The intensity of the Japanese attack continued unabated. Wailing and injured soldiers were constantly being carried down from the firing line. Every time a wounded soldier passed by the Gaoqiao Gate, Wang Huzi and others would always come up to ask about the battle situation at the front. They all received the same answer, and their brows became more and more serious. The wrinkles become deeper.
The fighting at the front was brutal, and almost none of the wounded who were brought down were intact. Those whose arms and legs were broken by the explosion were considered healthy. What's more, some had holes in their stomachs cut by explosive shrapnel, and their intestines slipped out, but they died again. If it doesn't work, I'll keep wailing and suffering.
The tragic situation of the wounded caused the enthusiasm of the student soldiers who set foot on the battlefield for the first time to gradually cool down. Although they had not really fought with the enemy, they had already seen the cruelty of war. Those students who were weak in endurance could smell the pungent blood. I was so angry that I couldn't help but vomited.
Although the veterans frowned deeper, they remained calm. For the first time, the student soldiers looked at these veterans who had been on the battlefield in a new light. They felt that their previous accusations of cowardice and incompetence were biased. After all, they were truly standing on a flesh-and-blood battlefield. Only then did I realize the cruelty and ruthlessness of the battlefield.
"Fourth, why don't we run away," a timid student said. His blood had cooled down, and now he was only left with the fear of war. He couldn't help but want to escape from this hell filled with the smell of death.
The student soldier Wang Zikun was the fourth child in his family. Although he was very scared, he gritted his teeth and held back. He persuaded the students who wanted to escape: "If we just run away, wouldn't we be deserters? If we follow Commander Yang, we may not be able to escape." Death, if I escape, I won't be able to hold my head up for the rest of my life."
"But I'm afraid..."
Wang Zikun consoled him and said, "What are you afraid of? Just follow me when the fight breaks out."
There were quite a few student soldiers who wanted to escape. They shouted slogans loudly, cursing the army for its incompetence and loss of territory. But when they actually came to the battlefield, they realized how close they were to death. How difficult it is.
Wang Huzi and other veterans also gathered together and whispered. The front-line artillery was rumbling, and they could feel the ground under their feet shaking. According to their experience, this was definitely not a small mountain artillery, but a large-caliber howitzer. This was not What a good sign.
Yang Ling has also been paying close attention to the battle situation on the front line. The situation is not optimistic. What is even more disturbing is that there is no clear order for the reorganized troops to stay here.
"Who is the commander of the guerrilla camp Yang Ling?"
In the darkness, a panting lieutenant adjutant rushed to the temporary resting place of the guerrilla camp and started shouting at the top of his lungs. The veterans stood up with their guns in hand, knowing that it was their turn.
Yang Ling hurriedly reached out and tugged at the corner of his wrinkled clothes and stood up: "I am Yang Ling, the major commander of the guerrilla battalion."
The lieutenant adjutant rushed to Yang Ling and saluted, handed a note with the order to Yang Ling and said: "Batalion Commander Yang, some Japanese have broken through the 51st Division's defense line and are heading this way. Order from the top." Move your camp to Wangjiazhuang in front and set up defenses to protect the flanks of Gaoqiao Gate!"
"Yes!" Yang Ling took the order, and before the adjutant had gone far, he had already raised his voice and issued an order to the brothers in the guerrilla camp: "Assemble! Target Wangjiazhuang!"
More than 400 brothers from the guerrilla camp came out of Gaoqiao Gate in the dark night, and headed eastward to Wangjiazhuang under the leadership of their guide.
The dark night sky was illuminated as red as day by the explosions on the front line. The occasional dazzling flashes of light illuminated the team trotting forward in the dark night. No one spoke, only heavy breathing and broken crashing sounds.
Many residential buildings along the way have collapsed and ignited raging fires, with thick smoke billowing and some scalding beams collapsing in the fire. The people have already withdrawn into the city, and their homes are doomed to be in the flames of war.
combustion.
