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A bird squeaks and flies through the winter of Nanjing in a panic.

Yu Xiaoshu unconsciously stopped, looking up at it flying farther and farther, disappearing into the huge curtain woven by gunsmoke and dust at the end of the sky.

In the binoculars, you can already see the Japanese army's khaki uniform.

"You're just gone! Ripping off the exterior walls, burning the house, making a fuss, and just leaving, whether you can fight the Japanese or not! You're gone, what are we going to do! ”

One hand grabbed the belt of his gun, and the owner was a small trader in a blue cloth robe, unkempt, with sweat and dust on his face, and his voice was already hoarse.

Yu Xiaoshu licked her chapped lips, not knowing how to answer his question.

A few days ago, in order to clear the shooting boundary and build fortifications, the Nanjing Garrison Headquarters ordered all the houses near the city wall to be demolished and burned, which annoyed the citizens, but at that time everyone still had expectations for the national army, and this expectation has now disappeared in the rumbling artillery of the Japanese army.

"Ah, you won't even give up Nanjing!"

The Japanese army was already in the city, and everyone knew that the fall of the city was only a matter of time.

"Speak, speak up!"

When groups of big-headed soldiers swarmed towards the four gates of Nanjing City, the anger of the common people came up.

The teaching corps rushed up with a strong-blooded soldier and pushed the man to his heels, "Get out of the way!" ”

"You guys are fucking worse than Japanese!"

"Lao Tzu is bleeding in front, who is it for!"

The soldier reached for the harasser rolling on the side of the street.

"What for! Do! ”

The two men tore apart.

There was the roar of airplanes in the sky, and the street that was still chaotic just now instantly staggered, and before people could lie down, a loud noise exploded around them, as if the whole ground was lifted, and people's internal organs were also stirred up in this loud noise.

Dust, sawdust and broken bricks and stones fell from the sky, Yu Xiaoshu got up from the ground, covered with dirt, the old brother just sat on the ground, and he was also shocked and vomited.

Sweat and dust were mixed together, and I wiped a few handfuls indiscriminately before I opened my eyes, and my mouth was full of teeth, and I spit out, but I couldn't spit out anything.

"Hurry up!" Yu Xiaoshu found that his voice was also hoarse, and waved his hand to signal the soldiers to return.

The sound of horns, the neighing of war horses, and the sound of people on Zhongshan North Road are like a pot of boiling stew, steaming hot on this cold winter day. The teaching team struggled to move forward in the flow of people, and was stretched into a thin line, which more or less maintained the integrity of the formation.

The jeep was at the front, struggling, and Yu Xiaoshu only walked a few steps before he was hit by the scurrying soldiers.

Lao Zhao held him up and said with concern, "It doesn't matter, when it's time to die, you have to hold on." ”

Yu Xiaoshu smiled reluctantly and took a deep breath, the gray and yellow gunpowder smoke was filled with a bloody breath, and a few wisps of black smoke on the skyline were like wisps. Lao Zhao didn't ask if it was okay, this moment of relaxation, a wave of tiredness came to his heart, and he almost didn't close his eyes for two days and two nights.

He will always remember this day, December 12, the 26th year of the Republic of China, which happened to be the first anniversary of Chiang Kai-shek's imprisonment in Xi'an.

The chaos in Nanjing a year ago is still fresh in my mind.

Yu Xiaoshu, a graduate of the sixth phase of Huangpu, is the deputy head of the Shanghai District of the Special Service Department of Fuxing Society.

A year ago, before the all-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression began, he, like most of the young generals of the Whampoa Department, believed that there would be a war between China and Japan, and was anxious for the conservative concession of Shangfeng, and when the news of the chairman's imprisonment came, the backbone of the Fuxing Society rushed to Nanjing from all directions, and in just a few days, more than 2,000 Whampoa students gathered in the Artillery Banner Auditorium, each of whom was dressed in strict military uniforms and had white silk on his head, ready to fight to the death for the fate of China!

He Jinhan, director of the General Training and Administration Division of the Military Commission, stood on the podium and vowed to live and die with the chairman. Yu Xiaoshu's blood also surged to his brain, Japan declared the autonomy of North China, Shanghai and Nanjing were full of Japanese spies, the civil war could not continue, could not wait any longer, the country was in danger!

At that time, when did the resolute and generous faces become tired and numb?

