Chapter 1

In the dark room with paper-covered windows and a mud wall spotted with fallen yellow earth, there was a wooden bed covered with a tattered straw mat and a quilt full of strange odors, patched with many repairs.

All of this clearly told He Zhengdao, who had just regained consciousness, that the family he was in must be extremely poor.

However, He Zhengdao, who had just woken up, was not concerned about these things. What he cared about was why he hadn't died and instead woke up with his limbs intact. The last memory fragment stored in his consciousness clearly told him everything he had experienced before losing consciousness.

He remembered that at the time, he was carrying out a top-secret mission assigned by the state when he was suddenly ambushed by three Japanese Shinobi. After angrily killing one of the Iga Shinobi, he was ultimately severely injured by the other two Koga Shinobi.

In a situation where breaking through was hopeless, he fought to the death, entangled with the enemy, and triggered the high-explosive bomb on his body, dragging these two Shinobi into hell with him.

Logically, he should have been blown to pieces, so how could he be lying intact in this dilapidated house?

Puzzled, the first thing He Zhengdao did was to check his body, only to be shocked to find that this body was not the one he was familiar with, but one much younger than his.

This made He Zhengdao, who usually believed in atheism but was fond of fantasy novels, incredulously say, "Could it be that I have also reincarnated? This is too absurd!"

He Zhengdao, who had been in the military and practiced martial arts for many years and had the ability to remain calm in any situation, showed a hint of confusion on his handsome and rugged face when he realized that the body he was now controlling was not the one he had been with for over thirty years.

Just as he was worried that the internal strength he had cultivated for many years might have disappeared with the change of body, he sat cross-legged and checked himself, then slowly relaxed.

Although the internal strength in this body was not as high as before, it was not enough to turn him, a martial arts instructor of the Capital Guard Regiment, into an ordinary person who couldn't even lift a chicken. Otherwise, the price would have been too high.

After checking his body and finding no internal or external injuries except for a feeling of hunger, he quickly got up from the dilapidated bed and pulled open the old wooden door with a latch, which was only seen in the countryside. Looking at everything outside the door, He Zhengdao was once again filled with confusion and puzzlement.

With a puzzled look, He Zhengdao walked from the room to the courtyard and found that the house he was in was a typical rural mud house. The walls were made of yellow earth, and the eaves were covered with straw, clearly visible.

In the 21st century, it was rare to see Chinese people living in such mud houses!

He Zhengdao, who had not yet realized that he had traveled through time, felt the air was so fresh. He, who had suffered from air pollution in the capital, could not help but sigh that although this place was poor, the air quality was far better than the air full of PM2.5 particles in the capital.

Just as he was looking around the unfamiliar environment with confusion and curiosity, a middle-aged man wearing a patched linen shirt and carrying a pointed hoe looked at him wandering in the courtyard, paused for a few seconds, and then walked up with great surprise.

He smiled and said, "Comrade Xiao He, you're finally awake. Do you know, you've been unconscious for four or five days. If you didn't wake up, my wife and I wouldn't know what to do! Thank heaven and earth, you're finally awake."

Looking at the enthusiastic middle-aged man, He Zhengdao, who usually watched a smart entertainment show on China TV, would have thought he had accidentally traveled to the set of that show if he didn't know this was a real house and not a hidden studio.

He remembered that the first words the supporting actors said to the guests when they entered the studio were the same as what the middle-aged man had just said, except that 'came' was replaced with 'woke up.'

Not knowing where he was, or the relationship between the original owner of this body and the man in front of him, or what the original owner of this body had done before, He Zhengdao cautiously and politely said, "Brother, hello. I just woke up and found that I can't remember anything from before. Could you please tell me where this is? And how did I end up in your house, and who am I?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man was stunned for a moment and somewhat at a loss, saying, "Ah! Isn't this a case of soul loss? What should we do! Comrade Xiao He, I'm really sorry, but in the countryside, we can't afford a doctor.

For the past few days, you've been running a high fever and unconscious. My wife was afraid you would burn your brain, so she followed a local remedy and picked some herbs from the mountain to boil and feed you. We used to drink this medicine when we had a fever, and it never caused any problems.

How could you get this soul loss after drinking it? How can my wife and I explain this to your superior? Sigh, I'm really sorry, we didn't know the herbs would cause this, we really didn't mean to!"

Seeing the middle-aged man nervously explaining, He Zhengdao, who was an impostor, quickly comforted him, "Brother, don't worry, I didn't say it was your fault. In fact, I should thank you for taking care of me these past few days!

