Chapter 9: Tenacious Fighting

  Xī dǎo kàn dào le zhè yī mù, qì de dà jiào: "Gěi wǒ chōng shàng qù, bāo wéi nà ge shān tóu, quán bù miè wǒ tāmen."

  Translation:

  Xi Island saw this scene and angrily shouted: "Get me to charge up, surround that mountain head, and annihilate them all."

  The devils heard this and immediately reorganized their firepower and charged towards the mountain head again.

  The battle was extremely fierce, but Xī Dǎo (Western Island) was unable to break through Gěng Yíng Cháng's defensive line. Wave after wave of attacks were launched, and Xī Dǎo realized that this approach wasn't working. He called over the artillery commander and asked him to continue attacking with cannon fire, but the response he got was that they had run out of shells. Xī Dǎo waved his hand, looked at the unfavorable situation on the battlefield, and ordered his troops to stop advancing. He called over a communications soldier and told him to immediately send a report to headquarters requesting air support for bombing in this area; he didn't want to make unnecessary sacrifices with his own men.

  At this time, it was already lunchtime. Suddenly, Geng Yinglong received a call from the regimental headquarters. The regiment commander told him to immediately move towards the county town and said that another two columns of devils attacking Anxiang and Huarong's outer perimeter had broken through the National Army's defense line and would soon surround Xian County together. The county town was in urgent need of reinforcement. Geng Yinglong listened, his face turned black with anger, and he scolded on the phone: "What kind of war are these bitches fighting? It's over so quickly! Damn it! Regiment commander, the devils here are fierce enough, we've repelled their five charges, they've stopped attacking us now, I guess they're eating lunch, after lunch they might come again. If I let my guard down, wouldn't the county town be even harder to defend?" The regiment commander interrupted him: "Stop talking nonsense, listen to orders! I don't care how it is on your side, you must move towards the county town!" Geng Yinglong heard the regiment commander's tone become heavier and reluctantly replied: "Yes." He put down the phone and called over the three company commanders. Considering that one of the company commanders was injured, he ordered the second company commander to lead his company to hold the position firmly. The first company commander jumped up from the ground as soon as he heard this: "Geng Yinglong, you're looking down on me too much! Take me out? No way! I'll stay here and fight these little devils, I haven't had enough fun yet!"

  Geng Yingchang said: "You're hurt..." Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a continuous stream of words from the first company commander: "What's this? This little injury, I can still withstand it." He turned around and ran to Lu Gang to take over the big knife, gritting his teeth in pain as if nothing had happened. Geng Yingchang saw him like this and felt a bit confused, but there was no time for him to think about it now. The county town was in an emergency, the city had been breached, and the position here was also rendered useless. However, he didn't want to let Xidao and his men easily take away his position. Thinking of this, he shouted loudly: "Second Company Commander, Third Company Commander, leave all the ammunition behind and hand it over to First Company." The first company commander finally smiled, Geng Yingchang saw the blood gushing out from his chest, and felt a pang in his heart. He knew that he was a true hero. He turned around and looked towards the direction where Lu Gang and Xiao Lin were standing, ordering the second company commander to take them along to the county town.

  Lu Zhuang Xiao Lin heard that they were going down, anxious, struggling hard, but in vain, and was taken away by the soldiers of Erlian Chang with a pleading look. Yilian Chang called Jia Xiaomai to hand over the big knife in his hand and let him send it to Lu Zhuang. Erlian Chang didn't let Lu Zhuang take it, but took it himself, fearing that Lu Zhuang would take the opportunity to slip away. He had two soldiers carry them, following behind Geng Ying Zhang's troops retreating towards the county town direction in the trenches.

  Western Island discovered the signs of the National Army's withdrawal, and his mouth slightly raised, with a plan in mind. He put down the telescope, drew his sword, and said to the officers beside him: "Prepare for battle, the Chinese are going to run away, the victory of the Great Japanese Imperial Army is about to arrive, for His Majesty the Emperor, charge towards the enemy."

  The devils of each unit instantly gathered into combat formations in the shortest possible time, and like a swarm of locusts, they charged forward to the front mountain under the mad roar of "charging towards the enemy".

  Just as Wang was about to run forward with Xi Dao, the artillery company commander arrived.

  "Captain, what about these cannons?"

  "We've run out of shells, you're just infantry now. Abandon the cannons, fix bayonets and charge at the enemy!" Xī Dǎo stared at him with a stern tone.

  The artillery captain shouted and led his soldiers to join the fight against the company commander.

  Although they were subjected to a long and intense barrage, the Japanese troops continued to charge forward with fierce determination. They trampled over their own dead bodies, shouting loudly as they advanced upwards. The company commander saw that the enemy's attack was so ferocious, he yelled at his soldiers to fight harder while firing his machine gun fiercely. Suddenly, the machine gun jammed, and he threw it aside, pulling out his pistol from his waist and firing at the Japanese troops. However, the enemy's speed was too fast, and they charged into their position in groups. Before the company commander could fire his pistol again, a bayonet stabbed into his waist. He glared angrily at the Japanese soldier, grabbing the gun barrel with his left hand and lifting it up with his right hand, shooting the soldier dead. At this moment, he couldn't bear the pain anymore, and with his left hand, he pulled out the bayonet from his waist, causing blood to gush out instantly. The company commander couldn't hold on any longer and fell to the ground, his eyes blurry as if seeing a vague shadow rushing towards him. With his last bit of strength, he charged forward, stabbing the Japanese soldier's belly with his bayonet. The company commander then twisted his wrist, and the Japanese soldier cried out in pain, falling onto the body of another dead soldier.

  "Brothers, brothers of the Big Blade Battalion, kill these little devils to death for me!" The company commander grasped his bayonet and shouted at the soldiers who were wrestling with the enemy. His shout attracted the attention of the artillery captain, who led several enemy soldiers towards the company commander, shouting loudly. One of the company's soldiers was fighting with the enemy, saw the danger on the company commander's side, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, quickly, quickly go to the company commander's side!" While fighting with bayonets, he moved towards the company commander's side, but the trench was not very spacious. He retreated and stumbled upon a rock, falling to the ground. The enemy immediately thrust their bayonet into his chest.

