War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1771 The Internationale

As the white light faded, the biting cold and pain from the gunshot wound in the leg also quietly faded away.

However, when he saw everything around him clearly, he was stunned. He was back in the warehouse!

"Clemont, you and Wei Ran take the medicine and go first!" Huang Youze said at this time, "Transport them and hide them as soon as possible!"

"you."

"Let's hold the enemy back!"

Huang Youze said as he picked up a submachine gun and threw it to a rickshaw driver who was planning to stay. He then grabbed a bucket of kerosene and splashed it around, saying, "Let's go! At worst we can just jump into the river, we'll definitely survive.

As for you, if you want to transfer the drugs, you will have to use your identities, so you must be more cautious on the road. Okay, let's go!"

"go!"

As Clemont spoke, he had already carried two wooden boxes. However, Wei Ran was unable to control his body at this moment. He could only let this body carry the two wooden boxes by itself and run obediently behind Clemont.

"Da da da!"

It was not until he heard gunshots from behind that Wei Ran regained control of his body, but he still fell to the ground.

Fortunately, while he was controlling his body and not falling, three rickshaws came towards him. Armani was sitting in one of the rickshaws.

"Hurry! Those Fasu are about to catch up!" Amani urged anxiously.

Hearing this, everyone hurriedly put the boxes on the rickshaw while running and covered them with a blanket. At the same time, Wei Ran unceremoniously took out a submachine gun from one of the boxes and threw it over his shoulder, and also grabbed two spare magazines.

But at this moment, a troop transport truck with glaring headlights on and a Japanese sidecar motorcycle turned at an intersection right in front of them!

"Run! Let's hold them back!"

Before Clement finished his words, he had already raised his gun, and at the same time as Wei Ran, who had hurriedly taken out his pistol, he pulled the trigger at the truck and the motorcycle!

"Da da da--!"

"Da da da--!"

Amid the sudden and intensive gunfire, the driver of the Japanese sidecar was hit first, and he circled and crashed into a telephone pole.

At the same time, the lights of the truck that had just turned were turned off, and the driver in the cab seemed to have been shot as well. The truck also swayed and crashed into the Japanese sidecar.

"Clemont!"

Armani made an emergency turn and ran onto the rickshaw that led to another fork in the road. She looked at the backs of Clement, Wei Ran and others who were guarding the intersection with despair and helplessness, but she covered her mouth tightly with her hands.

"Stop the car," Armani said abruptly in his unfluent Chinese.

"us."

"Stop the car!" Armani's tone became more serious, "Otherwise, car, jump."

Hearing this, the rickshaw driver stopped helplessly, and Amani immediately jumped off the rickshaw, "Xiafeifang, let's go. Xiafeifang."

"What about you?" asked the rickshaw driver.

"Xia Fei Fang, go!"

Amani pointed in the direction downstream and said more and more anxiously, "Help, comrade, I'm over there. Go quickly!"

"I will accompany Comrade Emani to prepare to rescue people. You guys take the medicine and go, hurry up!"

The rickshaw driver made a decision immediately, and the other two rickshaw drivers also stopped their rickshaws side by side and moved the few boxes on the middle rickshaw into their rickshaws as quickly as possible.

"Put your stuff down and meet us downstream."

After the rickshaw driver finished speaking, he started running with Armani in the direction downstream.

"Da da da!"

At the same time, Wei Ran, who was hiding on the side of the road, stretched out his box gun and pulled the trigger at the increasing number of Japanese devils.

“Same as in Spain!”

Clemont said loudly, and there was even an undisguised smile in his tone.

"Don't talk about this at a time like this!" Wei Ran reminded with a trembling heart.

"Comrades!"

Clemont, however, acted as if he hadn't heard anything, and shouted in fairly fluent Chinese, "Split up and run! Don't get caught! We can't let Section Chief Daisuke Kobayashi's plan be exposed!"

"Yes!"

The men around were all smart people, and they immediately responded loudly, "Even if you commit suicide, you can't implicate Mr. Kobayashi Daisuke! Run!"

"run!"

Amid the shouts, the only five or six men immediately started running around with guns in hand and disappeared into the streets in the blink of an eye.

"Let's run too!"

Clemont said as he turned and ran to the river bank, "Can you swim?!"

"Yes! Can you?!" Wei Ran retreated while shooting to cover the opponent.

"Of course!" Clemont shouted confidently, "Run!"

Before he could finish his words, another truck full of Japanese soldiers drove over from the other direction.

Seeing this, Wei Ran and Clemont both subconsciously pulled the trigger at each other.

“Da da da da—!”

Almost at the same time, a machine gun started shooting from above the cab of the truck opposite.

"Jump!"

Wei Ran shouted loudly, and at the same time he dodged to the side and hid away from the river bank. At the same time, Clement had already jumped down.

"Wei Ran!"

"You stay alive!"

