Chapter 12: The Disaster Arrives (Three)

  Geng Zidang was extremely frustrated in the reeds, hearing gunshots and cannon fire in the distance. He paced back and forth, cursing his mother, sometimes scolding the National Army for being incompetent, sometimes scolding himself for being useless, sometimes scolding the devils for being demons, and sometimes scolding Shuisheng and Li Baolang for bringing him here. Like a tiger trapped in a cage, all he had left was the energy to roar, even with sharp teeth and claws, it was futile, having lost the opportunity to fight with prey. Being trapped here, not even a tiger was as good as a cat.

  Lu Wei watched the figure of Geng Zitang turning around and felt anxious. It was cold and damp here, and listening to the sound of gunfire outside, she didn't know what was happening with her father and brother. Only after entering this reed field did she discover that there were already many villagers and refugees here, as well as some National Army soldiers who had not yet crossed the river with the main force, some of whom still held guns in their hands.

  They silently watched the arrival of the camp commander and his entourage, without saying a word or asking any questions. They just sat quietly together, devoid of any vitality, each one looking like a wilted eggplant, listless and lethargic, either sitting or standing. From their eyes, it was clear that deep down, they were all hoping for the night to pass quickly, so that disaster would stay away from this beautiful home under the peaceful sky.

  Geng Zitang walked up to a soldier holding a rifle and stretched out his hand, but the soldier shook his head and refused to give it to him. Jia Xiaomai intervened, saying that he was the battalion commander, and took the rifle from the soldier and handed it over to Geng. He pulled back the bolt, only to find there were no bullets inside. The dozen or so Nationalist soldiers around them all shook their heads when they saw Geng looking at them. Geng himself searched his own pockets and found three bullets. He took the rifle away and went with a soldier who had come with him to find a patch of reeds, and just as they finished clearing a section of reeds for Lu Wei and were laying down a layer of grass padding, they heard a burst of gunfire coming from the riverbank, followed by the sound of hand grenades exploding. Geng rushed towards the riverbank, and in the light of the lamps on the motorboat on the river, he saw that the damaged boat was burning on the water.

  He called for everyone who followed him to go back.

  Lu Wei heard Geng Yingchang say that the boat had exploded, and she was so anxious that she wanted to die. She said: "Dad and brother can't get through, and there's Xiao Lingge too, what are they going to do on the other side?" As she spoke, she burst into tears. Geng Yingchang heard her crying and quickly covered her mouth, saying: "Don't cry, or you'll attract the enemy! Don't worry, they'll all be fine. Go, go to sleep, we'll talk again in the morning." He called out to several soldiers, including Jia Xiaomai: "You guys come over here. This is what's going on: it's not time for you to take a break yet. Go check the reeds in each direction and see if there are any boats."

  Lu Wei tearfully asked Geng Yingchang, why did the devils come here to kill us?

  "Why? They came to our China just to occupy us, using force to open the gates of China and make us their slaves. The devils are cruel and vicious, the Nanjing Massacre was created by them, do you know that?"

  Lu Wei shook her head.

  "3 million, what a disaster." Geng Zidang sighed and said: "Not to mention Nanjing, the devils are wreaking havoc in my hometown, I don't know how many Chinese people have been harmed. The three northeastern provinces have fallen, and the devils are rampaging through our hometown, robbing us of our belongings, taking our women, killing our brothers, eating the grain from our fields. You don't know about it, you're still young."

  Lu Wei gazed at Geng Zitang: "The Japanese devils are really shameless."

  "It's not just a rogue, it's a devil, a beast. That year I fled to the south, thinking that I could avoid the war and escape the killing of the devils, but I was wrong. The devils didn't just stop at the three eastern provinces, they had ambitions to occupy our great rivers and mountains. My parents died miserably at the hands of the devils that year. If it wasn't for Teacher Yang, your teacher Yang Biao, stopping me, I'm afraid I would have become a vengeful spirit under the devil's knife long ago."

  "How did you end up here then?"

  Geng Zitang told him that it was a long story. Lu Wei urged him to speak, and just as Geng Yingchang was about to open his mouth, Jia Xiaomai and the soldiers returned.