  One after another, some soldiers were trying to get close to the company commander, but they were separated by the Japanese devils who rushed up to the position. After several rounds of fierce fighting, the soldiers fell one by one under the bayonets of the numerous Japanese devils, dying in agony. Those who did not die and tried to crawl up were also heavily stabbed by the Japanese devils.

  The blood of Chinese soldiers has been spilled all over the mountain.

  The soul of Chinese soldiers remains on the mountain.

  The hatred of Chinese soldiers remains on the mountain.

  The love of Chinese people stays on the mountain.

  They are all heroes, in their hearts, the beautiful mountains and rivers of their motherland have always been the place they miss. They fight for their country, die without regret, and even pay with their lives as a glory.

  He had been lying in the trench for a long time and couldn't get up. He was half leaning against the edge of the trench, throwing hand grenades outward, almost killing the artillery captain. After throwing several hand grenades, he became powerless and couldn't move anymore. His blood kept flowing, and at this point, he really couldn't move at all. A hand grenade was still in his hand, but no matter how hard he tried to grip it, he just couldn't hold on. His eyes were weakly opening and closing, and his mouth was gasping for weak breaths. At this moment, the hand grenade fell from his hand. The artillery captain and several Japanese soldiers rushed over and happened to see the hand grenade fall from the company commander's hand. They quickly shouted at the nearby Japanese soldiers to take cover. Seeing this, the company commander smiled wryly and cursed: "You bastards, you're all afraid of death." At this time, Xi Island came over, saw the situation, and was unhappy in his heart. He called over the artillery captain.

  "Destroy everything." Then he walked towards the top of the mountain, Wang followed behind him, looking at the tragic scene on the battlefield, his heart felt so painful.

  "Hey, wipe them all out!" The artillery company commander who was almost killed by a long-handled grenade raised his hand and fired a shot. The company commander moved slightly and still had a breath left. The devils around him immediately rushed forward, three or four bayonets pierced the company commander's body at the same time, and the company commander died. The devils went to look for those National Army soldiers who were not dead or had died to finish them off. A devil soldier wanted to be convenient, so he urinated on the company commander's body, bringing a burst of laughter from the surrounding devils. Other devils also followed suit and urinated on the bodies of all Chinese soldiers. Wang happened to see this when he looked back, his heart full of hatred, his teeth clenched tightly, and he cursed these Japanese beasts in his heart.

  Xī Dǎo stood on the mountain, looking towards the county town with binoculars. He saw the national army's flag fluttering clearly on the city wall. He also saw Gěng Yíngzhǎng's troops rushing towards the county town gate. He smiled, a victor's smile. He said to Wáng Fānyì: "Tomorrow that city will be mine." Then he gave an order to Matsumoto to rest and deal with the bodies of the Japanese soldiers who had died in battle. He had just received an order from his superiors: rest tonight, attack the city tomorrow.

  The bugle for rest has sounded. The sky is already darkening and a rain seems imminent.

  The Western Island ordered the troops to clean up the battlefield. Some devils tore off a piece of plaque from the bodies, some devils collected some firewood and piled it up in one place, some devils placed the bodies on top one by one, and then performed the Japanese funeral ritual, cremation. All the devils stood around solemnly.

  As the fierce fire burned, Western Island's impassioned speech grew louder. He didn't want his soldiers to see this scene and have any other untoward thoughts. He wanted to boost their morale: "They fought for the prosperity of Greater East Asia, fell on this land of China, and shed their last drop of blood. They are our pride! They fought for His Majesty the Emperor, died with honor, and were true warriors of Great Japan. Though they died, the spirit of bushido lives on. We must remember their spirit, use our fearless attitude to crush the enemy in front of us. Tomorrow, that county town will be ours. We'll bathe it in blood, avenge ourselves, settle old scores, launch an attack, and charge at the enemy! Let's offer sacrifices to the brave warriors' spirits with the enemy's blood. Raise your guns, fire!"

  When Geng Yingchang and Han Xiaocheng's team walked to a place not far from the city gate, they suddenly heard a dense and urgent gunshot, and then it was silent. There were no sounds anymore. Their footsteps slowed down and stopped, turning their heads towards the direction of the battlefield. The smoke was still floating in that piece of sky, he knew the battle there had ended, all soldiers of the company had undoubtedly sacrificed themselves for the country. He understood how a hundred or so people could resist an enemy regiment. He lowered his head heavily, then raised it again to salute the place with a military salute. The other soldiers also followed suit and saluted, Lu Zhuang and Xiao Lin's hearts were not feeling well, they involuntarily and silently raised their hands.

  Lu Gang held up his big knife and shouted loudly: "First Battalion Commander, I must avenge you!"

  Geng Yingzhang clenched his teeth and didn't speak, waving his hand for the troops to continue advancing into the city. As soon as they entered the city, he rushed with Han Xiao Cheng to the brigade headquarters. Along the way, they saw many refugees and city residents in a state of panic. When they met the brigade commander, Geng asked why he was ordered to retreat. The commander replied that it was for the greater good, an order from higher-ups. Geng's anger flared: "We were defending our position, also an order from higher-ups. We held our ground and didn't let the enemy advance further. Now, another order from higher-ups has all my brothers killed in battle - what kind of order is this?" The commander led him to a map and explained: "I told you on the phone, didn't I? Here and here have been occupied by the enemy, broken through their defenses. They are now at the city gates, with the entire county within their attack range. Only your position remains, what's the use? If the enemy breaks into the city, you and those civilians who refuse to retreat will all be caught off guard. You understand? The order for you to return is from higher-ups, I'm just following orders as commander. Take a good rest, have the brothers eat well, treat them to a meal. Without further orders, no one is allowed to leave the city walls half a step. Prepare for battle and await my command at all times."

  "Commissar, our regiment requests to participate in the battle as the first echelon." Geng Zidang gave a salute to the commissar. The commissar said: "Your regiment has already lost a company, if you want to fight again, wait for my order."

  Geng Ying Chang walked out of the team department with big strides after listening, and Han Xiao Cheng was stopped by the team leader.

  The team leader looked at Geng Zitang's back as he left and said to Han Xiao Cheng, "Alas, I don't know what the situation is. Let's just follow fate."

