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墨書 Inktalez
Closer, even closer! I couldn't help but hold my breath, my heart seeming to leap into my throat. A quick glance at Ayu revealed he was in a similar state, his face pale and covered in sweat.
Indeed, who wouldn't be afraid in such a situation?
I gripped my rifle tightly; I would rather face a pack of wolves than confront something unknown. I strained my eyes to see ahead, knowing that my uncorrected vision was 20/20, but the dim moonlight only allowed me to see about five or six meters ahead. Beyond that, everything became a blur.
My anxiety grew as the silent group had already arrived right in front of us!
When the first figure entered my line of sight, I couldn't help but shout!
There were guns! Soldiers! Which unit could possibly appear at this time? I nearly shouted out the command.
Fortunately, I held back, as more and more soldiers appeared behind the initial group. I quickly discerned the situation of this unit.
What kind of unit was this? Each soldier wore a solemn expression, their eyes straight ahead. They appeared to be of various ages, some wearing military caps while others donned steel helmets. Their uniforms were yellow and mostly tattered, stained with blood. Many had their legs wrapped and wore cloth shoes; some even wore straw sandals. Many carried rifles that were hard to identify, while others bore great swords. They looked weary and battle-worn, as if they had just come from a fierce conflict. The formation was orderly, with four soldiers per row, moving silently past us as if we didn't exist.
Ayu and I instinctively took a few steps back, staring blankly as the unit passed by. My mind was a blank slate because I knew this was not any current force; who were they? How did they end up here?
At that moment, Ayu leaned on my shoulder and whispered in a low voice, "Look at their left chest and the steel helmets!" I strained to see what was on their chests and noticed many wore badges resembling palm-sized insignias with writing on them, but it was too dark to make out the words.
I then looked at their steel helmets; they had an odd design that seemed familiar but definitely did not belong to our forces or any foreign army. Just then, one soldier wearing a steel helmet passed right in front of me. As I looked up, I suddenly saw a pale blue emblem on the side of his helmet!
The Kuomintang Army! I nearly jumped up!
This was impossible! My first reaction was disbelief; my second reaction was instinctively raising my rifle. However, just as I lifted it, a hand reached out from beside me and pressed it down.
It was Ayu. I immediately realized my inappropriate reaction; just as I had suspected, this was indeed not a human unit. The group I saw that night must have been this very unit.
I slowly pulled Ayu back a few more steps and whispered in his ear, "Did you see? It's an army from the Kuomintang era!"
Ayu nodded and whispered, "I just saw it too; it's truly unbelievable. I thought I was dreaming."
"No, we aren't dreaming. This is real; we might have seen a ghost!"
Ayu fell silent, watching for a while. I found it strange and stood quietly beside him, observing the marching group. Suddenly, Ayu leaned in again and said, "I don't think it's a ghost. Look at them; they are moving in an orderly formation, almost like a scene from a movie."
His comment reminded me of something I had read in a science book years ago about a phenomenon called "magnetic recording." Essentially, it suggested that in certain locations with unique geological features, if conditions were right—such as rainy weather—sounds from the past could be recorded and played back under similar circumstances many years later.
I whispered this to him, and Ayu agreed that it was quite possible.
People often feel less afraid once they find a reasonable explanation for what they see. After our initial fear subsided, we found ourselves stepping closer to observe the procession.
"Look, Maxim! Heavy Machine Gun!" Ayu whispered. I saw four men carrying a Heavy Machine Gun as they passed by. "It's air-cooled; equipment from World War I is still being used in World War II. No wonder they are always suppressed by the Japanese Army's mortars," Ayu murmured to himself.
I wasn't paying much attention to the weapons; instead, I was observing the discipline and spirit of the soldiers. Previously, whether from television or radio, I had always thought that the Nationalist troops lacked combat effectiveness and discipline. However, seeing them now made me realize that although their equipment was average, their morale was quite good. They marched quickly and orderly, indicating that their combat capability should not be underestimated.
Gradually, Ayu and I became less fearful and even stood side by side chatting about the troops. Being a local, Ayu knew quite a bit about the area's history. He mentioned that the Guangxi Army was actually very strong. One example was during the Guilin Campaign when the Japanese Army suffered massive casualties from strong assaults and eventually resorted to using gas attacks against the defending forces in Guilin. Most defenders had never encountered gas before and didn't know how to avoid it, leading to many casualties from poisoning. Among them were 800 Guangxi Army soldiers (mostly injured) who resisted the Japanese Army at Seven Star Rock for several days. After losing nearly a thousand men, the Japanese Army released gas into Seven Star Rock, where many Guangxi soldiers succumbed to poisoning. The remaining soldiers fought back with whatever strength they had left but ultimately perished due to exhaustion and lack of ammunition. Meanwhile, scattered units outside the city and local militias desperately sniped at the Japanese Army, effectively tying down their forces attacking Guilin City.
