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墨書 Inktalez
“Battalion Commander, how do you know these are all rookies? What do you think we should send these new recruits up for, to be cannon fodder?” One Team Leader, who had lost an eye in the explosion, squatted beside Second Battalion Commander smoking a cigarette, chatting idly.
Second Battalion Commander tossed the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it. Leaning against the wall with his hands behind his head, he looked up at the moon obscured by black smoke and let out a long sigh.
“Look at these soldiers. Forget it, let me tell you. You’ve become a one-eyed dragon now. These soldiers, their Military Uniforms are brand new, look, as if they’ve just been washed. They might have just come from the supply depot. If they’re not rookies, what are they?”
One Team Leader grew anxious and pouted: “Hey, I’m telling you, Battalion Commander, what’s wrong with being a one-eyed dragon? Don’t look down on people. I’ll tell you, even if I were blind in both eyes, I’d still fight the Japanese!”
Hu Lian rushed out from the Small Building. He looked scruffy; Tie Zhu felt it must have taken him an entire afternoon to get that way. Commander seemed to have aged over ten years, with a few gray hairs barely visible.
“Hu Battalion Commander, sorry we’re late. The Japanese artillery was too fierce during the day; we could only sneak over at night.” A staff officer from Division Headquarters approached and shook hands with them.
Hu Lian sighed. He knew the reinforcements had arrived late; if they had come sooner, they wouldn’t have lost half the town. But at least they had arrived—better late than never.
“Wang, the Staff Officer, how many reinforcements do we have?”
Wang, the Staff Officer sheepishly scratched his head: “The situation is tense; this is the first batch—eight hundred men—all fresh out of basic training!”
“Eight hundred? Didn’t they say there would be a whole regiment? Why is it only eight hundred? And they’re still rookies?”
“The Japanese landed at Chuan Sha Kou. Originally, a whole regiment was supposed to support you, but they went to Chuan Sha Kou. It’s not just eight hundred men; they also brought weapons and ammunition for you. More reinforcements will arrive tomorrow. Commander wants me to tell you that no matter what, you must hold Luodian. This is crucial for the entire Shanghai campaign!”
Hu Lian nodded. There was no point in getting angry now; having reinforcements was already good enough. Just a moment ago, he thought he had been abandoned.
"Please rest assured, Commander, Luodian is here, Hu Lian is here. If Luodian falls, Hu Lian falls. If the enemy wants Luodian, they will have to step over my corpse!"
Wang, the Staff Officer, patted Hu Lian's shoulder with satisfaction. He had been worried that Hu Lian might throw a tantrum when he arrived, but it turned out much better than expected. He waved his hand, and the Catering Team brought over several large boxes of hot food. "I've brought the people. I've also brought the message, and the supplies are here. Battalion Commander Hu, I will take my leave now!"
"Please!"
"Please!"
Hu Lian looked at the large boxes and sighed lightly with a group of new recruits. "Brothers, it's time to eat! All surviving and able Battalion Commanders, Company Commanders, Platoon Leaders, and squad leaders come over for a meeting while the soldiers eat first!" After saying that, he led the way into the Small Building.
Once Hu Lian left, the scene became a bit chaotic. The soldiers who had been hungry all day surged forward in a rush. Although they were still lining up, the situation remained disorderly.
The Medical Team coming from behind carried away a Severely Wounded Soldier back with Wang, the Staff Officer. None of the Lightly Wounded left; the one-eyed leader of One Team refused the Medic's request and hastily changed his bandage before entering the Small Building.
Tie Zhu slowly lined up behind others to receive today's rations. He had been hungry all day, and his stomach was growling. He gave one can to someone else and kept one for himself.
Dinner was good; supplies had finally arrived, and there was hot food to eat. The plump Catering Team leader was not seen; Tie Zhu heard that he had taken a grenade and perished with the enemy. Most of the Catering Team was composed of Lightly Wounded personnel temporarily assembled.
The only benefit of Urban Warfare was being able to eat hot food. With the cover of buildings, there was no need to worry about light restrictions; every household had a stove.
Finally, it was Tie Zhu's turn. He received three large steamed buns made from white flour that looked so smooth they could shine. There were also chunks of meat in his bowl—pieces as big as his thumb—with a generous portion. One side of the Catering Team was serving rice while shouting, "Don't crowd! There's plenty of food; everyone don't rush."
As he spoke, tears began to flow down his face.
The supplies from the Catering Team arrived earlier than the new recruits' weapons, or rather, they had rations ready when they gathered. The first thing they did upon reaching the assembly point was to cook. At that time, the Veterans of the Catering Team had no idea how many people were still alive, so they prepared food based on two-thirds of the team's numbers.
As the surviving members of the unit returned one after another, the Catering Team realized they had made too much food—far too much.
Originally, each person was supposed to have two or three pieces of meat, but it turned into a large bowl of meat for everyone. Even then, there were still several pots of rice left unserved.
So many people had died...
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