War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1622: Answers about Baskets

On the way back, Ma Jintao, who was promoted to acting regiment commander, directly promoted Zhao Jinyu to acting company commander of the special forces company, and by the way, also promoted Wei Ran to acting deputy company commander.

Wei Ran knew it, and Zhao Jinyu also knew it, that Ma Jintao was trying to retain them and hoped that they would stay.

Looking at the body of Adjutant Yu lying on his horse's back, Wei Ran sighed and did not agree or refuse - just like Zhao Jinyu's attitude.

Ma Jintao seemed to have noticed the dilemma of his brother-in-law Zhao Jinyu, so he did not continue the topic. He just commanded the few remaining cavalry and regimental infantry in the trenches to retreat with the bodies of wounded and dead comrades, as well as trophies and horse carcasses.

But before they knew it, Zhao Jinyu and Wei Ran were tacitly pulling the reins and guiding their horses to the edge of the team.

"Have you thought about it?" Wei Ran asked without any context before Zhao Jinyu could speak.

"Think about it, fighting the devils anywhere doesn't mean fighting the devils."

Zhao Jinyu sighed, "Besides, look at the current situation. Let alone the special forces company, this cavalry regiment can still ride on horses and wield sabers. It would be good if there are at most 250 of them. If I leave now, my brother-in-law will be left alone."

"In that case, I won't leave either." Wei Ran said happily.

Hearing this, Zhao Jinyu was visibly relieved. Apparently, he was still wavering. If Wei Ran had just said that he was leaving, he would probably have also wavered in his decision to stay.

Before Wei Ran could say anything, Zhao Jinyu reached out with interest and pulled out a familiar object from his saddle bag and handed it to Wei Ran - a Japanese grenade launcher.

"Captured?" Wei Ran asked as he took the grenade launcher.

"We also seized a lot of Japanese artillery shells."

Zhao Jinyu patted his saddlebag and said, "We used this thing in the woods near Langcaozigou back then. I remembered it when I was collecting the spoils just now, so I simply picked up two cannon barrels and brought back all the small shells, about 70 or 80 of them.

I was thinking about giving this thing to the pistol team and seeing if it can be used in the future."

"You can't use this thing on horseback"

Wei Ran smiled and shook his head, then returned the blood-stained grenade launcher in his hand to the other party.

Zhao Jinyu didn't take it seriously. He took the grenade launcher and put it back into his saddlebag. Then he asked casually, "Now that we have wiped out all their cavalry this time, will the Japanese retaliate next?"

“There will definitely be revenge.”

Wei Ran answered confidently. Even if he didn't know the subsequent historical course, he could guess by just guessing that as many as five or six hundred cavalrymen were wiped out. Not only were their bodies stripped clean, but even the corpses of the war horses would probably be taken away as a snack. It would be strange if the Japanese could endure this!

"We'll have to treat them well when the time comes."

Zhao Jinyu muttered to himself, and one of his hands subconsciously rested on the wooden gun box at his waist.

"What are you going to do with the flag?" Wei Ran asked, changing the subject.

Hearing this, Zhao Jinyu fell silent. After a moment, he answered, "I have written a letter in Mongolian to my elder and second brothers. With that letter, they will definitely believe Sister Shiyi.

As for the flag, since they are all still alive, I guess it doesn’t matter whether the flag is there or not.”

"Then stay here and concentrate on fighting the devils."

Wei Ran said no more, urged his horse forward a few steps, then turned around and pressed the shutter again and again towards the surviving cavalrymen.

Compared to the rush of the trip, the return journey was much slower. Even so, they returned to the base faster than the auxiliary troops of the cavalry regiment.

This time, Wei Ran did not attend the burial ceremony of the sacrificed soldiers. Not only was Captain Ma seriously injured, he also had a lot of bruises on his body, so as soon as he came back, he was sent to the medical room for bandaging.

This so-called medical room is nothing more than a relatively clean main room in a side courtyard.