  It was raining outside, so Lu Gong and Xiao Lin didn't go out that afternoon. Geng Zitang told them to leave, but Lu Gong refused, citing the heavy rain and poor road conditions as an excuse. Geng Zitang stopped talking after hearing their words, but he had not given up on his intention of sending them back; he did not want these two young men to lose their lives in a battle that was not theirs to fight.

  In the afternoon, the Western Island did not come to attack the city, they rested outside the city.

  The rainy days of May are shrouded in a hazy mist, enveloping the surrounding areas of the county town. The humidity in the air gradually thickens. At this time, the wind picks up, the trees sway, and dark clouds churn at the edge of the sky, as a storm is about to arrive.

  The sky was very dark. Lying in the house, Lu Gang and Xiao Lin thought of their parents.

  Kobayashi: "Gangzi Ge, we haven't gone back. Will they think of us? If I go back tomorrow, my dad will definitely beat me."

  Lu Gong didn't say a word. His words had already expressed his thoughts. Xiao Lin saw that Lu Gong was ignoring him, and spoke again: "Or else, tomorrow, we'll tell Commander Geng to send a few people to escort us back home, how about it?"

  Lu Gang looked at the beam and asked Xiao Lin: "Want to go back?" Hearing Xiao Lin's nod, he said again: "Then you go back first."

  Kobayashi suddenly jumped up from the bed, lifted the quilt of Lu's bed and shouted: "Do you really want to stay here and fight against the devils? Xiaogouzi is dead, more than a hundred people are gone in an instant, can we win by fighting against the devils? You, me, and Commander Geng, haven't you seen what Xiaogouzi looked like after being blown up by the shell?"

  His words enraged Lu Gong, who dragged Xiao Lin down onto the bed. Lowering his voice, he said to Xiao Lin: "It's because Xiaogouzi is dead and Lao Zhang is dead that I let you go back first, I won't hold you back. If you want to leave, then get out of here immediately! If Commander Geng sends someone to escort you, it's a waste of time, useless thing, coward, afraid of death." Xiao Lin muttered: "Who's afraid? I'm worried about my dad and them. If Commander Geng and these National Army soldiers can't beat the devils, when the devils arrive at our doorstep, they won't kill my dad and your dad, will they? And your mom, and Wei Mei?" Xiao Lin felt a bit wronged by Lu Gong calling him a coward and afraid of death, he was really worried about his family.

  Lu Zhuang's voice softened as he said, "Xiao Lin, listen to me. If you're a man, don't be like this. Since things have come to this point, no one can stop me now. I've sworn an oath that I'll join forces with Geng Yinglong's troops and avenge Xiaogouzzi and the company commander. Didn't you also swear an oath by Xiaogouzi's side?" Lu Zhuang pinched his ear.

  Kobayashi let out a loud cry of pain, knowing Lu's temper, and quickly begged for mercy, saying: "Yes, Brother Gun, don't, don't grab me anymore. I've heard people say before that the Japanese devils are like demons, with green faces and fangs, but today I saw them and they didn't seem so scary after all. They're just two-legged creatures with one head, what's there to be afraid of? Don't worry, Brother Gun, tomorrow you'll fight wherever you want, and I'll follow you wherever you go, okay?"

  Lu Gang patted Xiao Lin's back and said, "With me here, you don't have to be afraid. You're good at shooting, aren't you? Tomorrow, ask Commander Geng for a gun, I want one too. We'll both be mighty and powerful. I also have this knife, and I'll use it to kill those little devils and avenge Small Dogzi and the company commander."

  It started raining heavily at this time.

  Someone was knocking on the door. Xiaolin got out of bed and opened the door to see that Geng Yingchang, a communication soldier, and Jia Xiaomai had arrived. He quickly called out to Lu Gan to get up, but in fact, Lu Gan had already sat up and was preparing to get out of bed. He didn't know why Geng Yingchang had come at this time - could it be that he wanted to send the two of them back? If so, how could they think of a way not to go back? Before Lu Gan could even open his mouth, Geng Yingchang spoke up, and indeed, it was just as Lu Gan had thought - he wanted to let the two of them return.

  "Now? Right away?" Lu Gang asked reluctantly.

  "Yes, now, at once!" Geng's tone was peremptory.

  "No, absolutely not!" Lu Gang turned around and dove back into his quilt, covering his head.

  Geng Ying grew up and shouted: "Bring me in, send both of them out."

  Soldiers came in from outside, Lu Gang saw the cow's temper rising, grabbed the big knife on the bedside, opened his stance, and shouted at the soldiers with a knife in his hand: "Who dares to come up and see if it responds."

  The soldiers stood still, staring at Geng Ying. Xiao Lin also jumped onto the bed and stood with Lu Gang, shouting: "Who dares to come up? Ask Brother Gang's knife if it will respond or not! Anyway, we won't leave, let's just stay here, Brother Gang, right?"

  Lu Gong smiled at him: "Right, just stay here and see what they can do?"

  Geng Ying Chang smiled, not even looking at the two of them. He pulled out the gun from his waist and pointed it at them without opening the safety catch: "I know you two, I also know your parents. If you don't go back to see your parents, my gun won't recognize you either. Believe it or not."

  Kobayashi saw Geng Yingzhang like this, anxious, blocking Lu Gang and shouting loudly: "Geng Yingzhang, you won't really fire the gun, will you? My father is a protector!"

  Lu Gang pulled Xiao Lin aside, holding the big knife high and looking at Geng Ying Chang said: "Really didn't think of it, a company commander gave me this big knife, I couldn't kill a devil but would die in front of Company Commander Geng's brothers. Can you bear to do it? If so, I really won't forgive you. You can all come up, if you defeat me, Xiao Lin and I will go back."

  Geng Yingchang's heart was delighted when he heard this, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He liked such hot-blooded young men. He slowly put away his gun.

  He beckoned them to come down. Lu Gang and Xiao Lin looked at each other, got out of bed together, and stood in front of Geng Yingchang. Geng Yingchang grabbed their shoulders with both hands, didn't say much, looked into their eyes, let go, and led the soldiers away. Lu Gang and Xiao Lin knew that Geng Yingchang wouldn't let them leave, they hugged each other and shouted loudly, after a chaotic jump, they said in unison: We want guns. Geng Yingchang said no way. At this time, a tight assembly whistle sounded.

