pure white

Chapter 12

Chen Jingyu stayed up all night again.

I got up and poured two glasses of water and threw some tea leaves into it.

Chen Jingyu stood outside looking far away, holding a lighted cigarette between his fingers, the sparks flashing and flickering, melting into the night like a lighthouse on the dark and twilight sea, the evening wind was like a sea breeze, beating the waves up and down float.

Rain is coming.

Chen Jingyu heard movement behind him, turned his head to see me, and said softly, "Can't sleep?"

"The guns are too loud and noisy." I handed her one of the cups.

Chen Jingyu listened intently, the surroundings were very quiet, I heard the sound of patrolling soldiers stepping on stones downstairs, and there were unknown little insects in the grass in autumn, chirping non-stop, and their breaths were like cicadas snoring.

She took the cup, smiled, and said, "The devil is still on the north bank of the Xinqiang River, and General Zhang is guarding it with the 52nd Army."

I saw that her smile was not quite right, it seemed to be forced out, so I knew she was trying to comfort me. "I'm not a child. I'm not afraid of the Japanese calling me. Why do you need to comfort me?"

She rubbed my head: "Military speaking, the morale of the army is stable."

I slapped her hand away and put the cup on the rail, propping it up with both hands.Tonight the moon is not very bright, the stars are few, and the distant mountains are shrouded in shadows and covered by floating clouds.

"I received a telegram this afternoon that both Caoxie Ridge and Bijia Mountain were lost. The 52nd Division of the 1nd Army and the [-]th Division lived and died with the positions. All officers and soldiers of the [-]nd Division were martyred. The loss was heavy." [Note [-]]

Chen Jingyu tilted his head lightly, "Regular channels?"

I rolled my eyes, how could she still remember the telegram with the word "Wen"?

"Military electricity, if you want to report to the military department, how dare you block it privately."

Chen Jingyu looked down at her hand that was not holding a cigarette, and flexed a few times like a child counting with her fingers. She sighed: "Almost a thousand more widows, a thousand families."

"To die for the country is a worthy death." I said, "I received their last words in the afternoon, and a string of garbled codes squeezed them in. Finally, I found out that they were typed repeatedly, but there was actually only one sentence."

I turned my head to look at her, "But can't you think about your home? Your elderly parents, your brothers and sisters, your lover...waiting for you to come back by the door frame every day, in the end there is only a notice and a few Ten oceans and no bones left, what should the survivors do?"

Chen Jingyu didn't answer me for a while, I put my hands on the fence and supported my head, "So you really haven't thought about this?" When she was talking, she habitually looked at her face, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw her hand that was not holding a cigarette. Putting her whole arm on the fence, it’s nothing at all, people always find something to rely on habitually, but the point is, she is wearing a military-style white shirt, and now the sleeves are directly pressed against the fence, I can hear the sand clamoring and rolling on her spotless sleeves.

I held the corner of her sleeve with one hand: "Hey, hey, the sleeve is dirty!"

I lifted it up suddenly, and when I picked it up, I found that she was clenching her fist. As soon as I touched her sleeve, I quickly let go, but I was too hard, and my fingertips were still white.

I didn't use much force at first, but she broke away with a move.She didn't care about the dirt on her sleeves, and just dropped her arms, standing in a military posture.There is still more than half of the cigarette between her fingers, and she takes a puff and exhales slowly. She is not addicted to cigarettes, but every time she smokes, her emotions are the most complicated.

"Why should I think about this? After my brother and my mother died, the Chen family left me and him. Do you think he will send me to the battlefield?" she said.

On September 28, the 23th year of the Republic of China, the No.15 Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army retreated southward, and the Xinqianghe defense line was breached.

In the early morning of the next day, the headquarters of the war zone commander began to retreat to Zhuting in the south of Lukou in an orderly manner. The defense of Changsha city was handed over to the Fourth Army. Commander boards the vehicle.

We suffered two air raids along the way. Since the Xinqianghe defense line was breached, the Japanese have been rampant. Mortars bombed like nothing. From time to time, bombers came out with lights on, and there were fighter jets escorting them. How rich they are.

