house, causing national disaster, and now it's out of control. The hundreds of thousands of dead souls of the Boxers won't close their eyes. Wang Wu Big brother won’t close his eyes either, the blood debt must be paid with blood!” Zhang San nodded, he got up slowly, came to the window, looked at the bright moon, and murmured to himself: “Look at the moon! How clean and bright it is, but this earth is full of blood! This blood stain will write down the heinous crimes of the foreign soldiers, and will also write down the resistance and cries of the Chinese people!  …”

In the evening, Cheng Yanhua polished the spring and autumn treasured knife, hid it in his robe, and went out of the house to find Zhang San in Yangyi Hutong.When they walked to Hebochang Alley, a group of German patrols came to meet him. They saw Cheng Yanhua's big arms and round waist, and his radiance. They became suspicious and insisted on searching him.Cheng Yanhua knew that it was difficult for him to get out of the tiger's mouth, so before the German soldiers approached him, he flashed out the Spring and Autumn Sword.With a cold light, the heads of the two German soldiers fell to the ground.The German soldiers were stunned when they saw this scene. Before they could understand what was going on, Cheng Yanhua brandished the Spring and Autumn Sword again, and stabbed two German soldiers down again with a "poof".Then, with a gossip trick of "getting out and changing shadows", he jumped to the house in No. 46 courtyard of Hebochang Hutong. Just as he was about to jump to another roof, a volley of guns from German soldiers shot him down. , Cheng Yanhua was shot several times, blood stained the roof, and sacrificed heroically.

But Zhang San, Li Cunyi and others waited for a long time but did not see Cheng Yanhua coming, so they were very anxious.At this time, Baye Wan, "Little Silver Spear" He Liu, "Little Yingbi" and a dozen wrestlers from the Shanpu camp also arrived one after another, but Cheng Yanhua was nowhere to be seen.It was already midnight, and Zhang Sandao said: "Glass Cheng is a loyal friend, something must have happened to him, let's not wait for him, let's save him immediately." Li Cunyi and others also agreed, and immediately let Xiaoyingbi take two brothers to stay. In response to Zhang's family, Zhang San, Li Cunyi, Wan Baye, He Liu and others crossed the back wall of Zhongsu Temple and entered the temple.There was a French soldier standing guard in the temple. Zhang San sneaked around behind him and killed him with a blow. Master Wan Baye and others came to the Kuiguang Pavilion in the north and took a look. The prison was full of women who had been escorted. These women did not dare to cry loudly, but wept silently.The women were naked and surrounded by several braziers to keep warm. Some of them were yellow and thin, and they were obviously the daughters of poor families;In the shrine on the wooden table is also enshrined a tablet of Yu Qian, on which there is a plaque with the four characters "Hot blood for thousands of years".It turned out that the French soldiers simply stripped their clothes for the sake of convenience, feared that they would escape, and feared that they would hang themselves. But in this cold winter, they were afraid that they would freeze to death, so they built a brazier inside the house.

Master Wan found Zhang San and said, "These women are all naked, how can we take them out?" She peeled off the emerald ring on the left finger of a girl on the ground.The girl was dying, and she was still clutching the gorgeous bellyband, which was embroidered with a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water. A string of pearls was torn apart, and the round pearls spilled all over the ground and rolled around. .The French officer peeled off her semi-rigid and slender hands for a long time, but he couldn't get it off.He picked up a bayonet, chopped off the girl's left hand, and took off the emerald green emerald ring...

Zhang San rushed in, knocked down the French officer with his palm, took advantage of the situation and rode up, and swung his hands left and right, hitting the French officer until his brains splattered out.When he turned around, he saw that the room next to him was densely packed with women's clothing, some were torn to pieces, some were stained with mud and blood, some were made of silk and satin, and some were made of linen.Zhang San called Li Cunyi to come over, told him to stare at the foreign soldiers in the front yard, and then carried the clothes to Kuiguang Pavilion with He Liu and others.When the women saw them coming in, they panicked and huddled together in small groups.Zhang San said kindly to them: "Sisters, we are here to rescue you. Get dressed quickly and move to Baiyi Nunnery for the time being." After hearing this, some women were so excited that they cried, and some of them put on their clothes. , and some walked up to Zhang San and said: "Brother, we have suffered these days. These wolf-hearted beasts, how can they ruin people so much, who doesn't have women!"!A woman with the appearance of a noble lady came over dressed and said to Zhang San: "We Chinese soldiers are all idlers? They burned our Beijing city, so we can't burn their Notre Dame Cathedral and Winter Palace..." and A girl cried: "They also opened up two big sisters who were pregnant..."

Zhang Sanshou stood under the back wall of the Zhongsu Temple, watching the last woman climb over the courtyard wall, so he called Li Cunyi, and the two finally climbed over the wall.A group of people left the east entrance of the overflowing alley, quietly crossed the downtown entrance, and arrived at Baiyi Nunnery in Dongzongbu Hutong.Xiaoyingbi and the others had already greeted Master Yuelang, the abbot of Baiyi Nunnery, and a group of people entered the nunnery.The nuns housed the women in cellars in the backyard.At this time, it was already dawn, Wan Baye, Xiao Yingbi, He Liu and other people who were good at battling the camp first slipped out from the back door of Baiyi Nunnery.Li Cunyi wanted to leave Beijing to go to a friend's house in Cangzhou, Zhili, but Zhang San was not at ease when he heard that.Li Cunyi said: "My injury is healed, I can move freely, and I can go out of the city." Zhang Sandao: "The gates of the city are tightly checked. It is better to live in Baiyi Nunnery for a day, and then go out over the wall at night." Li Cunyi hesitated.Master Yuelang said: "Master Zhang's words are reasonable. Brother Cunyi, it's better to stay for a day first, and I will take you out of the city at night." Because Zhang San missed Cheng Yanhua, he said goodbye to everyone and left the nunnery.

