Hu Yi fell down, lying unconscious in the middle of the yellow earth playground. The soldiers of the second company still surrounded him, but they were far away from him, leaving a large circular open space, and they did not dare to move forward.
Xiao Hongying sat beside Hu Yi's unconscious body, the tears on her face not yet dried. In her hand was the grenade given to her by the regiment commander. The cap had been unscrewed and the fuse was tied in her hand. She looked around vigilantly.
"Xiao Hongying, stop messing around! You saw him kill our company commander, put the grenade down quickly."
"They were just competing, the fox can't be blamed. You guys are bullying the weak with your numbers, you are not good people!"
"Xiao Hongying, don't be confused. He is from the Kuomintang, you know that? Have you forgotten that your parents also died at the hands of the Kuomintang?"
"Don't lie to me. He didn't kill my parents, so why should I put the blame on him? He is now in Class 9, my comrade-in-arms, and my savior. Who of you dare to come and try?"
"You traitorous little girl, then we are no longer your comrades? I don't believe you dare to blow us up too!"
As they were talking, the people of the Second Company began to stir again and slowly moved forward. Xiao Hongying straightened her eyes, freed up one of her hands, swiftly took off the military water bottle that the Second Company had given her, and threw it into the crowd of the Second Company: "This was given to me by your Second Company. I'm returning it to you now. From now on, I, Hongying, will have no ties with your Second Company and we owe each other nothing. Let's see if what I say counts!" After shouting this harshly, Xiao Hongying stood up, held the grenade high in one hand, and grabbed the fuse with the other hand and slowly pulled it straight.
In the endless dust and rolling yellow sand, a petite figure in gray military uniform stood proudly. A pair of pigtails stubbornly stuck out from the back of the cute military cap, swaying slightly in the wind. It seemed inharmonious, yet perfect, like an exquisite and majestic sculpture standing on the playground.
Xiao Hongying's stern voice calmed down the people around who were ready to make a move. The people from the second company didn't dare to get any closer, and the situation remained at a stalemate.
Finally, the leader shouted from outside the field: "Everyone, disperse! Little girl, do you want to rebel? Put it down immediately! What are you still standing there for? Send the injured to the medical team quickly..."
The regiment commander and political commissar conducted an on-site investigation, went to the medical team to inquire again, and then returned to the regiment headquarters.
The political commissar sat at the table peeling peanuts. The regiment commander crossed his arms and walked back and forth on the ground. He didn't know how many times he had walked around before he finally spoke: "Old Ding, you say, we have only had a few days of peace. Gao Yidao is a loser. Not only does he talk nonsense, but now he has even dragged the second company into this. I don't think this Hu Yi is a good guy either. He said it was a competition, but he was really ruthless. After all, they are comrades in arms of the same regiment, not devils. What's wrong with him?"
The political commissar continued to peel peanuts and hadn't said anything yet when Ma Liang trotted in from outside: "Report."
The head of the regiment quickly asked Ma Liang: "What's the situation in the medical team? Have you confirmed it?"
"Captain Gao is not dead, he just had a broken head and passed out. Among the others, four were seriously injured, seven had broken bones, and twelve had minor injuries."
Huh—the regiment commander took a deep breath and said, "See? The battle hasn't even started yet, but the medical team is already full. What do you think of this? Isn't this embarrassing?"
The political commissar put down the peanuts and asked Ma Liang: "How is Hu Yi?"
"No broken bones, lots of bruises, but the wound on his head seems to be pretty severe. He is still unconscious."
The political commissar rubbed his hands, shook off the peanut skins in his palms, and said to the regiment commander: "Old Lu, don't get angry. At least no one has died. This is a blessing in disguise. I am a political cadre. The main responsibility for this matter lies with me. I failed to estimate the seriousness of the matter in advance." After saying this, he sighed in his heart. It seems that Hu Yi is not a worry-free guy. He is treating the playground as a battlefield. Sigh -
As soon as Ma Liang left the regiment headquarters, another signalman ran in, sweating profusely: "Report, urgent matter from the division headquarters!"
At present, the enemy's action deployment is somewhat abnormal, and the enemy's purpose is still unknown. In view of this, the division decided to deploy an action to test the enemy's strength and at the same time interfere with the enemy's action purpose. Order the independent regiment to move north immediately and cooperate with the friendly forces on the flank to carry out a harassment operation.
After reading the order, the regiment commander handed it to the political commissar and said, "I don't know what day it is today, but everything has been rushed together." He then ordered the messenger, "All regiments, assemble and prepare to set off!"
After reading the order, the political commissar raised his head and interjected, "Old Lu, what about the Second Company and the Ninth Squad?"
The regiment commander scratched his head and said, "What else can we do? The people are lying down. The mission is important now. Let's talk about it later." Then he added to the signalman, "Let the second company stay behind to look after the house."
When the sun rose again, this nameless village in the Taihang Mountains was much quieter than usual. The independent regiment had set off the day before, and only the second company was left here, and of course, the ninth squad. People often say that heroes appreciate each other, and that they can forget their grudges with a smile. This is sometimes true, and sometimes it is nonsense, at least it is nonsense relative to the second company and the ninth squad. Of course, Liu Jianqiang is not included.
Gao Yidao couldn't wear a hat anymore. He had thick gauze wrapped around his head. He still stood on the playground, supervising the second company to exercise on time. He was now the highest officer in this nameless village. Although he became the top leader, he was not in a good mood. Gao Yidao, the dignified commander of the second company and the best bayonet fighter in the regiment, was beaten down by the **** Kuomintang deserters in front of the whole company. This was a great humiliation that he would never forget.
The soldiers of the Second Company were not happy either. Not only was their company commander knocked down by a Kuomintang deserter, but more than a dozen soldiers of the Second Company were injured, and the little girl became enemies with the Second Company. Now they even lost the chance to participate in combat missions. They were filled with hatred.
Xiao Hongying couldn't be happy because Fox was still unconscious. She had been guarding Hu Yi's thatched house, feeding him water and porridge. She remembered what Hu Yi said to her on Dongshan Mountain, "The final victory is determined by momentum, not skills." She didn't believe it at first, but now she believes it. Just yesterday, on the playground at the edge of the village, she and Fox defeated the second company with momentum, and she felt proud.
Liu Jianqiang still showed up at the village head on time to bask in the sun, becoming even more melancholy. He also saw the conflict between the Second Company and Hu Yi and Xiao Hongying, but Liu Jianqiang didn't think it was an honor. He was originally a KMT deserter, and now he was so cruel to his comrades in the Second Company. Isn't he an ungrateful person? How can he, the so-called ninth squad leader, face his comrades in the Second Company in the future? Shame on him, this is really embarrassing!
As a result, the nameless village became quieter and more desolate than before, and in the wind and sand, it was even more vague...