Deserter from War

Chapter 7: Forty-eight petals

Views:

Suddenly, there were continuous explosions in front, followed by a burst of shooting from Type 79 rifles, followed by a burst of charging and howling, and the Japanese stopped shooting at the small street temporarily. The captain of the first company felt that something must have happened to the Japanese in front, but he didn't know what it was. According to the mission order, the second company was in the streets and alleys on the left wing, and the third company should be deployed in the streets and alleys on the right wing, forming a line of defense with their first company. The mission is to hold on temporarily and wait for the second and third battalions to arrive before advancing. It feels like a friendly force should have reached the front, but I don't know who it is? Should I charge or not? The order is to hold on temporarily, and the situation in front is unclear. This... While the captain of the first company was still struggling with the situation, the opportunity was missed.

A small group of Japanese soldiers were quietly advancing from south to north, slipping through the alleys, through the broken walls, and through the courtyards like rats. They were supposed to encounter the second platoon head-on, but the second platoon chose to turn left to the side street before encountering them and missed them.

The Japanese soldiers who were crouching and moving carefully in the front finally stopped and gestured to pass on information to the back. They found a building where the enemy was hiding. The number of people was unknown, but they saw the muzzle of a gun exposed in the window. The team of more than 50 people was then divided into two groups. One group went to the nearest house to find a bunker to set up a shooting position and prepare for cover, while the other group quietly approached the target building. Two Japanese soldiers quietly crawled under the window, each took out a Type 91 grenade from his bag, and gently pulled out the safety pin...

The biggest difference between the Type 91 grenade and the wooden-handled grenade is not only the appearance, but also the way the fuze is fired. The wooden-handled grenade is detonated by pulling a wire to ignite the fuse. This thing is an impact-type trigger fuze with a delay of seven or eight seconds. Before use, you must knock or knock down the top cap. You can also install a primer and use a grenade launcher to fire. Although it is not as far as the standard grenade, it can fly more than 200 meters. Later, the Japanese replaced it with the Type 97 grenade. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Chinese people commonly called it "48 petals".

When Liu Erdan opened his eyes, he saw a foggy sky, which seemed to be red. He stared blankly for a long time, and finally remembered what he had experienced as the last one in the third shift to jump onto the window. His body was covered with dust, and the blood flowing from the corners of his eyes, mouth, and ears had begun to coagulate, sticky, mixed with dust, and turned brown, forming strange grooves on his gray face and neck.

Leaning on his rifle, he struggled to crawl out of the dusty ruins and stood up shakily. A layer of gray dust slid down from his body, rippled around before hitting the ground, and then dissipated.

I want to go home, I just want to go home, I want to go home... Dad may still be working in the fields, I have to go to help him, I can't let Dad do it alone, Dad's legs and feet are not good, I have to go, I have to go, otherwise I will be scolded by Mom, although Mom is always reluctant to beat me, I will go now... At this moment, Liu Erdan has only this obsession in his heart, this obsession with home, which makes him forget the pain and the noise of bullets. He stumbles over the broken low wall, as if he has crossed the hills of his hometown, and stumbles through the alley, as if he is walking on the ridge of the field in his hometown...

Hu Yi, who had been staring at the window, was a little confused. The sound of the grenade explosion was really strange. It should have happened on the defense line arranged by the Japanese on the side street. In addition to the first row scattered around the small building, there was only the second row in front. Their task should be to flank forward and spy on the Japanese's flank position. If it was really the second row, how could it hit the side street? If so, it would be bad.

Wang Laokou was also attracted by the explosion and came to the window to observe. "Xiao Hu, do you think that the reckless guy Da Huangya turned the corner and went to knock on the side street? But why is there no movement on the street?"

"It could also be done by the Second Company on the east side of the street. I hope it wasn't the Second Platoon!" Hu Yi sighed.

"Yeah, let's not have them, otherwise we won't know when the devils will appear under our noses."

Hu Yi was not only worried that the second platoon would miss the Japanese if they turned around, but also that they did not know how many Japanese had landed, and how many Japanese were deployed on the opposite side. Everything was unknown. Judging from the gunshots on the side street, the Japanese guarding the side street was at least a squad, and even if it was just a squad, there were more than 50 people. Unless the Japanese were gathered together, if they were dispersed into two or three lines of defense, even if the second platoon could catch them off guard, it would be dangerous, unless the first company could launch a charge to support them. Since the first company had no movement, it looked pessimistic.

It was still foggy, and Wang Lao's eyes were sore from looking at it. He simply turned around and sat down by the window, picked up the half-smoked cigarette butt that had just been extinguished by the explosion, and re-lit it, and began to complain: "F*cking big yellow teeth, a jerk who only cares about promotion and wealth. In terms of seniority and ability, he should not be the second platoon leader. The company commander was blinded by the five dollars in cash. I think he will lead the second platoon into the ditch sooner or later."

Zhao Yong was listening to Wang Laokou's complaints downstairs and couldn't help but ask, "Platoon Leader, how much did you spend in the beginning? I want to save some money so I can take over your job."

"I was... Get lost! You are everywhere. You will never be able to take over my job until you die."

Listening to the quarrel between Wang Laokou and Zhao Yong, the big guy and the silly boy laughed out loud.

"Something's happening!"

Hearing Hu Yi's low shout, Wang Laokou put out his cigarette again, pulled the bolt of his gun with a clatter, turned around and pressed against the window, and the big guy also put the muzzle of his gun on the windowsill. Looking forward from the south window of the small building, a gray figure staggered out from the alleyway more than 50 meters away...

The Japanese soldier at the foot of the wall had just pulled out the safety pin of the grenade when he saw a native coming out from the corner next to him, leaning on a rifle and staring at them in a daze.

Clang—the window of cover at the back was suddenly pushed open, da da da da—the Type 99 light machine gun suddenly began to howl, and the Japanese soldiers in charge of cover opened fire without hesitation.

Amidst the barrage of bullets, Liu Erdan swayed involuntarily until he was nailed to the ground, staring at the gray sky with his gray eyes. I have to go help my father with his work...

Almost at the same time as the machine gun sounded, three gunshots were heard from the second floor of the small building. The big man's shot hit the window frame, Hu Yi's shot hit the ground, and the third shot directly hit a Japanese soldier who was lying on the ground with a grenade in his hand. The other Japanese soldier finally reacted from his surprise, and smashed the ground hard with the grenade in his hand. Without waiting for the delay time, he raised his hand and threw the grenade into the window above his head, and turned around and ran behind the pile of debris next to him.

Seven or eight soldiers in a row were hiding in this room. The third company commander was also here. He was holding a canteen with his sleeves rolled up and drinking water. Suddenly, the harsh sound of a crooked handle sounded through the window, accompanied by the unique whistling sound of a 6.5mm bullet and the sound of a bullet hitting the ground at a close distance. Then a bullet hit the window frame next to him, and all the water was sprayed out on the spot. Japs! The moment he bent down and threw away the canteen to touch the gun on his waist, he saw a grenade flying in through the window, hitting the wall behind him and falling at his feet, still spinning. A soldier next to him who saw this scene with the company commander was stunned, staring with horror eyes, and fell to the ground, kicking and moving backwards like a cramp, unable to speak.

"Fuck you!" The third captain stepped on the grenade that was still spinning, bent down, grabbed it in his hand, turned around and threw it out of the window. Boom—"Coward, why are you still standing there? Fuck you!" He bent down again and stuck to the side of the window, pulling out the box gun.