Chapter 5: Comrades

One year ago, Gao Jianguo's son was diagnosed with a terminal illness. In order to raise funds for his son's surgery, Gao Jianguo even sold his house, but it was still insufficient. He had no choice but to borrow money from various sources, ultimately borrowing from Li Ming.

They had not seen each other for two years, so naturally, they were very happy to meet. Each held a bottle of Erguotou, taking turns to drink from it. Upon seeing his brother, Li Ming's previously dejected mood improved significantly. Before long, the bottle of Erguotou in their hands was already empty.

Since witnessing the tragic scenes of those refugees, Li Ming's mood has not improved. He simply cannot forget those pairs of desperate eyes, which are heart-wrenching to behold. Knowing full well that more people will become like this in the future, yet feeling powerless to change it all

Although the members of that family acknowledged his identity, they were still unable to accept him psychologically. His father had little emotional connection to him, and at that age, he was in a rebellious phase, which led to a complete lack of sense of belonging to that family

Gao Jianguo was born in a poor rural area and joined the army at the age of 15. He progressed from an ordinary soldier to a top trainee in the entire regiment and division, later being promoted beyond the usual criteria and admitted to the Army Academy. After graduation, he held various positions including squad leader, deputy company commander, company commander, head of the regiment's training section, battalion commander, division training staff officer, deputy chief of staff of the regiment, and chief of staff, eventually becoming the deputy commander of the regiment

During this period, he specifically visited the courtyard he had frequented before, and after inquiring with a nearby person, he learned that this estate actually belonged to Wei Zhongxian, who was a powerful figure during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor, located in the suburbs of the capital.

Due to his constant troublemaking, his father sent him to the military. Unexpectedly, he thrived in the military environment and even managed to join the special forces, thus becoming comrades-in-arms.

In the end, Li Ming simply stopped wasting words with him. The two did not go to a restaurant; instead, on their way back, they bought a large amount of cooked food and snacks to accompany the drinks, along with a few bottles of Erguotou. They then set up a table and started drinking in the courtyard.

However, Song Tao refused to continue and anxiously said: "What are you doing? You have to let me finish speaking. With my level, training a group of special forces is not a problem, right? Then I will lead them to seize a territory as a base, and then sweep across the world, and conquer a large harem..."

Li Ming was so angry after hearing this that he decided not to ask him anymore; it was better to ask a fool than him. He waved his hand to interrupt Song Tao's words, raised the wine bottle, and said: "Alright, you might as well stop talking nonsense, let's just drink."

Li Ming also entrusted He Wenhai to help him acquire a farm in the suburbs of Beijing, consisting of over 100 acres of dry land and a dozen tenant farmers. Li Ming has now become a small landlord in the late Ming Dynasty, but he has lost the initial excitement he once felt.

However, when he saw that the person in the car was Li Ming, he immediately pulled Li Ming out of the car and then began to look around the vehicle, excitedly shouting: "Brother, whose loan is this big Benz? You haven't hooked up with some wealthy woman, have you?"

Song Tao had just downed a bottle of Erguotou when, all of a sudden, he was taken aback by Li Ming's words. He thought for a moment and said: "Then I will gather a team to seize a mountain and become king, enjoying the finest food and drink every day, and then..."

However, since he transitioned back to civilian life, his situation has not been satisfactory. He was assigned to a bureaucratic office with little influence, serving as a research officer at the departmental level

Li Ming has always held great respect for Gao Jianguo. Gao Jianguo is a true soldier, but he was born in the wrong era; only in the tumultuous times of war could someone like him truly thrive. With his character, returning to civilian life would inevitably lead to a sense of alienation from society.

"Fart, can't it be that I bought it myself? Let me tell you, I have money now... If you like it, I'll give it to you..." The two of them playfully got into the car. No matter how Li Ming explained, Song Tao just wouldn't believe that the car belonged to Li Ming. Even when they arrived at Li Ming's villa, Song Tao still didn't believe it, always thinking that the car was borrowed from some rich woman, and that even this villa was too.

Song Tao pointed at Li Ming and laughed heartily, saying: "Why do you think I say you are foolish? I would go overseas! In that era, many places were barren lands. I could lead my team to Australia, where there were hardly any colonizers, and Australia also has abundant mineral resources. I want to build an invincible fleet to dominate the world, and then conquer a vast harem..."

During his time in the military, even though Li Ming was no longer under Gao Jianguo's command, the latter still provided him with considerable assistance. The reason Gao Jianguo helped Li Ming was quite simple: he believed that Li Ming was a good soldier

Did you not say you would come to the airport to pick me up? Where are you... Are you messing with me

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then a weary voice came through

The day before yesterday, Song Tao called, saying that he would take a flight back to Beijing today. At that time, Li Ming was inebriated and vaguely agreed. However, in the days that followed, Li Ming was lost in a haze of indulgence and had long forgotten about this matter

Li Ming tilted his head and finished the bottle of Erguotou in his hand, then picked up another one and opened it. Just as he was about to take another swig, he suddenly remembered something and said to Song Tao: "Brother, if you were to return to the late Ming Dynasty, what do you plan to do"

After discovering this situation, Li Ming simply never returned to the Ming Dynasty again, spending his days in his villa drinking alone, living in a drunken stupor for more than half a month. Li Ming knew that he was worrying about the ancients, but he truly could not let it go.

