Chapter 5: "Do you want the dead to take the field?"

  The smoky battlefield.

  A loud "boom" shook the ground, a shell exploded at the front edge of the position, sending mud flying into the air, gunfire rang out incessantly, explosions erupted one after another.

  In the trench, Old Yang crawled out of the mud, spat out a mouthful of dirt and cursed: "Damn it, this battle is unwinnable, you shoot him with one bullet, damn it, he can fire back at you with one cannon!"

  Lao Yang crouched in the trench with his head covered, panting heavily, watching Lao Cao holding a machine gun and continuously firing at the front of the position.

  On the battlefield, Japanese soldiers abandoned a dozen or so corpses and retreated.

  Several new soldiers cheered: "The devils have been repelled!"

  Old Yang rubbed his head, saying disdainfully: "What do you know? This is the little devil's probing attack. You haven't even gotten close and you're blindly firing your guns. The little devils will hear it and know that you're all a bunch of untrained new recruits."

  Old Cao sneered at Old Yang crouching there: "The devils charged and you vanished, what are you hiding here for?"

  Old Yang rubbed his head and cried with a sad face: "My head was hit by the soil, and I'm still dizzy now."

  Old Cao cursed with a smile: "You old rascal!"

  Old Yang: "I haven't even mentioned you, no wonder they call you Cao Da Tuttu, I've told you countless times, after a machine gun finishes a clip, change positions, who has your kind of 'tut tut' staying in one place for half a day without moving!"

  Old Cao scratched his head and smiled foolishly: "Hehe, I got so caught up in the fight that I forgot. Next time you have to remind me."

  Old Yang: "Next time? You hit like this and there won't be a next time. Next time just wait for me to collect your corpse."

  Lao Yang is from Shaanxi, likes to drink wine, when he's happy, he shouts a few lines of Qin Opera. At this moment, he raises his wine gourd, takes a big mouthful of wine, and hums again:

  "In the depths of the mountain, the night bird cries out; under the solitary lamp, a lonely girl thinks of her brother."

  In an empty room, a cold bed, solitary lodging and solitary sleep, what can be done?

  The heavens weep, the Buddha complains, who remembers me with a broken heart?

  ……”

  Old Yang sang while taking out a cloth package from his military uniform, opening it layer by layer, inside was a stack of banknotes and some silver coins, and he started counting again.

  Old Cao: "Old Yang, this money is enough for you to marry two wives!"

  Old Yang didn't even lift his head: "You're still far from it, marrying a wife, you have to build a big tile house first, and you also need to buy several large livestock."

  At this time, Feng Lian jumped into the trench with his waist bent.

  Old Yang hastily put away the flower cloth package, with a smile all over his face: "Lian Chang, how did you come again? We are here, what are you not at ease about?"

  Feng Lianchang saw the cloth package in his hand and smiled: "Why can't I come, delaying your counting of money?"

  Old Yang: "No, Lian Chang, it's dangerous here!"

  Feng Lianchang: "What a joke, you can be here, why can't I?"

  Old Yang: "No way, Lian Chang, you're not one of us."

  Feng Lianchang: "Then why, everyone has one life. The devils have retreated?"

  Old Yang: "They've just been repelled by us, but they'll be back up soon."

  Feng Lianchang nodded: "Who's in charge of your team?"

  Old Yang: "I'm going to the front line to charge."

  Feng Lianzhang raised his binoculars and slowly poked out of the trench to observe the enemy situation in front.

  Old Yang shouted: "No way, Lian Chang, squat down quickly!"

  As soon as the words fell, a gunshot rang out, and Feng Lianchang's military cap was shot off by a bullet. Old Yang hastily pressed Feng Lianchang down into the trench.

  Old Yang: "The lens has glare!"

  Feng Lianchang picked up his military cap, looked at the bullet holes on it, and sneered: "The little devils' marksmanship is still a bit off."

  Lao Cao walked over: "Comrade Lian, are you afraid?"

  Feng Lianzhang patted the dirt off his military cap and put it back on: "I'm still afraid I can be a company commander, precisely because you're all afraid, that's why at this age you're still just ordinary soldiers."

  Old Yang said discontentedly: "Being a soldier is being a soldier, it's unlikely that one would be afraid."

  Old Cao deliberately exposed his shortcomings: "Aren't you afraid? When that devil charged forward, you were the first to squat down."