  Geng Ying Chang yelled at them to hurry up and get dressed and assemble.

  The rain outside is still falling.

  When they ran to where the soldiers were gathering, they heard the sound of the captain speaking at the city gate. Lu Gong raised his head and looked up at the sky, estimating that it was not yet three o'clock in the afternoon.

  "The team leader's voice rang out: 'The order from the top, our regiment will withdraw from the county seat tonight, with only one goal, to preserve the combat effectiveness of our national army. Everything is for defending Chongqing, defending our chairman, and leaving our combat power for a comprehensive anti-war in the future. Giving up one place today does not mean we will not come back. Giving up one place is for taking ten places and seizing a hundred places in the future.'"

  Geng Ying ran up and saluted the battalion commander: "Battalion Commander, our regiment requests to stay behind to block the enemy." The battalion commander did not agree. He said: "Soldiers must follow orders, obeying military orders is a soldier's duty. Now take advantage of the devils still resting, Han Xiao Cheng, pass on my order, command the entire battalion to withdraw from the county seat."

  When walking out of the city gate, Geng Yinglong asked the regimental commander: "What about the people in this city?" The regimental commander said: "I can't take care of them anymore. Most of the people in the city have left, and now only a few stubborn old men are unwilling to leave the city. They say that even if they die, they will die here, saying that they are ordinary people and the devils won't do anything to them. I can only listen to them and let them stay in the city, leaving it up to fate."

  "No, the devils kill people without blinking an eye. Let our troops stay behind and escort these civilians out of the city." The regimental commander agreed to let Geng stay behind after seeing how determined he was, telling him to catch up with the main force as soon as the task is completed. Geng acknowledged. Lu Gang and Xiao Lin asked to stay with Geng, who initially wanted them to follow the regimental commander but eventually relented due to their persistence. He brought his soldiers, Lu Gang, and others to urge people to leave the city house by house.

  Han Xiaocheng and Geng Yinglong exchanged a brief greeting before following the team leader away, saying they would meet at Changtan Ferry.

  After a while, on the road outside the city gate, a crowd of soldiers and civilians mixed together flowed in, moving southward in the gray and rainy day.

  Lu Gong and Xiao Lin followed closely behind Geng Ying's long body, their faces set. Some soldiers began to grumble, whispering complaints to each other.

  Soldier A: "What kind of fight is this? The city isn't even defended, and it's just been given to the devils like this. It's really not worth it."

  Soldier B: "When I was fighting against the devils in my hometown, it wasn't like this at all. We were really fighting to the death, and our gun barrels were red hot."

  Soldier Bing: "Exactly, we haven't even fired a few shots here and we have to run away. If I had known it would be like this, I'd rather have let the company commander come with us to retreat."

  Soldier Ding: "Where are we withdrawing to?"

  "Whatever, as long as we can survive." A soldier named "Oil Strip" continued in a flustered tone. Captain Geng heard this and remained silent, knowing that at this time it was necessary to let these soldiers survive, otherwise the regiment commander wouldn't have ordered them to withdraw from their positions. Letting them survive might mean there were even greater battles ahead, but for now, he didn't know the true intentions behind the order to retreat. He glanced at his watch, looked up at the sky and said: "Where can we retreat to? Anxiang has fallen, Huairong was occupied by the devils long ago, all our troops have withdrawn from there. Where can we go? We can only follow the regiment commander for now, brothers, hurry up, speed up, catch up with them and then we'll talk."

  It was getting much darker now and the rain was coming down harder.

  The Western Island, which was besieged outside the county seat in the south, cleaned up the battlefield and looked at the city with binoculars. It seemed very quiet there. Then he came to the place where the devils were resting and told them to rest their spirits and check their weapons and ammunition. At this time, the communication soldier handed him the microphone. Western Island took it over and listened to the other party's voice, knowing that it was Kōzan Yū: "Western Island, what is the situation there?"

  "General, all is well."

  "Very well, in order to achieve our plan, open the Jiangnan passage, prepare for the smooth capture of Changde City, and march towards the National Government's auxiliary capital Chongqing. You must eliminate all enemies in front of you at all costs."

  "Hello. General, don't worry. We are already outside the county town, waiting for orders and ready to attack."

  "I have ordered other troops to rush towards you, assist you in clearing the peripheral enemy forces. Once you capture Nanzhou, take a short rest and then attack the Nationalist troops that fled left and right, eliminate the remaining enemy forces. Your current task is to take down Nanzhou before dusk today. If there's difficulty, I will dispatch planes to support your attack."

  Xī Dǎo silently thanked the general for his thoughtful consideration. But his confidence made him say, "General, no need to send planes for support, let them go attack the enemy that needs to be attacked most, the enemy in front of me is just a defeated bandit. I guarantee that I will take down Nán Xiàn within an hour."

  He gave the order for the cavalry to attack first. The Japanese cavalry squad jumped onto their horses, waving their sabers and shouting slogans, charging towards the county town, splashing mud and water on the non-cavalry land warfare personnel, but the devils didn't care at all, singing their military songs in an orderly manner, marching towards the direction of the county town.

  Xī dǎo gāo ào de kuà shàng zhàn mǎ, jǐn gǎn dào qián miàn de duì wǔ zhōng, tā de yǎn shén fàng chū yī zhǒng kě pà de guāng, tā wēi xiào zhe duì Wáng fānyì shuō: "Gōng xià chéng, shì wǒ de shì, bǎ wǒ de huà gěi nàxiē zhīnà rén tīng shì nǐ de shì."

  Wang translated with his mouth, but in his heart he hated this devil in front of him so much that he wished he could kill him.

  When the troops of Xī Dǎo rushed into the city, they didn't encounter any resistance at all. Xī stood proudly on the city wall, looking out into the distance with binoculars, and through the misty rain, he could still see the crowds outside the city walls - it was Gěng's battalion leading the troops and the civilians evacuating from the city, as well as some police officers and government officials. He called over a communications soldier to contact Héng Shān Yǒng and informed him of the situation here.

  "General, our troops have taken the county seat at 4 o'clock this afternoon." He didn't tell him that it was actually an empty city.

