"I remember it very clearly, it was November 7th, it was just dawn!"
The veteran sat on the old rattan chair, raising his head and trying hard to prevent the tears from his eye sockets from falling on his face.
"The division's signal corps rode the division commander's horse and ran wildly in the paddy fields to inform the soldiers and civilians along the way that the battle in Songjiang was urgent. The entire army abandoned all heavy equipment and sped up its evacuation."
"But how to speed up! There is just a road, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and various vehicles, horses, artillery, and countless refugees. Looking from the back to the front, it looks like a big river, made up of people.
, being able to walk 40 miles a day is incredible.
But the most terrible thing was not the crowd, but the Japanese plane. Just when they heard the sirens, everyone jumped off the road and hid in the fields, and the Japanese plane came.
Not far from me, there was a couple. The woman had a big belly, and the man was carrying a load. On one end was bedding and belongings, and on the other was a child under two years old.
The Japanese planes had begun to dive from a high altitude. Based on my experience, they would first drop bombs and then shoot with machine guns. However, the couple obviously had no experience in facing enemy planes. They still trudged hard in the fields, hoping to leave.
I think it's safer to go on the highway.
I yelled to them desperately to get down. They heard it and stopped, but it was too late. The bomb from the Japanese plane dropped and landed fifty meters away. The terrible air wave directly lifted the couple off.
Flying.
The Japanese plane that dropped the bomb flew forward. It was safe for the time being. I ran over and found that my husband had died on the spot. At the moment the bomb exploded, he must have been in front of his wife, while the pregnant woman subconsciously
He hugged the child in the basket.
The pregnant woman was still breathing. I shouted to her desperately that she could not die. If she died, it would be one corpse with two lives, no, one corpse with three lives. There was also a child less than two years old. He was still alive and he was crying.
I want my mother.
However, she died after all. Before she died, she looked directly at me. I knew what she meant. She was begging me, not asking me to save her. She wanted me to take her child away and not leave him behind.
.
She is not me, but when I saw her imploring eyes, I cried, really cried. Even all my comrades in the same squad died in the battle, and I was all alone on the way back.
I never cried like that.
Because my home is in North China, and the Japanese are already there. Will my mother, wife, and sisters be killed by Japanese planes like this woman? My son, will anyone save him?
I don’t know, I was just a big soldier at that time, and I could only vent my worries and sadness with tears. Until an officer whipped me hard with a riding crop and told me that war does not believe in tears. As a man, just stand.
Get up and fight back to North China.
He was right. I carried my two-year-old child on my back, and together with a few friends from my hometown, we headed south and then north along the death-strewn road until we met our team. I never thought about what the future would bring.
I only have one thought: I want to protect my hometown and my parents, wife and children.
Look, how wonderful life is now!"
The veteran closed his eyes. Although his face was full of tears, he still smiled with satisfaction.
Tang Dao knew that because his wish came true, he not only protected his parents, wife and children, but also his hometown and the entire country.
However, those sorrows were still a hurdle in his heart, a hurdle that was difficult to overcome.
Coming to this time and space, perhaps many things can be forgotten, but it is difficult for Tang Dao to forget the tearful smile of the veteran. The tears are left in this era, and the smile is left to tomorrow.
Perhaps, the little butterfly can come here because of its own cause and effect.
As the army of the future and the army of the present, Tang Dao knows that he may not be able to prevent the entire tragedy from happening, but he can also make the Japanese army heartbroken. The last time he was in Sihang Warehouse, now Songjiang is also a good choice.
.
This is the real reason why Tang Dao must accompany the 43rd Army southward to Songjiang.
...........
The military order came down quickly, and as the vanguard of the entire army, the Sixing Battalion and the two infantry companies led by Lao Wang immediately headed for Songjiang.
The Sixings Battalion was in a fighting state, with two shoulders and one head, and guns on their backs. There was nothing to deal with. Most of the heavy weapons had been issued to the 26th Division, but several trucks came out empty.
