Hu Yi got off the bus, tightened his collar and adjusted his hat, feeling very empty around his waist and shoulders. He was not used to the empty feeling. When he was in the supervision team, he used a machine gun, which he handed in when he left the team. According to the regulations, he could go to the military supply department to get a gun, but Hu Yi gave up the idea. Not to mention whether the military supply department still had a gun, even if he could get one, it would be a problem whether it would be broken or not, and it would be more cumbersome to carry with a firewood stick. He just started walking, squeezed through the crowd and followed the platform to find his new unit to report.
In a corner of the platform, the third company commander sat on an ammunition box with his legs crossed, his rough black hands stroking the shiny tin watch case, and he gently pressed the button, and the watch case jumped up with a snap. With the dim lights on the platform, he could still see the crystal on the dial, ticking accurately. He leaned in and looked at it carefully for a long time, and couldn't help but say to himself: "What time is it? Hmm..."
"Report! Soldier Hu Yi comes to report to the third company." The voice was deep and powerful, neither humble nor arrogant, interrupting the third company commander's mumbling.
In the dim light, a thin man in his twenties stood nearby. For some reason, the same old gray military uniform with wrinkles made him look particularly tall and stern. On the platform after the rain at night, against the backdrop of the slovenly soldiers, he seemed so out of place, just like walking through a dark thorny forest and suddenly seeing a tranquil moonlit lake.
The captain of the third company closed the watch and held it in his palm, looking up at Hu Yi. This unlucky guy, he was reduced to a soldier but still looked so attractive. Wang Laokou, the old fox, really chose a good son-in-law. Thinking of this, he smiled at Hu Yi and said, "Well, Hu Yi. I heard that you let more than a dozen deserters go and didn't shoot them in the back. Good. It seems that you are a person of character, I like you. When you arrive at the third company, you have to wear the same pants as us, drink a bowl of water, and stay in our third company steadily. Well, I will assign you to the third platoon. Now you can go to the wall over there to find your platoon leader father-in-law." Amidst the laughter around him, Hu Yi saluted neatly and officially joined the third company.
This is a typical company commander. Hu Yi gave such an evaluation in his heart: reckless, selfish, and not flexible enough. Although thinking so does not mean that Hu Yi hates him, at least people like the company commander are easy to get along with and not complicated, but the changes on the battlefield are often complicated. I hope that the third company will not lose too many lives for this company commander. Thinking of this, Hu Yi suddenly realized that maybe he was too complicated. It was his complexity that cost the lives of the entire company on the machine gun company position. The painful, terrified and helpless faces, the endless flames, and the continuous wailing suddenly appeared in his mind, making Hu Yi's eyes black. He is the one who is least qualified to be a company commander. How can he have the face to judge others!
Wang Laokou held Hu Yi's hand tightly and refused to let go. Hu Yi, who had seen such a situation before, couldn't help but blush, but he couldn't find a chance to let go.
"Hu Yi, you are here. Are you feeling better now?"
"It's good that you're okay. If there's something wrong, don't force yourself to do it."
"I am definitely older than you, so I will just call you Xiao Hu because I am older."
"Xiao Hu, we are a family from now on, so you can't be so formal."
"The platoon leader is a piece of shit. From now on, you should call me Brother Wang. Otherwise, you are looking down on me."
Zhao Yong, who was standing at the side, was so angry. Why didn't I call him Brother Wang when I joined the army? This is too... The big guy and the silly boy just smiled at Hu Yi. It was still the same cold and mottled broken wall, but it turned into five figures...
After entering such a combat group, Hu Yi didn't know whether he should feel lucky or sad. Hu Yi didn't think much about Wang Laokou's enthusiasm, but he finally had a basic understanding of the third platoon. Including the newcomer himself, there are five people in total. With this scale, the reserve team can't do it. At best, it can be considered an infantry squad directly under the company. This is not surprising. The replenishment of troops has always been unable to keep up. Some companies have even directly disbanded the unit, leaving only one platoon. Hu Yi has also heard that the grassroots command of the army is still very backward. Concentrate on fighting, defending, and retreating. Under such a simple command, there is really no need to split it up. Today's third company is like this. The first platoon is responsible for attack or defense, the second platoon is responsible for support or reserve, and the third platoon is dispensable.
This is fine, Hu Yi thought. Now he can't find anything to rely on. He was brought up by a beard since he was a child, so he naturally has a little beard. He once dreamed of being a martial artist and traveling thousands of miles alone. When he was young, he joined the army and dreamed of being a hero and making achievements. Now, all of them are illusions. The lost hometown, the broken mountains and rivers, the countless lives that have passed away, and the plaster flag that is as disgusting as a fig leaf but invincible. Failure after failure, retreat after retreat, and wandering around, he has already wandered to the south of the Yangtze River. What is all this for? For the hometown? The distant hometown in the northeast no longer exists. For the country? What has the country given to me? For the lover? It's a pity that I have never loved, let alone been loved. What is love? Hu Yi really hopes that he can be a little stupider and a little dumber, and no longer have to worry about these annoying things, like the third company commander, focusing on the little gadgets in his hand. Because I'm tired, I don't want to be tired again. Fortunately, God gave him the paradise of San Pai. Although he still couldn't stay away from the smoke of gunpowder, Hu Yi was very satisfied.
