Chapter 10: The Disaster Arrives (1)

  Lu Zhuang woke up from his sleep and found that the dishes were already on the table, and it was already daylight.

  The number of people has decreased significantly. It turned out that some people were worried about the long night and left. Only twenty or so people were left from over a hundred. Most of the girls followed other boys or teachers, leaving only Huang Laoshi with her child, Lu Wei, three girls, and Cao Qingman. Huang Laoshi and the three girls didn't leave because they couldn't go back; they were all from Anxiang, which was occupied by the devils. The area around Yiyang had no relatives to turn to, so they could only follow Principal Duan wherever he went. The next day, after learning the truth from the elderly, Principal Duan sighed and said, "I hope they can be safe and sound."

  After simply finishing breakfast, Principal Duan urged the teachers and students to quickly load their luggage onto a boat. The women sat on one boat, while the men pulled another, and the group set off. They had only walked for about 500 meters when they heard an explosion sound coming from behind them. Looking back, they saw that the several houses where they had rested were bombed by the devils' planes, and a fierce fire broke out.

  Principal Duan saw this scene, loudly called Lu Gong to take a look at the old landlord, and took over the rope to pull the boat carrying people ashore. The women on the boat were terrified and jumped ashore, running into the nearby hemp field and rape field.

  Enemy planes flew over their heads, machine guns swept, shells exploded around them, and Lu Wei cried out loudly, crying and shouting for her brother to come back quickly. Lu Ge, Xiao Lin, and Cao Qingman rushed towards the burning house in the midst of artillery fire, and when they arrived, they saw a man rush out of the house, wailing pitifully as he ran towards the riverbank, jumped into the river, and disappeared without a sound. Lu Ge and the others were stunned, and just as Lu Ge was about to jump into the river, Cao Qingman pulled him back, saying that he was dead.

  "Devils are not things, devils are not human."

  Kobayashi said sorrowfully: "Gangzi Ge, let's go back."

  Three young men were running back and forth in anger when several explosions sounded, and they saw the boat carrying luggage leaning against the shore being hit by a bomb. In an instant, the entire boat and luggage split into the air amidst the flames, and then fell from the air and scattered onto the road.

  The devils' plane flew away. People returned to the road, fortunately no one was injured. Principal Duan led everyone to continue walking forward, when a voice calling him came from behind. Turning around, it was Commander Geng's team catching up.

  He told Principal Duan that the school was bombed by enemy planes, and several brothers were killed. They rushed over because they were worried about Principal Duan. Jia Xiaomai told Lu Gong that the communication officer was killed in the bombing. Lu Gong was so angry that he couldn't speak, his eyes blazing with fury.

  Geng Yingchang asked Duan Principal about the situation here. Is there any casualties? Principal Duan said with a heavy heart: "One boat was blown up, fortunately no one was injured. There is another boat that can't hold so many people." Geng Yingchang asked how they would act. Geng Yingchang said: "Now we can only go wherever we can. We have lost contact with the headquarters. It's estimated that the devils' big action will start soon, everyone should find a safe place to go quickly, we don't need you to take care of us, you go first, we'll follow behind, at least we can resist the devils for a while. However, this is not a good place to ambush, it's a flat plain, there's nothing to hide."

  Lu Gong said to Geng Yingchang: "Shall we go back to our village?"

  Geng Yingchang said: "Alright, you go first, we'll follow later. If we're with you and the devils really do bump into us, you'll get dragged in."

  Principal Duan bowed and said, "Geng Yingchang, take care, we're leaving." After finishing speaking, he called for the women to board the boat. Lu Wei did not get on the boat, saying she liked walking and wanted to follow them. Principal Duan didn't say much, letting the female students and Huang Laoshi hold the children onto the boat, while he and the men pulled the rope and left.

  Geng Yingchang called over Lu Gong and Xiao Lin, saying: "I don't trust you two, you're young, hot-blooded, and fearless. Listen to me, remember this well: in any situation, never let chivalry cloud your judgment, be rational and restrained, never act impulsively. The devils are ruthless, they kill without blinking, even if one is extremely skilled and powerful, they can't defeat a crowd single-handedly."

  "Geng Yingchang, don't worry, we won't take action easily. I still want to fight the devils with you, right, Little Lin?" Lu Gong said, looking at Little Lin.

  "Definitely."

  Geng Yingzhong waved his hand: "We will meet again."

  Lu Gong and Xiao Lin nodded and turned back to catch up with Principal Duan's team.

  Geng Ying Chang led Jia Xiao Mai and the others to turn aside, passing through a field of crops, and then through a grove of willows back onto the road. He estimated that the devils would pass by here, and he wanted to find a good place for an ambush to block the devils' advance.

  Lu Gang watched as Geng Yingchang and the others walked away, feeling a tickle in his heart. He thought back to the second time they had fought against the devils and felt that it was truly exhilarating. He turned to Xiao Lin and said, "Do you dare to follow me and join the army?"

  Kobayashi's face was full of surprise: "Your dad won't kill you, that's for sure."

  Lu Wei also heard it and said: "Brother, definitely."

  Lu Gan ignored them and walked forward, catching up with Cao Qingman. Then the two of them took over the rope on Principal Duan's and a teacher's shoulders.

  Lu Wei and Xiao Lin walked together, lowering their heads without speaking. Occasionally, they glanced at each other, and when Lu Wei saw that Xiao Lin was also looking at her, she blushed and ran to her brother's side.

