The bright sun in the west shines on the camp in the east of Xiangyang City. Summer cicadas keep chirping on the trees. The long drought without rain has caused the surface to be dry and hot. Almost half of the thousands of prisoners of war are naked and sweaty, holding rough sea bowls in their hands.
Long winding lines were formed waiting for the meals to be distributed. The officers and soldiers who got the meals first happily gathered under the eaves of the barracks or under the big trees, talking in groups.
A 30-year-old veteran with an unshaven beard and a thin upper body with ribs exposed sighed: "Since I was a soldier at the age of 16, this is the first time I have seen meat-smelling meals in the camp every day.
If you can work hard in the Anjia Army, this soldier is worth it."
The brothers around him echoed incessantly, one said that the Anjia Army was a famous iron army and would not take in bastards like us, the other said that fighting between the two armies was a matter of life and death, and it would be good if one could survive, and they should wait to be dismissed!
Everyone's expressions were darkened. A man with a long scar on the left side of his face and a messy hair finished the rice in the bowl in two mouthfuls, stretched out his tongue and licked clean the bits of meat and oil stains on the edge of the bowl, clicked his mouth a few times, and squatted down.
He moved a few steps closer to the veteran: "Uncle Man, what do you think the An family army will do to us?"
The veteran put his well-fed rice bowl at his feet, took off his rubber-soled insoles and sat under his buttocks, lovingly patted the dust on the legs of his newly minted trousers, took out his short cigarette pouch, filled it with a pot of shredded tobacco, and lit it.
Match took a few puffs, and then he looked around with satisfaction at the seven or eight brothers who were staring at him and waiting for the answer: "After several days of secret observation, and last night I quietly asked a fellow quartermaster who was responsible for distributing towels.
…”
"Wait! Uncle Man, did you say that the big man who handed out towels last night was from our village?" Lu Zhang, a tall and thin superior soldier in the circle, asked in surprise.
"Are our fellow countrymen included in the Anjia Army?" Another brother asked in surprise with his eyes widened as he forgot to eat.
The veteran coughed, took another puff of cigarette, exhaled the smoke slowly, and nodded heavily: "Yes, he is a fellow villager of Yima, and he was once a herald in a handsome team. He lives in the south of the county.
Lipu, last May he learned that An
After hearing the news that the general had come to provide disaster relief in western Hubei, he quietly escaped from the general's 21st Division and ran home. He took the whole family and more than 300 half-starved villagers to the south overnight. Relying on his familiarity with the military defense areas,
Hundreds of people walked in hiding for seventeen days.
After arriving at Lijiagang in the north of Fancheng, they were finally rescued by the brothers under General An. The whole village was immediately sent to the outskirts of Gancheng in western Hunan to resettle in a new village. They all lived in newly built wooden houses and were assigned to brothers from the local guard team and engineers to cultivate the land.
land
, every family received a month's supply of grain, farm tools, and seeds. More than 70 young men and women in the village also worked in the factory opened by Zhang Junzuo of the 44th Army, and received a salary of ten oceans a month.
I live a steady life and am richer than in my hometown.
Later, we, a fellow countryman, responded to Zhang Junzuo’s call and joined the army again. Because he was literate and familiar with military affairs, he was selected to join the military training team for training. After three months, he was promoted to a non-commissioned officer and assigned to the munitions department. In this war, he and more than a dozen
This brother was ordered to reinforce General An's Fifth Army Corps. When he arrived here, he was assigned to the Military Supplies Department of the General Headquarters and was responsible for the distribution of military supplies at the Xiangyang Military Station. Yesterday, I knew from his accent that he was one of our Yima people.
After finishing the towel, I quietly chased him out and asked him. This guy refused to say anything at first. When I asked urgently, he answered, saying that he would probably give each of us two oceans of severance pay to go to the game. Alas... this
Two oceans are enough
That's cool, but how will we live in the future? The disaster in our hometown is getting worse and worse, with rotting corpses everywhere. I heard that the plague has spread to several counties in northwestern Henan. Isn't it hard to escape death when we go back? We are really destined to die.
It’s bitter!”
The brothers lamented for a while, hanging their heads weakly, and the veterans raised their heads after knocking on the sucking pipe, and suddenly saw a heroic man with a smile on the face of half a bowl of rice and squatted in front of him.