While Captain Ma was receiving emergency treatment in the operating room, the acting company commander Zhao Jinyu, who was receiving bandages in the outer room, called over Huyuan Han who had come to deliver a letter.

"Master Han, I've figured it out."

Zhao Jinyu endured the pain of the wound cleaning, pointed at Wei Ran next to him, and said with a grin, "We two brothers are not planning to go back for the time being. We are in need of people right now, and I can't leave my brother-in-law and run away alone."

"This"

Han Huyuan looked at Wei Ran with a pleading look, and seeing the latter shaking his head helplessly, he gritted his teeth and said, "Uncle Master, in fact, the young mistress hopes that you and Master Wei can go back with me. She hopes that you two brothers can..."

"go back?"

Zhao Jinyu smiled and said, “I finally decided to stay here, but I don’t plan to go back, and there aren’t that many young masters here.

Master Han, if the two of us leave, my brother-in-law will be left alone. We can’t leave him alone at this moment, no matter what.”

"This, this. Alas!"

Finally, Guardian Han slapped his thigh, bowed, clasped his fists, and said gratefully, "Then I'd like to thank you, young master, on behalf of the young master and the old master!"

"Master Han, you're welcome."

Zhao Jinyu quickly lifted up Han Huyuan's arm and said, "Please take those letters and other things back with you. Also, take Master Bai with you and bring him back with you."

"Take him? This..."

Master Han hesitated for a moment. He couldn't make the decision on this matter. Subconsciously, he didn't think Zhao Jinyu could make the decision.

"Didn't you say before that my sister wanted to find a wife for Xiaobai?"

Zhao Jinyu sighed, "It would be unreasonable if Lao Bai wasn't here for Xiao Bai's wedding. In this chaotic time, let's take advantage of the opportunity to ask him to go back and see you, even if he has to come back with you next month.

Master Han, go ask my brother-in-law right now. If he agrees, you can take Master Bai and leave immediately. The Japanese may attack us at any time."

"This"

"Master Han, let's leave as soon as possible." Wei Ran, who was also being bandaged, reminded, "Leave early and return early."

"Oh! All right, take care, both of you."

Master Han clasped his fists towards Wei Ran and Zhao Jinyu, then turned and left the medical room, which had very simple conditions.

"My sister asked Master Han to send me some life-saving things," Zhao Jinyu said only after Guardian Han left.

"I know, and he gave me one too." Wei Ran agreed.

"If my sister knew how dangerous it is here, she would probably cry." Zhao Jinyu said with great joy.

"Your sister asked Master Han, and Master Han asked me to tell you that the Zhao family has sent two men to fight."

"So I have to go to the battlefield to fight the devils"

Zhao Jinyu didn't wait for Wei Ran to finish, and said, "My elder brother and second brother can go to fight the Japanese, why can't I go?"

"Well, just pretend I didn't say that."

Wei Ran waved his hand and stopped trying to persuade him. There was actually not much point in persuading the other party at this time.

Just at this moment, Ma Jintao also walked in quickly. He also had a lot of wounds on his body, but as soon as he came back, he was busy arranging the wounded and burying the dead soldiers, which made him a step later than Wei Ran and Zhao Jinyu.

"How is the commander doing?" Ma Jintao asked without waiting to sit down.

“It’s still inside.”

Zhao Jinyu replied, "Just now I asked Han

"I know"

Ma Jintao nodded, "I've asked Lao Bai to prepare, and they will set off soon. Jin Yu, Wei Ran, are you two really planning to stay?"

Wei Ran smiled and joked, "If we leave, you will really be left alone."

"Let's kill the devils together from now on!" Ma Jintao said with high spirits. Just as he finished speaking, the white cloth curtain of the inner room was lifted by a doctor in a white coat, and the three people outside also looked over.

"Captain Ma, the regiment commander wants you to come in." The doctor said, raising his bloody hands.

