War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1600 Departure Immediately

Before the two men could separate their clasped hands, Zhao Jinyu, who was riding on skis, had already hurried over, dragging the black horse along. He shouted in a hoarse and slightly tearful voice, anxiously and pleasantly, "Brother Wei! Quick! Come and see squad leader Xiaohu, he's dying!"

  Upon hearing this, Wei Ran and Cui Da Huzi were both startled. They let go of each other's hands at the same time and looked at the black horse behind Zhao Jinyu in unison!

"He was shot in the arm!" Zhao Jinyu said anxiously as she untied the rope that tied Tian Xiaohu to the horse's back.

"Help him down!"

As Wei Ran spoke, he glanced at Cui Da Huzi, who immediately understood and quickly climbed to the side of the sled, untied the leather ropes, first took out the medical kits, and then untied the ropes on the Sun sisters.

"Move to the side a little!"

While Big Bearded Cui was reminding the two girls, Wei Ran had already picked up Tian Xiaohu, who was lying on the horse's back, and carefully transferred him to the sled.

"Are you two the daughters of Old Sun from Niupan Village?" Wei Ran asked as he opened the Japanese's medical kit.

"How do you know? We don't know you." A girl squeezed next to the sled asked bravely.

"We know Song Hongxia from your village." Wei Ran looked up at the two girls, "She is a comrade-in-arms with her brother."

As soon as these words were spoken, the two girls from the Sun family immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't run. I'll take you to see Miss Hongxia later." Wei Ran gave his final instructions while opening the last medical kit.

"What can we do to help?" asked another girl.

"Hold up the quilt to block the wind. Also, bring the oil lamp and flashlight to illuminate. Also, lift this little girl aside."

Wei Ran was rummaging through the medical bag while giving orders. Fortunately, although the Japanese medical bag was not big, the items inside were extremely complete.

"Is this also the daughter that the young master of the Cao family robbed?"

Zhao Jinyu came over and looked at the only little girl in the sled who was still tied with a rope and asked.

"The daughter of Manager Cao." Wei Ran waved his hand, "Carry her aside."

Hearing this, Zhao Jinyu picked up the girl, who was tied up like a rice dumpling with only the red bean paste stuffing missing, turned around and put her on the back of the black horse, and tied her tightly with the leather rope that he had used to tie up Tian Xiaohu.

"Can you run?" Big Beard Cui also asked at this time.

"Can be able"

As Wei Ran spoke, he had carefully taken off Tian Xiaohu's mink coat, which originally belonged to the young master of the Cao family. He cut the strips of cloth wrapped around the wound and asked, "But I don't know your identity yet."

"Tiger knows me"

Cui Da Huzi paused and said, "I am the man that General Zhao used to get close to Cao Da, and I am also..."

"Then let's wait until Xiaohu wakes up before leaving."

While Wei Ran was speaking, he had already helped Tian Xiaohu untie the Nine Dragon Belt on his body, and then he untied the blood-soaked cotton coat and carefully cut off the part that was frozen to the body.

After an inspection, Wei Ran couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. The bullet went diagonally through Tian Xiaohu's trapezius muscle, broke a clavicle, and almost brushed past his jugular vein and larynx.

If we use the description commonly used in medicine, "two millimeters deeper would have killed him" is undoubtedly the most accurate description.

"Can he wake up?" asked Cui Da Huzi in a low voice.

"Yes," Wei Ran said as he gave Tian Xiaohu an injection of anesthetic.

Hearing this, knowing that the former still did not completely trust him, Cui Da Huzi did not say much, but just walked silently to the side of the mule and tightened the reins to prevent it from moving.

After waiting for a moment, Wei Ran carefully began to clean and suture Tian Xiaohu's wound in the snow and ice.

Next to him, the two girls standing on the sled, holding up the quilt, oil lamp and flashlight together with Zhao Jinyu to block the wind, gritted their teeth. Their overly young faces also revealed a firmness that was inconsistent with their age, as if... as if they had made some decision.

