War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1888 Have you ever seen the sea?

In the muddy trenches, as darkness fell and the clouds overhead grew heavier, the rain eventually poured down relentlessly.

While the rain washed away the smoke and sweltering heat, it also filled the already muddy trenches with a strong, nauseatingly sweet and fishy smell—the smell of corpses that had not yet decomposed.

The only saving grace was that, just now, the wounded and dead in the trenches had been carried to the rear by laborers and able-bodied men.

"With this awful weather, the Japanese might have to launch another attack."

Cheng Guanyin, shielding the cigarette in his hand with his helmet, said worriedly that this was the second cigarette he had lit in a row.

"Do we have enough ammunition?" Wei Ran asked as he walked toward the underground bunker not far away.

The underground bunker was only barely passable; or rather, it was just a bunker used to store ammunition or house the wounded.

If it doesn't rain, this narrow bunker might still be somewhat usable.

But the rain had only just begun when muddy soup mixed with blood started pouring in.

Looking inside, the accumulated sewage was almost level with the trenches outside, and there was a dense layer of mosquitoes floating on the surface.

Now, let alone placing the wounded and ammunition here, this structure doesn't even have an extra firing port, let alone a shock wave buffer wall.

In short, it probably doesn't offer as much protection as the trenches outside.

"Don't bother looking, there's no ammunition inside."

Cheng Guanyin called out amidst the increasingly heavy rain.

Returning to the other person's side and sitting down against the damp wall, Wei Ran also took off his helmet and used it as an umbrella to light a cigarette. It was only at this moment that he noticed what appeared to be a fresh bullet mark on the top edge of the helmet.

"Good luck"

As Cheng Guanyin spoke, he casually picked up some rotten clay and smeared it onto the scratch that gleamed with a metallic sheen.

"You were really lucky."

Wei Ran took a drag of his cigarette and, after a moment of silence, asked, "Did you see the words carved on the stone when you got home?"

"no"

Cheng Guanyin, puffing on his cigarette, mumbled in his local dialect through the pouring rain, "It's gone, that rock was blown to smithereens by those damned Japanese devils, not even a speck of dust remains."

"you"

Wei Ran had only managed to utter one word when the metal notebook mercilessly muted him again.

"I've set up a new stone."

Cheng Guanyin switched back to Mandarin, "I wonder if Bingquan and my wife have seen this."

"boom!"

Just then, a grenade struck the anti-tank trench behind them, which was separated only by an earthen wall, and exploded with a loud bang.

"Grab your weapons!"

In the distance, through the rain, a man with a northern accent shouted loudly, and the trench, which had been quiet for only a short while, began to move again.

"I knew those bastards wouldn't give up!"

As Cheng Guanyin spoke, he took a deep drag on his cigarette, haphazardly slammed the helmet onto his head, and then dashed off into the distance.

The rain and the current sky conditions did affect visibility, but they also gave Wei Ran a rare opportunity.

Looking around, he took out a grenade launcher and braced it against the back wall of the trench, then pulled out a flashbang and inserted it.

The firefight before the rain had already given him a clear picture of the enemy's grenade launcher squad and the location of a nearby machine gun emplacement; he even deliberately avoided firing at those positions.

After glancing at the line connecting the corners of the two sandbags in front of him, Wei Ran slightly moved the grenade launcher in his hand.

He had deliberately memorized the enemy's location by extending the line connecting the corners of the two sandbags.

He was even certain that the enemy had most likely not changed position, given that the location was too good, with even a destroyed Japanese tank providing cover.

After finally taking aim, Wei Ran gently pulled the trigger and quickly loaded the second round.

"boom!"

After an explosion that was far louder than the grenade itself, Wei Ran decisively put away the grenade launcher. He had made the right bet; the enemy had indeed not moved, and it seemed that the grenade he had just fired had luckily detonated something.

Without wasting any time, Wei Ran grabbed a Type 38 rifle that he had prepared in advance, leaned over and lay prone at the edge of the trench, and pulled the trigger at a blurry figure.

This time, he didn't even retreat; instead, he lay there loading a bullet and continued to pull the trigger at the enemy.

But it wasn't just him; everyone could clearly sense that with the explosion from behind the Japanese soldiers, the grenade launchers that were supposed to suppress them paused briefly, and when they fired again, their aim seemed to have reset to zero and started recalibrating.

Wei Ran knew that the enemy's grenade launchers were starting to change position.

"boom!"

