The air is fresh and wildflowers are blooming. Another convoy of military vehicles drove over with loud horns, and the officers and soldiers and civilians cheered. The sound of trumpets and cheers mingled into a symphony of victory, which echoed along the banks of the Grand Canal for a long time.

At this time, Linyi was in an emergency, and Commander Li Zongren transferred the 40th Army to stick to Linyi, and promoted Pang Bingxun to the commander of the Third Army.

Pang Bingxun was giving a combat order: "Even if there is one soldier left, we must fight to the end, in order to be determined to defend Linyi, the military headquarters moved from Zhouzhuang, ten miles away from the city, to the city." The 229th Regiment, the 230th Regiment and the Mortar Battalion led by Commander Liu of the 39th Division and Brigade Commander Huang of the 115th Brigade defended the city inside the city, and the 231st and 232nd regiments of the 116th Brigade and the supplementary regiment led by Deputy Commander Ma Fa were deployed outside the city ......"

After Pang Bingxun's unit took over the defense in Linyi, 77 exiled college and middle school students and middle school teachers from Pingping, Tianjin, Qingdao, and other places came to join the army and volunteer to resist the Japanese.

After seeing it, Pang Bingxun was very moved and said: "Comrades, your patriotic enthusiasm is a great encouragement to our army, and it is enough for you to have this patriotic heart, thank you for coming." Now you are given the travel expenses, please come to the rear area of the country with education and knowledge, because the construction of China in the future will not be possible without you! ”

"We don't go to the rear, we insist on participating in the front line and serving the battlefield!" Xiao Liu, a student from Beijing Normal University, said on behalf of everyone.

These more than 70 teachers and students highly demonstrated the patriotic spirit of the Chinese people and moved Pang Bingxun. Therefore, Pang Bingxun decided to use these more than 70 people as the backbone to establish the "Third Army Field Service Group".

The service group consists of three groups: publicity, organization, and ambulance, each with a team leader and deputy team leader, who are elected by teachers and students. The propaganda group compiled many literary and artistic sketches overnight and performed them among the masses and the officers and men of the company and battalion to propagate the anti-Japanese struggle and save the country and boost the morale of the fighters. The ambulance team is trained by doctors from the military medical department to train the wounded in the use of first-aid drugs and other medical techniques.

Linyi is an important town in southern Lunan and is the intersection of various highways. Nantong Xin'an Town (now Xinyi) to Xuhai, southwest to Taierzhuang, Zaozhuang, northwest Tongfei County, Surabaya, Mengyin, Xintai, northeast Tongju County, Zhucheng. The strategic location of Linyi is related to the safety of Longhai and Jinpu roads, and it is also an important barrier in Xuzhou. The Japanese army attacked Linyi with the Sakagaki Division, precisely in response to the attack on Taierzhuang by the Isogu Division.

There were more than 13,000 people in Pangbu, and after arriving in Linyi, in the face of the enemy's attack, all the officers and soldiers were filled with righteous indignation and vowed to destroy the Japanese invaders. However, due to the continuous increase of troops of the Japanese army to Linyi, the battle situation of Pang Bingxun's department was very critical, and on the 23rd, Juxian was lost.

March 2, a foggy morning.

Pang Bingxun is living in the north of Linyi County.

Suddenly, the scout returned. reported to Pang Bingxun, who was talking to the soldiers: "The enemy is coming, this is Sakagaki personally leading the team, watching its movements, and asking for soup!" ……”

When Pang Bingxun heard this report, his eyes immediately widened.

The officers and men of the 40th Kuomintang Army were even more vigilant when they received the news, and they were all gearing up to fight. Pang Bingxun looked at the map and talked with the fifth deputy commander of Ma Fa. Ma Fa V did not wear a hat; With his arms open, his hairy chest rises and falls, and he is still in a position. Steaming hot. Pang Bingxun asked him: "How many enemies are there?" ”

Ma Fawu may have been in too much of a hurry on the road, and now he not only wiped the sweat particles on his head with his sleeve, but even spoke angrily: "The scout didn't count. Over a thousand! ”

"Is there a devil in there?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Thousands."

"Is Sakamoto inside?"

"Yes."

"See clearly?"

"Isn't that crooked nose?"

"Yes. Is Liu Heiqi here? ”

"Here we are."

"All right? You can't be mistaken! ”

"Can't be wrong!"

