The temporary location of the 301st Regiment of the 74th Army is not in Bengbu City, but in a sparsely populated town on the outskirts of the city.
It is extremely cold in Bengbu this winter. The biting cold is like a knife cutting on the face. No one is willing to wander outside in such weather, even if they are wearing thick cotton military uniforms.
Those soldiers who successfully broke through from Nanjing to Bengbu alive were not restrained by superiors and had no combat missions, so they lived an extremely decadent life, sleeping, playing chess, and gambling.
In a solid brick house, the windows have been blocked by broken cotton wool, a large pot of charcoal fire is burning brightly, and the house is warm. More than a dozen soldiers with fleshy faces are shirtless around the Eight Immortals table, shouting and gambling.
.
Although the flesh-and-blood battlefield in Nanjing had just passed, the soldiers who had narrowly escaped death seemed to have forced themselves to lose their memory. No one wanted to mention this again, and they should have fun, as if it had never happened.
For these veterans who have been on the battlefield, they can only survive until now thanks to the blessing of Bodhisattvas. They will not be so lucky next time. There is no time to mourn and remember, so they only want to enjoy themselves in time.
Captain Wang Meng's luck was particularly bad today. All the valuables he took out from the corpses were exchanged for silver coins in Bengbu City. At this moment, they were all lost to these bastards.
"Brother Wang, continue." Seeing Captain Wang Meng pause for a moment, the brothers who were happy to win hurriedly urged him.
Wang Meng touched his empty pocket, pushed it with both hands, and stood up: "You guys play first, I am unlucky today, so I won't play anymore."
"Come on, let's continue." Those brothers were all used to gambling, and when they saw Wang Meng not playing, they did not stop.
Wang Meng walked to the door and leaned against the door frame. He took out the crumpled cigarette case, shook out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. He lit the match and took a deep breath. The smoke came out of his nostrils. He felt much more relaxed.
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Although they were unwilling to mention it, the bloody battle in Nanjing was still unforgettable for them. Wang Meng looked at the pure and distant sky and sat down along the threshold.
Their 301st Regiment was crippled in Nanjing. The regiment leader was afraid of the battle and was withdrawn before the battle. Deputy commander Ji Hongru led them in a charge. His body was riddled with bullet holes, but he still didn't die. He managed to make it to the hospital.
Now I am lying in the hospital enjoying my happiness.
He was the only one of the six captains and deputy company commanders of their third battalion who survived. Wang Meng couldn't help but take a long puff of cigarette when he thought of this. He had never fought such a cruel battle. This was not a war at all. He was just risking the lives of his brothers.
Fill the trenches.
While Wang Meng was sitting on the threshold, smoking and sighing, a major with a Chinese character came in from the door.
"Hey, Battalion Commander Lu, what brought you here?" Wang Meng saw First Battalion Commander Lu Xing, stood up with a smile and handed over the cigarette.
Now that all the officers of the 301st Regiment have been killed, the remaining Du Miao Battalion Commander Lu Xing is temporarily in charge of the work.
Major Battalion Commander Lu Xing took the cigarette and lit it and said, "Let your brothers clean up. The deputy commander will be here later."
Wang Meng put down his cigarette and looked at Lu Xing with doubts on his face: "Captain Lu, that's not right. Our deputy commander Ji is still lying in the hospital. Where did he come from?"
Battalion Commander Lu, the commander of the first battalion, took a puff of cigarette, blew out smoke rings and said: "The newly transferred one will serve as the temporary deputy commander and commander of your third battalion."
When Wang Meng heard this, he immediately felt unhappy. These brothers were dead and injured. He had no objection to promoting new officers from among their brothers who had fought bloody battles.
But suddenly a deputy commander was parachuted in, and he also served as the commander of the first battalion. What was going on?
"It's not the young master of that family again, is it? Then I won't serve you." Wang Meng said in a sinister tone.
First Battalion Commander Lu Xing replied: "This time it's not like those young masters who were forced in. I heard that they also broke out from Nanjing and were awarded the Medal of Blue Sky and White Sun. They fought as well as us."
Captain Wang Meng, the company commander, didn't believe it: "Captain Lu, please don't fool me, I can't get sand out of my eyes."
"When have I ever fooled you? Tell your brothers to behave themselves. If you bump into his hands, don't blame me for not reminding you."
Just when company commander Wang Meng was doubtful, he suddenly remembered the roar of military vehicles on the road outside.
"Here he comes, let's go to the door to greet him."
The temporary person in charge of the 301st Regiment, Major Battalion Commander Lu Xing, put out the cigarette in his hand and walked toward the door with company commander Wang Meng.
When Yang Ling took office as a new official, he naturally would not wear the rags he wore when he broke out of Nanjing. At this moment, more than two hundred of their brothers were neatly dressed in brand-new gray cotton military uniforms and German-style steel helmets, riding in military vehicles and driving into the town.
Behind them was a long line of military vehicles carrying weapons and ammunition. The team was so majestic and majestic that the people in the town stopped to watch and talked about such a mighty army coming there.
Although the 301st Regiment is stationed in the town, they are still wearing tattered military uniforms, their faces are full of decadence and depression, and their weapons and equipment are all abandoned on the other side of the Nanjing River. Compared with Yang Ling and his others, who came to fight, there is a huge difference.
The summer uniforms of the Central Army are different from those of the provincial army, but the winter uniforms are all gray cotton uniforms. Although they look bulky and not as beautiful as those of later generations, they at least keep warm, which is a great thing these days.
The military vehicle stopped at the gate of the 301st Regiment. Yang Ling was also wearing a cotton military uniform, a brand-new badge and armband, and his armed belt immediately made him look extraordinary. He opened the door from the passenger seat and got out of the vehicle.
"Get off the bus! Assemble!" Yang Ling's voice echoed in the cold wind.
Before they saw him, the commander of the first battalion, Lu Xing, and the commander of the third battalion, Wang Meng, heard him, quickened their pace and ran towards the door.
Liu Yidao and the others had always marched on foot, but before the novelty of riding in a car had worn off, they began to get motion sickness. They entered the town amidst the bumps, and many of the brothers turned pale.
After hearing Yang Ling's order, they jumped out of the car one after another and began to assemble as a team under the orders of the company platoon leader.
More than two hundred brothers were wearing uniform equipment, and they were veterans who had survived the bloody battlefield. At this moment, they stood straight there, and their momentum came out.
The people watching were pointing and guessing where this mighty team came from. The young wives and older girls hiding in the crowd also looked at them shyly, with their hearts pounding.
Lu Xing, the commander of the first battalion, and Wang Meng, the only remaining company commander of the third battalion, stood at the door and looked at the neat and uniform team at the door, with a hint of murderous aura. They were shocked and secretly thought about the newly appointed deputy commander.
He is really not an ordinary person.
"Major Battalion Commander Lu Xing of the 1st Battalion of the 301st Regiment has met Deputy Commander Yang!"
"Wang Meng, captain of the first company of the third battalion of the 301st regiment, met deputy commander Yang."
Lu Xing and Wang Meng both stood in front of Yang Ling and saluted, and Yang Ling returned the salute with a smile.
"I'm new here and I'm not familiar with the situation. Please ask Battalion Commander Lu and Company Commander Wang for their help." Yang Ling reached out and shook hands with them one by one, showing enough affinity.
Lu Xing smiled and replied: "In this humble position, I will obey the military orders of Deputy Commander Yang."