Chapter 5: Going to the Front Lines (Part 1)

  The whole night, the troops were marching non-stop to the north. Along a winding and bumpy mountain path, on both sides of the road were either rocks or big trees. Occasionally, when one's foot stepped on a soft spot, the sound of rolling stones could be heard. Before they had time to feel scared, they were tightly held back by their comrades' belts, and then they heard the low, stern voices of the officers, "Be careful! Be careful, you hear me? Watch your step! If you fall and die, that's not a big deal, but if you attract those little devil planes, we'll all be done for!"

  The brothers who had been scolded did not dare to retort, stuck out their tongues, and continued to walk forward with a heavy heart. Sometimes, after crossing a mountain ridge, the railroad was seen lying at the foot of the mountain less than two miles away, with the two tracks reflecting the starlight like two sleeping pythons. Sometimes, walking into the valley, one could vaguely see a small village with only a few households. The dogs in the village heard the unusual sound, opened their throats and barked loudly. Then some windows lit up, followed by the dog's whimper, completely becoming mute. The windows that had lit up quickly extinguished the candlelight, not daring to come out and observe, nor dare to make any protest.

  Zhang Songling had participated in several school-organized hiking trips during his high school years. One day, he only walked forty miles and was so exhausted that his tongue was hanging out of his mouth. But tonight, he didn't feel tired at all, just a burning sensation in his heart, as if all the blood in his body was on fire.

  It's finally time to take action with the little devils, and it's going to be with the main troops. This was once a coveted honor for many members of the Blood Flower Society. Now, everyone's wishes are all on his shoulders alone. How can he not be excited, how can he not be thrilled?

  The first devil killed is counted as revenge for Zhou Da; the second one is for Tian Pangzi and Han Qiu; the third one is dedicated to Lu Ming and Liu Jing; the fourth one will be used to sacrifice Peng Weiwei; the fifth one is dedicated to Grandpa Wei; the sixth one... As Zhang Songling stumbled forward in a hurry, he calculated in his heart how many devils he should kill to make up for it. Coming from a merchant family, he was accustomed to being frugal and calculating. Before avenging everyone's blood debt, he would not allow himself to fall behind!

  The first night was spent in a forced march, completely in excitement. After dawn, the troops hid in a very remote mountain valley, started eating and resting.

  The whole day, everyone was sleeping. Not allowed to move around, nor was it allowed to light a fire and boil water. By dusk, they got up again, under the supervision of the officers, continuing to rush northward in a hurry. This time, Zhang Songling was somewhat unable to bear it. His legs were heavy as if filled with lead, his waist was sore as if several tens of kilograms of old vinegar had been injected into it.

  Fortunately, Shi Liangcai was by his side to respond, constantly speaking softly to him, distracting his attention. In this way, he stumbled and walked for another whole night without dragging the team's legs. At dawn, the second and third battalions suddenly turned east, leaving only the first battalion to continue rushing north.

  The troops entered a dense forest after the sky was completely bright. "Eat some dry food, rest in place. To answer nature's call, ask the squad leader for permission and go to the downwind side. After defecation, you must cover it with soil..." Several unfamiliar military officers came back and forth, transmitting orders. The exhausted brothers immediately sat down in the dewy grass, took out their canteens, and ate the dry rice balls prepared by the cooking squad the night before last, using cold water. Then they casually drew a few strokes on the ground with their hands and fell asleep. Before long, the forest was filled with the sound of snoring.

  All the senior officers of the whole camp gathered around Lao Gou and held a brief meeting. Shi Liangcai, with his guard squad, formed a circle outside the officers and prohibited anyone unrelated from approaching. Zhang Songling was one of Lao Gou's trusted confidants, although he didn't have any specific military rank or position, he was allowed to listen in. However, he had no military background, so he only vaguely understood what they were saying.

  "I chose this place with Lao Ji yesterday, and the second battalion and Lao Ji himself chose these two places." In front of the officers, Lao Gou was no longer the image with a face full of indignation, but very calmly pointed to several places on the map and said in a low voice: "From the distance, we have an advantage over the second and third battalions. But the trouble is that the surrounding terrain is relatively open, and it's quite difficult to sneak up without being detected!"

