Chapter 30: The Investiture Ceremony!
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Early the next morning, Xing County Government Office had been transformed into a makeshift auditorium.
Time was precious, so there was naturally no need for rehearsals or elaborate arrangements. Even the auditorium itself had been put together in great haste and with the simplest of materials.
General Liu Fei stood at the front of the stage.
Chu Yunfei and the other officers sat below, their eyes shining with anticipation.
Miss Manli raised her camera and quietly waited for General Liu Fei to finish speaking.
When Chu Yunfei’s name was called, he stepped forward.
A guard in a Sun Yat-sen suit presented a finely crafted medal with both hands.
With a smile, General Liu Fei offered Chu Yunfei a few words of encouragement.
After shaking hands, Chu Yunfei once again raised a crisp military salute.
“General Liu, could you move slightly to the left?”
“Thank you.”
At Miss Manli’s direction, General Liu adjusted his posture.
“Please hold still!”
The flash went off, and a perfect photograph was taken.
“You can handle the rest of the presentations as the commanding officer.”
“Yes, sir!”
After saluting, Chu Yunfei turned and walked down from the stage.
Under the direction of Chief of Staff Fang Ligong, the battalion commanders of the Fourth and Second Battalions, Zhuo Tianyu and Wu Ziqiang, stepped onto the stage together.
Both men looked extremely excited. Their faces were flushed, and they were brimming with energy.
Chu Yunfei took the exquisitely crafted Qiancheng Medal from Yang Congyun and was the first to pin it onto Zhuo Tianyu.
Just as Miss Manli was about to take a photograph, Chu Yunfei spoke up.
“Miss Manli, they are the true stars of today’s ceremony. Please point the camera at them.”
“I understand, General Chu.”
Surprise flickered in the eyes of Wu Ziqiang and Zhuo Tianyu.
What?
Could it be that the colonel was showing off again?
Miss Manli nodded and adjusted the angle.
Chu Yunfei stepped to Wu Ziqiang’s side.
He did the same when presenting the medal to Zhuo Tianyu.
Below the stage, Third Battalion Commander Luo Weiguo watched with burning envy. Of the regiment’s four battalion commanders, three had already received medals.
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Only he, as the reserve and support-force commander, had not been decorated.
All he had received was a commendation from the Second War Zone Headquarters.
No one even knew the name Luo Weiguo.
Not far away, First Battalion Commander Qian Bojun wore a faint smile.
Admittedly, the Second and Fourth Battalion commanders had performed well.
But compared with Qian Bojun himself, they still fell far short.
A Sixth-Class Cloud Banner Medal!
The Cloud Banner Medal was one of the medals awarded by the Nationalist Government to the army, navy, and air force. It was named for the cloud-banner emblem engraved at its center.
Up to that point, only two men had received such an honor.
In 1933, Dai Anlan, then commander of the 145th Regiment of the 25th Division, had distinguished himself in the resistance at Gubeikou and received the Fifth-Class Cloud Banner Medal.
He was an outstanding graduate of the third class of the Whampoa Military Academy.
In 1937, during the Battle of Shanghai, Sun Yuanliang had led the 88th Division in holding the Zhabei positions for more than two months, earning the Third-Class Cloud Banner Medal.
He was a graduate of the academy’s first class—and a highly controversial “famous general.”
In Qian Bojun’s own view, his achievements in this campaign were not enough to earn him a Sixth-Class Cloud Banner Medal.
The commendation and training opportunity from Nanjing were most likely the result of Chu Yunfei, his regimental commander, pulling strings on his behalf.
When Fang Ligong called out the name of First Battalion Commander Qian Bojun, Qian immediately rose to his feet, straightened his uniform, and walked onto the stage with barely contained excitement.
Chu Yunfei accepted the medal and carefully pinned it onto him.
“You should take off that major’s insignia as well. I’ve already petitioned the Second War Zone Headquarters to promote you. There should be news in the next few days.”
“Thank you, Commander.”
Chu Yunfei’s eyes gleamed as he patted Qian Bojun on the shoulder.
His gaze was filled with expectation, like that of an old father hoping to see his son rise to greatness.
