War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1997 Death Fight and Escape

"Rumble--"

Amidst the low rumble of thunder, icy raindrops pounded on the scorching battlefield, but did little to reduce the intensity of the fighting.

At the Dongshankou battlefield, Wang Bingchu, Wei Ran, and others, who had been urgently brought in with a pistol platoon, didn't have time to negotiate with the soldiers who were already resisting there before rushing into the battlefield.

"Attack! Push them back first!" Wang Bingchu shouted the order before he could even get his footing.

"Da da da--!"

Amidst the drawn-out firing of the Mauser pistols, the pistol platoon members, including Wei Ran, almost simultaneously raised their Mauser pistols horizontally out of the trench and pulled the triggers, emptying the magazines.

"Grenades! Two!"

Wang Bingchu issued a new command almost at the same time everyone released the triggers they had pulled.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The instant the two grenades exploded, everyone quickly loaded their Mauser pistols with bullets.

"Big sword! Kill!"

"kill!"

All the newly arrived pistol platoon members, all the surviving soldiers, roared together and picked up their broadswords, chasing after the soldier who gave the order as they charged out of the trench.

This was their only option—even though Wei Ran's Nine Dragons Belt was full of bullets, and even though their few machine guns still had bullets, it was indeed their only choice.

Because if they didn't choose that option, if they chose to hide in the relatively safe trenches, then those beasts on the other side would bombard them with artillery, mortars, and grenade launchers.

If it weren't for the bad weather today, they might have chosen to use poison gas without hesitation.

Because these invaders who intercepted and cracked the radio were now perfectly clear and absolutely certain that their purpose in coming here and surrounding this place was very clear—to capture that general.

Therefore, their only option at this point was close combat.

"clang!"

Wei Ran deftly deflected the bayonet thrust at him by the Japanese soldier with his broadsword, then slashed his wrist with a grappling hook, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound.

"laugh!"

Amidst the Japanese soldier's instinctive screams, Wei Ran abruptly changed targets, slashing the neck of the Japanese soldier facing off between him and Wang Bingchu.

"Brother Wei is as good as ever!" Wang Bingchu shouted joyfully as he pulled the broadsword out of the Japanese soldier's belly.

Then, turning around, he slashed the shoulder of the Japanese soldier he had just fought, severing its other paw. Only then did Wei Ran belatedly realize another problem—Wang Bingchu was no longer young, and a full seven years had passed since they fought the Japanese at Xifengkou.

Seven years have passed, and the rookie recruit he casually rescued back then is now a man in his thirties, with quite a few gray hairs at his temples—people in this era have really suffered too much.

"You're much better than you were back then!"

As Wei Ran spoke, he once again used his blood-stained broadsword to deflect the bayonet of a Japanese soldier. Then, with increasing skill, he pushed and slashed the sword horizontally, cutting deep, bone-revealing wounds on the soldier's left forearm, chest, and right wrist.

Immediately afterwards, as if showing off his skills, he rushed to the side of the Japanese soldier who was fighting his comrade next to him and kicked him in the back of the knee.

"Crack!"

As the Japanese soldier screamed in agony due to his fractured and deformed kneecap, Wei Ran had already used the momentum to rush behind the Japanese soldier that Wang Bingchu was facing, and swung his broadsword in a wide arc, delivering a waist-cutting blow that looked just like a show of skill.

"kill!"

With his hands free, Wang Bingchu roared and slashed the neck of the Japanese soldier whose hands had been crippled by Wei Ran.

"kill!"

Wei Ran, the soldiers who had been taken care of by him twice, and even the surrounding warriors all roared and fought with even greater strength against the Japanese soldiers in front of them.

In such a scenario, how long can a newly added platoon fight?

If this question were posed to Xiao Weiran, and if he had time and a watch, his answer might be 29 Japanese soldiers' heads and 23 minutes and 51 seconds.

This is the best result he, a killing machine who has fought countless battles and suffered countless heartbreaks, could achieve.

Starting from the 24th minute, due to the continuous casualties of this platoon, their collective combat effectiveness decreased, and the front line began to crumble, with some soldiers even fleeing.

"Brothers! It's time!"

Just then, a wounded soldier on a slung belt roared through the drizzling rain, "Those who can't escape, cover the rear! Prepare grenades! We've made our profit! Those who aren't wounded! Withdraw from Dongshankou! Protect the Commander-in-Chief!"

"Protect the Commander-in-Chief!"

Amidst the increasingly enthusiastic roars, the wounded who were able-bodied rushed towards the Japanese soldiers, while those who were not so able-bodied hid in the trenches, picking up guns and grenades.

"retreat!"

Inside the pistol battalion, an officer with bloodshot eyes roared out orders.