  They say there's no sign of the boat at all. Asking these people who took refuge on the reeds, some said that during the day, there were too many people loaded onto the boats, and some of them capsized halfway due to overloading, drowning a lot of people. The boat owners didn't want to take them anymore, so after much persuasion, they managed to convince some people to stay here, saying they would send these people across first and then come back for them later. It's dark now, but there's still no sign of their boats, probably they won't be coming back.

  "They won't be able to come back, yesterday at dusk the enemy's torpedo boat unit had already sealed off this waterway, let's give up on that idea." said Commander Geng.

  "Are we really going to wait for death here? Captain." a soldier asked dejectedly.

  "I hope no devils come here, can only pray for blessings from above." Commander Geng was also at a loss for what to do, he himself was almost unable to hold on. "Damn it, waiting to die here is not as good as going ashore and fighting the devils."

  "Captain, how can we get ashore? We all can't swim."

  "Never mind, never mind, let's not talk about it, even if we do, it's all in vain. Let's all take a rest, my head is going to explode, can't I calm down for a bit? Be on high alert." Despite being surrounded by reeds on all sides and with no enemy presence in front of them, despite some soldiers not having guns in their hands, Commander Geng still gave this order, handing his gun over to the soldier who was going to go on sentry duty.

  Lu Wei still wanted to talk to him, but seeing that Geng Ying's mood was not good, she gave up and sat on the opened reed mat, unable to sleep, staring at the sky in the dark night.

  There were no stars or moon. The sky was still drizzling with fine rain. Geng Yinglong took out a piece of oiled cloth and covered Lu Wei's body, which Li Baolong had given him when he boarded the ship, saying it could keep out the rain.

  The patrol boat of the devils occasionally shone its light through the reeds, scanning the people inside. Lieutenant Geng dared not to be sure, after dawn, the fate of those who stayed in the embankment would be unknown, the devils were crazy and abnormal, he was clear about that.

  One cold night, everyone hoped they could light a big fire, but they couldn't.

  The sky finally brightened. The people in the reeds, who had been holding their breaths, began to stir and move around. Some were gnawing on dry rations they had brought with them, while others quietly made their way to the edge of the reeds to see if any boats were coming. Others sat on the ground, looking like wooden puppets, nodding off to sleep. Most people hadn't slept well the night before, including Lieutenant Geng. He was worried that the enemy's reconnaissance planes would come again, and that their motorboat troops would sweep through the reeds, firing guns and cannons, which would be an unpredictable disaster. He didn't share his concerns with anyone, but instead had the soldiers spread the word to everyone to be careful to stay hidden, not to light fires, and if enemy planes came, to lie down on the spot. In such an environment, there was nothing else to do.

  Worry is not unnecessary. The devil's reconnaissance plane came, after circling twice in the sky above the reeds, it found that there seemed to be someone in the reed marsh, and then flew low again to explore. He excitedly sent a message to the ground troops, and after the ground troops received the response, he pulled up the machine head and flew upwards until he disappeared into the clouds.

  The commander of the torpedo boat squadron, upon receiving the order, quickly maneuvered the boats and sped towards that patch of reeds at full speed.

  Geng Yinglong heard a series of rumbling sounds, thinking it was not good, he quickly called on the soldiers to organize the people in the reeds to hide as close to the riverbank as possible.

  The little devil's cannon was set up, and the shells flew over. When everyone scattered, the bomb whizzed in, and in an instant, the reeds were filled with gunfire, mud splashing everywhere, smoke billowing, and some people who didn't have time to run away were blown to pieces, those who weren't killed but injured wailed. Commander Geng was protecting Lu Wei by her side, they lay down on the damp muddy ground, not daring to move, when a shell exploded nearby, creating a huge crater, Commander Geng pulled Lu Wei into it. Just as they left, a bomb exploded in their original location.

  After an explosion, another burst of machine gun fire, the reeds suddenly flew and fell, and some refugees who were running were killed by the devil's bullets.

  "Geng Yingchang, I'm afraid." Lu Wei said, trembling all over.

  "Follow me, don't be afraid." Geng Yinglong comforted her, but he had no bottom line in his heart. Which bullet would come to them at this time? As a soldier, he could only tell her so.

