The burning fire was lit in the cold and humid night, dispelling the boundless darkness. The fire was dotted in the river covered with reefs. The exhausted soldiers and brothers were sitting around the fire like mud, enjoying the fire belt.
Comes warm.
The gruel in the lunch box began to boil, and the permeating fragrance made the hungry brothers crane their necks to swallow. The soaked clothes baking next to the fire were steaming up, and they were recovering again.
The dry, orange flames reflected the young and dirty faces, brave and resolute.
Although they were a group of defeated soldiers who were defeated on the battlefield, they neither surrendered to the enemy nor laid down their weapons. Although they were defeated, Yang Ling felt that they were also heroes worthy of respect because they had also served this country and nation.
He shed blood and sacrificed his life, and he also endured until the last moment on the bloody battlefield.
Facing the well-equipped Japanese soldiers, who were armed to the teeth, Yang Ling knew that failure was inevitable. After all, the gap in strength between the two sides was so great that many people could not believe it, and it could only be filled with human lives.
Yang Ling was not afraid of failure. What he was afraid of was that these defeated brothers would be shattered and unable to stand up again, so he led them to fight against the Japanese soldiers in the hope of rebuilding their shattered confidence. However, the effect was remarkable. In just one day,
Over time, the numbness and despair on the faces of these defeated soldiers has faded a lot, and their morale is gradually recovering. In Yang Ling's opinion, this is a good sign.
Although Yang Ling is not the commander of this unit and his position is just that of a low-ranking company commander, he feels that he has the responsibility to help these brothers who are fighting for the country regain their confidence, lead them to survive, and take them to fight.
The devil takes revenge.
"Company commander, the regimental deputy has asked you to come over." Yang Dashu came up to Yang Ling and licked his lips at the fire not far away.
Yang Dashu had a problem with regiment deputy Liu Ming. They caused a huge disturbance in Suzhou City. They not only killed many Japanese soldiers, but also burned a lot of their weapons and baggage. When all the troops were defeated, they had such a record.
No matter how you say it, it’s a victory.
However, instead of praising and praising them, Liu Ming scolded them and almost killed Yang Ling who was directing the operation. This made Yang Dashu feel unhappy. However, he was the deputy commander, so although Yang Dashu was angry,
But I can only complain in private.
Yang Ling patted his butt and stood up, raising his legs to go over. Yang Dashu tugged at the corner of Yang Ling's clothes and whispered, "Company commander, just treat it like farts and don't contradict him, otherwise he will cause trouble for us again.
"
"Okay, I understand." Faced with Yang Dashu's kind reminder, Yang Ling smiled and nodded.
In fact, he had no burden at all in his heart. Although Liu Ming clamored to shoot him during the day, Yang Ling believed that Liu Ming would not really shoot him, but just beat him. If he really killed him, what would happen?
It's not to chill the hearts of the brothers. If Liu Ming didn't understand this, he wouldn't be the regimental deputy.
"Second Company Commander Yang Ling has been ordered to report for duty and ask for instructions from the commander!"
Yang Ling's legs were straight. The dirty and worn-out military uniform put on Yang Ling's thin body, but it gave a sense of erectness. At this moment, he stood upright against the wind.
Liu Ming, who was lying on a stretcher, was extremely uncomfortable facing Yang Ling, who had a serious expression, eyes fixed on his face, and a strong voice.
"Are you still angry with me?" Liu Ming asked, tilting his head.
"The staff dare not!"
Liu Ming sarcastically said: "Is there anything else you don't dare to do? How dare you do it when you knocked me unconscious and took people to fight the Japanese without permission?"
Faced with the push from regiment deputy Liu Ming, Yang Ling didn't say anything and still stood upright looking straight ahead because he couldn't explain it.
"Okay, stop standing. If you're not tired, I'm still tired." Liu Ming angrily rubbed his neck that was scratched by shrapnel and asked Yang Ling to sit down.
The orange-red flames exuded warm hot wind, dispelling the coldness of the dark night. Yang Ling and regimental deputy Liu Ming sat across the fire in silence.
