Chapter 10: Turkish Humor (2)

  When Wu Xiaomao learned that his wife and child had been killed, he was heartbroken and wandered to the Northeast. After returning to his unit, he insisted on fighting on the front lines, but his superiors did not allow it. Wu Xiaomao went without eating or drinking for three days, smoking eight packs of cigarettes, which made his superiors both angry and sympathetic. They finally sent him to the Sharp Blade Regiment.

  Wu Xiaomao gave himself a new name, Wu Xiaomao. The Sharp Blade Regiment was like a giant furnace that burned stones into iron and iron into steel. What's more, Wu Xiaomao was born with a strong will. A few years later, Wu Xiaomao spoke fluent Northeastern dialect, squatted while eating and smoking, and his pale skin had turned dark brown from the gunpowder smoke. However, he still had the habit of combing his hair with his fingers.

  Wu Xiaomao was a godly marksman in the Wild Field Army, known for his "point shooting" skills, which were promoted by the regiment commander to all companies. When battles began, Wu Xiaomao would target enemy soldiers who were skilled in military actions and quick on their feet. Veteran soldiers were the backbone of the army, and when they were killed one after another, the enemy's morale would be greatly dampened, often leading to early retreats.

  Wu Xiaomao and the regimental political commissar were fellow provincials, both famous big smokers. Occasionally when they met, they wouldn't talk about their hometown or native land, but would just smoke in silence after exchanging a few words. People from the war years had big tempers, like Chen Zizhong, like the regiment commander. People from the war years spoke little, like Wu Xiaomao, like the regimental political commissar.

  The wind weakened, and the snow fell bigger and bigger.

  Fleeing South Korean troops swarmed around three slow-moving military trucks, the cold and defeat having sapped the courage they had mustered. To make themselves lighter for faster escape on the battlefield, many soldiers discarded their rifles and ammunition, with helmets askew on their heads, wrapped in blankets or field jackets.

  When the first military vehicle drove quietly over the mine-laid road, Pak Dong-ming's heart almost jumped out of his mouth. The trigger mine laid used a non-instantaneous fuse, and when it exploded, it destroyed the second military vehicle.

  "Charge!" Park Dong-ming wiped the cold sweat from his palms and gave the order to attack.

  Intense gunfire poured down from both sides of the highway, several soldiers simultaneously blew whistles made of shell casings, the sharp whistle sounded like a charge signal that made the Korean army change color. In the vast snowfield, there were unknown numbers of sharp blades and heavy artillery hidden. The terrified South Korean soldiers fled in all directions to avoid the explosion-induced firelight, escaping to higher ground where no bullets were fired. The goose feather-like snow covered Park Dong-ming and the guerrilla fighters, chasing after the enemy army that was more than ten times their number like a flock of sheep.

  The South Korean soldiers, with their souls flying and their bodies scattered, rushed up to the top of the hill, regardless of whether they knew or didn't know their comrades who had fallen behind them. They searched everywhere for cover to hide, while the sound of gunfire grew fainter behind them, but the mountain in front was filled with intense gunfire.

  After the ambush was fired, the UN troops stationed near the mother peak were suddenly alerted and quickly dispatched scouts to investigate.

  Chen Zizhong led three rows of troops to annihilate the Korean army, and ambushed the US airborne troops. This time he encountered another foreign army, the Turkish brigade.

  The Turkish Brigade was a United Nations force composed of three infantry battalions, plus some supporting artillery and engineers. It was the only unit attached to a U.S. division that was not American. When the Turks arrived in Korea, their stern faces, drooping mustaches, and big knives caused a stir among correspondents from all over the world. Although they had not seen real combat since World War I, Turkish soldiers were known for being fierce, brave, and willing to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Most of the soldiers in the Turkish Brigade came from mountainous areas near the border with Russia, where they had only received three or four years of education. After being drafted into the army, they put on uniforms and trained under the command of Turkish officers and American advisers.