Chapter 16 Air Raid ()

(...We were full of Japanese planes above our heads. They threw bombs on them and swept them with machine guns. We had no choice but to shoot against them, but the losses were even greater. We could only avoid them while fighting the Japanese on the ground, with heavy casualties. I fought for eight years and I have always felt sorry for not knocking down a Japanese plane... Excerpted from "Grandpa's Memories of the War of Resistance")

The streets at the gate of the hospital were covered with the afterglow of the setting sun, which was a little red, like the blood of the wounded; the sun did not have a little temperature, and every citizen was cold in his heart. They watched the Kuomintang army begin to retreat with tears in their eyes. Some of them had been bullied by soldiers, and they had also whispered to "Qiu Ba"... However, when they saw the soldiers start to evacuate, all citizens were filled with sorrow. Those who represent their national dignity were leaving, they would become slaves of the country; will the soldiers come back? Will the blue sky and white sun flag still rise?!

The Kuomintang army retreated very flustered. The order to retreat after the big field was lost was not issued immediately. Now the Japanese have begun to approach them, and the sound of gunfire seems to be very close... The wounded who were unhurried cursing and abandoning their troops and bosses, while struggling to catch up with the team. Desolate and miserable, panic is filled with these abandoned wounded... The passion for the War of Resistance on the street has been swept away by a kind of grief and anger and despair, and panic is filled with panic.

Among the wounded soldiers of the 74th Army, Cao Xiaomin had the highest official rank. Because he came back late, Dan Er, who was ordered to pick up the officers evacuated, had already left. Cao Xiaomin organized more than 300 wounded soldiers of the 74th Army, and the minor wounded took care of the serious wounded, becoming the best disciplined team among the retreating wounded.

"We are all brothers who have been on the battlefield together, and no one can leave behind! If we want to die, we have to go together!" Cao Xiaomin's short sentence made everyone willing to follow him and follow his orders; it was not because of his official rank and military rank, but because they knew that he would not abandon them. Many of the aimless wounded soldiers who lost their chief officers also began to join their team. His team was getting bigger and bigger, and he had already led more than one regiment!

A young rickshaw driver walked forward timidly on the side of the road: "Sir, can I help me?...No money is charged..."

One, two... More and more rickshaws began to be pulled over, and more and more seriously injured were able to get on the bus... Citizens began to provide more help. They even drove cars for the injured to ride. They brought dry food to the injured on the road, and they helped carry stretchers... There were many people, but no one spoke. This was the saddest moment for the whole nation!

Citizens and soldiers, almost all of them are with tears in their eyes, leaving and leaving; some of them are watching silently, and more people lower their heads, especially those wounded people who have been born and died on the battlefield. The tears are no longer suppressed, and many are sobbing...

"The Japanese plane is here! Escape quickly!..." Suddenly, the crowd walking at the end started to riot. Cao Xiaomin looked up and saw three planes rushing towards the crowd in the sunset like bloodthirsty mosquitoes in the sky!

Since mid-October, the Chinese Air Force has basically disappeared in the sky of Shanghai. Although they had brave fights before, the gap in strength was too obvious. The damage to the war has made it impossible for the Chinese Air Force to come. Only Japanese planes are rushing over! Cao Xiaomin knew in the hospital that the Japanese occupied Gongda Airport and Wangbin Airport; Japanese fighter planes could take off and land in Shanghai.

...There were Japanese planes above our heads. They threw bombs on them and swept them with machine guns. We had no choice but to shoot against them, but the losses were even greater. We could only avoid them while fighting with Japanese on the ground, with heavy casualties. I fought for eight years and I have always felt sorry for not knocking down a Japanese plane... The plane is a Japanese plane! The plane mentioned in Grandpa's memoirs that killed them with huge damage and had no way to do anything!

Without practice, Cao Xiaomin absolutely believes in what he said in his memoir. What can make veterans like Grandpa feel regretful. It is impossible to deal with an airplane that has not been shot in eight years. Cao Xiaomin, who has experienced the death battle at the position, will no longer believe that in those TV movies, the machine gun is mounted on the shoulders of the soldiers and shoots it into the sky, causing the planes to fall off with smoke...

"Evacuation! Hiding! Hugh..." Cao Xiaomin shouted, and he rushed to the residential houses on the side of the road. Although many cold wooden doors were closed tightly, many residential houses opened the doors at this time, allowing the injured and the citizens who helped the injured to hide in...