After pulling the trigger and hitting an enemy once again, Wei Ran put the empty Type 38 rifle aside, picked up the Type 24 pistol next to him, changed positions, and waited patiently.

Finally, in the increasingly dark sky, he saw the brief muzzle flash of the machine gun firing from the opposite side.

"boom!"

Wei Ran decisively pulled the trigger towards that spot, then immediately chambered a new round and aimed at the same spot again.

Almost as soon as the muzzle flashed again, he pulled the trigger once more.

Almost immediately, he heard the suppressed sound of machine gun fire coming from the other side, which had just begun but was interrupted.

"I'm channeling the sharpshooting god today!"

As Wei Ran muttered to himself, he loaded another bullet, waited patiently for a moment, and then pulled the trigger once again at a spot where muzzle flash was emanating.

"Grenades! Grenades ready!"

As shouts echoed from the distance of the trenches, Cheng Guanyin ran over, yelling, "Two! Throw two! After they explode, space them two apart! Space them two apart!"

Amidst the shouts, the soldiers, including Wei Ran, quickly prepared two grenades each.

"beep--!"

Just then, Cheng Guanyin, who had already reached the end of the trench, blew his whistle!

Before the whistle had even stopped, the soldiers along the trench line threw out their grenades one after another, then immediately picked up a second one and prepared to throw one as well.

"boom!"

After a series of explosions, everyone gripped the pins of their grenades and began to count silently. When they reached two, they threw the grenades one after another.

At this moment, the Japanese soldiers who had just been bombed were getting up and preparing to continue their charge in the heavy rain when another round of grenades came flying in the chaos.

"boom--!"

Amidst a much more synchronized explosion than before, hordes of Japanese soldiers fell one after another.

"One more round! Five counts after the whistle!" the commander shouted from afar.

This is dog training!
Wei Ran couldn't help but chuckle. He even risked peeking outside after preparing the grenades.

"beep--!"

As expected, many experienced Japanese soldiers outside instinctively lay down in preparation as the whistle blew, and this also prompted the other soldiers around them to lie down as well.

After a brief wait, seeing that no grenades were thrown at them, the Japanese soldiers got up one after another, still somewhat doubtful.

But at that very moment, the defending side, who had already counted to five, also threw their second wave of grenades.

This time, however, Wei Ran did not rush to throw the grenade. Instead, he aimed at a Japanese soldier who was not clearly holding a knife and pulled the trigger first. Then, just as the Japanese soldier fell, he threw a grenade a little later.

"boom!"

As the grenades began to explode, the remaining men in the trenches picked up their bayoneted rifles or anti-Japanese broadswords, ready to engage in bayonet fighting.

However, to their surprise, this time, the Japanese soldiers didn't even get close to the anti-tank trench before decisively starting to retreat.

"What tricks are these Japanese devils up to now?" Cheng Guanyin, who had somehow returned to Wei Ran's side, muttered strangely.

"What are you busy with running around like this?" Wei Ran asked deliberately.

"Pass on the order to the platoon next door. We don't have enough telephones or telephone lines, so we have to run on foot."

Before Cheng Guanyin could finish speaking, the order to count off came from the beginning of this trench line.

While the two waited, Wei Ran's turn was "11", while the last person in the line called out "16".

I'll go take a look.

As Cheng Guanyin spoke, he walked back to the starting point of the trench.

Taking this opportunity, Wei Ran took out his entrenching tool again and cleared the mud from under his feet. He also built a drainage ditch that wasn't very useful and used an overturned empty box as a platform.

He had just finished and put away his entrenching tool when Cheng Guanyin ran back and whispered, "Send half of the men down into the anti-tank trenches to find supplies! Make sure they spread out, and the men in the trenches are ready to provide backup!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Ran immediately began to climb up, scaling the trench reinforced with sandbags, and slipped into the muddy anti-tank trench along with some other soldiers.

Undoubtedly, the first things collected were rifles and bullets, followed by grenades, and helmets used with Japanese grenades.

It's hard to say whether it's a stereotype, stubbornness, or simply a matter of tactics and grenade quality.

Despite their fervent love for grenade launchers during World War II, the Japanese soldiers actually used hand-thrown grenades very infrequently.

Although the Japanese soldiers themselves didn't like using it, Wei Ran and the people around him wouldn't be picky.

After cleaning up each corpse, some of the bolder ones climbed up to the other side of the anti-tank trench.

Seeing that no one was stopping him, Wei Ran climbed up as well, collecting rifles and ammunition as much as possible, as well as the occasional cigarettes and lighters that were even rarer than cigarettes.

