Rise from eight hundred.

"Platoon leader, I'm so cold! Is it going to snow?" A soldier lay on Tan Tai Mingjing's legs, groaning softly.

"Yes, it's autumn now, and it's getting cold. I'll put on more clothes for you." The muscles on Tan Tai Mingjing's face twitched violently. He took off his tattered military uniform and wrapped it on his soldiers.

Erniu, who was still lying there with his tongue out and panting, was on guard. He was very smart. He wagged his tail and ran over, then lay down beside the wounded soldier, hoping to use his body temperature to help him resist the "cold".

However, no matter how smart Erniu was, how could it know that the coldness of its seriously injured comrade did not come from the weather, but from his body.

Although it is already the beginning of September, the temperature in Hunan Province is still astonishing. Especially at noon, the temperature has already exceeded 9 degrees. Even if you sit still, you will sweat profusely.

  Shanzi is complaining about being cold, I'm afraid it's

As a veteran soldier, Tan Tai Ming Jing knew very well that Shan Zi might have run out of energy and it was the moment he least wanted to face.

However, the Japanese army had blocked the block with artillery and machine guns, and the only underground passage for evacuation was accidentally cut off by an aerial bomb, so he had no way to send his comrades back to the field hospital.

This is the sixth day that the 2nd Platoon of the Independent Company has been fighting alone in this block of only tens of thousands of square meters.

6天的时间，退回衡阳城还拥有兵员65人的2排就在这里击退了日军超过50轮进攻，承受各种炮击不下35轮。

The frenzied Japanese army must have discovered that the huge pit created by a heavy bomb had collapsed the underground passage of the block. Any Chinese troops who wanted to support this place could only do so through the ground. In order to completely take over this place and wipe out the Chinese defenders in this block, they not only brought in infantry artillery and heavy machine gun squadrons, but also mountain artillery and even engineering corps to carry out excavation operations around the block.

The block was semi-surrounded by trenches, and the open side was blocked by fire with mountain artillery and heavy machine guns. Even at night, when there was no trench to isolate the only access to the block, flares were fired continuously from the sky above the ruins.

Encircling a point and attacking its reinforcements, one of the Eighty-thousand Army's most adept tactics, was actually learned by the Japanese.

To support the 2nd Platoon, the 4th Regiment used its only four remaining 150 mortars to fight back against the Japanese artillery positions, and organized 50 reserve soldiers and 30 regular troops to enter the area to deliver supplies.

Don’t think that these 80 people are few. In fact, when the street fighting in Hengyang City entered the 25th day, there were only about a thousand regular troops of the Four-Line Regiment who could still fight. The mobilization of two infantry squads was the limit of the troops that Leng Feng, the then chief of staff, could mobilize.

In fact, supporting soldiers who can be used for combat is not the most important thing; the most important thing is the soldiers' supplies.

The underground storage room in this block originally contained enough ammunition, food and clean water for an infantry platoon for 20 days. That was standard equipment for every block, designed to prevent a situation where the Japanese army used heavy troops to encircle the block and were unable to replenish the supplies in time.

But no one expected that this battle would last for nearly a month. When the 2nd Platoon was responsible for replacing the 2rd Platoon of the 6th Company of the 3nd Battalion that was originally stationed here, the food and water had been almost consumed.

During these six days, they survived entirely on the three-day individual rations they brought with them when they came to the neighborhood.

However, food is not a big deal. At worst, I can sneak out of my position at night and search the Japanese soldiers' bodies to see if there are any biscuits or rice balls.

The Japanese army must have reached the end of its rope. Many Japanese infantrymen would carry the little food they were given with them during the attack. This was not because they were rich, but because they were afraid that if they stayed in the garrison, the food would be gone when they returned.

Food is also an extremely precious commodity for them.

But there is no way to get water, it has to be transported from outside, especially in this extremely hot summer.

Judging from the fact that Tan Tai Ming Jing's lips are now chapped, it is clear that the two rows of people who are still staying in this block to continue resisting are already in a state of extreme water shortage.

The 50 reserve soldiers were responsible for transporting logistical supplies, and more than 30 of them carried a water bag weighing 30 kilograms.