After a long silence, Liu Ming finally couldn't help but speak: "Whether you scold me or hate me about what happened in the morning, or you may beat me up someday, I will accept it, but there are some things I still want to say."
"I know that you are a sharpshooter and that skilled people are bold, but they are not." Liu Ming said, pointing to the broken soldiers who were resting on the ground like mud.
"Most of the brothers I brought with me have died in Shanghai, and not even a single body has been left behind. It is not easy for these brothers to crawl out alive from the pile of corpses in Shanghai. I have no objection to you wanting to avenge the Japanese.
I also want to fight the Japanese to avenge my dead brothers, but now that the army has been defeated, we don’t even have enough people to fill the teeth of the Japanese. I don’t want these living brothers to die in vain, you know?”
Yang Ling understood the pain and conflicting feelings of regimental deputy Liu Ming. Too many people died in that tragic battle. As a commander, he was helpless and powerless. He could only watch his brothers die one by one.
Although he now wants to seek revenge against the Japanese, they cannot defeat the Japanese, so he can only resort to taking the next best thing and bring his living brothers back, otherwise he will feel guilty for the rest of his life.
"Deputy Liu Tuan..." Yang Ling wanted to speak, but Liu Ming waved his hand to stop him.
"I know what you want to say, but what I want to tell you is that it is right to fight the Japanese. I also wish to kill all the Japanese, but don't risk the lives of my brothers next time. We brothers
It’s not easy to live till now.”
Yang Ling nodded and agreed, understanding Liu Ming's painstaking efforts. He was not against fighting the Japanese, but he was more concerned about the lives of his brothers.
"That's all, let's not say these depressing words," regimental deputy Liu Ming changed the topic: "Although you kid disobeyed military orders and acted without permission, you fought well this time. I heard that you took the Japanese and blew up a headquarters.
Their ammunition supplies?”
"Yes." Yang Yangling admitted openly. After all, it was all true.
Liu Ming nodded with satisfaction: "I saw you right, you are a good officer."
Facing such a sudden compliment from Liu Ming, the monk Yang Ling Zhang Er was confused. He didn't know what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd, so he didn't open his mouth and waited for his next words.
Liu Ming ignored Yang Ling's surprised look and took out a crumpled piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Yang Ling: "I am a person who knows rewards and punishments. Since I have merit, I should be rewarded, otherwise the hearts of my brothers will be cold."
, from now on, he will temporarily act as the commander of the first battalion of our supplementary regiment. This is proof. Although it is not formal enough, let’s make do with it.”
"First battalion commander?" Yang Ling looked at the appointment letter written on the torn paper and looked at Liu Ming in confusion. Although promotion on the battlefield was very common, he had to be shot in the morning and promoted at night. Is this what he meant?
A stick and a carrot?
"I'm just the deputy of the regiment. Promoting you to temporarily serve as the first battalion commander is already the limit of my ability." Liu Ming said with a smile: "But don't be too happy, kid. It's only temporary. Everything needs to be confirmed by the military headquarters.
, as for the military rank, I’ll make up for it when the time comes.”
"Regimental deputy, the victory in Suzhou is all due to the brothers. Now that you are in command of the regiment, it is enough. I think this is the temporary battalion commander." Yang Ling only wanted to fight the Japanese, and he really couldn't bring up the matter of promotion.
Get interested.
However, Liu Ming also had his own considerations, that is, he was injured and it was difficult to command. Moreover, he also understood that Yang Ling was stronger than the other company commanders. If he was trained, he would not be able to take charge alone. In the Battle of Songhu, a large number of officers were killed, so he also wanted to prepare for a rainy day.
He kept Yang Ling, a good young man, under his command.
So he directly rejected Yang Ling's proposal: "As acting battalion commander, you can act appropriately or inappropriately. This is an order. Can you bear to watch me lying on a stretcher and working hard all day long?"
"Okay, remember what I said, cherish the lives of brothers," Liu Ming waved his hand impatiently to Yang Ling who was still about to speak: "Go, I'm going to bed."