As for food and water, forget about it. Even if all these Japanese soldiers were the product of incestuous marriages, it's highly unlikely they would be charging forward carrying their little backpacks, satchels, and water bottles.

“Da da da da—!”

Just as Wei Ran was handing over several Type 38 rifles and leather ammunition boxes to the young man named Chen Shun in the anti-tank trench, the Japanese machine guns began to roar.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Cheng Guanyin immediately issued the order.

"Come on!"

Wei Ran urged Chen Shun on, and they each grabbed the ropes thrown down from the trench and climbed back up the slippery slope.

They had to retreat quickly, otherwise their losses would be huge once the Japanese grenade launchers started firing.

As the less than ten soldiers responsible for looting the spoils retreated, the remaining soldiers in the trenches used their rifles to provide suppressive cover for the machine gun and the area around it.

In a very close call, just as the first grenade hit the anti-tank trench, they all miraculously tumbled into the trench.

"Count!"

Before the enemy's grenade attacks could cease, the frontline commander, whom they suspected was a platoon leader but whom they had never met, issued the order. This time, the final number reported was 15; ultimately, someone still perished in this dangerous operation to loot the spoils.

Once this round of fighting ended, laborers finally brought dinner from the rear – boiled corn, one corn cob per person.

"Where are you from?"

Wei Ran took his own boiled corn and, while peeling it, asked Chen Shun, who was sitting next to him.

"Southern Henan"

Chen Shun gave an answer as a matter of course, and took a bite of his own boiled corn—without even peeling off the greenish-yellow skin.

"Why did you come all this way here?"

Wei Ran stopped peeling the corn and asked. He also tried to bite into a piece of boiled corn with the skin on. The coarse plant fiber was particularly rough on his throat, but it was accompanied by a little warmth and sweetness from the soup.

"Floods, droughts, locust plagues, and turmoil—just surviving is a blessing!"

Chen Shun swallowed the food in his mouth. "I followed my parents south to escape the famine, but my parents died halfway there."

They conscripted me three times, and the last time I just couldn't take it anymore and ran away! After that, I grabbed some steamed buns and sneaked here. This time, no matter what they did, I refused to run away!

Seeing Cheng Guanyin's blank expression, Wei Ran sighed and relayed Chen Shun's answer to him.

"Ugh"

Cheng Guanyin sighed and said nothing, but took a big bite of the boiled corn in his hand, skin and all—including the sweet corn cob.

After finishing dinner in the rain, the three of them, with nowhere to shelter from the downpour, leaned against the muddy wall and each lit a cigarette.

"Will the Japanese come again tonight?" Chen Shun asked.

"do not know"

Cheng Guanyin shook his head. In the time it took to eat a meal, the Japanese grenade launchers had already stopped firing.

"Shall we go and pick some more?" Chen Shun suggested.

"Don't go," Wei Ran and Cheng Guanyin said in unison.

"Can"

"The Japanese are already on guard."

Wei Ran pointed behind him, "They might fire flares."

"As long as it doesn't involve poison gas, it's fine."

Chen Shun shuddered as he spoke, clearly having a very bad memory of it.

"Let's take turns getting some sleep," Cheng Guanyin said. "This night will be tough."

"You guys go to sleep, I'm not sleepy yet."

Chen Shun, unwilling to give up, peeked outside and then said, "Wait a minute, I'll go get some things."

Without waiting for Wei Ran and Cheng Guanyin to stop him, he had already disappeared along the trench.

"Do you think the Japanese will use poison gas?" Cheng Guanyin asked in the rain.

"meeting"

Wei Ran paused for a moment, then said, "Hopefully this rain won't stop, at least then we'll have some chance to survive."

"Remember to cover your mouth and nose with a damp towel when you get there."

Cheng Guanyin reminded, "Remember to apply a layer of mud to your face, neck, and hands."

"Does it work?" Wei Ran asked noncommittally.

"It works somewhat."

"Have you encountered this before?" Wei Ran asked subconsciously.

"I've encountered it before," Cheng Guanyin sighed, but did not offer any further explanation.

Before long, Chen Shun came running back, dragging a tattered canvas. This rainproof cloth, issued to Japanese soldiers, was soaked through, covered in mud, and reeked of a strong fishy stench.

"Where did you find it?" Cheng Guanyin asked curiously.

"In one of those bunkers over there"

Chen Shun pointed in a direction and said, "That used to be where ammunition was stored. After it got flooded, this thing has been soaking in there ever since, it's been killing people."

"At least it can keep you out of the rain."

