Thirty-two
Just a moment ago, the battlefield was filled with the sounds of slaughter and bloodshed, but in an instant, it fell silent. The only reminders of the fierce battle that had just taken place were the countless corpses scattered across the ground and the smoldering embers of explosions still smoking here and there.
Looking at the soldiers who had just walked out of the numbness of killing, with a joy on their faces that seemed to be both victory and excitement, they were busy cleaning up the scene and collecting materials. Some even didn't let go of the Japanese soldiers' underwear, pulling down their pants to see if there was anything valuable hidden inside, what they considered valuable.
Perhaps in some sense, for many soldiers who have just participated in the battle, this is another important purpose for them to risk their lives! As a double reward of spirit and matter, every soldier finds valuable items on the Japanese corpses, the joy on his face is unstoppable and doesn't need to be hidden! Because most of them still don't understand what communism is! At this moment, human nature of possession and plunder has surpassed the significance of the battle itself!
To be strict, nobody really understands what communism is. It's fundamentally impossible for anyone to truly understand it! Lenin can't, Karl Marx can't, and even God wouldn't understand! Because to truly understand an ethereal and unattainable ideology is equivalent to imagining the color of God's beard!
Checking the life and death of fallen comrades, rescuing the lives of those who still have a breath left, these primary tasks in clearing the battlefield seem to have become a simple formality at this moment! Yan Wei saw a soldier who had already slung three rifles over his shoulder and stuffed various items looted from Japanese corpses into his pockets. When he faced a comrade whose chest was slowly rising and falling with a wandering gaze, he just slowed down his pace, took a glance, then turned his eyes to the next Japanese corpse that caught his interest and left. Maybe he thought there was no way to put back the intestines that had been thrown out of this comrade's body, and rewind them back into his belly in their original order! Maybe his choice was correct, but who knows what those intestines that have always stayed in the belly since birth would think now! Who knows whether this young soldier who is about to leave this world and lose his life would think this is correct or not!
If we think that the death penalty is the highest punishment for a person's sin! Then, as a result of a war, it is often unclear who is being punished and who is being comforted! If sin must be atoned for with life, I have no objection. But if justice must be maintained by killing and death, then this justice may not be so just after all! Or perhaps there is still a need to maintain the existence of justice? Or perhaps what is justice? What is truly defending justice? Maintaining interests, defending interests, maybe it can also justify one's own conscience!
For this battle, Fu Daojun's troops can be said to have suffered heavy losses! In addition to the reinforcements brought by Wang Zheng later, Fu Daojun's troops had a total of over 1,000 soldiers participating in the war. But now, looking around, there are only about two battalions left! The vast majority died on the road to the charge!
Although Yan Wei was anxious at this moment, he really couldn't open his mouth to tell Fu Daojun to retreat quickly! Perhaps Yan Wei didn't want to say so, because Yan Wei could see that in this battle, Fu Daojun had almost exhausted all his resources! No one would give him any supplies! His only way of getting supplies was a single word - "plunder"! Plundering from the Japanese army was called "battle spoils", glorious and just. Plundering from the rich was called eliminating human class inequality, re-distributing resources fairly! Anyway, it was now the period of cooperation between the Nationalists and Communists, and this cooperation was also a result of their active efforts. So continuing to do things like attacking county towns and opening national treasuries would be inappropriate! Therefore, fighting against the Nationalist army wouldn't work either! So if Yan Wei didn't let Fu Daojun clean up the Japanese army's spoils at this moment, Yan Wei really couldn't open his mouth!
It's really important for the Communist army to get these weapons! The loss of lives is not a big deal! China has many people! In this regard, it's different from Japan. This country produces poor people, and its most abundant resource is them! What the troops need are these poor people. It's easy to recruit troops, with money and guns, you can get as many as you want! Military expenses and food supplies are easy to handle, as long as propaganda work is done well, ordinary people will even voluntarily donate "public grain" to them! But no matter how hard the propaganda work is done, or how big the promises are, or how much free help is offered, ordinary people just can't afford to donate weapons and equipment! That's why they have to rely on capturing them in battle!
Looking at this battle, although it sacrificed the strength of several hundred people, as long as these spoils of war are added, within a few months, the returns will be multiplied, and everyone will deeply feel the benefits!
"Comrade Commander, the observation post on the west side has discovered a large number of Japanese troops moving in our direction."
Yan Wei was not surprised after listening to Lan Gang's report. If they didn't retreat, the Japanese army in Beiping could also come to reinforce!
Yan Wei immediately ran to Fu Daojun, who was busy with his own affairs, and patted him on the shoulder. When Fu Daojun turned around with a delighted smile, Yan Wei looked at him as calmly as possible and said: "Captain Fu."
Fu Daojun, who had been immersed in great joy, realized his own sluggishness when Yan Wei came to him. He immediately shouted loudly at his political commissar: "Old Wang, come over quickly and let me introduce you to General Yan of the Central Army!"
Yan Wei endured and waited for Wang Zhengwei to run over and shake hands with him, then immediately said to the two: "Wang Zhengwei, Fu Zhiqiang, my observation post reports that a large number of Japanese troops are rapidly approaching from the west. Shouldn't we withdraw immediately?"
Fu Daojun turned his head to look at the soldiers under his command who were still busy on the vast battlefield, frowning and saying: "How many people are there? How much farther? If it's really not working out, let's just forget about this damn battle!"
