Rise From Eight Hundred

It was five o'clock in the morning, and it was still pitch black, but Tang Dao had already put on his clean military uniform and stood on the path in front of the cabin at the regiment headquarters.

This was a notice issued by the regiment headquarters two days ago. Today, all members of the Four-Line Regiment must be dressed cleanly. It doesn't matter if the uniform is a little torn, but it must be clean.

On both sides behind Tang Dao stood the other chief officers of the regiment headquarters, officers and soldiers from various departments under the regiment headquarters, and all officers and soldiers of the guard company!

Whether Tang Dao or all other officers and soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment, they all wore white cuffs on their right arms. All officers and soldiers lined up in two neat rows on both sides of the road.

Behind Tang Dao were more than a thousand people wearing ordinary clothes, but many of them had white linen wrapped around their heads.

They were all family members of the Four-Line Regiment who recruited new soldiers in Xuzhou this time.

They did not need to travel at night in such a nearly pitch-black morning. Last night, they were all picked up by the Four-Line Regiment from a small town several miles away and brought to the station.

The families of those who had fallen soldiers in their families actually stayed up all night, keeping vigil for their loved ones according to the customs of their hometown.

Because today is the day to send them off for the last time.

And farther away, teams of soldiers had already lined up. Without the loud reprimands from the squad leaders, the soldiers completed their lines in silence.

Tang Dao ordered that, except for the necessary alerts, all officers and soldiers must participate in this spirit entry ceremony!

This was also the first time that the Martyrs Cemetery built by the Four-line Regiment on the green hills a few miles away was used. The spirits entered were not only the officers and soldiers of the Four-line Regiment who died in the battle of Jindong, but all the officers and soldiers who died since the establishment of the independent battalion. Looking further, there were even soldiers who died in the Four-line Warehouse.

Most of their remains were buried on the spot, and a small number had the opportunity to be carried out of the battlefield and burned into ashes, and have been carefully preserved by the baggage company.

Those with ashes will have their ashes stored, and those without ashes will have their belongings or clothes used. These are what Tang Dao has emphasized. As long as they are officers and soldiers of the camp, even if they are buried on the spot, their belongings must be taken away and registered so that they can be handed over to their descendants in the future, which can also be regarded as a little thought for their relatives.

For this reason, the baggage company specially arranged a baggage squad of 15 people to do this work. The belongings and clothes of hundreds of officers and soldiers who died in the battles of the Four-Line Regiment were kept intact, even when the battles were the most difficult.

In the eyes of many people, this is rags, but in the hearts of officers and soldiers, this is the last proof that those brothers who have been sleeping underground have stayed in this world.

Maybe one day, they will also become one of the brothers in that small cloth bag.

But it doesn’t matter, the brothers who come later will protect the traces they left like them.

If there is not even this, there is still the soil brought back from the battlefield, which is the soil stained with their blood, and the spirits of the martyrs will definitely not go far.

This was a funeral of more than 800 people. No one dared to take it seriously. The 1st Infantry Battalion, the 2nd Infantry Battalion, the 3rd Infantry Battalion, several companies directly under the regiment, the squadron, the student company that had not yet been reorganized, and a team of more than 3,000 people, except for the footsteps and breathing, no one dared to break this quiet morning at will.

Even the 600 recruits from the young and strong who moved from Licheng in the past three days, and the 400 recruits from the surrounding villages and towns, the recruits who had not even had time to wear military uniforms, whether they were naughty or rough, did not dare to breathe more at this moment, and stood like a good baby, learning from the old soldiers over there, except that the team was not very neat.

The old soldier squad leader who had either glared at them or scolded them loudly in the past few days was unexpectedly not angry, and stood beside them with his eyes level ahead.

In fact, it was not only the family members and soldiers who participated in this grand spirit-entering ceremony.

People in the nearby villages knew three days ago that the Four-Line Regiment would bury the fallen officers and soldiers in the next two days, and many people spontaneously organized themselves and rushed here overnight.

In their words, although the soldiers of the Four-Line Regiment were not their relatives or the children of their villages, they were heroes who served the country, and it was the duty of all Chinese to see them off.

Because the mountains are high and the roads are dangerous, and there are few mountains, the Taihang Mountains are poor, and the stone mountains here in Dakouzi Cave account for the majority, which is even poorer!

The villagers could not bring the steamed buns and meat passed down from their ancestors as sacrificial offerings, so they brought yellow and white linen.

That was the linen made by themselves using the spinning wheel at home, and each household contributed three feet, and then tore it into many strips!

The people who came stood on the mountains along the way to the Martyrs' Cemetery and hung the linen on the branches!

The whole mountain was covered with white!

Even the night could not stop the white flying all over the mountain like snowflakes!

The sentry responsible for security on the mountain stood upright in the mourning, trying hard to suppress the tears in his eyes.

But this time, it was not because of sadness, but because of his heroic spirit.

To die in battle like this, it should not be in vain to come to this world.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Time passed little by little, and the sky gradually brightened.