  Old Yang hastily interrupted: "What squatting are you talking about!"

  Lao Yang pushed Lao Cao aside and leaned in close to Feng Lianchang: "Lian Chang, don't forget what you promised me."

  Feng Lianchang feigned surprise: "What's going on?"

  Old Yang was getting anxious: "Hey, about that thing! At the hospital..."

  Feng Lianchang's face was expressionless: "Things unrelated to fighting, I've all forgotten."

  Feng Lianzhang walked away with his tail between his legs.

  Old Yang resentfully said: "What officials say is just like farting ——"

  Feng Lianchang suddenly turned back: "Who are you scolding?"

  Old Yang was startled: "Ah, Lian Chang, how did you come back? I mean it's as loud as a cannon."

  Feng Lianchang slapped Old Yang on the back of his head: "Let's fight for a while, don't always think about good things."

  Lao Yang smiled and said: "Don't worry, Lian Chang, you can rest assured."

  "Feng Lianchang: 'Tell you platoon leaders, when the enemy hasn't arrived yet, have your brothers seize the opportunity to rest.'"

  Old Yang: "Alright."

  Feng Lianchang finished speaking and walked away with his back bent like a cat.

  Old Cao came over: "Old Yang, what's good? Tell me."

  Old Yang: "Get out, get out, you're everywhere. Just now you were thinking of being a company commander and exposing your father's shortcomings. I think you're tired of living."

  Lao Yang wielded a shovel like a sapper and made as if to strike Lao Cao, when suddenly a loud cannonading was heard from the direction of the right wing camp.

  Old Yang put down his shovel and looked towards the right flank position: "The enemy is attacking Xu Lianzhang's right flank position."

  Lao Cao felt a bit uneasy: "Will it allow us to reinforce the right wing position?"

  Lao Yang: "Then what about our position here?"

  Old Cao: "If we lose the right-wing position, our position won't be easy to defend either."

  Old Yang: "When parents are dead and remarried, everyone takes care of themselves."

  The two men looked anxiously towards the right flank position.

  The shells of the Japanese army are constantly exploding on the right wing position, and the casualties on the position are heavy.

  Xu Lianchang had a bandage wrapped around his head and was making a phone call to the regimental headquarters in the command post.

  "...... Commander, my troops have suffered heavy casualties, let's go down and regroup!"

  "Can't retreat anymore! You retreat, where can I, the regimental commander, retreat to? Retreat to Chongqing? You must hold your position to the death!"

  The receiver emitted a loud sound of the phone being hung up repeatedly, and Xu Lian slowly put down the phone.

  A messenger rushed into the command post, his voice trembling: "The enemy is charging!"

  Xu Lianchang glared at him: "What's wrong with you!"

  Xu Lianchang pulled out his pistol and ran out of the command post, with the orderly following closely behind.

  Japanese soldiers wearing shiny black helmets and holding bayonets that shone with white light, shouting as they charged forward.

  Xu Lianchang took a glance at the soldiers around him, almost all of whom were wounded, and everyone was staring at their company commander.

  Xu Lianzhang held his rifle with a bayonet, took a glance at the devils rushing from afar, and spat out bloody saliva: "Brothers, little devils also have two shoulders carrying one head, taking a bullet will still die, being stabbed by a knife will still perish, they are all mortal flesh, nothing to be afraid of. Little devils want to destroy China, unless 30 million people from Hunan all die out! Rather be a ghost killed in battle than a slave of a lost country!"

  "We'd rather die as warriors than live as slaves of a conquered nation!"

  A seriously wounded soldier lying in a trench also spat out blood foam and struggled to shout softly: "Rather die as a war ghost, than be a slave of a lost country!"

  Xu Lian shouted loudly: "Follow me up!"

  With a bayonet in hand, he jumped out of the trench and charged towards the enemy. The soldiers followed Xu Lianzhang out of the trench, charging onto the battlefield.

  Xu Lianzhang led the soldiers to engage in close combat with the charging Japanese soldiers. Xu Lianzhang successively stabbed two enemies, but his chest was also pierced by an enemy bayonet and he fell down.

  A soldier rushed over and carried Xu Lianzhang on his back as he ran.

  "Put me down!" Xu Lian shouted loudly.

  Japanese soldiers rushed onto the battlefield and stabbed wounded National Army soldiers struggling on the ground with bayonets.

  The Japanese army occupied the right-wing position.