  She ran and sang: Far away in the sky, geese are flying, on a small boat, there is my brother...

  Lu Gang interrupted her: "Sing, sing, sing, what time is it? Do you want to attract the enemy's plane?"

  Lu Wei spat out her tongue and stopped singing.

  Principal Duan smiled wryly. As the principal, he didn't want to appear gloomy on such an occasion, so he suggested singing a song. He raised his head: "Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves! With our flesh and blood, let us build our new Great Wall! Let us sing!"

  The people on the shore and on the boat sang this song taught by Teacher Yang with great enthusiasm under the inspiration of Principal Duan.

  When they were halfway through the song, suddenly a large group of refugees rushed forward, interrupting their singing. Seeing their flustered and disheartened appearance, Principal Duan hastily grabbed hold of a middle-aged man to ask what was going on. The man replied: "You shouldn't go any further, I heard that the devils from Yueyang are waiting up ahead."

  "Is it true?" Principal Duan asked in doubt, "The devils are really that fast?"

  "That person: 'I don't know either, I also just heard it.' After saying that, he quickly ran away."

  Principal Duan shouted at them: "Come back, come back quickly, the devils are all inside Nanzhou town, Nanzhou has already been occupied by the devils, come back quickly." But no one responded to his words and they continued running forward.

  Lu Gong looked ahead and then at the opposite bank, saying: "Principal, how about this? We cross the river together and take that road back to our village. It might be safer."

  The principal looked at the other side, which was full of rape and hemp, and suspected whether there was a road, hesitating. Lu Gong said that there is a road, but it's not as spacious as this side, compared to really encountering devils on this road, it's safer. Some teachers agreed with Lu Gong's suggestion, being able to avoid the devils was the best policy. So, they divided into several groups and crossed the river, abandoning their boat and getting ashore, not daring to take the straight road, fearing they would encounter devils, the farther away from the main road by the river, the better. Lu Gong led them through the diagonal path, treading on the fields or along the ridges towards his village.

  Finally arrived at Lugou's village. There really are no devils here.

  Li Baochang, Qiu Sigua and Gong Qiudou all gathered at Shui's home.

  Lu Gong's father Lu Shuisheng and mother Cai Hua saw Lu Gong and Lu Wei return, not knowing whether to be happy or angry. His mother pinched and twisted Lu Gong again.

  "Rod, you're driving your father to death." His mother muttered, choking back tears and laughing at the same time.

  Lu Gong just smiled and let his mother pinch him. His father stood beside him and said, "Alright, it's nothing now that you're back. Lu Gong, is this your Principal Duan?"

  He had never been to school, Principal Duan certainly didn't recognize him, but he knew his reputation, he was knowledgeable, a returned overseas student, and seeing his attire and demeanor, he determined that he was Principal Duan.

  Li Baochang, who was scolding Xiao Lin, said: "I'm telling you, you really are... when I asked you to follow me to school before, you didn't go. Now, even with the principal standing in front of you, you don't recognize him. You really are..."

  Duan Principal smiled and bowed to them: "Duan Mou has troubled the villagers, recently Anxiang and Huarong were occupied, today Nanyue lost its defense, these teachers and students are not local people, they have no home to return to, I hope Li Baochang and everyone will take care of them."

  Li Baochang waved his hand and said, "Don't be so polite. It's time for lunch now. Let's discuss this further after we've eaten." He arranged for some villagers to take the teachers away, while Principal Duan and Cao Qingman were kept at Lu Gang's home.

  The sound of an airplane engine came from the sky, and it was another reconnaissance plane of the devils. At first, the villagers were a bit panicked, but when they saw that nothing had been dropped from the plane, they went back to their business as usual.

  The cavalry dispatched by the Western Island was ambushed by Geng Zidang and did not rush to pursue. He reported the current situation to General Hengshan Yong, saying that it had already darkened here, unfamiliar with the terrain, fearing ambushes, and unsuitable for attacking, hoping to get accurate air information before gathering troops at dawn to coordinate with air power to thoroughly solve the National Army. Hengshan Yong agreed and ordered other lines of troops advancing south to rest and wait for the naval forces on the Yangtze River to gather in the direction of the enemy's escape before annihilating the defeated enemy. Immediately, Hengshan Yong ordered the airports in Daye and Wuhan to dispatch planes for reconnaissance and bombing, discovering that the enemy was concentrated and bombed with sweeping fire.

  The victory of annihilating the 73rd Army is within sight. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile at the corner of his mouth. He adjusted his glasses and contacted the naval fleet that had set out from Yueyang, inquiring about their specific location and instructing them to rush to the destination by tomorrow morning to block the enemy's attempt to escape by water, and absolutely not allowing them to merge with nearby enemy forces. He told them that the Western Island and other troops were advancing together to annihilate the remaining 73rd Army in a concerted effort.

  The next day at dawn, Western Island left some devils guarding the county seat and led most of the devils to advance south. Although they encountered sporadic resistance from the National Army along the way, they were no match for the strong forces led by Western Island, like eggs hitting a rock.

  Looking at the rape flowers by the roadside and the vast Dongting fish rice region, he couldn't help but think of the cherry blossoms in his hometown, thinking of Sakura who was still in Jiangbei.

  He ordered all troops to follow closely behind the cavalry in a running advance.

