Chapter 23 "First treat the brother who was blown up by the tank..."

  Qin Zhiyong nimbly jumped into a shell crater, the shell exploded at the edge of the crater, Qin Zhiyong took advantage of the lingering smoke to crawl out of the crater with a bundle of hand grenades and crouched towards the tank.

  Lao Yang and Lao Cao's machine gun fire suppressed the Japanese soldiers who were charging behind the tank.

  Qin Zhiyong sometimes crawled forward, sometimes ran with his waist bent, and soon rushed to the front of the tank. He stuffed a bundle of grenades into the tank's tracks, pulled down the fuse, and quickly rolled to one side. With a loud "boom", the tank was paralyzed in the explosion.

  Huang Xintian and a soldier, disregarding the danger, braved the hail of bullets and ran to the side of the blood-covered Zhuozi, lifted him up and ran. A shell exploded beside them, and Huang Xintian's head was injured by shrapnel.

  Two men worked together to carry the wounded Zhangzi and ran to the edge of the trench. The three of them rolled into the trench together.

  The grenade that had fallen into the trench lay on the ground, shouting in a weak voice: "Squad leader...squad leader..."

  Qin Zhiyong also rolled and crawled into the trench at this time, hugging the bolt and shouting: "Bolt! Bolt——"

  Duanzi slightly opened his eyes, grasping Qin Zhiyong's hand: "Zhiyong brother... take care of... Dongmei for me..."

  After finishing speaking, she closed her eyes again.

  "Medic! Medic!" Qin Zhiyong shouted loudly.

  The medic rushed over, frantically bandaging the wound on Zhang's abdomen, but blood continued to seep through the gauze, and his mouth was spitting out bloody foam. The medic was at a loss for what to do.

  Qin Zhiyong regretfully punched his own head with his fist, pushed away the medic, shouldered the stretcher and ran towards the rear of the position along the trench.

  Qin Zhiyong ran wildly with the stretcher, shells constantly falling around him. The powerful blast wave knocked Qin Zhiyong to the ground, and the stretcher was also thrown far away. Qin Zhiyong crawled to the side of the stretcher, crying out: "Stretcher! Stretcher! Dongmei is still waiting for you at home, hold on!"

  The little girl closed her eyes and breathed rapidly.

  Qin Zhiyong wanted to carry the burden again, but he really didn't have the strength. Qin Zhiyong burst into loud sobs.

  At this time, Dongmei was carrying a pole with two buckets of water on it, walking laboriously on the snowy ground. Suddenly her foot slipped and she fell to the ground, spilling all the water in the buckets.

  Listening to the distant gunfire, Dongmei knelt on the snowy ground, her hands clasped together, silently praying towards the distance: "Goddess of Mercy, bless Shuangzi and Zhongyong to be safe and sound, if punishment is needed, punish me alone..."

  Just as Qin Zhiyong was getting anxious, Zhou Guangren came running with a stretcher, braving the hail of bullets.

  "Section chief! Quick! Stretcher!"

  Two men placed the stretcher on their shoulders and took off in a sprint as shells continued to explode all around them.

  At this time, several military trucks came driving towards them, loaded with new recruits who had not yet received their guns and had not even had time to change into uniforms. The trucks drove past Qin Zhiyong and Zhou Guangren, heading towards the front line.

  Suddenly, a loud "boom" shook the air, Zhou Guangren turned his head to see that the last truck had been blown into the sky, and all the new recruits on it were gone without a trace.

  On the road, more and more wounded soldiers appeared, carried by civilians and stretcher bearers rushing to the rescue station. Some wounded soldiers who could walk limped along with crutches towards the rescue station.

  Qin Zhiyong and Zhou Guangren carried a stretcher through the crowd...

  On the battlefield, the Japanese army had stopped its offensive.

  The exhausted Old Cao lay in the trench, snoring.

  Huang Xintian's head was bleeding, and he was taking out a first-aid kit to bandage himself. Old Yang saw this and hurried over to help Huang Xintian bandage his wound.

  Huang Xintian pushed away Old Yang with a huff: "No need!"

  Old Yang: "Don't move!"

  Old Yang helped Huang Xintian bandage his wound while shouting exaggeratedly, "Oh no! Cloth Princess, come quickly and save my brother! His gourd is leaking, hurry up and change it for him!"

  Huang Xintian was also amused, but his wound made him grimace in pain. He said gruffly: "Easy does it!"

  Old Yang: "Alright alright, easy does it easy does it. This guy is really hard to serve!"

  A large number of stretchers and wounded soldiers gathered outside the rescue station. Qin Zhiyong and Zhou Guangren put down their stretcher.