Yan Wei turned around and pointed to the high ground in the north where his sentry was stationed: "From that position, with today's clear weather, with the unobstructed view here, and with my 7x50 high-powered binoculars' estimated distance, the Japanese army should be less than five kilometers away from us now. My unit's understanding of a small Japanese team is a dish sent to death! Now I've received reports that a large number of Japanese troops have been found! It shouldn't be less than a standard battalion!"
"A whole battalion is also a joke! Now my main force is here, if not, I'll just ambush and finish them off!" Fu Daojun still had a lot of heroic spirit, which was something Yan Wei appreciated in an officer, but this wasn't the time for appreciation.
"Fu Zhi, Wang Zheng, a Japanese company is nothing, just the other day our troops of dozens of people in Hankou area finished off two Japanese companies! But now it's not possible, now here is too close to Jingzhou city! Fu Zhi, you have an intelligence department in the city, how many Japanese garrison troops are there in Jingzhou city, you should know better than me! A single Japanese squad is equipped with wireless telegraphy and well-equipped, often mechanized movement! If we get stuck by this company and can't escape, the subsequent ones that will come one after another may be the second, third company! Maybe it's a battalion! Besides, Fu Zhi, don't forget that I'm still carrying out an important mission for our two parties! Everything must prioritize the overall situation!" Yan Wei hoped that Fu Daming could understand what he was doing now.
"What's the important task?" Wang Zheng asked Yan Wei, looking at him.
When Yan Wei briefly explained the key points to him, it was clear that this Wang Zhengwei did not understand what dozens of children represented. The soldiers who have been sacrificed here are already in the hundreds! Can it be said that the lives of dozens of children are more precious than those of hundreds of soldiers? Children are the future of the country, and it sounds reasonable to listen to, but the future is too far away, and for ordinary people, it's simply out of reach! Or maybe poor people don't have a future at all! The country has never been anything about children, and it will be firmly controlled by some old men in their seventies and eighties. But the names of those high-ranking Communist Party leaders' wives mentioned by Yan Wei stimulated this Wang Zhengwei. Moreover, he felt uneasy when Fu Daquan told Yan Wei that the Japanese army might reinforce a battalion of troops. It's better to have one bird in hand than ten birds in the forest! If things go wrong and they all fall here, it would be very bad! But the temptation of those ten birds is too great! Like having magical powers, lying on the vast battlefield, tempting them not to leave!
"Commander Fu Zhi, Commissioner Wang Zheng, I, as the commander of the 32nd Military Region's Guard Regiment, guarantee to you both that upon my return to my unit, regardless of whether this mission is successful or not, the 32nd Military Region will provide one battalion's worth of supplies and equipment to support your unit! If I fail to keep my word, every single person in your army can proclaim to the world: Guan Linzheng, commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, is a man who speaks loudly but fails to deliver, losing face before heaven and earth, and becoming a laughingstock for all to see! This will be proof that Guan Linzheng himself is not strict in his governance and has brought shame to our military might!"
Yan Wei said this calmly, believing it would help the two of them make a decision as soon as possible. If not for the high price, they might have doubted their own top-secret mission. Yan Wei dared to offer a price that was even higher than what Wu Huan-Huai could approve without going through the proper channels.
Fu Daojun was already greatly astonished! A small regiment commander dared to make such a big promise! It's really unbelievable!
Wang Zhengwei took a look at Lan Gang, who was following Yan Wei, and saw that this lieutenant colonel-level officer did not show any surprise at Yan Wei's generous offer. It seemed as if he was saying, "I, a lieutenant colonel, can also easily provide equipment for an entire regiment!" Wang Zhengwei then understood the extent of Yan Wei's power within the National Army. At the same time, he deeply felt that this mission being carried out by the National Army was not simply a matter of rescuing and escorting a few ordinary children from civilian families.
A war can shatter millions of families, causing millions of children to lose their loved ones and become orphans! But it's not like the National Government has ever paid such close attention to a poor family's child before! Wang Zheng thought to himself: "It must be that among these children are the offspring of high-ranking officials in their party and country! Well, if that's the case, then Yan Wei's astronomical price might just be worth it! If so, it seems that equipping an entire regiment isn't just a pipe dream after all!
"Commander Yan, your words are too extreme! You're not treating our Communist Party-led army as one family! What's the point of capturing Japanese supplies? Isn't it to defeat the Japanese invaders and protect our country?! We remember and appreciate the gifts from our Nationalist Army brothers! But even if that weren't the case, aren't we still one family?! One family doesn't speak two different languages. We'll do our best to cooperate with you to complete this important task entrusted by both parties!"
Director Wang turned his head to look at Fu Daoming and said: "Old Fu, Commander Yan is right. It's not suitable for us to stay here for long. We can't fight again! Let's retreat. Commander Yan's mission is urgent!"
Yan Wei had already figured out the personalities of the two men at first glance. Fu Daojun was a man of his word, a true iron-blooded hero, and there was nothing to say about him. But this Wang Zhengwei was a different story altogether - he was cunning and calculating. Especially with that last sentence "Commander Yan's mission is urgent, after all!" which nailed Yan Wei firmly in place! It was clear that their current retreat was not due to the battlefield situation, but rather 100% because they wanted to cooperate with Yan Wei's unit and were doing it reluctantly. This showed that his mind was not pure and he was not one of us.
But Yan Wei didn't have time to worry about these things, and there was no need to worry about them either. As long as they could quickly order a retreat, that would be good enough. Because Yan Wei had always been worried about the situation on Wu Han's side. Moreover, looking at it now, if they couldn't get strong support from Fu Daojun's troops here, it might also be very difficult to successfully complete the journey by water as originally planned.
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