  Seeing the plane flying in the air, Xi Island's face was filled with confidence and arrogance. He kept waving his whip, and the Oriental horse understood its master's intention, accelerating its pace. The ground where it galloped kicked up layers of mud that flew in all directions. The cavalry followed closely behind, which made things difficult for the soldiers, but no one complained, taking strides like horses, rushing forward fiercely, despite being weighed down by their heavy loads and panting heavily.

  A soldier could no longer hold on, fell to the ground with a thud, and two soldiers beside him immediately helped him up, pulling him to continue running forward. But this soldier had lost all sense of direction, his legs stiffly dragging in the mud, he was still just a child, not yet eighteen years old, dead.

  The team suddenly stopped, Xi Island reined in the horse's head, looked back, waved his hand, and signaled the team to stop advancing. He galloped towards the infantry phalanx on horseback.

  "What's going on?"

  "The soldier replied: 'Lieutenant, he's dead.'"

  Nishimura dismounted his horse, bent down to take a look at the dead soldier, then stood up and bowed to the corpse. He squatted down and tore off the soldier's name tag, putting it in his own pocket. Then he said to another soldier, "You're in charge of him. After sending him back to the county town, don't come back. We don't have time to hold a memorial service for him now. Our goal is to quickly eliminate the enemy in front of us and charge forward. That's our mission as soldiers of the Great Japanese Empire. I won't let my soldiers become wandering ghosts in a foreign land. We need to make the Chinese know our strength and avenge all our brothers who died fighting for the Emperor."

  The soldier moved his pack forward and put the corpse on his back, returning to the county town.

  Some Nationalist soldiers threw their guns into ponds and ditches;

  Some government soldiers rushed to the bay, took away the fishermen's boats and left, leaving the boat owners on the shore stamping their feet and scolding loudly, but they were helpless and could only cry out to heaven and earth.

  A man who looked like an officer was changing his clothes, and Geng Zitang walked over to ask which unit he belonged to. The officer said, "What's there to say now? It's urgent to escape," and then ran away.

  "Dad, I'm here! I'm here!" Lu Wei panted as she ran in through the door.

  Sun Huamei and Lu Gong were cleaning up the household items, while Principal Duan, Li Baolang, Lu Shuisheng, and Gong Qiu were discussing their travel plans, when they were attracted by Lu Wei's shouting.

  "What's all the shouting about? What's happened?" Lu Gang asked his sister, holding her back.

  Lu Wei said with difficulty, panting, "It's Commander Geng and his men." Everyone heard this and rushed to the wheat field, and indeed it was Geng Zitang leading several soldiers, all of whom were covered in blood and mud, looking disheveled.

  Geng Zitang saw Li Baolang and others, and hastily said: "Why are you still here? The devils are almost here. Hurry up and tell the villagers to run towards Hanshou. Once they cross the river and get to the other side, they won't have to be afraid anymore. If the devils come, it will be too late."

  Li Baozhang hastily ordered Gong Qiu to beat the gong, and the dense sound of the gong and Gong Qiu's cries of "The devils are coming!" threw the villagers into a panic. They rushed out of their homes, some running towards the boats moored in the bay, others who had no boat didn't know what to do, some women and children were crying with fright, the whole village was in an uproar.

  Some National Army soldiers rushed into a farmhouse and took clothes from the closet to change into.

  Lu Gang returned to the house and walked over with a stack of clothes: "Geng Yingchang, you guys change into these. Hmm, where are Second Company Commander and Third Company Commander?"

  Geng Yingchang didn't respond, looking very upset. At this time, Jia Xiaomai whispered to him with a sob: "They were all killed by the devils." Lu Gong said nothing more, only handing his clothes over to Geng Yingchang and Jia Xiaomai. Geng Yingchang pushed away the clothes handed over by Lu Gong: "No way, we are soldiers, can't do this."

  Geng Yingchang was pushing away the clothes handed over by Lu Zhuang when Lu Shuisheng also brought many clothes and pants to his side, saying: "Come on, brothers, it's time now. As long as we have a clear conscience, we don't have to worry about not having enough to eat. Let these brothers go to the riverbank to wash up, even if they're not soldiers fighting battles, the devils can still tell from the bloodstains and mud on their bodies."

  While still hesitating, Sun Huamei, Lu Gong, Xiao Lin, and Li Baolang took the guns from the National Army's hands and threw them one by one into the river ditch. Geng Yinglong held a gun, pressed it with his hand, and the magazine fell off, empty without a single bullet. Principal Duan looked at him, stretched out his hand, took the gun from his hand and threw it into a nearby ditch, splashing water on the surface. He said: "You don't have any bullets, what are you going to fight against the devils?" They had no choice but to quickly wash up and change their clothes by the river, then enter Lu Shuixian's home.

  More and more refugees are coming, they are not from this village, after asking, I know there are people from Hubei, Anxiang, Huarong, all of them look flustered, like a startled bird, just rushing to run. They simply do not know how to go, where to escape, blindly running around like headless flies.

  Principal Duan saw this scene, loudly shouting at them not to panic, listen to his and Li Baochang's command. Some people on the boat didn't respond to his shout, those without a boat all crowded around him, looking at Principal Duan and Li Baochang with hopeful eyes.

  Autumn melon arrived. His boat was almost taken away by the refugees, if he hadn't quickly pulled out the plug, it would have been taken away by the refugees. He didn't want to leave, he was alone and had no relatives to rely on in another place, so he wanted to take Lu Shui's family out, so he drove his boat to the nearby waterway of Lu Shui's home, pulled out the plug, rowed ashore, rushed to Lu Shui's home, calling Brother Lu, saying hurry up and get on his boat.