Just a year later, as a soldier of the national government, he was ordered to abandon his capital.

"If you don't leave, you won't be able to leave! The 88th Division couldn't stand it, the Japanese army had already attacked from Yuhuatai, and the city walls on the side of Zhonghua Gate and Shuixi Gate also blasted out, and the road in front was bombed. ”

Huang Wuning hurriedly ran over, pulled them to the front of the team, he was of medium height, his face was flushed, and he still looked like a student. He is actually a student, about to graduate from college, after the August 13 Shanghai fight, he felt that the war could come in handy, so he signed up for the line of fire to join the army, because he studied radio, Yu Xiaoshu was directly transferred from the Qingpu training class to the newly established Jiangsu and Zhejiang Action Committee Special Brigade, and served as a signal soldier in his fourth detachment.

After the Battle of Songhu, the four detachments suffered heavy casualties and were forced to revoke the establishment, Huang Wuning followed Yu Xiaoshu all the way to Nanjing, and joined the "Left-behind Engineering Regiment" stationed by the garrison headquarters, responsible for communication and liaison inside and outside Nanjing during the war.

Huang Wuning has engaged in city defense communications, and even if all the lines have failed, his news is still a little better than that of ordinary soldiers.

This is the little brother who crawled out of the Zhabei trench in Shanghai with him, Yu Xiaoshu feels that Huang Wuning is blessed in his life.

"Xiaoshu, hey, hurry! Come on! Lao Zhao had already climbed into the car and shouted loudly.

Yu Xiaoshu is anchored to the transportation team of the general reserve of the teaching corps, and at this moment is hurrying to the Rujiang Gate in the north of the city, and through the city gate, it is the Xiaguan on the south bank of the Yangtze River, and there are small steamers parked at the naval dock, waiting to transport them to retreat across the river.

Orders are orders, and if they don't move, they don't know how difficult it is to execute them.

The car bumped all the way, the chaos along the way was shocking, the wounded soldiers fell on the side of the street wailing, rifles, ammunition, belts, and military uniforms were discarded on the side of the road, those rare and expensive military materials on weekdays have now become waste, the road ahead is difficult, there are constantly scrambling for the road vehicles squeezed together, turned over to the side of the street and burned, the corpses of the dead soldiers are lying cold beside the flames, fortunately, the teaching corps is the trump card army in the regular army, the military discipline is strict, the team is neat, all the way through the thorns and thorns to advance strongly, Still approaching the city gates.

The closer they got to Beishi, the more chaotic they became, and the people were running around like headless flies, not knowing whether they were going inward or outward, in the four directions of southeast, south, and northwest, all of them were all kinds of troops, the garrison headquarters, the 39th Army, and the teaching corps, and since yesterday, the communication between the various units has been completely cut off, and it is said that the order for most of the headquarters to break through and one to cross the river has been issued, but no one in the following ranks knows whether they are the troops that should break through the encirclement or the troops who have been arranged to cross the river and evacuate, and they have become even more chaotic.

"If you can't keep up this time, don't even think about going out of the city!"

Zhao Fusheng, who has always been neat, is as disgraced as he is, and he no longer looks like a scholar. He is a staff officer of the Military Committee, and he is also half a colleague, and the city is about to be destroyed, so he worked hard to find Yu Xiaoshu and dragged him out.

At that time, Yu Xiaoshu was in a daze in the empty confidential room of Chaotian Palace, and after Dai Li evacuated Nanjing, it was Kang Pinghu, the deputy director, who stayed behind to arrange the hidden personnel. The order that Yu Xiaoshu accepted was to assist Qian Xinmin, the head of the Nanjing Special Economic Zone of the Secret Service, in arranging the hidden work. This is a vague order, he has been working in Shanghai, he has just been withdrawn from the Songhu front not long ago, he has no roots in Nanjing, and he does not know how to assist Lao Qian's work at all, and for how long. The most important thing is that when Kang Pinghu arranged the hidden mission, Lao Qian was absent for some reason, and this emergency meeting in the midst of artillery fire seemed a little sloppy.

