Chapter Eleven Strategic Shift

  Although it didn't taste good, the warriors who finished eating were all smiling with a series of belches. Hunger was not an easy thing to endure, no matter how strong you were, and even the strongest iron man would be reduced to a puddle of mud on the ground after three days of hunger. Being able to eat a full meal while still alive was also a luxury for the besieged garrison soldiers. If it weren't for the fellow villagers sending grain, they might have starved to death on the battlefield.

  After finishing the big pancake, You Fei wiped his mouth with a napkin and picked up some remaining crumbs on his head with his fingers and sent them into his mouth. "Ah, if I could drink some old wine at this time, it would be great!" You Fei sighed with infinite longing.

  Ding Cong smiled foolishly and walked up to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with You Fei. Ding Cong gently punched You Fei's shoulder and laughed loudly: "You little scoundrel, you're thinking too much! If you can eat your fill without starving to death, that's already a great blessing! And yet you still want to think about having wine to drink... Ah, to be honest, I haven't had a drink in many years!"

  "Brother, where is it?" You Fei asked.

  "Shanxi!"

  "Oh, Shanxi! Shanxi is a great place, it can produce such a tall and handsome man like you, the water and soil are not bad! I am a small hooligan from Guangzhou City!" You Fei laughed loudly, but in his mind, he had no concept of where Shanxi was.

  "My hometown was hit by famine for a year, and I really couldn't survive anymore, so I joined the army. Since becoming a soldier, every day I can have a warm meal to eat, haha, but it's all about living with my head held high, without any sense of security in my heart!" Ding Zhen laughed, his face no longer showing the coldness of before.

  You flew your head around in a circle, rolled up your eyes and sighed: "I heard that there are beautiful female nurses in this troop, why can't I see any of them?"

  Ding said with a bitter smile: "We're just soldiers, how can we be so precious? The 87th Division has only a few doctors, and only seriously wounded soldiers are sent to the war hospital. Those who are lightly injured are not allowed to leave the front line! All the stretcher bearers in the medical team have died, now they're all villagers from nearby villages helping out!"

  You Fei frequently nodded his head, but in his heart he was cursing: "Not even a decent-looking woman is here, this crappy place really isn't a place for humans to stay."

  In a flash, Qiu Lin's figure appeared in You Fei's line of sight, about 100 meters away. Qiu Lin was chatting and laughing with his comrades, occasionally bursting into loud laughter. You Fei's neck muscles bulged, his face rapidly turned red, like a furious boar. Following You Fei's gaze, Ding Zhen saw Qiu Lin, who looked like an old soldier, and asked: "What's wrong, do you have a grudge against him?"

  His flying teeth gnashed the ground with a loud crack, and he growled in anger: "I'd like to flay his skin and drink his blood. I'm stuck in this godforsaken place today all because of that guy."

  Ding Ling burst out laughing, patted You Fei's shoulder and didn't say anything else. He then began to wipe down his treasured gun again. When Ding Ling wiped down the machine gun, it was as if he were treating a beloved lover with such gentleness and care, completely unlike his usual gnashing of teeth.

  Next to him, You Fei saw Ding Mao's appearance and felt uncomfortable in his heart. He frowned and said: "I say, Ding E, what kind of expression is that? Like a woman! It makes me want to vomit!"

  Ding Cong was deaf to Yu Fei's complaints and continued to gently wipe his beloved gun while whistling.

  You Fei shook his head, just as he was about to go and chat with his four brothers, the Japanese devils' artillery boomed again. You Fei, who was standing, was about to open his mouth to curse when Ding Bing, who was half squatting on the ground beside him, suddenly saw something urgent, jumped up and rushed towards You Fei, shouting: "Take cover!"

  It was a coincidence that the shell exploded with a loud noise at the place where the flying column had just stood, and other shells fell sporadically on other positions. After a round of bombing, the devils did not make any movement, which was really strange.