  Qin Zhiyong said to Zhou Guangren: "Carry the load on your back and follow me!"

  Zhou Guangren carried the stretcher and closely followed Qin Zhiyong into the first-aid station.

  On the battlefield, Old Yang bandaged Huang Xintian's wound and said: "Old Huang, we've been through thick and thin together, I never thought you'd turn against me for a woman, it's really disheartening."

  Huang Xintian: "I didn't think you would shoot a woman either."

  Old Yang wanted to lose his temper, but he restrained himself and said with a tolerant tone: "What kind of woman is this? She's a female devil!"

  "That's also a woman!"

  Lao Yang finally got angry: "How many Chinese women were raped by the Japanese devils! What's wrong with killing one? Let me tell you, Huang Xintian, I'd be doing her a favor if I shot her dead with one bullet."

  "What else do you want?"

  Old Yang: "What's the big idea? How did the devils treat our Chinese women? I'll treat her the same way!"

  Lao Cao was woken up and angrily said: "Can't you let people sleep for a while?! The little devils just calmed down, and now you two are at it again, is this ever going to end?!"

  Huang Xintian glared at Old Yang: "The devils kill women, you also kill women; the devils rape women, you also rape women. What's the difference between you and the devils?"

  Old Yang stuttered: "I-I-"

  Huang Xintian gazed into the distance at the mountains: "All things have a spirit, how can humans be an exception? Do you still remember what Sun Zimou said? The devils are wolves, we cannot become wolves ourselves, we must be hunters. When we Tujia people hunt in the mountains, there are rules to follow, we cannot indiscriminately take lives, in winter we do not shoot pregnant animals, in spring we do not shoot birds on their nests——"

  Huang Xintian talked for half a day and saw that Old Yang didn't respond, so he turned his head to look and only then discovered that Old Yang had long since walked away in anger.

  "Damn it all! I'm like this! Gourd head!"

  "Huang Xintian shouted at Old Yang's back: 'This won't do!'"

  Lao Cao covered his ears and turned over.

  The sentry suddenly shouted: "The enemy is charging!"

  Lao Cao sprang up and looked towards the front of the camp.

  In front of the position, Japanese soldiers held bayonets and shouted as they charged over.

  Old Yang shouted loudly at the soldiers: "The whole row listens to my command! Enter the formation!"

  Lao Cao, Huang Xintian and the soldiers rushed to the bunker, Lao Yang and Lao Cao set up machine guns aiming at the enemy.

  Japanese soldiers are getting closer and closer.

  Old Yang let out a loud shout: "Fight!"

  The warriors' weapons in their hands fired at the enemy together...

  The rescue site was filled with wails of grief, the ground was littered with blood-stained clothes, bandages, and severed limbs...

  The doctor and nurse were busily rushing about, two military police officers stood guard at the entrance.

  Zhou Guangren followed closely behind Qin Zhiyong, carrying a stretcher. Qin Zhiyong stopped a female nurse and asked urgently, "Nurse, my brother is seriously injured, where will you put him?"

  The female nurse glanced at the soldier's rank insignia and said coldly: "There are no beds available, just put him by the door for now."

  Zhou Guangren put the wedge on the ground.

  Qin Zhiyong grabbed the female nurse who was about to leave: "Where's the doctor?"

  Female nurse: "Everyone is busy."

  The female nurse said and hurried away.

  At this time, a lieutenant colonel with both legs blown off was carried in by two orderlies. His face was wrapped in gauze, only his eyes and mouth were exposed.

  The orderly said to the nurse: "Nurse, where should I put it?"

  The nurse looked at the wounded officer and said to the orderly: "Take him inside."

  Orderlies carried the officer and followed the nurse into the inner room, placing him on an empty bed.

  The doctor was soon summoned by the female nurse to treat the officer's wound.

  Qin Zhiyong couldn't help but get furious, walking over and grabbing the female nurse's collar: "Didn't you say there were no beds? We came first!"

  The female nurse was somewhat afraid: "He - he is an official!"

  Qin Zhiyong took a look at Ma Ying's legs, which were covered in blood and flesh, and didn't know what to say.

  Behind him came Zhou Guangren's crying shout: "Duanzi! Duanzi——"

  Qin Zhiyong rushed to the side of Shuangzi and found that Shuangzi had opened his eyes, but his breathing was getting more and more urgent. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

  Qin Zhiyong was at his wit's end and paced back and forth anxiously.

  At this time, a wounded soldier with both eyes bandaged on the bedside next to him suddenly burst into loud wailing: "I'm blind! I can't see anything! Let me die! Kill me...!"