Naturally, all the vacated trucks were requisitioned by Lao Wang. About 200 people were packed into five trucks. 98 people from the Fourth Line Camp were also squeezed into three trucks. The other two trucks were naturally loaded with various
Heavy equipment and ammunition.
As for the food, each person carries one and a half kilograms of fried rice, which is the standard amount of food for the entire army for three days. It couldn't be simpler, but it made Lao Wang and his subordinates smile.
This is already considered a good meal, at least it can barely fill the stomach. Since there is no baggage and supplies these days, the entire 43rd Army has an average of two or two meters of food every day. For breakfast, one person also came to canned Japanese beef, which lasted until the afternoon.
no problem.
The five wounded soldiers of the Sixing Battalion stayed in the camp together with the more than 200 wounded soldiers of the 43rd Army, ready to retreat at any time, so they had less worries.
Although the load of trucks has increased significantly, fortunately, the Japanese army's baggage teams carry spare fuel with their vehicles. Not to mention a trip to Songjiang, which is only about ten kilometers away from here, and another seven or eight round trips are probably not a big problem.
That is to say, they are afraid of Japanese aircraft. If they see a few bombs dropped on a convoy, with the current crew density, the group will almost be wiped out.
Looking at the creaking convoy of people and trucks that were squeezed by the shock absorbers, Tang Dao was originally worried about this problem, but Lao Wang was not worried at all: "If you go to Songjiang, a dead-end place, you will die early or late.
, if you are killed by a Japanese plane, you can only blame bad luck. Instead of worrying here, it is better to get on the road as soon as possible."
He doesn't have any great principles, but he is very open-minded about life and death.
The motorcade set off in the morning sun.
The straight-line distance between the 43rd Army station and Songjiang is only 11 kilometers. Although the trucks were packed with personnel and supplies, they were slow.
But at 8 o'clock, not long after the sun had just jumped above the horizon, Tang Dao and Lao Wang were already standing side by side in front of the gate of the ancient city of Songjiang.
Perhaps because they slept in, the Japanese pilots missed the opportunity to leave hundreds of Chinese soldiers on the road in one fell swoop.
Songjiang City must have been notified a long time ago. The city gate was wide open. A middle-aged man wearing a woolen general's uniform, long riding boots, glasses and a mustache with an elegant face led a team
People have already come out from a distance to welcome him.
Although it is only the Songjiang Security Group and not a regular army, the rank of major general on the collar badge is not false.
Tang Dao and Lao Wang were the first to perform the military salute.
The man returned a military salute that was not formal. He first glanced hopefully at the hundreds of people who jumped off the convoy, and then looked into the distance. Obviously, he did not see the billowing smoke and dust that followed the large group of people.
"Which army are the brothers from?" Wang Gongyu, the inspector general of the Third Administrative Region of Suzhou Province, the head of Songjiang County and the commander of the Songjiang Security Group, asked eagerly after his official position was introduced by the adjutant.
"The 26th Division of the 43rd Army!"
"Four Elements Camp!"
As soon as these two numbers came out, Commissioner Wang was absolutely confused for a moment.
Where did the 43rd Army come from? What is the Sixth Battalion?
The 43rd Army belongs to the Sichuan Army, a well-known faction in the country. It has no reputation at all. The battle of Dachang Town is famous, but it is only within the theater and is not well-known nationwide. Let alone the Four Lines Battalion. There is one
The title is very cool, but it is just an infantry battalion, which makes people feel sad.
Especially when the Japanese army is about to invade the territory in large numbers.
...
PS: It’s 490,000 words. In order to ensure that the first chapter V will be released when it reaches 500,000 words, Fengyue will only update one chapter tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Please be patient. By noon next Tuesday, Fengyue will update the basic chapter 4.
If the subscription results and monthly ticket results exceed Fengyue’s expectations, Fengyue will make additional updates in the evening. The specific update plan should be mentioned in the launch speech, so I won’t go into details here!
I wish you all a happy Dragon Boat Festival and good health to your family.