However, the Japanese army might have been waiting for this opportunity, and more than 18 heavy machine guns and 10 artillery pieces imposed a fire blockade on the transportation operations of the Sihang Regiment.

During that short journey of just 80 meters, 55 of the 18 supporting soldiers fell, and only 7 regular soldiers and reserve soldiers arrived at the block.

There were only two soldiers carrying clean water, and one of them had his water bag torn open by a heavy machine gun bullet when he passed through the blockade area. The 70 soldiers in this block had only 30 kilograms of clean water to use, averaging less than half a kilogram per person.

The point is, no one knows how long this battle will last.

For the Chinese soldiers in the block and the commanders at all levels outside, the more painful choice was that they knew that this was the Japanese tactic of "siege and attack the reinforcements", but they had to sacrifice their lives.

Otherwise, everyone in the neighborhood would die of thirst and hunger.

"Whoever can deliver 30 kilograms of water in, I will reward him with a first-class military merit and a gold bar! If he fails on the way, there will be no military merit, but the gold bar will still be paid." Ye Chenghuan's eyes were already red, and he made a solemn promise in front of 500 reserve soldiers.

The current strength of the Four-Line Regiment is no longer able to support the consumption of regular troops, and reserve soldiers are his only option.

There will always be brave men when there is a big reward. Although they knew that there was a 500% chance of survival if they crossed the blockade, nearly half of the selected reserve soldiers still signed up.

During those two nights, there was artillery fire and bullet rain all night long on the only access to the block numbered 3918.

The words "blood and flesh flying everywhere" are not enough to describe the tragedy at that time.

Of the 249 reserve soldiers, the number of soldiers who can finally pass through the 3918-meter-long "death corridor" and reach Block 8 will never exceed .

But it was these less than 200 kilograms of clean water and dozens of kilograms of fried rice that gave dozens of Chinese soldiers the motivation to continue fighting.

Among them, we have to mention "Erniu". Erniu used the cover of night to go back and forth four times in this "corridor of death". Although he did not bring back clean water and food, he brought back precious medicines. Otherwise, half of the more than 4 wounded in this block would never feel the smell of gunpowder again.

The Four-Line Regiment paid a terrible price for resisting the Japanese attack in Block 3918, with nearly 50 regular soldiers killed and more than 290 reserve soldiers killed. It became one of the five blocks with the highest number of casualties among the more than 100 blocks in the defense of Hengyang City.

But they didn't know how many people the Japanese 3rd Division had deployed here.

根据第3师团战报，为了拿下这片街区，时任第3师团第68步兵联队联队长川崎贞贰大佐在这里总共投入了2个步兵大队及装甲兵、工兵、炮兵等各类兵种合计超过2600余人。

In 6 days, 1048 infantrymen including machine gunners, 53 artillerymen, 12 armored soldiers, and 85 engineers were killed in the battle, which was a loss of more than half.

And this does not include the wounded.

On the sixth day, the colonel regiment commander, who had been extremely determined and fierce-eyed, and who had even gone to the front line to kill a second lieutenant squad leader and a captain squadron leader who had retreated voluntarily to show his determination, finally silently ordered his soldiers to withdraw 6 meters away from the block.

If the fighting continued, the 2th Infantry Regiment, which had already received two rounds of reinforcements, would have to announce its reconstruction. Not only were ten of the old soldiers gone, but even more than half of the new recruits who had just been replenished had died.

Two of the three infantry captains under the 68th Infantry Regiment were killed in the battle, one of whom died in this neighborhood.

Like the Chinese army at that time, the Japanese army often chose to go to the front line in order to boost morale.

However, the Fourth Rank Regiment had strict regulations that prohibited saluting on the battlefield to avoid being exposed. This had long been ingrained in the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Rank Regiment, but the strict hierarchical concept of the Japanese army often caused them to unconsciously bend and lower their heads to show respect when facing their commanders.

Therefore, they are often exposed, especially in street fighting like this, when there are snipers hiding everywhere, which is simply asking for death.

Perhaps only the Chinese soldiers who were still holding on to the ruins knew that before the Japanese army completely withdrew from Hengyang City, this retreat was only temporary, and it would not be long before they would come back again.

If they were in the Japanese army's perspective, they would never easily give up the position that was within their grasp. It was not because capturing the target position was important, but because they had shed too much blood on this position. Once they really retreated, all the blood would be shed in vain.