It was not until Old Wang placed his skinny hands on Hu Yi's shoulders that Hu Yi was awakened from his numb thoughts.
"Hey, Xiao Hu, why didn't you go get a gun? You, silly boy, you only eat and don't work, now go to the quartermaster..."
Hu Yi raised his hand to interrupt Wang Laokou: "Platoon leader, don't bother, it's easier with empty hands."
"Look, I told you to call me brother, but why are you still the platoon leader?" Then Wang Laokou slapped his forehead again: "Hey, look at my confused brain, that's right, the gun in the quartermaster department is to fool the new recruits, you can use mine." After saying that, he grabbed the Type 79 rifle behind him and handed it to Hu Yi.
All the metal protrusions are polished to a bright shine, and the handguard and buttstock have become smooth and comfortable to the hand due to frequent use. Guns are of varying quality, and you can't just pick one up and use it. It often takes a lot of firing and a long time for the owner to slowly get the hang of it and become proficient in it.
Hu Yi returned the gun to Wang Laokou: "Platoon Leader, oh, Brother Wang, you got this gun by yourself, you should keep it. It's definitely not easy for me to use it now, and it won't be easy for you to use it again. Why are we going through this?"
Wang Laokou was an old soldier, so he knew that Hu Yi was not just being polite, so he didn't force it.
Zhao Yong on the other side interrupted at this time: "Platoon leader, you are so hypocritical. You are willing to give away a pocket watch, so what's a gun?" He pointed at the fleeing soldier in the distance and said: "See, there are plenty of guns. Why don't you buy him one?"
Listening to Zhao Yong's sour words, Hu Yi knew that he was being sarcastic, so he smiled bitterly and didn't mind. Wang Laokou also knew that Zhao Yong was mocking Hu Yi, and he immediately got annoyed: "When I have money, I will definitely buy a coffin first, and leave it for you who has no vision, okay?"
Zhao Yong fell silent, and Wang Laokou also stopped talking. The conversation came to a temporary end here. The five figures in the third row continued to squat at the foot of the wall and silently watched the "wandering souls going west."
The silly boy didn't have a gun either. The platoon leader thought he was too small and short, so he wouldn't let him use one, nor did he teach him. Of course, he wasn't interested in guns. He was just making a living, so why would he need a gun? Can you eat a gun? But now seeing that the good-tempered platoon leader was almost angry about the gun, the silly boy felt that he had to do something. He patted his butt, stood up, said he was going to relieve himself, and disappeared into the night.
The defeated soldiers were scattered, in groups of three or five, in gangs, and in companies and battalions. Some were wounded and supported, some were tired and hungry, and some were hurriedly marching, just like a river full of reefs, sometimes slow and sometimes torrenting.
The silly boy followed the crowd and stared at the three people in front. The man in the middle seemed to be injured. He held a person's neck with his left and right arms, and was supported by two comrades, moving slowly forward. Feeling someone suddenly push his back, the three staggered a few steps but still couldn't stabilize, and finally fell to the ground. The injured groaned, and the two people who supported him turned around and cursed before they got up, "Who is the blind grandma..." I saw a half-grown boy behind him staring at them blankly, and suddenly he fell to the ground and cried loudly: "The silver dollar on the ground is mine, don't steal my silver dollar, I dropped it, don't pick it up, my silver dollar, wuwu..."
The three of them were stunned on the ground, and even the injured stopped groaning and turned to look. What was going on? The people around them stopped immediately after hearing the noise, and several figures rushed over, pulling the three people apart and looking for them. A few more figures came over and started to curse: "You bastards, you were cowards when fighting the Japanese, but you are capable when robbing the foreigners."
"None of your business, which part are you from?"
"I'm from the 48th Army, damn, I lost to scum like you."
"You're a hero, damn it. If you're a hero, why are you running west? If you want to be a hero, go back to Shanghai."
"Do you believe that my fist can beat up the devils and dogs?"
"You bastards from the 48th Army, try to touch me. I'm not afraid of the Japanese, so why should I be afraid of you..."
It was hard to tell who was who in the night, but they finally started fighting. First, three or five people greeted each other, then eighteen or nineteen people tore and pulled each other, and then dozens of people punched and kicked each other. As the comrades from their respective units gradually joined in, it officially turned into a melee of hundreds of people from two units. Although no real weapons were used, it was like a battlefield. There was not much nonsense, just heavy breathing and low roars, chaotically intertwined, as if they were holding the last position. The emotions of these defeated soldiers were like a powder keg. They had been sad for too long and suppressed for too long. Once ignited by a small accidental factor, they immediately vented their emotions like a flood that broke through the dam and could not be stopped.
The silly boy was still sitting on the ground, not coming to his senses. The initial push was indeed his own plan, wanting to create a little chaos and then take the opportunity to steal a gun. When he was a beggar in the past, he used this kind of trick to fish in troubled waters. But now... Being in the center of the storm, he was also frightened by the shocking scene. Guanyin Bodhisattva who saves the suffering, I am just a little beggar, I really didn't mean it, really, I didn't mean it!