  After a period of shooting, the devils' gunfire stopped.

  Geng Yingchang saw a devil through the gap in the reeds on the motorboat, using binoculars to look into the reeds. Then, he drew his military knife and pointed forward, and the surrounding motorboats began to move towards the reeds. He quietly picked up his gun, aimed at the devil waving the knife, and pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed through the reeds with a hateful sound, flying in the air above the river and hitting the devil's head, who fell down on the motorboat with a thud, dead.

  "Geng Yingchang, you're so fierce, really accurate!" Lu Wei shouted. Geng Yingchang said: "No big deal, too close, easy to hit."

  The officer in charge of the boat team was shot dead, and the other devils on the boat were immediately thrown into chaos, all lying down in the cabin, and another burst of machine gun fire swept wildly towards the reed forest. The communication soldier in the cabin sent a telegram to Hengshan Yong in a panic, Hengshan Yong was stunned at first, then told them to withdraw to their original position and wait for orders without taking any rash actions. In the process of this annihilation battle in southern Jiangsu, Hengshan Yong estimated that the remaining troops of the 73rd Nationalist Army were almost wiped out through reports from Xidao and other combat units, and the initial target of the first phase of the campaign had been basically completed. The main purpose was to lay the groundwork for the capture of Changde City, which would be the main battlefield, and the capture of Changde would open the door to attacking western Hunan. He looked at the map, then ordered the telegraph operator to send a telegram to Xidao, telling him that the waterborne troops would be commanded by him for the time being, and tomorrow they must thoroughly clean up the occupied area, it's best not to leave any young and strong men to eliminate all living forces. And dispatch a troop to establish a secure foothold on the spot to receive the arrival of the main force of the Imperial Army. Then ordered Xidao to return quickly.

  When the communication soldier sent this telegram to Xī Dǎo's resting place, Xī Dǎo was not there, only Wáng Fānyì was. Xī Dǎo had gone to the toilet, and after the communication soldier handed over the telegram to Wáng Fānyì and left, Wáng Fānyì read it with great shock.

  Lu Gang and Kobayashi were busy as Li Baochang's assistants in the kitchen, until the devils' dinner time.

  Lu Gang and Xiao Lin were carrying a basket of vegetables to the riverbank, when they passed by a group of women being guarded by devils. They saw one devil pulling a woman out from among them, dragging her towards the depths of the forest. The two children beside her cried out "Mom!" Lu recognized the woman as Duan Xiao Lan, Gong Qiu's wife. Xiao Lan struggled with all her might, kicking one devil in the knee, causing him to grimace in pain and prompting the surrounding devils to burst into laughter. This enraged the devils, who chased after her again, catching up to her and embracing her, trying to kiss her face. Xiao Lan resisted fiercely, using her head to butt against the devil's skull, causing him to release his grip and cover his head in pain. She took advantage of the opportunity to run away again, with her children following close behind. However, two devils caught up to them and killed the children with a single knife each. Xiao Lan saw this and let out a loud cry. The devil who had been chasing her was not satisfied and came after her again. As they passed by a pond, the devil grabbed hold of her once more. In desperation, Xiao Lan summoned all her strength and turned around to hug him tightly before rolling into the water with him. A burst of waves erupted as the two struggled together in the deep water. The devils who arrived on the scene wanted to rescue their comrade but dared not open fire for fear of hitting him by mistake. They could only stand on the shore, watching helplessly. In the water, Xiao Lan clung tightly to the devil, rolling and tumbling with him, refusing to let go even as he tried to break free and surface. Eventually, under Xiao Lan's tight grip, they both sank rapidly to the bottom of the pond. The devil ended up drinking too much water and drowned. Xiao Lan also succumbed to exhaustion after being underwater for too long and died by drowning.

  Lu Gong and Xiao Lin were so angry that they sweated in their palms, if Xiao Lin hadn't stopped Lu Gong, he would have rushed up.

  A devil dropped his gun and jumped into the pool, when he dived underwater, what he saw was two people entwined together in death. When they were pulled up, the woman's hand was hard to pull away from the devil's waist, the cruel devil cut off her hand with a knife.