  You Fei, who had been knocked to the ground by Ding Zhen, got up with a struggle, his head and face covered in mud. Only then did he see that Ding Zhen's back was a mess of blood and flesh after being hit by shrapnel, with skin and clothing stuck together, and blood gushing out nonstop. You Fei looked at Ding Zhen in shock and panic, his face deathly pale without a hint of color, as Ding Zhen trembled violently. In a hoarse voice filled with tears, You Fei cried out: "Ding Zhen, what's wrong? You can't just die like this! If you die, I'll owe you a debt of gratitude for the rest of my life, and there will be no way to repay it. You have to hold on for me!!"

  "Brother...the devils...killed..."

  "Hmm, don't speak anymore, this blood, damn it, why won't it stop flowing?!" You Fei used his hand to cover it, but as soon as he touched the bloody and swollen wound, Ding Bing's whole body convulsed, his face contorted in pain.

  Hu Wei Yue walked over with a sorrowful expression, and before he even reached him, he pulled Yu Fei away. Then, he shot Ding Zhen on the head while he was still convulsing, and after his body tensed up and relaxed, everything returned to calmness.

  You Feng was stunned for a long time before pouncing on Hu Weiyue, shouting: "Hu Weiyue, you madman, you killed Ding Ling, return his life to him!" After being punched in the face by You Feng, Hu Weiyue retreated several steps back. In a frenzy, You Feng was held back by Jiang Zhuang but still desperately rushed towards Hu Weiyue.

  Hu Weiyue walked over and slapped You Fei's face, shouting: "Haven't you had enough? Didn't you see how much pain Ding Zhen was in earlier? His internal injuries were so severe that he didn't have a chance of survival. Do you want to let him suffer for a while longer before he dies? I'm the one who will send Ding Zhen off on his final journey, he died to save you, this bullet should have been fired by you, not me! Do you understand?! Hu Weiyue panted heavily after shouting, his head held high, afraid that tears would fall from his eyes.

  You Fei's body suddenly went limp and he fell to his knees with a "thud", kneeling in front of Ding Bing's corpse.

  "Monitor, let's carry Brother Ding over with Huang Long," He Tianhao asked in a low voice.

  Hu Weiyue fumbled around Ding Kun's body for a moment, and from Ding Kun's waist, he pulled out a dagger. He lightly pressed the switchblade, and the blade "swooshed" out of its scabbard. The blade was icy cool, with an edge sharper than anything else. The handle was wrapped in coarse cloth, making it easy to grip. Hu Weiyue put the knife back in its scabbard and handed it to You Fei, saying in a low voice, "Kid, take this as a keepsake. Don't dishonor this dagger; it's a brave warrior's legacy." After that, Hu Weiyue signaled He Tianhao and the others to carry away Ding Kun's body.

  Staring at the cold light flashing in his hand, the dagger had two small characters "Liefeng" engraved on it. Although he didn't know what the two characters meant, Youfei still sincerely stroked them, stroking the two small characters that were imbued with Ding's spirit and energy. After a long time, Youfei finally stood up, hanging the dagger at his waist. At this moment, his eyes were no longer confused, no longer compassionate...

  It was a long day, with the devils making sporadic fake attacks, causing everyone on the entire battlefield to tense up every now and then, harassing them until they were driven mad. They really wanted to charge out and fight the devils, but without orders from their superiors, no one dared to rush out of the trenches.

  The sky finally darkened, and the soldiers let out a deep breath. This day was considered to have passed without incident, and their tense nerves could finally relax for a moment.

  Feng Ping and Yi Anhua were quite uneasy in their hearts. Feng Ping furrowed his brow, saying: "The devils are indeed abnormal, they will definitely make some move next, tonight should be a sleepless night."

  Yi Anhua took a light breath, gazing at the map in deep thought, searching for any weaknesses in their defense line. "It's strange," he said, "the devils should be eager to take us down, but according to our current military strength and ammunition reserves, they'll have to pay a devastating price to break through our lines. But there's no reason for them to keep wasting resources like this... it's really quite odd."

  Feng Ping and He Yian both had eyes full of bloodshot, but they still didn't dare to relax and rest, after all, the ghost's actions were really too strange.

