1

In the depths of my memory, there was a big river, and that big river was not water, but blood. I often dream that I am soaking in that bloody water, and the sticky blood water makes me unable to move and suffocates me. The blood-soaked river blocked my way, and my life felt broken.

That river is the Xiangjiang River.

2

At that time, the Central Red Army had been marching westward. Broke through several lines of defense of the White Army and entered Guangxi. This journey can be described as a lot of hardship, fortunately, my lifeline did not become inflamed again, despite this, the march and battle along the way, the pain is unbearable, especially every time I urinate, it almost hurts to kill me, no matter what, I gritted my teeth and stood up. Before my life, Shangguan Xiong fell on the way. He suffered from malaria and had a high fever every day and could not walk.

Shangguan Xiong said to Zhang Zongfu: "Battalion commander, you throw me down, I will drag down the troops like this." ”

Zhang Zongfu said with a gloomy face: "Nonsense, can I throw you down!" I didn't even throw Li Mazi down at the beginning, can I bear to throw you away? ”

I looked at Shangguan Xiong's swollen face flushed with high fever, and I felt very uncomfortable, this is my brother, my brother who lived and died together, even Zhang Zongfu threw him down, and I resolutely refused to agree! I held his weak hand tightly and said, "Ah Xiong, you must insist, we will carry you away!" ”

A few days later, Shangguan Xiong's fever subsided, his health improved, and he was able to walk on his own with a stick.

I walked side by side with him, our pair of brothers and sisters have been together for many years, and have never been separated, especially in the past few years, how many big battles have been experienced together, and we have not even died in battle, which is also a very fortunate thing, but none of us can guarantee whether we will be able to save our lives in the next battle.

Since the evacuation of the Central Soviet Region, I have always wanted to ask Shangguan Xiong a question: What did he say to Liu Xiaoshan on that dark night in Songmaoling. For various reasons, I never found a chance to ask him, but now I opened my mouth: "Ah Xiong, what did you say to Liu Xiaoshan that night?" ”

Shangguan Xiong smiled: "You really want to know?" ”

I said, "I really want to." ”

Shangguan Xiong smiled again: "But I don't want to tell you." ”

I wondered, "Why?" ”

Shangguan Xiong put away his smile and said: "There's no why, I just don't want to say it, everyone else is dead, and I feel even more uncomfortable when I say it." ”

I was speechless and didn't want to ask any further. I think as long as we can all live, sooner or later he will tell me. But I never expected that this would become a dead knot in my heart, a dead knot that could never be untied. Not long after the Battle of Xiangjiang, Shangguan Xiong and I experienced a life-and-death parting, and there was no news of him for many years.

The Battle of Xiangjiang is a nightmare that I will never be able to shake off in my life.

3

The White Army, with a total of 25 divisions and nearly 300,000 men, blocked the front and pursued the rear, and used the Xiangjiang River as a barrier to build pillboxes and build a fourth blockade line by the river, in an attempt to encircle and annihilate the Red Army in the area east of the Xiangjiang River and west of Xiaoshui.

If the Central Red Army had thrown away the heavy supplies brought out of the Soviet area and advanced lightly, it might have been able to cross the Xiang River as soon as possible before the arrival of the main forces of the White Army, but the heavy supplies slowed down the Red Army's advance, and it could only walk more than 20 kilometers a day on rugged mountain roads. This enabled the enemy's main forces, Xue Yue and Wu Qiwei's columns, to gain time to pursue, while the Red Army missed the opportunity and entered an ambush circle preset by hundreds of thousands of enemy troops. Fortunately, the warlords of the Gui faction were afraid that our army would approach Guilin or penetrate deep into its hinterland, so that Chiang Kai-shek had an excuse to send troops into Guangxi, so he ordered the main forces of the interception forces in Xing'an and Quanzhou to withdraw to the line of Longhu Pass and Gongcheng to strengthen Guilin's defense. The White Army's defensive line on the Xiangjiang River exposed a gap for the Red Army to take advantage of. The vanguard of the Red Army crossed the Xiang River, quickly controlled the 30-kilometer crossing on both sides of the Xiang River from the foot of the mountain in Quanzhou to the first of the Jie, and covered the crossing of the central column on the left and right flanks with the brother troops. The Kuomintang troops swooped down on the Red Army from Quanzhou and Gongcheng respectively, and the fierceness of the battle was unprecedented.

