Twenty-six: I saw the battlefield outside the city

Wang Mingming decided to go to the Chinese army to condolence, and this matter was a big thing for her to call the shots after her mother-in-law left. She's not trying to be in the limelight. It was Hadron who brought good news about her parents that inspired her.

Hadron's arrival brought her closer to the army. For the first time, she felt that a soldier is a person with parents, a wife and children, and a person of flesh and blood and affection.

What did they swear to defend Nanjing for? They should be thanked and condoled. But she didn't know what to bring to comfort the army.

She asked the old butler: "I am going to visit the army, you go with me." What is there at home that you can take out as a condolence gift. If you can't, you can buy some on the street. ”

The old housekeeper asked: "There are so many soldiers in the city, which side of the officers and soldiers does the third aunt want to condole?" ”

Wang Mingming said: "The soldier from the family, he is from Yanziji, a neighbor of my mother's family, and a friend I played with when I was a child.

"He was the commander of the artillery company, and they were stationed at Tongjimen, and his troops were stationed in that area. The combat mission of their artillery company was to prepare for street battles with the devils who entered the city.

"Now they haven't got into trouble with the devils. I'm going to visit them tomorrow. Let's see what kind of condolences to send. ”

The old butler said with emotion: "The soldier of the artillery company you said is really good, we have such a soldier and we will definitely be able to defeat the Japanese army." There are not many people in the artillery company, and the condolences are easy to purchase.

"We are here to comfort the officers and soldiers. They don't need snacks, they don't need nourishment, I'll go and prepare some fish and pork and get some chickens and ducks, and I have ten boxes of wine in the store. ”

The old butler thought about it and thought it was okay. He said: "Third aunt, do you think it's okay to have such a condolence gift?" ”

What condolences to send, Wang Mingming didn't count in his heart. When the old butler said this, she thought it was very good. She said, "Okay, you're ready to go." ”

Although there are not many condolences, Wang Mingming is still not worried about the safety of these condolences, she is afraid that something will happen on the road. She instructed the old butler to be safe. I want Da Chen to take it and grab it.

The old housekeeper bowed down and said, "Third aunt, don't worry. I'll do it. ”

The next day, the old housekeeper took Da Chen outside for a busy morning to prepare the condolences he wanted. He looked at the condolences carefully again and felt very satisfied.

He hurriedly came to Wang Mingming and said, "Third aunt, the Japanese have surrounded Nanjing on three sides, and nothing can come in.

"There is a lot less meat and fish in the market than in the past. The price is also much higher. I ran a few markets to get these, and I was quite satisfied.

"If it goes on like this, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult in the future. I've already arranged things at home. We hit the road after lunch. ”

After lunch, the old housekeeper Gu's two cars came, and Wang Mingming sat in the car in front of him to lead the way. The goods got on the second car, guarded by the old housekeeper and Da Chen.

The driver was very familiar with the road, and they bypassed the intersection with barricades, and soon arrived at Tongji Gate, where Wang Mingming saw that the street was full of soldiers.

On the city wall in the distance, a large slogan was written in white lime water: 'Pledge to live and die with Nanjing!' 'A word is two people tall. Such a slogan is truly inspiring.

The fortifications built at the gate of the city looked very strong, and the devil's armored vehicles had to destroy them first if they wanted to attack them. There was a price to pay for destroying these fortifications.

The soldiers on duty wore German-style steel helmets, standing in two straight rows. He wore a duty armband on his arm. An automatic gun hangs around the neck. Holding a gun in both hands, it is very powerful.

Wang Mingming had never been here, but she saw that the tower on the Tongji Gate was very majestic. Inside the city gate, there are three gates to form two large city urns.

Wang Mingming has been to Zhonghua Gate, and she has carefully seen the construction of Zhonghua Gate. He found that the architecture of Tongji Gate was very similar to that of Zhonghua Gate.

The city gates were wide open, and all the houses outside the city gates were blown up by the Japanese army. The collapsed courtyard walls of the charred houses and the bricks and rubble all over the streets were very miserable.

