At the Baisha Ferry at Zozaobang, five pontoons were immersed in the icy water and swaying. The fog had not yet dissipated. Both sides of the ferry were crowded with troops trying to cross the river. The shouts and curses were mixed together, making it chaotic and noisy.
The roar of artillery on the front line came from far away, and the battle situation worsened day by day. In this undefendable plain area, under the cover of the Japanese heavy artillery, entire companies and battalions of the Chinese army were killed, and divisions from the rear continued to be sent one after another.
When we went to the front line, batches of lightly and seriously wounded people were being sent down one after another.
The injured, covered in blood, looked depressed and decadent. They crowded the ferry in a numb and mechanical manner, wanting to leave this hell of dead people as soon as possible and praying for survival.
The troops rushing to the battlefield sang war songs loudly, straightened their chests and strode past the injured who were all broken. There was disdain in their eyes. They did not know that they were running towards death.
"All wounded soldiers, get out of the way! Let us go first!"
The officer in uniform uniform looked at the wounded soldiers crowding the pontoon bridge, with an impatient look on his face, and trotted to the front to yell at the wounded soldiers.
The wounded soldiers mixed with the withdrawn troops were still crowded on the pontoon bridge, scrambling to withdraw, and the troops reinforcing the battlefield were blocked at the ferry.
"boom!"
The officer pulled the trigger, and a plume of smoke came out of the black hole of the gun: "You all listen to me! Get out of the way quickly, or I will be rude!"
The wailing wounded soldiers and the decadent defeated soldiers were pushed off the pontoon bridge, and then they watched numbly as the troops entering the battlefield ran past them in rows. The splashing mud kept splashing, and the road was muddy.
Looking at the soldiers running past, some wounded soldiers couldn't help but ask loudly: "Which army are you from?"
"From the 62nd Division!"
"From the 167th Division!"
Looking at these soldiers who stepped into the battlefield with their chests held high, the wounded soldiers with depressed expressions kindly reminded them: "We, the 57th Division, can't stop the Japanese. If you go up, you will die, so you'd better run for your life."
"That's because your 57th Division's combat effectiveness is too poor. It's up to us, the 62nd Division, to beat the little Japs! Just wait and see how our 62nd Division beats the little Japs." The people of the 62nd Division looked down upon the wounded soldiers.
The troops of the 167th Division, who also went to the front line, suddenly became unhappy: "You 62nd Division are nothing, our 167th Division is the strongest! If you have the ability, let's compete on the battlefield to see who is better."
"It's a joke, our 62nd Division can't compare to your 167th Division." The officers of the 62nd Division sneered.
"Brothers of the 62nd Division, please stand up for me and cheer up! Let the friendly brothers who have withdrawn see how we fight against the Japanese!"
"Brothers of the 167th Division! Run! Let's enter the battlefield first, don't let the people of the 62nd Division look down upon us!"
The two troops heading for the battlefield competed and began to rush towards the battlefield. The troops who withdrew helplessly shook their heads, they were all going to die. They were so high-spirited when they first entered the battlefield. In just one day, most of the division was reimbursed.
Don't take it down in disgrace.
Luo Ziqiang looked at the troops crowding the pontoon bridge, with no expression on his tired face. Holding his 38-gauge rifle captured from the Japanese, he turned around and squeezed through the crowd.
My feet walked from the muddy ferry to a small dirt slope five hundred meters away from the ferry.
The small slope is relatively better than the ferry that is trampled by thousands of feet, but the heavy rain last night still made it wet. The remaining soldiers who had been withdrawn from the battlefield were nesting here waiting to cross the river.
"Company Commander Zhou, Platoon Leader Yang, I took a look, there are a lot of people blocking the ferry. I'm afraid we have to wait if we want to cross the river." Luo Ziqiang sat down on the wet grass and smashed the old chain smoker.
Talk to Yang Ling.
The old smoker's wrinkled face was full of sadness. He took off the cigarette holder from his mouth and turned his head to Yang Ling, who was sitting on the stone next to him: "I said Brother Yang, why don't we cross the river in another place? Let's go here.
I've been waiting all night, how long will it take?"
Yang Ling's eyes swept over the gray and surging crowd. He knew very well that the newly dispatched troops to the battlefield could not stop the Japanese attack. By tomorrow at the latest, all the positions on the left bank would fall, and if they had not been able to cross by then,
If you cross the river, you will only become a lamb to be slaughtered.
"Brother Yang, please tell me, how should we go?" Lao Yanqiang suddenly became anxious when he saw that Yang Ling didn't say anything.
Together with the 18th Division, they withdrew to the rear to rest and recuperate. They could finally escape from that nightmare battlefield. Now they were stuck here. They heard the sound of artillery behind them getting closer and closer, and they felt more and more uneasy.
Seeing the restless remnants of the soldiers, Yang Ling took a deep breath and stood up: "The other crossings should be similar. Let's cross the river from here."
"But the ferry is packed with people. How long do we have to wait?"
"Who said we have to cross the river from the pontoon?" Yang Ling asked.
Luo Dayong looked at the cold flowing river water and shuddered all over: "Brother Yang, if you swim across, you won't freeze to death. Besides, I can't swim either."
"Yeah, I can't swim either." The remnant soldiers all agreed, with worried faces on their faces.
Of course Yang Ling would not let them go swimming. First of all, most of them could not swim. Secondly, the water flow in the Rozao Beach seemed gentle, but in fact the water was very deep.
The weather turns cold and the water is very cold. If you get wet all over, you will definitely catch a cold. In this place where there is a lack of medical treatment and medicine, if the number of patients increases for no reason, whether you can survive can only depend on luck. Yang Ling will not do this unless it is a last resort.
.
"There is a bamboo forest on the way we retreat. Some of you will come and follow me to cut some bamboos, and we will build a bamboo raft and go there." Yang Ling took off his bayonet wrapped in a strip of cloth and said.
Lao Yanqiang frowned and said: "But none of us know how to build bamboo rafts..."
"Okay, don't be dumbfounded. Come and chop the bamboo with me. The rest of you go find hemp rope. I'll tie up the bamboo raft later."
"I'm going to help chop the bamboo." Luo Dayong took off the bayonet hanging on his rifle and volunteered to follow Yang Ling.
"I'll go too." Fatty Tian San was not far behind.
Yang Ling found a few strong remnants and joined the gray crowd together, preparing to cut down bamboo to build bamboo rafts, while Lao Yanqiang and others stayed in place to look after the firearms and look for hemp ropes to tie the bamboo rafts.
.
About half an hour later, Yang Ling and others returned to the original place carrying several thick bamboos. Under the surprised eyes of Lao Yanqiang and others, Yang Ling began to demonstrate how to build a bamboo raft.
Watching a few broken bamboos flying up and down in Yang Ling's hands, a bamboo raft that could carry four or five people at once was formed. The remaining soldiers looked at Yang Ling with admiration in their eyes. Damn it, why can't we?