  The matter was reported to Nishijima, who flew into a rage. He would not tolerate such non-combat casualties. He had the signal corps call in all the platoon leaders. His expression stern, he scolded them: "Are you still soldiers of the Great Japanese Empire? Is this how your teachers taught you? A soldier's life is paramount; have you all forgotten that? What's going on here? One string of non-combat deaths after another... what are you doing with your men? You must do things at the right time. When it's time to fight, you fight; when it's time to march, you march. And if you're looking for women, you have to choose the right moment. Don't disrupt order! Do you understand?" The platoon leaders did not dare respond. Nishijima bellowed: "Do you understand?!" The officers stood at attention and nodded in unison.

  "General Yokoyama's telegram says that the mopping up operation in this area will only last until tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, there are other places to be cleared. Our mission is to launch a full-scale search and attack on that patch of reeds with all our might tomorrow. Captain Yamada, the commander of the motorboat team, was shot dead by the enemy and became a hero of our great nation. We still face a daunting task, the enemy is still there, and we cannot relax. Rest well tonight, those flower girls are waiting for you, but one thing must be emphasized: strengthen your vigilance. I'm telling you to pass on to your subordinates, don't let anything unexpected happen again. If another unexplained soldier death occurs today, whoever's team it is, I won't go easy on them. Do you understand?"

  When Lu Gang and others carried a basket of washed vegetables back through the pond, they saw Duan Xiaolan who had died still lying by the pool, with her severed hand beside her, bloody.

  "Damn you, devils! You won't die a good death, and now you owe me another debt!" Lu Gong cursed. Xiao Lin also muttered angrily: "Evil will be repaid with evil." The devils following behind them couldn't understand what they were saying and urged them to hurry up.

  As soon as they entered the house, Lu Gang told Li Baochang about Duan Xiaolan's death. Li Baochang said, "She is indeed worthy of being Gong Qiu's wife." After finishing speaking, he busied himself with cooking.

  At this time, Wang the translator came in, looking around the kitchen and coming to Lu's side. Lu was bending down to add firewood to the stove, and when he saw a pair of feet appear under his eyes, he looked up to see Wang the translator. Wang the translator stared at him for a while, then turned around and bumped into Little Lin, thinking he was a Japanese devil, and said "sumimasen" (sorry). This was a Japanese phrase that Little Lin didn't understand. When he saw it was Little Lin, he looked at him and walked away without saying anything. Lu, Little Lin, and Li Baolong were all very curious about Wang the translator's intentions.

  The devils have finished sweeping and returned, with a bountiful harvest. A pile of food is stacked together, all of which are the farmer's own cured meats and dishes in jars that were hung under the eaves or stored in the cellar for the New Year but not eaten.

  The devils found some jars and cans in the house that smelled bad, so they urinated and defecated inside, then covered them up. They went to other places to search for people and things, killing those they saw and taking their belongings. Even ordinary people's flower vases and ceramic pots were looted if they were something the devils had never seen before. With so many things, some men were left behind to help carry these goods, which were then sent to the areas occupied by the devils.

  After dinner, Lu Gang and others were cleaning up the kitchen when Wang Fan came again.

  He said to the leader of those devils: "I need these three people."

  "What's going on?" the ghost asked.

  "Commander West Island's orders." Wang replied without hesitation.

  "No, we need to collect this, and take away these unfinished things." He pointed at some melons, fruits and meats in the corner, saying: "Tomorrow our imperial army will continue eating, let them finish up here, then we'll go enjoy ourselves with the women." Looking at the devil's face, Wang translator suppressed his disgust, and told him in a very stern tone: "Did you hear? This is Lieutenant Colonel Nishizawa's order!" The devil heard this, slowed down, and said in a negotiating tone: "Then can we leave one person behind to help us finish these things?"

  "Xī dǎo shuō dōu yào tāmen guòqù, yǒu huà yào wèn, nǐ jiù bùyào luó zhā le. Xiǎoxīn shǎo zuǒ guài zuì xià lái, nǐ méiyǒu hǎo xià chǎng." Guīzi tīngle jiù dé ràng Wáng fānyì jiàng Lú Gǔ sān rén dài zǒule. Zǒu zài lù shang, Lú Gǔ bù zhīdào tāmen gāngcái shuō de shénme, yě bù zhīdào Wáng fānyì yào dài tāmen qù nǎlǐ? Jiù zhèyàng mòmò zǒule, yuè zǒu yuè bù duì jìn, gēnben jiù bù shì Xī dǎo xiūxiān de dìfang, ér shì lái dào le jiāngbiān.

