On the hillside not far from Gushan Temple, eleven simple coffins were neatly arranged together.
Behind the coffin is a grave that has been dug.
Xie Tian walked to each coffin solemnly, stood at attention, saluted, and silently recited the calligraphy on the coffin head.
"Yu Baoqiang, from Jiaozuo, Henan, 19 years old"
"Ma Zhuangtian, from Kaifeng, Henan, 27 years old"
"Liang Shi, from Handan, Hebei, 22 years old"
"Qu Xiangyang, from Datong, Shanxi, 35 years old"
"Hua Qiushou, from Zaozhuang, Shandong, 17 years old"
"Ding Erbao, from Dagu Town, Pingyuan County, 19 years old"
…
After passing each coffin in turn, Xie Tian took a few steps back and faced the eleven coffins, and solemnly saluted again.
"Salute, shoot"
Wu Wenhua on one side shouted loudly.
The soldiers attending the funeral stood at attention and saluted, and the ten arranged soldiers raised their rifles and fired into the sky.
The sound of gunshots echoed in the empty valley, and the eleven coffins were slowly lowered into the tomb.
Some of the people watching cried loudly, especially Ding Erbao's mother, who cried to death.
At this time, Master Pu Su, the abbot of Gushan Temple, walked up to Xie Tian, clasping his hands and bowing slightly, and said, "Thank you to the group leader, the poor monk and others want to perform a ritual for them. Please thank the group leader for permission."
After a great battle, the simple monk also understood that if Xie Tian had not used violent means to escort them into the tunnel, I am afraid that these monks would have been massacred by the Japanese.
In the entire Dagu Town, only Gushan Temple was spared. More than 70% of the houses in the town had been burned down by the Japs. It wasn’t that the Japs had any respect for the temple, but because the Temple was a little far away from Dagu Town and the Japs hadn’t had time to burn it here. .
Not to mention Dagu Town, weren't the innocent villages of Shangheyan and Lower Heyan burned down by the Japanese? They also killed many people who had no time to run away. Even the Gao family fence was burned to the ground. Monk Simple understood that the new arrivals This group of Japs is different from the previous Japs, and more brutal.
Xie Tian looked at the simple monk and said: "Whatever you do is up to you, Master. I have something to ask of you, and I would like to ask Master for your convenience."
"Thank you, Commander, for speaking." Monk Simple said hurriedly.
Xie Tian glanced at Dagu Town, where there was still smoke coming out from many places, and said: "Master, most of the people in the town are homeless now. Can Master make more space in the temple to accommodate them? I'm afraid this time won't be too short. It may take three or two months before I can free up my hands to help everyone rebuild their homes."
The simple monk hurriedly leaned forward: "There are still a dozen houses in the backyard of the temple, and the side hall can also be made available. There are also some materials in the temple that can help everyone build some sheds in the courtyard and in front of the door. Let's make do with it together. Get through it.”
Xie Tian nodded: "Thank you very much, Master."
He could feel the changes in Master Simu, which was a good thing.
The monks began to perform rituals. Such a solemn funeral was a bit inappropriate, but Xie Tian didn't care about it.
Xie Tian walked up to Carpenter Yu and Stonemason Tan who were standing together. He nodded to Carpenter Yu, then looked at Stonemason Tan and said, "Master Tan, I would like to ask you to help me build a stone monument here. It needs to be big and large." Solemnly, in addition, each of my warriors buried here will have a small stone tablet with their name, place of origin, and date of death engraved on it."
Tan Shijiang nodded hurriedly: "Captain Xie, please don't worry, leave this job to me."
Xie Tian stretched out his hand and shook hands with Master Tan: "Then I'll leave you with this matter. I'll have someone calculate it for you later."
Tan Shijiang said hurriedly: "They are all his children, and they sacrificed for us. There are many rocks on the mountain, and I just put in some effort. Captain Xie is just a slap in the face if he asks me for money."
Xie Tian reached out and patted Mr. Tan's shoulder, and said seriously: "Thank you very much."
He knew that Tang Haoer would take care of these trivial matters, including the eleven coffins that Carpenter Yu had built, and Tang Haoer would take care of them. He really couldn't be distracted and worry about these things anymore.
Seeing that Xie Tian was about to leave, Tan Shijiang hurriedly asked: "Captain Xie, what words are engraved on that big stone tablet?"
Xie Tian stopped and replied: "No words."
Tan Shijiang was stunned and nodded: "I understand."
In fact, Stonemason Tan only understood how to make this big stone tablet. As for why there were no words, that was not something he had to consider. What he wanted to think about was how to make this big stone tablet well.
Be big and solemn.
Should we make a big stone tablet with a tortoise on its back like the imperial mausoleum, and carve some reliefs or something?
There was no need for him to think about this matter. After Xie Tian returned to the regiment headquarters, he took some time to draw a picture of a monument in his notebook. He even marked the dimensions for him. After the drawing was completed, he found a soldier to send it to him. Tan Only then did the stonemason truly understand what kind of stone tablet Xie Tian wanted. This was a big project, and even if he hired a few helpers for a few months, he might not be able to complete it.
The Changlong Silk and Satin Factory, which served as the headquarters of the regiment, was not burned down, and not even a single glass was broken. It became one of the few well-preserved buildings in Dagu Town. Perhaps it was just because the Japanese wanted to finally burn down this building that they had used as a temporary commander. The place where the Ministry is.