  The principal Duan greeted the people to get on the boat one after another, but the capacity was too small, so the autumn melon could only take these people across the river in batches. Seeing that he was really tired, Lu Gong took over his helm and finally sent the last batch of people to the other side.

  When they went to Changsha via the ferry at Chuanhu, Xishan's troops arrived in Lujiao Village. They stood in a line along the riverbank, with the embankment blocking their view. Xishan ordered his troops to search the entire village.

  Dozens of devils rushed to the bay, and suddenly they found hundreds of people standing there anxiously waiting for the boat, shouting loudly like a great enemy. The machine guns opened their mouths, and the hand grenades pulled the strings. In an instant, a fierce barrage of bullets swept towards the panicked crowd, and the hand grenades flew towards the people running in all directions. They fell to the ground one by one, with blood flowing everywhere. Some who jumped into the river were shot in the head by the devils like a rifle, their bodies floating on the water, not a single person escaped from the shore.

  The devils, like wolves and tigers, rushed into every household, rummaging through boxes and cabinets. They took away whatever they liked, not even sparing women's embroidered clothes. They also found some baskets to carry away cured meats and other food. After killing the live poultry, they put them on the threshing ground. Then, with a single torch, they set fire to the thatched houses, instantly engulfing everything in flames.

  By the river, Xī Dǎo said proudly that these Chinese troops were a group of stupid pigs. If they had set up defenses on the opposite bank, the Imperial Army would have undoubtedly suffered heavy casualties. Unfortunately, they didn't. He was unaware that the Nationalist Army, which had been chased to this line, had already lost their morale and their equipment could not be used to its fullest potential. The Nationalist Army, without ammunition or fighting spirit, could only imagine what kind of situation their combat power would be in. He issued an order: immediately implement the river crossing operation, all troops will cross within one hour. As soon as the order was given, the Japanese engineer soldiers sprang into action.

  At this time, Yokoyama Isamu called to ask about the progress of his troops. Nishijima told him the situation here and said that they would prepare to cross the river in an hour.

  Yokoyama Isamu told him that the troops advancing from the water had approached him and eliminated some of the small Kuomintang forces attempting to escape by water during their advance. It was estimated that at this time, they would blockade the area occupied by Xidao from the water. Yokoyama Isamu also entrusted three things to him: first, pay attention to the enemy's counterattack on land; second, do a good job in the short-term garrison defense mission and establish a base to receive follow-up troops to launch a new round of attacks on Changde; third, thoroughly disrupt the enemy's organization and quickly resolve the surrounded enemy, absolutely not allowing them to escape to Chishan and Hanshou.

  Saigō thought on the phone that this was an inevitable battle and the Imperial Army's victory was already in sight, so please let the general be at ease.

  Yokoyama looked at his watch and said: "An hour from now will be 4 o'clock in the afternoon, around that time I'll send planes to support you, good luck."

  When Lu Gang and his men rushed to the dock in that all-too-familiar town, the embankment was already crowded with refugees.

  The boat is tense and can only wait.

  People anxiously gaze out at the boats on the river, hoping they can return here soon.

  There were too many people, and even if there were a hundred boats, it would be useless. Many people were anxious and stomped their feet. They heard the sound of gunfire getting closer and closer. At this time, someone shouted: "Quickly, go dismantle the door boards!" This sentence reminded those anxious people, and everyone rushed to the town's shops or houses in a chaotic situation. The ones who scrambled for the door boards were mostly soldiers dressed as civilians. They couldn't care about anything else; escaping with their lives was the priority. Most of them carried the door boards on their shoulders and ran towards the riverbank. When they arrived at the riverbank, regardless of the icy water, they hugged the door boards and rushed into the river. Some people who didn't have any flotation devices jumped into the water and fought to grab something. Those who failed to grab anything were forced to let go of the door boards or wooden planks they were holding onto and swam forward with all their might. Those who couldn't swim could only shout for help in the water; in such a situation, who would bother to save them? After struggling for a while, they sank to the bottom of the river.

  The sky is floating with fine rain.

  Lu Gang said to Li Baochang: "We can't stay here, look at so many people, Uncle Li, think of something quickly."

  "What can I do? Here are three sides of water, and the only exit is blocked by the devils." Li Baichang said helplessly. "Sheng, you come over here."

  As soon as Li Baochang shouted, Geng Yingchang, Duan Xiaozhang, Gong, Qiuxiangua, Xiao Lin, and Lu Wei, Cao Qingman all came over to him. Lu Shuisheng said, "Is this okay? Let these people disperse and surround the place. It's not a good idea to hide here, and when the devils come, there won't even be a place to hide."

  Geng Yingchang said: "Just now I looked at the terrain here, except for water it's all flat plains, and it's impossible to escape the devils' eyes."

  Lu Gang said: "There are many dikes nearby, why not call them to the dike, maybe there is a cellar or something, and maybe they can still find some small boats to cross the river."

  Li Baochang listened and then immediately called others to go separately to do work for the refugees who were still looking around or at a loss on the riverbank.

  After their persuasion, most people listened and left in groups of three or five to rush towards the Chaotianmen dock. However, some outsiders did not listen to them and crowded at the dock, staring blankly for a boat that could come from the river surface.

