As soon as Man Tang and Tie Zhu arrived at the 190th Division stationed in Hengyang, they got into trouble.

At the beginning of June, Man Tang and Tie Zhu took the car of the First War Zone to Xiping, Laohekou, Yichang, and Shimen, and came to Hengyang.

Due to Cai Jigang's recommendation and curiosity, Rong Youluo, the commander of the 190th Division, also personally met with the brothers. Man Tang and Tie Zhu have never seen any big officials in their lives except Cai Jigang, and when they heard that the division commander wanted to see them, they were scared enough.

Tie Zhu said: "Brother, are we not in the middle?" ”

Mantang thought for a while and said: "No, the teacher is a big official, and we can't offend the division commander if we don't see it?" After offending the big officials, how can we mess around? ”

The brothers were taken by the adjutant to the division headquarters to meet Rong Youluo, who briefly asked what battles they had participated in and what kind of training they had received. Tie Zhu was so frightened that he couldn't speak, and his legs and stomachs were trembling, but he couldn't pass the test without saying anything, so he had to have the courage to answer the teacher's question. But when he was nervous, he couldn't remember where he had fought.

"Pillar, where is our first battle?"

Tie Zhu stammered, "No...... I don't know, who knows what it is...... What a place......"

The house was anxious: "What do you remember about a dog day?" Why can't you remember? Our pockmarked platoon commander died there, and I thought hard, I can't think of a fucking me beating you to death! ”

"You beat ...... Beat me, too...... I didn't hit either, and I was beaten to death...... Can't remember. ”

Rong Youluo originally asked casually, but when he saw that the hall was in trouble, he changed the topic: "Then do you remember your original unit number?" Or the chief's name? ”

The hall was full of muttering: "I don't know, our team...... It doesn't seem to have a number. ”

Rong Youluo's adjutant asked strangely: "How can there be no number?" All armies must have numbers, think about it. ”

This time, Tiezhu's words came quickly, and he hurriedly replied: "I know, it's called...... Call the national army! ”

Rong You couldn't cry or laugh slightly, and said in his heart that these two soldiers were surprisingly stupid, they couldn't say a whole sentence for a long time, and they didn't know anything about the past, I really don't know how Cai Jigang did it, and he didn't get to this step in the field, and he was also known as a veteran and a combat backbone? Bullshit!

Rong Youwei was slightly angry and blew these two stupid guys away who couldn't find the north, thinking that talking to these two soldiers would cost him at least 10 years. Originally, Rong Youxiao listened to Cai Jigang's introduction, and was ready to let these two brothers be squad leaders in the new barracks and bring new recruits, but now he has changed his mind, these two pieces of material can only be used as big soldiers, whether they can be good soldiers or not, just looking forward to live ammunition shooting, these two stupid things are lucky not to aim their guns at their heads.

Man Tang and Tie Zhu were taken to the boot barracks, and a lieutenant on duty looked at them and asked, "Well, did you enlist voluntarily or were you captured?" ”

Mantang proudly straightened his chest: "Hey, want to catch my strong man?" There is no door, my brothers were sent by Chief Cai and volunteered to be soldiers. ”

The lieutenant on duty said impatiently: "Shut up! You two were sent by Chairman Chiang, and you have to follow the rules, violating military discipline, and waiting for you with the same military sticks, understand? ”

"Understood, understood, I remember!"

"The two of you go to class 8 to report, go forward, turn right when you go to the end, and the first room is class 8."

The hall was busy thanking: "Thank you, big brother, thank you, big brother!" ”

The lieutenant on duty said angrily: "Bullshit! What big brother? You are not allowed to call this in the army, but you will be called a commander in the future, understand? ”

"Yes! Sir. ”

Mantang thinks that today is an unlucky day, and he will be trained wherever he goes, what a fucking hell. Mantang and Tiezhu found the 8th class according to the lieutenant's instructions, and this time the brothers learned to be obedient, and before they entered the door, they shouted: "Report!" ”

"Damn, are you going to scare Lao Tzu to death? Why are you shouting so loudly? In! A familiar Henan accent came from the room.

Full Hall was overjoyed: "Pillar, do you hear it, there are our fellow villagers in Class 8, it's okay now, our Henan fellows are in a group, who dares to bully us?" Hey...... Wait a minute, damn it, why is this man's voice so familiar? ”

At this time, the brothers had already walked into the door, and the man with a Henan accent just turned around and faced Mantang and the iron pillar......

I really met an old acquaintance, this 8 squad leader is the enemy Ma Lao Wu who killed the Tong family's sow "Hei Nier", and the road is narrow.

Ma Lao Wu was also defenseless, where would he have thought that he would meet a full cousin here? A hint of panic flashed in Ma Lao Wu's eyes, but he immediately calmed down. In Ma Lao Wu's consciousness, the "Black Nier" incident has been a long time ago, and this is not a big deal, but it is just a pig, if the full cousins keep remembering this matter and it is endless, it will not be very sensible.

At this time, Ma Lao Wu's face showed a kind of excitement about meeting his old acquaintance in a foreign country, and he greeted him with a smile: "Ouch, isn't this a full hall and an iron pillar brother?" What a fucking coincidence, I didn't expect to meet fellow countrymen here. It's a long time, we haven't seen each other for a long time, how are my aunts and uncles? Is my sister Cuihua married? Come on, come on, sit here. Little plum, go pour some water! ”

A very young recruit promised to go out.

