The timely return of the commander Yang Ling made the scattered troops seem to have found a backbone, and their morale was immediately boosted.
After Second Battalion Commander Wu Changqing gave Yang Ling a brief report on the situation in Huaiyin, Yang Ling finally had a general understanding of the current situation in Huaiyin.
"Where is the general commander? Why didn't they arrange rear troops? Why was the retreat so chaotic?"
Yang Ling finally managed the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps. Although he had lost Baoying and Jieshou, he still had strength. However, it was hard for Yang Ling to believe that he was beaten so badly by the Japanese.
"Well, I received the order from Commander Yuan to retreat. When I left the city, I heard that they had retreated to the north. There are still some brothers in our battalion who have not come out in the city, so I am waiting here to gather the brothers. Who knows the Japanese?
The cavalry is coming." Second Battalion Commander Wu Changqing answered truthfully.
When he heard that a group of people directed by the general had fled for their lives regardless of the situation, leaving the people and troops in the city being chased and beaten by the Japanese, Yang Ling became angry for no reason.
The Chinese Army has never lacked brothers who dare to fight, but what it lacks is commanders who dare to take on the responsibility. The reason why many large-scale battles were overwhelming in the early stages and resulted in routs in the later stages was because of poor command.
"How many of our brothers are there in the city now?"
Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao and the others could run away regardless, but Yang Ling could not ignore these brothers Paoze who had not yet withdrawn.
Second Battalion Commander Wu Changqing replied: "I heard that Chief Zhang is still in the city. There are also many brothers in each battalion who were blocked by the Japanese and have not been evacuated. We don't know exactly how many there are."
Hearing the heavy gunfire and explosions in the city, Yang Ling knew without guessing that there must be many brothers who had not evacuated.
"Sir Yang, the Japs are coming fiercely. I'll send people to cover you and evacuate to a safe place first. I'll stay here to collect the scattered soldiers and guard the retreat passage for the brothers in the city." Second Battalion Commander Wu Changqing asked Yang Ling to evacuate.
"Old Wu, how can I withdraw at this time?" Yang Ling directly rejected the proposal of Second Battalion Commander Wu Changqing.
"I will lead my men back to the city to rescue our brothers. You and your men will build fortifications here to protect us. Can we hold on?" Yang Ling looked at the injured Wu Changqing and asked.
"You can hold on!" Second Battalion Commander Wu Changqing assured.
"Okay, I'll give you some brothers to help you, and I'll take the rest away." Yang Ling said and stood up.
"Brothers, we still have countless brothers who have not withdrawn from the bloody battle with the Japs in the city. Those who are not afraid of death come to our side to gather. Let's fight back and rescue them!"
Yang Ling changed into a 38 rifle with a bayonet installed, and stood there shouting for the brothers to come and gather.
"The greedy man has escaped, let's follow Commander Yang and fight back!"
"Kill back! Beat the little devil!"
.......
The surrounding skirmishers shouted and gathered again under Yang Ling's banner. After a while, more than two hundred people gathered.
"All officers above the squad and platoon leaders come out!"
Seeing that these disrupted brothers were not greedy for life and fearful of death, and were eager to kill them in response, Yang Ling nodded with satisfaction.
After hearing what Yang Ling said, company commander Sun Liang and other officers with their faces covered in blood and dust came out in unison and stood in front of Yang Ling.
Yang Ling quickly cut through the mess and reorganized these brothers from different organizations into four combat platoons, each with about fifty people.
"One platoon will stay and follow Battalion Commander Wu's orders. The other three platoons will check weapons and ammunition and follow me back to the city to rescue people!" Yang Ling looked at the brothers who were quickly reorganizing and gave the order.
"Old Wu, we must guard this retreat passage in the north of the city, please."
"Sir, don't worry, there is a way out!"
Wu Changqing has now regained his composure and is full of unprecedented trust in Yang Ling.
