Chapter 9: The Wound That Will Not Heal

  The Japanese officer suddenly lost his breath, his head tilted to one side, and he bid farewell to his suffering.

  At this time, a loud and clear voice rang out, "Brother, good skills!"

  Lin Xiaotang turned around to see that Shen Pailong had also knocked down the big military officer, but his shoulder was also cut by a knife, and fresh blood had already soaked half of his body.

  Lin Xiaotang took two steps aside and supported Shen Pai Chang with her hands, "Shen Gege, are you alright?"

  Shen Pai let out a loud breath and burst into laughter, "This is just the beginning, there's still so much work to be done!"

  As he spoke, he pushed Lin Xiaotang away, "Go north and kill!" Shen Pai Zhang raised the short knife and the sword he had seized from the warrior, yelling as he charged towards the Japanese crowd.

  Lin Xiaotang smiled, pulled out a handkerchief from her bosom, gazed at it deeply, and used the handkerchief to tightly bind her palm and the warrior's knife together. Then, with a flash of the blade, she followed Shen Paichang and charged forward, killing as they went.

  The Japanese soldiers were stunned by the two blood-covered Chinese men in front of them, and to this day they may not have seen such a formidable opponent like a killing god. They were dazed for a while until the two groups of knife lights killed their way into their midst, and only then did they come back to their senses.

  In front of Lin Xiaotang were dozens of Japanese soldiers and their gleaming bayonets, just as the bayonets were about to pierce his body, Lin Xiaotang bent down and rushed forward from under the dense bayonets, the blade spun around, cutting off seven or eight small legs, the Japanese army let out a miserable cry, he took advantage of the opportunity to trample the fallen Japanese soldiers and rush into the crowd.

  Japanese soldiers crowded together, cramped and unable to move, with their Type 38 rifles topped with bayonets, which added nearly two meters to their length, making it impossible for them to maneuver in such a narrow environment. This gave Lin Xiangtang an opportunity to strike, swinging his bushido sword in wide arcs, each blow taking the life of a Japanese soldier.

  The Japanese army's troops were somewhat disrupted by the two men's charge, and after going through the initial hand-foot disorder, they began to consciously slow down and pull open the distance.

  Lin Xiaotang gradually felt a little out of breath, the wound on his left shoulder had already burst open, and he could almost see that fresh blood had soaked through his undershirt. His right arm was also slightly sore, every knife he swung seemed to use up all his strength, and his eyes were starting to get blurry.

  My thigh and lower abdomen were inadvertently scratched with a few cuts by a knife.

  Lin Xiaotang shouted loudly and exerted all her strength to drive back the Japanese soldiers in front of her, while she herself retreated several steps, panting heavily.

  A muffled hum came, Lin Xiaotang glanced sideways, Shen Pai Chang was kneeling on one knee, with both hands supporting the knife, struggling to prop up his body, which had already been wounded in seven or eight places, and his entire body was stained red with blood. In the moment that Lin Xiaotang was stunned, a pain came from her back, originally she had been stabbed by a Japanese soldier's knife in the back.

  Lin Xiaotang screamed in pain, turned around, and with a flash of the knife, the Japanese soldier's head flew up more than ten meters high, blood spouting out like a fountain. It wasn't until a while later that the headless corpse finally fell heavily to the ground.

  The surrounding Japanese soldiers were frightened by Lin Xiaotang's bravery and hastily retreated in unison.

  Lin Xiaotang didn't have time to check her own wound, and hurriedly jumped to Shen Pai's side, her left hand reaching under his armpit to help him up, while her right hand gripped the steel knife with a slightly curled blade, vigilantly scanning the surrounding Japanese soldiers.

  Shen Pai Chang's mouth was foaming with blood, his eyes were also somewhat scattered, he struggled to stand up straight, just about to speak, but a large mouthful of fresh blood spurted out of his mouth.

  It's easy to spit out blood, Shen Chang said intermittently, "I... I'm Shen Chang, brother, remember, remember my name, when you reach the Yellow Spring Road and can't find me, just shout my name loudly!"

  After finishing speaking, he pushed Lin Xiaotang away with force, his eyes wide open, holding a knife in both hands, and shouted loudly as he charged towards the most densely populated area of the enemy.

  Lin Xiaotang watched with wide eyes as Shen Chang was pierced by over a dozen daggers.

  He only felt that all the blood in his body was rushing to his head, perhaps the fresh blood covered his eyes, he only felt that everything in front of him was red.

  The Japanese soldier retracted his bayonet, Shen Chang's left hand fell weakly, but his right hand still held the steel knife high, his body swaying gently in the wind, the fresh blood on the tip of the knife dripping continuously onto the ground, like a bloody flag.

  He finally fell heavily towards the direction of the Japanese army, while the Japanese soldiers in front of him retreated backwards like a startled bird.

  Lin Xiaotang was like a wounded beast, letting out a heart-wrenching scream, and what he shouted from his mouth, even he himself did not know.

  At this moment, he seemed to see his elder brother, sister-in-law and many familiar people falling in front of him. They were like Shen Chang now, motionless. Their souls followed the wailing cold wind, humming softly, leaving themselves far away, never looking back.

  Lin Xiaotang wiped the fresh blood from his face, lifted the handkerchief wrapped around the knife handle to his mouth, and lightly kissed it. A relieved smile floated on his face, which had long since lost its original appearance.

