革命人巧計拋言論 《女人和土匪》 （英譯本）

 

 

Chapter 38

 

With Yang, Tang went to visit Zhang Yunxuan in the commerce chamber every noon and evening. She took nice food and daily necessities to him. For the first two days Zhang was segregated. Even Tang and Yang were not allowed to meet Zhang. The leadership of the commerce chamber told her that this was the organizational decision for the good of President Zhang. Tang believed Christianity. She was aware that her husband had done nothing wrong, but thought this was a test to her by God.

Yang did not think this way. He was aware that such treatment could drive people mad. Liu Lijing was forced to rebel against the Communists by such campaigns. Zhang was well-educated. He had enough patience to tolerate the injustice done to him. But Yang was worried for him.

The first two days passed. On the noon of the third day, Yang asked Tang to stay at home while taking food and a blanket to Zhang.

The officer on duty saw Yang and thought he was sending food to Zhang. He asked with discontent, “Is a capitalist so great as to be served by others every day?”

Yang was angry and cursed, “What a fuck word!”

The word “fuck” in Guizhou dialect sounded like “soft”, so the officer asked, “What do you mean by ‘soft’? I am not soft at all.”

The Guizhou people beside him laughed. Yang yelled, “Fuck word is fuck word. Soft word is fuck word, so is hard word.”

The people in Guizhou like to speak in this seemingly impolite way. The officer heard “fuck word” twice, and realized that it was not a good word. So, he replied, “Why did you curse me?”

“Because Zhang is my brother, a military man.”

Some people said, “Zhang admits he is a capitalist.”

Yang answered, “Women become beautiful because of fair skin. Men become great because of revolution. He has joined the revolution. How could you say he is a capitalist? Fuck you!”

Hearing the noise, Chen came out. He cast a glance at Yang, asking, “Are you Zhang’s sworn brother or guard? You know Zhang has serious problems with his past. He is examining himself for that. He has enough food and dresses here. You don’t need to come here next time.”

Yang replied, “Fuck word!”

Many people said, “He is cursing.”

Chen did not understand what “fuck word” meant. But he heard others say that Yang was cursing him. He got angry. He put his hands at his waist and pointed at Yang, cursing, “You the Kuomintang scoundrel, how dare you ruin the anti-reactionary campaign?”

Yang was not well-educated, but he knew the man was playing him down with notoriety. He recalled that people liked to boast in these days. So, he shouted, “What am I? Tell you the truth: I am a Kuomintang in face but a Communist in heart!” he went on with pride, “I have beaten the Japanese before, and I have rescued my brother Zhang from the Japanese invaders.”

He pounded his own chest, going on, “If you think saving the Kuomintang officer means nothing, then let me tell you: I even saved Director Yan. Please get Mr. Yan here, and tell me why you segregated my brother here. If you didn’t tell me the reason clearly, I would stay here with my brother.”

Chen was aware of the importance of law. So he asked, “I didn’t segregate anyone here. This is the organizational decision. Fuck!”

Yang said, “Fuck you! You forced my brother to stay here. Isn’t this segregation? Soft penis!”

Chen was stuck. He whispered to a person beside him, “What does it mean by ‘soft penis’?”

The man answered, “It’s a minority people’s word. It means ‘no interest’, like you are ruined by someone else when you are having sex.”

Chen was not well-educated, but had a strong sense of politics. He pondered over Yang’s words.

Chen was born in a revolutionary base. Like many people, he only believed in the Communists. He did not think the Kuomintang troops had done a lot in the Anti-Japanese War. He heard Yang had rescued Zhang from the Japanese. He got alert. He thought Yang must be a reactionary or a Kuomintang agent. Thus, he asked calmly:

“It is good for you to come here. You have served Zhang for years. Probably you could tell us a lot about his past. Then, we can settle this problem. Ok?”

Yang thought: He should tell others Zhang’s contributions, safeguard him, and help him to recover his freedom and good fame. With this thought, he told the others his friendship with Zhang.

Yang killed his wife and her lover Master Wang. He was aware he could not defeat the landlord’s family, so he got 12 silver coins from his home and escaped in the direction of the provincial capital—Guiyang.

Yang was worried that he would be arrested. So he ran all the way. Then, he came to Machangping and hid in a forest.

He was scared because of the killing. Even a hare or a pine cone could frighten him. He dreamed of his killed wife at night. He lived a dog’s life.