Kang Pinghu has been arranged, about to leave, Yu Xiaoshu was anxious, grabbed Kang Pinghu, asked him to make the final instructions for the left-behind personnel, Kang Pinghu said a few words, pulled him aside, and whispered, "Xiaoshu, Lao Qian is the head of the real district, fully presiding over the work, taking the main responsibility, you just came back from the Songhu battlefield, you have actual combat experience, now help Lao Qian to top it, after this period of time, find a chance to withdraw." ”

He turned to leave, and as if he remembered something, he said, "Send you eight words, do your best, and do what you can." See you in Wuhan! ”

Kang Pinghu patted Yu Xiaoshu on the shoulder, jumped into his jeep, and drove away, leaving Yu Xiaoshu and a group of brothers looking at each other. For these temporary subordinates in Nanjing, Yu Xiaoshu was unbinding, and in just two or three days, before Lao Qian showed up, everyone was "scattered and hidden".

He was very conflicted in his heart, the order to stay in Nanjing was issued by Dai Li, that is, in fact, Shangfeng had expectations for himself, but looking at the meaning of Kang Pinghu, it was clear that he would let himself go as the best plan, and he also left him a way to teach the corps, so that he could follow the retreating team and go out of the city together.

To go or not to go? He has been hesitating, hundreds of thousands of troops inside and outside Nanjing, like trapped beasts, himself is like a drop of rain flowing into the turbulent stream, and the tossing spirit is disappearing little by little.

"You go first, I still have a cover mission."

"Cover whom? You are a bare-bones commander, stay in the green mountains, you are not afraid of no firewood, and your life is not your own! Zhao Fusheng was anxious, grabbed him and shook him.

"Shanghai has already died once."

Yu Xiaoshu still can't keep up her spirits.

"Is this a joke! To stay, it is a death! You don't want to die yourself, don't want to think about Xiuyan! ”

Well, thinking of her lovely daughter, Yu Xiaoshu swallowed her saliva, and finally jumped off the table, followed Lao Zhao, and blended into the rolling crowd.

The memories were broken into countless fragments, and in the blink of an eye, he was already deep in the chaotic flow of people, Lao Zhao pulled in front, Huang Wuning pushed in the back, and Yu Xiaoshu turned over and got into the car.

Huang Wuning was like a monkey, and with a force, he also turned over.

When the car arrives in Beishi, the flow of people is becoming more and more crowded, and the road that is dozens of meters wide is only two or three meters passable, and the car can no longer drive half a step, and a team of people and horses have to get off the car and walk. Finally approached Rujiang Gate, but the noise in front of him was getting louder and louder, Yu Xiaoshu squeezed forward to check the situation, and his head couldn't help buzzing.

It turned out that the wide city gate had been tightly guarded, and the gap in the middle was only allowed for one person to pass through, so when would the tens of thousands of troops in the city be able to withdraw? There were already soldiers nearby who had no hope of getting out of the city and climbed the city walls, using belts, leggings, everything that could be knotted into ropes.

The gendarme guarding the door turned pale, "I don't have a pass to find your superiors, Lao Tzu's military order is in my body, and I don't have documents, no one wants to go through here!" ”

Yu Xiaoshu knew that the 36th Division guarding Rujiangmen also had the mission of supervising the battle, and it seemed that due to the chaos, the retreat order of the garrison headquarters had not yet reached this checkpoint.

A large number of people were squeezed in a small space, and the traffic team could no longer maintain their formation, and they were also scattered by the crowd, but fortunately, Huang Wuning was young and strong, pulling Zhao Fusheng with one hand and Yu Xiaoshu with the other, squeezing his head hard, and squeezing him to the front.

Yu Xiaoshu was desperate in his heart, such a chaotic order, coupled with the fact that the government decree was not passed, not to mention the rebellious soldiers without a pass, even with a pass, it was estimated that the city would not be able to get out, and now he only hoped that the light machine guns of the 36th Division would not fire at his own people.

His worries soon became a reality, the soldiers who wanted to seize the road and flee had to rush to the sentry post, and the soldiers guarding the gate scolded loudly, everyone knew that the ferry from Xiaguan to Pukou had already been ordered by the garrison headquarters to evacuate the waters of Nanjing, and now the civilian ships crossing the river grabbed one less one, and the moment they left the city early, they might get a way out, and the moment they left the city later, they might have one more soul.

Seeing that there was no hope of getting out of the city, the soldiers were even more red-eyed.

"You won't get out of the way!"

The soldier raised his gun at the gendarme guarding the door, and the light machine gun of the guard soldier also showed a black hole.