  Just as He Ping and Yi Anhua were in doubt, Nagare Jiro was also furious. At this moment, he burst out scolding: "A mere Chinese division dares to make the Imperial Japanese Army's elite troops waste a whole day here, this is a shame for the Great Japanese Empire!"

  "Colonel, don't worry, the battle plan I submitted to the military department is proceeding in an orderly manner. Although the lower-level officers and soldiers of the Chinese army are highly motivated, their high-ranking generals are still quite afraid of our army. The encirclement and annihilation of the 87th Division will definitely make the staff of the Shanghai-Wusong War Zone fearful. The 87th Division is the elite division of their Central Army, they will not dare to let us form an encirclement and annihilate them, they will definitely order the 87th Division to withdraw from the battlefield, abandon the Wujiang position and retreat to the second line of defense. As long as we seize their throat during their withdrawal, the 259th Brigade will be in a very difficult situation." Lieutenant General Ozawa bowed his head and said.

  Nagase Jirō snorted in disdain: "Takebe no Kimi, you high-achieving graduates of Teito University are all fond of playing it safe. You utterly lack the bravery and fearlessness that a warrior should have. Just charge forward again and again, and those weaklings will be trampled underfoot. You're being far too cautious."

  "Hey! Major's teachings are extreme. I will remember them carefully and do my best for the great cause of the Empire of Japan." said Ozawa Takehei respectfully.

  "I wonder what the commander of the 259th Brigade is doing now, haha!" Nagase Jirō chuckled in a low voice.

  In the dead of night, an urgent telegram was delivered to Yi Anhua's hands. The contents of the telegram surprisingly stated that the main force of the Japanese army was advancing towards Luodian, and in order to prevent the Japanese army from circling back to the rear of their position, the 87th Division's 259th Brigade was specially dispatched to abandon its defensive line and retreat to Luodian and Yuepu to assist in ambushing the attacking Japanese main force troops.

  After reading the telegram, Yi Anhua and Feng Ping were both stunned. Feng Ping's eyes widened as he shouted: "Has the Operations Department's staff gone mad? How can we retreat like this? The slogan 'every inch of land must be fought for and every inch of land must be defended' is not just empty talk, it's political propaganda! Damn it!"

  Yi Anhua sighed and said, "Fengping brother, now my stomach is also on fire, but military orders are like mountains, can't be disobeyed. Ah, once we leave, the devils will stand still and supplies will come in continuously through warships, Wu Zong is in danger."

  Feng Ping slammed his palm on the table: "How can our dead brothers rest in peace? They lost their lives defending this position, and now we're going to turn around and run away with our tails between our legs. This is utter nonsense!"

  Yi Anhua patted Ping's shoulder and sighed, "The night road is difficult to travel, we'll withdraw at dawn! Brother Ping, your 137th regiment came to support our 259th brigade this time. This kindness will be remembered by every soldier in the 259th brigade. We were ordered to do so, but what about you? If it weren't for the devils lurking everywhere now, you could take the original road back and return to Guangdong."

  Feng Ping's eyebrows furrowed in anger, "An Hua, what are you talking about? Although the brothers of the 137th Regiment can't be compared to the 259th Brigade, everyone has a responsibility to resist Japan when the country is in danger. How can you mention returning to Guangdong at this time? Of course, we will rush to Luo Zhuang with you."

  "Good brother!" Yi Anhua burst out laughing and grasped Feng Ping's hand, the two of them looked at each other and smiled, their hearts understanding each other without needing to say a word.

  As soon as the sky brightened, they withdrew from the battlefield! This news caused the entire camp to erupt in anger. The originally exhausted generals and soldiers were now wide awake, each one filled with indignation, and some even furiously shouted that their last drop of blood would be shed on Wu Zetian, refusing to retreat a single step.

  When Hu Weiyue heard the news, he was also worried in his heart, but on the surface, he had to pretend to be calm and said to the other soldiers in the class: "The squad leader's order is that we will withdraw early tomorrow morning. Those who do not follow orders will be dealt with by military law and shot on the spot!"