  By the river, a group of devils sat around a bonfire eating and drinking, singing and dancing. From time to time, women's screams and the devils' lewd laughter came from the newly set up camp tent. "Those beasts are at it again, bullying those women. They'll get what's coming to them." Lu Gang whispered to Xiao Lin, but Wang Translator overheard him. Wang Translator said softly, "Don't speak." When Wang Translator spoke up, Lu Gang asked, "Where are you taking us?" "Don't ask, just follow me," he replied. Xiao Lin tried to talk to him again but was stopped by Li Baochang. After a while, they arrived in front of the pile of goods that the devils had looted during the day. Wang Translator pointed at the jars and containers and told the three of them to put them in baskets. They were puzzled but didn't dare ask questions.

  "Brother Lu Gun, are they going to kill us after we've finished picking things?" Little Lin asked softly.

  "It's possible," Lu Gang asked Li Baolong, who had been silent all along. Li Baolong's response made Xiao Lin a little scared, "I think so." He was uncertain in his heart, the devils were unpredictable and the translator in front of him seemed mysterious too, being a Chinese himself, why would he help the devils and work hard for them? Li Baolong didn't know what his true intentions were. He shifted the load on his shoulder and quickened his pace to catch up with Wang Translator who was ahead.

  Li Baochang smiled and asked him: "Boss, where are you going to take us with these things?"

  "Just follow me and don't say anything when we get there, got it?" Wang translated, warning him. Li Baolang hastily nodded in agreement.

  They arrived at the dock by the river. There were many corpses there. Some devils had no humanity, and some were urinating on them.

  A motorboat was moored at the dock, with two devils on board and one devil in the driver's cabin resting his eyes.

  Wang Fan came to the dock and spoke to the devils on the boat: "Ta Jun, you've had a hard time." The devils saw that it was Wang Fan and asked him what he wanted. Wang Fan said: "Shao Zu said that these things should be sent to Hua Rong, and when returning to Wuhan, they would be taken away conveniently."

  "What's that?"

  "Take a look."

  The devils leaned over from the boat and looked at the things in Lu's basket, laughing and saying: "What are these things? Aren't they just some broken jars?"

  "This is China's best porcelain, you don't understand, Lieutenant Commander West does." Wang said with a smile.

  "No one is allowed to leave here without Lieutenant Nishijima's orders."

  The interpreter hastily pulled out a note and handed it to the devils, saying that this was written by Lieutenant Commander West Island. The devils carefully examined the note under the light of the boat's lamp. This note was not written by West Island at all, but rather forged by the interpreter in imitation of West Island's tone. Seeing the contents on the paper and West Island's name, the devils believed it, as they had never seen West Island's handwriting before. Since the interpreter was a person close to West Island, they could only let them board the boat and put their things away.

  On the boat, Wang translator said: "I have to let these people follow me, when we reach the shore, I will also let them carry us into the county town. Otherwise, Ta Jun, how about this? You two go there and have a good time, what do you say?" He pointed at the group of devils on the shore who were making a big fuss.

  "No way, if Lieutenant Nishizaki finds out that you're all Chinese and you run away, he'll kill us. We have to go with you." Wang didn't know what to say, thinking that as long as they left this place quickly, it was fine for now, and they could think of a plan later. The Japanese soldier woke up the other soldier in the driver's cabin, who rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked at the four Chinese people in the boat. He didn't want to go, so he exchanged words with his companion, saying: "They're Chinese, there are four of them, but we only have three. What if they gang up on us?" The other soldier thought this made sense, so he quickly called over another Japanese soldier who was standing guard at the dock and told him something. The soldier happily boarded the boat. The driver reluctantly started the motorboat, slowly leaving the dock and heading into the darkness of the river.

  Wang translated what they said and cursed these devils in his heart for being really devilish.