  On the battlefield, a messenger soldier braved the artillery fire and rolled and crawled to Feng Lian's side: "Report to the company commander, the right flank position has been breached!"

  "Feng Lianchang: 'What! The troops have withdrawn?'"

  Messenger: "The situation is unclear."

  Feng Lianzhang raised his binoculars to observe the right-wing position, and saw that it was full of Japanese soldiers. He felt very regretful in his heart, as he had previously suggested to Commander Dong that they should reinforce the right-wing position, but was rejected. Old Xu, how are you doing now?

  Feng Lianchang was anxious when a commotion suddenly came from the trench, Feng Lianchang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a soldier jumping into the trench with someone covered in blood on his back, Feng Lianchang and the orderly rushed over.

  The orderly laid down Xu Lianzhang and saw Feng Lianzhang, bursting into tears: "Xu Lianzhang is... it's really Xu Lianzhang..."

  Feng Lianchang recognized Xu Lianchang: "Xu Lianchang! Big Brother Xu!"

  Xu Lianzhang slowly opened his eyes, saw Feng Lianzhang, and burst into loud wailing: "Feng younger brother, what to do? I lost the position, my brothers all died, you must avenge me, avenge my brothers!"

  Feng Lianchang grasped Xu Lianchang's hand: "Older brother, don't worry, I'll definitely help you take back the position."

  Xu Lian struggled to sit up: "I'm done for... Please, as a fellow townsman, in the future when it's New Year or festivals, help me kowtow to my mother a few times. I'll be grateful for your great kindness from beneath the nine springs..."

  Xu Lianchang's voice grew fainter and fainter, and he slowly closed his eyes. The orderly burst into tears and wept on Xu Lianchang's body.

  Feng Lian Chang slowly took off his military cap and gently wiped away the bloodstains and mud from Xu Lian Chang's face.

  "A messenger reports: 'Company Commander! Battalion Commander on the phone!'"

  Feng Lianchang hastily wiped his eyes with his military cap, put on his cap properly, and followed the orderly into the command post, taking the phone from the communications soldier.

  Feng Lianchang: "Captain, it's me."

  A stern voice came from the receiver: "The position has been lost, you and I will have to move our heads, I order you to immediately organize a dare-to-die squad to take back the position!"

  Feng Lianchang: "Yes! I will personally lead the dare-to-die corps up there!"

  "Director Dong: "What? Feed——""

  Feng Lianzhang heavily hung up the phone, walked out of the command post with a gloomy face, and Old Yang looked at Feng Lianzhang's expression, picked up the wine gourd, and took a big gulp of wine.

  Old Cao came over: "Old Yang, give me a sip too."

  Old Yang handed him a gourd and said with a sarcastic tone: "Drink it, one less mouthful to drink."

  Old Cao took a sip and spat it out: "Ah! Drinking your wine is cursing me!"

  Old Yang: "Lian Zhang went to answer the team leader's phone call, it won't be good news, look at his face."

  Feng Lianchang ordered the orderly: "Get all the squad leaders here for me!"

  The orderly responded with a "yes" and went down.

  Old Yang and Old Cao looked at each other.

  Lao Yang walked over: "Comrade Captain, is there a new mission?"

  Feng Lianchang ignored him and Old Yang retreated to one side with a sense of propriety.

  Three platoon leaders arrived. Feng Lianzhang said to each platoon leader: "The regiment commander ordered us, tonight we will retake the right-wing position occupied by the devils, you go back and organize all the old soldiers, as soon as it gets dark —"

  Old Yang on the side deliberately shouted loudly: "We are not familiar with the position over there, and besides, according to the National Army's rules, if a position is lost, each department should take it back by itself. Why should we go and die?"

  Feng Lianchang heard it and reached for the pistol in his holster, but a nearby squad leader quickly grabbed his hand and begged: "Calm down, Commander Feng, that's just how he is..."

  The other two platoon leaders also begged for mercy: "Spare him this once, Platoon Leader! Spare him this once! Platoon Leader, calm your anger!"

  Lao Cao also panicked: "Company Commander, Old Yang... he... he's had too much to drink..."

  Feng Lianlong loosened his grip on the gun and cursed, "All those brothers died in battle, do you want the dead to take back the position?"

  Old Yang lowered his head and stopped talking. Old Cao hastily pushed away Old Yang, whispering in complaint: "Why provoke him at this time?"