The full hall was a little overwhelmed by Ma Lao Wu's series of affectionate words, he was a clumsy person, which is the opponent of Ma Lao Wu, who is clever and eloquent? Mantang almost walked along the ideas designed by Ma Lao Wu, but fortunately, Tiezhu was not stunned, he stretched the corners of Mantang's clothes, and reminded: "Brother, he stole our pig, what should I do?" ”

Only then did the full hall react: "Ah...... That's right! It's Ma Lao Wu who did it, mother, Ma Lao Wu is your dog's day...... Killed my pig, what do you say? ”

Ma Lao Wu looked innocent, he said seriously: "Mantang, brother, I have to say a few words to you, don't you don't like to listen, when is it, still thinking about your pig, why are you so careful?" Now that the devil has entered China, we are all about to become slaves of the country, Chairman Jiang beckoned us to resist Japan, we have to think about the devil first, the country's affairs, no matter how small it is, it is a big thing, and our own business, no matter how big it is, is a small matter, right? Besides, why do you keep thinking about a pig? Is a pig counted? Who eats and doesn't eat? Think about it, what is the relationship between our two families? Your grandfather and my grandmother are cousins, and if you go up a few generations, we are all ancestors, and we can't live a pig in this relationship? I just opened my mouth to ask your father, and your father can't help it, right? Full house, why are you like a, calculating trivial things all day long......"

It's really evil, I haven't seen it for a few months, why did Ma Lao Wu become a new word? is both the state and the chairman, isn't he a squad leader with a big sesame seed? Who are you bluffing? This turtle sun is going around and around, just to make you dizzy. It's really hard for him, obviously he stole other people's pigs, but let him go around and be sorry for him.

Mantang will no longer be surrounded by Ma Lao Wu, he grabbed Ma Lao Wu's collar: "Ma Lao Wu, you pig thief, don't come to this set, today I will let you pay for Hei Nier's life!" Mantang punched Ma Lao Wu in the face......

Ma Lao Wu had already taken precautions, he slid like a loach, lowered his head and flashed Mantang's heavy punches, raised his knees like lightning and slammed into Mantang's crotch, Mantang suddenly felt that his testicles were hit by a high-speed heavy tank, and it hurt so much that he covered his crotch with both hands and bent down.

Ma Lao Wuyi's tricks were successful, and his morale was greatly boosted, he decided to teach a good lesson to the full hall, this kid dared to argue with the squad leader as soon as he came, and he will not be fine in the future? Ma Lao Wu untied the belt around his waist and was about to pull it over Mantang's head, but he didn't expect to be hit the back of his head......

Ma Lao Wu suddenly felt that the sky was spinning, and countless golden little stars flashed in front of him, he snorted and fell to the ground.

At this time, the full hall saw that Tie Zhu was holding a bench and staring blankly at Ma Lao Wu who was lying down. This stunned young man is really not light or heavy, and he greeted him at the back of his head, without considering that he would die.

Several recruits in the room are rural children who have never seen the world, in their eyes, the squad leader is a great official, and his status seems to be only a little lower than Chairman Jiang.

A recruit rushed out of the door to the company headquarters to report the news. Mantang put his hand in front of Ma Lao Wu's nose and tried it, and found that this kid was not only angry, but also very thick, he was immediately relieved, so he kicked Ma Lao Wu's stomach twice.

Tie Zhu remembered that he was afraid, he dropped the bench and asked tremblingly: "Brother, is this dog day dead?" ”

Man Tang comforted: "Don't worry, I can't die this dog day, I pant like my mother's bellows, and I'm still far from death." Pillar, you kid is quite kind of today, you didn't embarrass your brother! ”

Man Tang and Tie Zhu were beaten by the squad leader because they had no commander, and they were each beaten with 20 military sticks and locked up for a week. Don't underestimate these 20 military sticks, it's really hard to carry them when they fight, and they are still a little heroic when they take off their pants, and he makes a righteous and awe-inspiring suggestion to the law enforcement officer, and the 20 military sticks of my brother Iron Pillar are topped by me.

The magistrate only treated him as a fart and meticulously carried out the sentence.

The first stick went down, and the hall felt that something was wrong, and he felt a pain in his ass as if he had been burned with a red-hot soldering iron. He gritted his teeth and said nothing. Then he received five or six more blows to the buttocks, and at last the will of the house collapsed, and he wailed hoarsely, which startled the enforcers.

No matter how Mantang cried his father and called his mother, anyway, there was no shortage of 20 military sticks, and after the execution, Mantang was carried back.

What no one expected was that Tie Zhu was beaten with 20 military sticks, but he didn't say a word, which surprised the executioner. When the iron pillar was carried away, he stared at the executioner with hatred and said word by word: "I remember you, when the gun is fired, I will kill you with one shot!" ”

This scared the executioner enough, and he said that don't look at this little rabbit cub is inconspicuous, he is really a hard stubble, and it is a trouble for him to hate it.

Ma Lao Wu finally paid the price for his stealing, and the bench of the iron pillar left him with more serious sequelae, he forgot all about the past, and he didn't know where he was from, nor who his father and mother were. What's even worse is that he salutes everyone he sees, and treats everyone as a chief, and the same is true for the full cousins. However, Ma Lao Wu did not forget at all about the political education he had received, such as the issue of the state and the nation, Chairman Chiang's exposition on the issue of resistance to Japan, the relationship between the individual and the state, and so on. He firmly remembered one sentence: no matter how small the country's affairs are, they are still big things, and their own affairs, no matter how big they are, are also small things. This sentence is said by Ma Lao Wu whenever he meets people, and once he actually gave a political lesson to Battalion Commander Cao of the new barracks.

