Chapter 137: White Rice

Chapter 137: White Rice

I know something about our army, which was routed during the retreat. It is said that they went to the border before the war began, and never received an order to fight across the border after that. This is actually quite normal, because the troops I fought in Vietnam were not not enough, but not 'fine', and the war had been going smoothly, so some troops did not need to stay at the border at all.

But these troops staying on the border will definitely not agree, this is all open to the border, no one wants to go back without even stepping out of the country's 'gate', right? Why do you have to go to Vietnam and shoot a few shots? Otherwise, it's not to make others laugh at the "spectator troops......

It was with this mentality in mind that this unit repeatedly asked the Guangxi Frontline Command for instructions, resolutely demanding that the troops be allowed to go abroad and temper themselves in a real combat environment.

The front-line command also felt that this request was reasonable, and let the troops who had not fought much in actual combat go to the battlefield for exercise, even if it was just cleaning the battlefield, it would help the troops learn and accumulate actual combat experience. Isn't there a saying? The battlefield is a university hall, and training in the rear for a year may not be as much as learning in a month on a real battlefield. In addition, the battle was nearing the end at this time, and it was expected that there would be no hard battle to fight, so he agreed to the request of this unit to participate in the task of closing the nest and covering the retreat of friendly forces.

But what the superiors didn't take into account was ...... The troops that served as reserves at the border were actually an empty shelf. When the counterattack was fierce, most of the veterans in the reserve troops who had some experience or had been trained were supplemented to other units as supplementary soldiers, and the rest were all recruits who had never fought or had just joined the army for less than a month, and most of them were childish children, and some companies did not even have a complete set of theater maps, and some soldiers even wore plastic sandals when they set off (at this time, they should wear high-waisted, stab-proof and non-slip liberation shoes suitable for mountain combat)......

In addition, the command of this unit was weak, and the front-line command made mistakes one after another, so tragedy inevitably occurred -- a total of 542 people were lost in the besieged regiment, and 407 guns were lost, of which 202 were captured one after another, including the regimental chief of staff, battalion instructors, and more than 10 company and platoon cadres.

The number of Vietnamese prisoners in the entire counterattack against Vietnam launched by our army was less than 300, and this regiment had more than 200 people, accounting for more than 80 percent.

More importantly, the defeat of this force allowed the Vietnamese army to achieve brilliant results, making their "pursuit" more like a pursuit, and "reconquista" more like reconquista......

"Chief!" Thinking of this, I couldn't help but ask the deputy division commander sitting next to me: "This time, I was on the border of Guangxi to cover the retreat of the troops...... Are there any other troops? ”

"Yes!" The deputy division commander nodded and replied, "There are also two other regiments of our division, but they have not yet come up after us." It's not ......."

The deputy division commander smiled bitterly and pointed to the cars in front and back: "These guys are just driving too fast, and they all ran to Lang Son in one go!" If it weren't for you, we would have lost a lot this time! ”

Hearing this, I couldn't help but cry out in my heart - I'm afraid that it was this army that was defeated in history, and it was even very likely that it was this regiment!

"That's right, Camp Commander Cui!" As if remembering something, the deputy division commander said to me apologetically: "You know, we are still carrying out the task of covering the retreat of other troops, so we can only give you a ride......

"It's okay!" I didn't think about it, so I replied: "Anyway, it's almost dark now, and the soldiers are tired from the day's journey, so let's go wherever you go!" ”

"Hmm! That's great! The deputy division commander laughed and said, "It's just right! Then tonight we will be the host, and we will entertain you life-saving benefactors! ”

"Chief's ......"