While Wei Ran was shouting, he pulled the trigger at the truck that suddenly appeared, intending to die together with him.

Fortunately, in this round of attack, the machine gunner and the Japanese in the cab were finally hit one after another.

Seeing that he was about to be surrounded, Wei Ran glanced at the dark river bank, but he did not jump down. Instead, he slowly changed the magazine of the box gun in his hand.

"I'm not running away. I still have to build a Jingguan!"

While muttering to himself, Wei Ran had already put away his box gun and finally picked up the submachine gun that he and Armani had taken out before parting. While pulling the trigger, he ran towards the truck that still hadn't stopped but was driving further and further crooked.

"Da da da!"

In another round of shooting, the tire of the truck close to the river embankment was blown up by bullets, and its trajectory began to deviate towards the river embankment as it headed towards Wei Ran.

"Ta-ta-ta! Ta-ta-ta! Ta-ta-ta!"

Under Wei Ran's suppressive shooting at the cargo bed, some Japanese finally jumped off the cargo bed and fell to the ground one by one.

"Da da da!"

Wei Ran didn't care about that. He didn't even pay attention to the Japanese soldiers who were about to run towards him from the T-junction behind him. Instead, he continued to hold his submachine gun and emptied half of the magazine at the cargo box that was passing by him. Then he took out the box gun as quickly as possible and pulled the trigger at the Japanese soldiers who were about to raise their guns after jumping out of the car.

Amid the sound of gunfire, the Japanese soldiers who broke their legs or even arms after jumping out of the car were shot one after another. The truck also rushed out of the river embankment and plunged into the river in the collision.

But at the same time, a bullet from nowhere pierced Wei Ran's thigh from behind - the thigh again.

"Da da da da!" As Wei Ran turned around, he raised his submachine gun and pulled the trigger.

"click"

When the submachine gun ran out of bullets again, he jumped into the icy river again with extraordinary decisiveness.

"One carload of Japanese soldiers is barely enough for a small Jingguan."

Wei Ran was diving hard underwater while thinking secretly. At the same time, he heard gunshots from the river bank behind him and saw lights coming from above. He even used the little light to see the trajectories of bullets that flashed by after entering the water.

But then, a hand grabbed his lower back, and the hand then took him to a place not covered by the flashlight beam.

"Take off your windbreaker! Quick! Take off your windbreaker!"

When he emerged from the water again, Wei Ran heard Clemont shouting, "Take off your windbreaker!"

"What are you doing"

Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, then took off his windbreaker and let it drift downstream.

"Were you shot?" Clemont asked anxiously.

"No, no, there's no way I could have been shot."

Wei Ran asked as he swam, "What about you? Were you shot?"

"Neither did I," Clemont said, "but Huang Youze was shot and he is unconscious."

"Did you catch him?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

“Just saw it”

Clemont said, "Let's carry him and swim together. I guess Amani might be waiting for us downstream."

"Alright"

Wei Ran hung the submachine gun without bullets around his neck, then swam to the other side of Huang Youze with his arms, and pulled him downstream.

“We’re going to have a nice cup of coffee when we get back!” Clemont said tremblingly, “The river is almost frozen!”

"Talk less and control your breathing! Don't be too hasty!"

As Wei Ran spoke, he gritted his teeth and swam towards the shore. He had already seen the flashing lights on the riverside.

"517215364"

Wei Ran, who already felt a little dizzy from the blood loss, interpreted the light signal in confusion, "What is that?"

"That's the sheet music of the Internationale."

Clemont's tone seemed much weaker at this time, "Get up, hungry and cold slaves."

"You were shot too?" Wei Ran asked with all his strength.

“You too?” Clemont said as he paddled hard. “Sing a song before you die.”

"You won't die"

Wei Ran glanced at the flashing lights in the distance, and a bayonet appeared in his hand.

"puff!"

In the cold river water, the bayonet pierced into Wei Ran's wound. The intense pain instantly perked him up, and then he pulled the two of them and paddled desperately.

"you"

"I gave myself a shot of adrenaline."

Wei Ran smiled with difficulty, but his other foot under the water kicked the handle of the bayonet fiercely.

During the second round of severe pain, he paddled faster and faster, but his consciousness became more and more blurred.

Fortunately, the lights on the river bank were getting closer and closer, and he could vaguely see Armani and the familiar rickshaw driver.

"Survive, survive."

Wei Ran once again pulled out the bayonet that was stuck in his leg. In severe pain, he and Clement struggled to lift up the seriously injured Huang Youze.

However, almost at the same time when Armani and the rickshaw driver grabbed Huang Youze's hands, Wei Ran and Clement were completely exhausted and were pushed downstream by the river water.

“Clemont!!”

Amani shouted like crazy, she threw off her windbreaker, jumped into the river bank without hesitation, and swam towards them in the blurred white light in Wei Ran's eyes.

"puff!"