One day he saw an army coming. In the sunlight he saw the artillery soldiers with cannons, and some infantry soldiers. The army looked grand and great in his eyes.

Yang stared at the procession. He was not aware of hunger and thirst. At this time, the trumpets sounded, and the soldiers dug holes and put up pots and made fires. They began to cook. Yang noticed an officer reading near a rock.

Yang recalled the Kuomintang troops were recruiting soldiers the other day. He thought he was a qualified candidate. He had the power to help others have the bliss of getting sons. So, he should be able to join the army.

Yang realized that he was born to be a soldier. He had killed the dirty wild couple and he might be killed if he went back home. He was single and had nothing to care about in the world. Why not join the army? The army was where murderers could stay, he thought. With this thought, he marched towards the officer reading on the grass.

The guard near the rock shouted, “Stop!”

Yang planted himself before the officer. Zhang looked at him, and Yang said, “I’d like to be a soldier. Is that ok?”

Zhang replied, “We’re going to fight against the Japanese. Will you join us?”

At this Chen yelled, “Good! I detect you are a Kuomintang soldier with a history of killing good people.”

Yang was not alert against Chen’s insult, but replied, “I killed the landlord! Director Yan knew that and had expressed his view on this. Why are you so fucking mad at it? Soft penis!”

Hearing this, Chen did not go on with his insult, but said, “You did have a spirit of rebellion. At last, you joined the Kuomintang army, right?” He found Yang nod. Then, Chen asked, “If you had a spirit of rebellion, why didn’t you join the Communists?”

“What fucking word! I could not find Communists in Guizhou at that time. Now, we have many people who claim to be Communists.”

“Ok, let’s forget that. So, you joined the army and you mentioned that the Kuomintang army went to fight against the Japanese invaders, right?”

Yang cast a glance at Chen, thinking this man mean, a man who just liked to insult the others even though they were right. But Yang went on with his account.

The officer reading on the grass was Zhang. He looked at Yang in surprise, and was moved at his spirit of fighting. It was September 1937 when General Yang Sen was leading his army to join the anti-Japanese battle in Shanghai. Zhang was General Yang Sen’s aide, who had just married.

The Chinese troops at that time had a bad name of killing the Chinese, and those kind Chinese. They were supposed to guard the interests of the landlords and reactionaries. There were a number of warlords at that time, caring about their own interests only. When facing the foreign invaders, many of them might choose to escape according to the military strategies prescribed in Sunzi’s Military Strategies.

Yang was a farmer. He cared much about his own land and food. He had killed his dirty wife, and he wanted to survive. He found this army different from the other armies he had met. He believed that it could beat the invaders.

At that time the army had a bad name and many people looked down upon it. Now Yang wanted to join the army, which surprised Zhang.

So, Yang went with Zhang to fight outside. There he saw other well-equipped Kuomintang armies. He thought they could beat the Japanese invaders. To his disappointment, they lost the battle. Yang was upset, wondering why.

Yang could read a sense of guilt and worry on Zhang’s face. They retreated to Nanjing, where they saw many poor, frightened and even desperate Chinese. There they began to defend against the Japanese.

Zhang learned civil engineering at college. He got a Ph. D in this major. He made great contributions to the battles against the Japanese.

General Yang Sen was promoted as Commander-in-Chief in Anhui. There they met the fierce attacks of the Japanese.

The fight was fierce and fatal. The enemies were better-equipped, and they had a strong aggressive spirit. In comparison, many Chinese soldiers were scared of the fights. So, they lost many stations and fortresses to the invaders.

General Yang Sen was asked to get back Anqing Airport from the Japanese. He ordered Zhang to finish the task, “Get it back, or don’t come back!”

Zhang rode on his horse and led his army to fight against the Japanese. The Chinese soldiers were not the match of the enemies in terms of force or power. The Japanese were fierce and cruel. Yet, under the leadership of Zhang, the army fought a glorious fight against the enemies. Yang heard Zhang shout, “Let’s march on. It’s time to revenge.”

Thus, Yang and Zhang moved ahead and killed the Japanese one by one. The scene was frightening indeed. All of a sudden, Yang found Zhang fall off his horse to the ground. He fainted.

Yang went up to him, yelling, “Zhang, you can’t die this way.”

But the enemies were approaching them. Yang swept his bayonet here and there, and killed the Japanese angrily. Liu Lijing was also killing the Japanese. Yang was also trying to rescue Zhang.