"Call me Deputy Division Commander Liang!" The deputy division commander shook my hand warmly and said, "My name is Liang Wenlie, we don't need to be called by any other chief, if you really talk about it!" I, the deputy division commander, have never commanded any battles, but you, the battalion commander, are admirable in life and death on the battlefield! ”

"Deputy Division Commander Liang praised it!" I humbled up, and secretly said that this deputy division commander really didn't have any arrogance. is the so-called official level crushes people to death, if this is someone else, let alone what the division commander is, even if it is a regiment commander, I will not admit that I know that the combat experience is not as good, maybe I will condescendingly say: "Xiao Cui!" We fought a good battle just now, so I'll keep up the good work in the future......"

"Deputy Division Commander Liang!" I pretended to say intentionally or unintentionally, "Did your superiors instruct you to withdraw to the country within a few days?" I mean...... The soldiers are quite tired from fighting, and we are separated from the main army, and we are not familiar with the terrain, if you don't go back for long, I will retreat with you! By the way, you can also take a ride! ”

Actually, I didn't do it for this reason, but because I knew that they might be besieged by the Vietnamese army soon, I couldn't help but "care" about it.

"This ...... The superiors didn't say it! Deputy Division Commander Liang replied: "For a task like ours to cover the retreat of other troops, it should depend on the specific situation!" If the other forces withdraw quickly, so will we. While I welcome you to join our troops in the retreat, I do not recommend that you do so. Our mission dictates that we must be at the end of the line! Although the large army of the Yue devils can't keep up with the battle, it's still a little dangerous anyway, isn't it? ”

I couldn't help frowning, listening to Deputy Division Commander Liang's tone, he obviously had some thoughts of contempt for the enemy. But when I think about what the sappers behind me are doing, I don't think it's surprising. We are retreating while blowing up bridges, railways, and highways, plus our army still has a strong artillery cover, so it is impossible for the Vietnamese troops to catch up in large numbers.

Of course, it is impossible for us to blast the mountain roads one by one. In other words, it is still possible for the Vietnamese army to pursue us from the mountain road, but pursuing from the mountain road means that they will not have heavy weapons, nor will they have sufficient supplies, and they will not have many troops.

Under such circumstances, the strength of a regiment of our army can indeed not worry about what will happen, but the fact is that something has really happened to this regiment, and it is still a major matter......

"So be it!" Deputy Division Commander Liang thought for a while and said: "Let's go to Nalong first, that's our first line of defense, then I'll help you get in touch, if there are any troops nearby, I'll let you go and retreat with them, what do you think?" ”

"Thank you, Deputy Division Commander Liang!" I nodded, and Deputy Division Commander Liang's suggestion was so good that I had no reason to refuse, so I had to agree.

"Hey! Thank you for what! Deputy Division Commander Liang patted me on the shoulder enthusiastically and said with a smile: "Let's not say that our mission is to ensure your safe retreat, just because you saved so many of our soldiers, just because you shed so much blood and sweat on the front line, this is what you should do, isn't it?" ”

Feeling Deputy Division Commander Liang's enthusiasm, I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed in my heart - considering that my soldiers had also been living and dying several times, and they finally walked out of the battlefield alive and could go home, so I couldn't bear to bring them to danger again, so I planned to remind Deputy Division Commander Liang verbally, and whether they could escape or not depended on their own creation.

The main problem of this unit is that it has no combat experience, so that when it is sniped by the Vietnamese army, it is a 'chaos' and 'chaos', the command of the cadres makes mistakes one after another, the soldiers lose the courage to fight, and even a company is led by the company commander to 'negotiate' and surrender to the Vietnamese army......

When I thought of this, I secretly made up my mind that I would never let this happen again! The warriors will understand what I'm doing, too!

Looking at the soldiers in the back compartment of the car in front of me through the window glass of the jeep, watching them talking and laughing with Deputy Division Commander Liang's troops, and some of them were so excited that they would soon return to their homeland and hometown, they didn't know that at this moment I had made up my mind to bring them into another danger, so I couldn't help but feel guilty about them.