There were no major casualties in the two air raids. I was transferred safely and intact. After arriving at the place, I continued to work. The telegraph operator sent me telegrams one by one. Translate for me.

I was so busy that I couldn't keep going, and when I remembered that I hadn't seen Chen Jingyu for several days, it was already the afternoon of the 27th.After I handed over the telegram to the headquarters, I took advantage of the opportunity to inquire with an officer I knew. When he heard that it was a staff officer, he frowned and thought about it: "Maybe he went to Leiyang with the chief of staff."

On the 28th, I received a telegram that Pailoupu was about to fall, and most of the Japanese troops fled to Yong'an City and the area north of Laodao River.

They are very close to Changsha.

On the afternoon of the 28th, I received a call from Chongqing. Chen Jingyu’s father asked me where Chen Jingyu was. family!"

On the 29th, I suddenly received an encrypted message stating that the Japanese army north of Laodao River began to retreat northward.I hurriedly asked someone to report to the higher authorities, and an hour later, the Chief Department ordered that the No.15 Army, No.70 Army, No.70 Third Army, and No.70 Ninth Army pursue northward.

Our army and the Japanese army fought a few small-scale encounters piecemeal. On October [-], all the Japanese troops withdrew to the north of Xinqiang River, and our army returned to the position south of Xinqiang River.

After a beating, so many people died, but they returned to their original positions.

The commander of the war zone began to pack up and move back to Yuelu Mountain, and I also had a legitimate reason to go back to Changsha.

Chen Jingyu was waiting for me in front of the city gate of Changsha, leaning against the jeep, not smoking any more this time, wearing white gloves and military boots, and his military uniform was neat and straight.

I started running when I was still some distance away from her, and I ran up to her and hugged her tightly, she staggered back to stabilize her body, patted me on the back and smiled: "You are so miss me?"

"This is the first time I've been separated from you since I came to Changsha." I covered most of my face in her collar, and my words were muffled.

She patted my back slowly, once and for all, like when I coquettishly got into my mother's arms and asked her to hug me.

I hugged her for a while, and suddenly remembered that she had been missing for the past few days. After hearing this, she replied calmly: "At first, I was going to follow you, but I was sent to deliver military supplies on the way."

As soon as I heard it, sending military supplies is almost equivalent to going to the front line. If the defenders can't defend, the logistics will be in a hurry.She patted my head, but she was still calm and composed: "It's not that dangerous. They didn't even let me go to the frontline headquarters. I was forced to retreat after putting down the supplies far away."

Without waiting for me to say anything, she went on to say, "Get in the car and take you to dinner first."

She has been in Changsha for several years, and her hostility has long been worn away.

I asked her what she wanted to eat in the car, and she smiled and said, "It's up to you."

I suggested to eat wontons.

The first meal I had when I first came to Changsha was wonton, which was unforgettable everywhere except for the spiciness.

I took Xiao Huo and Chen Jingyu around and found the stall through my memory. I was pleasantly surprised to find that both the stall and the stall owner were there.This time I deliberately let the chili and seasonings be reduced. After hearing this, Chen Jingyu laughed at me and said: "The bloodshot steak is delicious."

She has always been obsessed with British food, but I am used to it. I can even eat it when the kitchen makes a mistake in the doneness of a steak when I order out.

I took out my chopsticks and waited eagerly for the wontons to come out of the oven, and I retorted to her by the way: "How can there be chili in Jinling cuisine?"

She patted the brim of my hat: "Smart teeth."

The author has something to say: [Note 1]: Add a special note. September 1939, 9, the first Changsha battle.The □□ Battalion of the 18nd Division of the 52nd Army is guarding Caoxieling, and the Shi Sihua Battalion of the 52th Division of the 195nd Army is guarding Bijia (Jia) Mountain.After three days and nights of fierce fighting, all Hu Ying died for the country, Shi Ying suffered heavy losses, and Shi Sihua died in battle. ——The information comes from the first battle of Changsha "Battle Policy and Battle Process", the author He Zhigui was the director of the Military Affairs Department of the Commander's Department of the Ninth Theater at that time.

[52 Army]: Xinqianghe garrison, commander Zhang Yaoming.

----

The first Changsha battle is over.

By the way, the flag is raised again...the king of flags