My squad leader My squad Chapter 67 We trudged wearily into our trenches from the mountains, the new recruits still digging, their faces etched with genuine fear. We were slightly better off than them because on this night, the team I led had already experienced real death. But we couldn't help but notice a corpse lying in the trench: ours, one of the new recruits, covered with a tattered cloth that couldn't conceal the knife wound on his chest - the blood had seeped through.

  We passed silently by the corpse.

  A dizzy Japanese soldier ran onto our position, gave a drowsy new recruit a knife wound and then escaped. He didn't cause more harm, but it was as if Yu Xiaoqing had been slapped in the face, because at that time Yu Xiaoqing was on the position waiting for our response.

  A crowd of people were squeezed beside the traffic trench, Mí Lóng and Sāng Mén Xīng had already returned, I squeezed in - Yú Xiào Qīng was scolding Dài Lā Dài Lā who stood with his head bowed, he waved a blood-stained bayonet in his hand, that kind of furious anger, I didn't doubt he would give Dài Lā Dài Lā a knife.

  Yu Xiaoqiang roared: "Now, this knife has been inserted into my heart by you!"

  He's just bowing his head, that doesn't mean he agrees. "It can't be counted as a knife, at most it's just a thorn. Japanese soldiers are extremely particular about preserving their weapons, after killing people they even threw away the bayonet, they have completely lost their will to fight."

  Yu Xiaoqing: "Lift your head up."

  He slowly lifted his head, and couldn't help but think that he really didn't look like a soldier. One hand was covering the side of his face that had been slapped, at least try not to hit the same spot twice, right?

  Yu Xiaoqing: "Put your hands down."

  It's dead, it's dead, and I've reluctantly put down my hand, looks like it's just the same place after all.

  Yu Xiaoqing stared at him for a long time, no longer angry, but cold, disdainful, strange, and even with a kind of friendship that had already passed - Yu Xiaoqing's attitude towards Dielaidielai was not like his attitude towards others. If it were the same as his attitude towards others, I think three or four Dielaidiela would have been killed long ago.

  "You can live and die on your own. You and your lice." After finishing speaking, he left. He was no longer angry because he had already let go. He Shugang and several others followed him with the same indifference, but that indifference did not last long - because He Shugang suddenly remembered his other master.

  "He Shuguang: 'Deputy battalion commander, let's go!'"

  I saw Tang Ji, leaning on A Yi's shoulder, strolling over from behind the traffic trench. The more tense it was here, the more harmonious it was there. A Yi's face was flushed with happiness. I think even if he ran into his dead father, he would probably have this expression - no, I don't think he and his father were that close.

  I don't know what they're talking about, but we've been running around by the river and in the woods for so long. They just talk and talk, I only know that those things we did recently that would get us killed if exposed have been sold out, probably including when I kissed Xiao Zui. What makes me angry is not A Yi, but rather Si Si, who acts like nothing's wrong.

  They were still talking about something, and then Tang Ji lightly patted his shoulder. Without even saying goodbye, Tang Ji always knew how to make someone a friend in the shortest time possible. Then Ah Yi stood there watching him leave with a look that was like a man who hadn't touched a woman for 300 years after having sex with 300 women. Tang Ji walked past us, his gentle gaze not avoiding us, nor did he ignore us like Yu Xiaoqing did. He even stopped beside Si La and lightly patted his shoulder three times, saying "Take care." Then they disappeared from our camp.

  The translation is: Ah, still stuck there, happiness has been exchanged for an equal amount of loss and confusion; died, died again, lowered his head thinking about things; we are all equally at a loss.

  Gunshots rang out sporadically, and we chased after an invisible target in the mountains, almost exhausting ourselves. Muddy Egg leaned against a comrade to steady himself. With nothing in his stomach, he could only vomit water.

  Muddy egg: "Lake... Hubei... There aren't so many ghost mountains..."?

  The gunshot rang out, and the person he was holding onto fell to the ground, mud splattering everywhere.

  We returned and finally found a cave in the woods that was only slightly larger than a foxhole, we threw hand grenades into it one by one.

  We will never be at peace again.

  At the sound of a gunshot, even the goats on the winding mountain road would run to death. To strengthen one's body and mind, one had to be on guard against some Japanese soldier who had gone mad and might fire a fatal shot at any moment.

  We ran until we were half dead. Sitting on the edge of the forest, watching that strange team pass by: a team armed with old guns, fire guns, big knives and spears, I even saw someone carrying a green dragon crescent moon knife. They walked, from time to time, took down the large fire gun on their shoulder, and sprayed it into the forest.

  A week later, a family of commoners outside Zenda City was killed and all their clothes and food were declared missing. Yu Xiaoqing then organized a grand hunt, killing six and capturing one, who died on the way back under the storm of rake heads and fists. From then on, Zenda organized a militia, and often in the middle of the night, we would still hear the strange noises they made, and Zenda was no longer at peace, and from then on, Zenda did not dare to sleep again.