I held no prejudice against the National Revolutionary Army; during the war of resistance, the Kuomintang forces indeed bore much of the combat burden and produced many outstanding commanders like Zhang Zizhong, Fu Zuoyi, and Sun Liren. According to domestic historians' statistics, there were numerous major battles during the war (with over 100,000 troops involved), including 1,117 large-scale engagements in Changsha alone. The battles at Pingxingguan and Taierzhuang were also significant encounters among 891 types of battles overall. During this period of resistance, the Kuomintang Army lost around 10,000 men; the Air Force lost 41 personnel along with 468 aircraft; nearly all naval vessels were destroyed. Six Kuomintang generals died on the battlefield during this anti-Japanese campaign. In just the first four months of resistance, out of 15,000 young officers from Whampoa Military Academy, 10,000 lost their lives in battle. Looking at this quiet Guangxi army before me, I could easily imagine that many years ago on a night like this one—despite outdated equipment and flawed combat strategies—they still rushed toward the front lines without hesitation. At that moment, I felt a deep respect for this army.
"Ayu," I said, "it's incredible that soldiers from both old and new generations would meet under such circumstances! Regardless of political views, we must pay our respects to them. I believe that from now on our military will never allow any foreign army to step onto our soil! Salute!"
With that, I stood at attention, gripping my rifle (right hand on the stock and left hand on the foregrip) as I saluted the marching troops before us. Ayu followed suit.
By this time, the procession was nearly over; at last came a lone figure who appeared somewhat older than the rest. He wore a steel helmet and his uniform bore three red stripes with two stars (which I later learned indicated he was a lieutenant colonel). A pistol hung at his waist—he seemed to be their commander.
We watched as they passed by us. I let out a breath of relief and turned to Ayu. "Let's go; don't mention tonight's events to anyone." Ayu nodded in agreement and turned to continue walking. Before he fully turned away, I cast one last glance at that troop.
What I saw shattered all my previous perceptions: just as the commander’s figure was about to disappear into the darkness, he turned back and smiled at us! Then he vanished into the night.
I was almost scared to the point of collapsing; this was no mere reenactment! This was a real ghost! Suddenly, I recalled the folklore about Yinbing Xing. It is said that after ancient or modern armies suffered defeat, their lingering resentment, combined with the circumstances of the time and geographical environment, would lead to the emergence of these Yin Soldiers. These spirits often remained united, their minds trapped in the moment of battle, believing they had not yet died and still needed to fight to uphold their military honor. Such Yin Soldiers typically appeared in remote, desolate places, which is why few have witnessed them. In a remote area of Yunnan, there were reports of sightings that caused quite a stir, but eventually, all news was suppressed. Those who had seen them recalled that they were likely the spirits of a National Army unit from the Anti-Japanese War.
Additionally, Yunnan's Surprised Horse Trough is quite famous. At the end of the Colorful Sand Forest lies a high ridge known as Great Battle at Horse Slope. Halfway up this slope is an ancient site called Battle Horse Slope, where a stone juts out with the words "Dismounting Stone" inscribed on it. Local villagers say, "Strange phenomena occur ahead; since ancient times, anyone arriving here must dismount." Further along, another stone bears the inscription "Startling Horse Stone." To its right is a dark cliff above a chilling ravine that locals call Surprised Horse Trough. The eerie cries and wails of Yin Soldiers emanate from this gorge. Horses blessed by the spirit of the land become startled when they reach Startling Horse Stone; even whipping them won't coax them past Surprised Horse Trough.
Could it be that we encountered such a Yin Soldier? Regardless, it seemed that they bore no ill will and were merely passing through. However, I couldn't shake off the fear from earlier when Ayu and I had stood by the roadside like spectators, pointing and whispering.
At that moment, Ayu turned around and asked curiously, "Aren't you coming? What are you looking at?" I wiped my sweat and replied, "Nothing. Let's go; we've wasted too much time."
After that incident, we dared not linger any longer and hurried directly toward the riverbank.
As we quickened our pace and finally approached the riverbank, I could already hear the sound of flowing water. Suddenly, Ayu stopped again. My heart sank—what now?
"There’s another group ahead!"
What the hell?!
...
(To be continued; tomorrow will be even more exciting!)
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