The crowd immediately became chaotic, some stepped forward to grab the gun with their hands and shouted loudly, and some scolded the bastard and began to pull out the gun.

"Pass pass, you see how many of these people have fucking passes! You told us to go to our superiors and ask for it? Where's your superior?! Like our superiors, we should have run away a long time ago! Are you still here stupid, can such a thing as a pass fall into our hands? Lao Tzu didn't believe it, there were so many people passing by the city gate on this day, and each of them had a pass to the garrison headquarters!? ”

The gendarme's face turned pale, and after glancing back a few times, Yu Xiaoshu immediately understood that the officer guarding the door was indeed not there.

"Open the gates, or Lao Tzu will kill you first, and then use his body to block your machine gun hole!"

Seeing that the gendarmes did not speak, the noise of the people became louder, and the sabre rattled and the situation was about to get out of control.

"I can't go this way!" Lao Zhao turned around to pull Yu Xiaoshu, but it was a stranger who didn't want to be pulled, and when he raised his eyes, he didn't know when, Yu Xiaoshu had already squeezed in front of the barbed wire fence at the sentry post.

There was a bang, "I'll see who the squeezes another one!" ”

Yu Xiaoshu jumped on the fortifications made of sandbags, and it was a shot to the sky. Huang Wuning relied on his good health, and stood in front of Yu Xiaoshu alone, withstanding the chaotic soldiers who wanted to rush up.

"The Japanese are about to invade, right now! Zhonghua Gate, hand-to-hand combat is being held on the city wall, Purple Mountain, Guan Wang's Tomb, a sea of fire! Guanghuamen has been lost and regained several times! How many brothers are still bathing in blood, just to earn a glimmer of life for us! You're making trouble here! Are you soldiers? The chief is gone, what about discipline?! Where should the muzzle of the gun be pointed? I don't know where to shoot, so I might as well die in the city! The muzzle of the gun is pointed at his brother, he went out of the city and survived, he is also a traitor waste! ”

"Who are you, you! When it's your turn to speak, Lao Tzu will collapse you first! ”

The soldier who took the lead shouted loudly, raised his gun and put it directly on Yu Xiaoshu's chest.

"Fuck you!" Yu Xiaoshu took out his military ID card from the pocket on his chest, opened it, and headed at the crowd.

He stretched out his arms straight and shouted, "Contemptible Yu Xiaoshu! Not a serious soldier! Worked in the Investigation and Statistics Bureau of the Military Investigation Commission, and two months ago, he was appointed as the deputy captain of the fourth detachment of the special forces of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Action Committee! ”

"Of the four detachments?"

"Aren't the four detachments gone?"

There were whispers from the crowd.

"That's right! Two months ago, we were ordered to cover the retreat on the north bank of the Suzhou Creek in Shanghai, and the brothers and the Japanese army carried it hard and held on to it, and 2,000 people were killed! Now the whole quadruple detachment! My brother is the only one left! ”

Yu Xiaoshu's words were categorical, and Huang Wuning couldn't help but glance at him too, not knowing whether he should be counted as a member of the four teams or a ghost of the four teams.

The crowd gradually fell silent. Although since the all-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the war has been like a meat grinder, which has devoured the lives of more than 100,000 soldiers of the national army, but the battle at the end of October still left a deep impression on them, and this tragic battle before the fall of Shanghai was very special, because the irregular army fell into a bitter battle in order to cover the retreat of the regular troops, and the result was that the four detachments of the special forces of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Action Committee, which were temporarily patchworked, were destroyed in formation. This battle has long been passed on by word of mouth among the soldiers, but I didn't expect that today, there would be a living person from four detachments jumping here to shout.

"Soldiers, it is our duty to obey orders, if on that day, one of the four detachments raised a gun at your brother like this today, it will be my lifelong shame for Yu Xiaoshu!"

The muscles on Yu Xiaoshu's face twitched, "The 100,000 army is trapped in the city, it can't prevent an effective breakthrough, and it can't retreat in an orderly manner, look at how wide the gap in the city gate is!" You guys are making such a fuss and fighting, you can pass a few! Let's stay here and become a meat target for Japanese children! Even if you can really get out, even if you still have a gun, you don't deserve to wear this uniform! ”

"After talking for a long time, you are the one who can get out of the city? You have us under control, turn around and block the bullets, so that you officials and old men can escape! ”

"You fart!" Huang Wuning pulled out his gun.