  We have finished digging the trenches at Jieqi Slope, but those new recruits who are crazy about earthworks still want to refine and perfect them. I stood in the artillery cave they dug out, gazing across the river through binoculars from the gun hole.

  They are also building defenses over there, this time it seems real, and they are developing meticulously underground. I can hardly find any Japanese troops on the surface.

  The Japanese army never attacked again, in fact their last attack was already the final struggle. A greedy snake found itself swallowing an elephant, which would likely tear its belly open and burst out, an old story. We stood across a river watching the dying waves.

  The Japanese army unit at the South Gate is now starting to learn from us, developing underground like moles. Shi La Shi La said that the mountain in front has almost been hollowed out and he proudly informed us that Takeuchi had learned wood and earth engineering before joining the army. We don't care, even if there really is a day for counterattack, it won't be our turn, we're not worried about this."

  I adjusted the telescope to its maximum magnification, but I still couldn't see clearly the top of the South Gate where that giant tree was forever shrouded in mist, and from which came the constant rumble of explosions.

  "They seem to be going to blow down that tree."

  I was talking to Deadwood, he sat there in this temporary battlefield residence, fiddling with a small table and eating mixed grain rice from a lunchbox, his dish was salted water-soaked banana roots.

  "Dead dead: 'Which tree?'"

  "That tree, the divine tree on top of Nantianmen. The ghost tree under which the dragon will die."

  "Die die die: 'It's not going to be blown down. The aerial reconnaissance says they're turning that tree into the largest bunker in Nantianmen.'"

  "I'm going blind from flying. That tree is half petrified, and even a cannonball would only make a small dent."

  "Die die: "So it's a bunker. Bunker, not a pavilion. I told you Takeuchi is studying wood and soil engineering. Doctor."

  I'm not speaking anymore, and finally found a blasting point set on that giant tree in the telescope. Under such an explosion, only one side branch of the tree was blown down. I couldn't imagine what kind of stronghold it was.

  Then I saw a big dog on the half mountain waist, squatting there, looking at me with pride. It should not be able to see me, but I felt seen by it - this is more surprising than the transformation of that giant tree.

  "Dog, dog meat?!"

  "Die die die! What's all the fuss about? Do you think I'm eating some delicious food?"

  "Dog meat is treasonous?!"

  "Die die die: 'Nonsense.'"

  I also happened to see the dog running to the entrance of our bunker, looked at us for a moment, didn't find anything interesting, and then pounced on a passing new recruit on the ground - that was its entertainment.

  I continued to look at the dog on the south gate that looked exactly like dog meat. I had a confused feeling. It wasn't until several days later that I realized that Takeuchi had raised a dog that looked exactly the same. No, I was wrong, Shishou always denied that the dog meat was his. He said with a sneer.

  As a runner and deputy officer, I have to follow that guy everywhere, including now inspecting the position. Our position has been set up, and the deserted Flag Slope is no longer what it used to be. It has a shabby and poor military atmosphere, although everything is tattered and worn out, but it's a military atmosphere anyway. Our clothes are all earth-colored, and with a little effort, we can tear apart the already rotten fabric. People are eating, eating something like dead leaves, everyone's face is pale. We have entered the trench era, rainy and muddy, the first thing soldiers think of when fighting is not to fight, but to spend their days. Let the opponent rot to death.

  The snake's butt is dying and complaining: "All the banana trees nearby have been dug up. If this continues, we won't even have salted banana roots to eat."

  "Die die die: 'Dig on top of Hengshan Mountain.'"

  She Pi Gu: "They beat us."

  "Die die die: 'Can't always lose, right? If you want to finish eating the mixed grain rice, then don't go.'"

  The dragon immediately faced those newbies who were staring blankly and said: "Eat. Eat. I told you, there's good fruit for you to eat."

  He's dead, he's dead, the convenience store is no longer his concern. On the battlefield, he glanced horizontally and vertically, his focus on the South Heavenly Gate opposite him.

  "Die, die! 'This place should have a gate cannon. A whole regiment without even one gate cannon is really not like it.'"

  "Ah yes, ah yes."

  I stared at him warily: "Are you going to look for that anti-war cannon again?"

  "Dead or alive, under the bright sky and in front of the confused dragon, he yelled: 'Boss! Get me two pairs of silk stockings and two bars of soap! I want jasmine scent!'"

  The dragon glared at him with a gaze even more vigilant than mine: "You already owe a lot of debt."

  "Die die die: 'IOU IOU.'"

  Dragon: "If you sign an IOU, there's no discount."

  "Die die die: 'IOU'?"

  This guy even has blank paper strips on him, which are similar to the notes that can only be used for shopping at the Dragon's Den. He takes one out and scribbles something on it while haggling with the dragon.

