War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1974 Bet
When Wei Ran regained consciousness, he found himself lying among a group of wounded soldiers, and it seemed that his head was wrapped with a white cloth to bandage his wounds.

"What do you think?"

Before he could see his surroundings clearly, the sound of sorghum stalks reached his ears.

Subconsciously turning his head, Wei Ran not only saw the sorghum stalks, but also Guo Guanggun and the soldier named Wang Bingchu—they were all lying on the same warm kang (heated brick bed).

Moreover, everyone's injuries were bandaged in a way that looked fairly professional.

Looking around, it seemed to be a thatched house built of stones and adobe bricks. The paper windows were pitch black outside, and the only light source was a pine oil lamp placed on the wall next to the stove, which provided a weak and choking illumination.

"How long was I unconscious?" Wei Ran asked as he regained his senses.

"I was carried back yesterday, and it's almost dawn now," Gaolianggan replied. "Can you still get up?"

"Let me try. How are things going with you?"

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already climbed up, supporting himself on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and then stood up, supporting himself on the roof beam. Fortunately, he did not seem to have any signs of a concussion.

"My leg was saved, and my life was saved too."

After he sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), Wang Bingchu, who was lying to the side, said gratefully, "Brother Wei, thanks to you for carrying me back, I thought I was going to die."

"Don't say that unlucky thing."

Wei Ran waved his hand and looked at Guo Guanggun, "What about you? How are you doing?"

"His bone was broken, and he also had a cut on his leg."

Guo Guanggun's tone contained no relief at surviving, only resentment at not being able to continue fighting. "I guess he'll have to be fed now."

"Be grateful you survived."

Gao Lianggan pointed to the wound on his shoulder and said with a sense of relief, "This is a field hospital. We were carried here."

I was lucky; the doctors there, who had studied abroad, gave me a few stitches and anesthesia, so I don't feel much pain now.

"I wonder if the Great Wall is still in our hands."

Guo Guanggun's worried mutterings brought silence to the thatched hut.

"We can definitely hold on."

As Gao Lianggan spoke, he turned over and sat up, putting on his cotton shoes.

"What are you going to do?" Guo Guanggun asked.

"shit"

As Gao Lianggan spoke, he picked up the rolled-up Japanese sheepskin coat.

"I was just about to take a piss too."

As Wei Ran spoke, he got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and put on his cotton shoes. Then, without waiting for the other two people lying on the kang to say anything, he picked up the Japanese sheepskin coat that was originally draped over his body and the Mauser pistol next to his pillow, and shuffled out in his shoes.

"Where are you planning to take a dump?" Wei Ran asked as he chased the sorghum stalks out of the thatched hut.

Go wherever the wind is sheltered.

As Gao Lianggan spoke, he unrolled the sheepskin coat that he had originally rolled up and put it back on inside out. He also handed Wei Ran the two Mauser pistols that were originally wrapped inside the sheepskin coat.

"I think the Great Wall is quite sheltered from the wind."

Wei Ran said meaningfully, indicating that he had already guessed the other party's plan.

"I shouldn't have been sent here."

As Gaolianggan spoke, he tightened his belt and then stretched his injured arm. "Isn't it all fine? If I don't kill a few more Japanese devils while I can still breathe, and instead hide here sleeping on a warm kang, won't I be cursed behind my back?"

"As long as you take me there, whatever you say goes."

Wei Ran handed the two Mauser pistols to the other person, and then put the sheepskin coat inside out on his body.

"Let's hurry up, or we'll be in trouble once those two idiots realize what's happening," Gao Lianggan said in a low voice.

"What about the camera we found back then?" Wei Ran asked, as if deliberately bringing up a sore spot.

"It makes me so angry just thinking about it!"

Gao Lianggan complained, "What's wrong with you, kid? Are you out of your mind? We're supposed to be fighting with bayonets, why are you fiddling with that crappy camera?"

"I was thinking of taking pictures so that future generations would know that we killed Japanese devils."

Wei Ran chuckled and brushed it off, saying that since he was confident he could film it, he was naturally confident that nothing would go wrong.

"As long as we hold off the Japanese invaders, future generations will know."

The sorghum stalk snorted, "But if we can't stop it, it's uncertain whether we'll have any descendants."

"Whether we can block it or not, we have to block it."

As Wei Ran spoke, he and the other person walked out of the courtyard. At the same time, they saw the stretcher team hurrying around in the small mountain village and the doctors going in and out of the various thatched huts—and they also heard the screams of the wounded receiving treatment.

"Yes, we have to stop it even if we can't."

There wasn't a glimmer of hope in Gao Lianggan's worried tone.

"Where's your camera?" Wei Ran asked again.

“I just stuffed it into Guo Guanggun’s quilt,” Gaolianggan said. “His injury came at just the right time. I reckon he’ll be sent away in the next couple of days. Then he can sell that camera and go find his female classmate.”

"And you?" Wei Ran asked almost subconsciously.

"I?"

Sorghum Stalk chuckled, "They're fucking dead already."

"What discouraging things you're saying?"