"How is the commander?" Ma Jintao, who was about to receive a bandage, stood up immediately and asked as he walked quickly inside.

"The bleeding has stopped," said the doctor, and he took Ma Jintao into the operating room.

Wei Ran and Zhao Jinyu outside had no idea what the new and old leaders talked about in the operating room. But after Ma Jintao came out, he immediately asked Zhao Jinyu to follow him and leave the base.

Not only that, the acting regiment commander Ma Jintao also gave Wei Ran a task, commanding the uninjured cavalry to patrol the river bank and be vigilant against the Japanese surprise attacks from the other side at any time.

Upon receiving the order, Wei Ran did not dare to delay. He immediately blew the assembly whistle and led more than 200 cavalrymen who had just relaxed to rush to the river bank to begin defense.

It was the first time for Wei Ran to command so many people, so he was inevitably a little nervous. To be on the safe side, he carefully selected 20 cavalrymen to patrol back and forth on horseback. The rest used reeds as cover and cooperated with the garrison troops already stationed here to start digging trenches in groups of 10 - trenches large enough to set up machine guns.

Under his command and the busy work of many cavalrymen around him, the trenches that had been dug earlier for defense were further deepened and reinforced next to the reeds on the river bank.

Soon, under their high alert, the auxiliary units, which were just a step behind, also began to cross the river dragging their spoils.

Under their gaze, the infantry units, with the help of various river-crossing tools such as sheepskin rafts and small wooden boats, carried back the carcasses of war horses that could fill their stomachs, as well as the various trophies taken from the Japanese, little by little, like ants moving house.

Almost at the same time as the last small boat of spoils was transported back, Zhao Jinyu and Ma Jintao also rushed back on horseback.

"Brigade commander's order, deploy along the river bank."

Zhao Jinyu, who was riding beside Ma Jintao, brought the latest order, "The Japanese are likely to cross the river and launch a strong attack on us next. This is the most likely place to cross the river. We must block the Japanese on the other side!"

"Yes!"

The people around responded in unison, enduring their fatigue and continuing to work on deepening the trenches.

Soon, more and more soldiers were busy deploying defenses on the river bank, and the trenches were dug longer and longer.

"I'm afraid this trench can't stop the devils"

On the river bank, Ma Jintao, whose legs, arms and even head were wrapped in gauze, said worriedly.

'Can't stop it'

Ma Jintao said very clearly, "This time, in order to completely wipe out the Japanese cavalry, almost all of our brigade was mobilized. We surrounded them and cut off their retreat. Only then did we defeat them at the cost of so many deaths."

At this point, Ma Jintao sighed, and let Wei Ran help him light a cigarette. After taking a few deep puffs, he threw out a desperate hypothesis, "These are just two cavalry battalions and a machine gun squad of the devil. What if the devil's tanks come over? What if, like last time, the devil uses poison gas bombs?"

  After saying this, Zhao Jinyu couldn't help but shudder. The answer to this hypothesis was obvious. They couldn't defend against it at all. Even if they had seized a lot of gas masks for humans and horses in this battle, they still couldn't defend against it!

This is just poison gas. The silt river formed by the flooding of the Yellow River may be able to stop trucks, but it may not be able to stop the Japanese tanks, let alone the artillery that does not need to cross the river at all!

Shivering uncontrollably again, Zhao Jinyu was about to ask something when Ma Jintao motioned for the two of them to ride their horses and follow him a little further away. Then he took out a map from his sack and unfolded it.

“This is our line of defense”

Ma Jintao drew a line on the map with a red and blue pencil. "This river is just a flood area. It can't stop the Japanese. But further on -"

As he spoke, the red and blue pencil in his hand moved down a distance, "This is the Shaying River, less than 20 miles behind us, it can block it."

"So the area between these two rivers is our battlefield?" Wei Ran asked, looking up.

"If the Japs dare to come, we will fight them here again."