I will never forget the place called Gulingtou, which was ordered by my superiors to defend this place to the death to stop the frantic attack of the White Army.

The water of the Xiangjiang River flows slowly, and the sound of the river seems to be mournful.

The battle was fought at night.

In the middle of the night, we found many flashlight beams, and a large number of White Army troops moved towards our Gulingtou position by the river in front. Soon, the two sides were connected with fire in the dark, and the sound of guns and shouts of killing rang out in one piece, drowning out the sound of flowing water in the Xiangjiang River.

The Tiger Battalion was always holding the most important position, repulsing the White Army's onslaught after pounce. By the time dawn came, our company had already lost most of its soldiers, and platoon commander Wu Youcai was killed. I saw half of his head blown up. The morning air is filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke and blood, and this beautiful place has become a living hell. After the enemy retreated again, there was a brief silence in the position, and I heard the sound of the Xiangjiang River, and my eyes looked at the river, where there were dense corpses floating, and the river was red with blood.

I suddenly remembered Shangguan Xiong, so I shouted loudly: "Ah Xiong, Ah Xiong-"

Shangguan Xiong poked his head out of the pile of dead people: "I'm in-"

Seeing that he was still alive gave me a gleaw of relief in my heavy heart.

My eyes were looking for another person on the position, it was Zhang Zongfu, I saw him, he was sitting there smoking, I ran towards him: "Battalion commander, are you okay?" ”

He looked at me, "What can I do?" Don't worry, King Yama won't accept me easily! ”

I said, "Battalion commander, when will we be able to withdraw from the battle and cross the river?" If you continue to fight like this, you must run out! ”

Zhang Zongfu spat out a puff of smoke and said, "I didn't receive an order, just wait!" What about the light, you can't withdraw without receiving an order! ”

As we spoke, the White Army attacked again, and there were more and more of them.

We are all red-eyed and desperately resisting.

There on the riverside, the White Army has already torn a hole, which is the defense area of the third battalion, the regiment commander brought a company of troops to rush over to reinforce, trying to block the opening, the central column of the Jieshou Ferry is passing through the pontoon bridge, if the White Army is allowed to rush over, what will be the consequences? The regimental commander rushed to the front, and the opening was blocked, but he was shot and killed, and his body was hit in more than a dozen places.

The deputy regimental commander took over his position as regimental commander and commanded the operation. In the afternoon, the deputy regiment commander was also killed by a bullet while seizing a position. In one day, two regimental commanders died, how rare such a thing! The position of our Tiger Battalion was occupied by the White Army many times, and Zhang Zongfu took it back again and again with the officers and men of the whole battalion. By the morning of the fourth day, there were only a few dozen people left in our battalion.

We received an order to evacuate.

But the enemy is still biting us.

At this time, Zhang Zongfu suffered multiple injuries on his body, and his head and arms were covered with bandages.

He said to me, "Mazi, you pick some to stay with me and cover the brothers!" ”

I picked a dozen or so men to stay behind and hold back the enemy.

Zhang Zongfu called Shangguan Xiong in front of him: "Ah Xiong, now, except for me and Mazi, you are the supreme commander of the whole battalion, you and your brothers quickly retreat, you are now the commander of the Tiger Battalion, don't let the flag of our Tiger Battalion fall!" ”

Shangguan Xiong glared and said, "Battalion commander, you take the brothers to withdraw, and I and the earth dog will cover you!" ”

Zhang Zongfu roared: "When is this, you are still bargaining with me!" Evacuate with the brethren, or you will not be able to leave alone! ”

Shangguan Xiong glanced at me, I knew what that glance meant, and that complicated look remained forever in my bloodstained memory.