As Wei Ran spoke, he picked up two bayonets and stuck one side of the canvas against the trench wall, then used a rifle to press the other side against the opposite wall.

Although the ground was still muddy, the makeshift rain shelter was still incredibly precious.

"Go inside."

Without saying a word, Cheng Guanyin pressed Chen Shun down onto the overturned wooden box in the middle of the rain shelter, while he and Wei Ran squeezed to his left and right sides.

"Take a nap."

Before Chen Shun could say anything, Wei Ran said, "Come and relieve us after you've had enough sleep."

Go to sleep.

As Cheng Guanyin spoke, he offered Wei Ran another cigarette, saying, "Let's chat for a while."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shun nodded and stopped insisting, curling up and closing his eyes.

"Have you ever been back to Shipai?" Cheng Guanyin began an unavoidable question.

"No," Wei Ran shook his head. "What about you? Have you gone back?"

"Neither do I."

Cheng Guanyin shook his head. "I asked around, and my brother Bingquan... he died in battle."

"Aren't you going to go back?"

After being refused to speak at all when he tried to reveal Cheng Bingquan's situation, Wei Ran changed the subject.

"Where are you going back?"

The 18th Army

Wei Ran said, "Or."

"We've been taken in,"

Cheng Guanyin shook his head and sighed, "It's not like you can just go wherever you want. Besides, we're fighting the Japanese no matter where we are."

At this point, Cheng Guanyin seemed to just remember something, opened the Japanese Taro bag slung across his waist, and took out a Japanese lunchbox. "Let me show you something."

"Food?" Wei Ran thought he had guessed the answer.

"If I had food, I would have taken it out already," Cheng Guanyin said, carefully opening the aluminum lunchbox.

There was a layer of oil paper pressed under the tray inside the lunchbox.

After he peeled off the oil paper, Wei Ran could see what was inside the lunchbox.

Inside is Yang Qizhi's camera, along with two rolls of film.

"This is the camera that Yang Qizhi left behind."

Cheng Guanyin said, "During the Spring Festival, I spent a lot of money to repair it and even learned how to use it."

"What did you film?" Wei Ran asked.

"I took some pictures."

Cheng Guanyin paused for a moment, then said, "If...if I die, remember to keep this camera and those rolls of film safe. If you have the chance in the future, give them to my wife."

As he spoke, Cheng Guanyin pointed to the engravings on the back of the tray inside the lunchbox, "My home address, my father-in-law's address, my wife's name, and my child's name are all engraved here."

"I promise you," Wei Ran nodded.

"Then I'm relieved," Cheng Guanyin said, putting the lunchbox back into Taro's bag.

Have you ever seen the sea?

Just then, Chen Shun suddenly asked a question, even trying his best to speak in Mandarin rather than a dialect.

"No," Cheng Guanyin shook his head. "You've seen him?"

"Neither do I."

Chen Shun muttered, “My home is right by the Yellow River. My dad told me that the Yellow River eventually flows into the sea, and the sea water is clear and blue, with salt and big fish.”

My dad said that if we lived by the sea, we'd never lack meat or salt.

"Your father has been to the seaside?" Cheng Guanyin asked.

"no"

Chen Shun said awkwardly, "But my mother has been there. When she was little, she went to the beach with my grandfather."

"You want to go?" Wei Ran asked.

"think"

Chen Shun muttered, "If I survive, I want to see the sea, taste whether the seawater is salty, and I also plan to try to catch some fish with a net."

"If you live by the sea, you won't have to worry about floods ruining your crops, right?"

At this point, Chen Shun nudged Wei Ran with his elbow, "What about you? Have you ever seen the ocean?"

"I've seen it," Wei Ran replied absentmindedly.

"Is it both clear and blue?" Chen Shun asked.

"yes"

Wei Ran nodded, "It's clear and blue, the seawater is salty, and there are lots of pretty girls showing off their long white legs and big breasts."

After saying this, Cheng Guanyin shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, while Chen Shun chuckled.

"Take advantage of the Japanese being quiet and get some sleep," Cheng Guanyin said, ending the topic that had started Chen Shun's daydreams.

That night, the rain, accompanied by occasional thunder, raged on until midnight before gradually stopping.

Fortunately, the Japanese soldiers on the other side seemed to be tired as well. Since the rain stopped, although they would occasionally fire a flare, they had not launched any more attacks.

However, this rare tranquility lasted only until the fiery red sunrise had just risen above the horizon before it was completely shredded by grenades fired from the opposite side.