It was getting dark, and the battle near Gwanghwamun had become intense. Bullets and artillery shells were flying in the air, and flares illuminated the sky as bright as day.
The two sides fought and fought repeatedly in the ruined neighborhood. Although the Japanese charged fiercely and attacked fiercely, the defenders everywhere still held on to their positions tenaciously.
Yang Ling's guerrilla battalion was ordered to withdraw to the Daguang Road area to rest and standby. The brothers had fought bloody battles for several days on the battlefield under heavy artillery fire. They were now exhausted and paralyzed. After eating, they found a place at random and fell asleep.
Most of the brothers in the guerrilla camp are veterans. Although it is dark outside, they still sleep soundly because they know that there will be more fierce battles waiting for them when they wake up.
The night of the twelfth lunar month of winter was as cold as an ice cellar. Although Yang Ling was wrapped in a ragged military blanket, he was still woken up by the cold in the middle of the night. After waking up from the cold, he couldn't fall back to sleep. He had never slept well these days.
Wrapped in a military blanket, he went to the fire and looked out at the sky through the broken window. The flashes of artillery fire flashed from time to time, revealing the dark clouds, which looked particularly ferocious.
Yang Ling's heart was heavy, not only for the more than a thousand brothers who followed him, but also for the safety of hundreds of thousands of people. These were like a stone, weighing him down and suffocating him.
He took out the exquisite small box from his pocket, took out the Medal of Blue Sky and White Sun awarded to him, and looked at it with the help of weak firelight. I wonder if so many brothers have sacrificed for this medal. Is it worth it?
"Batalion Commander, why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Qin Shou pushed the door open from outside and came in. A cold wind blew into the room, which made Yang Ling's brain clearer.
"What's going on?" Yang Ling asked when he saw Qin Shou returning from checking the sentry post.
The weather outside was cold, so Qin Shou hurriedly went to the fire and complained: "It doesn't matter. Even in such a cold weather, the little devil doesn't stop. The cold guns and cold guns don't stop. It really doesn't let people live in peace."
Yang Ling smiled. It would be strange if the Japanese stopped. They had already reached the gates of Nanjing and couldn't wait to plant their military flag at the top of Nanjing.
"Batalion Commander, what medal did you get?" Qin Shou rubbed his frozen hands and moved to the fire. He spotted the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal in Yang Ling's hand and asked curiously.
Yang Ling didn't hide anything and showed the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal. Qin Shou's eyes widened when he saw it.
"Where's my mother, the Medal of Blue Sky and White Sun——"
Seeing Yang Ling receive the Medal of Blue Sky and White Sun, Qin Shou exclaimed. He did not expect Yang Ling to receive this medal. He was both envious and jealous. This was many times better than his fourth-class Baoding Medal.
"I'll give it to you if you like it." Seeing Qin Shou's eyes shining, Yang Ling didn't care about the medal. The battle was fought by the brothers, so it didn't matter if it was given to Qin Shou and the others.
"Hey, I already have the Baoding Medal. It's useless to have more. Battalion Commander, you can keep it."
Qin Shou hurriedly waved his hand and rejected Yang Ling's proposal. Although the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal made him jealous, he also knew in his heart that this was what Yang Ling deserved and no one could take it away. Without Yang Ling, let alone the credit, they would have
He just threw his life on the battlefield, how could he survive until now?
"Okay, you have worked hard after fighting for so long. Go to bed quickly. It will be dawn later." Yang Ling put away the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal and urged Qin Shou to go to rest.
Qin Shou was still thinking about when he would get a Blue Sky and White Sun Medal. Hearing Yang Ling's urging, he suddenly felt sleepy. He stood up from the fire, said hello to Yang Ling, and went to the corner to lie down on the hay.
Next, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Qin Shou had a long dream. He dreamed of a battlefield filled with bullets and bullets. He also dreamed of the bloody faces of his brothers. Finally, he dreamed that he was riding a tall horse and walking on the dirt road in the village wearing the Medal of Blue Sky and White Sun.
Standing were all the old and young men in the village. They looked at him with envy. He grinned. I was also a person who had won the Medal of the Blue Sky and White Sun.
Qin Shou's sweet dream was awakened by the shrill sound of air defense sirens. As soon as he opened his eyes, several aerial bombs had fallen into the yard, making the yard full of smoke.
"Damn, it's really not easy for people to live in peace." Qin Shou cursed, quickly got up from the ground, and hid in a solid corner.
Da da da--
Violent machine gunfire rang out outside. It was four anti-aircraft machine guns firing at the incoming enemy planes, but they only fired a few rows of bullets, and a bomb blew up the man and his gun into pieces.
There were more than thirty Japanese bombers in total, and everything they passed was filled with smoke. Countless crumbling buildings were blown to pieces and collapsed, and many brothers were killed in their sleep.
The Japanese bombers flew towards the east of Nanjing. Before the smoke cleared, Yang Ling's voice rang out in the yard: "Rescue the wounded quickly!"
Qin Shou hurriedly ran out with his brothers who were hiding in the sturdy house. The yard and streets were in a mess. Bombed corpses could be seen everywhere, and the severely wounded who were not dead let out painful wails.
"Damn it!" Qin Shou cursed fiercely. He saw the student recruit Wang Zikun lying on the body of a female student and crying loudly.
Qin Shou remembered that Wang Zikun and this female student came from the same school. Yesterday evening, they, a group of veterans, saw Wang Zikun and her together, and they even teased her. Unexpectedly, in just one night, they were separated from each other.
The Japanese bombers came too fast, and the patriots of the field service group who got up early to cook for the soldiers on the streets suffered heavy casualties. Yang Ling commanded his brothers to help with the rescue.
"Look at the enemy's attitude, they are going to break the city today."
Looking at the group of bombers retreating in the distance, company commander Wang Huzi had a solemn look on his face.
Yang Ling could also foresee the impatience of the little devils. By sending planes to bomb so early in the morning, today's battle would be even more cruel and fierce. I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to rest for long before they had to fight again.
"Wang Huzi, take people to get the ammunition now. Remember to get as many bullets and grenades as you can." Without further ado, Yang Ling immediately ordered Wang Huzi to replenish the ammunition.
Most of the positions outside Nanjing fell, and what followed was brutal street fighting in the city. In the narrow streets and alleys, heavy firepower would be limited, and small grenades would be more effective.
Wang Huzi responded and immediately called his brothers to go to the warehouse where the ammunition was stored.
Yang Ling directed the brothers to rush those injured by the bombing to the field hospital a few streets away.
The field hospital was set up in a spacious school. All the classrooms were temporarily converted into wards. Tens of thousands of wounded soldiers were crowded here. Even the corridors were full of people. The smell of medicine mixed with gunpowder smoke and the smell of blood made this temporary hospital
The hospital was full of stench and there was a lot of wailing.
But now no one can care about it. Wounded soldiers are being sent here in a steady stream from the front line. The field hospitals are poorly equipped and they can only rescue those who can be saved first. Many seriously wounded soldiers who cannot be saved are lying there in pain waiting to die.
"Is there a military doctor? We have wounded here -"
Yang Ling led more than a dozen brothers with guns to clear the way, and hurriedly carried the injured people to the field hospital.