  "Later generations will be in awe. I'll make sure to give you credit for this. Nishijima-kun, you must press on with your victory and quickly eliminate those Chinese soldiers who might regroup and cause us trouble again in the future. Don't give them a chance to catch their breath."

  "Please, General, rest assured that I won't let them escape from under my nose. I will kill every last one of them, using the blood of all Chinese to offer sacrifices to my father's spirit in heaven." Xī Dǎo's words, spoken with a tone of hatred and finality, made Wáng, who was translating beside him, shudder and feel a chill run down his spine. But he was powerless to stop these devils' madness, and could only watch as events unfolded, which not only filled his heart with pain but also made him sorrowful that he was right next to the devils yet couldn't eliminate them. He had no gun; Xī Dǎo didn't think he deserved one, and only let him serve as a translator. Xī Dǎo hated Chinese people to death, and absolutely refused to learn even a single sentence of Chinese. In his words, just hearing Chinese made him annoyed, triggering that sensitive nerve for revenge.

  Xī Dǎo issued an order, ordering the cavalry to pursue the retreating National Army outside the city without stopping, and report back to him immediately if there were any situations. The Japanese cavalry, with killing intent and high morale, held up their military swords and rushed out of the city, chasing after Gěng's troops.

  With the follow-up of the common people, the team's march was not very fast, mostly consisting of the elderly, weak, sick and disabled, which affected the speed of the march to some extent. This made some soldiers dissatisfied, and they repeatedly asked the battalion commander to let them go on their own and not care about them. After hearing these words, Lu Gong felt a bit indignant and didn't wait for Geng Battalion Commander to speak: "You soldiers, what are you doing? Just eating military rations without fighting against the devils? Who gave you the military rations if not these common people? If you don't protect them, who will you protect?"

  Oil strip grasped Lu's collar, staring and saying: "Stinky little boy, looking for death? You damn turtle grandson, what do you know? Ah, bringing these old things, not dragging us to death is strange. Do you want to die? Go with those devils then! It's my good fortune that I eat military rations, what are you pulling here, showing off? Didn't you see we killed the devils? Get out of here!" After speaking, he forcefully pushed Lu's chest, but unexpectedly, he himself was countered by Lu and retreated several steps in the muddy road. He inexplicably fell into the mud and water, his face covered with mud and grass leaves, causing a big laugh from the surrounding people.

  Lu Gong was caught by him and didn't want to make a move, but as he listened to You Tiao's words, his face slowly sank, especially when You Tiao wanted to push him down. Taking advantage of You Tiao's voice not falling, he secretly used force, borrowing You Tiao's strength to bounce back onto the ground. Lu Gong looked at him without speaking, and then Xiao Lin and others also burst out laughing.

  Some soldiers followed and shouted: "Oil strip, oil strip, get up quickly and continue fighting."

  You Tiao got up from the ground, wiped his face, shook off the mud on his hands, and scolded as he walked towards Lu Gang. He refused to give in, continuing to throw punches at Lu Gang, but was caught by Sergeant Geng.

  "You're really living up to your nickname 'Oil Strip', with a physique that can't even withstand the wind, who can you fight? Bullying a student here, what kind of hero are you? If you're this fierce when fighting devils later on, I'll spare your life." Commander Geng put down his hand and said to Lu Gang: "Gang, if he dares to bully you again, don't show any mercy."

  Lu Gang smiled and walked forward, picking up the gun on the ground and handing it to You Tiao. He apologized, but You Tiao was the one who felt embarrassed instead.

  At this moment, the signaler and Jia Xiaomai ran over: "Report to the battalion commander, there is a group of devils catching up from behind."

  Geng Yingchang listened and ordered the troops to advance quickly, then picked up his binoculars and looked towards the county town. Indeed, a group of yellow-clad soldiers were chasing in this direction, apparently not infantry but cavalry, estimated to be less than five miles away.

  He called over the company commanders and platoon leaders, telling them he wanted to set up an ambush, but the terrain was far from ideal. The flat fields were filled with waist-high rapeseed flowers, their golden petals shining brightly in the sunlight. Not far away, there were some burial mounds, and Geng thought they could use these as cover for an ambush, attacking the enemy from the side. He told them not to get bogged down in a prolonged battle, but rather to strike quickly and then retreat, drawing the enemy away and protecting the civilians as they evacuated.

  This task was snatched away by Er Lianyi. He led a row of people who were about to cross the rape field when they were stopped by Geng Yingchang, not because he was worried that the rape would be trampled, but because he was worried that the footprints left by the trampled rape field would be discovered by the devils. He signaled Er Lianyi to lead his men to bypass from the side. Er Lianyi led his team to quickly rush towards the burial ground, each finding their own ambush position. Geng Yingchang saluted them and continued to pursue Tuanzhang with his men and civilians.

  When Geng Yinglong discovered that Lu Gong and Xiao Lin were gone, he had already walked a long way. It turned out that the two of them took advantage of Geng Yinglong's unpreparedness, slipped out of the team, and ran to a row of long-established ambushes.

  "How did you get here? Who let you in?" Commander Geng's face turned ugly.

  Lu Gong's face was filled with excitement, nodding and shaking his head, staring at the big knife in his hand with joy.

  "You didn't listen to orders and ran here on your own, that's called desertion." Oil Strip was also in this row. When he saw the two of them, he began to scold, "Deserters will be beheaded." He made a slashing motion at his neck and smiled smugly.

  "We're not soldiers, you know? It's not easy to take a life." Lu Gang said to You Tiao.

  Kobayashi shouted back, "That's right, we're not soldiers."

  Lu Gang: "When the time comes and we're fighting against the devils, let's see who is a coward and who is a deserter!"

  "I'm telling you, kid, don't look at me like that, I can still take down a few devils with this body of mine. The gun in my hand isn't just for show." You Tiao patted the gun in his hand, looking unyielding.

  "Get down, all of you! You want to expose the target?" A row of loud shouts rose up. He didn't let Lu Gang leave, he knew the temperaments of these two kids, but staying here wasn't a solution either, with no guns in hand, he called over a soldier, took out two grenades from his bag, and told them how to use them.