Battalion Commander Cao has been in a bad weather these two days, his hometown has just been bombed by enemy planes, his wife was blown off a leg, and when he was annoyed, he met this god chattering Ma Lao Wu, he said to Camp Commander Cao earnestly: "My own business, no matter how big it is, it is a small matter." The ...... of the country's affairs"

Camp Commander Cao was suddenly furious, Lao Tzu's wife broke a leg, and he paid back his mother's trivial matter? Camp Commander Cao slapped him in the face, and Ma Lao Wu's body turned 360 degrees in place, stopping his discussion of the state and the individual.

The full hall and the iron pillar were also puzzled, so they smashed out a political training instructor on a bench[1]

Come? I really didn't see it before, this kid is actually engaged in political work. Tie Zhu insisted that if he smashed one more bench at the beginning, he would not be able to smash a director of the political training department for the 190th Division.

It stands to reason that Ma Lao Wu's current state is no longer suitable for military service, but now is the time to employ people, and all units are in urgent need of replenishing soldiers, and Ma Lao Wu does not lack arms and legs, but he is a little stupid, and he does not delay shooting and throwing bombs.

Battalion Commander Cao found out Ma Lao Wu's enlistment record, he did not enlist voluntarily, but was captured by a strong man in a certain place, and he did not have any combat experience. The reason why Ma Lao Wu can be a squad leader is entirely because he is well versed in human feelings and sophistication and can speak well. However, now that the advantages of Ma Lao Wu have disappeared, it is not suitable to be a squad leader. Battalion Commander Cao decided to remove Ma Lao Wu from his position, and after the training of the recruits was over, he would be assigned to the combat unit with other recruits.

Man Tang and Tiezhu were young in the end, and the wound on the buttocks had recovered six or seven percent in less than a week, and the training of the new barracks had ended. According to the usual practice, it used to take two to three months to train recruits, but now it is too late, the Japanese army has approached Hengyang, and the war is about to break out, and the recruit battalion where Mantang is located only took 15 days to complete the recruit training.

In this way, Mantang, Tiezhu and Ma Lao Wu were assigned to the 190th Battalion of the 570th Regiment of the 1st Division.

On the day I went to report to the 1st Battalion, Man Tang and Tie Zhu supported each other and limped ahead, and Ma Lao Wu followed behind with the luggage of three people. Since he lost his memory, his temper has become extremely docile, and anyone can support him in his work, and he has shown no regrets, and has become more and more diligent. It seems that Ma Lao Wu has really changed and become likable.

The 570th Regiment is a seriously understaffed force, and the whole regiment plus the newly replenished recruits is only a little more than 1,000 people. The head of the regiment, He Guangyao, is a student of the third phase of Whampoa, he is a person who is not very lucky, most of the students of the third phase of Whampoa have entered the ranks of generals at this time, and He Guangyao is still very aggrieved to hang the sign of colonel, which is really helpless.

The defense area of the 570th Regiment is a place north of Hengyang called Wuma Gui Trough, which is the outer position of the city. Since the beginning of June, all the officers and men of the regiment have been working overtime to build fortifications, and as soon as the recruits arrived, they were immediately bombarded to the construction site to participate in the construction.

The 10th Army was known for its ability to defend and therefore demanded a high level of fortifications. The recruits were surprised to find that the defensive positions had begun to take shape, and the criss-crossing communication trenches connected the machine-gun bunkers, open bunkers, shelters, command posts, observation posts and other facilities, especially the outer trenches of the positions. This outer trench was five meters wide and five meters deep, and the outer walls were slightly sloped, which was intended to lure the enemy into the trench. The inner walls, on the other hand, are almost 90 degrees steep, so that the enemy has nowhere to climb. Concealed fire points are also set up in the wide trenches, and the angles of the firing points are very tricky, and the shooting direction is the same as the straight trenches, that is to say, once the enemy enters the outer trenches, they will crash into the muzzles of the secret firing points, and the straight trenches are unobstructed, so that the enemy has nowhere to hide, and the close shooting of light machine guns can use the penetrating force of bullets to penetrate the bodies of many people, and the firepower effect can be brought into full play.

This kind of outer trench is quite perfect as a fortification, but as a construction worker, it can be a bad luck, such a huge amount of earthwork is all excavated by hand, and its arduousness can be imagined.

Recruits such as Man Tang, Tie Zhu, and Ma Lao Wu were naturally assigned to the construction site of digging the outer trench, which should be the hardest work.

At the end of the day, the full cousins who had not recovered from their external injuries were almost exhausted, but Ma Lao Wu became more and more courageous. When he carried the earthen basket, he always thought that the amount of soil was too small, and every time he grabbed a shovel to make up for a few spades, and then patted the soil solidly, so that the brothers in the class refused to partner with Ma Lao Wu. Mantang thinks that Ma Lao Wu, this kid must have bumped into a ghost and was possessed by some ghost, otherwise where would he have such great energy?

Today the regiment commander planned to work overtime again, dinner was sent to the construction site, and the three companies of the 1st battalion were gathered together for dinner. Mantang and Tiezhu were covered as if they had been fished out of the water, and their military uniforms were already soaked with sweat. The brothers were lying on the edge of the ditch, sticking out their tongues like dogs, panting, how could they still have the heart to eat? So Ma Lao Wu volunteered to take on the task of queuing up to receive food.

Who knew that Ma Lao Wu came back with his own food after a while, and the whole house was very unhappy, he kicked Ma Lao Wu's foot: "Lao Wu, why do you only care about yourself, a turtle grandson?" Looking for a hammer again, right? ”

Ma Lao Wu pointed to the distance and said, "There is a chief who said that you are not allowed to take the meal on your behalf, let you go by yourself." ”

Man Tang and Tie Zhu scolded when they heard it, what kind of bullshit chief is this? Why do you care about everything?