I couldn't take care of it anymore, so I yelled at him: "Ah Xiong, you hurry up and take your brothers to withdraw, otherwise it will really be too late, and the enemy will press on again!" ”

Zhang Zongfu took out something wrapped in a red cloth, handed it to Shangguan Xiong, and said with a smile: "Ah Xiong, I know you like this thing, now return it to you as a souvenir!" I love it, but it doesn't make much sense to me anymore. ”

That was the Browning pistol that Shangguan Xiong had seized from Guo Daming.

After Shangguan Xiong took the Browning pistol with tears in his eyes, Zhang Zongfu yelled at him: "Ah Xiong, take the brothers away!" ”

Shangguan Xiong trembled and said, "Battalion commander, earth dogs, brothers, we are waiting for you in front!" ”

After saying that, he withdrew from the position with those soldiers, gathered with the few remaining officers and soldiers of the other battalion, and ran in the direction of the head of the boundary.

We gathered all our ammunition together and began the last resistance.

Our resistance was vulnerable, but we still gained a little precious time to allow Shangguanxiong and them to evacuate. At that time, all of us who stayed behind were mentally prepared to die, so we faced death without a trace of fear, and my fear was something that happened in a dream later, and I was not ready to leave alive at all. The soldiers died one after another, and Zhang Zongfu and I finally retreated to the river, hiding behind a large rock to continue to resist.

The White soldiers surrounded us in a dense manner.

Zhang Zongfu was covered in blood.

He had no strength left, leaning his back against the stone, gasping for air, and with each gasp, a mouthful of blood came out of his mouth.

He made a gesture to me with difficulty, I understood what he meant, he had something to say to me, I leaned my ear close to his ear, and heard his faint voice: "Mazi, you...... Do you hate me, it's me, I let you stay, let you ...... You die with me—"

I choked up and said, "Battalion commander, I don't hate you, I really don't hate you!" If I can fight with your brother, it's worth my death! ”

And he said, "Pockmarks...... You know what, your marksmanship isn't as good as mine, no...... I...... I'm not blowing...... Braggarts—"

Before he could finish speaking, a large mouthful of blood spurted on my ear, and I swallowed.

Only then did I realize that Zhang Zongfu's stomach had been cut open by shrapnel, and his intestines were flowing out.

I yelled and ran out of the last bullet, and then I stood there with the ghost head knife that my master Hu Sande had made for me himself, and I wanted to rush into the white soldiers who were surrounding me, but I was shot in the left thigh and could not run. The blade of the devil's head knife was covered with gaps, and I couldn't remember how much human blood had fed it.

One of the White Army officers said: "Catch alive!" ”

They didn't shoot me.

Gradually, they approached me.

I can't die in their hands, and if that's the case, it's better to live than to die!

I suddenly screamed, threw the ghost head knife in my hand at them, and then turned around sharply and jumped into the blood-red Xiangjiang River......

4

In the battle of the Xiangjiang River, it is said that tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers died in that battle, but I did not die. My body flew like a feather between the dark world. When I woke up, lying on a bed, I saw a woman's dish-colored face. I didn't have any strength at all, and my left thigh was painful. I struggled to sit up, but the woman held me down: "Lie down, don't move!" ”

There seemed to be gunfire in my ears, and there was blood in front of me.

The woman said, "You have finally woken up, and we thought you were going to die." ”

I muttered, "I'm still alive?" Where am I? Who are you? ”

The woman said softly, "You are not dead, but you are almost dead, you have been in a coma for three days and three nights." You've been talking nonsense, we don't know what you're talking about. You are now in our house, it was my father who saved you on the river beach, and he thought you were a dead body, and many of the corpses floating down from the river beach were soaked in the river. If you don't move, my dad won't be able to save you. When he found you alive, he carried you home. My name is Qiulan. ”

As she spoke, a tall, thin old man walked in from the outroom.