  "A long row, now it's almost dark. If we can't win, there is a forest behind us. I am familiar with this place, take a shortcut, and I will lead you to arrive before Commander Geng." Lu Gong said in the ear of the first row. The first row looked back and saw that there was indeed a forest, and after hearing Lu Gong's words, he nodded and then told a soldier beside him: "Pass on my order, no matter what, we must hold out until nightfall. We absolutely cannot let the little devils pass through our front smoothly."

  Oil strip eyes sharp, he saw a team of yellow cavalry along the front of this road rushing over here. He told a row long. A row long raised his gun: "Brothers, little devils are coming, listen to my gunshot, all give me a deadly hit." Lu杆 and Xiao Lin heard that the devils were coming, tense and excited, holding hand grenades tightly in their hands, one hand's index finger grasping the ring, just waiting for the row long's gunshot.

  Gradually, the enemy cavalry came into their line of sight. A row stretched far away, and there were no infantry following behind. The number of enemy cavalry was only about 40 people. With a stealthy joy in his heart, he slowly raised the gun in his hand and opened the machine head.

  "Bang!" The sound fell and the gun rang out, a row of long shots fired the first bullet. Suddenly, the gunfire was loud.

  The devils were attacked and a panic began to appear, the horse group started to riot, but the well-trained devils reorganized their troops after several devils fell down. It was seen that one by one, the devils changed into a posture, all of them lying on one side of the horse, not a single devil could be seen on the horseback, and it seemed that they had discovered a row of long array of enemy positions attacking them, and after a loud shout, they all rushed towards them.

  "Hurry, shoot the horses, shoot the horses, one row long." Lu Gang and Xiao Lin threw out hand grenades after shouting to the first row, the first row also followed the shout, letting all soldiers aim at the war horses and fire.

  However, the war horses galloped swiftly like flying, and like lightning, they rushed across the rape field towards a long array. The oil strip and several soldiers were about to shoot after shooting down several war horses, when the devils on several other war horses had already chopped them down to the ground without any hesitation.

  Lu Gang sprang up from the grave, raised his knife to meet the soldier's slashing saber, and with a swift motion, chopped down towards the enemy's waist. The enemy let out a blood-curdling scream as his head fell off, dead.

  A chaotic battle unfolded at the edge of the grave. The sound of killing filled the fields, blood and mud splattered everywhere, swords and guns clashed, whether it was the Japanese army or the National Army, they fought as if facing a great enemy, the fearless won, the weak were overpowered.

  The warriors were as brave as tigers, fighting and struggling with the devils' cavalry.

  A burst of gunfire, and several devils fell to the ground. Seeing this, a few more devils rushed towards him with bloodshot eyes. The squad leader fired while retreating, shouting loudly: "Little devils, come on! Your grandfather is here!" His shouts indeed attracted the attention of some devils, perhaps because they discovered he was a leader. A group of them charged towards him on horseback, chasing him all the way to a small grove. The squad leader was exhausted and leaned against a tree, facing over ten ferocious devils and their tall Oriental horses. Covered in bloodstains and mud, he smiled, raising his gun to his own head. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a devil rushed up and chopped at his hand with force, causing it to fall to the ground, still clutching the gun. The squad leader's body swayed in pain, but he gritted his teeth and stood firm once more.

  The devils burst into loud laughter, and the cavalry captain shouted a few words. One devilish soldier rode forward, swinging his sword at the left hand of a row of soldiers, causing fresh blood to flow onto the dry leaves on the ground, slowly spreading in all directions with the rainwater. Before this devil had even stopped, another devil galloped towards a row of soldiers who were screaming in pain, his chest slashed open, yet he still stood upright. The cavalry captain waved his hand again, and another devil shouted as he rode forward, swinging his sword, causing a row of soldiers' neck to roll onto a patch of dry leaves, eyes wide open, seemingly still glaring at the cruel little devils.

  A whole row of them fell heavily to the ground. The devils saw that they were dead and turned to attack the grave mound again.

  Lu Gan saw that Xiao Lin had no defensive weapons, so he quickly ran to a tree and cut off a branch, handing it to Xiao Lin. "Don't be afraid, just hit the horse's legs, got it? And don't leave my side, you hit the horse's legs, I'll chop down the devils." Xiao Lin followed closely behind Lu Gan, executing his plan effectively. Like this, Xiao Lin bent over and hit the horse's legs with the branch, the horse felt pain and threw off the devil, Lu Gan then gave him a finishing blow. They killed five or six devils, just as they were getting into it, they saw the devils pushing a row of people towards a small forest, saw the devils one by one waving their knives to charge at the row of people, saw the tragic scene of the row of people's heads being chopped off. Lu Gan shouted loudly and after chopping down a devil, he rushed towards the forest, Xiao Lin closely followed behind him.

  However, the little devils of the cavalry came galloping out of the woods with a sense of satisfaction as victors, and before Lu Gang, Xiao Lin, and some soldiers could react, they were surrounded by the devils who rushed up from all sides.

  They crowded together, Lu Gang holding a big knife in both hands, Xiao Lin clinging tightly to Lu Gang. They were no longer afraid, having experienced two battles and lost their fear. The surrounding devils' cavalry circled around them, watching them like a rare monkey show, surrounding them as they turned in a patch of rape field.

  "What should we do? Brother Lin." Little Lin asked softly.

  "What else can we do? We have nowhere to run, and can only fight the devils to the end." Lu Gong responded with one sentence, and others also shouted in unison: "Fight the devils to the end!"

  Just as the devils were sneering and advancing on them, a row of gunfire suddenly erupted, and half of the devils on horseback fell to the ground. The cavalry captain looked up to see a battalion of over 100 men charging towards them. The sudden turn of events made him feel that it was not safe to stay there for long, so he abandoned more than 20 corpses and horses and fled in disarray to the county seat in the south.

  Originally, Geng Yingchang led the troops to continue moving forward without noticing that Lu Gong and Xiao Lin had fallen behind. He and the communication officer were walking at the front of the troops, busy contacting the battalion commander's unit along the way, but they couldn't get through, thinking it was a bad signal. They went to a slightly higher mound on the side of the road with the communication officer to continue calling out, still without any response. At this time, he heard a burst of gunfire and knew that the first platoon had encountered the enemy. He used binoculars to look towards the battlefield, and what he saw made him shocked and pale. In his lens, Lu Gong and Xiao Lin appeared, fighting against the enemy. Geng Yingchang's anger surged up, and after cursing, he aimed the binoculars at the road leading to the county town again, without seeing any signs of people. He decisively ordered the communication officer to quickly inform the second and third platoon leaders to leave half of the soldiers to take care of the civilians and have the others rush to support the first platoon.