But could you please tell me, what's the deal with this superior? And could you answer the questions I just asked?"

Hearing that He Zhengdao was not blaming the local remedy, the middle-aged man calmed down a bit, put down the hoe, looked around the courtyard, and then pulled He Zhengdao into the room, looking very nervous, "Comrade Xiao He, the White Dogs are everywhere, arresting your people. My wife and I live far from the village, so the White Dogs haven't found us yet.

However, if your body isn't well enough, don't go out randomly. If outsiders see you, they might get suspicious. Although I don't understand military affairs, my wife and I received money from your superior, so we have the responsibility to take care of you. If you are caught by the White Dogs, not only will my wife and I be in trouble, but you will also suffer their cruelty."

White Dogs! This term sounded so familiar!

Thinking about the era when the term 'White Dogs' was popular, He Zhengdao felt a bit dry in his mouth and asked, "Brother, could you tell me what year it is now?"

White Dogs, weren't they the term used by the Red Army and the people during the civil war between the two parties in China to refer to the Nationalist soldiers? Could it be that he not only reincarnated but also traveled to the darkest and bloodiest era in China?

The middle-aged man thought for a moment and said, "I know this. It's the 23rd year of the Republic of China, the 24th day of the tenth month of the lunar calendar. Oh! I forgot you prefer the Western calendar, so it should be November 30, 1934. If I'm not mistaken, that's the date."

Damn! What you think about comes true! The 23rd year of the Republic of China, 1934, wasn't this the era when the Red Army was on the Long March? Could it be that he was a Red Army soldier?

As countless 'grass mud horses' galloped in He Zhengdao's mind, the middle-aged man quickly took a black cloth bag from a pottery jar in the room and handed it to He Zhengdao, saying, "This is the clothes and items you were wearing when the superior entrusted you to our care. I've kept them for you. Now that you're awake, I'll return them to you, maybe they can help you remember something."

With great curiosity, He Zhengdao slowly untied the cloth bag. When he saw the familiar red five-pointed star cap and a set of earth-gray military uniform inside, it clearly and unequivocally told him his current identity: a Red Army soldier who was being persecuted and killed by the Nationalist army.

Shaking out the uniform and looking at the two bright red patches on the collar, He Zhengdao, a Ph.D. in military science from the National Defense University, immediately recognized that this was the most common uniform of the Red Army at the time. Therefore, the original owner of this body was undoubtedly a Red Army soldier.

In addition to the uniform and cap, there was a red piece of paper with a five-pointed star and a sickle and hammer pattern. Around the star, it clearly read 'Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army' in traditional Chinese characters.

Below the pattern were two rectangular sections. One read 'Political Security Brigade,' and the other read 'Company Commander: He Zhengdao' with his name and position. He Zhengdao, who was well-versed in military history, knew very well what this brigade was.

In terms of lineage, this security brigade was the predecessor of the guard regiment where he served as a martial arts instructor. If it were a common person in the 21st century, they would call each guard in the regiment a 'Zhongnanhai bodyguard.'

Who was the superior who left him here to recover?

With endless curiosity, He Zhengdao thoroughly searched the pockets of the uniform but found only two leg bindings and a belt with twelve willow-leaf throwing knives. He found nothing else.

Just as He Zhengdao was analyzing what to do in this time and space, a hurried woman's voice came from the courtyard before the two men in the room could react.

"The boss, it's not good! I just went down the mountain to pick herbs and saw several White Dogs heading towards our house! Quickly hide Xiao He! Ah! Xiao He, you're awake?"

Seeing the flustered woman push the door open and, upon seeing He Zhengdao sitting on the side, pause for a moment and ask with concern, she quickly added, "Xiao He, you must hide quickly! The White Dogs are arresting your people everywhere! If they catch you, you'll be in great danger.

Quickly hide in the bushes behind the house until they search and leave. Otherwise, if those White Dogs find out that my wife and I have been hiding you, we'll also suffer their cruelty.

These White Dogs really kill without hesitation! How can they be so cruel to their fellow Chinese?"

Seeing the concerned expression on the middle-aged woman's face and her heartfelt exclamation, He Zhengdao knew that China was indeed in a chaotic period at this time.

Thinking that his current identity was a Red Army soldier, even though his skills were not afraid of a few ordinary soldiers, he did not want to involve this kind-hearted couple. He quickly tied the cloth bag again and quickly hid in the bushes behind the house, finding a position with a good view to secretly observe the courtyard. Why did he do this?

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