Volume 3 The Third Battle Chapter 4 Confinement
"Dismiss!" Seeing that no one responded, I thought they didn't hear me, so I shouted again.
"What? The meeting is over already?" Everyone stared at each other with wide eyes. Hu Zi muttered quietly to the side, "We haven't even sat down yet, and the meeting is over already?"
"Captain, this isn't the way to do it!" The old squad leader was also full of surprise.
"Then how do we open it?" I said angrily, "Should we raise our fists and say, 'Comrades, all imperialism and reactionaries are paper tigers. With our heroic struggle, they have all been defeated!'"
"Good!" The soldiers applauded.
I was stunned. Looking at the enthusiasm on the soldiers' faces and the sincerity in their eyes, I realized that the joke I just made was actually right.
"Comrades," I had no choice but to continue, "In the battle of Hill 299, we fought bravely and tenaciously. Our company blocked the attack of tens of thousands of American devils and the steel torrent of American imperialist planes and artillery. The myth of the invincibility of American imperialism was broken by us!"
"Good!" The soldiers clenched their fists and applauded. They all looked very excited. Jin Qiulian looked at me with sparkling eyes.
"But!" I changed the subject. When I talked about victory, I couldn't help but think of the volunteer soldiers who died in the battle.
After a moment of silence, I continued, "We also suffered heavy losses. There are only seven of us left in the company, including Captain Zhang, Liu Mingquan, and more than a hundred comrades whose names I can't even remember..."
There was silence in the air raid shelter. Everyone lowered their heads after hearing what I said. That high ground was a terrifying memory for all of us . It was something I didn't want to mention, and was afraid to mention.
"But their sacrifice is worth it." I continued, but this time it was from my heart: "For the stability of the motherland and the happiness of the people, their sacrifice is worth it. They are our role models, and the people will always remember them in their hearts."
"This battle also tells us," I took the opportunity to say, "the US military has powerful firepower and tight organization, and the navy, army, and air force cooperate extremely well. If we confront them head-on with our weak equipment during the day, in positional warfare, and in defensive warfare, we will suffer a great loss. However, some comrades in our team are one-sidedly optimistic and regard the American devils as rotten eggs, which look hard on the outside but will break with a poke. This is extremely wrong. We should examine ourselves, have the courage to carry out self-criticism, recognize the shortcomings of our troops' equipment, and must not underestimate the enemy and advance rashly..."
"Oh! Let's adjourn the meeting!" I looked at the confused crowd and couldn't help but frowning.
What I am saying is actually to undermine my own prestige and boost the enemy's morale. To put it mildly, it means I have improper thoughts. To put it more seriously, I am spreading rumors to confuse the people and disrupt the morale of the army. If I say a few more words, I might be shot as a spy.
And even if I persuaded them, what would it matter? The victory of the first two battles made the entire volunteer army optimistic. They all thought that they could return home as long as they had not used up a tube of toothpaste or a bar of soap.
"Captain Cui, what's wrong with you?" After everyone left, Zhao Yongxin asked curiously, "Do you still think we are afraid of the American planes and cannons? Haven't we seen them before? It's no big deal!"
"I'm not saying I'm afraid, but the casualties of our troops..."
"There are always casualties in war," Zhao Yongxin responded, "Didn't you just say that? For the sake of the motherland and the people, those comrades who sacrificed their lives died worthily. We suffered a lot of casualties, but the Americans were not much better than us, right? The American Polar Bear Regiment was completely wiped out by our troops. We revolutionary soldiers must not be afraid because of these casualties!"
After saying this, he limped out of the cave to greet his victorious comrades returning.
I couldn't help but smile bitterly while staying in the cave. Zhao Yongxin's words were straightforward, but if he knew that the casualties of the Volunteer Army would reach more than 300,000, I think he would even shed tears. It accounted for one-third of the Chinese-North Korean coalition forces. On average, one out of every three people would die. The People's Liberation Army had never suffered such heavy casualties before...
Watching my comrades walking out of the cave one by one, I felt bored staying in the cave these days and wanted to go out for some fresh air. However, when I thought about what Battalion Commander Xu Feng said about putting me in solitary confinement for a day, I gave up the idea.
So what? I hid in bed again in boredom. Solitary confinement is just the right thing for me to get a good night’s sleep.
By the next day, I found that confinement was not a big deal, because during the day, all the volunteers had to hide in the air-raid shelters and were not allowed to go out. They were worried that the American planes would find them and bomb them.
I secretly thanked my luck that everyone was in solitary confinement, so I, the one who was actually in solitary confinement, was hidden among them and was not discovered. Otherwise, as a newly appointed company commander, my subordinates would know that I was criticized before I even had a chance to start anything, which would be extremely embarrassing.
However, my good luck soon ended on the second night. Everyone became suspicious when they saw that I refused to leave the air-raid shelter and even urinated secretly in the shelter at night.
Xiao Shandong, who used to be the company's communicator, began to inquire about the expectations of all the soldiers in the company, except for me, of course. He lived up to expectations and made full use of his wide network of contacts to inquire around, and finally learned that their beloved company commander was in solitary confinement...
Then, my nightmare began.
"Hey, the air outside is really good," Hu Zi shouted towards the cave entrance, as if he was afraid that I couldn't hear him. "Stretch your muscles! You're almost going moldy hiding in the cave all day."
"That's right!" Zhao Yongxin followed up, "Especially the smell in the cave, with shit and urine all over the place. If it weren't for the war, I wouldn't want to stay there. We should learn from the company commander in this regard. Look at how much he can endure. Look at his willpower, look at his endurance..."
I was so angry that I hid in the quilt and covered my ears, deciding to let them call me and I could just sleep.
Suddenly, a figure flashed before my eyes. I looked carefully and it was Xiao Shandong. I collapsed at once. There are still good people in this world. Finally, someone is willing to share the joys and sorrows with me.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Shandong sat down on the ground and said with a sly smile: "Captain, I want to change my socks. It's been almost a month and I still haven't worn shoes!"
After that, he took off his shoes, changed his socks, put on his shoes, and then ran out quickly, covering his nose. As expected of a signalman, he did all the movements in one go. I crawled out of the bed and wanted to chase him but couldn't catch up.
Instantly the cave was filled with a strong, disgusting stench, but outside the cave came the sound of comrades' giggling.
What kind of world is this...
