Firecrackers crackled, and amid the cheers of the brothers, Yang Ling and his brothers, who had fought bloody battles for the rest of their lives, welcomed the New Year.
"I finally got through this year alive. It's not easy..."
Seeing the smiling faces of the brothers cheering and chasing each other in the open space outside, First Battalion Commander Shunzi expressed heartfelt emotion.
During this year, they first escaped from death in Nanjing, went north to Bengbu, and then participated in the Battle of Lanfeng and Wuhan.
They fought in several provinces and fought bloody battles with the Japanese. The old smoker died, Wang Zikun retired with a broken arm, and the bones of countless brothers were buried in the wilderness. Just thinking about it made me feel panicked.
The army changed several times in a row, and these small platoon leaders had survived bloody battles and became veteran battalion commanders leading nearly a thousand brothers in combat.
In just one year, it seemed like a long century had passed. Tempered by the flames of war, they had grown from young soldiers to tough officers, and who could tell the pain in this process?
It is said that one general's achievements are worth thousands of bones. When they are promoted from platoon commander to battalion commander, they are left with the corpses and blood of countless brothers behind them.
Yang Ling consoled him: "Brothers' blood will not be shed in vain. The little devil wanted to destroy us in three months, but after fighting for more than a year, we have not become slaves of the subjugated country. As long as we are still alive, this war must continue to be fought."
Go down until the little devils are driven out of China!"
"Yes, the little devil wants to destroy China. That is a wishful thinking. Victory must belong to us!" Second Battalion Commander Chen Ming also raised his fist and said decisively.
Although in the past year, facing the elite Japanese troops with absolute superiority in air force, heavy artillery and tanks, the Chinese used their flesh and blood as weapons to abruptly defeat the Japanese's arrogant plan.
Although the Japanese troops and the people paid a huge price in casualties, the little devil's conspiracy did not succeed.
The Chinese army is like a tumbler. In every tough battle, an army or a division will be wiped out.
But within a few months, the number of this unit will appear on the battlefield again and continue the bloody battle with the little devils. If they are exhausted, they will continue to make up for it.
For the survival of the country and the nation, the Chinese people have never been afraid of strong enemies. This is the backbone of the nation, the backbone that continues to fight.
"It's Chinese New Year, let's stop blowing the cold wind here, drink wine, and let's continue to fight the little devils next year! Until death!"
Liu Yidao saw that the atmosphere was a little dull, so he pulled everyone towards the house.
"Yes, let's eat and drink enough and continue to beat him up next year!" Shunzi also shouted in high spirits.
"Old monitor, what delicious food have you made? It smells so good. Please bring it out quickly."
Liu Yidao shouted and urged towards the steaming kitchen.
"Captain Liu, please take a seat first, the food will be ready soon——"
"Then hurry up, your stomach is growling." Liu Yidao touched his belly and said with a smile.
During the Chinese New Year, Yang Ling also gathered together the main officers of the regiment, including Shunzi, the commander of the first battalion, Chen Ming, the commander of the second battalion, and Liu Yidao, the commander of the third battalion.
In addition, Qin Shou, Blacksmith, Wang Huzi, Niu Dagen and other old brothers also came. Everyone sat around the Eight Immortals table and the atmosphere was warm.
"Come on, let's fill up the wine first-"
Liu Yidao opened the seal of the wine jar and filled the brothers' wine glasses one by one.
"Here comes the food -" the cooking team leader also brought out the hot dishes to go with the wine.
Braised pork, braised pork ribs, cold tofu, twice-cooked pork, cold chicken, crispy duck...the cooking team leader served more than ten dishes at once, and the aroma made the brothers salivate.
On the battlefield, they drank cold water and ate grain cakes. Now facing such a table of good food and wine, the gluttons in their stomachs were aroused.
"Old squad leader, your cooking skills are not bad. It would be a blessing if I could eat these delicious dishes you cook every day." Looking at the smiling squad leader who was serving the dishes, Liu Yidao said teasingly.
The cooking squad leader also smiled and said: "When the war is over, I will open a restaurant in the town. You can come and eat there every day. My old man won't take your money."
"Haha, that's a good idea. It's decided that we will go there to support him when the time comes." Wang Huzi also followed suit.
"Okay, you guys eat quickly. The brothers in the security company are still waiting for me to cook for them." After serving the last dish, the cooking squad leader said hello and went out.
In order to give his brothers a prosperous New Year this time, Yang Ling sent his quartermaster to the countryside to buy thirty fat pigs to ensure that every brother would have a mouthful of oil.
"Come, brothers, let's raise a toast together!"
Yang Ling was in a good mood to celebrate the New Year with these brothers of life and death. He raised his glass first and stood up.
At Yang Ling's greeting, the brothers all raised their glasses and stood up, waiting for Yang Ling to speak.
"Let's take this first glass of wine to toast the sacrificed brothers in our regiment! Without their sacrifice and dedication, we wouldn't be here today! We can't forget them!"
"Honor our fallen brothers!"
The officers all clinked their glasses solemnly, raised their heads and drank in one gulp amidst the clear clashing sound.
The wine glass was filled again. Yang Ling looked at these familiar brothers and raised his voice.
"This second glass of wine is for the brothers here. You risk your life to follow me, Yang Ling, to fight the Japanese. This is your trust in me. I thank you all for sticking with me!"
"Here's to you!" When Liu Yidao and the others saw Yang Ling finish drinking, they also raised their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.
"This third glass of wine is for the coming year. I hope we will continue to fight the Japanese in the new year, achieve more victories, and drive the Japanese out of China!"
"Dry!"
After three glasses of wine, the brothers sat down one after another. Brothers, they drank and ate. For a while, there were constant shouts and punches in the room, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.
After all, they are all people who have fought bloody battles for the rest of their lives. Compared with the countless brothers who died on the battlefield, they are extremely lucky to be alive to celebrate the New Year.
After drinking, the brothers were no longer restrained and spoke out their inner thoughts like beans.
"Our village... There are more than a dozen brothers in our village. Now, we are the only one left. The third child next door, the bomb blew out his intestines... fell into my arms. He said he wanted to go home.
I feel uncomfortable, I want to cry, but I am the company commander, I can’t cry, I can only endure it..."
Thinking of the brothers who came out of the village together and now only themselves are left, some people hold the wine jar and cry loudly.
"What a shame, our brothers are working hard at the front, but they are good. They sent us a lot of tattered stamps. We haven't even seen the rewards we promised. Do you think these tattered stamps can be eaten or can fight against Japanese soldiers?"
Wang Huzi also drank too much. He took out all his military medals and threw them on the ground while swaying. He cursed loudly.
"Huzi, Deputy Battalion Commander Wang drank too much, help him go to rest." Seeing Wang Huzi's random scolding, Yang Ling waved to Huzi.
"I didn't drink too much, so I'm going to scold those indifferent bastards..."