Almost at the same time when Wei Ran started to suture, Tian Xiaohu slowly opened his eyes.

"you are still alive"

Tian Xiaohu, whose face was pale, couldn't help but reveal a weak smile when he saw Wei Ran.

"Don't move"

Wei Ran paused, turned around and shouted, "Brother Cui, come and talk to Xiao Hu. He's awake."

Hearing this, Cui Da Huzi immediately ran over and said, "Xiao Hu, can you still recognize me?"

"Recognize"

Tian Xiaohu was stunned for a moment, then said with difficulty, "I recognize you, you are not..."

"Can he be trusted?" Wei Ran asked before Tian Xiaohu finished speaking.

Hearing this, Tian Xiaohu was silent for a moment, then gathered his strength and said, "Brother Cui is trustworthy."

"Then let's go"

Wei Ran continued to treat Tian Xiaohu's wound while saying, "Let's go to Langcaozigou, Jinyu, you know the way too, right?"

"Yes! Yes!" Zhao Jinyu nodded quickly and said, "I remember it clearly."

"You lead the way, and I'll follow you."

As Cui Da Huzi was speaking, he had already sat beside the sled and called the two girls to get on. After they and Wei Ran were seated firmly, he immediately shook the reins and shouted at the hardworking mule to start running.

On the slightly shaking sled, Wei Ran seemed to be unaffected. Under the dim and shaking light, he sutured the wound bit by bit, aligned the broken bones, and applied the final bandage.

After stuffing two extra candies into Tian Xiaohu's mouth to supplement his sugar intake, Wei Ran confidently handed over the task of taking care of him to the Sun sisters. He then jumped off the sled, ran a few steps, and rode on the black horse.

"Tell me what happened?" Wei Ran put on his gloves again and asked in a low voice.

"When you were firing to cover our charge, squad leader Xiaohu was shot and fell off his horse."

Zhao Jinyu said as he gave a thumbs up behind him, "At that time, the bearded man suddenly opened fire and helped kill several bandits around us. That gave me time to drag squad leader Xiaohu onto my horse and run away."

At this point, he gave a thumbs up again and whispered, "Then that bearded guy rode on your horse, and it looked like he was going to chase us. But he actually used his machine gun to kill a lot of bandits and puppet soldiers along the way for us."

"What happens next?"

"Later, he led the enemy to run in another direction. I took Xiaohu and climbed over several ridges before we escaped."

Zhao Jinyu said thankfully, "We hid in a valley for a long time, and only went out again when the snow got heavy. Then we changed direction, and when we came out, we saw you two."

After explaining the situation on his side, Zhao Jinyu asked again, "What's going on on your side?"

“It’s a long story.”

Wei Ran sighed and gave a brief account of the situation on his side.

"I don't know if Brother Hu can catch up."

Zhao Jinyu also sighed and said worriedly, "What if..."

“It shouldn’t be a big problem”

  Wei Ran comforted him, saying that they could only hope that the Japanese sent only one squadron.

Suppressing the worries in their hearts, they both urged the horses under them to quicken their pace.

In contrast, the little girl that Zhao Jinyu was carrying on the horse behind her was particularly calm and quiet. She was neither crying nor making a fuss at this moment. She seemed to be quite happy as she shook her legs from time to time.

She even had the leisure to stare with her big black eyes, looking at Wei Ran and the people in the mule cart behind with interest.

After deliberately making a detour and entering Langcaozigou, everyone returned to the abandoned mine entrance as quickly as possible.

Before they could even clear away the snow, the iron gate had been pushed open from the inside by Miss Hongxia.

"Sister Hongxia!"

Without waiting for Wei Ran and the others to say anything, and even before Miss Hongxia opened her mouth, Sister Sun was the first to greet them in a low voice.

"Ah! Oh my god! What are you doing?"