Qiulan turned her face and said happily, "Dad, he's awake." ”

The old man walked to the bed and said expressionlessly, "It's good to wake up, your life is great!" How many people have not escaped this catastrophe, seeing the corpses floating on the river, my heart is cold and cold, wow, what a hell is this fighting, what a sin! ”

I said in a hoarse voice, "Uncle, thank you!" The grace of saving lives is unforgettable! ”

The old man still said expressionlessly: "Take care of your injuries, you don't have to say nice words, just live." ”

Then, the old man turned around and said to Qiulan, "Go to the kitchen to see if the medicine is boiled, and pour it for this strong man to drink." ”

Qiulan said yes and went out.

Suddenly, I felt the warm breath of the world, the breath of the world that I had not seen for a long time, as if Qiulan was my sister, and the old man was my father. Thinking of Zhang Zongfu and those who died on the edge of the Xiangjiang River, how lucky I am, but they will never be able to taste the warm and simple breath of the world, are their souls still calling out in the endless bloody rain? I let out a long sigh and closed my tired eyes.

The old man said: "What are you sighing, you should be happy to be alive, so many people have died, but you are still alive, your ancestors have accumulated virtue!" Okay, you lie down well, I'll go find you a Lang Zhong and see the wounds on your legs, all of them are suppurating. ”

I don't know how long later, the old man brought another old man. At that time, Qiulan was feeding sweet potato soup to my mouth with a spoon. The old man said to me that the other old man was a very famous local Langzhong. Lao Langzhong lowered his head, looked at my wound, and pressed the skin around the wound with his fingers, looking solemn. Then, he checked my pulse again, and then called the old man out, I don't know what Lang Zhong and the old man were talking about. After they went out, Qiulan continued to feed me sweet potato soup, and Qiulan said while feeding: "Big brother, don't worry, the old man has the best reputation in our area, and he will find a way to cure your injury." ”

Lang Zhong left, the old man explained a few words to Qiulan, and also went out. It was dark before the old man returned. He brought back a lot of herbs, perhaps Lang Zhong told him to go to the mountains to pick them. The old man boiled some of the herbs in a pot to make a soup, and some of the herbs were mashed into a paste with washed stones. When I was ready, the old man washed my wound with a hot Chinese herbal soup, and Qiulan lit an oil lamp to give him a hand.

I was sweating in pain, my teeth rattling, but I didn't scream.

Qiulan couldn't bear to look at my painful appearance, so she comforted me and said, "Big brother, you hold back, it will be fine soon." ”

I saw that Qiulan's eyes were wet.

The old man did not say a word, and there was no expression on his weather-beaten face, and after he had washed my wound, he put the mashed herbs on the wound and wrapped it in strips of rags. After the herbs were applied, the hot and painful wound was much cooler. After doing all this, he went out in silence. Qiulan said: "Big brother, you have a good rest, if something is called, I will be in the next room." ”

I said, "Thank you for your hard work, Qiulan, you should rest early, don't worry, I can bear it!" ”

Qiulan smiled: "I believe that you are a man!" ”

The first time I saw Qiulan's smile, it was like seeing a ray of sunshine in the hazy sky.

Later, I learned that after Lang Zhong saw me, he felt very embarrassed, he had never treated a gunshot wound, and the bullet was deeply embedded in the flesh, and he didn't know if he was hurting the bone, and he couldn't get the bullet out at all. So, he treated my dead horse as a live horse doctor, and prescribed some herbal medicine prescriptions for the old man to deal with.

The old man's name is Feng Santong, and he has been fishing on the edge of the Xiangjiang River for a living.

How will my relationship with this father and daughter continue? What other risks and tribulations await me? On that night, I didn't know anything.