The second company finally withdrew.
After the second company captured Zhaofeng Road, it finally became the bridgehead for the third company to attack Tangshan Road.
The autumn sunshine always comes very early, as if it is the end of summer. Before six o'clock, it is already bright.
The whole city woke up and started its busy day.
Shanghai during the war was like a piece of incomplete cake. Some people abandoned it, but others held on to it.
The rain has stopped for a while, and the warm sunshine shines on people's bodies, as if telling them with actions: The Chinese people will definitely not lose this war.
Those who chose to hold on got up early in the morning and got busy. They rushed to the front of the battlefield with food and other items to contribute their own strength to the soldiers of the national army fighting on the front.
People who choose to stay include citizens, students, workers, etc.
The day is August 21, 1937, and the time is six-thirty.
In the open space about three streets near the front of the battlefield, it was a busy scene, with people coming and going, including people making fires and boiling water, making noodles, and cooking steamed buns.
Smoke curls from the kitchen.
This street, which was a bustling street fifteen days ago, has now been transformed into a cooking camp that provides breakfast for the soldiers at the front.
When Zhang Tianhai appeared on this street with the only 118 people left in Erlian, someone immediately organized people to bring baskets of steamed white flour steamed buns to them.
"Eat! You're all tired from fighting! Eat two..."
"Eat quickly and while it's hot. It's already warm. You have worked hard at the front..."
…
The people responsible for bringing steamed buns to the officers and soldiers of the Second Company were basically women, and most of the young adults had been assigned to carry the stretchers.
Listening to the warm greetings and care in front of them, many surviving officers and soldiers could not suppress the tears of bitterness. Some of the younger ones could not even help crying "Wow".
There was a fierce battle all night, and the casualties were too heavy.
From the full complement of 215 people when we set off from Xi'an, to the current 118 people, including company commander Li Haocheng, there are already 97 officers and soldiers who can no longer stand here to enjoy this rare breakfast with them.
Most of the officers and soldiers standing here are more or less decorated. However, they still have fighting ability, and they can continue to fight with the Japanese, so they still cannot withdraw from the battle.
As the current top commander of the Second Company, Zhang Tianhai is not much better than his officers and soldiers - his face has been blackened by gunpowder smoke, his goose green officer uniform is also stained with blood, and only his pair of The white gloves still look a little clean.
After withdrawing from the battlefield, Zhang Tianhai's nerves finally relaxed a little, but exhaustion and hunger came to his head at the same time.
From the beginning of the battle, from the moment company commander Li Haocheng died, Zhang Tianhai has been leading the soldiers of the second company to charge at the front of the queue. Explosions no longer happened around him once or twice.
Looking at the clean and motivated faces in front of him, Zhang Tianhai suddenly felt like he was in another world: It would be great if the sacrificed soldiers like Li Company Commander and Xu Mu could stand here and enjoy breakfast with them. OK.
Thinking about it, the smiling faces of Li Haocheng, Xu Mu and other sacrificed soldiers appeared in front of Zhang Tianhai's eyes, as if to say, our death was worth it.
Thinking about it, Zhang Tianhai seemed a little crazy, and he didn't even see the girl standing in front of him holding a basket.
"Company Commander, go ahead. I will walk the rest of the way for you." Zhang Tianhai murmured to himself. Unknowingly, his eyes were filled with tears, and finally his eyes were filled with tears. Dark handsome face.
"Brother, stop crying, take it and wipe it!" A voice sounded in front of Zhang Tianhai, pulling him out of his own world.
What caught Zhang Tianhai's eyes was a pink handkerchief embroidered with plum blossoms, with a line of delicate small characters embroidered on the corner, which seemed to tell Zhang Tianhai that its owner was a delicate girl.
Zhang Tianhai took the handkerchief handed over by the girl with trembling hands. He took a deep breath and said softly: "Thank you."
He gently wiped away the tears on his face with the handkerchief, and Zhang Tianhai slowly calmed down his mood. He only smelled a nice aroma coming from the handkerchief. It was a very fresh and very refreshing fragrance. The warm smell made him slightly startled.
"The handkerchief is very fragrant and the calligraphy is also very good. It's a pity that my face is so dirty that it stained your handkerchief." Zhang Tianhai tried his best to squeeze out a smile that he thought was beautiful on his face. Indeed, just now, After coming down from the line of life and death, he had just experienced the sacrifice of so many comrades and brothers, and he was really in a bad mood.
With that said, Zhang Tianhai handed the handkerchief back to its owner.
It was at this time that Zhang Tianhai noticed the little girl in front of him. She was wearing a standard student uniform of the Republic of China, with two big braids, and was about 1.68 to 1.7 meters tall. She has fair skin, willowy eyebrows and dark eyes, and the most important thing is that she has a good-looking oval face, and her delicate and small nose is like the finishing touch on her beautiful thin lips.
There is only one word for the whole person: beauty, and it is the kind of beauty without a trace of coquettishness, like a white and pure white peony flower, with a trace of calm nobility and magnificence in the middle.
Zhang Tianhai was a little stunned when he looked at her. He had seen beautiful women before, but he had never seen a beautiful woman with such a pure temperament, as if there was no trace of impurities.
The heart that had been silent for a long time began to beat violently.
The girl took over the stained handkerchief, and her behavior was generous and decent. She didn't look like a child from a poor family - no wonder, most of the people who can afford to study in this era are from well-to-do families. , let alone women.
"Let's have breakfast, you've all been fighting all night." The girl removed the cloth from the basket in her hand, which was filled with steaming steamed buns.
Zhang Tianhai took off his command gloves, revealed his rather delicate hands, took a steamed bun, and then found a place to sit down, not forgetting to say: "Thank you."
Taking a bite of the hot steamed bun, and then swallowing it, Zhang Tianhai said to the little girl waiting next to him: "You should have one too! It's so early in the morning, you must be starving, right?" "
The girl shook her head and said: "This is for you heroes who are fighting the Japanese in the front. You finish eating first, and then we will eat."
"Eat, people are like iron and rice is like steel. If you don't eat even one meal, you will feel hungry." As he said that, Zhang Tianhai took another bite of the steamed bun and looked at the girl with doting eyes. Yes, this girl is the type he likes, so he has to look at her twice more. If he doesn't look at her twice more, she will die on the battlefield and never be seen again.
The girl shook her head resolutely, and then said as if changing the subject: "By the way, brother, are you an officer?"
Zhang Tianhai nodded and said: "Well, I am an officer. I am the company commander of the first battalion and second company of the 216th Regiment of the 36th Division. By the way, little girl, I want to know your name. You can tell me ?"
Zhang Tianhai's eyes were sincere, without any hint of obscenity.
The little girl nodded and said, "Well, my name is Shen Wei, and I study at National Chiao Tung University."
"Shen Wei. This name is so nice, like a rose against the wind, always full of vitality." Zhang Tianhai praised softly, but his eyes unconsciously glanced in the direction of the sound of gunfire.
I'm afraid there won't be much free time like this, right? Zhang Tianhai thought.
…
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