After thinking about it for a while, the chief that Ma Lao Wu said may not be the chief, this kid usually salutes everyone he sees, and everyone is the chief, how can his words be taken seriously? Mantang decided to go and get the meal himself, he wanted to see who the nosy chief was.

Mantang and Tiezhu came to the front of the rice cart with an enamel bowl, and saw that it was two cooks who shared the meal, and there was a tall and thin sergeant standing next to the rice car...... Isn't this Big Brother Baowang? ”

Zhang Baowang also recognized the full cousin, and his eyes lit up: "Full hall, iron pillar ......"

Tie Zhu excitedly bumped over and hugged Zhang Baowang: "Brother Zhang! ”

The three of them hugged warmly in full view of everyone.

Mantang's eyes were filled with tears, looking at Zhang Baowang so excited that he didn't know what to say, at this time, two more people rushed out of the crowd eating, and Tie Zhu exclaimed: "Brother, Xincang and Changshun are also here......"

Mantang's mind didn't turn for a while, what's going on? Where are all the brothers who escaped from the prisoner of war camp?

It's really Sun Xincang and Li Changshun, the two of them are also wearing new military uniforms, and they are obviously also recruits. Sun Xincang's eyes turned red when he saw Mantang: "Brother Mantang, I thought I wouldn't see you and Tiezhu in my life." ”

Li Changshun was so excited that he hugged the iron pillar, he made it bigger, and strangled the iron pillar so much that he rolled his eyes.

It seems that Zhang Baowang is mixing well in the 1st Battalion, and he is also very face-saving in the battalion commander Dong Zhiqun, he said hello to the battalion commander, saying that he had met the old brothers of the original army, and he had to reminisce about the old days, and the battalion commander Dong nodded and agreed. So the five brothers sat in a bunker and talked about what happened after their separation.

Zhang Baowang returned to his hometown after breaking up with the others, and the village had been reduced to ruins by the Japanese army, his family's house was burned to the ground with only half of the black remnant walls, and his parents were killed in the flames. I heard from the villagers that when the devil set fire to his house, Zhang Baowang's parents refused to leave, saying that they would die on their own kang. The fire burned like this, and the two old men turned into ashes in the fire without saying a word. After the Japanese army swept away, Zhang Baowang's wife took the child and left with the traffickers, and he didn't know what to do.

Zhang Baowang sat silently in front of his parents' graves all night, desperate. After years of desperate fighting on the battlefield, nine deaths, the only thing that can support his spiritual world is his hometown and relatives. Zhang Baowang's requirements for life are not high, his biggest wish is that after the war, he will retire from the army and return to his hometown, buy a cow, cultivate a few acres of land, honor his parents, and support his wife and children. But now there is nothing, the parents are dead, the wife is afraid that she has remarried, and the children don't know whose surname it is. In Zhang Baowang's heart, his relatives are gone, and his hometown has no meaning. After sitting overnight, he left his hometown early the next morning.

At that time, Battalion Commander Dong was recruiting troops in the area of Yuanqu County, and it was better to say that it was recruitment, but in fact it was to arrest strong men. This is an errand that attracts people's scolding, from the uncle in his 40s to the teenager in his 16s, when he sees one by one, the strong men who are arrested shout the sky and grab the ground, and hit the wall with their heads, Camp Commander Dong is unmoved, he has his own principles. Battalion Commander Dong believes that the people should not be responsible for all kinds of grievances, and they should also be scolded by the Japanese, who let them start the war? Since the country has been invaded, of course, it is necessary to resist, and to fight a war you need soldiers, and where do the soldiers come from? It would be too idealistic and unrealistic to expect these ignorant ordinary people to consciously sign up for the army. Therefore, for the sake of the country and the nation, and for the victory of the war, the common people had to make some sacrifices, which was also a last resort.

Just when Battalion Commander Dong lamented the lack of patriotic consciousness of the common people, Zhang Baowang crashed into the door. As soon as he saw Battalion Commander Dong, he introduced himself: Former sergeant squad leader of the 27th Division of the National Army, who had participated in more than 30 battles and was captured in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, had now escaped from the prisoner of war camp and voluntarily returned to the army to participate in the battle.

Camp Chief Dong was so happy that he almost turned his back on when he heard it, isn't this pie in the sky? My mother, God sent a combat backbone to Lao Tzu, who served as a sergeant squad leader in the regular army and participated in more than 30 battles. Battalion Commander Dong immediately accepted Zhang Baowang and appointed him as the sergeant squad leader.

Zhang Baowang came to the 10th Army in this way.

Li Changshun and Zhang Baowang are in a similar situation, the village where his family is located has completely disappeared, leaving only ruins and barren grass, as well as several neighboring villages. Some of his relatives were killed, some were missing, and I heard that the missing people were all captured and sent to Japan to do hard labor. Li Changshun could not accept this reality, and he went crazy to find the graves of his parents and siblings, but no one could tell him.

Li Changshun's hometown was near Luoyang, which was the main battlefield of the Battle of Central Henan, and his village was on the attack route of the Japanese 3rd Tank Division and a large number of mechanized troops. The commander of the Japanese tank cluster did not care about a few villages, hundreds of tanks rumbled through the village, directly crushing houses, trees and human bodies under the tracks, and after the tank cluster, the area around the village became a no-man's land for dozens of miles.