"Brother Weiwei"

Wang Bingchu, already panting and pale, said, "You...you go now, I'll be there soon."

"and"

"I'm not leaving."

As Wang Bingchu spoke, he had already stuffed the two remaining grenades into his sleeve, and then touched the wound in his abdomen where a bayonet had pierced his body. "I survived Xifengkou, I survived Nankou and Juyongguan, and I'm not leaving Dongshankou. I plan to stay here. Go, you...you go protect the Commander-in-Chief."

"I'll stay here with you," Wei Ran said, drawing a grenade from his waist as well.

"go"

Wang Bingchu discarded the broadsword in his hand. "Brother Dong is a college student soldier. He must survive; he is useful to this country. The Commander-in-Chief is more important than Dong Weixin; he is more useful to this country."

You...you go and protect him with your life, see if he has any chance of survival.

"And you."

"I have no regrets. I've drunk my fill of wine, and I've killed enough Japanese devils. I have no regrets."

As Wang Bingchu uttered those words, a wounded soldier had already risked his life to hug the bayonet piercing his chest, one hand tightly gripping the Japanese soldier's wrist, the other resolutely pulling the pin on a grenade.

"Come on!"

Wang Bingchu, with a strength he didn't know he possessed, shoved Wei Ran aside and charged headlong into the ever-growing, seemingly endless horde of Japanese soldiers.

"Five years!"

Wei Ran suddenly shouted at the other person's back, "Five years left! Five years from now!"

"it is good!"

When Wei Ran pointed the twin-lens reflex camera at his back with one hand, Wang Bingchu responded in an incredibly loud and hopeful voice. He knew what Wei Ran was talking about, and Wei Ran even clearly sensed that this time he truly believed in the bet that belonged to them.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

As Wei Ran repeatedly pulled the trigger of his Mauser pistol to clear out the approaching Japanese soldiers, Wang Bingchu had already crossed his hands and forcefully pulled off the fuse of his hand grenade.

"Boom! Boom!"

Just as Wei Ran pressed the shutter, Wang Bingchu, whose chest had been pierced by a bayonet, raised the grenade in his hand.

Reaching out to wipe away the bloodstains and rainwater from the camera, Wei Ran put it back into his metal notebook. He then wiped away the increasing amount of rainwater and blood dissolved in the rainwater from his face. At the same time, he raised two Mauser pistols and began firing at the growing number of Japanese soldiers around him while retreating, eventually reaching the foot of Almond Mountain.

At this moment, in the rain-soaked battlefield, there were not many people left, but the surrounding Japanese soldiers stretched as far as the eye could see.

Wei Ran glanced back at the commander-in-chief briefly, then quickly snapped a photo of him and the people around him before putting away his camera, which was already soaked by the rain. He picked up his Mauser pistol again and pulled the trigger at the approaching Japanese soldiers.

After several rounds of intense firing, his Mauser pistol ran out of ammunition, but the surrounding Japanese soldiers...
However, there were even more Japanese soldiers around them, and the encirclement around them became even tighter.

Looking around, Wei Ran took out his suitcase, quickly pulled out three spare magazines, then put the suitcase away and took out his PPK pistol, continuing to pull the trigger repeatedly at the approaching Japanese soldiers.

"The time to serve our country has come! Kill!"

From within the surrounded crowd, a man from Northwest China shouted, leading his soldiers in a desperate charge against the closing in Japanese soldiers. The hand-to-hand combat began once more.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Wei Ran was not in a hurry to take out his broadsword. He still had bullets and grenades on him, and he wanted to use them before he died.

With each shot he fired, one Japanese soldier after another was killed, and his only four magazines with 29 bullets were used to ensure that every shot hit its mark.

Putting away his pistol, Wei Ran took out a wine flask and took a swig of the last bit of liquor. Then he took out his anti-Japanese broadsword and spat the liquor in his mouth onto the broadsword, which was still stained with blood.

"kill!"

Wei Ran tore off the Nine Dragons Belt and let out a roar. He rushed in front of a Japanese soldier, slashed the soldier's bayonet with his sword, and fearlessly lunged forward, pressing the blade against the soldier's neck and pulling hard. He then slashed at the arm of another Japanese soldier.

But there were too many Japanese soldiers around him, and before he could sheathe his sword, more bayonets came flying at him!
"Da da da!"

At this critical moment, the general also fired a series of shots from a machine gun, and the Japanese soldiers around Wei Ran fell down in droves.

However, before he could even thank them or look away, he heard the roar of the Japanese machine gun and watched as a cloud of blood burst from the general's right chest, before he fell backward and was caught by those around him.

"kill!"

Wei Ran roared as he charged toward the Japanese soldiers surging toward him.

"puff!"

