Chapter 5: Going Up to the Front Line (Third Time)

  "I was just casually asking!" Zhang Songling originally had no relationship with Liao Wenhua of the 31st Division, and seeing Shi Liangcai's serious face, he immediately dispelled the idea of pulling in Liao. "I didn't promise him anything. They heard that I was sent to the hospital by Colonel Ji, so they thought I had a deep background!"

  Thinking of this, he felt that his experience was very interesting. Those wounded soldiers heard the three words "Special Operations Team" and were envious with shining eyes. But he himself had easily entered the Special Operations Team and killed five little devils in the first battle!

  "It's better not to ask at all!" Shi Liangcai glared at Zhang Songling, solemnly warning. "You little rascal, you really dare to take on the responsibility!"

  "What have I done wrong!" Zhang Songling was trained to be very wronged, "I just woke up in the hospital and they surrounded me. Then they forced me to substitute for Liao Paichang. You weren't there at the time, you would understand if you saw it. At that time, I almost knelt down and swore to heaven, but no one believed me! Fortunately, Nurse Wu came just in time, as soon as she appeared, she calmed everyone down!"

  "Of course, you don't know what kind of person our Sister Wu is!" As soon as Zhang Songling mentioned Nurse Wu, Shi Liangcai's face immediately broke out in a smile. "How was it? Were you also taken care of by her at the hospital?! Whoever goes to stay in the hospital, hardly anyone can escape being taken care of by her!"

  "It's okay, it's okay!" Zhang Songling smiled and nodded, roughly because he was bored and casually brought up the topic of Nurse Wu forcing patients to be discharged. While talking, he couldn't help but sneak a smile. After smiling enough, he didn't forget to add, "But I didn't let her force me, I volunteered to be discharged myself. At that time, I even scared her!"

  "You little rascal! You can't stay out of trouble no matter where you go!" Shi Liangcai also found it amusing and chuckled, adding a comment. Then he turned his head to look at the sleeping old Gou, carefully asking, "You didn't really offend Wu Jie, did you? Don't tell me you've already provoked her. Otherwise, even gods can't save you!"

  "Am I so blind?!" Zhang Songling laughed and asked in return, then continued to add, "I had already figured it out a long time ago, Wu Jie's identity is not ordinary. When she saw me off at the door, she ran into someone driving a small car. It seemed like he was serving some superior officer, yes, serving as a driver for Commander Zhang of the 25th Division. He was speeding recklessly on the street, but when he saw Wu Jie, he immediately became like a sycophant and flattered her!"

  "Wu sister back then, saved the life of their superior!" Shi Liangcai smiled and voluntarily revealed to Zhang Songling. "That surname Zhang was hit by a bullet in the blood vessel and was almost out of breath. Happened that our Wu sister led people to rescue and treat the wounded of our 26th Army, saw his guard crying pitifully, so she donated several large bottles of her own blood to him. Then,"

  He smiled and said lightly, "Then that Zhang guy took a liking to Wu Jie and wouldn't let go, insisting on marrying her. Can you believe it? He's a grown man with a wife and kids at home, yet he still has the nerve to have designs on Wu Jie! If I had known this would happen, Wu Jie shouldn't have saved his life, she should've just let him bleed to death!"

  "No wonder that driver had a look of disdain on his face!" Zhang Songling also felt that the commander of the 25th Division was a bit too arrogant, and he curled his lip in disdain. "But Wu Jie didn't bother with him, just saying 'I'm going to the Special Operations Brigade' sent him packing. That guy heard Wu Jie was coming to our Special Operations Brigade and looked like he'd been stepped on..."

  "That's right, don't you see who is in our special task force?" Shi Liangcai smiled and stopped abruptly. Zhang Songling felt very strange in his heart and instinctively asked: "Who, could it be...?"

  "You two little rascals, are you done yet? Want to take your chat outside the forest and stop disturbing everyone's sleep!" A loud shout interrupted their conversation. Officer Lao Gou's eyes were wide with anger, his face red and neck thick.

  Shi Liangcai was startled and quickly pulled up Zhang Songling, rolling and crawling to escape into the depths of the forest. They didn't stop until they were far away, looking back to make sure no one was chasing them. Only then did they stop, patting their chest and muttering in a low voice: "You little devil, you're really a disaster! I usually don't get into unnecessary arguments with people, but since meeting you, my mouth has lost its gate!"

  Without needing to ask, Zhang Songling also knew who Wu Jie's reliance was in the special operations camp. He smiled wryly and stuck out his tongue, leaning against a large tree to catch his breath.

  Afraid of being caught by the superior, they didn't dare to get close to Lao Gou for the whole day. Even Shi Liangcai's wooden box, which he treasured and carried with him every day, was retrieved by someone else. At nightfall, when the sun had set and the enemy planes could no longer fly, the special operations team broke camp and continued westward along a mountain path trodden by shepherds. After walking for about an hour, they encountered the liaison team sent by the 31st Division at the entrance of a small unnamed village. The two teams then merged and quietly circled back to the command post of the 31st Division from the flank.