Wei Ran cleared his throat and, walking against the flow of stretcher and donkey cart teams carrying the wounded back towards the battlefield, said, "You have to live, live until we drive the Japanese away."

When would that be?

The sorghum stalks looked at the moonless and starless night sky and sighed sadly.

"Yes, it takes a while."

Wei Ran sighed, "I estimate it will take more than ten years, at least twelve or thirteen years."

"You think you can drive out the Japanese in just twelve or thirteen years?"

Suddenly, something light appeared in Gaolianggan's voice: "In just twelve or thirteen years, we can take back the Northeast?"

"Yes, definitely."

Wei Ran was clearly telling the truth, even though he was used to lying. This time, he was telling the truth. This time, the metal notebook did not stop him from revealing the secret about the "future".

But at this moment, in this dim and cold night, he subconsciously avoided the other person's eyes that were looking at him.

Those eyes held so much expectation, so much that even though he had already determined that history could not be changed, he was still afraid that the other person's wishes would be dashed.

"Twelve or thirteen years. If we could drive away the Japanese in twelve or thirteen years, I wonder how many people would still be alive then."

Gao Lianggan finally concealed the overwhelming anticipation in her eyes with her thin eyelids, and sighed heavily, "If only we could drive away the Japanese devils in twelve or thirteen years, that would be wonderful."

"You don't believe me?" Wei Ran asked.

"How could that be?"

Sorghum Stalk sighed, "Driving away the Japanese devils is a dream come true. I'd be content if I could kill as many as I could and kill enough before I die."

"Yes, definitely."

Wei Ran's tone was more confident this time, "Twelve or thirteen years, we will definitely be able to drive the Japanese away in twelve or thirteen years."

"Really?"

"real"

Wei Ran said, "I read an article before that said..."

"What did he say?" Gao Lianggan asked instinctively.

"I...I can't remember."

Wei Ran scratched his head, which was wrapped in white cotton bandages. "I only remember his name was Lun Chicao! What was it again? I can't remember! Let me think!"

"Perhaps my head was blown off, and I just stopped thinking about it."

Gao Lianggan sighed, but there was no disappointment in his tone. Even so, he still asked, "Really...really, in twelve or thirteen years...it will be possible?"

"Really?" Wei Ran simply gave up thinking about what had just been erased from his mind by that living father. "If you don't believe me, let's make a bet."

"What do you want to bet?" Gaolianggan asked.

"Twelve years from now, if we drive the Japanese out, you'll come with me to the Great Wall for a picture," Wei Ran said. "Your Mauser pistol will also be mine."

"Sure, that's great!"

Gao Lianggan readily agreed, "If... well! I sincerely hope you can win."

"What if we fail to drive the Japanese away by then?"

Wei Ran pulled out a camera from his pocket and waved it. "We'll come back and take a picture on the Great Wall. Then this camera will be yours, and we'll go fight the Japanese together."

"Then it's settled!"

Gao Lianggan shook off his handkerchief and gave Wei Ran a high five, promising, "If the Japanese devils haven't been driven away by then, we'll go fight them together."

"You'll have to climb to the city wall to keep your appointment, even if you have to."

Wei Ran said seriously, "I've got my eye on your Mauser pistol."

You'll have to go too.

"I've also taken a liking to your camera," said the sorghum stalk.

"Go, go."

Wei Ran strode forward, "Let's go kill the Japanese devils."

"Yes, let's go kill the Japanese devils!"

The sorghum stalks, full of vigor, echoed this sentiment and also began to stride forward.

The two walked against the stretcher team along the mountain road for a long time, and they could see in the distance the position that had been bombarded by the Japanese artillery and was almost reduced to ruins.

However, before they could fully take up their positions, they suddenly heard a loud "boom" of artillery fire.

"The Japanese devils have started again, hurry up!"

As Gao Lianggan spoke, he quickened his pace.

By the time the two of them reached the Great Wall before the sun rose above the horizon, the Japanese artillery fire had become much denser.

"Airplane! The Japanese planes are coming again! Everyone lie down! Everyone lie down!"

"Machine gun! Machine gun! Shoot down those Japanese planes!"

"Stretcher team! Quickly carry the wounded away!"

Amidst the chaotic roars, Wei Ran and Gao Lianggan, their backs hunched, ran up the Great Wall, dodging the flying stones, and each picked up a Type 38 rifle from beside a corpse.

"boom!"

Wei Ran lay on the ruined city wall, which had been bombed so badly that only sandbags could be used as shelter, and pulled the trigger at the low-flying Japanese plane.

"Holy crap? I won the lottery?"

Wei Ran stared in surprise as he watched the plane tilt to one side and fly into the distance.

When he finally realized what was happening, he didn't even bother to take a picture or glance at it again. He hurriedly loaded a second bullet and continued aiming at the Japanese planes that were frantically climbing overhead, estimating the lead and pulling the trigger again and again.

Unfortunately, shooting down a plane with a rifle does require luck, and unfortunately, he wasn't very lucky.

Seeing that the Japanese artillery had stopped and the planes had circled away, Wei Ran, who had survived by chance, immediately turned his gun around and used the last bullet in the chamber to kill a Japanese soldier who had just set up a grenade launcher.

