Chapter 44: The Identity of the Japanese Officer Confirmed!

"Can I... go and see it?"
Ye Yuan asked softly.

"Why wouldn't you be able to!"
Wu Shanhe's voice raised significantly. "If anyone dares to stop you from going, I'll go right up and slap them across the face! If you aren't even qualified to go and see it, then there are hardly any people who are."

Hearing this, Ye Yuan couldn't help letting out a soft laugh.

Suddenly remembering something, Wu Shanhe burst into laughter as well. "You probably don't know this, but our country is so formidable now! Those newly developed weapons are more terrifying than the last. Do you know what an intercontinental ballistic missile is?"

Ye Yuan glanced at Wu Shanhe and smiled too. "The kind that can hit a target eight thousand kilometers away?"

"Huh?"

Wu Shanhe stared at Ye Yuan in utter shock, completely not expecting Ye Yuan to know about this.

Then he reacted, "It must have been those two little punks Sun Weiguo and Zhang Qun who told you!"

Ye Yuan smiled and nodded.

Wu Shanhe immediately let out a hum of annoyance. "They actually beat me to it! That's right, it's the Dongfeng-31, which can travel eight thousand kilometers."

"Right now it's just the Dongfeng-31, but in the future, we'll definitely have the Dongfeng-41, Dongfeng-51, Dongfeng-61, and even more advanced ones. By then, let alone striking eight thousand kilometers away, flying all the way around the Earth might not even be out of the question!"

"I really want to see it..."
Ye Yuan murmured.

Wu Shanhe spoke up immediately: "Don't worry, you'll get to see it during this grand military parade."

Yet upon hearing Wu Shanhe's words, Ye Yuan frowned slightly. "Will it really be alright to display our nation's treasured assets just like that?"

"My old regimental commander, times have changed."
Wu Shanhe laughed heartily. "Isn't it you who taught me that might makes right? After a century of humiliation, the Dragon Country is now rising once again. Of course, we need to let those foreigners see just how powerful the Dragon Country has become!"

"The little Japanese devils have never given up their ambition to destroy our Dragon Country. Over the years, they've endlessly tampered with history and dispatched spies. Why is that? Isn't it because they're afraid we'll settle accounts with them eventually?"

"We want to let those foreigners know that the tides have turned, and now we are the ones holding the sword. This time, we are going to show everyone that we not only possess the capability to defend ourselves, but also the capability to launch a counteroffensive."

"Having a sword and not using it is entirely different from having no sword to use at all, my old commander."

"It seems my thinking has fallen behind the times. I must reflect on myself," Ye Yuan said with a smile.

Suddenly recalling something else, Wu Shanhe looked at Ye Yuan mysteriously. "Commander, there's another thing you definitely don't know about."

"What is it?" Ye Yuan asked curiously.

"Have you ever heard of... an aircraft carrier?"
Wu Shanhe's face was brimming with pride.

Ye Yuan was momentarily stunned, and based on the name alone, he made a guess. "What is that? An airplane?"

"Not an airplane, it's a huge ship," Wu Shanhe said triumphantly. "This ship can carry a large number of fighter jets, and it's also equipped with cruisers and destroyers. It will be the primary combat force in future warfare."

"Just imagine, if anyone with a death wish dares to provoke our country in the future, the moment they finish their provocation, our aircraft carrier will pull right up to their doorstep. That feeling—tsk, just thinking about it is exhilarating."

Ye Yuan blinked, and strangely enough, he felt a sense of empathy with that sentiment.

It truly felt invigorating just to think about it.

"How many airplanes can it hold?" Ye Yuan asked further.

Wu Shanhe pondered for a moment and replied softly, "I'm not entirely sure, but a conservative estimate would be that it can carry over twenty fighter jets."

"So many? That's simply a maritime behemoth! But this... aircraft carrier is placed in the sea, and all the fighter jets float on the ocean, what about on land?"

"Ah, our country has plenty of airplanes now, enough to fly for days without repeating a single one. There's no way we'll ever face a situation where we're short on planes again."

"How wonderful... to be able to guard the skies, the earth, and the seas..."
Ye Yuan grew excited as well.

If the country had possessed something like this back then, how could they have ever been bullied by a mere speck of a territory?

"Will we be able to see the aircraft carrier at this military parade?" Ye Yuan asked with anticipation.

"No..."
Wu Shanhe shook his head. "Actually, our country still lacks the ability to research and develop an aircraft carrier from scratch. We are currently using a hull from the old Soviets, and our people are over there right now... uh... trying to figure out a way to acquire the technology."

Having said that, Wu Shanhe quickly added, "Rest assured, Commander, sooner or later, we will be able to develop an aircraft carrier entirely through our own country's independent research!"

"I believe so too."
Ye Yuan nodded very earnestly. "In our country, nothing is impossible."

The two old veterans exchanged glances, then burst into hearty laughter together.

Even though they knew—
they probably wouldn't live to see that day.

However, as long as the descendants could witness it, that was enough.

...

After continuing to stay at Ye Yuan's place for a few more days, Wu Shanhe was ultimately so annoyed by countless phone calls that he chose to return to Kyoto.

The two old comrades-in-arms agreed to attend the grand military parade together and witness the prosperity and strength of their motherland today.

Yanzi also returned to her own home.

The once bustling house reverted once again to just the two of them: Ye Yuan and Ye Yan'an.

However,
it was already August now. All things considered, Ye Yan'an only had about half a month left to accompany Ye Yuan at home before she had to set off for school.

By then, Ye Yuan would be left all alone in the house.

Ye Yan'an thought of this as well and remained deeply worried, wondering what Ye Yuan would do after she left.

Sensing Ye Yan'an's concerns, Ye Yuan pulled her close to his side. "With Chief Cong taking care of me, along with everyone else, Grandfather will be fine. Your primary task is to study hard and serve the motherland in the future."

"Mm, I will," Ye Yan'an said with firm determination.

...

Another day passed.

Cong Gui hurried over to Ye Yuan's side, his face beaming with wild joy. "Old hero! We found it! We found it!"

Ye Yuan, who was tending to the flowers and plants, turned his head to look at Cong Gui. "What did you find?"

"The medal you threw into the grave pit back then!"
Before even reaching Ye Yuan's side, Cong Gui said with irrepressible excitement, "It's finally been dug up!"

Ye Yuan nodded slowly. "Has the owner of the medal been investigated and identified?"

"Investigated thoroughly, crystal clear. We immediately tracked down the identity of the Japanese officer you almost killed back then."

Reaching Ye Yuan, Cong Gui's face was filled with excitement. "Honjo Shigeru! It was Honjo Shigeru!"

Ye Yuan was momentarily stunned, then nodded slowly. "That seems to be him. The medal did indeed have the character 'Hon' written on it."

"He's a criminal whose hands are stained with countless blood!"
Cong Gui grabbed Ye Yuan's hand, his face flushed with excitement. "He was the primary planner and executor of the September 18th Incident..."

"He was the commander of the Japanese Kwantung Army!"