Chapter 1: Still a comrade

"Here, here!" As soon as the stretcher walked out of the enemy's artillery blockade, a group of volunteer soldiers came up. They helped the stretcher carry the stretcher, helped the wounded, and took us to the other side of the valley with all their might. Some even lined up behind us to cover the shrapnel that might fly over for us, which made me feel like I was being offered a gift from the soldiers. Although I felt a little sad, I was very helpful.

"Chief of Staff! I'm not seriously injured!" At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind me, which made me startled. I supported myself and looked back. I saw that if it was Captain Zhang, who else would be there.

"Captain Zhang, why are you here? You... still carrying a stretcher..." He had been lying down just now, but he didn't see who was coming to grab the stretcher clearly. Only then did he realize that it was Captain Zhang, and he was shocked and said, "Captain Zhang, stop quickly! How can I bear it..."

"Lying down! This is the order!" Captain Zhang ordered in a low voice.

"Yes!" I had to lie back helplessly after hearing this, but it felt like there was a fire on my back.

"You are fighting with the Japanese in Shangganling, bleeding and sacrificed on the positions. What's wrong with me carrying a stretcher?" Commander Zhang said while running: "Comrade Cui Wei, you fought very well in this battle! All the troops of the Volunteer Army are staring at us, and they say you are brave! The superiors also gave our troops a high evaluation. You play an important role in this battle!"

"No, no...this is all the credit of the soldiers!" I answered quickly.

It’s not that I am humble, but that when I think of the soldiers who died on Shangganling, I never dare to take credit for myself.

"I'll talk about these later!" Captain Zhang lifted me onto the car he had prepared, gently put it down in the car, patted me on the shoulder and said, "The most important thing in front of me is to recover the wounds and come back to continue fighting against American imperialism with us! You don't have to think about other things anymore, just rest assured to recover from the wounds!"

"Sanitation officer!" He then told the two volunteer soldiers in the car, "Take good care of the Chief of Staff, and tell the comrades in the hospital that they must give the Chief of Staff the best medicine, and cure the Chief of Staff's injuries at all costs! That's what the commander gave!"

"Yes!" Two health workers stepped forward to respond.

"Set out!" With the order from Captain Zhang, the car slowly drove towards the north.

The two health workers carefully put down the rain cloth, covered the carriage tightly, and then used a flashlight to check my injuries.

I put down the rain poncho to prevent the enemy's plane from discovering it, and checking my injuries, I think it was because of the result of the delegation from Captain Zhang. But this is a bit too careful! Anyone with discerning eyes knows that my injury is nothing serious, but it just made the Japanese pierce a hole in their feet, and the wound on their shoulders seemed to burst. There seemed to be something wrong with their chests...

Oh my God! I feel a lot of injuries when I think about it now. If this is in modern times, it would be strange if I don’t scare me to death! But now, I think these are just minor injuries that are not worth mentioning!

This may be because I saw broken hands and feet on the battlefield or too many people died! So I took it for granted that it was no big deal if my hands and feet were still on my body and were still awake! Even though the pain from the wound made me grit my teeth, I seemed to be used to these things now.

As the car swayed, the sound of gunfire gradually moved away from me. At this time, the tense nerves on my body slowly relaxed. I coughed twice, and suddenly felt dizzy, sleepy and tired. I closed my eyes and fell asleep slowly.

But this sleep was not stable, which was extremely painful. Blood, shells, shouting and killed enemies kept appearing in my mind, leaving me almost half-sleeping. Sometimes I would wake up and scream and pinch the health officer's neck. After seeing clearly the hat of the volunteers on the other end, I let him go, and then I fell asleep in a daze.

In a daze, I vaguely heard the hygienist say anxiously: "I have a fever! What should I do? The antipyretic medicine has been used up long ago!"

"Let the driver drive faster, and you must arrive in Xiyangli before dawn!"

Of course, it was already the third day when I woke up. After I woke up, I found that I was arranged alone in a private room, with an infusion bottle hanging on the head of the bed, almost constantly transporting liquids from my body that I didn’t know what it was. It was not until I woke up and could eat alone that this situation improved.

The food was millet porridge, which was served with the most common kimchi for North Koreans. I would also give me a cooked egg every day. A fixed nurse changed my dressings on time.

Although these are nothing strange to me from the modern age, I know that having such enjoyment and treatment is already the chief level for this arduous war era.

My injuries were indeed the same as I thought, just skin trauma. The worst part was the knife wound on my thigh. Although it did not hurt my muscles, it forced me to use crutches to get off the ground.

That morning, I, who had recovered some strength, walked out the door with a crutch under the support of the health staff, and then I realized that I had been here for a few days without realizing it - Xiyangli.

Xiyangli is about fifteen kilometers northwest of Pyongyang, a valley entrance in a north-south direction of the valley. The road goes south to Pyongyang to north to Shun'an. Surrounded by mountains, there are pine forests, and a stream flows out of the valley. It can be called a paradise on a battlefield.