On the roadside heading to Wangjiazhuang, there were many blown-up corpses lying on the damp ground. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood. The team only glanced at them briefly, and then hurried into the darkness.
The Japanese came faster than Yang Ling and the others expected. When they could see the dark Wangjiazhuang's low-slung houses in the distance, Liu Yidao's company, which was running at the front, suddenly exchanged fire with those in front.
It was so pitch black that nothing could be seen clearly. The advancing team immediately became agitated, and the student soldiers were even more unbearable. The sudden exchange of fire frightened them into confusion, and they didn't know what to do for a moment.
"Everyone is hiding on the spot. Qin Shou sends people to the front to ask what's going on!" Yang Ling's voice was still calm, which immediately stabilized the team. The veterans dispersed to the roadside to guard, and the student soldiers were also there.
The veterans yelled at him and lay on the ground, not daring to move.
These student soldiers are students from National Central University, Jinling University, Yenching University and other universities. They are full of passion for serving the country. They are knowledgeable and educated. Their weakness is that they do not have any battlefield experience.
When Liu Yidao saw that these student soldiers, who were completely burdensome, were to be added to the team, he was full of opinions, but Yang Ling still resisted all opinions and kept them because he also had his own plans.
He clearly understood whether this battle would end soon. After the bloody battles from Shanghai to Nanjing, almost all the elites in the army were wiped out. As the veterans counted their deaths, a large number of new recruits were added to the team.
, the combat effectiveness of the entire army will continue to decline.
Now, when Yang Ling keeps these student soldiers in the team, he does not ask them to die as cannon fodder. Yang Ling wants them to experience the baptism of blood and fire and cultivate them into the backbone of his team.
As long as these knowledgeable and educated student soldiers adapt to the war and train them, no matter how many new recruits are added to the team in the future, with these backbones like them, the team will not collapse and will quickly regain its strong combat effectiveness.
The soldiers sent by Yang Ling to ask about the situation had not taken a few steps when the soldiers sent by Liu Yidao rushed over and shouted in a panic: "Batalion Commander, we ran into the arms of the Japanese!"
Hearing the shouts of the visitor, the team that had just stabilized became commotion again.
Yang Ling's face darkened and he shouted loudly: "Why are you panicking!"
"Listen to the gunshots. The Japanese are just a small force that has infiltrated here. Let's see what you can do!"
Yang Ling scolded the student soldiers who wanted to retreat without any scruples, making them blush to the root of their necks. For the first time, they felt ashamed of their cowardice.
"Qin Shou!"
"arrive!"
"Lead the students to hide on the spot!"
"yes!"
"Wang Beard, you guys are going around from the left to take the enemy's retreat!"
"Blacksmith! Your company will support Liu Yidao with me, and we will destroy these little devils!"
Yang Ling's order was clear and decisive and could not be refused. The companies that received the order immediately took action and began their movements under the cover of darkness.
Most of Yang Ling's guerrilla battalion is made up of new recruits, and the people are confused and disorganized. Although Yang Ling brought them back together during training in the afternoon, they are likely to collapse when they encounter a strong enemy.
At this moment, Yang Ling gave full play to the leading role of an officer. With a gun in his hand, he led the troops to fight back against the Japanese who encountered them, stabilizing the morale of the army.
The number of this group of Japs was not large. When they encountered Liu Yidao's company, they did not give in. Instead, they wanted to eat Liu Yidao and the others in one bite. However, as Yang Ling led the team to support, this group of Japs realized that they had encountered the main force of the Chinese army.
, want to retreat.
Just at this moment, the rear-guard team led by Wang Huzi stabbed the Japanese in the back. The two teams attacked from the front and back, and immediately crushed the little Japanese to pieces. Except for a few fish caught in the net, most of the Japanese
were annihilated on the spot.
The victory in the first battle greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers in the guerrilla camp, allowing them to see Yang Ling's composure and bravery, which enhanced their sense of belonging to the guerrilla camp. Especially the student soldiers, who also felt the atmosphere of a real battle for the first time.