Ma Jintao looked forward to it with full confidence, "Relying on this river and the river behind, we have some chance of winning."

"Now it depends on when they come," Zhao Jinyu muttered.

"I don't think I can come today. News doesn't come that fast."

Ma Jintao said, "After dark, arrange for the wounded to evacuate first to avoid them becoming a burden to us. Also, distribute the captured machine guns and mortars, and let the cavalry artillery companies disperse and not gather in groups."

"Yes!" Zhao Jinyu immediately took the order and drove his horse towards the camp.

"Are there any enemy movements now?" Wei Ran, who was not in a hurry to leave, asked.

"not yet"

Ma Jintao nodded and said, "The special agent company of the brotherhood has been keeping an eye on the area around Huaiyang City. If there is any news, it will be reported back immediately."

Hearing this, Wei Ran sighed secretly. He knew, he knew how many enemies he would face next.

Two brigades, two heavy brigades equipped with artillery and tanks, are enemies that far exceed the upper limit of the Provisional 1st Cavalry Division.

  But what if I knew?

Wei Ran sighed increasingly weakly. He knew clearly that Metal Book would not allow him to reveal this news to Ma Jintao.

He also knew that even if Ma Jintao knew, he would not order a hasty retreat - even if he knew he would die.

"Captain Ma Lian, I want to ask you a question." Wei Ran said seriously.

"Brother Wei Ran, if you think highly of me, Ma Jintao, just call me Big Brother," Ma Jintao said with a smile, "What do you want to ask?"

"Brother Ma"

Wei Ran called out respectfully, and after a slight hesitation, he asked, "If I had two baskets that could hold the things you wanted most, what would you want in them?"

"What kind of problem is this?" Ma Jintao shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, thinking that Wei Ran was just teasing him.

"That's the problem," Wei Ran insisted.

"Anything is fine?" Ma Jintao asked back.

"Anything is fine, as long as the two baskets can hold it."

"Wang Shibei fixed the day of the Central Plains. He never forgot to tell Nai Weng about the family sacrifices."

Ma Jintao patted Wei Ran on the shoulder and said, "If anything is fine, I just want two things.

First, a basket full of newspapers from the day we beat the Japanese. Second, I want a photo of me, my wife, my children, and my parents after we beat the Japanese. No, a photo of every brother reunited with his family! "

Hearing this, Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, then sighed dejectedly and apologetically, "I'm sorry, these are the only two things I can't get out of my two baskets."

"I can take it out, of course I can't!"

Ma Jintao pulled out the saber that hadn't had time to polish off the notch, or even wipe off the blood, and muttered to himself, "As long as we kill a few more people and work harder, we'll eventually see those two things."

"Are you so sure you can see it?"

Wei Ran looked at the other person in a daze. He had to admit that before this, he had always viewed Ma Jintao, who could be considered a rich young master, as a warlord.

"can"

Ma Jintao smiled, put away his saber, and lowered his voice a little, saying, "At the beginning of this year, my sister Qinghe asked Lao Han to bring me an article. After reading that article, I believe that we can definitely drive away the Japanese."

"What article?" Wei Ran, who had already vaguely guessed the answer, still opened his mouth and asked.

Hearing this, Ma Jintao smiled and said, "You have to find it yourself. If you can find it, you can put it in the basket you mentioned. After reading that article, I feel energetic and motivated!"

Wei Ran smiled with relief, "I know the answer. I know which article it is."

"For the two broken baskets you mentioned that were filled with newspapers from that day, and for the broken basket that contained the photo of everyone reuniting with their families."

Ma Jintao patted Wei Ran’s bloodstained shoulder again, “Let’s kill the devils together! Even if we can’t see it, we must let our children and grandchildren see it!”

"Yes!"

Wei Ran, who was riding on horseback, straightened his chest, which was stained with the blood of the Japanese devils, with extreme seriousness. He raised his hand to salute earnestly, and roared as he accepted this hopeful order.

the answer is--