Chapter 35: The Defense of Huizhou

Dawn broke the following day.

Just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, the thunderous roar of artillery erupted from the front lines of Huizhou. The soldiers of the Chao Wei Army were already surging toward the battlefield, a sea of movement where every man had his assigned task.

Ma Yuan and Xu Ze worked in tandem, heaving crates of ammunition along the trenches toward the front. Because the enemy’s main assault was concentrated on the city center, the southwestern sector remained relatively quiet, allowing their group to advance without obstruction. Even at this distance from the main battle, the rumbling of cannons shook the entire city of Huizhou, and thick plumes of smoke rose like signal fires, visible in every direction.

When Ma Yuan’s party reached the southwestern sector, they found the Chao Wei Army organizing and mobilizing. An officer was delivering a briefing, explaining that the enemy was launching a direct strike on the city center, and that all other units were to assemble and march toward the heart of Huizhou to reinforce the defense.

Seeing Xu Ze and the others, the officer ordered his men to stand at ease and approached them.

"You must be the student soldiers," said the officer, whose name was Chen Fu. He relayed the order to Xu Ze: "I have received instructions from my superiors: all blocking forces in Huizhou are to depart immediately to assemble at the city center. You should return the way you came and retreat with the rear guard to Qinzhou."

Ma Yuan watched the Chao Wei soldiers standing at attention. His heart felt heavy; he knew that of all these men heading to the front, only a handful would likely return.

"Reporting!" a soldier suddenly called out to Chen Fu.

"Speak," Chen Fu replied, turning to him.

"Company Commander, I… I would like to entrust something to them to take back. I’m afraid that…" The soldier hesitated, fearing the commander might refuse.

Chen Fu’s brow furrowed, but he quickly waved his hand. "Make it quick."

The soldier smiled and carefully pulled a photograph from his tunic. It was a worn, folded picture of himself and a woman. On the back, a few words were scrawled.

He handed the photo to Xu Ze with solemnity. "Brother, this is a picture of me and my wife. She was pregnant when I left to join the army. She must have given birth by now. I don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, but either is a blessing. Brother, could you please take this back to her? Let it be a keepsake. My home address is written on the back. Thank you."

With that, the soldier gave Xu Ze a crisp military salute, and Xu Ze returned it in kind.

Seeing this, the other soldiers grew restless. Chen Fu spoke up, "Alright, those who have things to send, hurry up. We assemble and march in five minutes."

The soldiers scrambled to hand their belongings to the student soldiers—cherished items from their loved ones, such as photographs of mothers or trinkets given before their departure.

Ma Yuan was given a letter by a soldier only a few years his senior. It was a letter for his father, a traveling merchant who had always taught him that there could be no home without a country. He hadn't seen his father in nearly two years, and he wondered if he ever would again. Ma Yuan felt the weight of the letter; it wasn't just paper, but a heavy, fragile trust.

Five minutes passed in a flash, yet for them, it felt precious. Soon, the soldiers were ready and marched toward the city center to meet the enemy.

Ma Yuan and his group retreated along the original path, joining the rear units as they fell back toward Qinzhou. Everyone knew that the soldiers left at the front were facing a crucible of life and death. As they withdrew, the sound of artillery fire echoed behind them—sometimes intense, sometimes sparse—each blast a reminder of the carnage unfolding ahead.

After reaching the rear, Ma Yuan and the others pulled out of Huizhou entirely, heading toward Qinzhou, where Sun Hanmin, Deng Shu, and the others were already prepared.

It was only then that Ma Yuan learned the full extent of the losses suffered by the students of the Huali Military Academy. Of the eight hundred who had gone to the front, fewer than four hundred returned. More than half were lost, including their instructor, Li Xianqu; third-year student Wu Lang; second-year student Wu Hao; and Ma Yuan’s first-year peers, Li Xiangyuan, Zhao Ke, and Xiang Ting.

Beyond those who remained on the battlefield forever, others were left maimed. Cheng Yuntai of the Cheng family—who had once held a grudge against the Wangs—had been a spirited young man when they first entered the academy. Now, his empty sleeve was a testament to the toll of the war, his face etched with premature weariness.

Even Wang Xian seemed to have matured overnight. When he saw Ma Yuan, he offered a brief, tight embrace. The war had clearly left a profound scar on everyone, forcing them to grow up in an instant.

The day after they reached Qinzhou, news arrived from the front: at the cost of sixty thousand lives, the Chao Wei Army had held Huizhou and successfully repelled the enemy.

This news served as a pillar of strength for everyone in Qinzhou and provided a great morale boost to the entire nation. It was the first victory, and it signaled that more would follow. The Chao Wei Army left twenty thousand men to garrison Huizhou, while the rest—including the students from Huali Military Academy and Yuanzhou Medical College—withdrew to their original stations to rest and reorganize.

When the remaining three hundred students returned to Huali Military Academy, they were met with a grand reception from President Xiao Qingguo and the school leadership.

According to Xiao, their participation in the defense of Huizhou would be etched into the history of the academy. It was an unprecedented act in the school's history. Though the price was steep, as a cradle of the military, Huali would never shrink from its duty. The academy awarded medals to the students who had fallen with distinction and provided assistance to their families.

The returning students were also honored for their service. By chance, Ma Yuan received a medal, but he felt no joy; his best friend, Xiang Ting, would never return from Huizhou.

Time flowed on like a long, steady river. A year had passed since the defense of Huizhou. During that time, foreign enemies had launched further campaigns and seized more territory, but the nation continued to organize its forces for resistance, with victories and defeats on both sides.

Changes had also taken place at the Huali Military Academy. Due to the thinning of the upper ranks, students like Ma Yuan were fast-tracked through their studies; he was now a third-year student. New recruits from all corners of the country had begun to arrive, bringing a renewed sense of vitality to the school.