  In the middle of the night, the headquarters of the 31st Division was brightly lit. The division commander, Chi Fengcheng, and deputy commander, Kang Falu, had already led a group of officers who were not on duty tonight to welcome them at the entrance of the village. Seeing the flag of the Special Operations Brigade, they immediately applauded together, "Welcome, welcome! De Old Brother, you've really helped us out this time!"

  "Fengchen brother is too polite! You personally came here to welcome me, aren't you shortening my lifespan?" Officer Lao Gou made a big bow with his hands clasped together and then turned around to welcome the leader of the 31st Division who had come to greet them, "Lao Gou has no virtue or ability, how dare he trouble all brothers to come here to welcome. It's really a loss of good fortune, a loss of good fortune!"

  "Brother De, you're too kind! If it weren't for you leading a company to wipe out the enemy's artillery position, we wouldn't have even dared to light our oil lamps at night, let alone have a peaceful meal!" Chi Fengcheng took half a step back, refusing to accept Ou Youde's bow. Then he quickly stepped forward, grasping Ou's arm with both hands, "Come on, come on, please go inside. I've already ordered dinner and wine to be prepared. Tonight, the brothers of the company can eat their fill and then sleep soundly!"

  "Yes! As long as the Thirty-first Division has one man left, we will never let those little devils disturb our comrades' rest!" The commanders of the 91st and 92nd Regiments, Huang Dingxin and Liu Hengde, also came forward with smiles, shaking hands with some company commanders or pulling on the arms of sentry soldiers, thanking them repeatedly.

  Because of the huge disparity in firepower with the Japanese army, they were almost beaten by the devils every day. Until this morning, the devil's shells fell at least half as much, and the fly-like planes also flew to other places. The brothers of the 31st Division finally caught their breath and took advantage of the situation to use big knives and machines to retake the positions they had lost to the devils in the previous few days.

  They were all old soldiers who had been fighting on the battlefield for many years, and the leaders of the 31st Division certainly knew what risks the three regiments of the Special Operations Brigade would take to destroy the devil's artillery positions. As soon as they heard that their own response troops had encountered Gou Yide, they immediately ordered the division's kitchen to prepare a feast, bringing out all the good food that was usually not eaten, including strong liquor and large pieces of meat, to welcome back the victorious brothers of the First Regiment.

  Both sides' main officers chatted politely as they walked into the village. The other brothers of the First Battalion were warmly invited by the Thirty-first Division's soldiers to enter the village. On the threshing floor of a landlord's house, someone had set up temporary tables and chairs with wooden boards. Chi Fengcheng pulled Gu Youde to sit at the top, Kang Faru, Huang Dingxin, Liu Hengde and others sat on both sides with Palace Ziqiang, Wang Tihan and others who were far lower in rank than themselves. Even the guard squad leader Shi Liangcai and new recruit Zhang Songling were also pulled to sit at the same table as several battalion commanders of the Thirty-first Division because they were too close to Gu Youde. The Thirty-first Division's duty soldiers quickly brought up various dishes, wine jars, and wine bowls. Chi Fengcheng personally poured a bowl for Old Gu and held it with both hands to his forehead, saying loudly: "I won't make any empty talk, you old Gu have saved me Chi Fengcheng this time, saved the lives of the entire Thirty-first Division. This bowl of wine is offered by Chi certain person on behalf of all officers and soldiers of the division to your Special Operations Brigade First Battalion brothers!"

  The old man stood up solemnly, holding the wine bowl with both hands. He smiled after a few lip movements, "This bowl of wine, I dare not drink first. Forgive me, Master Chi, I want to borrow flowers to offer Buddha!" After speaking, he forcefully raised the wine bowl upwards, and with a "brush" sound, the whole bowl of strong liquor was splashed into mid-air.

  The strong aroma of wine made people's eyes want to fall tears, Officer Lao Gou himself snatched the jar and poured two bowls in a row, all splashing onto the sky. Then he clasped his fists with both hands and shouted loudly towards the northeast: "Brothers, let's drink this bowl of heroic wine first! Under the Yellow Springs, don't be soft on those little devils!"

  "It's done! Don't go easy on the little devils!" Gong Ziqiang and other company commanders, platoon leaders also rushed to grab wine bowls, filled them up, and then poured them towards the sky. The achievements of the Special Task Battalion last night were brilliant enough, but last night the Special Task Battalion also paid a price. The first company, which was responsible for the assault, suffered more than half casualties, and the second and third companies each lost nearly one-third of their brothers. The bodies of these brothers were all rushed out by everyone and buried in a nameless small valley on the way back. If the spirits of the fallen have not gone far, they should be able to taste this bowl of farewell wine!