  Chang Surname Palace, a red-faced Shanxi fellow, spoke with a somewhat strange accent, "If we march at the speed of the past two nights, we can reach the other side in half a night at most. The two towns on the road are must-pass places for us. If I were Little Devil, I would definitely send out several small teams to take on sentry duties in the towns, just in case someone suddenly pops out from the mountains!"

  "Don't send even a squad of brothers to lead the way, no guns allowed, use bayonets and big knives to take care of them! If there are any locals who dare to collude with the little devils, take care of them together, absolutely cannot leave any survivors!" Lao Gou's eyebrows jumped up, quickly making a decision.

  "Go and send someone out as soon as the sun sets tonight!" General Gong nodded and replied in a low voice.

  "If I were a little devil, this bridge..." Another person in uniform poked and pointed at the map with his finger.

  "From five miles downstream, pull the rope over. Then send a few people to wait halfway, once our men and the little devils engage in hand-to-hand combat, the guards on the bridge will definitely turn their heads back. At that time..." Old Gou made a slashing gesture with his hand across his neck.

  "I remember there's a mountain valley at this location, which can hide quite a few people. In the first half of the night, we can take a breather in the mountain valley, and then around 3 o'clock in the morning..."

  "If we set up a few machine guns on this bridge, even if the devils bring reinforcements, we can hold them off for a while!"

  "On the right flank, there's still a squad left to hold out, but..." Before he could finish speaking, a dark and thin lieutenant had already stood up and said in a low voice, "Let our squad go, half of our men are from the Northeast Army remnants, all with deep blood feuds against the devils."

  "I'll try to bring everyone back. After we get back, I'll personally recommend you to the higher-ups and let you out to be a battalion commander!" Old Gou himself was only a captain, but he dared to offer someone else a reward of the same rank as his own.

  Hei Shouzi smiled and bowed in gratitude, as if he didn't doubt Lao Gou's promise at all. His superior, a yellow-faced thin man, patted him on the shoulder and said in a low voice: "Then go down and rest. Tell your brothers that if anyone still has something they can't let go of, write it down on paper. After we drive away the little devils, as long as I, Wang Tiehan, am still alive, I will definitely help him make it happen!"

  Hei Shouzi's answer was already completely inaudible to Zhang Songling. He only felt his nose start to sour, and a hot thing constantly gushing out of the corners of his eyes. Afraid of being laughed at by others, he quietly turned his head, using his sleeve to wipe the corners of his eyes, then slowly adjusted his breathing, pulling the stuff in his eyes back into his nasal cavity bit by bit.

  When his mood had calmed down again, the temporary meeting was nearing its end. Each battalion commander and regimental commander had been assigned specific tasks, and everyone's face was calm and expressionless, as if they were about to embark on a dull excursion, neither worthy of excitement nor deserving of too much attention.

  "Did you all hear that?" With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the officers to rest. Lao Gou turned his gaze to Zhang Songling, "Remember as much as you can, even if you don't understand it. I'm not afraid you'll steal my techniques, just afraid you won't put your heart into learning. After we win this battle, I'll explain to you why I arranged things this way!"

  "Thank you, sir!" Zhang Songling responded in a low voice, his heart warm and deeply moved.

  Officer Lao Gou's next words immediately made him lose all respect in his heart, "No need to thank me, I'm leaving some seeds for our special forces team! You're the most educated, so it should take less effort to cultivate you! Hurry up and go sleep on the side, there are still dozens of miles to walk after sunset."

  Zhang Songling didn't dare disobey his superior's orders, and he rolled over to the side, hugging his three treasured objects tightly as he fell into a deep sleep. At noon, he was forcibly woken up by Shi Liangcai, had a few mouthfuls of strong liquor, and chewed on half a strip of raw dried meat. Then he continued to seize every moment to recover his strength. When the sun sank again into the western mountain valley, Camp Commander Gou called everyone together, his face stern, and gave a low command: "Inspect your weapons and ammunition, throw away any useless junk! Tonight I'll take you all to clean up those little devils!"

  "Ah!" The brothers had long known that they were going to collect the little devils, and when they heard their superior confirm it in person, they still let out a low cheer. This time, Old Gou didn't mind that everyone's voice was too loud, and he pressed his hand down slightly before continuing: "Why we need to fight the devils, I won't say. We're all men, and we understand each other in our hearts. What I want to say today is that when others are fleeing south with their tails between their legs, our 26th Route Army Special Operations Brigade is instead rushing north overnight. Just because of this, from now on, no matter who we meet or what kind of superior officer we see, we can always hold our heads high!"

