While traveling on foot from town to town, he saw at first hand the devastation of war, and realized the grave responsibility everyone has for his nation.
同年的十月，張拓蕪正式投效國軍，其時已是抗戰的尾聲。戰後軍民喘息未定，國家又面臨另一場民族存亡的苦戰。中共在蘇俄的哺育下，從土八路搖身一變，開始張牙舞爪。張拓蕪像一片飛絮，從此披著戰衣，在破碎的山河上流轉。