  Just as the Japanese cavalry surrounded Lu and were about to attack, Geng's troops arrived in time. After a round of gunfire, the Japanese dropped their helmets and armor and ran away. The cavalry captain whistled and called back the war horses that had lost their masters, and the soldiers fired another round of chaotic shots at the fleeing enemy, killing several more horses and Japanese soldiers.

  Geng Yinglong scolded Lu Gong and Xiao Lin as soon as he saw them.

  Lu Gang ignored his scolding and brought him to a place of great sacrifice, where anyone who saw it would cry.

  Geng Yinglong had them bury the long row of corpses along with the other bodies, and after paying their respects, he led his troops away from the road in sorrow.

  "Captain, there's a shortcut here. Going through this forest, there's a river and a small path. The devils shouldn't be able to follow us there," said Lu Gang.

  Geng Zitang looked at Lu Zhu and the others, seeing that their faces were covered in blood and mud. He felt a pang of sympathy for them. He followed Lu Zhu's suggestion and led the troops towards the woods, and soon they came across a river, which stretched out like a white silk ribbon. By this time, night had already fallen.

  "Ge Yongchang, Gunzi Ge is right, just ahead is our school." Little Lin said excitedly, "If we can't walk anymore, we can rest there for a while."

  Geng Yingzhang didn't respond to Xiao Lin's words, instead he asked Lu Gong: "Who did you learn your martial arts from?"

  "My dad."

  "Your dad? Doesn't look like your dad is a martial artist either."

  "His dad was so fierce, when I was a kid he single-handedly killed a mad cow." Little Lin became lively.

  Geng Yingchang was half-believing and half-doubting, wanting to know that when the mad cow started its frenzy, everyone was afraid. Xiao Lin said it was true, he had heard his father say so when he was a child. One year, a cow in the village went mad and ran wildly everywhere, colliding with people and objects, and no one dared to approach it. Only Geng's father had the courage to rush forward, and for some reason, the mad cow seemed to be frightened by him and stood still. At that moment, his father jumped onto the cow's back, struck its head with both fists, and the cow fell down.

  "How did I know? My dad didn't tell me. How did you know? Are you just bragging?" Lu Gang raised the knife in his hand at Xiao Lin.

  "My dad said so, don't believe me go ask my dad." Little Lin refused to change his words.

  "No wonder, Humen has no inferior sons. Gunzi, your father is extraordinary." Geng Zitang admired.

  "Company Commander, don't listen to his nonsense," said Lu Gong.

  At this time, Geng Yingchang suddenly pulled out his pistol and gestured for everyone to hide. He saw a firelight shining in front of him, which was exactly the location of Huxi Middle School.

  Geng Zitang took out his binoculars and looked over, seeing a group of people gathered beside the bonfire.

  "Hey kid, take a look, do you know those people over there?"

  Lu Gang took the binoculars handed over by Geng Yingchang, but didn't know how to use them. After Geng Yingchang told him the correct way to use them, he looked ahead and suddenly said to Xiao Lin: "Xiao Lin, come take a look, isn't that Principal Duan and Cao Qingman? Hmm, why is my sister also there?"

  Kobayashi heard Lu Gan say that his sister was there, so he quickly picked up the binoculars and looked up. "It's really your sister." He put down the binoculars and said, "Let's go, Brother Gan."

  Geng Zitang heard that the school in front was Lu Gong's, and Principal Duan was also there. He put away his gun, waved his hand, and led the troops towards the flames.

  Suddenly, so many people appeared, and the people beside the fire were all terrified. Principal Duan was calm, looking at the dusty faces in front of him, then looking at the National Army uniforms they wore, knowing they were National Army soldiers. He didn't recognize Lu Gang and Xiao Lin, of course, as their faces and bodies were covered in mud. Not only did Principal Duan fail to recognize them, but even Cao Qingman and Lu Wei didn't recognize them either. Some students huddled together, looking at the armed men uncertainly, all surrounding Principal Duan's side without daring to speak.

  Lu Gang and Xiao Lin looked at Lu Wei's frightened appearance, thinking it was funny, originally wanted to shout at her, but held back. They thought in their hearts that they just wanted to see if Lu Wei recognized them or not. However, Lu Wei was so scared that she didn't even notice the people in front of her were her brother and Xiao Lin.

  "What kind of people are you?" Principal Duan spoke up.

  Geng Yingchang smiled and did not directly answer his words, deliberately keeping him in suspense, and asked instead: "What do you think, Principal Duan?"

  In the firelight, Principal Duan looked at them carefully and said in doubt, "National Army?!"

  Geng Ying nodded: "Exactly."

  "I didn't expect Principal Duan to say this, and he got angry: 'What are you doing here? Can't beat the devils and ran to here to do what? Look back, isn't Nanyang County being burned by the devils? Isn't Nanyang County not defended? Why give up, when Nanyang City is broken, how many ordinary people will suffer? What are you eating? Let these students have no home to return to. Anxiang can't be defended, Huarong is occupied by the devils, are you still the National Army? Taierzhuang, Pingxingguan, Xinkou battles, that's what I call spirit, that's what I call bloody battle, how exciting! You ran to here, so many National Armies can't even defend a small city, I'm ashamed for you, ashamed!"

  Geng Yingchang and the soldiers were speechless, but no one hung their heads in shame. They quietly puffed out their chests and listened to Principal Duan's venting of grievances.

  "Principal Duan, I'd rather not say more here, we are also helpless, everything has to follow orders, this is our duty as soldiers. Giving up Nancheng, I, and these brothers don't want to do so either." After hearing Principal Duan's impassioned words, Battalion Commander Geng's emotions were also unusually turbulent.

  Lu Gang stepped forward, "Principal Duan, I'm Lu Gang, and he's Li Xiaolin."

  Principal Duan took a closer look and it was indeed the two of them.