Wei Ran kicked the bayonet on his leg weakly for the last time, but the stimulation brought by the pain no longer had the effect of refreshing him.

Fortunately, just when he almost bit off the tip of his tongue, the white light faded, the pain in the wound quickly subsided, and his already blurred and dying consciousness gradually returned to clarity.

However, when he saw everything around him, his heart sank. He was standing in a cemetery.

Not far in front of him, a woman in a black windbreaker and a top hat was placing a few cups of coffee on the altar with her back to him.

At her feet, there was the horsehair bag that Wei Ran was very familiar with. The bag had been opened, and the coffee pot on the ground was making rich and mellow Italian coffee under the heating of the alcohol lamp.

After moving a few steps to the side silently, Wei Ran was able to confirm that the woman was Amanda. On the tombstone were engraved five Chinese characters: "Tomb of Ke Laimin".

But what made him even more disappointed was that on another tombstone next to it was engraved "Tomb of Huang Youze".

Obviously, Clermont's tombstone is older, while Huang Youze's tomb is relatively newer.

The edge of the former's tombstone is inscribed with "Spring of the 30th year of the Republic of China, on the bank of the Huangpu River.", while the edge of the latter's tombstone is inscribed with "Summer of the 31st year of the Republic of China, at the Guanyin Hall in Qingpu."

"They." Wei Ran asked while raising the camera.

"They all died. Clemont died in Yu Yanlin's hometown as he wished, just as Yu Yanlin died in Clemont's hometown."

Armani was relieved after speaking in fluent Chinese, and then he switched to French and asked, "The French here have surrendered, and it's time for me to go home, to Spain, Italy or France. What about you? Comrade Wei Ran, do you want to stay and continue fighting?"

"right"

Wei Ran nodded and took photos of the other person, the tombstone beside her, and even the coffee pot. "I want to stay and continue fighting."

“You will definitely win”

Amani said confidently, then bent down, picked up a cup of coffee and handed it to Wei Ran, "Have a cup of coffee."

"Yu Yanlin and I promised to treat you to tea, Chinese tea." Wei Ran took the cup and sighed.

"Wait until you win the war completely."

Armani picked up the second cup of coffee and said, "Let's wait until Spain ends its rule over drugs. We will have plenty of opportunities."

"What are your plans after you go back?" Wei Ran asked, clinking his coffee cup against the two tombstones.

“I might go to Spain first.”

Amani said, "I'm going to meet Hanika first. Do you remember Hanika?"

"Remember, she."

"I'm going to give her the photos I took in China. That's what I promised her."

Armani explained with a smile, "I will also go to see Luis Rios and Estelle. You remember those two little ones, right?"

"Remember." Wei Ran nodded again.

"Unfortunately, that child's name is not Amani."

Amani sighed with regret, "It's a pity that Clemont and I didn't have the chance to give birth to a new life."

"Maybe it's just because you don't want a new life to be born in the war." Wei Ran sighed.

"Maybe"

Armani clinked his glass with the tombstone in a casual manner, and then clinked his glass with Wei Ran. After looking at each other and smiling, they drank the coffee in their cups.

"Danglang"

Armani threw the silver coffee cup onto the altar and said, "I will also go to Italy to inform Clermont's parents of his death.

I have been keeping it a secret from them all these years, and I have been replying to his letters as Clement. Of course, I have also been enjoying the gifts sent by his parents."

At this point, she had already taken out the silver hammered can of coffee powder from her bag, opened it, and gently sprinkled the not-so-fine coffee powder around Clement's tombstone and even on the altar.

"I have to go back to France to see if my family is still alive."

Amani gave Wei Ran a brilliant and thrilling smile, "Whether my family is still alive or not, I will come back."

"Are you still planning to come back?" Wei Ran asked in surprise.

"Of course, I will come back."

Amani leaned over and kissed the cold tombstone, then squatted down and carefully picked up the loose soil around the tombstone and put it into the silver jar. "I just miss home. I guess Clemont must miss home too. We are just going back to take a look, and then we will come back to continue fighting."

"you"

Wei Ran was silent for a moment, "Amani, don't come back."

“I’m still here, the International Brigade is still here.”

Armani put on the silver can and said, "I am still fighting, and the International Brigade is still fighting."

"But."

"Clemont always says that you play the harmonica very well."

Armani slowly sat down against Clermont's tombstone, tightly holding the jar of yellow soil in his arms and said, "Comrade Wei Ran, help me with the accompaniment."

"My pleasure, comrade."

Wei Ran let out a long sigh, took out his harmonica, and leaned against Huang Youze's tombstone, imitating the other person. He played the accompaniment in the diffuse coffee aroma, and listened to Armani singing the song in French alone in the gentle breeze.

The song that brought infinite courage and hope to the soldiers of the International Brigade,

The song that inspired warriors all over the world to take up arms and go to the battlefield to fight against Faxus,

That song, the Internationale.