  The shout sent Zhou Guangren into a panic.

  A seriously wounded soldier lay motionless on a stretcher, his abdomen sliced open with a long gash, his intestines exposed and trailing on the ground. The stretcher bearer next to him saw the intestines slipping out and grabbed them with his hands, putting them back into the wound in his abdomen. Zhou Guangren looked over and rushed to the corner of the wall, vomiting uncontrollably.

  On the battlefield, warriors fired at and threw bombs at the enemy, rows of Japanese soldiers fell down, and row after row charged forward. A small Japanese army captain waved his military sword and shouted hoarsely: "Charge! Long live!"

  Old Yang shouted: "Old Huang! Take down the one with the knife!"

  Huang Xintian answered loudly: "Yes!"

  Huang Xintian aimed and fired, shooting the squad leader dead with one shot.

  The Japanese soldiers continued shouting and charged forward.

  Old Yang: "Draw your sword!"

  Huang Xintian and other soldiers drew their bayonets, while Old Cao and Old Yang also pulled out the big knives from behind their backs.

  Old Yang shouted: "Brothers! The little devils are beasts! Kill them!"

  Old Yang held up his big knife and jumped out of the trench, charging towards the enemy. Old Cao also waved his big knife, closely following behind him. Huang Xintian and other soldiers also jumped out of the trench, rushing towards the oncoming enemy...

  More wounded soldiers were carried into the infirmary, and the constables at the door blocked them outside the ward. Zhou Guangren recognized a soldier from his own squad and hastily said to Qin Zhiyong: "Squad leader! It's Zhang Shun of the third squad!"

  Changshun! Are you okay?

  Chang Shun opened his eyes and said weakly: "I was stabbed by the devils... Commander... We... beat back the devils..."

  Qin Zhiyong rushed to the front of the female nurse, pointing at Zhang Duo and shouting: "This brother was injured by a tank shell when he was fighting against the devils!", then pointed at Chang Shun, "And this brother was stabbed by the devils! Doesn't anyone care about them?"

  The female nurse was at a loss: "I also can't do anything about it, there are too many wounded people——"

  Zhou Guangren suddenly fell on Changshun's body, shouting: "Changshun! Brother Changshun!"

  Changshun's eyes gradually lost their luster, and Zhou Guangren cried as he closed his eyes for him.

  Qin Zhiyong suddenly rushed in front of a doctor who was hurrying by, pulled out a pistol, aimed at the doctor's forehead, and gritted his teeth: "If one more brother dies at this entrance, I'll blow your brains out!"

  Everyone in the infirmary, including doctors, nurses and wounded soldiers, were shocked by Qin Zhiyong's actions.

  Duanzi lay on the stretcher and also turned his head, looking at Qin Zhiyong in surprise.

  The doctor, who was already exhausted, looked at Qin Zhiyong helplessly and didn't say a word.

  The two constables at the gate rushed up and pinned Qin Zhiyong to the ground, confiscating his gun.

  Zhuangzi tried to sit up with the support of a pillow, and Zhou Guangren hurriedly held him steady.

  "Quickly - quickly pull the long queue away - "

  At this time, the officer on the bed slowly raised one hand, he closed his eyes and said in a weak voice: "Doctor, please come over."

  The doctor walked up to the officer and bent down.

  Officer: "First treat the brother who was blown up by the tank..."

  The doctor stammered: "Marshal Ma, we don't have much medicine left. Penicillin and anesthetics should be given to the high-ranking officials first..."

  Qin Zhiyong, who was pinned to the ground, heard the doctor's words.

  Ma Yingchang still closed his eyes and said firmly: "Give him my medicine!"

  The doctor was somewhat anxious: "How can this be?"

  Ma Yingchang suddenly opened his eyes and roared violently: "How can't it be! I'm already a useless person! Can't go to the battlefield to kill devils again! What's the use of saving me..."

  The captain of the horse camp slammed his fist on the bed board.

  The rescue station fell silent, all the wounded soldiers looked at Ma Yinglong silently, and many of the wounded were wiping away tears.

  Zhou Guangren was still leaning against the wall corner, vomiting and his whole body was limp.

  A diligent soldier from Taima Camp came crying and begging: "No way, Captain Ma, your injury is also very serious..."

  Ma Yingchang: "Don't say anything more, just leave it like this. Doctor, hurry and go!"

  The doctor nodded helplessly.