There is no place of respite in the world at the end of the Ming Dynasty, where can you find a base? The land is all in the hands of the gentry, and at any moment, there are hundreds of thousands of bandits, as well as the iron cavalry of the Manchus and the private soldiers of various warlords. Just securing food is a major issue

Every time he returns, he stays at Li Ming's house for a while. They saved each other's lives back in the day, so their bond is not just that of brothers, but even stronger than that of brothers

Li Ming immediately smiled and said: "Brother, take a taxi back, I will pick you up at the highway entrance, I forgot about this matter."

Li Ming, I am currently in Kyoto, and I will be returning soon. Before I leave, I want to tell you that the money you lent me... I will do my utmost to repay you... My son's surgery has been completed... The delay has been too long, so...

Song Tao's identity is not simple; he is the illegitimate son of a certain family in the capital. It was only after his mother passed away when he was fifteen that he was brought back to Beijing by his father

Old Camp Leader, how have you been recently

He continuously traversed back and forth between two time and space dimensions. Li Ming also discovered something that shocked him: the light point of the wormhole had actually become slightly dimmer than before. It seems that the wormhole does not exist forever; sooner or later, it will also disappear.

He only wishes to experience the life of a landlord in the late Ming Dynasty while there is still time, amidst the fading glory of this vast empire. However, every time he recalls that this grand empire is on the verge of collapse, he feels an inexplicable sense of loss.

After all, as a mercenary, his movements were clean and swift, but he was covered in dirt from head to toe. Song Tao rolled over and got up, cursing as he spoke: "Are you looking for death? Dare to provoke me, you..."

On that morning, Li Ming was lazily sleeping in bed when the phone placed on the bedside suddenly rang. Li Ming, still half-asleep, picked up the phone, and just as he pressed the answer button, an angry roar came from the other end.

Li Ming drove to the highway entrance, where Song Tao was waiting with a face full of impatience. Li Ming was driving a Mercedes SUV, which Song Tao was unaware of. Suddenly, Li Ming accelerated, heading straight for Song Tao, which frightened him greatly, causing him to roll aside in an instant

Li Ming felt a tightness in his heart upon hearing the news, and immediately said: "Old Commander, it has been a long time since we last met. Let's get together. Where are you now? I will come to pick you up right away."

Li Ming felt a sense of relief in his heart, realizing that he had indeed done a good deed. Although the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty were rather troublesome, the number of bad eunuchs was even greater, with Wei Zhongxian being the most troublesome of them all

He saw a large number of refugees beside his farm in the suburbs of Beijing. Li Ming had only seen such scenes in movies and television before, but when he found himself in the midst of it, the tragic sight made his heart ache like a knife was twisting in it

In the early hours of the next day, Li Ming returned to the Ming Dynasty, handing over all the cultured pearls and synthetic gemstones in his possession to He Wenhai, settling the payment in one go, amounting to over one hundred thousand taels of silver.

Seeing that Song Tao had once again made a move, Li Ming was so infuriated that he decided to ignore him completely, leaving Song Tao to indulge in his own fantasies. Just as Song Tao was daydreaming about seizing the solar system, Li Ming's phone rang.

At that time, Li Ming was auctioning antiques in various places. After hearing the news, he specifically went to Gao Jianguo's home and without saying a word, helped Gao Jianguo pay for the surgery fees, and also assisted him in repaying the debts incurred during the famine.

Although Song Tao was outstanding, he still loved to cause trouble. Eventually, he even ended up hitting his superior, which led to his forced retirement and demobilization. After returning to his hometown, Song Tao did not go to the job his father had arranged for him, but instead went to Africa to become a mercenary.

He knows that this is just the beginning. The next twenty years will be a true wasteland, with corpses scattered everywhere, where even the common people will resort to exchanging children for food, and the horrific spectacle of cannibalism may unfold.

Gao Jianguo's wife was found at the station, as Gao Jianguo was wholly devoted to the military. His wife had long been involved with someone else outside, and their relationship had long been merely a formality. Consequently, Gao Jianguo reached an agreement to divorce his wife, with their son staying with him, while his wife embraced her lover.

He picked up the phone and saw that it was a call from his former leader, Gao Jianguo. Although he was referred to as Li Ming's former leader, he was actually just his new platoon leader. Back in the day, due to Li Ming's outstanding training performance, it was he who personally sent Li Ming to the special operations battalion.

You really are something, aren't you? Do you still consider me a brother? You even forgot about this damn thing. Li Ming hurriedly hung up the phone, otherwise this guy would have scolded him for an hour without changing his tone. He quickly got up, washed his face casually, and drove down to the airport expressway.

Li Ming instructed the people in his village to cook several large pots of hot porridge every day, providing a meal for the refugees. He understood that this was the extent of his assistance; in such an era, the power of an individual was exceedingly limited. It was simply impossible to change the world relying solely on oneself.

Li Ming immediately realized that something was wrong; he had actually forgotten about this matter. The person on the other end of the phone was Li Ming's comrade, named Song Tao. He was a life-and-death brother who had gone abroad with Li Ming to carry out a mission back in the day