This is indeed the case. Although the Japanese infantry of the 68th Infantry Regiment completely stopped the attack, it did not mean that they gave up. They still tightly blocked the block, determined to trap and kill the Chinese soldiers who were still hiding in the ruins.

This may be the only answer that Colonel Sadaoji Kawasaki, whose attacks were repeatedly frustrated, gave to Commander Isamu Yokoyama who was supervising the battle at the front line!

The Japanese army's cessation of the attack finally gave the Chinese soldiers who were still alive in the ruins a chance to catch their breath.

For six whole days and nights, the Japanese army relied on their large numbers of troops to launch rotational attacks, but the Chinese soldiers here could not be rotated. Everyone could only grit their teeth and hold on. Commanders like Tan Tai Mingjing, who was forced to be promoted to second lieutenant platoon leader during the war, got even less sleep.

As strong-willed as he is, he has reached his physiological limit long ago and fell into a deep sleep as soon as he sat down. It was the long-term fighting that made him always alert. Even if he fell asleep, the slightest noise, or even just a feeling of danger, would wake him up from his sleep and he would instinctively react to avoid it.

It has been the third hour since the Japanese army stopped its attack. Tan Tai Mingjing, who has slept for an hour and temporarily recovered some energy, feels extremely heavy. Shanzi's body is getting colder and colder, and his breath is getting weaker and weaker.

Tan Tai Ming Jing served in the army for four years and experienced dozens of battles, big and small, and lost countless comrades. From the initial crying and sleepless nights to the final silent farewell, he thought his heart had become numb and would no longer be frightened by death.

However, when his comrade fell in front of him again and gradually lost his life in his arms, his heart still ached as if it were being cut by a knife.

He did not learn to accept death or no longer fear death, he just became more resilient than before. He could only endure the pain in his heart and not let his tears flow.

At this moment, a communication request came from the soldier's walkie-talkie. Tan Tai Ming Jing pressed the call button, and the cold and low voice of the company commander Tu Yunsheng came from the walkie-talkie: "Ming Jing, what's the situation over there?"

"Report to the company commander, the Japanese troops have temporarily retreated. I request artillery support. I want to send the injured brothers to the field hospital." Tan Tai Ming Jing looked down at the unconscious soldier, his eyes full of pain. "Shan Zi, Shan Zi may not survive until the evening."

Shanzi was injured early this morning. This third-year soldier, along with three reserve soldiers, used cross fire consisting of an assault rifle, two submachine guns and a rifle to firmly lock down the left wing of a Japanese infantry squad that was breaking forward, killing and wounding at least 3 Japanese soldiers.

In order to deal with this small mobile firepower point, the frenzied Japanese army actually called in two infantry guns to directly fire on it from a distance of 300 meters. Two of the three reserve soldiers were killed on the spot, and Shanzi, the leader of the firepower team, was hit in several places by shrapnel. It was the reserve soldier who luckily avoided the artillery fire and desperately carried him out of the rubble that saved his life.

However, Shanzi was hit by shrapnel and flying gravel in at least five places, including his chest, abdomen and thighs. Especially his abdomen, which was cut open by a 10-centimeter gash, exposing his intestines directly, which was extremely shocking. But the real fatal injury was in his thigh, where an artery was punctured. Tan Tai Ming Jing tied a tourniquet on him and used a full 5 hemostatic packs to stop the surging blood, but Shanzi's blood was almost gone. If he could not get a blood transfusion immediately, the probability of death would be %.

Although the Japanese army would inevitably carry out an artillery blockade, and the probability of Tan Tai Ming Jing surviving carrying Shan Zi through the "corridor of death" would never exceed 90%, Tan Tai Ming Jing still wanted to take a gamble. If he didn't, his brothers would lose even that few percent of hope.

Tu Yunsheng on the other end of the walkie-talkie was silent for a few seconds, and then his stern voice sounded again: "Okay! You set off in 5 minutes. I will request the regiment's artillery battalion to provide full cover."

Most of the artillery pieces of the Fourth Regiment's artillery battalion were no longer able to fire, not because they were damaged by the bombings, but because they were running out of shells.