"Grenades! Throw me grenades!"

On the crumbling city wall, a one-armed officer with a slanted belt roared out orders, "If you don't have grenades, throw stones! Smash them! Anyone who can run! Prepare your broadswords!"

"kill!"

Amidst a unified roar, grenades and broken city wall bricks were hurled at the Japanese soldiers climbing the slope.

Before all the grenades had exploded, the officer who was missing an arm had already charged at the oncoming Japanese soldiers, wielding a large knife in one hand and roaring.

"kill!"

Amidst a thunderous roar of response, more soldiers, armed with various weapons, followed the one-armed officer and once again voluntarily left their positions to clash with the charging Japanese soldiers.

Wei Ran and Gao Lianggan, who had just arrived, also joined the melee with the weapons they had picked up.

This time, however, their Mauser pistols were completely empty, and their Kowloon belts had been taken away while they were unconscious. All they could rely on were their Type 38 rifles with bayonets.

"Snapped!"

Using the momentum of running down from the height, Wei Ran deflected the Japanese soldier's bayonet and delivered a powerful frontal kick to the soldier's chest, sending him flying back to where he came from.

Using the recoil provided by the other party to stop his almost unstoppable run, Wei Ran grabbed the bayonet and gun barrel that were being thrust at him and tucked them under his arm. At the same time, he released the Type 38 rifle in his hand, leaned forward and approached the other party, kicking him in the shinbone.

At the same time, Gao Lianggan smashed the half-section of the city wall he was carrying into the face of the Japanese soldier who was facing Wei Rantong's bayonet, before picking up his gun and stabbing the bayonet into the soldier's chest.

This close-quarters battle was far more brutal than any of the close-quarters battles Wei Ran had experienced at the foot of the Great Wall.

This time, they simply didn't have enough grenades, nor did they have high enough city walls or machine guns hidden on them.

Even the defending troops who participated in the hand-to-hand combat at this time were mostly wounded to varying degrees due to the previous artillery bombardment and aerial bombardment.

Even without any external injuries that would affect their movements, many of them, including Wei Ran, hadn't eaten anything decent for a long time.

But this is about killing Japanese devils!
While Wei Ran was distracted and lost in thought, he picked up the Type 38 rifle with a bayonet that he had stolen, loaded it with a click, aimed at a Japanese soldier holding a command sword in the distance, and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

After that shot, the Japanese soldier clutched his chest and fell to the ground, his command sword spinning as it rolled down the hillside.

Shooting down one plane and one Japanese officer was worth it.
As more and more Japanese soldiers rushed over, Wei Ran, despite his exhaustion, hurriedly loaded a bullet and pulled the trigger at the same time as Gao Lianggan, who was panting heavily beside him.

"boom!"

Amidst the perfectly overlapping gunshots, two of the three Japanese soldiers closest to them fell to the ground, shot between the eyebrows, while the remaining one roared and lunged at Wei Ran.

Unfortunately, Wei Ran swung his gun at him with the force of a dog-beating stick, causing his chest to be pierced by a sorghum stalk.

Just then, as the Japanese artillery began to fire again, the hand-to-hand combat temporarily ended as the Japanese infantry began to retreat and create distance.

After skillfully collecting some ammunition, Wei Ran and Gao Lianggan had just run up the remaining city wall when more and more Japanese artillery shells began to rain down, and even the roar of Japanese planes could be heard in the air again.

"Sorghum stalks!"

Just then, an officer carrying a large knife called out to Gaolianggan'er.

"Yes!" The sorghum stalks stopped almost instinctively in response.

"And you."

The officer pointed at Wei Ran, then pointed to a spot not far away, and said, "You two are fast runners, get him to the hospital and make sure he survives!"

Subconsciously following the direction the other person was pointing, Wei Ran and Gao Lianggan both recognized him as the officer with the missing arm and the slanted belt.

However, at this moment, apart from his severed arm which was bound by a belt, he was almost covered in blood.

"Yes!"

Wei Ran and Gao Lianggan responded loudly to this life-saving mission.

"Also, take the rest of the wounded and get out of here quickly."

The officer carrying the knife waved his hand after speaking, "Go quickly!"

"Can we come back?" Gao Lianggan asked loudly, but the officer just waved his hand.

"Captain?!"

"Get the hell out of here! Get out of here with the wounded!"

The regimental commander was shouting and cursing, but he was also urging him on, even ignoring Wei Ran who was pressing the shutter button on him.

"Yes!"

Gao Lianggan responded with a hoarse shout, then he and Wei Ran dropped their weapons and ammunition, together lifted the stretcher under the officer with the slanted belt, and, with the seriously wounded around them, left the precarious position amidst the rumbling of artillery fire.

Will we come back later? When we come back, will this position still be there?
Wei Ran couldn't help but turn his head and glance at the regimental commander who was directing the battle. He didn't know who he was, and he wasn't even sure which day or which position this was.

But he had a strong premonition that he might never have the chance to see that regimental commander again.

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