  "Lu Gang? Li Xiaolin? Is that you? How did you end up here? What happened to you, your bodies are covered in blood and mud?"

  Geng Zitang was about to speak, but Lu Wei rushed out of the crowd and ran up to them. She took a closer look and saw that it was indeed her brother Lu Gong and Xiao Lin. Overjoyed, she immediately ran up to him, threw her arms around his waist, and burst into tears, calling out "Brother! How did you end up here? Mom and Dad are worried sick and haven't returned home all day, searching everywhere for you. Cao Qing and I also came looking for you, thinking you might have gone to school."

  Cao Qingman walked over, carefully examined them, punched them one by one and then hugged them, saying: "Now it's all right, you're both here, that's good, I can go back and report, your parents asked me to come out and find you, your sister also wanted to follow, when we arrived at school, you weren't there, Principal Duan said he hadn't seen you."

  "We're going to beat up those little devils!" Little Lin said with great enthusiasm.

  "Really? Alas!" Cao Manqing shook his head regretfully.

  "What? Don't believe me? Look at our clothes, and look at this knife of Lu Gang's." Xiao Lin was about to continue speaking when he was pulled away by Lu Gang. Some classmates gathered around, chattering non-stop.

  Principal Duan started chatting with Garrison Commander Geng.

  "Principal Duan, it's not very safe here, you'd better take these students with you."

  "It's not good to travel at night, so we're preparing to head south tomorrow before dawn, to Hanshou or Yiyang, I've heard it's safer there. These students don't have any relatives here to turn to, and asking the county government for help is also difficult. As the principal, I must ensure their safety, but now that you're here, I'm not worried anymore."

  Principal Geng's words made him feel uncomfortable, he thought of himself leaving his hometown to escape the killing of the devils, now in this beautiful Jiangnan he would experience an unpredictable disaster, whether this disaster would happen or not, he was unclear, but one thing was certain that he must protect them, however, things were difficult to predict, the devils came with a fierce momentum, it was not easy to deal with, thinking of these civilians falling into the hands of the devils made him shudder.

  "Principal Duan, we just drove away the enemy's cavalry, but we also lost more than 20 brothers. I estimate that the enemy will come to take revenge tomorrow. I think you should leave while it's still dark and get as far away from the county town as possible. Alternatively, find a large household to let these children rest and sleep for a night."

  "Are you going with us?"

  "No, we have a lot of people, let's just rest in these classrooms for now. Firstly, we can wash our bodies, and secondly, if the devils come, we can still resist for a while."

  Principal Duan heard Geng Zitang say this and thought about it before agreeing. He then hastily called on the teachers and students to pack their luggage and prepare to depart.

  Geng Zitang suddenly remembered something and came to Principal Duan's side, whispering a few words in his ear. Principal Duan nodded after listening.

  "Lu Gang, Li Xiaolin, come here." Principal Duan shouted.

  Principal Duan told them that Geng Yingchang wanted them to follow these students, but Lu Gan was not obedient at first. However, Principal Duan's words made them speechless: "I am the principal, you are my students, I have to be responsible for your safety. Listen to me here, come with me, go take a bath and change clothes, after washing up we will leave immediately." Having no choice, they followed Principal Duan to the office, where he let each of them choose a set of clothes, then entered the bathroom.

  As they were saying goodbye and leaving, Commander Geng called out to Lu Zhuang, asking for his large knife. Lu Zhuang was unwilling, but Commander Geng said: "There are no devils anymore, what's the point of you still carrying a large knife? Even if it's just you alone, can you fight against their bullets? First Company Commander." He paused for a moment, then shouted to Second Company Commander, telling him to take the large knife from Lu Zhuang's hand.

  Lu Gan reluctantly handed the knife to Er Lian Chang, and followed Duan Xiao Zhang and others as they left. Along the way, he didn't say a word, still thinking about the big knife, with a fire burning in his heart, and not even bothering to respond to his sister's questions.

  It was then, as it approached midnight and everyone felt tired, that they came across a house.

  This is a big household. The master of the house is an old man, seeing so many people standing outside, he let them in without saying much.

  Principal Duan instructed the boys to put their luggage inside, then move a few sun mats to each person's room and spread them on the bed. The girls were sweeping the floor.

  The principal and the owner of the house started chatting.

  "Old man, why is it just you living in your house?"

  "My son, daughter-in-law and grandson have all left. They went to visit relatives in Yiyang or Anhua a few days ago. I'm old and don't want to leave this old house."

  "This place isn't safe for long either. The southern county has fallen and been occupied by the devils. Why don't you come with us tomorrow, old sir?"

  The old man shook his head and said he wouldn't leave. "Don't worry about me, I'm just an old bones, the devils won't do anything to me. It's you young people who should leave quickly, I heard the devils have set out from Yueyang, coming by water, if you don't hurry up, it'll be too late."

  The principal thought for a moment and asked if there was a boat that could be borrowed, the owner said that there were two boats, but they couldn't hold many people.

  "It's fine, we'll just use one boat for luggage and the other for children and women, which will lighten our load and speed up our journey. Old man, we've rented these two boats from you, this is the rent, when the devils leave, we'll send someone to return them to you."

  The old man insisted on not accepting it, but Principal Duan still forced him to take it and then called those teachers together to discuss.

  "Now our only direction is south, and we must hurry to Yiyang before the devils arrive at Yuanjiang River in order to be safe," said Principal Duan.

  "Our stuff is too much and we have kids and women, how many days will it take to walk?" a female teacher said, expressing her concern. She herself has a two-and-a-half-year-old child.

  "The problem with the boat has been solved, there are two boats, one for luggage and one for female teachers and students. We men will take turns rowing, it will definitely be faster." Principal Duan comforted everyone, "Tomorrow morning, get up early, have breakfast and set off."

  After listening to Principal Ting's words, everyone felt that it could only be like this, and there was no specific good way to think about it. The lakes here are intertwined, and without a boat, it would not work. The boat is their hope.

  They each went their separate ways to sleep. After Principal Duan checked on where the students were sleeping, he couldn't fall asleep and came alone to the riverbank.

  The night is quiet, the rain is fine, the water is flowing, and the leaves are trembling in the wind.

  The sleeping people are unaware that death is quietly approaching them.