Yang Ling quickly said goodbye to the second battalion commander Wu Changqing, and led more than 150 brothers back to the city through the crowd of refugees pouring out like a mud flow.
The bustling Huaiyin run by the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps has become a mess due to the war. Packages, carts and sundries are randomly discarded on the streets, and countless terrified people are dragging their families and running out of the city.
War is like a plague that makes people unable to avoid it. The arrival of the Japanese has once again ignited the flames of war in this city that had been quiet for a while.
"Follow me, don't get separated!"
The streets were full of people running for their lives. The brothers went upstream toward the direction of the fierce gunfire. They were under tremendous pressure. If they were not careful, they would be swept away by the crowd.
When the brothers walked upstream for only two hundred meters, the crowd in front suddenly became confused.
"The devil is coming, the devil is coming, run away!"
Screams and cries were heard, the crowd suddenly accelerated towards the outside of the city, and the streets were in chaos.
A Japanese infantry squad broke into the city from the west gate, infiltrated and penetrated, and jumped to the main road near the north gate. When they saw the vast number of fleeing people, they immediately rushed out with ferocious faces.
Although there were only a dozen people in this Japanese infantry squad, facing the unarmed people, they were so arrogant that they didn't take it to heart at all and rushed out with all their teeth and claws.
Just as the Japanese expected, when they saw them rushing out with bayonets in hand, although the streets were crowded with thousands of people at the moment, no one dared to turn around to resist, and they were all running towards the city gate desperately.
run in the direction.
"Bang bang bang!"
The Japanese were shooting at the fleeing people unscrupulously, causing blood to fly everywhere, and some people kept falling into a pool of blood.
"Hahahaha, cowardly Chinese people." Seeing these people running for their lives in fear, the Japanese soldiers laughed wildly.
"Yo Xi, the flower girl's is here to stay!"
A Japanese soldier saw a young woman taking photos of them with a camera in front of him. He was immediately excited. A Japanese soldier shot into the air and shouted loudly.
"Su Yan, leave quickly, the Japanese are targeting us."
Seeing the Japs charging toward them with guns in hand, the man next to reporter Su Yan changed his face and hurriedly grabbed Su Yan, who was still holding the camera in her hand, and ran away.
Seeing several Japs rushing over excitedly, reporter Su Yan also had a pretty face and turned pale, staggering and running after the man next to her.
"boom!"
"boom!"
The Japs were chasing their prey, laughing wildly and shooting as they chased them. The bullets landed all around Su Yan and the others, and plumes of smoke slid out from the ground.
Su Yan, who had always prided herself on being brave and was stationed in the Sulu theater, was so frightened that she almost cried when she faced the bullets flying around her. She had never felt that death was so close to her.
It was not easy for the Japanese to see such a beautiful woman, so they naturally fired their guns very measuredly, as if they were teasing their prey. Although the bullets were flying around, they did not really hit them.
"boom!"
"ah!"
When Su Yan and others were closely pursued by the Japanese, the male reporter who was with Su Yan was shot in the leg and rolled to the ground with a cry of pain.
"Su Yan hurriedly turned around and tried to pull her up, but how could a weak woman pull a big man up?"
"Come on, leave me alone."
The male reporter endured the severe pain and looked at the little devil who had already rushed over, sweating profusely.
The Japanese soldiers were only more than twenty meters away from Su Yan and the others. They arrived in the blink of an eye. Staring at Su Yan who was constantly trying to pull the male reporter up, these Japanese soldiers were extremely excited.
"Bang bang bang..."
Just as these little devils were rushing towards Su Yan and the others, a dull sound of gunshots suddenly reached their ears.
"Puff puff--"
The bullets whizzed across the street, making the Japanese in front of them tremble, and puffs of blood sprayed out.
"Baga, China Army!"
The Japs behind reacted quickly, hurriedly rolling on the spot and lying down to dodge. However, under the dense rain of bullets, any dodge was useless. The Japs were shot one by one, and blood arrows shot out of their bodies, and they howled miserably.