The third guerrilla detachment's first counter-encirclement and suppression campaign was a complete victory, not only inflicting a large number of casualties on the invading Japanese and puppet troops, but also taking the opportunity to eradicate the anti-Japanese and national salvation brigade that had defected to the enemy.
Although they repelled the enemy and defended the small base area, the Third Guerrilla Detachment also suffered heavy losses, with nearly 300 casualties.
Now the Third Guerrilla Detachment has a total of just over a thousand brothers, and a quarter of them were lost in this battle. Although it was not a serious injury, there were still heavy casualties.
Yang Ling also attached great importance to these wounded and wounded brothers, and tried his best to rescue those who could be rescued.
Now Yang Ling and others not only have their own separate medical team, but also sent people to the distant Lianyungang to purchase a batch of western medicine, which is now used as life-saving medicine.
Although the injured brothers were wailing incessantly, Yang Ling tried his best to treat them and asked the Women's Committee to assist in taking care of them. The lives of many injured brothers were saved.
Although most of the wounded were able to survive, there were more than 170 bodies of brothers brought back from the battlefield.
At one time, in more than a dozen villages in the area controlled by the Third Guerrilla Detachment, almost every village had people wearing sackcloth, mourning, hanging white sails, and there were cries, filling the atmosphere with sadness and pain.
"Brothers who died in battle will be given priority for pensions, and their families will enjoy the treatment of military dependents..." Yang Ling also issued an order immediately to stabilize people's hearts.
Now there are so many casualties, most of them are new recruits. If one of them is not handled well, their guerrilla detachment will be hated by the local people and turn against each other, so Yang Ling also attaches great importance to it.
While issuing the order, Yang Ling personally led a group of staff officers from the guerrilla detachment headquarters to go door to door to express condolences and distribute pensions to the fallen brothers.
The white-haired man gave the black-haired man a gift. Yang Ling was not able to bring these young brothers back from the battlefield alive. He was already prepared to be scolded and beaten when he decided to come personally to pay the pension.
After all, these miserable villagers trusted him, so they handed over their children to him and followed him to fight. However, the living people came back with corpses that could not speak.
Yang Ling was ready to endure the scolding, and the guard platoon leader Hu Zi also received secret instructions from Wang Huzi and others to protect Yang Ling's safety if the situation went wrong.
There was a gloomy and heavy atmosphere permeating the entire village, lifeless and without any vitality. Occasionally, one or two faint cries could be heard, adding to the solemn atmosphere.
People in a village could not see each other without looking up. Some families' sons died on the battlefield and never came back. Neighbors around them went to help and comfort themselves.
Yang Ling and his group stopped in front of a dilapidated gate. A white sail hung above the door to symbolize the death of someone in the family. A low cry could be heard from the back room.
Seeing the arrival of Yang Ling and the others, the neighbors and villagers who came to help stepped aside. They looked at Yang Ling and the others in silence with complicated eyes, with an indescribable emotion.
They support the guerrillas in fighting the Japanese, but they don't want their children and husbands to never come back. They are very entangled and conflicted.
Yang Ling took the lead and stepped into the house. The bare courtyard only had a few simple farm tools. The bodies of the fallen brothers had been sent back in advance and were being placed in the main room.
Two fellow villagers with red and swollen eyes were lying on the body, sobbing hoarsely. Seeing this scene, Yang Ling and his friends felt their hearts twitching and felt a dull pain.
They were all Chinese and had experienced the battlefields of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Seeing the brothers around them changing one after another, they had become numb.
To them, all the casualties have turned into cold numbers. They have fought too many battles and have become completely numb and hollow.
But now they see the two villagers with white hair on the temples crying hoarsely and howling. The white-haired people are giving away the black-haired people. The heart-wrenching grief makes their hearts feel heavy, and they feel a heavy burden.
Guilt.
Thousands of brothers fell on the battlefield. They were buried in foreign lands, and their families could no longer wait for them, just like kites with broken strings, they could never return.
Every brother's heart is extremely heavy and the cold wind is biting. Maybe they will also fall in the future on the land they fought on, but they still have to fight.
"Chief Yang is here."
Some villagers whispered to the two house owners who had lost their son and were crying in tears. They raised their heads and saw Yang Ling and the others standing in the yard.
There was anger and dissatisfaction in their eyes, and more importantly, the pain of losing their loved ones. Their lips wriggled, and finally they gave way in silence.
Yang Ling and other officers came forward to express their condolences and bow, and bid farewell to the fallen brothers. Everyone looked solemn.
"My condolences......"
Although Yang Ling knew that whatever he said now was in vain, he could not find other words to comfort the villagers who had lost their loved ones.
Seeing that the two villagers were silent, Yang Ling took the money bag from the brother behind him and handed it over.
"I failed to bring your son back alive. This is my responsibility. I am standing here today. I will never fight back if you want to beat or scold me. I just hope that you will accept these pensions. This is what you deserve.
"
"No, Chief Yang, we don't blame you. Everyone has his own destiny, and his life is here..."
Seeing the self-blame on Yang Ling's face, the middle-aged man shook his head cautiously as time left wrinkles on his rough face, but tears rolled down his eyes uncontrollably.
The skinny woman also sobbed softly and wiped her tears, making all the brothers feel sad.
"Accept these pensions. He is our brother. This is the only thing we can do."
The middle-aged man with a choked voice declined while wiping his tears: "Sir Yang, my child is lucky to follow you to fight the Japanese. He died on the battlefield fighting the Japanese and did not embarrass our ancestors. He volunteered to join the army.
, if you die now, you have sacrificed your life for the country, so how can we ask for your money?"
Yang Ling saw that the family of the deceased brother insisted on not wanting to receive compensation, so he forced it into their hands.
"Your son is gone. He died for the country. If the two elders do not dislike him, we will be your relatives from now on."
"This...this is absolutely impossible..."
Yang Ling raised his hand as he spoke: "Salute!"
The staff officers all raised their hands in salute.
The two bereaved villagers held the money bags in their hands and were choked with tears.
"From now on, the parents of our sacrificed brothers are our parents, and their sisters are our sisters. I hope everyone will keep this in mind!"