Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Regiment Headquarters
“Report!”
“Come in.”
“Regimental Commander, Division Headquarters is calling.”
“Read it.”
“Order: The 66th Regiment of the 33rd Brigade of the 11th Division must retake Luodian by noon today, or military law will be enforced.”
“That's it?”
“That’s it!”
“Understood. You may leave.”
“Yes.”
A slightly younger officer of the Nationalist Army walked to the map and stared intently at a point in the center.
“Regimental Commander, how should we fight?”
“How to fight? Hit them hard and show the Japanese what we’re made of. Is the 106th Regiment raised on milk? They can’t hold for even half a day? And we have to clean up the mess.”
“Regimental Commander, we can’t blame the 106th Regiment entirely; after all, their equipment is too outdated. Given the bombardment from Japanese planes and artillery, holding out for half a day is already impressive.”
"Alright, stop talking about this. Gather all officers above the rank of lieutenant for a meeting. We need to take Luodian before ten o'clock."
"Understood."
One Team position, 7:50.
Company Commander Jin Li stood on an ammunition box: "Regimental Commander has ordered us to take Luodian before ten o'clock today. I, Jin Li, will not speak empty words or make grand statements. I want to tell you that behind us is Shanghai, behind us are the common people. Since we have put on this Military Uniform, we must take on this responsibility. Defending our home and country is our duty as soldiers. I will lead the charge; if I fall, Deputy Company Commander will take over. If Deputy Company Commander falls, Platoon Leader will step up. If Platoon Leader falls, then the squad leader will take over. Even if the entire company falls, we must complete the mission. Do you all understand?"
"We understand!" A unified roar echoed from the Second Company position.
"Good, very good. Now let's distribute ammunition. Fire hard and let the Little Devils know that we Chinese are not to be trifled with. When the artillery fire stops, charge with me."
7:55. Inside the trench.
About a kilometer ahead, the Japanese position should be ablaze with gunfire. The 11th Division is a direct unit of Chiang Kai-shek, so they have ample ammunition. The division's artillery battalion is continuously pouring ammunition onto the Luodian Japanese defenders, paving the way for the 66th Regiment's charge.
7:59.
The previously dense sound of artillery began to weaken gradually. Two Japanese reconnaissance planes appeared in the sky again, likely searching for the Artillery positions.
Inside the trench, Zhao Tiezhu gripped his Rifle tightly, constantly reminding himself not to be afraid, not to be afraid, not to be afraid.
Wang Shunliu was beside him, repeatedly patting his head and saying something to him.
8:00
With a shout from the Company Commander: "Charge with me!" The soldiers of One Team jumped out from their hiding places in the trench, rifles in hand, charging bravely toward the Japanese Army Position.
“Zhao Tiezhu, what the hell do you want to do? Are you going to be a coward? Do you believe I can take you out right now?”
Zhao Tiezhu crouched in the trench, trembling as the continuous sounds of explosions and gunfire tormented his nerves.
The Platoon Leader's words had no effect; Second Squad’s Platoon Leader slapped Zhao Tiezhu twice across the face, snapping the already frightened Zhao Tiezhu back to reality.
“Stop dawdling and charge with me, or I’ll take you out.”
“Oh, yes, Platoon Leader.”
Awakened by the slap, Zhao Tiezhu hurriedly grabbed his Rifle, his legs shaking as he jumped out of the trench and charged toward the Japanese Army Position.
Corpses, stray bullets, and the sounds of explosions mixed together, with occasional cries of agony echoing around him.
Tie Zhu found himself at the back of the entire squad, burying his head as he ran forward. He had only one thought in his mind: charge, keep moving forward.
It felt like a strange voice was calling him from somewhere; it sounded so familiar, but he couldn’t tell where it was coming from. It seemed to surround him from all directions.
Suddenly, Tie Zhu felt someone pull him, and he fell to the side. Wang Shunliu was shouting something at him.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Why are you running so fast?”
Finally hearing clearly, Shunliu Brother complained that he was running too fast. Wasn’t he the last one to jump out of the trench?
Zhao Tiezhu looked around in confusion; without realizing it, he had already charged from the back of the squad to the front.
Not far away, Xiao Si was struggling on the ground, letting out painful wails. Tie Zhu wanted to save him, but just as he prepared to get up, he was forcefully pushed down by Wang Shunliu.
"Do you want to die? He's beyond saving; the bullet hit his chest, and he's lost too much blood."
Tie Zhu seemed not to hear and tried to crawl out to pull Si Er closer to him.
Wang Shunliu slapped Tie Zhu hard across the face. Tie Zhu felt a buzzing in his ears, and he fell silent, tears uncontrollably streaming from his eyes.
"Why are you crying? Follow me closely, don't get lost."
Wang Shunliu quickly got up from the ground and crouched forward to charge ahead.
Once Tie Zhu saw Shunliu Brother leave, he immediately panicked and scrambled to get up, wiping his face with muddy hands.
There were still over seven hundred meters to the Japanese Army Position. This distance was outside the effective range of the Japanese Army's Type 38 rifle, but stray bullets occasionally whizzed by from both sides, causing some casualties among the charging soldiers, like Si Er.
As Tie Zhu ran past Si Er's body, he stole a glance. His eyes were wide open, mouth agape, hands clutching his bullet-ridden chest. Although his eyes had lost their sparkle, Tie Zhu could still feel as if he were saying, "Why didn't you save me? Why didn't you save me?"
Startled, Tie Zhu hurriedly ran forward. He wanted to find Shunliu Brother; he was scared. He wanted to go home; he wanted to see his mother whom he had never met.
As he ran, tears continued to fall; death was truly looming right before him.
A sharp sound of something cutting through the air echoed from the direction of the Japanese Army Position.
"Mortar!" The Company Commander shouted from somewhere.
Hearing the sound of cannon fire, Tie Zhu became even more frightened. He didn't know what to do and stood helplessly on the battlefield, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
A shell landed not far from him, and a loud explosion sent dirt and shockwaves that knocked Tie Zhu to the ground.
"Tie Zhu!" A voice of alarm came from nearby as Wang Shunliu crawled out of a shell crater and rushed towards Tie Zhu.
Wang Shunliu cleared the dirt off Tie Zhu's face with his hands. Lying on the ground, Tie Zhu smiled weakly and said, "Shunliu Brother, you’re here! Where did you run off to? I was scared."
As soon as he finished speaking, some remaining dirt slipped into Tie Zhu's mouth.
"Cough, cough, cough."
"Are you okay, Tie Zhu? You scared me to death. I told you to stick with me; why did you run off?"
Wang Shunliu pulled Tie Zhu up from the ground, helped him pick up his gun, and then dragged him down into the shell crater where the explosion had just occurred.
New soldiers are afraid of shells; veterans are afraid of the bugle.
Terrified by the cannon fire, Tie Zhu finally regained a bit of courage as he followed Wang Shunliu.
At that moment, an urgent bugle call sounded from behind the position; it was time to charge.
Comment 0 Comment Count