"Deputy Division Commander Liang!" I lit a cigarette for myself and Deputy Division Commander Liang, and asked thoughtfully in the smoke: "You guys went abroad to fight this time, and you have brought enough ammunition and 'medicine'!" ”

"Of course!" Seeing that my tone suddenly became so deep, Deputy Division Commander Liang couldn't help but glance at me in surprise, and then nodded and said, "You can bring less else, this thing of playing 'medicine' is a life-saving guy, it must be indispensable!" ”

"That's good!" I answered, closed my eyes, and stopped talking.

Now I need to rest, only by recuperating my 'spirit' and recovering my strength, can I have more 'spirit' strength to deal with the dangers that may arise next......

Maybe it was because of the exertion during this time, or maybe the jeep was wobbly and easy to fall asleep, so it didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

"Camp Commander Cui! Camp Chief Cui ......"

"Hmm!" I sat up straight and 'rubbed' my jerky and aching eyes, only to find myself in the middle of several high grounds, with neatly arranged tents and patrolling PLA soldiers everywhere in front of and behind me. By this time it was completely dark, and the warriors had lit piles of bonfires in front of the tents that I felt were particularly glaring......

"It's here!" Deputy Division Commander Liang straightened the military uniform on his body and said, "This is Nalong, come down and rest!" ”

"Deputy Division Commander Liang!" As soon as I got out of the car, I raised my head at the bonfires and said, "It's better to let the soldiers extinguish the bonfires, the artillery observers of the Yue devils will see the fire from afar, and a cannonball will come ......."

"Hmm! To the right ......" Deputy Division Commander Liang hurriedly shouted at the soldiers who were gathered around the bonfire to keep warm: "How many of you...... Put out the fire now! Pass down the order, and no one is allowed to light a fire at night! ”

As soon as the soldiers heard the order, they hurriedly stood up and hurriedly put out the fire with their hands and feet, and some soldiers even burned their shoes or military uniforms because of the fire extinguishing, making the whole scene embarrassing.

Seeing this, I couldn't help frowning secretly, wouldn't it be enough to shovel some soil with a sapper shovel? Do you need this?

"Report!" A cadre-like soldier hurriedly ran up while putting on his military uniform, and stood in front of Division Commander Liang as soon as he 'straightened' up.

"Camp Commander Cui!" Master Liang smiled at me and said, "Come on, come on...... Let's introduce to you, this is Wu Songhe, the commander of the 203rd Regiment of the 608th Division! ”

Then he turned to Head Wu and said, "Head Wu, you definitely can't guess who this is...... He is the character we discuss every day, Camp Commander Cui Weicui! ”

"Yo! It's Camp Commander Cui......" Commander Wu hurriedly greeted me and held my hand and said: "What kind of wind blew you here, I really admired your name for a long time!" You're here, so guide us when you have the chance......"

"How dare you say it!" Master Liang laughed and said, "Camp Commander Cui will guide you as soon as you get out of the car!" This is the battlefield, how can you still let the soldiers make fires at will, fortunately, there is no 'chaos'! ”

"This ......" Commander Wu 'touched' his head in embarrassment: "We are used to lighting fires overnight during this time at the border, and we really didn't expect this!" ”

At this time, the soldiers in the car also got out of the car one by one, and the soldiers of the 608th Regiment shouted at the others as soon as they got off the car: "Comrades! The Second Battalion of Heroes is here! Cui Wei's troops are here...... Comrades, come and welcome! ”

"What? Cui Wei's troops are coming? The other soldiers listened at first with some disbelief, but when they saw that there were indeed groups of blood-stained soldiers getting out of the car, some of them came out of the tent without even putting on their uniforms.

"Take a look, Camp Commander Cui!" Division Commander Liang smiled and said, "Your name and troops have long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people!" ”

I smiled helplessly, feeling a bit like an orangutan being watched in a zoo......

However, fortunately, with Deputy Division Commander Liang and Regiment Commander Wu present, the soldiers of the 608th Regiment were unable to surround our regiment, and considering that I and the soldiers were very tired just after coming down from the battlefield, we quickly arranged a tent for us to rest.