Xiyangli is full name Xiyangli, Fushan-side, Datong County, Ping'an South Road. The Third Branch of the Volunteer Army Fourth Field Hospital is located here. It is said to be the Third Branch of the Fourth Field Hospital, but it is actually a pieced together by a North Korean fellow villager. The equipment is very simple because I have not seen any medical equipment here. Of course, there are still iron racks for getting drip.

"chief of staff!"

"chief of staff!"

...

As soon as I walked out the door, I was soon recognized by the wounded people basking in the sun. There were many wounded people gathered here, all of whom were seriously injured from all battlefields and directions. Because the Battle of Shangganling was the most tragic during this period, most of the wounded people were from Shangganling, and it was not surprising that they would recognize me!

"Sit..." The wounded who were about to stand up sat down, and the understanding health officer brought me a square stool and let me sit with the soldiers.

"Chief of Staff? It's really the Chief of Staff..." As soon as I sat down, an old soldier who had lost his eyes came to me fumbled and came to me.

I quickly stood up with one leg, met him and held his hand and said, "Comrade, it's me!"

"Chief of Staff! I didn't expect to see you here..." The old soldier said here was stunned for a moment, and changed his words and said, "No, now I can't say I've seen you..."

I couldn't help but feel silent, not knowing how to answer!

"Chief of Staff, where are you injured? Is it serious?" the old soldier continued.

"No problem, it's just a little skin trauma. If you didn't see me..." When I said this, I suddenly stopped my mouth and looked at the bandages tied to the old soldier's face, and hated that my mouth was so stupid.

"Chief of Staff, don't worry about me!" the old soldier grinned and said, "Compared with those comrades who died on the position, what can my injury be worth?"

"Comrade! You are Chief of Staff Cui Wei and Cui!" At this time, several wounded soldiers from other troops surrounded him and asked hesitantly.

"Who else would he have!" The old soldier laughed and said, "On Shangganling, no matter what kind of ace troops the enemy has come, we just beat each other. Thanks to the command of the Chief of Staff, the battle was so exciting!"

The old soldier said this and it was not important. The wounded soldiers basking in the sun in other places suddenly surrounded me, and they were all busy saluting me and shaking hands with me, so busy that I was so happy.

"Chief of Staff, let us introduce our combat experience!"

"Yes! Chief of Staff, tell me the story of fighting the Japanese!"

The soldiers may have been bored after staying in the hospital for a long time, so they all gathered around and listened to me telling stories. This made me embarrassed. Although I used to be a reporter and writing articles was common, I had to tell stories to the soldiers like this... I have never been there before.

"Comrades! Comrades!" At this time, the health officer came up to rescue me and said, "The Chief of Staff's injuries have just been taken into control, and he still needs rest. Don't make things too difficult for the Chief of Staff! All of them are dispersed!"

"Well! Then we won't affect the Chief of Staff!"

"The Chief of Staff is well recuperating, and tell us after he is well recuperating!"

After hearing this, the soldiers stopped saying anything more. They said a few nice words in front of me and then dispersed. But after they dispersed, their eyes were still staring at me, and the topics they said were all about me, which made me feel uncomfortable.

" Room 7, it's time to change the dressing! Room 7..."

"Chief of Staff, that's what you call you!" the old soldier reminded.

"Oh!" I suddenly realized that the one I lived in was Ward No. 7. So I smiled apologetically at the water guard with bandages and potions, said apart to the soldiers, and then returned to the ward with a cane.

When I returned to the room, I changed into a new gauze and bandage, then I took some medicine with an injection, and then I was hung on an infusion bottle. This was fine, I couldn't go anywhere again! During the time I was in Shangganling, I suffered all the hardships of staying in the tunnel, but I didn't expect to stay in the room here.

Speaking of which, the temptation outside is still very great for me. When I was on the battlefield, I rarely saw the sunshine. The things in front of me were either red blood or black soil. It was difficult to see a little green, but now I saw these and felt refreshed... But thinking about how many soldiers were waiting for me to tell stories outside, let’s forget it!

Time passes in boredom, and it is indeed a pain to lie on the bed and cannot move. Because the body cannot move, the head will start to think about it. The most common thing I think about is the battle on Shangganling a few days ago. Although those days are far away from me, those hell-like days will still appear in my mind unconsciously.

I thought a lot, thought of the soldiers who died on the positions, and also thought of their familiar and unfamiliar faces. Some soldiers I couldn't even call out their names, but they had already died on the battlefield.

Darkness came unknowingly, and the health officer brought me an extremely special lamp. It was said that this lamp was special, but it was actually very simple. It was just a shell box on a kerosene lamp so that the light would not leak too much, but in the house, you could vaguely see the surrounding scenery through this light.

I know the reason why the health workers do this is definitely because they are worried that the lights will attract the bombing of enemy planes, but what I am surprised about is... I just heard from the health workers that it is only fifteen kilometers away from Pyongyang.

Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea! It wouldn’t be surprising if it was in the early days of the Korean War, but now, there must be anti-aircraft artillery laid by the Volunteer Army or the People’s Army everywhere. Do U.S. aircraft come in so frequently? So much so that health workers have to light the lights so carefully?

Thinking of it, I couldn't help but ask: "Xiao Zhao, are there often enemy planes bombing here?"

"I don't often!" Health officer Xiao Zhao replied: "This is very close to Pyongyang, and there are several anti-aircraft artillery regiments of our army around. US aircraft must be very careful if they want to come in! But strangely, US aircraft bombed our field hospitals a lot! The superiors believed that our lights exposed the target, so we thought of this solution!"

"Well!" I also felt it was reasonable when I listened to it. I knew the living habits of the North Koreans. In order to save resources, especially in this war era, the very limited electricity, most villages and even the capital Pyongyang do not turn on the lights. At night, it was covered in darkness.

Field hospitals are different because most of our army fight at night, and soldiers injured on the front line can only be sent down at night. Moreover, doctors and health workers do not turn on the lights when carrying out rescue work. This can also explain the reason why US military aircraft frequently bombarded field hospitals.

But I always feel that it doesn't seem to be that simple, but I can't figure out what the problem is. In addition, when the wound hurts, I don't like to think about those troubles, so I don't think about them anymore.

Maybe it's because I slept too much in the past few days, or I'm used to sleeping in the mud on the battlefield, and now I can't sleep with my head and hide from the warm quilt. I tossed and turned around and couldn't close my eyes.

If you can't sleep during the day, you can go out to see the scenery, but on this night, it's dark outside, and I might even be killed by the sentry as an enemy when I go out.

So I couldn't help but sigh, I am a man who is hardworking, killed by life and death on the battlefield. I can sleep even if I am tired, and I can sleep peacefully even under the sound of gunfire. But now everything is fine, but I have to suffer this...

With a "squeak...", a sound of a car brake suddenly came outside the door.

So I was thinking, maybe it was the front line who sent the injured to come down again! But when I thought about it, I felt that it was wrong. It was impossible for the only one car to send the injured to the rescue! And if it was the injured, then the sanitation workers should be busy driving at this time, right?

Just as he was wondering, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Is the Chief of Staff asleep?"

Although the sound was small, it was obviously to not want to wake me up, but I still asked me to sit up from the bed: "Captain Zhang!"

He held up a crutch and walked to the door in two steps and opened it. Who else could he have been Captain Zhang? Li Baocheng, who was wrapped in bandages, and Instructor Qin were also followed by several others!

"Oh! Why are you getting up?" Captain Zhang and others hurried forward to help me back to the pit when they saw me like this.

"Captain Zhang, why are you here?" I asked in surprise: "Has the war been over? Has the 537.7 high ground been restored?"

"You, you!" Hearing this, Captain Zhang couldn't help but smile: "Let you recover from your injuries here, I see that you are still thinking about the front line in your head!"

"How can we not think about it!" Li Baocheng continued, "No matter how the Chief of Staff thought, if we don't drive the enemy down from Shangganling, we will be as if we have a thorn in our throats. We can't eat well and we can't sleep! This is called the hero's similar experience!"

With a coaxing sound, the soldiers all laughed.

But to be honest, I was not worried about it during this period, because the victory of Shangganling was known to me for a long time. The reason why I asked that just now was just a wonder why Commander Zhang, an important figure in commanding the Shangganling Battle, had time to come to see me from behind.

"Chief of Staff, we are here to tell you this good news!" After a smile, Captain Zhang continued: "The attack of the US 187th Airborne Regiment was completely shattered under your hands. After that, the spokesperson of the US Eighth Army told the reporter: 'We did fail in Triangle Mountain (i.e., the 597.9 Highland).' Then the next day, the US military withdrew from the Shangganling area. Although the 537.7 Highland has not been restored by us, only the remaining defeated generals of the puppet army are guarding, and the day to restore the position is just around the corner!"

"Okay!" The soldiers clenched their fists and applauded.

After a while of reunion with Commander Zhang, Li Baocheng and others, Commander Zhang held my hand and said, "Chief Cui, thank you very much for your contribution to our troops during this period! In fact, today we are here, in addition to seeing your injuries, there is something else to tell you!"

"Well! What's the matter?" I couldn't help but feel a little surprised when I looked at the strange expressions on the faces of the soldiers.

"It's the 180th Division!" Commander Zhang smiled bitterly and said, "They are about to enter the North Korea to join the war, and... asked us to return you, the commander..."

"What? Is the 180th Division going to enter the court?" I couldn't help but be ecstatic when I heard this and almost stood up from the pit. But I soon understood the reason why the soldiers' expressions were strange. If I, the regiment commander, were to go back, they would never live and die with me again.

"We are still comrades!" Li Baocheng came over and shook my hand.

"Am still a comrade!"

"Forever comrade-in-arms!"
Chapter completed!