  This is war! The strong smell of wine in the air quickly dispelled the last bit of excitement Zhang Songling had felt from killing several little devils. Because it was his first time on the battlefield, he hadn't noticed the specific number of casualties his side had suffered the night before. At this moment, seeing the actions of Old Gou and several company commanders, he suddenly realized that the number of people sitting in the threshing field drinking wine was only about 200. Compared to the night before when they clashed with the devils, it was a full third less!

  Don't laugh at me, sleeping on the battlefield, how many people have returned from ancient times?! This time, Zhang Songling didn't know how much wine he had drunk. First, he received toasts from 31 battalion commanders, then held his cup to toast the battalion commanders and company commanders of the 31st Division. Next, everyone raised their cups together to toast the brothers who had fallen in battle in recent days, toasting the heroic spirits who had resisted the enemy tanks with their flesh and blood. Until he was drunk and couldn't stand on his legs anymore, he was supported by two orderlies and taken to a camp house that had been prepared long ago to rest.

  The next day at dawn, he was awakened again by a chaotic footsteps. The second battalion of the special troops also returned, successfully knocking out another artillery position of the devils, but on the way back, they were surrounded and intercepted by the devils' ground forces and traitors, suffering heavy losses. The regiment commander and deputy regiment commander died one after another for their country, with nearly four hundred people left in the whole regiment, only more than seventy remained, and almost every survivor had injuries on their bodies.

  The original withdrawal position of the third battalion was the position of the 30th Division. However, the liaison team sent by the 30th Division had not received any news from them for a long time. "Old Ji, do you have any news about Old Ji?!" The battalion commander, Lao Gou, was anxious and flustered, shaking the phone to call the 30th Division, but it was just a chaotic shout. The third battalion commander had an attack of liver disease and could not command the battle. Team leader Ji Shaowu personally went down to the camp, leading his brothers to launch a surprise attack on the devils. If the third battalion were surrounded by the devils, with Team Leader Old Ji's temperament, he would rather die than suffer the humiliation of being captured.

  "I've sent out a whole battalion of brothers to search for them, and even after encountering the enemy company, they still can't find any trace of them!" The voice of Acting Division Commander Zhang Jinzhao was very hoarse, as if he had been shouting for several days and nights.

  "Big guns, what's the situation with the devils' big guns? Yesterday during the day, were there as many shells falling on your position as usual?" Regimental Commander Lao Gou was so anxious that he couldn't personally crawl along the telephone line to the 30th Division, and continued to ask while slapping the iron phone case.

  "How many shells?!" Zhang Jinzhao paused for a moment, then said slowly: "There should be fewer, but not much less. The devils didn't move out today either, and the rest is the same as two days ago!"

  "Nonsense!" The old battalion commander slammed down the phone and paced back and forth in the thatched hut, as restless as a beast trapped in a cage. Guard platoon leader Shi Liangcai watched anxiously from the side, hesitated for a moment, and ventured to remind: "Maybe, maybe they've chosen an alternate route. Commander Ji has always been cautious. If he finds out that the road to the 30th Division is heavily guarded by the enemy, he won't lead the brothers into it!"

  "Then he would also send someone to the rear to deliver a message!" Battalion Commander Lao Gou shook his head, his brow furrowed, "I made a phone call to the rear after I finished drinking last night. Neither Feng Shizhang nor Old Battalion Commander had any news of Lao Ji!"

  That's probably the case, Zhang Songling's heart tightened, grabbing his step and putting it on his own shoulder. "We'll go find Captain Ji ourselves, sir! You said you wouldn't let any of our brothers fall into the hands of those little devils!"

  "Laozi refers to our company!" Officer Lao Gou glared at him and loudly refuted. Then he walked back and forth in the house a few times, took a deep breath, and said loudly: "Shitou, assemble the guard squad, we'll go find them ourselves."

  "Yes!" Shi Liangcai stood at attention and received the order, then quickly added, "As for the guard company? Why not take the third battalion..."

  "This is nonsense, more people won't be useful!" Before Shi Liangcai finished speaking, Lao Gou negated. "Old Ji has an entire regiment by his side, if he's already been surrounded by the devils, taking another regiment to rescue him would be useless. Before we figure out the specific situation, we must leave some seeds for the special operations team!"

  Note 1: Chi Fengcheng, also known as Chi Fengchen, commander of the 31st Division, anti-war hero.

  Note 2: The German-made Type 24 rifle mentioned earlier is the original version of the Chiang Kai-shek rifle, which was a 1924 model. Its performance was better than that of the Hanyang Arsenal, but it was not as widely used in the military as the Hanyang Arsenal rifle. It was only issued to some key units during the period of cooperation with Germany from 1924 to 1937. Before and after the outbreak of the war, since the Chiang Kai-shek rifle had already been mass-produced, imports of the original German-made Type 24 rifle were discontinued.