  Old Yang sat in the trench with a huff, picked up the wine gourd and took a big gulp, then shouted out in Qin Opera style:

  Yan Zhang rode his horse up the northern slope

  New graves outnumber old ones.

  The newly buried Han Guangwu

  The old tomb was buried again by Han Xiao He

  Feng Lianzhang was just about to return to the command post when he heard this, turned his head and shouted at Old Yang: "Stop your damn wailing!"

  Old Yang stopped singing, looked at Old Cao with a bitter smile. Old Cao also smiled bitterly: "Old Yang, it seems that we two brothers can't escape this time. It looks like my passion will be spilled in Hunan."

  The two of them looked at each other in silence.

  Old Yang suddenly burst out laughing, Old Cao was very surprised: "What are you laughing at?"

  Old Yang gazed at the distant mountains: "If I'm buried in Hunan, then so be it. Which place's yellow earth doesn't bury people?"

  At night, a bright moon hangs high in the sky above the battlefield.

  In the trenches, Feng Lianchang, Old Yang, Old Cao, Huang Xintian and thirty other dare-to-die team members formed by old soldiers stood in a row, each with a large knife on his back, a shotgun and two hand grenades inserted at his waist.

  A soldier came over and put a ceramic bowl in front of each person, Director Dong, with a bandage wrapped around his head, held a jar of wine, looked at everyone, then personally poured wine for each person.

  Comrade Dong raised his glass: "Brothers, I'm counting on you!"

  He finished speaking and drained his cup in one gulp.

  Feng Lianzhang led the way, raising his bowl and drinking it all in one gulp.

  The other soldiers also followed suit and drank up.

  Comrade Dong and Comrade Feng smashed their bowls to the ground after finishing their wine, shards flying everywhere. The other soldiers followed suit, smashing their own bowls into smithereens.

  Old Yang cursed after dropping the bowl: "Damn it, bad luck!"

  Feng Lianchang glared at Old Yang and then let out a low growl: "Let's go!"

  "Who goes there? Password?"

  Before the words had fallen, a figure rolled down from above the trenches, and everyone was shocked.

  A figure emerged from the ground, and Feng Lianchang recognized it as Qin Zhiyong. Qin Zhiyong's feet, clad in straw sandals, stepped on the broken porcelain shards on the ground, causing his body to stumble, almost falling over again. His gun also fell to the ground. He rolled and crawled to Feng Lianchang's front: "Feng Lianchang, I've finally found you! Count me in!"

  Old Cao whispered to Old Yang in a low voice: "Isn't this the little kid we brought back from Lao Dao He?"

  Old Yang nodded and smiled: "It's him. This kid is still quite capable, it wasn't a waste to save him."

  Feng Lianzhang walked over to pick up the gun that Qin Zhiyong had dropped, helped him put it on his back, patted Qin Zhiyong's shoulder and said without a doubt: "Next time."

  Feng Lianchang finished speaking and saluted Dong Tuanzhang before leading the Dare-to-Die Corps away.

  Comrade Dong gave a solemn salute to Comrade Feng and the death-defying squad's backs, while the soldiers on the position also silently paid their respects with rifle salutes to the backs of the death-defying squad members.

  The team gradually disappeared into the night, and Qin Zhiyong also imitated the dare-to-die squad's back shadow to hold a rifle salute.

  On the right-wing position, a sun flag was flying in the wind.

  Feng Lianzhang led the dare-to-die corps to sneak up quietly, he took out two hand grenades from his waist, and other soldiers also followed suit, taking out hand grenades from their waists. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Feng Lianzhang, the laughter of Japanese soldiers drifted over from above the position:

  "Yamada, your wife has sent another letter?"

  "Yes, it's really annoying."

  "Write back and tell her you're not short of women here!"

  "Eat Chinese chicken, sleep with a Chinese wife, kill the stupid Chinese thing."

  "Hahaha!"

  Feng Lianchang threw two hand grenades in the direction of the sound, and other soldiers also threw out two hand grenades. With the explosion of the hand grenades, the limbs, broken guns, glasses, and helmets of the devils flew into the sky.

  Feng Lianchang drew a large knife from his back and shouted: "Kill!"

  Feng Lianzhang took the lead and rushed forward, Old Yang, Old Cao, Huang Xintian and other dare-to-die team members also raised their big knives and followed Feng Lianzhang in a rush...