He heard Liu yell, “What’s the fuck point of rescuing Zhang? I guess he has been killed by the bombs. Let’s rescue those alive.”

Yang did not listen to him but went on rescuing Zhang.

A Japanese soldier attacked Yang from behind. Yang noticed that. He turned back and cut him into pieces. Yang killed the enemy once more in order to make sure he was dead. Finally, Yang got Zhang back to the horseback, and together they went under a tree. Surprisingly, Zhang came round. He was still alive! The noises of fighting seemed to have woken him up. He asked, “Where are my soldiers?”

“Ahead. They’re killing the Japanese.”

“I am asking about my army.”

“I can’t hear. Speak loudly!”

Yang raised his voice, “Our army…”

Zhang could not hear. Yang was aware that his officer had lost his hearing because of the bomb explosions.

The army did not win the battle. They had to retreat further back according to the superiors’ order.

Zhang heaved a sigh at the sight of the order. The Japanese fought fiercely. Zhang felt a sense of disgrace for the loss of battles. He felt it was also a national disgrace!

Yang escorted Zhang to a hospital in Wuchang, where some other high-ranking Kuomintang officers were getting treatment as well. An American doctor did a surgery on Zhang, who then had to come back home to rest for half a year.

Zhang reported Yang’s rescue to General Yang Sen, who praised Yang a lot. Yang got 100 silver coins as a prize while Zhang was promoted in military rank.

Zhang was seriously wounded and many times he had to communicate with others by gestures. Zhang’s father and wife got worried. They prayed for Zhang’s recovery.

As the family was worried about Zhang’s wound, suddenly Zhang recovered his hearing. Zhang gave a detailed account of his rescue by Yang. Zhang’s father admired Yang’s manly air from the bottom of his heart. Man! That was his praise to Yang.

Tang was grateful to Yang as well. She thought this was God’s arrangement. Her husband’s life was given by Yang.

Chen asked coldly at this time, “Then you became sworn brothers?”

Yang was proud of killing the Japanese invaders with Zhang, and answered without hesitation, “Sure.”

Chen pounded the table with force, cursing, “Fuck! How can a Kuomintang bandit be so aggressive? How could the Kuomintang fight against the Japanese? Aren’t you kidding me? Fuck! Shit!”

Yang was aware that the Kuomintang army was defeated by the Japanese invaders. He thought Chen’s anger was understandable.

Yang thought that the Chinese troops should have driven the Japanese out of China in the shortest time possible, and if so, the Chinese troops could have been regarded as winners.

Chen’s curse did not upset Yang. The latter had a strong sense of revolution as well. Chen was from an area where the Communists won many battles and thus he looked so aggressive and even conceited. Chen thought Yang was a Kuomintang agent, asking:

“It looks that you are either a Kuomintang agent or a hiding reactionary.”

Yang jumped up at this, replying, “Soft penis! Don’t play down others in such an aggressive way! Do you know the consequence of being a Kuomintang agent nowadays? I fought against the Japanese invaders. Is this a crime?”

The other people stood by Chen, shouting simultaneously, “Listen! He is saying ‘fighting against the Japanese’! Let’s arrest him!”

Yang was infuriated, stamping his feet and roaring, “Fuck you! I fought against the Japanese. What’s the point of arresting me? I came here to be segregated by you, and receive your fuck examination! Shit!” he carried his blanket and went upstairs.

The other people paid no attention to Yang’s acts. They thought Yang could help them to discover more crimes of Zhang’s. Then, Chen asked his secretary to write a report about Yang’s claiming to have fought against the Japanese with his sworn brother Zhang to the provincial leadership.

At this time Yang felt happy to stay with Zhang together. He shouted as he went upstairs, “Dear brother, I am coming.”

Zhang shouted back, “Here I am.”

Yang entered the room, saying, “I told them I fought against the Japanese, but they said I was a reactionary. The Kuomintang soldiers were guilty for any reason in their eyes. Dear brother, everybody at home misses you.”

Zhang sat on a broken chair, replying, “Dear brother, it is not wise to say that the Kuomintang troops fought against the Japanese invaders. That is an evidence of convicting you.”

Yang drawled, “Is…that…so?”

At this time, Chen got a call from the provincial leadership, telling him that his decision to make Zhang under house arrest was not legal. He should report the case to the government now!