Even Chief of Staff Leng Feng only had the authority to deploy four 4mm heavy mortars. If he wanted to use the 150mm mountain cannon, he had to get Tang Dao's personal approval.

Every shell must be used to the best effect.

But Tu Yunsheng, the company commander, still agreed.

During the few seconds he hesitated, he was only worried about whether Tan Tai Ming Jing could cross the "corridor of death" alive, and he didn't consider whether it was worth it or not.

This was because, from the very beginning of the establishment of the Four-Line Camp, the Four-Line Regiment had the iron rule of 'never abandon, never give up'. Not to mention the brothers who were still alive, even those who had already sacrificed would not be left alone on the cold soil, exposed to the sun and rain, as long as conditions permitted.

This is also one of the core factors that give the Four Lines Regiment a cohesive force far beyond that of ordinary armies!

Even if the person who undertook this near-death mission was the commander of this position and the brother-in-law of the regiment commander Tang Dao, no one would question whether it was worthwhile.

  On the battlefield, the only two people you can trust are your comrades and your gun!

Tan Tai Ming Jing quickly stood up, and with the help of his comrades who came over from the other side, he tied the dying Shan Zi tightly to his back with a rope, picked up a submachine gun in his hand, and handed over the command to the second-in-command who had been designated long ago.

This is also the practice of the Four Lines Regiment. In each independent battlefield, there will be as many as five commanders in the sequence. The commanders ranked first will die in battle, and the order will progress. When entering the battlefield, Tan Tai Ming Jing was the third-ranked commander. On the third day of fighting, he was already the first-ranked commander.

"Boom boom boom!" Hundreds of meters away, there was a cloud of smoke and rumbling explosions.

Those were the familiar 150 heavy mortars and Bofors mountain guns firing to test the areas where the Japanese artillery might be located, and also to draw their firepower. Now all the Hengyang artillery had retreated to the vicinity of the Central Bank, and would only return to the ground when firing. They usually hid in underground tunnels. The Japanese would definitely retaliate with artillery fire, which meant that their artillery fire would never exceed 2 minutes.

Tan Tai Ming Jing, who had already reached the edge of the block with Shan Zi on his back, took a deep breath and looked back at the pale-faced Shan Zi: "Shan Zi, hold on, let's go!"

Shanzi no longer had the strength to answer and could only try his best to grin and smile.

He also wanted to live. Only by surviving would he have the opportunity to avenge his brothers. This was also the concept that the Four-Line Regiment had instilled in the recruits when they were in the recruit company. No matter how hard or painful it was, they must try their best to stay alive. Only by staying alive would there be hope.

Tan Tai Ming Jing ran wildly!

Carrying a comrade weighing hundreds of kilograms on his back, he ran wildly in that corridor of death for a full 60 meters, without the machine gun bullets and fierce artillery fire as he had imagined.

Because the Japanese soldiers responsible for observation from a distance were also shocked by this reckless Chinese. The only passage leading to the outside world was covered with the blood and flesh of countless Chinese people.

Even the bravest Chinese would only dare to embark on this dead end road at night, when flares were falling.

No one had ever dared to pass through here during the day when visibility was good. Not to mention that the concentrated fire from more than a dozen artillery pieces could easily tear him into pieces, even the six heavy machine guns set up in the dark could turn him into a hornet's nest.

But this crazy Chinese man did just that, running wildly in broad daylight on that passage. The huge contrast caused the three Japanese observers to react only five or six seconds later: "Fire, fire, there is a Chinese on passage 1, kill him!"

  The Japanese heavy machine gunner straightened the machine gun, pulled the trigger and started shooting!

The crazy bullets were like the god of death's scythe, slashing towards the running Tan Tai Ming Jing.

"Boom, boom, boom!" Several consecutive grenades exploded in front of the Japanese fortifications. The smoke and fumes caused by the explosion obscured the vision of the Japanese heavy machine gunners. They could only rely on their feelings to fire forward, and their accuracy was naturally much poorer.

That was the 2nd platoon in the ruins trying their best to cover their new platoon leader. Their 60mm artillery shells had been used up long ago, and they were using grenade launchers captured from the Japanese soldiers they killed. Although the lethality was limited, it was still possible to harass the firepower points hidden in the fortifications.