Li Changshun, who was completely desperate, didn't want to live anymore, so he found a crooked-neck tree and hanged himself. At that time, the recruits of the 190th Division were passing by there and rescued Li Changshun. After listening to Li Changshun's cry, a captain of the national army not only did not say words of relief, but kicked him and scolded viciously: "Xiong Bao, soft egg!" Are you standing up peeing? I'd rather hang myself than pick up a gun and the devil, what the are you? ”

This scolding woke up Li Changshun, he stood up and only said: "Sir, you scolded well, I'll go with you!" ”

The face of the captain of the national army turned from gloomy to clear: "Boy, how many people have died in your family?" ”

"Seven."

The captain said coldly: "Good! Then multiply it 10 times, you kill him 70 Japanese devils and avenge your family! At that time, it's never too late for you to die! ”

After Li Changshun recounted his experience, he added: "I cried all night that night, and all the tears that should have been shed in this life, you see, from now until death, I will not shed another tear!" ”

The full hall also briefly recounted his experience with Tiezhu, and the brothers were all embarrassed.

Tie Zhu asked, "Brother Xincang, what about you?" Your house is in a ravine, the devil won't go, your house is okay, right? ”

Sun Xincang cried and said with a sad face: "After I broke up with you, before I got home, I ran into the arrester and arrested me again." I ran once, but I didn't make it, and I almost died. ”

The full hall said: "Xincang, if you want to run in the future, you have to discuss with the brothers, and if the brothers don't agree, you are not allowed to run, do you hear?" It's not a joke to let people catch it again. ”

Sun Xincang nodded honestly: "Zhong, I listen to a few big brothers, let me run, I run, if you don't let me run, I will fight with you, and if I die, I will be killed." ”

Mantang asked, "Brother Baowang, did you take charge of the cooking class yesterday?" ”

Zhang Baowang said: "A few days ago, our battalion commander sent me a beautiful errand and asked me to supervise the cooking class to distribute meals. You don't know, these boys in the cooking class are all human spirits, the spoon in his hand can make flowers, if he is a fellow, he will give more, if he is not a fellow, he will give benefits, if you give him a box of cigarettes, he will give you more, if you don't pee on him, he shakes the spoon, and you can't even eat half a spoonful of food. The brothers were all angry with the cooking class, and some people even let out words to beat these boys, and the battalion commander was afraid that something would happen, so he sent me to take care of it first. ”

Tie Zhu suddenly remembered something, and he asked Zhang Baowang: "Brother Baowang, Ma Lao Wu gave me food just now, why didn't you let me get it?" ”

Zhang Baowang smiled: "Oh, that recruit is called Ma Lao Wu?" I see that others are good, they do their best to work, and they are honest, and when I saw that he was going to receive food for three people, I said in my heart, someone must have bullied him, so I asked him to call you to come by yourself, who knew that he had met an old brother. ”

When the whole hall heard this, he shouted: "I'm fucking, he's honest?" I said Brother Baowang, you are really out of sight! This kid and I are fellow countrymen, and I recognize them when I am bare-assed, and that is really a bad thing! ”

Zhang Baowang was a little surprised: "Oh, I didn't see it. ”

Tie Zhu added: "It was this turtle grandson who killed my family's Hei Nier, if he hadn't run fast, my brother and I would have killed him......"

"Wait...... Who is Black Nier? Your sister? ”

"Where, it's my family's pig, which is kept for my brother to marry his daughter-in-law." Tiezhu explained earnestly.

Zhang Baowang suddenly realized: "Hey! I said Tiezhu, don't gasp for breath when you speak, okay? I thought Ma Lao Wu had a murder case. ”

Man Tang said with a smile: "Tie Zhu almost killed someone, he smashed a bench on Ma Lao Wu's head, and smashed all of this kid's temper at once, no wonder you see him honest." ”

The brethren burst into laughter.

Zhang Baowang stood up: "Brothers, the time to talk is not short, we should go to work, this work is hard, but we have to do it well, as soon as the battle starts, the fortification is a life-saving place, if you fool it, it will fool you, this job can not be improvised." ”

Mantang said, "Brother Baowang, can we brothers be together?" When the war starts, it is good to have a response. ”

Zhang Baowang thought for a while: "I'll think of a way, now I haven't been assigned to the company, I am temporarily helping in the battalion headquarters, and it is estimated that sooner or later I will go down to the company to become a squad leader." Battalion Commander Dong and I have a good relationship, and I would like to ask him for help and transfer a few of us to the same class. ”

Li Changshun was overjoyed when he heard this: "That's great, big brother, I haven't told anyone about being a mortar operator, and I can't say it now, otherwise the regiment will transfer me to the regiment's artillery company, what am I doing there alone?" It's better to be an infantryman with your brethren. ”

At this time, Camp Commander Dong shouted in the distance: "Zhang Baowang, are you finished?" Hurry up and take your brothers and do the work for Lao Tzu! ”

The year 1944 was the most severe year for the Chinese army. In the Battle of Central Henan, which ended in May, the Chinese army was defeated like a mountain, the Yellow River defense line, which had been dismally operated for many years, collapsed on all fronts, dozens of cities and county towns in the Central Plains, including Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and Xuchang, fell into the hands of the enemy, and the various group armies under the First Theater suffered heavy casualties and were invincible. The Japanese army successfully completed the first phase of Operation No. 1, opened the Pinghan Line as scheduled, and occupied a large area north of the Yangtze River.

At the end of May, before the war in the Central Plains ended, the Japanese 11th Army south of the Yangtze River attacked Changsha in a big way, and the Chinese side called the battle "Battle of Changheng".