The mountains are foggy, especially in this late spring and early summer season. The red sun that has jumped out of the top of the mountain is blocked by the light mist, emitting a faint light, not dazzling at all.

"Report to the commander! The time has come. Can we let the brothers who escort the brothers' heroic spirits set off!" As the general coordinator of this spirit entry ceremony, Zhuang Shisan trotted from a distance and reported to Tang Dao standing at attention.

"Yes!" Tang Dao nodded and waved his hand to order.

"Fire the gun! Send the brothers!"

Upon hearing the order, the two rows of honor guards composed of officers and soldiers from the guard company took a step back collectively, pointing their guns diagonally toward the sky.

The gun is not a Czech semi-automatic, nor is it a Liao-made single-shot rifle that has been fully installed, nor is it a Type 38 gun. They are all old guns made in Hanyang!

Because they were afraid that the heroes who died in the battle were not familiar with them, and the gunshots made by Hanyang would definitely allow them to find their way home.

"Bang! Bang!"

The sound of gunfire completely broke the silence of Qingshan, and the thick smell of gunpowder smoke lingering in everyone's nose made people feel even more tragic.

Those people are silent in the smoke of gunpowder, but they still have to say goodbye in the smoke of gunpowder!

This may be the fate of a warrior.

The coffins of the officers and soldiers who died in this battle were all customized in the past two days. The wood may not be very good, but it can still be regarded as old wood. This is also what Tang Dao specifically requested. The feelings of relatives must be taken into consideration, as long as the remains can be transported. Those who return to Dakouzidong Town must be buried instead of cremated, and the coffin must be acceptable.

If there are only ashes and personal clothes, the box responsible for enshrining the spirit should be made of good stone to prevent it from corroding over time. What if his descendants want to transport him back to his hometown in the future?

Therefore, more than thirty coffins were very heavy, and those responsible for supporting the coffins were the battalions, companies, platoons, and squad leaders of the three major infantry battalions participating in the war.

Because the Japanese army lacked artillery this time and mainly focused on attacks, all the sacrifices came from front-line infantry. The remaining artillery companies, special agent companies and other auxiliary troops only suffered casualties.

They are officers and brothers. Naturally, they have to send the brothers off in person on their last journey.

"Get up!" Lei Xiong, the leader, roared, the muscles on his arms bulging.

"Okay!" roared again, and the supporting queue composed of all the infantry battalion officers of the Fourth Line Regiment began to march.

What followed was a larger force, numbering in the hundreds.

However, there was no coffin on their shoulders. Instead, each of them held a stone box covered with a white cloth in one arm.

Regardless of military rank, except for the officers who are supporting the spirits, these soldiers holding boxes wrapped in white cloth are the closest comrades of the martyrs!

And among the soldiers lining up to see him off, there was only one person from the special squadron.

Because the Special Forces Squadron is considered the most elite group of people in the Four Lines Regiment. Without exception, they are all veterans, and they have sacrificed the most of their comrades.

Lao Hei was holding Leng Feng's brother Xiao Shitou's spirit box, Gu Xishui was holding Yaomei's, Niu Er was holding Liu Datou's, and Lu Sanjiang was holding his old squad leader's.

Mingxin seems a little lonely, but she is the most enviable person on the field.

Because, since he entered the special squadron, there has been no combat death in the special squadron, only two people were seriously injured and three were slightly injured.

The spirit sending team went first, Tang Dao led the army behind, and then followed the entire army of the Four Lines Regiment!

"stand at attention!"

"salute!"

The soldiers who were on guard along the way all straightened their bodies and saluted the troops.

The people standing on the hills spontaneously lit incense candles and paper money, and the little bits of fire lit up the way home for the heroic spirits!

to 8 a.m.!

The sun shines on the hillside where the tomb has been dug!

According to the list after Tang Dao reviewed it again last night, a total of 839 tombs were dug on the hillside. Because there was no time, the stone tombstones were not made. There were only 839 wooden boards standing in front of the tombs. Each board was neatly written with calligraphy. Write the names of the fallen officers and soldiers, their death in battle on a certain year, month and day, and their place of origin.

This workload is huge, but it is Tantai Yunshu’s responsibility.

In his words: "I believe those heroes will not dislike my words!"

This was probably one of the reasons why Li Jiujin could only silently endure Lao Tantai spitting on his face.

There was no sensational roll call, Tang Dao just walked past the coffin and the spirit box held carefully by the soldiers, just like he had led them on an expedition.

Only this time, no one stood at attention or saluted him.

Tang Dao raised his head and looked at the names standing in the first row on the hillside. Those names that were familiar, unfamiliar, and even almost forgotten, suddenly felt a little dazed.

When he first entered the Sihang Warehouse, Deputy Platoon Leader Liu Datou's hostile eyes towards him, an outsider, and sixteen-year-old Leng Shitou's green face seemed to still be vivid in his mind.

But they are all gone!