  Seeing them like this, Li Baochang just followed along with them

  Principal Duan invited the teachers and students to follow Li Baolang and others to walk towards Gangzi, when suddenly Lu Wei shouted loudly: "Dad, there's a fire over there, with so much smoke."

  Lu Shui and everyone else retreated, indeed, the direction of their own village was already filled with thick smoke. Lu Gang and several young companions ran up to the embankment, only to see flames soaring into the sky on the other side. Lu Gang's eyes were brimming with tears, his teeth chattering loudly, and his mouth trembling. Everyone's mood was extremely heavy, Lu Wei and the other women were all sobbing, the teachers were cursing the devils as beasts and demons along the way, Huang teacher remained silent, tightly hugging her own child. Just then, the sound of airplanes came from the sky.

  "Quickly lie down! The enemy's plane is coming!"

  Everyone heard the devils' planes coming, who could hear Commander Geng's orders, and immediately ran in all directions. Commander Geng and those soldiers followed them running around, knocking one down, when they went to knock another one down, this person got up again and ran wildly, with only one direction, that is, the houses on the street, but the doors were locked, hiding under the eaves of the house, thinking that as long as the devils couldn't see them, everything would be fine.

  This made Geng Yingchang and the others anxious to shout loudly, but no one listened to him, so he had no choice but to lie down on the ground in despair.

  Two planes of devils discovered the crowd gathered by the river and began strafing, dropping bombs. In an instant, some people were blown to pieces by the bombs, others fell into a pool of blood after being shot, and still others were swept into the water by the blast from the bombs.

  The plane bombed and strafed over their heads, with row after row of bullets leaving few people who were running around in a panic. The wounded were crying out in pain, the dead looked unrecognizable, and it was impossible to tell what they looked like. Severed hands and feet were scattered all along the riverbank and in the river.

  The devil's plane flew far away.

  People who were lying on the ground began to crawl up one by one, crying and shouting as they searched for their relatives. Seeing their loved ones dead, they wailed in grief. Looking in the direction where the devils had left, Geng Yingchang understood that the devils' planes would be back soon. He saw the chaos and shouted loudly: "Fellow villagers, everyone scatter and don't bunch up, the devils' planes will come again!" Lu Gang heard him and also shouted along: "Quickly, quickly, listen to Geng Yingchang, he's right!" He stood up, grabbed his sister's hand, and ran towards the rape field. People dispersed in all directions, some crawling on the ground, others hiding in the rape fields and hemp fields.

  Indeed, the devil's plane has come back again.

  A burst of gunfire landed near the group, stirring up mud and dirty water on the ground. Everyone covered their heads, silently praying that the bombs and bullets wouldn't land on them. At this moment, Lu Wei, who was lying in the oilseed rape field with his sister, suddenly saw his mother lying on the ground not far away. His body shook as if he had been hit by a bullet, and he quickly got up and ran towards his mother's location. His sister also wanted to follow him. Geng Yingchang saw this and hastily stood up, running to Lu Wei's side and pressing her down beside him. Lu Wei ran to his mother's side amidst the artillery fire.

  As expected, he saw a big hole on his mother's back, bright red blood gushing out, and he shouted at his mother, but his mother had no sound anymore.

  Sun Hua's sister is dead. Lu Gong tightly hugged her, tears streaming down his face. Shui Sheng saw it from a distance and ran over, seeing that his own relative had died silently, he rolled up two streams of tears. He stood up pointing at the devils' planes still rampaging in the sky and loudly cursed.

  Lu Wei, who was tightly held by Geng Yingchang, seemed to know what had happened. She struggled to leave Geng's protection, but it was no use. She shouted at Geng: "I want to go over there, I want to see my mother, I want to talk to her, let me go! You're a bad guy, you're not a good person!" Geng Yingchang ignored her cries and didn't let go of her. He looked up at the sky, saw that the enemy planes were gone, and estimated they wouldn't be back, so he finally released Lu Wei. Lu Wei got up and ran while shouting "Mother" towards somewhere. Only to see Lu Gang's face was dark, his teeth clenched tightly, staring blankly into the distance, with tears wetting his face.

  Lu Wei rushed over and loudly called out to her mother, but Sun Hua's daughter could no longer hear the cries of her children. Lu Wei wept bitterly on her mother's body.

  Many people stood around, women silently shedding tears, men cursing the Japanese devils.

  Principal Duan said to Shuǐshēng, "A dead person cannot be revived. This account will eventually be settled with the little devils. It's better to find a place to bury him quickly." After finishing speaking, he asked Cao Qingman and Xiao Lin to go find some tools to dig a hole. The others who heard this followed them to the side of the rape field. Shuǐshēng did not speak. He slowly stood up, suddenly tore off two black cloth strips from his body, his eyes filled with tears, and handed them to Lú Gāng and Lú Wèi.

  The siblings, who were in grief, did not notice that Gong Qiu and Qiuxi took the black cloth from Shuixing's hand and quietly helped them tie it around their arms. Shuixing also tore off a piece and tightly wrapped it around his own arm.

  Li Baochang was extremely grieved, he walked over and said, Principal Duan's words were right, hurry up and bury him, now it's urgent for all of us to escape with our lives, or else the devils will come and no one can escape.

  At this time, Lu Shuisheng picked up Sun Huamei and walked towards the rape field. Lu Wei and Lu Gong closely followed their father's side, holding Sun Huamei's gradually cold hand. Xiao Lin and Cao Qingman found some tools by the manure pit in the field and quickly started digging.