  He slowly shifted his feet, feeling his strength and life slipping away from his body thread by thread. Suddenly, he quickened his pace, brandishing the knife light to charge into the enemy formation.

  Under the blue sky, a scene that is hard to believe is being performed. A bloody man is dancing with a steel knife, fighting in a sea of yellow earth.

  The blade's light grew increasingly sparse, Lin Xiaotang's arm had gone numb, he couldn't muster any more strength. A dagger pierced his shoulder, he didn't even feel it, mechanically stabbing the knife into his opponent's chest, but he no longer had the strength to pull it out. Another dagger pierced his abdomen.

  "Is it here? Is it now?" Lin Xiaotang asked herself.

  The sound of gunfire suddenly erupted, and the Japanese army in front of us suddenly opened fire on the boiling water. Countless hand grenades exploded among their troops, countless bullets pierced through them, recklessly reaping lives.

  Lin Xiaotang let out a breath of relief and slowly fell backwards.

  At the moment when his head leaned against the land, he felt warm all over, as if lying on a pile of straw in the fields outside the city on a winter day, with a faint fragrance coming from beside him, and the voice that haunted his dreams seemed to echo in his ears, "Little Seven, if I leave, will you come find me?"

  Lin Xiaotang nodded, "It definitely will!"

  Countless people rushed past him, Lin Xiaotang struggled to free his right hand from the handkerchief, carefully and solemnly putting back the handkerchief that had long been stained red into his bosom.

  Lin Xiaotang took out the cigarettes and lighter that Shen Pei had given him, the red cigarette case had a golden bird printed on it, along with two white characters - "Peacock". He lit one up with trembling hands, the flavor seemed less pungent than before, as if there was some indescribable fragrance. He inhaled deeply, hoping to grasp something from the scent, but suddenly he burst into loud sobs.

  The Japanese army's encirclement quickly dispersed, and Lin Xiaotang saw a surprised Lei Zhen and Lao Quan. As the crowd lifted him up, Lin Xiaotang could no longer feel the pain on his body. With the stretcher's ups and downs, he soon fell into a dreamland, exhausted.

  On the north bank of the river, Hu Zongnan and Tang Zong received news early in the morning and waited on the shore. It wasn't until the boat came to a stop that the figure appeared before their eyes, and only then did the two men put their minds at ease.

  Hu Zongnan and Tang Zong stepped forward quickly, one on the left and one on the right, supporting the old man getting off the boat, "Mr. Yun, please watch your step."

  Yu Gong smiled and waved his hand, turning back to beckon the several bodyguards of the committee chairman, as well as the two Americans, to disembark with him. The bodyguards kept looking back at the opposite bank, still worried about Shen Chang and others who had been left behind.

  Yun Gong's eyes were also somewhat dim, Tang Zong saw that his expression was not quite right, and hurriedly asked around, then stepped forward to comfort him, saying that he would immediately contact the other side of the river, and as soon as there was news about the personnel who had been cut off, it would be reported back at once.

  After resting for about two hours in the barracks of the First Army, just after eating, the communication personnel fed back the news from the other side: except for one student who was rescued among the people who were cut off, all the others died for their country.

  Upon hearing this news, Gong Yuzhong silently stood up and walked out of the room, facing the opposite bank of the Yangtze River at Wuchang Gate, he bowed three times.

  Afterwards, Yun Gong beckoned Tang Zong to one side and instructed him to make sure to investigate the situation of that university student surnamed Lin clearly. If possible, try to recruit him into the Military Commission.

  Tang Zong was very surprised, but didn't dare to ask the details. Yun Gong saw his doubts and smiled as he explained, "Do you think this grand withdrawal is someone's idea? Whose handiwork is it that intercepted the Japanese army's intelligence? How did we manage to safely retreat to Yizheng Gate?"

  Tang Zong was taken aback, and then suddenly came to his senses, exclaiming in surprise: "Could it be that he's the one...?" Tang Zong suddenly closed his mouth, he didn't dare to believe it, so many things were connected together, could a college student really plan and carry out all of this?

  Yun Gong nodded, "At first I didn't believe it either, but the information from Commander Xiao's side is absolutely reliable. As for why Commander Xiao didn't say anything, I have two guesses: one is to protect him, he's still young and suddenly achieved such a great merit, it's inevitable that he would be overpraised; besides, this achievement is a hot potato, Commander Xiao had no choice but to take the lead, he doesn't want this young man to follow in his footsteps. Two, it's personal gain. He wants to recruit this Lin person for himself."

  Yu Gong looked at Tang Zong's hesitant eyes, "Believe me, Commander Xiao Shan has made great contributions this time. Although someone needs to take responsibility for the defeat during the retreat from Nanjing, it's only temporary. The Chairman knows clearly that people like Commander Xiao Shan are capable and reliable. So, he still has a chance!"

  Yu Gong's words were brief and to the point, Tang Zong understood them intuitively.

  Yu Gong turned his back, faced the Yangtze River and stood still. "You haven't seen that young man, I've lived for so many years, but it's the first time I've met someone who gives me this feeling. That feeling seems to make one powerless to control."

  Yu Gong hesitated for a moment, and Tang Zong rushed forward two steps, putting the coat in his hand on his shoulders. "Even so, he is an indispensable talent. People like him are either used by me or..."

  Yu Gong turned his head and looked at Tang Zong, who nodded in agreement, "I understand!"