Qian Bojun had some ability, though not a great deal.
Among the Jin-Sui Army’s collection of incompetents, he was still considered fairly capable. By then, Chu Yunfei had already brought him completely to heel.
“You’ve followed me for many years. In the entire 358th Regiment, you are the man I trust most!”
“I believe you will never disappoint me, Qian Bojun!”
The officers below watched as the two men spoke softly onstage, as close as brothers.
The company commanders of the First Battalion also whispered among themselves below the stage.
“Our battalion commander is still the one most favored by Commander Chu.”
“Of course. The battalion commander followed him as far back as the Central Plains War. They’ve licked blood from the edge of a blade and fought their way through heaps of corpses together. They’re brothers who have shared life and death.”
“That makes them even closer than real brothers!”
“Exactly. Without the commander, where would our First Battalion be today?”
First Company Commander Bian Fucheng frowned and reminded them, “All right, enough. Stop talking.”
Onstage, the two men stood shoulder to shoulder, smiling warmly at the camera.
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After Fang Ligong delivered a brief speech, he announced the end of the medal ceremony.
Chu Yunfei walked toward General Liu and the others.
General Liu Fei did not exchange any pleasantries. He immediately told Chu Yunfei that he would be returning to Nanjing the following day to report.
Chu Yunfei appeared “shocked” and hurriedly asked whether they had treated him poorly.
Liu Fei smiled and shook his head, explaining that the situation in Shanghai was urgent.
Since Liu was determined to leave, Chu Yunfei naturally would not try to keep him there.
The two men were not truly of the same path. Instead, Chu Yunfei arranged for Sun Ming to send several little goldfish along with Yang Congyun.
He also prepared a special gift for his old classmate, Qian Zhaoyou.
“Brother Yunfei, what is this?”
“It was taken during the Battle of Ruyue Pass. The original owner of this sword was apparently a Japanese captain named Kuriyama Tetsuji. His name is engraved on the blade. After we part here in Xing County, who knows when we will meet again?”
Sadness appeared on Qian Zhaoyou’s face.
He greatly envied Chu Yunfei, who was able to lead troops into battle.
“If only I could take the field and kill the enemy…”
Seeing the sincerity in Qian Zhaoyou’s expression, Chu Yunfei asked tentatively, “Brother Wuguan, if the opportunity arose, would you be willing to serve in my army?”
“Brother Yunfei?”
Qian Zhaoyou raised his brows, his face lighting up with delight.
But after his initial excitement, he sighed.
“But I’m only a major serving as a staff officer now. I have no experience commanding troops…”
“Our Jin-Sui Army is a small temple and may not be large enough to accommodate you. But if you do not object, Brother Wuguan, I am willing to make the necessary arrangements and bring you to the 358th Regiment as an operations staff officer.
“Our regiment is a combat unit directly under the Second War Zone, so you certainly will not lack opportunities for frontline action.”
Qian Zhaoyou was deeply tempted, but hesitation soon returned to his heart.
The Jin-Sui Army…
Chu Yunfei himself was a native of Wutai County in Shanxi, and a fellow townsman of Yan Xishan.
There was a famous saying in the Jin-Sui Army:
“Speak the Wutai dialect, and you may wear a foreign saber.”
As a graduate of the Whampoa system, Qian Zhaoyou was naturally unlikely to receive much trust or promotion.
But following Chu Yunfei would surely be better than remaining in Nanjing as a minor staff officer, would it not?
With that thought, Qian Zhaoyou no longer hesitated.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Brother Yunfei. I will never disappoint you.”
“Then please wait patiently, Brother Wuguan. You will naturally receive your transfer orders in due course.”
“By the way, Brother Yunfei, did Commander Liu perhaps seek you out privately?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
Qian Zhaoyou hesitated, but finally spoke.
“On this trip, Commander Liu, Mr. Yang, and the others brought not only the medals but also a new uniform. It was prepared for you. In principle, they should have awarded you a new rank today, but for some reason, they never mentioned it.”
Chu Yunfei raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was wrong.
So the group really had received some kind of news.
But why had General Liu Fei not brought it up himself?
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