The 11th Army of the Japanese Army is a huge strategic-level corps, and during World War II, the Japanese Army had nearly 60 army numbers, but the number of divisions and regiments under the jurisdiction of the army-level combat units represented by the numerical serial number is not the same, and some armies have 2 to 3 divisions and regiments, which is a typical army-level establishment. However, some armies command four to five divisions and regiments, and some armies are capable of commanding as many as nine divisions and regiments, with hundreds of thousands of troops.

The Japanese 11th Army in May 1944 reached an unprecedented scale in terms of strength and combat power. Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army, commanded 9 main divisions and 4 mixed brigades in this campaign, with a total strength of 150 infantry brigades and a total of 360,000 men. In addition, the two flying divisions of the 5th Air Army, the Navy Fleet and the Marine Corps work together, making it a formidable strategic group.

At this time, the Chinese army was in a stage of serious loss of combat strength. Relations between China and the United States have almost broken down due to serious high-level frictions that have erupted between China and the United States over wartime military and economic aid issues. The initiator was none other than Lieutenant General Stilwell, chief of staff of the Chinese Theater of Operations. The relationship between Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek is incompatible, and the two seem to have incompatible aura, and they are natural opponents. Stilwell even privately nicknamed Chiang Kai-shek "Peanut", and Chiang Kai-shek did not show weakness, he was bent on driving this difficult old cowboy back to the United States by all means.

Under Stilwell's operation, which held great power, not only was 90 percent of the US aid to China used in Burma's combat preparations, but the eight most elite armies of the Chinese Army were also transferred to fight in Burma. As far as the Chinese military is concerned, the amount of US aid supplies that were originally transported by air from the "Hump" route is already a drop in the bucket, and this will undoubtedly make matters worse.

Stilwell and Chiang Kai-shek not only had deep personal prejudices, but also at the most important critical moments, their views on the Japanese army's combat movements and intelligence judgment were almost completely different.

Before the Japanese launched the Henan Campaign, Stilwell's judgment was that the Japanese had no intention of launching any combat offensive against the Chinese army, and at most it was just a "military exercise" of sabotage and looting. The so-called intelligence that the Japanese army was about to launch a full-scale offensive in the Chinese theater of operations was just an excuse for Chiang Kai-shek to "extort" American aid.

After the war, some military commentators held that Lieutenant General Stilwell was incompetent as chief of staff of the Chinese theater, that he lacked the grand strategic mind and means of planning as a military commander, and that with his ability, he could only command one group army.

Stilwell controls all U.S. aid supplies, as well as the strength of the Chinese army's strategic reserves. However, due to his lack of grand strategic vision, he turned a blind eye to the military situation in the vast Chinese theater and only focused on the operational plan for a counteroffensive against Burma. Of course, Stilwell also had his own considerations for a counter-offensive against Burma, and he was anxious to crush the main Japanese forces in the Burma direction and retake the Burma road. Once the highway is opened, a large number of US aid supplies can be transported directly from Yangon Port to Kunming by land, which will greatly ease the pressure on the "Hump" route.

Of course, Stilwell's idea is correct, but the problem is that he ignores a major premise, if he completes the operational plan of counterattacking Burma as he wishes, and a large number of American aid materials are also continuously transported to Kunming along the Yunnan-Burma Highway, but if at this time the Japanese army has concentrated all its forces to annihilate the main force of the Chinese army in North, Central and South China, and even the front of the troops is directed at Chongqing, and the people are forced to go into exile, then who will use these American aid materials? What is Grand Strategy? It is necessary to consider the overall situation from the perspective of the overall situation, instead of focusing only on the competition for one place and one domain, losing watermelons and picking up sesame seeds.

Some of the senior generals of the Chongqing Military Commission even speculated that Stilwell might have a darker mentality, hoping that Chiang Kai-shek's army would be defeated in the battle on home so that he could have an excuse to take over the full operational command of the Chinese army. Therefore, Stilwell deliberately ignored the intelligence of the Japanese build-up, and constantly reported to Washington that Chiang Kai-shek could not fight at all, and that the Japanese army did not actually pose a threat in the Chinese theater.

Regarding this speculation, Cai Jigang and some generals resolutely disagreed. Cai Jigang believes that Stilwell's strategic misjudgment is a problem of ability and character, and it can never be a problem of character, and the people who put forward such speculations precisely reflect their own psychological darkness.

At present, Chiang Kai-shek's life is also very difficult, and the pressure from all sides has brought him to the brink of collapse. At the height of the battle in central Henan, Chiang Kai-shek planned to send a well-equipped expeditionary force back to participate in the war, but Stilwell refused, and under the pressure of President Roosevelt's personal intervention, Chiang Kai-shek was forced to order the expeditionary force to cross the Nu River from Yunnan on April 25 to participate in the operation in northern Burma. At this time, the Japanese army had just captured Zhengzhou and began to break through the defense line of the Chinese army in Henan, and the distressed Chiang Kai-shek could only watch the deterioration of the military situation on the battlefield in Henan, but he had no troops to adjust.

Historical experience has proved that alliances and cooperation between countries are relative and temporary, while national interests are eternal. Throughout the history of ancient and modern China and foreign countries, almost all countries have regarded "national interests first" as the supreme law.

In World War II, the Commonwealth countries accounted for about 60% of the distribution of Lend-Lease materials in the United States, and about 58% after adjustment. Of this material, Britain accounts for the lion's share, about 45 percent, and about 40 percent after adjustment. The Soviet Union accounted for about 22 per cent, and after adjustment, including the transfer of goods from the Commonwealth countries, about 32 per cent of the total. Combined, the Free France, China, and the resistance forces of Southeast Asian countries together received less than 10% of the total. The total value of the Lend-Lease Act amounted to $50 billion, and a total of 38 countries participated in the distribution, while the Chinese theater received only $845 million in aid from May 6, 1941 to September 3, 1945, less than 1.7 percent of the total amount of supplies.