When did he come?
The veterans saw young people wearing a camouflage summer dress. On their feet, the green high -waist canvas glue shoes like all the fifth legion officers and soldiers, her eyes were bright, her look was calm, and she looked extraordinary.
There are no famous brands above the left pocket, but there are pens, obviously a cultural person, at least a secretary.
Seeing that the well -known veterans did not dare to neglect, hurriedly stood up and greeted respectfully.
The young man stood up, stretched out his hand to pull the veteran and squat, and picked up the rice in the bowl three times in a surprised eyes, put the rough sea bowl on the feet, took out the old Nanchang tobacco factory to produce
The "military merit" cigarettes are distributed in a circle. Please smoke with a good official saying and chanting. After finishing your own, you can ignite the two sips, and look at the old soldier with a smile:
"Uncle Man, this year, Gui Geng ... Squat, squat down! No need to be so polite, the little nephew came here to do it here, just by the time of dinner, you can taste the meals made by the police team to see it.
How about it……"
"... Okay! I ate white meat yesterday. There is a spoonful of broth in this meal tonight.
The young man smiled and said, "Uncle, uncle, the meals you have eaten these days are the same as the combat forces. You eat what you eat. There is no difference.
I picked out to cook from the among you. I know what the brothers of the police team eat. I tried a large bowl today.
Everyone laughed and smiled. The veterans saw the young people who spoke so well, and they were no longer so polite. Look at the mellow cigarettes between their fingers.
Smooth such a special cigarette of the army, right? "
"That's it. From ordinary soldiers to senior officers, each person can get a certain amount of supply every month. This is the basic benefit!" The young man smiled brilliantly to the envy everyone, turned to the veteran:
"Uncle Man, you haven't told your nephew, how old are you this year?"
The veteran was stunned, and then shook his head and laughed at himself: "Thirty -five, not aware of it. After almost twenty years of soldiers, it is still superior soldiers. Think about it. It’ s really ashamed! Little brother, you look like the people of Nanjing House, right?
How long have you been in Anjiajun? What are the ranks of mixing? "
"The little nephew's hometown in Chengdu, but now Nanjing and Lao Nanchang have a foothold ... By the way, Uncle Man, the little nephew listening to the police team, most of your thousands of people are unwilling to go home.
What about it? Are you unwilling to go back here? What should I do if I do n’t go back home? "The young man asked.
"Well, it has been a long time for breaking food over his hometown. It is estimated that the family is almost starved to death at this time.
The machine gunman Lu Yu screamed helplessly, and the brothers also said the same meaning.
"I go back and useless. My hometown is on the north of Bao Ling. In recent years, the coal mining has lost all the land. After returning, drink the Northwest Wind?" The scar face answered angrily.
The young man asked: "This old brother, what's the matter?"
"I went down the coal with my father at the age of thirteen. Two gas explosions did not want to leave, leaving a small life for me, but my father, uncle and more than 50 uncle in the village were gone. Four years ago
Feng Dashuai opened the coal mine again, and I would leave a tunnel with a bit of blasting technology. After more than three years of money, I did not make money. All according to the coal bureau, it was dedicated to the construction of the new Henan.
At the end of last year, I was sick at home, and the Great Big Bang suddenly occurred on the day of illness. The tunnels in the entire mining area collapsed, and more than 300 people died at once.
Live and encounter a big disaster again. How can the bark live? I haven't returned in the past few months. I am afraid that all people in the village are starving to death.
It is estimated that you can act as a cuisine, sell a few money for the family to continue his life. "
The man with scars on his left face finished speaking in a heavy tone, shook his head sighing, and then he was full of unreasonable expression. Everyone sighed after hearing it, and he knew what the cuisine was.
When a cuisine can get the family, the family can live for a while, and the original bloody and miserable things can no longer inspire any sympathy and compassion. It seems that everyone is numb.
The young officer's eyes were sad, silent, and sighed secretly, turning to the scar face, asking, "What is the name of the old man? How old is it? How to be a soldier?"
"My name is Chen Shi, and his ancestral home was in Shanxi. Twenty years ago, my father fled to the western Henan's foot. In the third year, I had me. I was just twenty -four years old this year. The coal mine was gone at the end of last year.
