The light gradually faded, and darkness returned to the earth. In the dusk, six Japanese aircraft with bloody plaster flags roared across the sky amidst violent explosions and flames, and disappeared at the end of the sky, ending the day's bombing mission.
The dilapidated village standing on the bank of the river was in ruins, with broken walls and rubble everywhere. The fire was crackling and burning, and the bloody corpses lay in the burning ruins, no longer alive.
The surviving soldiers were busy in the firelight, rescuing the wounded who were still alive. Shouting, cursing, and painful groans made the place a noisy place.
In fact, the continuous bombing by Japanese planes had already turned this village into ruins. The retreating soldiers thought that the Japanese planes would no longer pay attention to this place, so they used it as a camping ground.
Unexpectedly, a bomb was dropped again by a passing Japanese plane. Many people thought that the day was over and they could finally live for one more night. But fate made a joke again and they still couldn't survive it. This is fate, there is no escape.
, can’t earn it.
The corpses were lifted out of the ruins one by one, and the blood that seeped out flowed into the mud pond. The water in the mud pond turned blood red, and eventually seeped into the land full of blood and tears.
Yang Ling and the others' tired bodies appeared at the end of the muddy road, and slowly approached the nameless village that had been turned into ruins. They looked at the new graves standing on the roadside, and there was no expression on their faces that were blackened by gunpowder smoke.
.
Scenes like this were repeated before their eyes like a black-and-white movie. People they knew and didn't know were all dead. Some lay dead in the wilderness, and some were lying in cold and damp pits. The original anger had turned into numbness.
, there is no more emotional fluctuation.
On this battlefield like a melting pot of flesh and blood, they were so humble and powerless. When groups of people were wiped out in the artillery fire, they really understood what it meant that human lives were like insignificant things, and their anger could no longer express their backlog.
The deep pain in my heart.
The only thing they can hope for now is to survive, even if they can survive one more night. Compared with the friendly forces who are fighting desperately on the front line, it is already a great honor for them to be able to withdraw.
"Which part are you from?"
Looking at the remnants of the soldiers standing in the mud and walking towards them like zombies, several soldiers from the supervisory team wearing armbands with black letters on a white background blocked their way.
Lao Yanqiang stretched out his hand and wiped the cloth on his chest that identified his identity: "We are from the 61st Division, and we were ordered to retreat and rest."
The platoon leader of the supervising team took a step forward, carefully checked the sign that was covered by gunpowder smoke and mud, and finally waved his hand to let them go: "Go straight forward for a few hundred meters and you will see a house that is the reception point of your 61st Division.
.”
The old smoker originally had a military officer's certificate, but he lost it in the fierce battles. Even the smoker that he always kept in his hand was blown to pieces, which made him miss it very much.
The road became muddy due to heavy rain, and the low-lying puddles were filled with dirty mud and blood, making them mottled.
Walking along the ruins of the village with green smoke rising, and walking a few hundred meters along the dirt road, the house the team was talking about appeared in their sights.
The house was built on the river bank two hundred meters away from the dirt road. It looked a bit blurry in the deep dusk. A fire was lit around the house, and soldiers in small and small groups gathered around the fire. The scent of porridge filled the air.
The smell of the porridge made the hungry Yang Ling and others speed up their pace, not caring about their shoes stepping on the mud. They urgently needed to fill their stomachs.
The wound on Fatty Tian San's butt cracked, but he gritted his teeth and held on. He had a special affection for food, and he used to eat in order not to go hungry.
Nowadays, fat people have a different definition, which is to live well, eat well enough to fight the Japanese, and avenge the death of Luo Ziqiang.
The person responsible for registering the withdrawn troops was a division secretary. His dark eyes made him look more like a scholar than a soldier.
"Which regiment are you from?" The secretary raised his head, pushed his dark eye sockets, and stared at the tattered remnants in front of him and asked.
"I am from the supplementary company of the third battalion of the 361st Regiment, and I am the company commander Zhou Fugui." With the help of a remnant soldier, Lao Yanqiang introduced himself to his family, pointed to the other people and introduced: "They are also 361st
Group."
The secretary was slightly surprised. In his memory, Lao Ciangqiang and the others were the only ones from the 361st Regiment to report.
However, after being slightly stunned, he lowered his head and immediately registered them one by one on the piece of paper with a pen.
The entire 61st Division suffered heavy losses. Many battalions and companies were basically killed. Only a few were able to evacuate here. However, there was no way. The equipment gap between the enemy and the Japanese was too big. We could only use flesh and blood to offset the equipment gap.
.
After the registration was completed, each of Lao Yanqiang and the others successfully received two taels of millet and two grain cakes, although the secretary told them that this was three days' ration and asked them to save some.
But as soon as the old smoker took a few steps, he couldn't wait to stuff the multigrain cake into his mouth, looking like a starving ghost reincarnated.
While he was swallowing the multigrain pancakes in his mouth, he spoke vaguely: "Mom, I'm starving to death..."
The rest of the remnant soldiers were not much better. They all wolfed down the food in their own mouths. They had been fighting the Japanese for several days and nights and had long since run out of food.
The enemy's artillery blockade was so severe that supplies from behind could not be delivered, and they were already hungry. Now that they have withdrawn, they feel that they can eat a cow.
"I want to eat enough and live to fight the Japanese, fight the Japanese..." Fatty Tian San bit into the multigrain pancakes with all his strength, as if the multigrain pancakes had a grudge against him, mumbling incoherently.
The one who ate the most elegantly was Yang Ling. Although he felt that his stomach was empty, he still resisted and ate the multigrain cakes piece by piece. He knew that he had been hungry for too long and that his stomach could not absorb the sudden food.
, it may swell to death.
"Eat less, don't overdo it." Yang Ling watched Lao Yanqiang and the others stuffing food into their mouths hungrily, and spoke to stop them.
Fortunately, Yang Ling's words were more effective. Although everyone was very hungry, they still didn't swallow the second piece of multigrain pancake.
The remnant soldiers who had withdrawn were lying everywhere on the river bank. All of them were unkempt and exhausted. Some of them fell asleep sprawled on the ground after eating, and some of the wounded soldiers couldn't help but moan in pain.
Yang Ling and the others searched for a long time before they found a small, dry place on the edge of the river bank to use as a campsite.
"Xiao Jiao, go over there and pick up some firewood. Let's make millet porridge." After sitting down, Lao Yanqiang pushed a remnant soldier next to him and ordered.
Although Lao Yanqiang was injured, he was still the company commander and still had official authority. After he gave the order, the remnant soldier immediately took off the rifle from his shoulder and ran to collect firewood.
During the day, Japanese planes were flying overhead, and they did not dare to light fires for fear that the fireworks would lead to bombings. However, at night, there were no Japanese planes, so they could safely light fires and cook.
The remnant soldiers were busy making millet porridge, while Yang Ling walked around their temporary camp and became aware of the surrounding situation. This was a habit he had developed over the years.
This place is still some distance from Dachang Town. They camped by the river in Zoumatang, several miles away from the battlefield, so they could have a peaceful sleep.
After making sure that the surrounding environment was safe, Yang Ling cut several large bundles of reed poles and returned to the campsite. The ground was very moist, so it was much better to have reed poles under him than lying on the wet ground.