In the summer of 1944, in the eyes of the military decision-makers of the Allied countries, the European theater was the first, the Pacific theater was second, and the China-India-Burma theater was third.

At this time, the vast Chinese battlefield, from the northernmost 53rd parallel to the 18th parallel of Sanya on Hainan Island in the south, was burning with war, millions of Chinese and Japanese troops were fighting, thousands of cities and villages were being destroyed, tens of millions of soldiers and civilians were dying, and this $845 million in aid was really a drop in the bucket. At Stilwell's insistence, 90 percent of the meagre American-style equipment was used to equip the expeditionary force and the Indian garrison, because the military decision-makers of the allied countries believed that British interests in Burma and India were more important.

After the Battle of Henan-China, a major internal debate began between the top brass of the Chinese and American militaries over prevarication. Stilwell insisted that Chiang Kai-shek was solely responsible for the debacle of the Chinese army, the corruption of high-ranking officers, and the lack of interest in war. Stilwell suggested that only by putting him fully in command of the Chinese army could the Japanese be defeated in the Chinese theater, and that any other remedial and support measures for the battlefield would not help at all.

Stilwell's accusations are certainly not wrong, but he completely ignores his own serious errors in intelligence judgment, which led to the failure of the Chinese theater to prepare in advance, and the responsibility for the entire logistics support and serious lack of air cover during the operation.

In fact, in terms of the deployment of troops and combat preparations of the Chinese and Japanese forces in the Central Plains at that time, the result was the same no matter who commanded the Chinese army. In the face of the powerful three-dimensional offensive of the Japanese army, if the Chinese army does not retreat, it will only be completely annihilated, and there is no second possibility. Regrettably, Lieutenant General Stilwell, who is the chief of staff of the Chinese theater of operations, does not seem to have a habit of self-reflection and is not prepared to take any responsibility.

Before the quarrel was over, the Japanese strategic group in Central China began to make big moves again. The ambitious Isamu Yokoyama did not give the Chinese army time to breathe, he understood too well the iron-clad law of war that "soldiers are noble and fast".

China, which is plagued by many disasters and struggles; the Chinese army, which has been defeated and fought repeatedly; Chairman Chiang, who was embarrassed at home and abroad......

All this constitutes a picture of the background of the bloody war and collapse of Yuxiang and Guizhou.

Fang Xianjue, Cai Jigang and others were discussing with Zhao Junmai, the mayor of Hengyang City, about the evacuation of citizens at the train station.

Mayor Zhao Junmai and Cai Jigang are old acquaintances, and they both served in the tax police corps of the Ministry of Finance. Zhao Jun stepped out of the famous family, his cousin is Zhao Hengti, a senior citizen of the Hunan military circles, and he himself was born as a student in the United States, and graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Wisconsin in 1926. People who are not familiar with Zhao Junmai think that he is a literati, because he always wears a straight suit, ties a very standardized tie, and a meticulous hairstyle.

In fact, Zhao Junmai is also a soldier, after returning to China, he served as the head of the Zhejiang Provincial Teaching Corps, the head of the first regiment of the tax police corps of the Ministry of Finance, the chief of the anti-smuggling corps, the commander of the third brigade of the fourth division of the national army, and also led the troops to participate in the "January 28" Anti-Japanese War in 1932, and he is also a veteran of the battlefield. Cai Jigang met Zhao Junmai when he was a captain and company commander in the Tax Police Corps, but there was a huge disparity between the status of the two at that time, one was the colonel and the other was the captain and the other was the captain and company commander.

Zhao Junmai is an ambitious person, after he arrived as the mayor of Hengyang, he painstakingly managed the construction of new Hengyang, he wanted to seize the time to make more achievements, so he worked day and night, and the prosperity of Hengyang before the war was completed under the operation of Zhao Junmai. In April 1944, the Hengyang Kuomintang City Party Building had just been completed and the ribbon was cut, the Xiangjiang Railway and Highway Bridge was opened again, the main roads of Hengyang City were paved with asphalt roads, and the clubs including dance halls, restaurants, and bars that provided services to the officers and pilots of the 14th Air Force of the United States Air Force were also completed......

The current Zhao Junmai is a mayor, not a general, and he does not care about the development of the war, and he is determined to complete the pioneering project of building a new Hengyang during his term of office. When the main force of the Japanese army bypassed Changsha, seized Zhuzhou, and approached Hengyang, Mayor Zhao, who was unexpected, was really a little anxious. The war is imminent, where will the original more than 200,000 citizens in Hengyang, plus a large number of refugees who have entered one after another, know how many people to evacuate? Are railways and highways smooth? There is also the concentration of trains and locomotives and the scheduling of wagons, all of which make Mayor Zhao very anxious. The officers at all levels of the 10th Army defending the city did not let Mayor Zhao worry, and the fortification systems such as the anti-tank trenches with a huge amount of earthwork on the periphery of the city and the bunker groups for in-depth defense all required a large amount of human resources, and the wood, sack, iron nails, excavation tools and other materials needed to build the fortifications also needed to be solved by the mayor one by one.

Whoever is on this son, his head will become bigger, even if he is an American student, he has led soldiers and fought in wars, and Mayor Zhao, who has some Wentao and Wuluo, is the same, and social management in wartime is a very professional science.