These tents were given to us by the soldiers of the 608th Regiment, there were more than 40 of them, and each tent could sleep five to six people, so it was arranged. Some of the soldiers were also simple, knowing that other soldiers were embarrassed to occupy the dove's nest when they let it out for us, and the soldiers of the 608th Regiment naturally talked about each other and gave in to each other for a while before letting the soldiers into the tent.

I was not as polite as the soldiers, I got into a tent and lay on the straw mat inside, although this was still in the field, but I don't know how many times better than the Vietnamese front.

After a while, the people of the 608th Regiment sent some rice and vegetables up, saying that they were 'delivered' by Deputy Division Commander Liang, knowing that we had not eaten hot food and fresh vegetables on the front line for a long time, so they specially let the cooking class cook some of them, and the soldiers were so moved...... Lined up and served a big bowl of sparse food and ate it.

With the experience of starving during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, I knew that eating too much after a long time of starvation was likely to break people or even kill them, so I passed down the order and stipulated that each person was only allowed to eat two bowls.

"Camp Commander Cui! And what's more! How many ......" The leader of the cooking squad was a little distressed when he heard this order, he looked at the soldiers gobbling up, and came to me with some distress to intercede for the soldiers: "You can't eat this white rice on the front line, we are eating it every day in the back!" Look at what the soldiers have starved them all into? Let's let the warriors eat more......"

"Old comrade!" I replied, "It's not hungry at the front, and there are compressed biscuits and canned food!" But let's gnaw on these for more than ten days and get tired of gnawing the taste, this time everyone can eat white rice and everyone thinks it is fragrant, I am afraid that they will break their stomachs! ”

"Oh!" As soon as I said this, the squad leader of the cooking squad understood, sat next to him and looked at the soldiers in a daze, and sighed: "Alas! It's not easy! It's all young babies who suffered this sin, but fortunately, they all came back alive! It's good to be back! It's good to come back......"

Listening to the words of the old squad leader, and then looking at the way the soldiers squatted on the ground and gulped the food into their mouths, my nose was sour, and tears fell down, and I hurriedly lowered my head to deal with the food in my bowl with all my might.

The long-lost aroma of rice and the long-lost sweetness of green vegetables made me feel like the more I ate, the hungrier I ate, the more I tasted, so much so that I regretted that I could only eat two bowls per person. But the helpless thing is that the military order is like a mountain, and he can't change his words when the order appears, so he can only give up.

After eating enough, I grabbed the kettle and poured a few mouthfuls of "gurgling", only to find that my belly was already bulging.

"Hey! It's fucking fun! Junko 'touched' his belly and said, "Why did I find that this white rice is so delicious before, and the green vegetables are also delicious!" ”

"yes!" Li Zhifu also answered: "When I think of this, we can have food to eat every day and vegetables to eat every day in the future, I feel like a fairy this day!" ”

"Look!" Alziri quipped: "If you want to live a fairy-like life, you still need a daughter-in-law!" ”

The soldiers laughed at the sound of "coaxing". In fact, the soldiers like to talk about 'women' and daughters-in-law in their leisure time, if it weren't for the fact that there were two 'female' soldiers Liu Yun and Yichen in the tent next door, they would have followed this topic a long time ago.

"Comrades!" I said to them, "When you're full, rest for a while, go to bed early!" ”

"Battalion commander!" At this time, a soldier came up and said, "Now that we are full of food and drink, and we are full of energy, can we rest and march!" ”

"Yes! Enough rest in the car, strive to return home as soon as possible! ”

This suggestion was quickly echoed by the other fighters, and I was the only one who replied sullenly: "Less nonsense, give me sleep!" ”

"Yes!" When the soldiers saw that I didn't agree, they didn't dare to say any more, so they reluctantly returned to their positions and got into the bed.

I gritted my teeth and asked myself: Is this fair to the warriors? Is this deceiving the fighters? But what if I don't?