"Now is not the time to talk about this, hurry up and carry the person in." Wei Ran, who had dismounted from his horse, urged in a low voice, "Sergeant Xiaohu is injured."

Upon hearing this, Miss Hongxia noticed Tian Xiaohu, whom Cui Da Huzi had carried down from the sled. She quickly made way and held the door, and asked Wei Ran to lead the way with a flashlight, and then led the group of men and women into the mine.

"Come here and help me!"

As Miss Hongxia was talking, she was already busy untying the sled from the mule, and kept ordering, "You two sisters, hurry up and lead those two big animals in."

Hearing this, the girls from the Sun family did not dare to delay and immediately walked into the mine, each leading a horse.

By the time everyone had worked hard to carry all the things in, and Wei Ran and Cui Da Huzi had personally cleaned up the traces of the cave entrance and closed the door again, the "living room" inside the abandoned mine was almost full.

In addition to mules and horses, there are also two sleds. Apart from these, the two wounded men and the second young master of the Cao family are missing. Only the eldest young master of the Cao family is left, tied to a sled against the wall in the corner.

"Where are the others?" Wei Ran asked immediately.

"I dragged the two wounded soldiers inside," Hongxia said, pointing to a cave entrance. "It's a little more spacious and warmer in there."

"Where is the second young master?"

Zhao Jinyu asked curiously, at this time he was still holding the eleventh lady of the Cao family in his hand.

"died"

Hongxia explained nonchalantly, "Not long after you left, he started to cry out in pain. I was afraid that the wolves would come, so I blocked his mouth. When I went to see him after I had taken care of the injured, he had already passed out."

"puff"

She had just finished saying this when the Eleventh Miss who was brought here burst into laughter when the thing in her mouth was pulled out by Zhao Jinyu.

"Take me to see the wounded first."

Wei Ran didn't bother to wonder about Miss Eleven who seemed quite happy. He just picked up a medical bag and a flashlight and urged her on.

Hearing this, Miss Hongxia immediately picked up an oil lamp and led him to a cave not far away.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Wei Ran." Wei Ran, who was walking in front, said without turning his head, "I just joined the Anti-Japanese United Army yesterday."

"Cui Shouchun, just call me Big Beard."

Walking behind him, Big Beard Cui introduced himself as he did before.

"Why are you in the bandit den of Cao Dazhang?"

Wei Ran asked the second question right after that.

“It was inserted before autumn.”

Cui Da Huzi followed and explained, but he did not mention the specific purpose of infiltrating Cao Dazhanggui's bandit den, or what the specific mission was. "So when the Japanese knocked on Cao Dazhangguigui's mountain gate yesterday, you had already found a way to spread the news in advance?" Wei Ran, who had stopped at the point, changed to a less sensitive question.

"I fly leaves."

Cui Da Huzi paused here and asked, "You really don't know slang?"

"will not"

Wei Ran, who was crouching and moving forward in the mine tunnel, responded and sighed in his heart. In order to blend into this land of white mountains and black waters, speaking in jargon has become the instinct of these people.

"I found a way to send a letter to the commander."

After a moment's silence, Cui Da Huzi continued, "Later, when Cao Da Zhanggui ordered people to follow the devils out, I realized that these devils were probably going after you, but by then the news had already been lost, so I didn't know..."

"We are safe"

"Gold and jade!"

Wei Ran stopped Zhao Jinyu from saying anything as he was walking behind the bearded man, and then said without any apology, "Brother Cui, please forgive me. I trust you, but for the sake of our Anti-Japanese Allied Forces soldiers' lives, I cannot completely trust you."

"It's my duty." Cui Da Huzi nodded indifferently.

"Can you find Commander Zhao?" Wei Ran asked a different question.

"What are you going to do?" This time the vigilant person was the bearded man.

"You know Zhao Jinge, right?"

When Wei Ran said this, the front of the mine tunnel suddenly became clear, and a spacious space appeared on one side that was almost the same size as the previous "living room".