At this time, the east railway station on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River was already congested by the fleeing crowd. Immediately after the fall of Changsha, the railway authorities increased the train fares from Hengyang to Shaoguan and Hengyang to Guilin by four times. Even so, Hengyang is still hard to get. The black market for tickets was immediately created, and ticket sellers consciously doubled the price of the black market ticket by 10 times what it was before the war. Railroad officials colluded with ticket sellers to make a fortune, and local officials at all levels were taking advantage of their privileges to transport their property to the rear in wagons.

Before the train arrived, the train station was already full of people, even the tracks were crowded with people, all kinds of terrible news were circulating among the refugees, the police who maintained order were shouting hoarsely, driving away the crowd, and the noise of thousands of refugees was converging into a huge wave.

Zhao Junmai, Fang Xianjue and Cai Jigang stood on the roof of a train car parked at a fork in the road, looking down on the crowd condescendingly.

Fang Xianjue said to Zhao Junmai sympathetically: "Mayor Zhao, local affairs are more complicated than our army, these days are enough for you to be busy, what do you need my army to do, you just ask." ”

Zhao Junmai said: "You are building fortifications, this is a major matter, there is no delay, if I have a little way, I will not come to trouble the army." Commander Fang, our city has organized a team of more than 3,000 people to help you repair the fortifications, which can be regarded as a little support for the army. ”

Fang Xianjue said gratefully: "3,000 people are not less, even one more person is good at this time, on behalf of all the officers and men of the 10th Army, I would like to thank Mayor Zhao and the support of the city!" ”

Cai Jigang doesn't like this kind of greeting, he is a pragmatic person, and he only cares about the specific and effective operation of everything. At this time, he thought that Zhao Junmai and Fang Xianjue's greetings were purely delaying time, the battle was about to start, and it was natural for the city to support some manpower, and all work in wartime should be prioritized by military action, and he couldn't be grateful. However, the problem of evacuation is more serious, and once the battle starts, there are still so many people left in the city, which will definitely have catastrophic consequences. The enemy's aerial bombardment and ground artillery fire will cause a large number of civilian casualties, and once the street fighting begins, the enemy will use civilians as hostages and form human shields to attack and advance, which will greatly restrict the defenders' firepower and tactical implementation. These civilians must be evacuated, and when Hengyang becomes an empty city, the 10th Army can let go and fight.

"My old sir, may I give some advice?" Cai Jigang spoke.

Zhao Junmai shouted: "Look at what you said, if you have any good suggestions, hurry up." Yunhe, what are you polite to me? Don't forget that we are all old friends of the tax police corps, old friends. ”

Cai Jigang said straight to the point: "There are more than 200,000 aborigines in Hengyang, plus the refugees who have entered one after another, it is estimated that 400,000 will not be able to stop. Although I don't know the situation, I'm sure that these carriers are far from enough. So I suggest that in addition to trains and cars, the city should send administrative personnel to personally lead the team and organize citizens to evacuate to the rear on foot, the faster the better, and walk one more kilometer to the south, the more safe. ”

"Yunhe, is the situation really that serious? The 10th Army is an elite unit, so it won't be able to hold Hengyang, right? I also had a telephone conversation with Chief Xue Yue yesterday, and Chief Xue told me not to panic, there is a large army of ours near Hengyang, and if the enemy dares to attack Hengyang, the outer line of our army will come together and surround them. Zhao Junmai is still indulging in fantasies.

Cai Jigang's expression was solemn: "Old sir, I can tell you responsibly that the situation is very serious, once the battle starts, it will be extremely tragic, and Hengyang will become a hell on earth." Therefore, we must not delay for a minute and must work day and night to evacuate all citizens and non-combatants. ”

Fang Xianjue took over: "Brother Yunhe is right, it is necessary to organize a variety of ways to evacuate, and if necessary, the army will come forward and use coercive means, which is responsible for the safety of the lives of the citizens, even if they are scolded, they must do it." ”

Zhao Junmai finally made up his mind: "Okay, I accept this suggestion, I can't count on the train anymore, to mobilize the citizens to go out, the key is to mobilize and organize, there needs to be someone to guide me, I will go back to the meeting immediately!" ”

Cai Jigang added: "We also need to set up water and food distribution workstations on the highways along the way, we must arrange police forces to maintain order, and we must also pay attention to air defense, otherwise there will be chaos." ”

As he spoke, a train blew its whistle into the station, and the refugees were thrown into confusion, and the crowd rushed up like a wave, trampling down the police who were maintaining order; Thousands of refugees carrying all kinds of luggage and suitcases rushed into the carriage through the doors and windows, and the carriage was quickly filled, so the agile people climbed onto the roof of the car, and the arched roof was instantly crowded with people......

Zhao Junmai was so anxious that he shouted: "Danger! Give it all down to me......" His voice was immediately drowned out in a loud cacophony.

The train started slowly in a burst of exclamations, and the roof of the train, on the treadmills of the doors, and on the joints of the carriages, wherever people could grasp them with their hands and where they could kick their feet, were all clinging to refugees who were eager to flee for their lives. As the train accelerated, people continued to slide off the roof and sides of the carriages, and cries of terror and miserable cries for help were heard incessantly......

Seeing this chaotic and tragic scene, Zhao Junmai, Fang Xianjue and Cai Jigang, who were standing on a high place, all closed their eyes in pain......

Cai Jigang whispered to himself: "It's a nightmare. Alas, this is also our calamity......"

[1]

The Kuomintang army has an establishment of a political training office, and the person in charge of the political training office is the director of the political training office, and the political training instructors are the officers in the political training department who specialize in providing political education to officers and soldiers.