  Some people also started digging graves for their deceased relatives. They too chose the rape field, and in no time, many mounds were piled up in the field, without any ceremony, just a few bows later, under Li Baolang's urging, they walked towards the ridge.

  The grass and soil covered Sun Huamei, Lu Gong and Lu Wei were reluctant to leave the grave. Overwhelmed with grief, Shui Sheng gritted his teeth and knelt for a long time. Lu Gong shouted at the sky: "Mother, I must avenge you!" The people around them understood their feelings, but this was not a place to stay for long, escaping was urgent, they were forcibly pulled away by Geng Ying and several others.

  As dusk approached, all of Xi's troops had crossed the river and were gathering.

  A group of people rushed over quickly, running through Lu Gang's team and shouting: "The devils are coming, the devils are coming."

  Everyone turned around and saw that behind them was a yellow patch, the devils had arrived. Suddenly, these refugees quickened their pace and ran towards the fields.

  Those who couldn't run fast hid in the nearby rape or hemp fields, while those who could ran quickly into the paddy fields. The locals took their families and hid in their own cellars, some people were frantically searching for a place to hide, some cats even hid under the bed or in the woodshed of the kitchen, some people hid in water jars or rice jars, as long as they saw a place that could hold their body, they would crawl inside.

  Holding the child, Huang Laoshi and some teachers were exhausted and couldn't run anymore, panting one by one. Principal Duan took the child from Huang Laoshi's arms, encouraging them to keep going, and refusing to leave them behind. They were very moved, and all advised Principal Duan not to worry about them anymore. But Principal Duan didn't listen, instead urging Cao Qingman to hurry up and catch up with Lu Gang and the others. Cao Qingman refused.

  Li Baochang turned back to look at Principal Duan and the others, who were still lagging behind. He hastily returned to urge them on. Principal Duan said, "Don't worry about us anymore, you all go ahead quickly." Li Baochang shook his head helplessly and said to them: "Then find a place nearby where you can hide. Look at that oilseed rape field over there, it's more than one person tall, maybe you can hide in it."

  Principal Duan took a look and saw that there was indeed a patch of rape field over there, so he walked towards it. At this time, Principal Duan saw another group of people running from behind them and drilling into the rape field. He immediately stopped Cao Qingman and others, saying: "Forget it, let's not go there, there are already people there, and if we go in again, there will be too many people, it's easy to expose ourselves, let's find another place." After finishing speaking, he led the crowd back and walked towards a forest.

  Li Baochang saw this and said: "Good man. Principal Duan, take care of yourself." Then he chased after Lu Gang and the others as they ran towards the embankment.

  He knew everything about this village, his uncle's family was here, and his uncle had gone to Yiyang to his father-in-law's house a week ago. He remembered that his family had a boat, a large boat that could hold ten or so people. He quickly led everyone to the back room where the reeds were stacked, swiftly lifted layer after layer of reeds, and indeed exposed a boat body, everyone was very happy, together they lifted it up and walked towards the riverbank.

  Only about ten people can sit. Li Baochang said to Geng Yingchang, "Geng Yingchang, you and your brothers go first. This place cannot hold you, the devils will know you have fought a battle once they come."

  Geng Yingchang hastily waved his hand: "No, no, you leave, we are soldiers, can't let civilians suffer for us."

  Li Baochang waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, we are the local people here, the devils won't do anything to us honest farmers. The devils are after you."

  Lu Gang's tears had not yet dried as he also advised: "You listen to Uncle Li, if you don't leave now it will be too late."

  Lu Shuisheng walked over and said, "Geng Yingchang, Li Baichang is right. If you are really discovered by the devils here, who knows what kind of disaster it will bring to these ordinary people? You should leave, as long as you hide in that reed field for a few days, the devils will be gone and everything will be fine. However, I have one condition: take my family members, Lu Mei, Lu Gan, and Xiao Lin with you." Geng Yingchang agreed, but Lu Gan and Xiao Lin refused to go. If they went, it would mean that some National Army soldiers would have to stay on the shore. Lu Gan was adamant and wouldn't let Geng Yingchang and the others speak, pushing and pulling them onto the boat. Li Baichang said to Qiu Sigu, "Hurry up and send them to that reed field, then come back for us." Qiu Sigu nodded, took up the oars, and jumped onto the boat without saying a word. The boat sailed away from the shore.

  Geng Yingchang, Jia Xiaomai and other soldiers waved goodbye to them with tears in their eyes. Lu Wei shouted to her brother, father and Xiao Lin, telling them to be careful.

  At this time, Geng Yingzhang shouted on the boat: "Gan'erzi, Xiao Lin, you must not be reckless, do not fight with the devils, the devils are demons who kill people without blinking. Did you hear? Li Baolong, Lu Dage, you must take care of these two young men."

  Li Baochang and Shuisheng nodded, Li Baochang replied: "Don't worry, Commander Geng, we will take good care of them."

  They gazed after the boat as it rowed away into the distant reeds.

  "Dad, where are we going?" Lu Gong asked as they left the place.

  "Where else can we go? Let's just wait and see here, hopefully the devils won't arrive before the autumn melons come." Lu Shuisheng sighed.

  Li Baochang scolded Lu Shuisheng: "What's the sigh for? What have we ordinary people done to provoke the devils? Nothing, we're not the National Army. Now the most important thing is to save our lives, don't do anything against the devils. I think they won't treat us harshly. Xiao Lin, don't talk nonsense when the time comes, did you hear?"