"Have you contacted the First Battalion?" Xie Tian asked Wu Wenhua while sitting by the sand table, eating hungrily.
"Contacted, the first battalion has detoured towards Zhangzhuang according to your instructions. The Xiangyanggou Bridge commando team and Zhang Xingsheng commando team have also set off. The agreed action will begin at six o'clock in the evening."
Xie Tian nodded, raised his wrist and looked at the watch and said with a straight face: "We still have more than three hours, inform the soldiers to take time to eat and rest. We have enough maneuverability to arrive at Zhangzhuang in an hour." Meet up with the First Battalion nearby."
"Yes", Wu Wenhua responded.
Xie Tian looked at him and said solemnly: "What we will face next is a more brutal battle. You have to prepare the soldiers mentally."
Wu Wenhua looked at Xie Tian and smiled: "Are you going to tell the truth?"
Xie Tian looked at Wu Wenhua and said speechlessly: "Whatever you want."
Wu Wenhua smiled and said: "The soldiers have already worshiped you like a god. No matter how cruel the battle is with you, it will become easier. For example, this time, we used a battalion to annihilate an enemy seven or eight times our size. , and our battle losses were only eleven soldiers..."
The corner of Xie Tian's mouth twitched slightly, and he stared at Wu Wenhua and said, "Each of my soldiers is unique. Please don't add the word "mere" in front of them. It sounds very uncomfortable to me."
Wu Wenhua's smile froze instantly, and the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably twice. His forehead was sweating slightly. He lowered his head at Xie Tianli and said, "I'm sorry, Commander, I brought back the bad habits I developed when I was in the Jinsui Army." Come over here. Each of our warriors is unique and I will treat them like brothers."
Xie Tian snorted and said: "I don't want the soldiers to mythologize me. I just want them to survive every battle. Therefore, many people may not understand my fighting style and my attitude towards the enemy. It doesn't matter. I can be called shameless or domineering. As long as my soldiers can survive and kill the Japanese as much as possible, I don’t care how others call me. I hope my Commanders can also be like me and treat all their soldiers as their brothers and be willing to use their bodies to block bullets fired at them."
Wu Wenhua stood at attention: "I swear to the leader, I will work hard to do it."
Xie Tian nodded: "I believe you can do it."
At this time, Li Changshun and Tiedan rushed into the regiment headquarters carrying several Japanese command knives and a bunch of miscellaneous things. When Li Changshun entered the door, he found that the atmosphere seemed a bit wrong, and gave Wu Wenhua a surprised look.
Tiedan didn't see this. He piled the things he was holding on the table and greeted Xie Tian: "Godfather, come and take a look. There are many good things. We will make a fortune."
Xie Tian ignored Tiedan, looked at Li Changshun and asked, "Has the battlefield been cleaned?"
"It's almost done. There are too many corpses. I'll arrange for the soldiers to find a nearby pit to bury them..."
Xie Tian stared at Li Changshun and interrupted Li Changshun to curse: "Bury your ass. If the Japanese ghosts are not buried in China, they will be burned by me. If they can't be burned in one day, they will be burned by me for two days. If they can't be burned in two days, they will be burned by me for three days." God, arrange a platoon specifically to do this, and let everyone else take time to rest and capture Zhangzhuang tonight."
Li Changshun looked confused and responded loudly: "Yes, there are no Japanese ghosts buried in China."
Li Changshun turned around and trotted away. Wu Wenhua looked at Xie Tian and said, "I'll go out and take a look."
Xie Tian hummed and turned to the sand table.
It shouldn't be difficult to win Zhangzhuang tonight. What's difficult is how to hold Zhangzhuang and disrupt this big game.
The main reason we chose to fight at night was because we were worried that the Japanese aviation brigade would come to support us. However, every minute after we captured Zhangzhuang, we would have to pay a price of blood and flesh. We had to face the indiscriminate bombing of Japanese planes and divide our forces to stop the attack. For the Japanese reinforcements coming from Taiyuan, Pingyuan County and Sanin, Yoshio Shinozuka is very likely to dispatch troops from several neighboring counties to rush for reinforcements.
In addition, since the leading troops of the two divisions transferred by the Japanese from the Kwantung Army have arrived, I am afraid that the larger troops behind them will also arrive in the next two days.
The railway is the main artery of the enemy. If it is cut off by Xie Tian, he will fight to the death to recapture it.
By then, the area of several hundred miles surrounding Zhangzhuang will probably turn into a huge meat grinder, and this village will definitely become the center of the eye of the storm.
Xie Tian had no idea how this battle would turn out.
Xie Tian had a lawsuit on his mind, but Tiedan was still ignorant. He smiled and held a Japanese command knife in front of Xie Tian to show off: "Godfather, look, this knife was seized from the Japanese commander. There is also an inscription on the handle. The writing is on it. I can’t read. Can you help me see what the writing is on it?”
"Go away and play." Xie Tian didn't even move his eyelids and reached out to pull open the command knife that Tiedan handed to him.
Tiedan curled his lips and muttered: "It's useless to ask you. You don't know Japanese characters, so I'll ask my godmother."
Tiedan wanted to find Tang Haoer, but Tang Haoer came first, and Gao Meijuan came in from the backyard with her.
Seeing Gao Meijuan, Xie Tian had a headache.
Sister, what on earth did you say to your father? Who can stand it when your father calls him son-in-law when they meet?
