When the raging rainstorm finally turned into drizzle and thick rain and fog covering the entire mountain forest, it was already the morning of the third day.
Although the rain delayed everyone a lot of time, it also allowed everyone to get enough rest.
Not only that, but with the help of everyone, Squad Leader Liang also made dried bear meat into specially prepared bamboo tubes, and selected all the damp rice to make fried rice.
Zhou Guochang also helped Luke, who had a broken leg, make a strong and durable crutch out of bamboo and bear skin with the help of the young monk.
Even Qin Shouzheng, who had one hand splinted, used this rare break to knit two pairs of straw sandals.
"Check it one last time," Squad Leader Liang ordered. "Take away everything that needs to be taken away, and throw away everything that needs to be thrown away. Let's take advantage of the light rain to go as far as we can."
"The rice is all there." Zhou Guochang checked the bamboo baskets on the two donkeys. "The tarps have also been wrapped."
"Dried meat and bamboo shoots are also here," Qin Shouzheng replied.
"The quinine is packed." Wei Ran patted the backpack. In addition to helping Luke pack some extra things, his main task was still to keep the quinine in one of the lunch boxes. As for the other half, Squad Leader Liang was responsible for the other half.
Carry it yourself.
"I'm ready too," Luke responded, leaning on a pair of bamboo crutches.
"Then let's go." Squad leader Liang put on a mosquito mask and a hat as he spoke.
Hearing this, Wei Ran and Zhou Guochang once again walked in the front, followed by the young monk and Qin Shouzheng leading the donkey. At the end of the team were still Squad Leader Liang and businessman Luke on crutches.
Although they only took a day's rest because of the rain, the traces left by the large troops passing through the jungle were almost covered by the surrounding vegetation. This also forced Wei Ran and Zhou Guochang to take turns waving to open the mountain.
Knives or machetes were used to clear away vines blocking the road, or branches of trees washed down by heavy rain.
"Squad leader, why haven't the people from the 288th Group followed?" Qin Shouzheng asked worriedly.
"Maybe the path we are taking is not the same as ours." After a moment of silence, Squad Leader Liang gave the most optimistic answer worriedly.
"The regiment you mentioned is responsible for the task of cutting off the rear, right?" Luke, who was leaning on crutches, asked.
"Yes." Squad Leader Liang nodded, "They may still be buying time."
"I hope so..." Luke muttered, but did not reveal his guess after all.
Sliding all the way down to the foot of the mountain, everyone carried bamboo poles through knee-deep mud, continuing to follow the path left by their predecessors, heading in an unknown direction.
Time passed by for four days. During these four nights, the little devil's plane never appeared again, but it would rain from time to time, making them feel like they were soaking in water every day.
Especially Wei Ran, Zhou Guochang and Luke, who were wearing boots, their feet were almost showing signs of trench foot after the rain.
As a last resort, Wei Ran was the first to take action. After some cutting, he turned the ammunition boots into leather sandals with exposed toes and holes in the heels.
His method was quickly copied by Zhou Guochang and Luke, but these few changes could only make the feet more comfortable at most. However, the number of mosquitoes and locusts increased significantly due to the increase in rainfall, but they often surrounded everyone at dusk.
He has the attitude of not giving up until he sucks them dry.
Although the young monk Sehao later simply hung a smoking bamboo tube on the donkey and everyone else, even so, everyone still inevitably scratched the bites on their bodies, causing redness, swelling and bleeding.
On the other hand, as time went by, the traces left by the large army in front became increasingly difficult to see clearly, and we even encountered a fork in the road at noon on the third day.
When they decided to walk along one of the forks for most of the day in various ways, the end of the fork led to a cliff that went straight up and down for more than 20 meters, and below the cliff was a surging mountain.
river, but on the other side of the cliff dozens of meters away, there was no trace of the passage of large troops.
There is no doubt that this situation occurred because the leading troops also took the wrong route. As a last resort, everyone could only support their exhausted bodies and return the same way overnight.
At noon on the fourth day, Wei Ran took another fork in the road and smelled the strong smell of corpses again in the drizzle.
After looking at each other with Zhou Guochang, the two of them quickened their pace slightly, each waving the machete or scimitar in their hands to clear away the vines that blocked their vision.
Finally, they found dozens of rotten and smelly corpses scattered near a stream hidden in the forest.
Most of these corpses have traces of being chewed by wild animals, but their bodies are more or less wrapped in gauze and even carry various weapons.
After secretly glancing at Squad Leader Liang, who was frowning, Wei Ran walked over to a relatively intact corpse leaning against a big tree.
At a glance, the petite stature, barely recognizable facial features, and shoulder-length black hair all hinted that this was a female soldier who followed him into Savage Mountain.
There was even a red cross cuff on the female soldier's arm, and a canvas medical bag also slung on her waist with a red cross on it.
Carefully opening the medical bag, Wei Ran sighed secretly. All the medical equipment in the bag had been taken away. The only thing left was a palm-sized mirror with a crack in the middle, and a patterned mirror.
Just a silver bracelet.
In addition, in the hand of this female soldier, she also held a small open-mouth pistol held against her chin.
"I know him"
Qin Shouzheng clenched his fists and whispered, "She is a health worker in a field hospital. I remember her surname is Zhang. Yes, her surname is Zhang, and her name is Zhang Xiu'e. That... that gun was given to her by Yang Wenwen from our battalion. They
The two of us have been getting along for a long time, and they even said that they would treat me to a wedding banquet when we get back.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Previously, Yang Wenwen was killed by a Japanese plane. We all helped hide it from her, saying that Yang Wenwen was left behind. Unexpectedly, she also
..."