In the corner of this space, near another mine entrance, there was a bonfire burning.

By the campfire, one of the Japanese lunch boxes seemed to be cooking rice porridge, while the other seemed to be cooking mule meat. The aroma of the two mixed together made everyone sniff.

On the rock wall above the campfire, not far from the bonfire, you can see an air vent about the size of a bowl, through which air blows in, but you cannot see what is happening outside.

At this time, the two wounded soldiers were lying beside the campfire, with cotton-padded clothes and other items that had been seized before spread under them.

"I know them," said Cui Da Huzi, pointing at the two wounded soldiers. "I know them both."

"That's fine"

Wei Ran walked to the injured and opened the medical bag he brought with him while saying, "Jin Yu, talk to Brother Cui and tell us about your relationship with the captain."

"Zhao Jinge is my eldest brother, Zhao Jinshan is my second brother, and my name is Zhao Jinyu."

Zhao Jinyu, who came in last, introduced herself while carefully carrying squad leader Tian Xiaohu, who had been dragged in on skis, to the edge of the campfire.

"Let me see you"

Before Cui Da Huzi finished speaking, Zhao Jinyu had already torn off the sable hat that belonged to the young master of the Cao family, and then took off the scarf made from the torn Japanese army blanket.

"Yes, he looks like your second brother Jinshan!"

After saying this, Cui Da Huzi looked at Wei Ran, "I've heard Jin Ge say before that his youngest brother can be trusted."

“Just trust it.”

Wei Ran stopped the topic here. While re-adding anesthesia to one of the wounded, he said, "Do you mind asking Jin Yu to look through all the things he brought back? See if there is anything that can be used."

Looking at the rifles, Japanese backpacks, and cotton clothes placed against the wall, Cui Da Huzi nodded and said, "Go ahead, take whatever you can find useful."

Seeing Wei Ran winking at her, Zhao Jinyu immediately turned around and crawled out again holding the oil lamp.

At the same time, Wei Ran also removed the gauze on the wound of the injured person, and under the beam of light from the flashlight that Sister Hongxia helped hold, he redid the wound and performed the suture that had not been completed initially.

He had just finished his work when Tian Xiaohu woke up.

"Don't move." Big Beard Cui reacted quickly and held down Tian Xiaohu.

Looking around blankly, Tian Xiaohu said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Cui? Is it really you? I thought I saw you in a dream before."

“It’s not a dream”

Cui Da Huzi helped Tian Xiaohu cover himself with the blanket and said, "I'm not dead. I'm alive and well."

"Brother Cui, can you find Commander Zhao?" Tian Xiaohu asked.

"Yes," Cui Da Huzi nodded decisively this time.

"Those ones"

Tian Xiaohu pointed to the weapons, cotton clothes and other items placed around with his still movable hands, and said, "Brother Cui, you should leave now, take Brother Wei Ran with you, and..."

"Zhao Jinyu is outside."

Wei Ran saw him turning his head with difficulty trying to find something and immediately said, "Brother Hu hasn't come back yet."

"Take Brother Jinyu with you and set off right away."

Tian Xiaohu swallowed dryly and continued in a hoarse voice, "Don't worry about the wounded, set off immediately and deliver those things to Commander Zhao."

After another pause, Tian Xiaohu turned his head with difficulty to look at Wei Ran, and asked weakly, "Where is Brother Jin Yu? Where is he?"

'He's outside'

Wei Ran paused and looked at Cui Da Huzi with extreme caution.

The latter just smiled, stood up and walked out while saying, "I'll go call him."

"No, no need to doubt Brother Cui."

Tian Xiaohu waited until the back of Cui Da Huzi and the light of the oil lamp disappeared completely in the mine tunnel, then he explained in a hoarse voice, "Brother Cui's family of 12 were all killed by the devils. He can't be a traitor."

"Feel sorry."

Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, then said apologetically, "I am worried."

Tian Xiaohu shook his head with difficulty, "How long have I been asleep?"