  Kobayashi nodded after listening to his father's words, but he was still a bit apprehensive in his heart. He had killed devils before, and if the devils really found out, his life would definitely be lost. He pulled Lu Gang aside and told him his thoughts. Lu Gang said don't be afraid, you won't say it, who else knows? When the time comes, I'll deal with those cowardly ghosts.

  At this time, the last sunset on the river disappeared, and the sky turned dark.

  Principal Duan and the others hiding in the woods heard a burst of gunfire and shouting coming from the surrounding area. Principal Duan, taking advantage of the faint light, saw that several people had been hit by the devils' bullets and were lying motionless on the ground. He whispered: "The devils have arrived, quickly get down." Everyone got down, some of the timid ones trembling in the cold night.

  The devils' footsteps were getting closer and closer, quickly surrounding the crowd that was crouching on the ground.

  The brave one lifted his head and looked at the figures in front of him in the dark night, unable to see their faces but saw the cold light flashing from the guns, and couldn't help but shiver. Cao Qingman, who was lying next to Principal Duan, took a look and said: "Principal Duan, they don't seem like ghosts."

  Principal Duan: "Have you seen a ghost? Don't talk nonsense."

  Xi Island arrived, and he looked down at the people crouching on the ground with a proud smile. He was like a ferocious alligator, once he bit, he would never let go of his prey. But today, he didn't want to kill anyone. He had killed many people during the day, and he wanted to keep them, especially the women, to comfort and vent his soldiers, to boost their morale. He wanted to leave these men to find food for him or make them do coolie work, to carry the looted goods, to make dried meat and chicken into food for his soldiers to eat. He didn't want to attack the village rashly at night, fearing that there were National Army ambushes. He had looked at the terrain map of this place and knew that it was surrounded by water on three sides, with no way out in the direction of Cao Grass Street. He let Wang translate call them all up. In a gentle tone, with a hint of sympathy, he said: "Do you want to crouch on the ground for a night? This May evening in Jiangnan is really cold."

  "Countrymen, rise up! Rise up! It's too cold here. The imperial army won't kill you." He sincerely hoped so in his heart.

  Principal Duan understood what Xishan said, while others understood Wang's translation in Hubei dialect.

  Principal Duan nodded to Cao Qing, and slowly he was the first to stand up from the ground. At this time, others who were lying on the ground got up, except for those who had been shot dead by the random gunfire.

  Only to see Xi Island waved his hand, some devils immediately turned their heads and began to be vigilant.

  Xī Dǎo jumped off his horse and Principal Duān wanted to walk up to talk to him, but was pushed back by a Japanese bayonet.

  "I'm the principal, and these people are my colleagues and students. I have something to say to you." He shouted at Nishima in Japanese.

  Nishima didn't expect to meet a Chinese who could speak Japanese in such a place, it was really strange. He looked at the middle-aged man with curious eyes and gestured to a soldier to bring Principal Duan over to him.

  "Are you their principal?"

  "Yes, I am their principal, and I hope you won't make things difficult for them."

  "Can you tell me if there are any Nationalist soldiers hiding in the nearby village?"

  "No."

  "None? Then I have no choice. You people are all coming with me."

  "What exactly do you want to do?" Principal Duan said sternly.

  "What are you going to do? Don't be in a hurry, Principal. When the time comes, you'll know. I'm asking again, is there any National Army here?"

  "No." Principal Duan said firmly.

  "Didn't you little devils chase away or kill all the Nationalist soldiers? How did you find us here? We are just ordinary people, students." Cao Qing stood up with a fiery temper and shouted at Xi Dao, scaring him. He looked at Wang Translator, whose face had also turned pale, fortunately it was evening and couldn't be seen clearly. Cao Qing's words also scared Principal Duan, who quickly pulled Cao Qing behind him and said to Xi Dao: "He says he is a student, please spare them."

  Xī dǎo wàng le wàng Wáng fānyì, Wáng fānyì liánmáng diǎn diǎn tóu, shuō: "Tài jūn, tā shì zhèyàng shuō de, tā shì yī gè xuéshēng, zhèxiē dōu shì yī xiē shí zài zài de lǎoshī."

  After listening, Xi Island didn't say anything and got back on his horse. He had the devils bring Dean Duan and the others to the embankment, where they were forced to set up a canopy. The men were then tied up with ropes and taken to a dilapidated house at the edge of the embankment, while the women, filled with terror and struggling with all their might, were dragged into the canopy.

  Huang Laoshi hugged the child and cried out loudly, breaking free from the ghost's embrace, and ran down to the embankment. Two ghosts chased after him relentlessly. Xi Dao saw this scene, smiled slightly, and stood silently on the embankment, gazing at the river surface, thinking of Sakura.

  Holding the child, Huang Laoshi was forced by the devils to the front of the house where Principal Duan and others were detained. She shouted loudly for Principal Duan, shouting "Principal Duan, come quickly to save us!" Principal Duan, who was tied up inside the house, struggled with his body, and could only shout loudly in Japanese: "I beg you, don't make it difficult for her."

  Once they became beasts, would these devils still listen? They continued to laugh lewdly and pounced on Teacher Huang. The two devils guarding the door joined in, taking away the poor child by force. The depraved devils flung the child behind them, and after hearing the child's mournful cry, Teacher Huang immediately fainted to the ground. The four devils tore open Teacher Huang's clothes, and in front of Principal Duan and the people locked inside, they took turns violating Teacher Huang. Principal Duan's face turned purple with rage, his teeth biting through his lips. The people inside struggled against their bonds, but they were tied too tightly to escape, and they shouted angrily, "Devils will not come to a good end!" "Beasts!"