From now on, I will sleep in this cemetery.

Fortunately, they no longer have to endure the pain caused by the war so hard, and they can still stay together to chat and spank.

This is not a blessing.

The dead are gone, but the living must continue.

Tang Dao stood still in front of a soldier in the queue.

"Enter the spirit" followed by Master Zhuang let out a loud roar.

The coffin was still carried by the six officers of the coffin support team, but the coffin was changed from one person to two. They solemnly held the coffin and lined up up the mountain. From top to bottom, they placed the coffin and coffin into the tomb, and then closed it. White cloth.

This is also because the time is too short. Originally, according to Tang Dao's plan, the military flag of the Four Elements Regiment was to be covered. However, there was not much cloth in the barren mountains and mountains, so there was no time to make the military flag.

"Leave this to me!" Tang Dao took a spirit box from the soldier behind him.

Under the silent gaze of thousands of soldiers and civilians, Tang Dao went up the mountain alone, holding a spirit box. He gently placed the spirit box into the largest grave at the foot of the entire cemetery and the only one without a tombstone. The regimental flag gently covers the spirit box.

All the soldiers were envious. Who had the privilege to have the commander of the regiment personally hold the coffin? If that brother knew that he would receive this honor after his death, he would probably die with a smile!

Rejecting the help of others, Tang Dao took the ordnance shovel and filled the slightly wider tomb alone, and then faced the thousands of soldiers and civilians standing in front of him.

"Today is the day when 893 martyrs of my Fourth Line Regiment return home. I propose that we observe a three-minute silence for the 839 martyrs of my Fourth Line Regiment."

After speaking, Tang Dao took off his military cap first, held it in front of his chest, and bowed his head solemnly.

All the officers and soldiers imitated Tang Dao's actions, took off their military caps in unison, held them in front of their chests, and bowed their heads solemnly. Others present, those with hats on their heads took off their hats, and those without hats bowed their heads.

Three minutes later!

"The moment of silence is over." Tang Dao raised his head and said loudly: "Since the formation of our Four-Line Regiment, we have fought six large-scale battles with the Japanese invaders from the Sihang Warehouse to Songjiang, Guangde, Wuhu, Zhengzhou, and then to Jindong. We have fought countless small-scale engagements and annihilated more than 10,000 Japanese invaders independently and cooperated with friendly forces to annihilate more than 10,000 Japanese invaders.

On behalf of the entire army of my Four-Line Regiment, I can proudly tell the whole of China that we have fought continuously all the way and created an unprecedented glorious victory!

But victory is not achieved by words, but by the soldiers ’s sacrifice.

The martyrs’ cemetery behind me is the best proof that without their sacrifice, there would be no glorious victory for our army.

However, sacrifice means that a mother lost her son, a wife lost her husband, and a child lost her father.

Last night, watching the family members crying while holding the coffins of the martyrs, among them were the elderly, women, and children, my heart as the head of the regiment was more painful than anyone else’s.

Because they are also my brothers, training on the same training ground, eating from the same pot, and fighting in the same trenches. Brothers who fight for life and death.

As the highest commander of the Four Lines Group, my heart is as sad as their families.

But, will we stay away from the battlefield because of grief? No, I will tell you loudly, tell each of you, never.

Because, my brothers and I are not only sons, husbands and fathers, we are also Chinese.

The Japanese invaders have raised their butcher knives against the entire Chinese nation. We will not wait for slaughter. We will raise our swords and guns more resolutely and tell them with blood that we will never surrender.

If we are afraid of the grief of our families and dare not step onto the battlefield, then when the Japanese invaders' butcher knives point to us and our families, who will resist for you and me?

No, when everyone chooses to retreat, there will be no one to protect this country and this nation.

We can only move forward, facing the blade of the Japanese invaders, even if we sacrifice, even if we can't say sorry to our wives, even if we can't kiss our children's faces again. "

"Forward, forward, forward." The soldiers were infected by Tang Dao's words, and they raised their arms and shouted.

Tan Tai Yunshu, Teacher Xiao He and his students, who were standing on the flanks of the military team, also raised their arms high and shouted with tears in their eyes.

At that moment, even the common people followed the soldiers and shouted.

Regardless of whether Tang Dao was intentionally sentimental, the cemetery with more than 800 tombstones showed that they did not cherish their lives, but were never afraid to sacrifice their lives. Only such an army is the strongest army in China.

A huge sound echoed in the valley.

. . . . . . . . . . .

ps: It's over, I stayed at home for a full 10 days, except for instant noodles, and occasionally I could order a takeaway meal. My head is really buzzing! I still have to worry about my daughter's online class at her grandparents' house. Fengyue can't even do the math in the second year of high school. Can you believe it? I feel that I haven't been in shape for a week, and I can't find it back. Everyone, just bear with it!

By the way, let me say first that Fengyue’s new science fiction book “I Can Embalm Everything” will be on the shelves on December 1st. Everyone can support it by subscribing then.