Zhang San came to Sitiao, the flower market, and saw many foreign soldiers surrounding the Hebo Factory from a distance, searching passers-by one by one.Zhang San hurriedly entered Shangsitiao Hutong.He asked the old man who closed the door and watched, and the old man told him the story of Cheng Yanhua's martyrdom. Zhang San heard it like a thunderbolt, his eyes went dark, and he supported the courtyard wall.In just a few days, Zhang San lost two friends in a row, how could it not make him sad?He is an upright man who is not easy to be emotional. After many ups and downs and rough years, he silently endured poverty and pain.Displaced, starving, being scolded by others, he did not shed tears; practicing kung fu, his head was broken, his bones were injured, he did not shed tears; but now he has lost these two close friends, His tears fell down. "Big Sword" Wang Zibin, what a bold and upright man!His cheerful laughter seemed to still ring in his ears.Once Zhang San's child was seriously ill, and he was short of money. He didn't have so much money to hire a doctor. After hearing about it, Wang Wu personally sent five hundred taels of silver.When Wang Wu walks the darts, sometimes he asks Zhang San for help. The two lie on the same bed, have a heart-to-heart talk, cut window candles together, and talk about each other's joys and sorrows... 'Glass Cheng' Cheng Yanhua is really a tough guy with superb kung fu. He is handsome and likes to tell witty words.Zhang San is always willing to go to the "Chengji Optical Shop" to have a drink or two when he is in the city. The two of them toast to discuss heroes and perform light kung fu stunts together.Once Zhang San went to "Cheng Ji Optical Shop" and didn't meet Cheng Yanhua. He heard that he was teaching art in Tongzhou Martial Arts Hall, so he rushed to Tongzhou to meet Cheng Yanhua.When Cheng Yanhua's wife was pregnant, she couldn't buy eggs, and Zhang San brought heavy fresh eggs from home... But now these two friends have died heroically under the foreign guns of the invaders. The invaders sacrificed their lives generously at gunpoint; a friend, entrusted by a friend, rushed to rescue the woman in the heated kang, fought hard against the invaders, and died in the random gunfire...

During the day, Zhang San hid at a friend's house, and at night he came to Hebo Factory to avenge Cheng Yanhua.At this time, the area around Hebochang was sparsely populated and there were no foreign soldiers.As soon as he inquired, he learned that the foreign soldiers surrounding here were also evacuated in the afternoon.Just now Cheng Yanhua's relatives have removed his body from the house.Zhang San took two steps and rushed to the "Chengji Optical Shop", but there was no one there. Zhang San rushed to Qianmen Street again.He stared blankly at the familiar shop, looking for the prosperity of the past.Rows upon rows of shops have long been closed, and there are few pedestrians on the street.He came to Yuanshun Escort Bureau on Xibanbi Street.The plaque of Yuanshun Escort Bureau has disappeared, and the flagpole of the Escort Flag has been broken off in the middle.Zhang San stepped forward to pat the closed door, and after a while, there was a sound of "kick, kick, tata", and a white-haired old man opened the door.Zhang San asked: "Is there anyone else in Wang Wu's family? I'm Zhang San." The old man looked Zhang San up and down with dull old eyes, and exclaimed in surprise: "Oh, it's Mr. Zhang. Still strong? After Wang Wu’s death, the bodyguard bureau has been closed, and the fathers of bodyguards have gone to other places. Wang Wu’s adopted son, Wang Shaobin, and his mother, Wang Zhangshi, have fled to the countryside.” Zhang San asked, “That bastard is still there. Do you live nearby?" Hearing this, the old man gritted his few remaining teeth, "He, he killed Wang Wuye, informed foreigners, and now he got a fortune, spending all day in the Bada Hutong brothel... ..."

Zhang San came to Zhushikou Street, the sky was dotted with stars, like a Milky Way paved with fine quicksand lying in the blue atmosphere.The moon showed its pale face listlessly, as if it didn't want to peek at this humiliating ancient city, sometimes it hid in the thick clouds, sometimes it reflected its cold and pityful eyes on the loose branches and desolate streets, and suddenly , as if at the end of the sky, there was a faint sound of wooden fish from the ruined temple... Zhang San walked down the street in frustration, blindly, letting the cold wind hit his slender and thin body.He hadn't had a drink for three days. Alcohol was the only thing that could sober him up, bring him back to his senses, and cheer him up.At this time, a scent of rice wine came over, and he looked up, and suddenly thought of the rice wine restaurant opened by Liang Zhenpu. The Yellow Tavern was closed, Zhang Sanyi jumped into the room, saw that the south room was still bright, he hung a "fuchsia bell" on the eaves, looked inside, was so surprised by this sight, almost fell out of the room .