Chapter 404: Chapter 404

Not knowing how long they walked, from dawn till dusk.

Suddenly, the troop halted.

Not knowing what happened at the front, Chi Feng, who was in the middle-rear, also followed the other soldiers to rest against a tree or rock.

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The old squad leader beside him patted his shoulder, and Chi Feng turned to look.

He saw the old squad leader handing over half a piece of cornbread:

"Have something to eat."

The old squad leader looked about 50 years old.

But Chi Feng knew the old squad leader was only 37, his appearance was due to a life of hardship since childhood.

Chi Feng was just about to refuse, but the old squad leader saw through it and said:

"Eat your fill before moving on; it’s better to be a well-fed ghost."

These words silenced both Chi Feng and the Blue Star friends in the livestream.

They knew everything.

Chi Feng could no longer refuse the old squad leader’s kindness and took the half-piece of cornbread and started to eat, while still thanking the old squad leader:

Then after thinking for a moment, he looked at the old squad leader:

The old squad leader grinned upon hearing this:

"If we die, the main force can survive."

"Trade a few thousand for tens of thousands."

"This deal... is worth it."

The old squad leader’s words made the online audience from Blue Star hold their breath.

So that’s the calculation.

Trade a few thousand people for the survival of tens of thousands, is it worth it?

Of course it’s worth it.

But what if you were part of those few thousand?

The live stream fell into silence.

This is not a trade, it’s sacrifice.

Deep down they knew they could not do it.

Perhaps there are people with such selfless sacrifice on Blue Star, but it’s hard to find one, let alone more than 6,000.

The 6,000-plus of the Red 34th Division, none of whom flinched, this shock was just beginning.

Chi Feng looked at the old squad leader and suddenly asked:

"Squad Leader, why did you join the Red Army?"

The old squad leader was taken aback:

"Of course, it’s because the Red Army is good."

Chi Feng looked puzzled:

"I know that, but can just that make you sacrifice your life?"

"Isn’t human nature selfish... don’t you want to live?"

Chi Feng’s question was also a doubt from the Blue Star audience in the live stream.

They had followed enough of the plot by now.

The soldiers of the Red side helped the common folks with work, cleaning, didn’t loot, and even distributed land.

But can these really make people willing to sacrifice ?

After all, on Blue Star, the selfishness of human nature is never denied.

The old squad leader heard Chi Feng’s words, smiled, and gazed at the endless mountain ranges in the distance with a hint of reminiscence in his eyes:

"When I was nine, the landlord came to collect rent."

"The family couldn’t pay, and my father’s leg was broken. He later died from the pain because we couldn’t afford medical treatment."

"Not long after, my mother couldn’t take it and hanged herself."

"I became an orphan but still had to herd cattle for that landlord."

"Slept in the cowshed fighting with the livestock for bean dregs during winter."

"When I was twelve, I accidentally broke a jar, and the landlord hung me on a tree and beat me until I couldn’t get up for more than half a month in the cow shed."

"It’s just my tough luck, I didn’t die then."

"If I was supposed to die, it would have been then."

"At fourteen, there was a famine, the landlord’s house was raided by starving villagers, and that landlord was killed by refugees, too bad I didn’t personally kill him."

"Looking back now, I regret it."

"Why didn’t I personally kill that beast back then."

With that, the old squad leader sighed:

"Then it was escaping from famine."

"Became a beggar, begged for food for four years until I reached a village in Gannan, where a carpenter took a liking to me."

"He took me in as an apprentice."

"Later, I inherited my master’s craft and slowly gained some fame across the villages."

"But I was still frequently harassed by the small devils."

"This village officer asks for a little money today, that township officer wants a set of furniture made next year, even the city guards extorted a little."

"After a year, it’s the same as working for nothing."

"Over the years, I got used to it."

"I just made furniture for half a month for the county official and didn’t get a single penny, never mind a decent meal before getting kicked out."

"On the way back to the village, I hid in an abandoned temple gnawing on tree bark."

"It was so wrong, I wanted to die."

"But at that time, I had a son who just turned a month old at home, so even though I thought about it several times, I didn’t dare to die."

"Later, when I was ready to continue walking."

"Footsteps could be heard from outside, I feared encountering bandits and hid behind a mud idol in the temple."

"But I was discovered after all."

"Can you guess what happened?"

Chi Feng, deeply engrossed in the story, couldn’t help but ask:

The old squad leader chuckled:

"Of course, I was discovered."

"I was so scared I was trembling, just about to kneel to them."

"But just as I was about to kneel."

"Those soldiers helped me up, explaining they were the Red Army, different from the bandits."

"Moreover, the wanted posters in the county were mostly for Red Army soldiers or leaders, who would dare believe them."

"Everyone had guns, some even had bloodstains on them, I was scared stiff."

"Seeing how terrified I was, they handed me half a piece of cornbread while comforting me."

"When the stomach is full, the mind is at ease."

"Only then did I feel relieved, looking at them, realizing these soldiers were just a bunch of seventeen or eighteen-year-old kids."

"Those young soldiers, their own faces blue from the cold, while still taking care of my emotions."

"Later, after learning about my situation, those young soldiers pooled some money together for me to take home."