"I remember it too"
Squad Leader Liang sighed, "The first time I got malaria, she gave me the injection. We had just arrived at the hospital at that time. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have known where I was buried."
"They are all wounded, lightly wounded who followed them into Savage Mountain."
Zhou Guochang pointed to the carvings on the trunk of a big tree and said, "There are 46 in total. They really can't keep up. Because of the lack of medicine, many of the wounded's wounds are infected. In addition to the wounded, there are also several people who have malaria. They."
..They committed suicide in order to...reduce logistical pressure."
"We...we have to hurry up." Squad Leader Liang said tremblingly, "We have to hurry up, let's go, Wei Ran, keep walking! We have to deliver the medicine quickly!"
"immediately"
While Wei Ran was speaking, he had already taken out his camera, turned the corpses around, aimed at the carvings on the tree trunks, and pressed the shutter again and again. Then he quickened his pace, almost escaping and leaving this heart-wrenching tomb.
In the unspeakable silence and depressing atmosphere, the group of people walked long or short distances until near dusk, and then stopped in the drizzle.
"Cave, there seems to be a cave over there," Zhou Guochang said feebly, "Do you want, do you want to rest for the night?"
"Squad leader, let's take a rest."
Qin Shouzheng followed up and said, "I've finished eating all the fried rice in the past few days. We just happened to make some again. And Lao Lu also needs to rest. His creaks are bleeding from the cane."
"Then take a night's rest."
Monitor Liang wiped the sweat from his forehead through his mosquito mask, "Go in and have a look. If the space is big enough, let's go in and rest for the night."
"I'll go"
Wei Ran put away the water bottle he had just taken two sips from, and without hesitation, he bent down and got into the cave with his submachine gun.
Taking out the flashlight and looking around, Wei Ran breathed a sigh of relief. The cave was not big, but it was big enough for everyone to come in and rest. He even saw the banana leaves spread on the ground and the rock wall on the innermost side.
The location was completely ashes, and it was obvious that the original vanguard might have rested here as well.
"Come in, everyone." Wei Ran bent down and came out of the cave to greet him. "The troops in front seem to have rested here as well."
After hearing this, everyone immediately got into the cave and put down their baskets and the dry firewood they picked up along the way. Then, with increasing skill, they worked together to unload the burdens on the two donkeys and moved them into the cave.
"My little master and I went looking for water."
Before Zhou Guochang finished speaking, he had already put the empty kettle, bamboo tube, and canvas bucket into his backpack. He also picked up the pole made of bamboo slices and tree forks by squad leader Liang the other day.
"I'm going to chop some firewood."
Wei Ran also emptied his backpack, picked up the hatchet and left the cave. After these days of running in, everyone had already found their respective positions.
Before the three of them left the cave, Qin Shouzheng, who was still plying his hands with a splint, was also holding the machete originally used for sanitary burning and looking at the banana leaves from the door.
Inside the cave, Luke also helped Squad Leader Liang do what he could to clean up the cave as much as possible.
When Wei Ran came back with a basket of damp dead wood on his back, the cave had been covered with pieces of banana leaves, and even the entrance of the cave was covered with banana trees cut down by a group of people who stayed here.
Lived most of the time.
With the help of fuel, Squad Leader Liang easily lit the bonfire and put the clean iron pot on it.
Soon, Zhou Guochang and the young monk also returned to the cave with a full harvest. Not only did they find enough and clean water as expected this time, but they also brought back half a basket of golden wild mangoes!
It was a pity that no one had much appetite for the fresh mangoes, the rice stewed by Squad Leader Liang, or even the steamed bear meat and dried bamboo shoots that were covered with the rice.
There was nothing to say all night. When everyone was woken up by Qin Shouzheng who was on duty the last morning the next morning, they found that Luke was wrapped tightly in a blanket and shivering!
"Luke, what's wrong with you?" Wei Ran, who suddenly woke up, approached and asked.
"Cold...cold..." The pale-faced Luke subconsciously responded in trembling English. Even when he answered again in severely off-key Chinese, Wei Ran could hear his teeth clashing against each other.
Clicking sound.
"It seems to be malaria," Wei Ran frowned and made a judgment. Although Hongqi Forest Farm had taught him various cases of malaria, this was his first time encountering it.
"It is indeed malaria." Squad Leader Liang made a judgment after just one glance. "Quickly, give him medicine!"
Hearing this, Wei Ran immediately dug out the lunch box wrapped in layers from the backpack that was used as a pillow, took out the melted quinine pills and stuffed them into Luke's mouth. At the same time, Zhou Guochang also plugged the kettle.
He pulled it away and handed it over.
After feeding him and finishing the medicine, Squad Leader Liang dug out two more bottles of chill pills and asked everyone to take them individually as a precaution.
"It seems I can't leave again," Qin Shou said, leaning against the wall.
"It's better than last time." Squad Leader Liang patted the wall, "Weiran, Guochang, you two have worked hard and brought back more firewood."
"follow me"
Wei Ran stood up as he spoke, "I found a dead tree yesterday. Let's use a donkey to drag it back."
"Let me talk to the little master." Zhou Guochang put on his bamboo hat and said hello to the little master Sehao.
When the young monk nodded, Zhou Guochang immediately got out of the cave, and Wei Ran and he each led a donkey and left the cave.