"Boom!..." "Dadada..." The Japanese plane dived and threw bombs and strafing into the residential area! On the street, countless citizens who helped transport the wounded fell in the pool of blood soaked in the street. The seriously injured people rolled down all over the ground shouted endlessly. The houses collapsed, and the women cried... Several houses were burning, and the fire was particularly dazzling in the sunset, and the fire was full of miserable people.

A wounded soldier with only one arm left stumbled onto the street, pulled his bra open, revealing his scarred chest, and fucked a heavy Shandong accent and roared at the sky with a hoarse and loud voice: "Grandson! I have a good way to rush to grandpa! Don't hit those ordinary people! Grandpa of the Kuomintang army is here!"... One, two... More and more wounded soldiers rushed to the street with grief and tears in their eyes, facing the enemy's bullets, but stood firmly, cursing! They did not hide, they just hoped that the Japanese bullets would rush to them, and not hit the citizens who helped them evacuate with rickshaws and stretchers!

In the distance, there was suddenly a "twist" and heavy "Min24" heavy machine gun sounded suddenly. The Japanese plane pulled away and flew to the high altitude. The Kuomintang army was still resisting! Soon the Japanese plane began to dive down and attack the counterattack fire point on the ground. The citizens in the chaotic slums who reacted from panic began to put out the fire. The light wounded who could move also forgot that they were going to evacuate and join the fire-fighting army...

The lonely "Min24" gunshots kept ringing. Although they stopped a few times in the middle, they continued to roar soon. They seemed so weak in the deafening explosions and the roar of the plane motors, but so tenacious...

Cao Xiaomin, who was once again in chaos and confusion, didn't know what he should do. He could not command everyone to fight back and didn't know how to put out the fire. A string of machine gun bullets just now penetrated the roof of the house and hit the ground beside him. He kept staring at the string of firelights reflected through the roof... He admired the one-armed veteran and the wounded who ran to the street from his heart. They were so brave and fearless; while he, as the company commander, their commander just hid under the eaves and shivered... Although he knew it was useless and although he knew it was dangerous, Cao Xiaomin didn't know where to get the courage. He suddenly rushed to the street and began to use his 38th hood to fire at the plane in the sky!

It was dark, but the counterattack fire on the ground suddenly increased. A team of Kuomintang troops rushed over, putting machine guns and rifles on the eaves, fighting with the Japanese planes on the roof! Many soldiers joined the team to rescue the people and the wounded soldiers of the army. The Japanese plane suddenly pulled the nose and flew away for some reason... Half an hour, half an hour of air raid made this street and a residential area hell on earth. Crying and moans sounded in the blasting fire, which made people feel particularly sad...

"Shi Meihao, the commander of the 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion, 524th Regiment, 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army..." A captain who looked very hard from his face to his body came to Cao Xiaomin and greeted him: "Does this brother of the 74th Army know that there is a way to our division headquarters here? Or you can go to the Suzhou River..."

When you arrive by the Suzhou River, you will be counterattacking against the enemy! Cao Xiaomin couldn't help but feel sincere respect for this company commander Shi. At this time, there were even soldiers who were fearless and fearless to take back!

"Someone has to take the initiative. Otherwise, the Japanese will catch up with you, and no brothers here will be left." The 524th Regiment where Shi Meihao was located was ordered to cut off the rear, but their third company, the machine gun company of the regiment and the soldiers from the third platoon of the first company were unable to contact the regiment headquarters. It was not until he got into the black that he learned that the order was gathered and was rushing to the division headquarters.

Yes, someone must be holding on! A hot stream surged in Cao Xiaomin's heart. I don't know where the courage came from or a moment of impulse. He actually handed over the brigade wounded to the one-armed Shandong veteran. He fired more than a dozen light wounded soldiers with guns, and together with Company Commander Shi and others, he fought back to the north under the leadership of a rickshaw driver who knew where the 88th Division was!

The more than 100 people led by Company Commander Shi, all of them were German m1935 steel helmets, formal rifles, and each squad had a Czech machine gun; the machine gun company also had several Type 24 heavy machine guns with smoke from muzzles... This is a strong army, the best equipped strong army in China, they are the troops that killed the Japanese planes just now; they are also an isolated army, facing the Japanese who were in front of them, and they were much better equipped than them, and they fought against the sound of guns and cannons without hesitation!
Chapter completed!