The remnants of the wall were all burned out. Left behind black walls and a scorched residue. There was not a single ordinary person in sight on the street, except for the figure of some soldiers.

In Wang Mingming's memory, the streets outside the city are connected to the streets, houses to houses, cars, burdens, and busy crowds of people who come and go in a hurry from morning to night.

She no longer thought that the outside of the city was now in ruins. She looked straight ahead from the ruins, and the Wulong Bridge over the moat was blown out of shape, and the bridge was covered with barbed wire.

A temporary military bridge built by the army next to the Wulong Bridge lies there quietly, and the military bridge is built very strongly. There are absolutely no problems with tanks going up.

Wang Mingming didn't understand why the bridge didn't take it down. It will be used in the offensive of the national army. The devils will also use it to attack the city.

There were corpses floating in the moat, some soldiers, some civilians, and a young woman in a red cotton jacket. How did she die in the river? Wang Mingming shook his head sympathetically.

Wang Mingming slowly looked across the moat, and there were two blown up Nationalist tanks lying on the riverside, which were German-made light tanks.

In the green wheat fields in the distance, the village destroyed by the devils was still smoking. On a dirt road, an armoured vehicle damaged by national artillery was crooked on the side of the road.

Far away, behind a mound of dirt, the flag of the Japanese army loomed from behind the dry woods. Wang Mingming clenched his fists violently when he saw the flag.

She stared blankly at the fields ravaged by the iron hooves of the invaders, as if she heard rumbling armored vehicles rushing towards her with cannons. The soldiers of the national army are fighting back.

Behind the beacon fire and gunsmoke, Japanese soldiers shot at the place with guns. There was a sea of fire in front of her. Women in red cotton jackets ran on stretchers, and they were withdrawn from the military-industrial bridge.

One of the enemy's shells landed on the Wulong Bridge beside them, and the blast of the explosion swept them down the river. The woman in the red cotton jacket did not struggle, she lay quietly in the arms of the mother river.

Wang Mingming's heart was full of grief and indignation. Her gaze shifted again to the woman in the red cotton jacket. She was a compatriot in Nanjing, and an ordinary citizen who dedicated herself to the defense of Nanjing.

A cold wind blew in through the gates, carrying with it the unpleasant smell of scorched earth and the decomposing corpses. The smell is disgusting.

Wang Mingming was also choked and coughed while sitting in the car. She hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and covered her mouth. She saw the soldiers at the gate standing motionless.

They have become accustomed to death. It's nothing.

The car had already stopped. The driver said, "Miss, Tongji Gate has arrived." The car could no longer drive forward. The soldiers were not allowed to go out of the city gates. The devils outside saw it and wanted to shoot cannons. ”

Wang Mingming was awakened, she glanced at the miserable scene outside the city again, and couldn't help sighing. She had heard from the old butler that the devils were attacking the city with howitzers, cannons, and other heavy artillery.

It occurred to her that war had destroyed everything, and that the meaning of this sentence had been only a vague idea in the past, and only today did she realize the meaning of this sentence.

She looked back and forth at herself and said, "This strong man, tell me that he is in Tongjimen, and I don't know where it is, Tongjimen is so big, how can I find it!" ”

She asked the driver: "Do you know where the artillery company is?" She saw the driver shake his head, apparently he didn't know. She looked outside the car, and the soldiers on the side of the road were looking at her car.

She resolutely opened the car door, sat in the car, waved to the soldiers on the side of the road, and said, "Hey. Brother GI, I would like to ask you about something, do you know where the artillery company is? ”

The GIs gathered around them when they saw the beautiful young lady coming to ask for directions, and they stood one step away from the car door and grinned. Stared at Wang Mingming.

A tall soldier said, "Brothers, I said that the capital is the capital, the roads here are wide and the buildings are high, and the young lady looks like a fairy." It's so beautiful.

"Who of you has ever seen such a beautiful young lady. The more I watched, the more I wanted to see it, and I couldn't get enough of it. If I can get such a good wife, it's worth dying. ”

The soldiers standing behind him laughed together. The tall soldier smiled at the big guy, and he took a half step forward with his hands on his chest.