  Heaven loves to play jokes, but he sent a Yu Xiaoqing who never jokes. Yu Xiaoqing said that life and death are up to oneself. So except for the minimum needs, other people's enjoyment is none of our business. The absurdity brings bitterness, and the bitterness is mixed with absurdity. In Henglang Mountain, they eat white rice, have American canned food, we eat miscellaneous grains, and soak banana tree roots in a saltwater vat. The black market in Miling is booming, reducing the already insufficient rations to exchange for cigarettes, wine, soap, women's silk stockings, and then exchanging them back for supplies that should have been given to us.

  I finished writing the IOU and turned around to say coldly: "How many military suppliers' wives have you slept with?"

  "Ah?" Then he laughed: "A few."

  "You now look like a gift package, with stockings tied around your body and soap in your mouth, putting yourself on a tray to be sent up. Does someone who flatters his wife look like a soldier?"

  Die die die hahaha laughed: "You're jealous, you're jealous."

  I'm not jealous, and honestly, I also know that this can't possibly hurt someone with such a thick skin. So I changed my approach: "Have you ever thought about it?"

  "I've thought about it!" he said with a tone of finality. But the next sentence could kill people, "What have you thought about?"

  "...... Zenda City has now spread across the river with over a thousand devils, and Yu Xiaoqing is the first to be watched. The priority allocation of food, the army that was awakened with 12 points of spirit, and Zenda, which was taken as the backbone, were all earned by Yu Xiaoqing this time. What did you earn?"

  "Die die die: 'I'm right, I'm right.'"

  Me: "...... Are you crazy?"

  "Die die die: 'Crazy, but right. Right or wrong is very important.'"

  I watched him swaggering along the traffic trench, knocking this and hitting that, with Dog Meat following closely behind him twenty paces back. I rolled my eyes and took from Veterinary Hào the mixed grain rice and salted water-boiled banana roots he had left for me.

  "Is he really that stupid?"

  Hao Veterinary: "Really so stupid."

  I changed my gaze from the old man's forever dejected face: "He can even make us, a group of clever people, feel inferior with just his little brain."

  Hao Shouyi: "But others are only focused on one thing."

  The dragon poured the bullets from the hidden place in the forest. While shouting at the bean cake: "Bullet clip! Bullet clip!" The bean cake handed over a bullet clip with one hand, making the dragon stunned: "Can't teach for a lifetime? Northeastern people are born with three hands?"

  No need to throw a hand grenade, we've already reached an understanding. The mourning star approached with a knife in hand. I held my gun at the ready, and to be honest, I might not be able to beat Dou Bing in close combat, but my marksmanship is still decent.

  That night, something unexpected happened. Two, and later found to be three, Japanese soldiers who had been hiding in the walls, planned to sneak back to the west bank, but when they reached the riverbank, they collapsed. This was a river that could sweep away thousands of people, making it no different from the River Styx for the three men who were barely surviving on white ants and wild bananas. We killed two of them, leaving one who begged to be spared.

  Manchu and Muddy Egg are arguing about who should be the vanguard.

  Muddy Egg: "I covered your shift last night. You're first in line."

  Manchu: "What does 'leading soldier' have to do with 'replacing post'?"

  "I'm the first in line for Manchu and Han food."

  Manchu: "I have dysentery."

  "I'll let you be the vanguard for ten battles once your dysentery is cured."

  In their eyes, I'm an official, so the Manchu didn't dare say anything else. I glanced at him and he had no objection. The mud egg is slightly stronger than the Manchu in battle. So the Manchu became a resource that can be consumed before the mud egg. Every mole regrets coming to our cannon fodder team because of this unwritten rule, but I told them that no team wants the soldiers who go out from my team, and all armies have such rules.

  Man Han was the first to emerge from the woods, but he wasn't shot. So we emerged from our hidden woods. This group of people is not like before, before they only knew how to be quiet, except for their footsteps quietly, and couldn't pay attention to anything else, but instead made more and more noise. Now they don't need to deliberately make themselves quiet, but rather focus on the weapons in their hands.

  I must say we've already become somewhat like that, the kind of thing Zhang Lixian and He Shuguang pretend to be every day. But we're not pretending, it's for self-preservation. Dead or alive, no need to pay attention to battle formations, kicking someone back into line or pulling them out of line. They now know their place. Dead or alive, just gently put his Mauser pistol away and comfort the dog meat head.

  Dead dead: "Alive."?

  Everyone understands, only I, an old man by his side, add trouble: "Then you can't eat dog meat."

  "Die, die! Just glare at me with one eye: 'Why are you still not as good as a young soldier?'"

  I stopped talking. The darkest part of the night was not the forest, but the riverbank, because the stones on the beach were black, and with the ripples in the water reflecting the moonlight, nothing could be seen clearly. We crouched low to the ground, fanning out towards there, sneaking up - the Japanese marksmanship was deadly accurate.