To revolution, to defeat Jiang Zhongzheng, the head of the new troops who criminals, to build a New China, there are a few tricks to be transferred to the engineering company.
After seeing it, I was captured in a blink of an eye. I said that my life was cheap. It seems that this is the case. If I was kicked out of this barracks this time, I don't know if I would have passed ... "Chen Shiwei answered desperately.
Chen Shiqi's words resonated with everyone. The veterans saw An Yi full of sadness, compassion, and thought, and asked with a boldness: "Brother, can Anjiajun accept it?
Soldier, eat Anjiajun's meal! "
"Why must I stay in the Anjia Army? When I go back, I will join other troops, but can I eat meals?" An Yi lowered his head and smoked and answered.
"Different, different! An Jiajun is benevolent, Anjiajun's chief who does not fight or scolds him, and also sent to clothes and shoes.
The drag of the dragging is to send a poor money several times a year, and it is necessary to be deducted by the chief, and the injury is even more incredible. Seeing that the wounded was a little bit severely slaughtered and buried.
The medicine is also wasting food in vain, and compared with the An family of Renyi, it is the difference between the heavens and the earth! If the Anjiajun can really keep it, we only want to eat a full stomach, do not want money to fight hard, no matter who he fights,
It is to let me fight the king Laozi, anyway, die sooner or later! "The veteran finally said what they thought, and the brothers around them all said.
An Yi sighed longly: "Uncle Man, what you said made my nephew feel uncomfortable! Think about it, everyone, when we are saying this, how many people are dying of hunger and disease every day in western Henan, northern Henan and the entire northwest.
People? And you, you have become a soldier, how can you still have any dignity as a soldier? You are all trying to survive just for food, and you have to endure endless humiliation and torture... This soldier
It’s... not worth it!”
At this time, the assembly horn sounded, and a loud voice came from behind everyone: "Report to the commander, the whole battalion will assemble after dinner. Please go to the north playground to review the platform and give a lecture!"
The people present suddenly looked up and saw seven or eight generals standing neatly in front of them, paying attention to the young man. Dozens of well-armed and capable guards around them had their eyes shining brightly, full of vigilance. A group of captive soldiers were all scared to crawl.
Get up and stand at attention cautiously.
The young man stood up, nodded to the general and guards behind him, stepped forward to hold the veteran's trembling hand, and said kindly:
"Uncle Man, and fellow brothers, my name is An Yi, Commander of the Fifth Army Corps. I want to say a few words from the bottom of my heart to you later. Thank you for telling me so many truths...Chen Shishi, the post-disbanded headquarters
Someone from the secret service will come looking for you. I hope you will arrive.
I have formed a new army and show your true abilities! Also, if you are willing to be my soldier, An Yi, from today on, stand upright, follow me, An Yi, and be upright from now on.
Mighty and unyielding Chinese soldiers! Goodbye!"
An Yi put on his soft hat, saluted Uncle Man and all the brothers with dignity, turned around, and strode towards the playground to the north, surrounded by dozens of generals.
Uncle Man, Chen Shishi and others stared blankly at An Yi's tall back disappearing among a group of generals, each with their mouths open and unable to close. Uncle Man was trembling, his eyes were blurred, his legs and feet were weak and he fell to the ground with a thud.
…
On the playground, more than 8,000 captive soldiers all put on gray cloth military uniforms and stood under the setting sun, anxiously waiting for their fate.
The captured officers and soldiers with anxious and depressed looks on their faces, the majestic bodies of all the security officers and soldiers in the camp, and the sudden appearance of teams of the Fifth Regiment wearing new camouflage uniforms, helmets, and machine guns from around the playground.
From the solemn expressions of nearly a hundred generals and school officers on the elite level, they realized one after another that the moment that decided their fate was coming.
An Yi climbed up to the high platform, walked out of the ranks of generals, came to the stage, and slowly glanced at the gray and captured officers and soldiers under the stage. After a long time, he swallowed hard, raised his head slightly and said loudly: "My name is An Yi
, Lieutenant General Commander of the Fifth Army Corps, today is the first time to visit the brothers."
There was a commotion in the audience, and there was a constant "buzzing" sound. The military police scattered around the playground blew their whistles and yelled for silence. It took a while to calm down.