  "Haha! Haha haha!" The brothers burst out laughing, their faces filled with a sense of pride. Officer Lao Gou's gaze slowly swept across the innocent-looking smiling faces, as if trying to remember every single one of them. "Let's go! Let's go kill those little devils!"

  "Down with the Little Japanese Devils!"

  "Down with the Little Japanese Devils!"

  The company commanders and platoon leaders repeated Lao Gou's words in a low voice. Then, with their respective teams, they formed a long line and quickly set foot on the northbound mountain road. From the moment the night sky was just darkened to the time when the stars filled the sky, and then to the time when the Milky Way slowly appeared clearly above their heads, the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden looked at each other from afar. At around midnight, the troops climbed over another hill. At the same time, a series of cannon shots came from the northeast direction, explosions splashing firelight, dyeing half of the sky blood red.

  "This little devil, firing wildly at midnight, as if he has endless ammo!" Colonel Gong muttered under his breath beside Lao Gou, his voice filled with unconcealed envy.

  "Whistling while passing by the tomb, you're just trying to boost your own courage!" Old Gou sneered, his face full of disdain. "Has your man arrived? Is there any news coming back?"

  "We've already taken care of one town. The next one is in progress!" Palace Lian Chang replied without hesitation.

  "Go to the front and keep watch, notify me of any changes at once!" Old Gou nodded and gave a low command. Immediately he turned his head to another company commander, "Are your men in position?"

  "The rope has been pulled tight, and eleven shallow water areas have been explored! The dogs in the villages along the way were also easily taken care of!" Another battalion commander nodded and replied seriously.

  "Hurry up and get moving!" Old Gou waved his hand, ending the brief military meeting. Leading the remaining brothers, they continued to advance quietly. Soon, they passed through the first town and came to a small river with an unknown name. The brother who was scouting ahead ran over, pointing out the direction of the rope. Several officers took the lead, holding onto the rope with one hand, and quickly swam across to the other side.

  Everyone followed one after another, learning from the example of their superiors, and crossed the river like ghosts. Then they reorganized their troops and rushed towards the target location. Several possible obstacles along the way had already been removed by the vanguard units in advance. So the troops marched very smoothly. It was just past two o'clock at midnight, and they had already entered the lowest area closest to the target.

  An officer gave a hand signal for everyone to rest, while Shi Liangcai led the guards to a grass thicket just one mile away from the target. Remembering what the other had entrusted him with before they set out, Zhang Songling carefully crawled up behind them. Before long, he was shoulder to shoulder with Shi Liangcai.

  "How did you get up here?!" Shi Liangcai was taken aback, asking in a whispery voice. After asking, Zhang Songling quickly understood his intention and chuckled softly, handing over a pair of binoculars, "Don't make a sound, I got it from Old Qian. The one the officer has isn't as good as this!"

  Zhang Songling took over the telescope, fiddled with it for a few moments, and quickly grasped its correct usage. Through the two layers of lenses, he saw that about one kilometer away, there were several thick iron wires blocking the way. Behind the iron wires, there were three to five temporary watchtowers, each equipped with searchlights that swept back and forth, casting bright lights in all directions.

  Perhaps because the enemy had been unable to fight back for a long time, the devils on the watchtower were very unguarded. The searchlight beam almost hit Shi Liangcai's body several times, scaring Zhang Songling so much that his heart nearly jumped out of his throat. However, the devil soldier on duty didn't make any moves at all. Those patrolling devils were even more slack in their behavior, with some of them carrying their 38 rifles across their necks and humming tunes in their mouths.

  "Damn it, this little devil is too arrogant!" Old Gou didn't know when he also crawled to the front line, snatched the binoculars from Zhang Songling's hand, and scolded in a low voice. Shi Liangcai didn't dare to ask for it back, but instead looked up at his superior with eager eyes, hoping that the other would show mercy. However, Old Gou didn't have any shame at all, and quickly put away the binoculars, hanging them around his neck. "Old Gong, give you half an hour to prepare, half an hour later, you lead people to blow up this cannon tower for me. Shi, Little Zhang, you two are responsible for protecting me, no one is allowed to run around!"

