Click - with the crisp metallic sound, the silver watch case jumped up lightly, and the crystal dial appeared in front of his eyes, reflecting Hu Yi's bronze face. However, Hu Yi felt that the crystal white jade in front of him was like her face, cold and never boring to look at.
The solitary confinement room in Dabei Village seemed to be no different from the one in Wuming Village. Apart from the different houses, they were exactly the same in layout and had an open window. Hu Yi thought that the solitary confinement rooms of the Eighth Route Army were all of the same specifications, but in fact, it was just a coincidence.
On the first day of confinement, Xiao Hongying came to the window and told Hu Yi that he wanted to collude with her in giving a confession. The annihilation of forty-six enemies turned into the killing of two sentries. Then she chattered on and on about how difficult and hard her current life was, and how she couldn't sleep at night to protect her belongings. She hoped that Hu Yi would be released from prison as soon as possible to share her worries. Before leaving, she left the only news worthy of Hu Yi's concern: Su Qing was now the political officer of the division and might be transferred to the independent regiment.
On the second day of confinement, Ma Liang came to the window and told Hu Yi that he was also a member of Class 9. Then he complained bitterly about Xiao Hongying's shameless behavior, which implicated him as well. The guns and equipment that could not be brought back were still buried near the valley path and could not be reported to the regiment. This became a psychological burden for Ma Liang, and he hoped that Hu Yi could be released from prison as soon as possible to be his backbone.
On the third day of confinement, Luo Fugui came to the window and complained that Class 9 was shit and didn't even have a dormitory. He was temporarily arranged to live in the recruits' dormitory, where he was looked down upon and bullied by the recruits. He hoped that Hu Yi would be released from prison as soon as possible, save him from his suffering, and support him.
On the fourth day of confinement, Liu Jianqiang actually appeared at the window. He said nothing, looked at Hu Yi with a cold face and gritted teeth for a long time, cursed him in his heart that he would be locked up here for the rest of his life and never see the sun, and then went to bask in the sun himself.
Today is the fifth day, Hu Yi lies on the broken bed, leaning against the quilt, staring blankly at the pocket watch in his hand. Hu Yi suddenly feels that this simple confinement room makes him comfortable, calm, and safe, like a paradise that can make him forget the blood, death, gunpowder, and even the black and white roar in his mind that often makes him want to die.
It was time to change shifts again, and the sentries could be heard talking outside the broken door of the confinement room. "Hey, Xiao Bing should be here to take over my shift, why are you here?"
"He has diarrhea and asked me to take his place temporarily. Brother, who is this guy with black eyebrows and narrow eyes locked up inside?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down, kid. He's the 'two-time nemesis', you better be careful."
"What? He's the one that Erlian curses every day?"
"Hush! You rookie, didn't you hear me telling you to keep your voice down? The guy inside is not a good person, do you want to die?"
"Ah? Brother, can you explain it to me clearly before you leave?"
"Well, okay, let me tell you. Back then, on the playground of Wuming Village, this evil star, holding a pair of iron maces, fought with the fierce general Gao Yidao of the Second Company for three hundred rounds. In the end, he killed Gao Yidao off his horse, and then he went in and out seven times alone, killing the Second Company in a sea of blood. He was so cruel!"
"Oh my god, no wonder Erlian hates it like that?"
"Hey, kid, you've learned something new. You better be smart when you're guarding the door. Be careful of him... Ah, the political commissar is here! Hello, Chief!"
"Well, what are you two whispering about with the guy at the door?"
"No, nothing, we are changing shifts."
"Okay, no need to change, just remove the post."
"yes."
Ding Deyi pushed open the door of the confinement room, and Hu Yi got out of bed and stood at attention to salute.
Ding Deyi walked straight to Hu Yi and looked into his narrow and deep eyes: "Do you have any opinions on this treatment?"
Hu Yi looked into those weathered eyes and said, "Thank you, Commander, for your leniency."
Facing Hu Yi's frankness, Ding Deyi smiled slightly: "If I say that the Eighth Route Army is the people's army, the people's army, you may not understand. However, after these days, you should have seen that our environment is very poor, our equipment is very poor, and we are truly supported by these poor people. Our soldiers are all their children. Without them, the Independent Regiment would have starved to death. In my eyes, the people are more precious than my soldiers, because they are the parents who provide food and clothing, and the sky of the Independent Regiment. Therefore, I am the one who should say thank you. Thank you for saving the people of Wuming Village."
Ding Deyi's words were very simple, unlike the empty slogans on the wall, so Hu Yi took every word to heart and was deeply touched.
"You said you were an ordinary soldier in the 67th Army. I don't believe it. I don't want to force you to say anything, but I believe I am not wrong. You are not just an ordinary deserter." After saying this, Ding Deyi stopped and looked into Hu Yi's eyes quietly.
Hu Yi knew that the political commissar wanted the real answer, but Hu Yi was unwilling to mention the past. Whenever he thought of the past in the smoke of gunpowder, he would have a headache and even involuntarily have hallucinations. His head was filled with the shock wave of the explosion. The nameplate of the 67th Army on his chest had been washed away by the water on the Songhu battlefield. Hu Yi hoped that the bloody memory of the 67th Army would also flow away and be forgotten forever by himself, a deserter, so Hu Yi chose to remain silent.
Ding Deyi saw that Hu Yi's originally deep eyes began to become complicated, sad, and lonely because of his words. He seemed to have read something from those narrow eyes, so he took the initiative to break the silence: "This time I came here not only to tell you that the confinement is lifted, but also to announce an appointment to remove Liu Jianqiang from the position of squad leader. From now on, you will temporarily take over as squad leader of Class 9."
This decision was made by Ding Deyi and the regiment commander after careful consideration. Through the battle in Wuming Village, it can be seen that Liu Jianqiang, a rookie, has no overall view and no basic leadership ability. In the past, the ninth squad only had him and Hu Yi with a little girl, so it didn't matter if he was given a squad leader. But the situation is different now. New recruits Luo Fugui and Ma Liang have joined, and there is an extra light machine gun. The framework of the combat squad has been formed. It can't be treated lightly anymore. So the regiment commander and the political commissar decided to make the best of a bad situation and make the ninth squad, which was originally intended to calm things down, a formal unit.
In the eyes of the regiment commander, although Hu Yi seemed to be a guy with rich battlefield experience, he was still a new recruit compared to the independent regiment, and he had many problems that needed to be reformed, and he could not get along well with his comrades, so he wanted to transfer someone from another company to the ninth squad as squad leader. Political Commissar Ding Deyi persuaded the regiment commander to directly let Hu Yi be the squad leader, on the one hand because he found that Hu Yi, the bad guy, could suppress those problematic people, and on the other hand he could also train Hu Yi, the veteran from outside.
This made Hu Yi recover from his distraction, and he answered without hesitation: "This is inappropriate."
Hu Yike is very clear about his situation. Not only is he not interested in power, but his identity is also not suitable. He is a deserter from the 67th Army. He just joined the Eighth Route Army a few days ago and had a quarrel with the Second Company. He also violated discipline in Wuming Village. Now he is the squad leader of the "Ninth Squad". Don't you think it's not troublesome enough for him
"Oh? Haha." Ding Deyi smiled and immediately guessed Hu Yi's thoughts: "You dared to fight to death in my Second Company, and now you are not willing to accept the position of squad leader? I'm sorry, but this is an order. You have to do it even if you don't want to!"