At dawn, Yang Ling was awakened by the excitement and noise outside the yard. Hearing the cry of snow outside, he got up and put on a thick military coat and walked to the window.
With a creaking sound, the window opened, and a blast of bone-soaked cold air poured into the room. Yang Ling couldn't help but shiver and tightened his collar in a hurry.
Yang Ling looked around and saw that overnight, the entire courtyard had been covered in silver, covered with a thick layer of white snow. The sky and the earth seemed to be covered with a white velvet quilt, boundless white.
Hearing the shouts from outside, the doors of the adjacent wing rooms opened one after another, and the staff officers who lived in the same courtyard as Yang Ling walked into the courtyard one after another wrapped in thick clothes.
"It's such a heavy snow."
Looking at the still falling snowflakes and the vast white land outside the door, the staff officers could not restrain their excitement even though they were shivering from the cold.
"This is really good snow, the bigger the better, the auspicious snow heralds a good harvest, and the next year's harvest will definitely be good." Staff officer Lei Xiong was also a farmer. When he saw the heavy snow, he smiled on his face.
"What a pity. After serving in the army for so many years, I have almost forgotten how to take care of crops." Liu Sheng, the intelligence staff officer, also sighed with emotion.
Lei Xiong smiled and said: "Old Liu, don't sigh. I think this little devil is a grasshopper after the autumn. He won't be able to jump around for a few days. When the devil is finished, you can go back."
I am taking care of the crops in my hometown."
"Although I say that, most of our country is occupied by little devils, and we don't know when this war will end."
"Come on, come on. The little Japs were so ferocious three years ago. They beat us so hard that even our German weapon masters couldn't resist them. But now, the Japs' combat effectiveness is not as good as before. We can all annihilate them all."
I have also heard that many of our main troops on the front battlefield have become Su weapon masters, but some little devils will suffer." Another staff officer came over and said.
"That's right. Three years ago, didn't the little devils clamor for the destruction of China in three months? But now, three years have passed, and the little devils can't do anything to us."
Compared with the gloom that hung over the heads of the entire Japanese people in the early days of the war, now with the continuation of the war and the bloody battle of the Chinese Communist Party, the argument of protracted war has suppressed the theory of national subjugation and surrender.
Although it is still unclear when the Japs will be driven out of China and the war will end, the Chinese people have adapted to the war and are no longer as pessimistic and desperate as they were in the early days of the war.
While the staff officers were standing under the eaves, retracting their hands into their sleeves and discussing the situation, in the snow not far away, the excited brothers could not wait to jump up and down.
The Northern Jiangsu Corps gathered many stragglers who were scattered into Jiangsu from the Battle of Xuzhou. These stragglers include officers and soldiers from the coastal areas of Guangdong, and more from Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan and other places.
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Because most of the troops under the command of General Li Zongren in the Fifth Theater at that time were from local troops, it was by relying on these so-called local miscellaneous troops that they achieved a great victory in Taierzhuang, annihilating more than 10,000 elite Japanese troops.
However, in the later stages of the Battle of Xuzhou, the Japanese also launched a crazy revenge and mobilized the main force in China at that time in an attempt to encircle and annihilate the 600,000 Chinese Communists in the Taierzhuang area.
However, the commander of the theater, General Li Zongren, also sensed the danger in time and took the initiative to command the troops to launch a large-scale retreat. Yang Ling and the 74th Army and other Central Army units at the time were thousands of miles away, and the Lanfeng Battle in the Lanfeng area was a cover
The Taierzhuang troops, exhausted after half a month of hard fighting, retreated.
Because at that time, Yang Ling and other Central Army troops had been training in Huangpo, Hubei and other places for several months, and they had replenished weapons, equipment and soldiers.
Therefore, in the Battle of Lanfeng, it not only completed the task of covering the retreat of the main force of Taierzhuang, but also almost annihilated the Dofeiyuan Division that had rushed in and tried to cut off the retreat of the Taierzhuang defenders.
The troops fought bravely and tenaciously on the Xuzhou battlefield, but the Japanese also mobilized a large number of elite troops to encircle and pursue them. In the later stage, most of the troops responsible for covering the mission were killed in the entire regiment and battalion. In the end, the New 8th Division blew up the Yellow River. This
Only then did he stop the devils.
However, many of the troops tasked with blocking rear lines were flooded, and some were dispersed and dispersed behind enemy lines, and then were gradually incorporated by guerrilla forces everywhere.
Many of these officers and soldiers from the south have been to the north for the first time, and many of them have seen such heavy snow for the first time. At this moment, they are like children getting their favorite toys, playing happily in the snow.
, very excited.
The normally dignified commanders at all levels were no exception. They were as happy as children at the moment, jumping up and down. Every camp in Jieshou was filled with excited officers and soldiers.
The brothers had a great time chasing each other in the snow, building snowmen, and having snowball fights. The brothers who came from the north and saw snow all year round looked curiously at these brothers who spent most of their time together day and night.
They didn't expect that the brothers from the south had such a side, and they all marveled at it. They thought the snow was unbearable, and they didn't understand why the brothers from the south were so happy when their hands were red from the cold.
"It's really outrageous. They still look like soldiers. Don't be offended, sir. I'll call them back right now."
Second Battalion Commander Wu Changqing came over from a distance and saw Yang Ling standing under the eaves watching the brothers playing in the snow. He was worried that Yang Ling, who had always been strict in running the army, would be displeased, so he hurriedly spoke.
"Old Wu, it's rare for the brothers to relax and have fun, let them make trouble." Yang Ling hurriedly spoke to stop the battalion commander Wu Changqing.
Although Yang Ling usually had strict requirements on his brothers, he also hoped to train them into a strong army that would scare the devils.
But Yang Ling also knows that whether you are a person or a person, you have to be relaxed and relaxed. If you keep tightening your nerves, something will happen sooner or later.
"These guys are so energetic, let's see if I don't train them harder when I go back."
Seeing that Yang Ling showed no sign of anger, Wu Changqing looked at the brothers rolling in the snow and throwing snowballs, laughing and cursing.
"Old Wu, why don't you come to see me early in the morning?" Yang Ling invited battalion commander Wu Changqing into the house.
While I was standing outside, the orderly had already brought a basin of charcoal fire into the house. The burning charcoal fire made the room warm and dissipated the cold air.
Wu Changqing sat down, stretched his red hands over the hot brazier to bake them, and said: "On my way to patrol, I saw several fellow villagers' livestock freezing to death. The fellow villagers were all depressed. I'm here to ask for advice.
Can our army buy these frozen livestock..."
The people's families are not wealthy to begin with, and their livestock account for almost a large part of their property. Now that they have been frozen to death by a sudden heavy snowfall, they must feel sad.
After Yang Ling heard Wu Changqing's words, he pondered for a moment and then nodded and said: "Your proposal is very good. Our army and the local folks are on the same side. If the folks can't survive this winter, then we will not be able to survive next year."
But there’s nothing left to eat.”
"In this case, you inform Director Sun of the Military Supplies Department to handle this matter. You must purchase the frozen livestock according to the market price. You cannot deliberately lower the price and ensure fair transactions." Yang Ling instructed.
Yang Ling attaches great importance to military-civilian relations. After all, when fighting in occupied areas, only by being closely connected with the local people and gaining their support can their troops have food to eat and win the battle.
Now these people are encountering difficulties, and their troops have an unshirkable responsibility to help them. Only by uniting the army and the people to tide over the difficulties can they survive this harsh winter, defeat the Japanese Imperial Invading Army, and gain independence and freedom.