This powerful strike not only severed the Japanese soldier's arm but also cut open the flesh of his face.

At the same time, he was also pierced through the chest and abdomen by several bayonets.

With a difficult grab, Wei Ran grabbed the rifle holster of the Japanese soldier opposite him. Using all his strength, he kicked the groin of a Japanese soldier directly in front of him to divert his attention. At the same time, he secretly pulled the pins on the only two grenades he had.

In the hazy smoke suppressed by the rain, he used his last strength to turn his head and see the tall general stand up again, his mere gaze enough to frighten a Japanese soldier who rushed close.

"boom!"

With an incredibly clear gunshot, Wei Ran clearly saw the general get shot in the head, and he also clearly saw the Japanese soldier, who had been intimidated by his gaze, stab the general in the chest with his rifle bayonet amidst a roar.

"boom!"

Almost at the same moment the grenade in Wei Ran's sleeve exploded, he also saw the tall general fall to the ground with a thud in the intense white light.

Have you killed enough?
Before Wei Ran could ask the question that the general was destined not to answer, but which he already had the answer to, the white light had already completely engulfed him.

However, as the white light faded, he found himself wearing coarse cloth clothes, with the Nine Dragons Belt tied around his waist once again, and even holding a Mauser pistol in his hand.

"Attack! Recapture the Commander-in-Chief!"

In the darkness, someone whispered an order.

Immediately, several grenades were thrown at the Japanese sentries on guard in the distance.

"Boom! Boom!"

While taking out the sentries with two grenades, Wei Ran also held up his Mauser pistol and, as he ran forward, pulled the trigger at the Japanese soldiers.

The raid started and ended quickly, defeating the Japanese in just ten minutes and capturing one Japanese soldier alive.

Where did you bury the general's body?

In this group, a man who looked to be no more than 40 years old asked in Japanese with a thick Northeastern accent.

"clang!"

The Japanese soldier hesitated only slightly before the man swiftly chopped off a finger of his.

At the same time, another person promptly covered the Japanese soldier's mouth.

It was only at this moment that Wei Ran noticed that the person covering the prisoner's mouth was actually Dong Weixin!

Where did you bury our general?

The interrogator asked again, pressing the blade against the back of the Japanese soldier's hand.

"clang!"

The Japanese soldier hesitated for a moment, but the price was that another finger was precisely chopped off.

"I'll ask you one last time."

"East side, earthen slope, on the earthen slope."

The Japanese soldier, whose mouth was covered, mumbled something indistinctly while pointing in a direction with his other hand.

"Wang Paotou, what did he say?" Dong Weixin asked in a low voice.

"On the eastern slope?"

The man known as "Wang Paotou" said, "I'll continue asking. You guys hurry up and go find it. Remember to shake the stun gun when you find it."

"go!"

In the darkness, someone gave another order, leading everyone to run towards the eastern hillside.

Soon, they found a coffin that had been hastily buried.

"Commander-in-Chief, your brothers are here to take you back."

The leader saluted, then picked up a large knife, pried open the coffin nails, and called to the people around him to lift the coffin lid.

Using the faint light from the covered flashlight, the leader leaned out for a glance, then personally carried out the general's body, wrapped it in a blanket, and placed it on a stretcher.

"Signal! Retreat!"

Before the man finished speaking, someone lifted the stretcher, and at the same time, someone else flashed a flashlight in the direction they had come from.

At the same moment, Dong Weixin pulled Wei Ran back, signaling him to stop.

"Brother Wei, stay behind and cover our retreat," Dong Weixin said in a low voice.

"Okay," Wei Ran nodded and followed the other person toward the direction where the prisoners had been captured.

"I'm planning to go back," Dong Weixin said abruptly halfway through the journey.

"Go back? Where?"

Wei Ran asked instinctively, already having an answer, but unsure if it was the right one.

"Back to Northeast China"

Dong Weixin's answer exceeded Wei Ran's expectations: "I messed things up, I'm too ashamed to stay here."

I plan to go back to Northeast China and go with Wang Paotou to find the Anti-Japanese United Army.

"When?" Wei Ran asked after a moment of silence.

"I'll go back after I find Brother Wang's body and prepare his body for burial."

Dong Weixin sighed, "I...I've let down Brother Wang, I've let down my brothers, and I've let down Yimo and Shouxian even more."

This time he didn't desert.

Wei Ran patted the other person on the shoulder and sighed in the white light that surged up again, "If you can't get over that hurdle in your heart, then go back. It's just that it's even harder for the Anti-Japanese Alliance."

"I know I know."

Dong Weixin's sighs faded into the distance, while Wei Ran's sighs grew heavier.

He didn't know whether the college student soldier they had tried so hard to protect would survive in the end.

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