The crowd was chaotic again.

"Look!" Yu Xiaoshu took out the special pass of the Nanjing Garrison Headquarters from his pocket and held it high, "Yellow, this is the pass below." ”

Seeing Yu Xiaoshu holding up the pass, Zhao Fusheng stomped his feet in the crowd, without this thing, even if they went out of the city, a few of them would not want to board the small steamer at the Navy Pier, this guy didn't know what to do.

Three times five divided by two, Yu Xiaoshu tore the pass into pieces in front of the chaotic crowd.

Zhao Fusheng could only roll his eyes.

"I'm not leaving," Yu Xiaoshu turned to the gendarmerie squad guarding the city gate, "Now, I am the commander guarding the city gate!" The gun is raised, without my order, who dares to step forward, shoot! ”

The soldiers defending the city looked at each other, and a row of a dozen guns was raised.

"Brothers, whether we are ordered to break through the siege or retreat on our own, we must understand that in the absence of organization, the rebels are vulnerable, and even if we can get out of this city gate, do you have the confidence to run out surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops? I'll show you a clear way, go find your organization, find your superiors, and if you can't find it, choose one, whoever can give me an orderly team will be able to leave Nanjing! ”

"Traffic team!" Yu Xiaoshu raised her arms and shouted.

The soldiers of the teaching corps, who were crowded around, began to gather.

"Get out of the way, those who have a pass, assemble on the left hand side and go out of town! Chaotic soldiers and scrambles, all of them will be engaged in local military law! ”

Yu Xiaoshu's momentum calmed the scene, people got out of the way, and the more than 60 people of the traffic team were also competitive enough, checked the pass, and went out of the city neatly.

"Please show your pass!"

Immediately following the teaching team, a soldier with a different color of clothing wanted to blend in, but was caught on the spot.

"Brother, brother, don't shout, don't shout, I'm Captain Yu's colleague."

The gendarmes looked at Yu Xiaoshu.

Yu Xiaoshu looked carefully, it was Qian Xinmin, he was wearing a half-new ordinary military uniform, except for being a little older, he looked no different from ordinary soldiers.

"Old money? Boss Dai has a new order? ”

After hearing these words, Qian Xinmin's face changed suddenly, shook his head, turned around and squeezed back again.

"Old money! Old money! ”

Yu Xiaoshu was hoarse just now, and before he could change his breath, Qian Xinmin was already overwhelmed by the flow of people again.

"Next pass!"

It took several efforts by the gendarmes and a long time for the Rujiangmen to restore order, and the passage gradually became smoother.

"You guys go first, you can't keep up any later!" Yu Xiaoshu's voice was already hoarse.

Huang Wuning shook his head and said, "If you don't leave, I won't leave either." ”

"Where are you going? You, you! Zhao Fusheng was helpless, "Kang Pinghu's talisman was torn by you, where did you let us go?" We are not the ones who teach the corps. ”

He sighed.

"Report sir!" The gendarmes defending the city attracted an officer with the rank of captain.

When they met each other's feet, they gave a military salute first.

"Thanks! He served in the 36th Division, responsible for guarding the city gates, and had just gone to receive an urgent notice from the garrison headquarters. ”

"Notice of retreat from the garrison command, right?"

"Yes, it is said that Commander Tang has given the order to retreat."

"Now the situation is sinister, there is chaos in Rujiangmen, and there is no retreat channel, which is unimaginable!"

Yu Xiaoshu looked at the soldiers who had just made a noise, and his heart palpitated.

"It's good to come back, they thought you had escaped."

"Don't dare to forget the country! The nation is in danger, and we will defend our posts to the death and carry out military orders until the last drop of blood is shed! ”

The officer said loudly, glancing at the different faces in front of him, his eyes stubborn.

The crowd was silent, and the few people who were shouting so loudly just now also turned their heads sideways.

Yu Xiaoshu straightened his body and solemnly saluted him.

"I'm here, sir, please get out of the city!"

He was still very young, his shoulders were firmly holding Yu Xiaoshu's hand pressed on it, and the corners of his mouth were stubbornly pursed into a line.

Yu Xiaoshu's heart was sour, as if he saw himself ten years ago, he patted the other party's shoulder, and whispered: "The crowd in the back is several times this, and it is hard to remove the obstacles at the city gate as soon as possible." ”