The rain of bullets from six heavy machine guns was miraculously left behind by Tan Tai Ming Jing who was running for his life.

The Japanese artillery hidden hundreds of meters away also began firing!

"Boom boom boom!" Thick smoke and flames rose from the death tunnel filled with bomb craters.

Tan Tai Ming Jing did not make any tactical evasion. He continued to run as fast as he could.

Tan Tai Ming Jing had never run so fast before. He knew that if he didn't run faster, he and Shan Zi would be torn to pieces by the subsequent artillery fire.

The Japanese would only give him 15 to 16 seconds at most. According to his observation, when the Japanese artillery fired, they would fire according to the preset coordinates. They usually would not cover the 100 meters with one round of artillery fire, but would use three rounds of artillery fire.

As long as their first round of artillery fire hits behind him, he will be able to outrun the shells as long as he is fast enough.

Tan Tai Ming Jing made the right bet. The Japanese artillery, which had strong execution capabilities but was rigid enough, didn't care where the target was. They just followed the established tactics and carried out three rounds of rapid fire according to the established artillery coordinates.

The rising smoke and air waves chased Tan Tai Ming Jing as he ran madly, all the way forward.

"Boom!" At least four shells exploded more than 20 meters behind the running Tan Tai Mingjing. The gusts of air caused by the explosions swept Tan Tai Mingjing and Shan Zi, who had blood on the corners of their mouths, into the trench in front.

At the moment of falling into the trench, Tan Tai Ming Jing landed on his own without causing any harm to his comrades behind him.

"Ahem! We've run out, we've run out. Shanzi, you can get a blood transfusion soon." Tan Tai Ming Jing didn't care about his lungs that were about to explode from running so fast, and turned around to look at his comrades.

Shanzi grinned slightly!

  "Brother, your speed is so fast that even my brother-in-law would be impressed when he sees it." Tan Tai Mingjing laughed when he saw his comrade's smile!

Tan Tai Ming Jing stood up and continued to run along the 50-meter-long trench. At the end of the trench, he saw the figure of the company commander Tu Yunsheng. The company commander brought his men to pick them up in person.

"The smoke drifted past

  The firewood for cooking has bent my waist

She is more than just firewood

  dusk sunset

Grandpa sang while tapping the bowl and chopsticks

She counts the days on her fingers every day

Waiting for people coming from afar

The bench at the door has never been moved.

  The eyes are still looking forward to

She gave birth to one after another

  All blown away by the sound of the trumpet

What's on the other side of the mountain?

  The heroic spirit of the martyrs

It is the motherland they fought to defend.

What's on the other side of the river?

  It's a protracted war

She looked into the distance, tears falling

Peace is coming

  They left

The person she is waiting for will never come back."

A clear and melodious singing voice also came from the walkie-talkie tied to the shoulder.

It was a small choir composed of several nurses from the field hospital. In the intervals between battles, they would sing a few military songs and transmit them through walkie-talkies to the soldiers who were gathering their strength. In order to avoid exposing the soldiers' location, their voices were kept as low as possible, almost like humming.

This is enough.

The tenderness from women is the best medicine to heal a warrior’s tired heart.

  In order to prevent these beautiful and gentle comrades from suffering the pain of the city being destroyed and people being killed, they are willing to die first!

Listening to the song coming from his ears, Tan Tai Ming Jing couldn't help but think of his mother far away. He didn't notice that the head of his comrade behind him gradually drooped and gently fell on his shoulder.

But he could feel that the warm breath of his comrade on his neck suddenly disappeared.

Tan Tai Ming Jing's tears fell one by one. He didn't look back, but just said, "Shan Zi, hang in there, I'm still okay!"

Passing by his superiors and comrades who were standing solemnly waiting for him, Tan Tai Mingjing ran stubbornly towards the field hospital.

He kept running in the underground tunnel. He firmly believed that as long as he ran fast enough, his comrades would not die.

  His mother was waiting for him in Rongcheng, and his comrade's mother was also waiting for him at the entrance of the village!

All the Chinese soldiers who met them on the road stopped and stood straight until the lonely and determined figure disappeared from their sight.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PS: I didn't update yesterday because of something else. I will update a 6000-word chapter today. (End of this chapter)