  "You bunch of beasts, not even sparing children and women. This child is only two years old! You will suffer heavenly punishment, you won't die a good death, beasts, beasts! Heaven, open your eyes and see the sins of these little Japanese devils!" Principal Duan wept, beating his chest and stamping his feet.

  Cao Qingman was even more indignant, listening to the mournful cries transmitted by Teacher Huang. His blood surged upwards, and he suddenly broke free from the ropes binding him. He grabbed a pickaxe leaning against the wall inside the house and charged outwards, striking the back of the devil's head who was pressing down on Teacher Huang. The devil didn't even let out a groan before falling over.

  When Cao Qingman turned around to strike another devil, he was stabbed in the abdomen by a devil standing beside him with a gun. Cao Qingman grabbed the devil's bayonet with his left hand and threw the pickaxe outwards with all his might with his right hand. The two of them fell to the ground together.

  Cao Qing's mouth was full of blood, his body convulsing, and he spat out a sentence: "You little devils will not die well." The other devils were enraged by this sudden attack, they picked up the guns on the ground and stabbed Cao Qing and the naked Huang teacher wildly. Then, like madmen, they opened fire on the people in the house, and some fell to the ground amidst the chaotic gunfire. Principal Duan quickly shielded the others and pressed them to the ground, the room was filled with cries and curses.

  The gunfire drew Xishan, Wang and some Japanese soldiers over. Xishan asked the devils: "What's going on? Have the National Army been discovered?" The devil reported the situation here, he looked at the corpses of the two soldiers, his face turned ugly.

  He ordered the devils to drive Principal Duan and others out of the house.

  "Although the lives of my two excellent Yamato warriors have been lost, their glorious images of dying for the Emperor are as lovely as the beautiful cherry blossoms in our hometown, while your lives, you Chinas pigs, are as disgusting as the rotten fish and shrimp in your stinky ditches." Nishijima slowly drew out his sword.

  "You shameless things, it's you beasts who have committed such atrocities. Why don't you stay in your own country and live a peaceful life? Instead, you come to our country and exert your power over us. Are you still human? No, you even kill children, you are not human. The atrocities you have committed against Chinese women, you are not human. And this student also died at the hands of your butchers, you are not human. You burn, kill, loot, you are not human, you are worse than pigs and dogs." Principal Duan said with great indignation and severity.

  Wang Yi stood beside him, not knowing what to say, and just stared at Duan Xiao with blinking eyes, but Duan Xiao was scolding Xidao in anger, who had the energy to look at him.

  "Hah, a Chinese pig educated in our great Japanese Empire, what a waste of our educational resources. You should be killed."

  As soon as Xi Dao's words fell, the devils around him pulled back the hammers of their guns one by one.

  Xī Dǎo changed his expression to a smile, looking at his soldiers as if he was pleased with their behavior. He nodded in satisfaction and then turned to look at Duàn Xiào Zhǎng, walking over to him. Suddenly, he grabbed a young man and pulled him out, shouting at Duàn: "Say, is he not a National Army soldier?"

  Mr. Duan hastily said: "No, no, he is my student."

  "What proof do you have that he's not a national soldier? If you can't say it, I'll kill him." Xī Dǎo gripped the student who wanted to break free from his grasp tightly, his tone was so gloomy and weird that Duān Xiào Zhǎng couldn't utter a word.

  "Please don't make things difficult for him, he's really my student. His family is in Anxiang, which has been occupied by you, and he can't go home. Just now, the young man who was killed by you was also my student. Ask my colleagues, they can testify." Principal Duan became a bit agitated, his heart was truly anxious, and the people behind him were all saying that he was a student. Hearing these people pleading for him, Wang, the translator, told Xishan everything they said. Xishan released his hand, and while speaking, he touched the boy's index finger, and from experience, this person had never held a gun.

  "If you want to kill or chop, find me. Don't slaughter these innocent people indiscriminately." Principal Duan adjusted the glasses on his nose bridge, a resolute glint in his eyes.

  Xī dǎo zhe duàn xiào zhǎng: "zhēn de ma?"

  Translation:

  Xi stared at Principal Duan: "Really?"

  "Just come at me if you dare, just let them go and do as you please." Principal Duan replied firmly.

  "Asia. I believe you are not Chinese soldiers, but you will always be the most hated Chinaman pigs to me. Not killing you today does not mean that I won't kill you tomorrow. Now, keeping you alive still has a use for me. Leave." Just as Xi Island was about to leave, Principal Duan stopped him: "I request that you release the woman over there." Xi Island glanced at him and walked silently towards the embankment. Wang Translator quietly told Principal Duan that it's useless to beg him, he fundamentally looks down on Chinese people. After finishing speaking, he shook his head and followed Xi Island away.

  The body of the devil was carried away. The devils ordered Principal Duan and others to return to the house, Principal Duan asked to bury the dead, but the devils did not agree.

  The devils were guarding around them, and they couldn't run away. After returning to the house, although each of them could untie the rope on their hands, they couldn't leave the house half a step. The devils added more sentries.

  The embankment still echoed with the women's mournful cries and curses, mixed with the beastly laughter of the devils in the dark night. Principal Duan and others lay awake in pain and shame.