Chapter 52: Bai Mo's Troops Retreat

  Just an hour after Lin Jiatong left, a reinforced company arrived at Zhang Damao's position. The company commander, Guo Xingju, assisted Zhang Damao as deputy commander. They had been comrades in the same company before. Guo Xingju did not complain about being demoted to deputy commander, knowing that Zhang Damao was previously a regimental commander.

  In order to stop the impending Japanese offensive, Guo Xinjiu didn't even have time to rest and joined the team that was reinforcing the fortifications. They dug another one a few meters away from the "Mig" machine gun bunker at the foot of the mountain, and also dug two more single-person trenches on the top of the mountain.

  "Zhang Da Meng, where did you learn the skill of digging holes?" After inspecting the formation, Guo Xinju snatched a pack of cigarettes from Zhang Da Meng's pocket and said while taking out a cigarette.

  "What the...! You damn thing, you're taking Grandpa's stuff as soon as you arrive?" Guo Xinju suddenly made a move and Zhang Damao didn't notice. By the time he realized it, Guo Xinju had already put the pack of cigarettes that had only been opened for a few into his pocket.

  "Turtle grandson, bear-like... I'm giving you a deputy position, suffering such great humiliation, 'smoking' one box of cigarettes what's wrong..." Guo Xinju pushed Zhang Daman down into the trench as he was about to grab the cigarette, covering his pocket and saying so.

  "You good-for-nothing, you want to 'pull' yourself to find the team leader to come out... I'll be your deputy, you be the captain and I'll listen to your command, return that pack of cigarettes to me..." Zhang Damao got up from the ground and was about to rush forward again.

  "Bullshit... You don't know that 'a soldier's duty is to obey orders' huh? Haha... Go ask around, when did something that went into my pocket come out of it? " Guo Xingju looked at Zhang Damao and smiled, then turned his head and ran away.

  "Leave a few for me, ah!!!!!!" Seeing Guo Xinju running away, Zhang Daman was like losing his soul, shouting and chasing after him fiercely until they stopped at the mountain slope where soldiers were buried.

  "Alas, after this battle, I wonder how many of our brothers who shared a bed with us will be left... " Guo Xinju let out a sigh and sat down in front of the grave mound, inserting the butt of his nearly finished cigarette into the soil and taking a deep breath.

  "Ah... who says it's not?" Zhang Daman, who had caught up from behind, also sat down beside him with a thud, gazing at the grave mound in front of them and sighing.

  "Damn, time flies! So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Remember when we were all young and reckless? Now we're all old..."

  "My daughter, I'm still young, haven't even married a wife yet, how can you say I'm old? Haha..." Zhang Damao took advantage of Guo Xingju's distraction and snatched the cigarette back from his pocket. Guo Xingju didn't say anything, just gave him a disdainful look.

  "Take out, take out, take out... You think you're pitiful? I hate it when people pretend to be pitiful in front of me..." Zhang Damao looked at Guo Xingju with a disdainful expression, smiled and took out two from inside, then threw them back at him.

  "With your bear-like appearance, you still think of marrying a wife? Guo Dama is still an old bachelor!" Guo Xingju put the cigarette in his pocket and looked at Zhang Daman with disdain.

  "Damn it! He can compare to me, huh? Don't look at him being all cocky in front of us, but when he sees girls, his tongue gets tangled... Haha... When he first came out from the Northeast, a girl from our barracks had a crush on him and would wait at our door every day to give him things. But this old rascal was too shy to go up, it got me so angry... I told him if you're not going to go, then let me do it, right? He just kept quiet for half the day and finally told that girl 'this is a military restricted area, don't come here again'. It made that poor girl cry and run away, and she never showed up again..." Zhang Damao said with his eyes half-closed, puffing on his cigarette.

  "It seems that girl didn't meet his expectations..." Guo Xinju said with some disbelief after Zhang Daman finished speaking.

  "Nonsense! Those little girls are really pretty... it's just you who doesn't have the good fortune to see them, otherwise you'd be dragged away by the police, and you wouldn't even be able to move your feet."

  "Cut, cut, cut... I've never seen a woman in eight lifetimes? You think everyone is like you, a useless thing, and wants to sleep with any kind of goods... color?" Guo Xin kicked Zhang Damao and said as he lay down.

  "You turtle grandson, if you don't believe me, go ask Zhang Da Cui and Guo Da Ma Zi, they later regretted it..."

  Just as Zhang Damao was about to finish speaking, Guo Xinju, who had just lain down, suddenly crawled up from the ground, stared at him with his eyes wide open, and didn't say a word, scaring Zhang Damao into a daze.