  "Yes!" replied Gong Lianchang with great enthusiasm. Shi Liangcai and Zhang Songling, on the other hand, responded weakly, as if they had been frozen like crops after a frost. "What's the hurry? You'll have your own battles to fight in the future!" Officer Gou said another one of his catchphrases, turned around, and crawled away towards the distant low-lying land like a snake with four legs. Before long, he completely disappeared without a trace.

  Shi Liangcai and Zhang Songling, each with a squad of guards, reluctantly followed Lao Gou as he retreated. Then they crawled into the wet and slippery lowland, staring at the searchlight beams emanating from the enemy camp in the distance.

  "Boom!"

  "Boom!"

  The cannon fire sounded again, and the flames spewing out of the muzzle were clearly visible to Zhang Songling. He knew what Gou Yingchang had brought everyone here for, and his excitement grew even more intense. Accidentally, his fingers scratched his own palm, and a drop of blood slowly dripped down from the edge of his hand.

  He didn't feel any pain at all, and continued to clench his fist, silently counting in his heart, "One, two, three, four...... one hundred, one hundred and one......, one thousand, one thousand and one......"

  This half hour passed extremely slowly, Zhang Songling counted from one to six thousand and then back to one again, yet he still hadn't heard any movement from the front. Just as he was getting anxious like an ant on a hot skillet, thirty or so black shadows suddenly appeared under the searchlight, rushing straight for several artillery towers.

  Time seemed to stand still for about two breaths, and the surroundings fell silent. Suddenly, the machine gun on the watchtower fired, "Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat...", sweeping out a wave of firepower.

  The three brothers at the forefront of the charge were twisting and turning as if being pulled by countless hands. A red mist quickly rose from their chests, like a dream. The brothers who had not been hit by machine guns continued to run forward with their heads down, those in front fell, and those behind stepped over the bloodstains. At the same time, a burst of machine gun fire also roared out, "Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat..." Several bursts of gunfire silenced the machine guns on a nearby watchtower.

  "Whoosh——" "Whoosh——" The two mortars, which were usually treasured like precious jewels, quickly fired and shot shells towards the searchlights. "Boom!" In the explosion, thick smoke quickly rose, making the vision of both sides blurry. Indistinctly, Zhang Songling saw several brothers pounce on the barbed wire, then several other brothers trampled on their backs and rushed forward, pouncing on the second row of barbed wire.

  "Two lines, three lines, push forward!" Without waiting for the first line's attack to succeed, Lao Gou led the remaining brothers out of the depression. Like a tide, they surged towards the enemy camp. Before they could even get within rifle range, large numbers of Japanese soldiers also emerged from the enemy camp, standing on the side of the barbed wire, firing desperately. The mortar shells quickly adjusted their direction, pounding into the Japanese troops, stirring up a red hot wave. Almost simultaneously, the brothers of the first line who had already charged to the front of the last barbed wire fence, also fell silently to the ground, as if they had never appeared in this world at all.

  "Second company, follow me!" Officer Gou shouted, continuing to organize the attack. The second company commander led his own brothers, shouting and rushing towards the enemy camp. The Japanese soldiers were stunned by the surging crowd, and had no choice but to turn their guns around, diverting their attention to the second company. Meanwhile, more than a dozen of the first company's brothers who had fallen beside the barbed wire suddenly stood up again, three in a group, flipped over the last barbed wire, hugged hand grenades, and rushed towards the artillery tower.

  The blue smoke of the hand grenade was clearly visible in everyone's eyes. The devils who were firing were stunned and instinctively hid far away. "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" The huge explosion awakened the sleeping land of China. The temporary artillery towers built by the devils collapsed one after another in the explosions. The brothers of the second company stepped over the barbed wire, dropped their rifles, pulled out their big knives from behind and chopped at the devils' heads.

  "Brothers, follow me and blow up the enemy's cannons!" The battalion commander, Lao Gou, grasped a box-shaped cannon with both hands, leading the remaining troops to charge into the enemy camp, as agile as a leopard descending a mountain.

  "Fire the cannon!"

  "Fire the cannon!"

  The brothers shouted loudly, closely following Lao Gou's lead in the charge. Each person had a large knife blade on their back, with the blade reflecting the starlight and firelight, sending shivers down to the bone.