  As soon as Hu Weiyue finished speaking, everyone else fell silent. You Fei played with his dagger, running his fingers over the blade's edge and said in a cold voice: "Squad leader, can our superiors really understand the resentment we have in our hearts? What are we guarding here for, starving ourselves? Ding Zhen gave his life for me, but tomorrow morning I'll be slinking away with my tail between my legs. If he knows about it from down below, how will he scold me?"

  Hu Weiyue let out a long sigh and began to smoke his pipe with his head down.

  "Big brother, being a soldier can't follow the officer's orders all the time, otherwise how will the officer manage so many brothers in the future?" He Tianhao said.

  Yu Fei hummed and then stopped talking. The battlefield fell silent once again.

  Everywhere else has returned to calm after a fit of indignation, the officer said that if you don't withdraw, you will be withdrawn as a corpse, there is no other choice.

  The mournful sound of the wind blows, trying to blow dry the bloodstains on the ground that have not yet dried, and to calm the sorrow in the hearts of the still-standing warriors.

  As the sky was just bright, the soldiers who had been guarding the position for many days quietly jumped out of the trenches and retreated to the rear. There were only more than 200 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the 259th Brigade in the position, they had to guard the position for two hours to cover the withdrawal of the main force.

  On the way of retreating, Yu Fei asked Hu Weiyue in a hurry: "Squad leader, how long can the brothers of the 3rd company hold on?"

  "Who knows, maybe a moment, maybe half an hour, only God knows. But one thing I can tell you for sure is that none of them survived!!" Hu Weiyue's hoarse voice was tinged with a hint of despair and sorrow.

  "Why did they have to die?"

  Hu Wei-yue sighed, "There's no why, someone has to die so that we can live; and one day we'll also go to die, for the sake of others living. That's how some people can continue to live." You Fei gazed intently at Hu Wei-yue, only now realizing he wasn't as simple as he had previously thought.

  The warriors who are hastily withdrawing will not know, Hu Weiyue and You Fei will not know either. The 3rd company only lasted for less than a minute under the crazy bombing of the Japanese army like locusts, and probably all died in about the time it takes to eat a meal.

  At this time, Ozawa Takeo was standing alongside Nagase Jiro on the position that the 259th and 137th regiments had defended. Nagase Jiro placed his hands flat on the hilt of his sword, which was stuck in the ground, and laughed loudly: "How can the Chinese army stop the advance of the great Imperial Japanese Army? In three months' time, this rich land will be filled with the flags of our Empire, becoming a base for us to conquer Asia and the world! Hahahaha!!!"

  "The Chinese army's combat effectiveness is not very good, but the Chinese soldiers just now didn't have a single person retreat in a desperate situation, which is also admirable!" Ozawa Takehei sighed.

  "Hah! The Chinese army has always been weak, don't be fooled by temporary illusions. Our Imperial Japanese Army is invincible!" Chousuke Nagase shouted angrily.

  "Hey!" Ozawa Takeo replied, "Colonel, shall we dispatch a large force to pursue the 259th Brigade now?"

  Nagase Jirō shook his head and chuckled, "Don't worry, Takebe no Kun, we'll take it easy. Our mission is to hold our ground, once the reinforcements arrive, we can work with other units to capture Wu Zhen."

  "That's right, I'll clean up the corpses on the battlefield!" said Ozawa Takehirao.

  "Just bury the bodies of the Imperial soldiers, and let the Chinese troops expose them. Let the surrounding people see the consequences of opposing the Empire. This will chill the hearts of other Chinese troops and shatter the spirits of the Chinese people." Nagase Jiro laughed loudly as he left.

  Although he was deeply dissatisfied with Nagase Jiro's approach, Ozawa Takehisa still followed his orders. Seeing the Chinese generals who had died in battle with their eyes wide open on the ground, Ozawa couldn't help but wonder if the military's boasts could be achieved - would they really conquer China by March?