Pang Bingxun pondered for a moment, didn't know what to think, and asked, "Fa Wu, how did you know that the enemy asked for soup?" ”

Ma Fawu smiled and said, "An insider who was a puppet army told me!" ”

Everyone discussed this for a long time before Pang Bingxun spoke. But as soon as he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the sentry Xiang Twenty who suddenly broke in: "Report to the sir, the enemy is not far from here-"

Pang Bingxun subconsciously touched the pistol that was not asked at his waist: "How far is it?" ”

"Two miles and more roads."

"Where did it come from?"

"From the cities!"

Pang Bingxun opened his eyes from Xiang Twenty's face and glanced around the soldiers at the discussion meeting. A circle. He saw that pairs of eyes were staring at him, and those expectant eyes seemed to say, "Commander, give orders quickly!" Then, Pang Bingxun stepped on the cigarette butt on the ground, drew his pistol, and waved his arm at the soldiers: "Officers and soldiers, follow me!" ”

Pang Bingxun gave an order, and the officers and soldiers ran out of the village gate like horses on the loose. When the 1st Division of the 40th Army was about to leave the village, I saw a black young man like a half-iron tower hurrying over, holding a grenade in his hand and a machete behind his back, running to Pang Bingxun and saying thoughtlessly: "Chief Pang, I'll go too!" ”

"What are you going for?"

"Fight!"

"Da Ming, you didn't get to the point this time!" Pang Bingxun said, "How did I arrange it?" Didn't you let the militia organize the people to retreat? ”

"It's all organized! The militia in the first row is responsible for taking care of the ordinary people who are not young and middle-aged at home, and the militia in the second row is responsible for covering the masses after the break. The Ming Dynasty pointed to the northwest, "Look-"

Pang Bingxun looked along Li Daming's arm, and saw that the crowd of people helping the old and the young were "retreating" from a ditch to the southwest. Most of those who were evacuating were elderly, children and women. Some old men, some leading livestock, some driving pigs and sheep, and some carrying their little grandchildren; The old ladies, some carrying their burdens, some holding chickens, and some carrying baskets of dry food; Some young women are either holding the elderly or holding babies; Children and teenagers carried school bags, wooden sticks, and kitchen knives in their waists......

On normal days, people are preparing for evacuation, and it should be said that they are fully prepared for the evacuation of the villages. However, every time they do withdraw from the county seat and village, many people feel that some things have not been done well. You see, there are people who are walking forward and looking backwards, obviously thinking about something.

Pang Bingxun looked at the crowd and said to Li Daming: "You also go to cover them!" ”

"I don't! I ......"

"You, what are you?"

Pang Bingxun saw that Li Daming was about to be strong, and he stared at Daming with big eyes. It wasn't until his two or two timid eyes were dodging Pang Bingxun's sight that Pang Bingxun said with a glare: "Go!" Execute the command! ”

"Yes!" Li Daming made up his mind as soon as he came, this time he had to stick to Chief Pang alive and dead, until he let him participate in the battle. Who knows, as soon as Pang Bingxun became stern at this time, a feeling of awe suddenly arose in his heart. This emotion overwhelmed his determination: his mouth involuntarily spewed out a "yes".

The strong momentum of emotion made Da Ming snort and stand upright, twist his body and stride away, and his legs flew away like shuttles. Pang Bingxun looked at Li Daming's tall back with a smile, and said to himself happily: "It's really good material on the battlefield!" ”

The warriors of the 40th Army came out of the soup and entered the position on the east of the village along the ditch. Pang Bingxun smiled and asked a soldier: "Is the ambush location you proposed this place?" ”

The native soldier smiled and nodded.

Then, lying shoulder to shoulder on the cliff slope, they pushed the bullet onto the chamber of the gun, opened the safety cover of the grenade, and assumed a posture of preparedness. At this time, none of the soldiers spoke, no one squeaked, and a serious and tense air flowed on the position, and the position was as quiet as the deep mountains and old forests that no one had ever visited.

Pang Bingxun pressed his steel-plated chest against the cliff slope, and supported his round chin with his iron-smelling fist. At the same time, his long-standing, battle-hardened gaze seemed to be able to break through the clouds and fog, staring into the distance through the gray mist.

The sky in the distance was overcast and gloomy. Villages near and far, large and small, were covered in a drizzle of mist like stars.

After a while, the vanguard of the enemy appeared in his sight. At this time, Pang Bingxun's heart was even happier than when he suddenly found his prey while hunting in the mountains. To tell the truth, the enemy at the moment is advancing at maximum speed.

However, the mood of our 40 officers and men, like that of their commander Pang Bingxun, felt that the enemy was crawling, walking too slowly! Because these little tiger-like officers and soldiers can't wait for the enemy to come to their front at once, so that they can have a happy fight with them!

The distance between friend and foe is shrinking with the passage of time.