  "You're staring at me with those big, cow-like eyes, what's wrong?" Zhang Damao asked, pushing him lightly. He didn't expect that with just a light push, Guo Xingju would actually fall to the ground and start convulsing all over his body.

  Zhang Damao was startled by his appearance, thinking he had contracted some illness. Just as he was about to pull him up, Guo Xingju suddenly sat up again, shaking his body and humming: "Damaozi, I'm so uncomfortable down here, come keep me company...I don't want to die yet...I haven't married a wife yet..."

  "Haha... Get out, you're making fun of a dead person... You damn idiot... " Zhang Damao laughed loudly while covering his belly and scolding.

  The fortified position was ready, and Zhang Damao had been anxiously waiting for a day. According to common sense, in order to coordinate with the Western devils, the Japanese army should have launched an attack yesterday, but a day passed, and not a single Japanese soldier was seen on the battlefield. Zhang Damao felt a little strange, he vaguely felt that something would happen, but he couldn't say what it was. As he thought, he muttered to himself: "It's been two days, and I haven't even seen a devil's hair!"

  The 232nd Regiment received a direct order from the headquarters of the 51st Army, "Due to changes in the situation, your unit is ordered to immediately abandon its positions, heavy weapons and seriously wounded personnel, and retreat northward at emergency march speed, with companies and battalions as units, along the Erpu and Banqiao directions." After receiving this order, Regiment Commander Guo Jinnan was shocked. Based on his many years of military experience, he knew that there must be a problem with the right flank he had been defending, but he was not clear about the extent to which the situation had deteriorated. However, from the direct order from headquarters and the requirement to abandon heavy weapons and even seriously wounded personnel, it was clear that the situation was already very bad.

  At this point, there was no room for him to think twice, he knew that if he delayed any further, the consequences might be the destruction of the entire team.

  "Notify all battalions and companies immediately at the fastest speed, ordering them to abandon their positions, heavy weapons, and heavily wounded personnel from the moment they receive the order. Retreat northward along the Erpu and Banqiao directions with each company and battalion as a unit, using forced march speed. This order is extremely urgent, you have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders, if you can transmit the order one minute earlier, it may be possible to save a company or a battalion of our brothers... Guo Mou entrusts you, set off immediately..." The headquarters of the 232nd Regiment, Guo Jinnan arranged for the guard company to prepare for immediate withdrawal while dispatching all personnel from the communications unit.

  "Wait, wait... Tell them... The situation is grim... Whoever can escape is lucky... We must be prepared to make the greatest sacrifice..." He said with a painful expression and turned around to face them, waving his hand. He understood that the military order meant that they didn't have to follow the usual formation, but rather every individual had to rely on their own abilities, and whoever could survive was one person. The greatest sacrifice he mentioned was likely abandoning heavily injured comrades who would slow down the retreat.

  、、、、、、

  Just as Zhang Dacheng and several others were getting anxious, a hurried shout came from the foot of the mountain.

  "What's wrong, Little Zhang? What happened?" Zhang Daman heard the voice and knew it was Zhang Xiaojing, the communications officer known as "Flying Legs" in the brigade. He was startled and hastily went forward to greet him.

  "Commander Zhang Lianchang ordered you to immediately abandon your position, heavy weapons and seriously wounded personnel, and retreat in a hurry along the direction of Erpu and Banqiao," Zhang Xiaojing said breathlessly.

  "Abandon the position? What's going on?" Zhang Damao felt incredulous upon hearing the order. The other soldiers in the trench also stood up, watching their conversation.

  "Chairman Mao repeatedly instructed that this order is extremely urgent and must be carried out immediately upon receipt by all departments."

  "Is Little Zhang okay? Did something happen on the west line?" Li Lian Sheng heard the two people's conversation and also rushed over from the foot of the mountain to ask.

  "Reporting to the superior officer... I'm not quite sure about this either, but I heard from the brothers in the guard company that it seems like the Western Front has been breached by the Japanese army... When we left, the regiment commander said one last thing: 'The situation is grim, anyone who can escape should consider themselves lucky, and be prepared to make the greatest sacrifice.'"

  "Damn it... They asked me to guard their flank, but instead they got sold out first. Two of our battalions can't even withstand one of the enemy's regiments... These useless pieces of crap..." Zhang Damao turned his head and looked at the newly fortified position he had inspected just yesterday, cursing in anger.

  "Kuo Lian Chang, ..., ordered the troops to assemble in full force. Li Lian Sheng, ..., unfolded a map..., he took up his binoculars again and looked at the enemy position across from them before gritting his teeth and giving the order."

  "With a loud shout from Guo Xinju, everyone quickly gathered in front of them and surrounded Zhang Damao without forming a line."