  Qin Zhiyong struggled free from the constable's grasp, and on his knees crawled to the front of the commander's bed, knocking his head three times and wailing: "Thank you, sir, for your great kindness and generosity, thank you, sir, for your great kindness and generosity..."

  Ma Yingchang suddenly opened his eyes, propped himself up with force, and stared at Qin Zhiyong with bloodshot eyes, saying word by word: "Tell that brother to kill more devils! Don't lose face for us Chinese!"

  Tears flowed from the tightly closed eyes of the young girl.

  The doctor helped Ma Yinglong lie down, then came to Duanzi's side and checked his wound. He said to the nurse, "Take him inside for surgery right away."

  Zhou Guangren collapsed on the ground and retched. The female nurse said discontentedly to Zhou Guangren, "Go outside to vomit!"

  Qin Zhiyong picked up the child and followed the female nurse inside.

  The female nurse pointed at a simple bed made of desks: "Put her over there."

  Qin Zhiyong gently placed the plug on top, and the doctor and nurse immediately became tense and busy.

  The female nurse saw Qin Zhiyong still standing there foolishly and pushed him out: "Get out quickly."

  Qin Zhiyong and Zhou Guangren walked out of the rescue station, at this time, the snow had stopped. Liu Canmou trudged through the snow and walked over, and the two men hurriedly saluted him.

  Liu Canmo returned the courtesy: "Qin Pai Zhang, I've been searching for you everywhere. Come with me to the battalion headquarters quickly, the battalion commander is looking for you."

  Qin Zhiyong: "Yes!", turned around and said to Zhou Guangren, "You go back first."

  "Yes."

  The moon hung high in the sky above the battlefield, its blue light illuminating the corpses of soldiers from both sides who had been killed in hand-to-hand combat and were now covered with thick snow.

  Lao Cao stood in the trench, staring blankly at the battlefield where corpses were scattered all over the distance.

  "...that rescue station, it's not a place for humans to stay, it's like hell! Everywhere is blood, blood, blood, the ground is full of broken arms and legs. A brother's intestines were dragging on the ground, his fellow brother picked them up with his hands, wrapped them up and put them back into his belly."

  As he spoke, Zhou Guangren coughed twice and Huang Xintian, who had a bandage wrapped around his head, asked in surprise: "Ah! Really? Is there still hope?"

  "Of course it's true, I saw it with my own eyes."

  Lao Cao turned his head: "Hey, Er Guizi, where did you run off to during the charge just now?"

  Zhou Guangren said straightforwardly and confidently: "I'll help the squad leader carry the stretcher."

  Lao Cao: "Why hasn't Xiao Cai returned?"

  Zhou Guangren: "I was called away by the team leader."

  Lao Cao: "What does the captain want with him?"

  "I don't know."

  Lao Cao: "Lao Huang, it seems like we have another task."

  Huang Xintian nodded.

  Old Cao: "Where's Old Yang running off to at this hour? Have you seen Old Yang?"

  "Huang Xintian said in a bad temper: 'Don't mention him in front of me!'"

  Old Cao: "What's going on with you two? You're fighting over a Japanese girl, Old Huang. I'm not saying it's your fault, but this is where you went wrong..."

  "Huang Xintian: 'Don't try to lecture me! You two have always been in cahoots, killing women is something only Japanese devils would do!'"

  Huang Xintian lay down on one side with a humph and ignored Old Cao.

  Lao Cao muttered: "He's gone crazy."

  The team leader, Dong, stood in front of the sand table and said to Qin Zhiyong: "...... The defensive battle on the front line of Changsha has caused heavy casualties and consumption for the enemy, and their attack has reached its strongest point. They are now trapped in our encirclement, and the situation will change fundamentally soon. The time for a full-scale counterattack is not far away, and this time we will not let them retreat completely.

  According to the captured intelligence, the enemy's front-line troops are currently short of ammunition and are urgently transporting supplies. I give your reconnaissance team a new task: there is a Japanese army station warehouse in the mountain pass on the west end of Hengshan," pointing to a location on the sand table. "You go blow it up! Cut off their logistical supply."

  Qin Zhiyong leaned over the sand table, carefully examining it.

  Dong said: "If there are medical supplies in the warehouse, you must bring some back. We are now seriously lacking life-saving medicine." Qin Zhiyong nodded: "I know."

  Dong said: "The specific plan will be discussed with you later by Liu." Dong pointed to Liu, who nodded at Qin Zhiyong.

  Qin Zhiyong saluted Dong: "Yes."

  After Dong finished speaking, he walked away. Liu pointed to a road on the sand table and said to Qin Zhiyong: "This is the Chang-Heng highway, the main supply line for the Japanese army..."