Chapter 2: Crossing the Ice River (4)
The gunfire on both banks of the river crackled like frying beans.
Machine gun bullets chased Chen Zizhong's footsteps, plowing out a trail of sparks on the riverbank, and the flying ice chips and gravel emitted a sharp whistling sound. Chen Zizhong's footsteps pounded the icy surface, and as he approached the middle of the river, he leaped high into the air, diving headfirst into the turbulent icy waters, where the bullets kicked up rows of water columns on the surface.
Soldiers hidden behind the thorny bushes lined up in a row, firing at the bunker simultaneously. The fan-shaped firepower network formed by three light machine guns and dozens of Soviet-made rifles clashed fiercely with the machine guns inside the bunker. The gunner held the only mortar in the squad, looking for a place to set it up. The appearance of the mortar became the primary target of the machine gun fire from inside the bunker. The gunner was hit in the leg, fell on top of the ammunition bearer, and both men fell backwards.
Chen Zizhong jumped into the icy river and his legs cramped up immediately. The bone-chilling water was like a series of iron spikes carrying cold air, taking away the heat accumulated from several hours of rapid marching. The ice-cold, pitch-black river bottom almost suffocated him. His military cap fell off, his hair and eyebrows froze into icicles, his shoes came off, and every few steps, the soles of his feet would be stuck to the pebbles on the riverbed. After swimming underwater for a while, he looked up and saw a faintly glowing oval shape above him, which should be an ice hole left by the American army to fetch water. He charged upwards with all his might and broke through the two-finger-thick ice layer.
Chen Zizhong, with a pale face, crawled onto the ice surface, grabbed the explosive pack on the ice surface, and ran wildly forward, glancing at the big "1" character on the ice surface.
The mist rising from the river and the firepower of the three rows of warriors suppressed for Chen Zizhong, who moved his body into the machine gun's dead angle.
The bunker was built on a slope of earth in the riverbed, and Chen Zizhong could almost see the half cigar clenched between the machine gunner's teeth.
Chen Zizhong's cotton clothes absorbed the river water and froze into ice, increasing his weight by over a dozen kilograms, as if he had put on heavy armor. The sleeves and pant legs were frozen stiff, making it impossible for him to bend his hands and feet, so he could only hold up the explosives package and move forward in a jumping posture.
The gunfire seemed to stop for a moment, then grew denser.
Chen Zizhong is getting closer and closer to the fort.
"Cease fire! Second squad leader cover platoon leader!"
The three rows of warriors stopped suppressing firepower and stared at Chen Zizhong without blinking.
Chen Zizhong was frozen stiff, all his organs were trembling, he had difficulty breathing, and every time he jumped up it seemed to use up all his strength.
"Huff, huff!"
The sudden stop of the firepower made the US military in the bunker suddenly vigilant, and a soldier holding an M-1 rifle ran out of the bunker, kneeling on one knee to find the target.
The rifle had just been pressed against his shoulder when a bullet shot out from the bushes and whizzed through his upper body.
Another American soldier poked his head out and was shot through the neck with a whizzing sound, blood splashing on the bunker, and the green steel helmet rolled out.
Chen Zizhong jumped onto the ice surface below the bunker, and his stiff fingers pulled out the fuse several times before he threw the explosive package onto the bunker.
A deafening explosion shook the ground, and cement blocks of various sizes flew everywhere with rolling black smoke, hitting the hard frozen soil and leaving white marks.
The warriors let out a cheer and quickly crossed the river in groups of ten, with several soldiers who were the first to cross rushing towards Chen Zizhong.
Chen Zizhong, maintaining his throwing posture, puffed out his chest and took a step forward, but ended up tumbling headfirst.
Several warriors helped Chen Zizhong up, his wounded and scarred bare feet stuck together with the icy ground.
Chen Zizhong's face turned deathly pale, his teeth chattering incessantly like a telegraph machine, his eyes fixed intently on the cavalry rifle in front of him, its barrel wrapped with several strips of tattered cloth. He grabbed the rifle and hugged it tightly to his chest.
Old Liu snatched the gun, bit off the dead knot with his teeth, and pulled away a few strips of tattered cloth that were randomly wrapped around Chen Zizhong's neck. He then opened the iron can, took out two pieces of butter, squeezed them together, and smeared several oil marks on Chen Zizhong's face. "It's cold, it's cold, the queue must be cold."
Chen Zizhong shook off Old Liu, the icicles on his head crackling: "This stubborn temper of mine... Ahhh... is really damn refreshing!"
The soldiers were busy, using snow to thaw the frozen skin of Zhang Zongyi, taking off their own clothes to wrap him up, and stripping two pairs of military boots of different sizes from two incomplete US military corpses for him to wear.
Cotton pants froze into ice cakes, sticking tightly to Chen Zizhong's thighs.
"What's the point of taking it off... It's so hard, it can block bullets." Chen Zizhong shook his cotton pants covered with large ice beads, and there was a hint of pride on his face.
The sky was about to brighten, Chen Zizhong limped and ran at the forefront of the troops, with the soldiers behind him like a surging lion group.
"Quick! Get them all airborne for me!"
"Damn it! Can't even outrun a cripple, let alone Chen Dabao's troops!"
Chen Zizhong's crotch was torn open at some point, and the cold wind was like a whip dipped in cold water that lashed his body from all directions.
Chen Zizhong, wearing pants covered in icicles and with a split crotch, hobbled along at the front of the group, his testicles clinking in the cold wind.
