Chapter 1536 The Desolation of the Broken Soldiers
To be more precise, they no longer retreated, but collapsed.
Whether on the road or in the fields on both sides of the road, there are soldiers, and they no longer have the most basic formation.
Although they still carried guns on their backs, Liu Lang clearly felt that this army that retreated from the front line had lost the courage and determination it once had.
And this was just what Liu Lang felt when there was no contact from a long distance.
When he got closer, Liu Lang realized that the situation was more serious than he imagined.
The running soldiers paid no attention to the refugees blocking their way, and even used rifle butts, punches and kicks to drive away the refugees very roughly.
Still three to four hundred meters away from the convoy of the Independent Regiment that was slowly parked on the road, Liu Lang heard the loud cries of the refugees, but no one dared to resist. The group had fought several bloody battles with the Japanese army in Songhu.
The soldiers all had strong murderous intent in their eyes...
Liu Lang's face suddenly darkened.
He knew very well that in the bloody battle with the Japanese army in Songhu in March, the long and cruel battlefield had gradually worn away the bravery of these elite Chinese troops.
Landing at the rear of the entire defense line was about to block the retreat. It was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, and the last bloody courage was completely exhausted.
At this moment, they are no longer the heroic Chinese troops who dared to continue fighting with a casualty rate of more than 50% on the Songhu battlefield. They are no longer weaklings and cowards who just want to leave this hellish place as soon as possible and escape alive.
.
It's not that they are not brave enough, but that their confidence has completely collapsed, from the generals to the soldiers.
This was something that the Supreme Command did not expect. It was also something that all the soldiers who died fighting on the front lines of blocking the Japanese invaders did not expect this. Even they themselves did not expect this.
This kind of defeat, in which they lost honor and confidence, was no longer even something they could reverse.
In the past time and space, the 67th Army held off the Japanese invaders in Songjiang City for three days and nights at the cost of nearly annihilating the entire army, and finally rescued more than 500,000 troops and retreated through two channels. However, no one expected that the 500,000 troops would
, the confidence was lost, the spirit was gone, coupled with the mistakes of some high-level strategic decisions, coupled with the shameless betrayal of their promises by some senior generals, the combination of the three led to the huge tragedy of the ancient city of Nanjing.
It can be said that when the Chinese Gate of that ancient city was opened by the Japanese invaders' artillery fire, it was not only a tragedy for the entire nation, but also the names of hundreds of thousands of elites were completely ruined. Even if many people were still alive, they were actually dead.
Including the most elite German armorers that the Supreme Commander spent nearly six years building, all were exhausted in this war. And China, which lost all its elites, suffered defeat after defeat in the next dozen or so large-scale battles.
Back and back again.
From East China, retreat to Central China, retreat to South China, retreat to the southwest, the whole of China is almost unable to retreat.
The only thing worthy of praise is that China has never stopped resisting. No matter it is North China, Central China, East China or South China that has fallen.
China, which has lost its elite, was a farmer yesterday and has become a soldier today. Groups of new soldiers died, and groups of new soldiers became veterans. With the huge trauma of more than 40 million people dying in the country, Japan, a beast that has lost its mind, was
, stuck firmly in the quagmire.
But all these tragedies could have been avoided, and Liu Lang thought he could do it. The 43rd Army was still fighting bloody battles with the Japanese Sixth Division in Songjiang. He led his troops to fly to that battlefield like moths to the fire.
I want to buy more time for all the retreating elites in Songhu, so that they can have enough time to set up defenses on the four defense lines, leaving more time for the capital to consider whether to leave or stay.
However, from now on, it seems that Liu Lang, a little butterfly, still failed to pry the stubborn wheel of history. They used force on the refugees not because the refugees blocked their retreat, but to vent their inner feelings.
of fear.
Only the weak will vent their anger on weaker creatures because of their own fear.
They didn't even have any wounded, because Liu Lang knew that the wounded who were unable to move were either left behind or were cruelly left on the road by them.
Those elite veterans who did not die on the battlefield were left on the road to death because of the fear of their comrades. When the Japanese army arrived, only death awaited them, and there were not even a few healthy Japanese prisoners of war left.
, how can they waste precious medicine on wounded soldiers? They are not even willing to waste bullets, and often use bayonets.
In the past, more than 100,000 wounded people were left behind in this way. Except for a few who were hidden by the common people, most of the rest became the dust of history. There were even no records. Because, the entire country and nation had to do this.
Feeling ashamed and humiliated.
The retreat turned into a rout because there were only three days and nights left for hundreds of thousands of troops. But now, the last lifeline has not collapsed, but they are still repeating history.
Cowards! Thousands of cowards! How could Liu Lang not be angry when he stepped out of the car and looked at everything in front of him? How could he not feel powerless?
But what can he do? Facing these comrades who have lost confidence, can he set up a machine gun and use bullets to tell them that you are soldiers and you should protect your compatriots? Otherwise, you cowards can die.
Already?
Then he is not a hero, but a butcher. Confidence is never given by bullets and killings, but depends on themselves.
The officers and soldiers of the independent regiment looked at all this with the same anger. They gave up the military rations that could last for a month just because they didn't want to see the desperate and helpless eyes of children hungry for food. But these soldiers wearing the same military uniforms as them,
However, they used gun butts and bayonets to drive away women, men and even children like pigs and sheep with great ferocity, showing no mercy.
Yes, in their hearts they called the group of broken soldiers soldiers wearing the same uniforms, rather than fellow soldiers, from the moment they saw the broken soldiers bullying their compatriots. But that was undoubtedly very dangerous.
Once the two armies clash over the road, a bloody battle is likely to occur.
But those people are not enemies, they are just a group of poor people who have lost their confidence and fighting spirit. They have also shed their blood on the front line and fought for the survival of this nation. No one can deny their previous achievements.
It can be said that the problem Liu Lang is facing now is even more difficult than facing a Japanese division.
With a livid face, Liu Lang issued a military order: "Everyone, stay alert. No one is allowed to get out of the vehicle without orders from regiment headquarters. All defense machine guns must not open the gun safety without orders from regiment headquarters."
Then, Liu Lang led a heavily armed guard platoon and stood dozens of meters in front of the convoy, blocking the route of the defeated troops.
Perhaps it was the colonel rank on the collar badge of the leader Liu Lang that made the rout soldiers wary, or maybe it was the sharp muzzle of the guard platoon in battle formation with Somi submachine guns. The rout soldiers marching on the road were approaching Liu Lang.
When I was ten or twenty meters in front of me, I took the initiative to step off the roadbed and pass through the fields.
Obviously, although these soldiers were defeated, they were still somewhat rational and did not have the guts to confront a livid-faced national army colonel.
Of course, what may have brought them back to some sense was the Japanese 89 tank at the front of the convoy with its muzzle pointed at them.
The huge wave formed by the defeated troops created a "spray" in front of the unmoving boulder of the Independent Regiment.