"We just escaped yesterday, and it's still dark now."

Hearing this, Tian Xiaohu thought for a moment, and said with great effort, "Brother Wei, you and Brother Jinyu should take all the mules and horses, all the weapons and supplies and leave overnight. You must deliver the supplies to Commander Zhao.

This is the death order I, the acting squad leader of the third squad of the guerrilla team, have given you."

Hearing this, Wei Ran stood up and saluted seriously, "I promise to complete the task!"

"help me."

Tian Xiaohu took a breath and said, "Help me take off my coat."

"What are you going to do?" Wei Ran asked in confusion.

"I I stay"

Tian Xiaohu said weakly, "It's warm here. I can't use it. Give it to other comrades."

Wei Ran opened his mouth, knowing that arguing with the other party at this time would only be a waste of his energy, so he simply squatted down and carefully helped the other party take off the mink coat.

"Hat hat hand stuffy"

Tian Xiaohu paused, "Take them all away, including the gun."

Seeing the other person's face full of frostbite and pleading eyes, Wei Ran avoided him in a panic, looked at the other two wounded not far away and said, "Leave the weapons behind, you have to protect them."

"Need not."

Tian Xiaohu shook his head helplessly, "Take it, go and kill the devils."

"You can survive"

Wei Ran helped the man take off the mink hat, and then helped him put on the simple fur hat he had sewn before and said, "I have confidence in my craftsmanship, you won't die.

You still have to fight the Japanese, and after you drive them away, you still have to marry a wife, build a house, and have children. You have a lot of things to do."

“How can I possibly live to that time?”

When Tian Xiaohu was looking at the rock formation above his head with longing and was about to say something, Zhao Jinyu and Cui Da Huzi also came in one after another.

"Brother Wei, please go and guard outside with Sister Hongxia." Tian Xiaohu said with all his might.

Knowing that the other party wanted to get rid of him, Wei Ran nodded, turned around, and walked out with Miss Hongxia who was holding an oil lamp in her hand, hunched over.

"Can Xiaohu survive?"

Miss Hongxia, who was walking in front, asked suddenly in a low voice when she was far enough away that she could not hear the conversation between Tian Xiaohu and the other two.

"Yes, I will survive." Wei Ran gave a confident answer.

"We will take good care of them," said Miss Hongxia firmly, "We have guns."

"Then I'll leave it to you," Wei Ran said with a smile.

Hongxia, who was walking in front, just pursed her lips but didn't say anything else. She just subconsciously pressed the flower-mouthed gun in her arms.

When they returned to the "living room" of the abandoned mine, they found that the Sun sisters were actually vigilantly pulling the rope tied to the Eleventh Miss, and were diagonally far away from Young Master Cao.

Not only that, the little girl's mouth was blocked again. Looking at Young Master Cao, his face was full of despair and fear. Not only that, there was a bleeding bite mark on his neck.

"What's going on?" Miss Hongxia asked before Wei Ran could speak.

"This little brat just suddenly rushed over and tried to bite that beast to death"

One of the Sun sisters said, "We were worried that the beast might still be useful, so we pulled her away."

Seeing that Miss Hongxia and Wei Ran were both looking at her, the little girl, who was only fifteen years old, seemed to be completely aggrieved. Her eyes became tearful in an instant, and even her blocked mouth made a humming sound as if she wanted to say something.

After exchanging a glance with Miss Hongxia, Wei Ran hesitated for a moment before holding the oil lamp in front of the little girl. "I'll take the thing out of your mouth. First, you can't shout, and second, you can't bite anyone. Just nod your head if you're okay."

Without any hesitation, the little girl nodded immediately and let Wei Ran pull out the half towel that was stuffed in her mouth.

"Let me bite that beast to death!" the little girl choked and said, "I want to fight the Japanese with you!"

After saying this, the little girl, whose hands were still tied behind her back, squatted on the ground, buried her head in her knees, and tried her best to suppress her sad tears.