No one was crazy, but Shang Zhen eventually became the leader of their team, although Shang Zhen himself later realized that his becoming the so-called leader was the result of a compromise between the two groups.
It was obvious that Old Huo was the leader of their group, and he and Old Huo had always had a good relationship, and Old Huo trusted him.
And he happened to be one of Wang Laomao's people, so Wang Laomao naturally wouldn't worry about his elbow turning outward.
The quarrel between the two parties ended in such a way that made Shang Zhen laugh and speechless.
Now, if they want to bring these two groups together, he is the only one who can do it, so he has to be the leader whether he wants to or not. I guess by the time they find the main force and go their separate ways, his role as leader will be over.
Moreover, Old Huotou and Wang Laomao also agreed that no matter which group they belonged to, they must strictly obey Shang Zhen's orders. After all, this is an army. If they can't enforce orders, why do they elect an official?
Being an official requires fairness. For Shang Zhen, this boss was really an unexpected disaster, but he couldn't refuse, so he could only accept it.
Well, this time the two groups finally became one group, and everyone looked at Shang Zhen.
Shang Zhen shook his head helplessly, pointed at Qian Chuaner and Qiu Bo, and asked them to go to the village below to find out the situation first.
Shang Zhen's distribution is so reasonable. It just happens that one person has appeared in the same group. So who can have any objection?
At this time, the Japanese army was advancing towards North China along the Liaoxi Corridor, but this was only the general trend. The Japanese army did not have enough troops to penetrate deep into the countryside.
So after Qian Chuan'er and Qiu Bo arrived at the village below, they quickly returned to report that there were no Japanese troops in the village.
What was originally not a big deal but turned into a big deal because of the quarrel between brothers was finally solved. Except for Hou Kanshan, everyone was very happy and went to the village to find food.
As for Hou Kanshan, although he saw that Shang Zhen was still the boss and was dissatisfied in his heart, what was the point? What's more, Wang Laomao had already warned him, "I have to listen to Ma Ganer's words. If you dare not obey, be careful, I will beat the shit out of you!"
Since there were no Japanese troops in the village and it was getting dark, Shang Zhen and his friends stayed in a wing of a wealthy family for the night and nothing more was said.
A day passed like this, long and short at the same time.
However, even though they were staying in a wealthy family, there was no kang in the side room that was big enough for them to sleep on.
Fortunately, it was only cool at night but not cold. The soldiers spread a thick layer of straw on the ground. At first, a few people were whispering to each other, but then they started snoring.
Shang Zhen also felt sleepy after listening to the snoring of others falling asleep.
Although he is not a half-scholar like Chen Hanwen, when he thinks about the bizarre things he has encountered since he joined the army, he feels that life is like a dream.
If he hadn't experienced it himself, he really wouldn't believe that everything he experienced was real.
Gradually Shang Zhen fell asleep.
In the darkness, he was already thin and curled up like a child separated from his mother.
But on such a night, after an unknown amount of time, Shang Zhen felt that he was once again on the battlefield.
There were Japanese planes in the sky, and they dropped bombs that were bigger than the biggest watermelon he had ever seen.
Amid the deafening explosion, the broken limbs and arms of the Northeast Army soldiers flew all over the sky, and even a severed bloody hand flew past Shang Zhen's eyes.
I am a soldier now. I can no longer scream and howl when I see blood. Although the smell of blood makes Shang Zhen's heart palpitate, he is also reminding himself subconsciously.
Nothing is easy in the adult world. Shang Zhen finally learned to be strong!
So even though Shang Zhen was alert, the cruelty of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood failed to knock him down.
But just a moment later, Shang Zhen found himself in a village again.
He saw people crying and shouting in the rain of bullets, and houses burning, but the air was filled not only with the choking smell of smoke but also with a bloody and suffocating smell.
He suddenly saw an old man protecting the body of an old woman, and then the old man was shot and fell down holding his chest.
But what was strange was that before falling down, the old man glanced at himself who was standing beside him with an extremely contemptuous look.
I was so helpless, and the old man's eyes were full of contempt and disdain, as if silently asking, Soldier, where is your gun?
Amid the silent questioning from the other end, Shang Zhen suddenly became at a loss.
He wanted to say, I just joined the army, I am too thin, I can't pull the trigger!
But in just a moment, the scene he faced changed again.
He suddenly saw a young woman lying there with her breasts exposed, against the backdrop of black smoke and flames, with a pool of blood under her hair.
Shang Zhen was very surprised. Could it be that this elder sister was harmed by the Japanese?
But at this moment, he saw a little child struggling in the young woman's arms.
When Shang Zhen stepped forward, he saw that the child was lying in the woman's arms and sucking!
At this time, Shang Zhen naturally didn't know that he was dreaming. He subconsciously thought, can I drink the milk of a dead person?
But at this moment, he heard another gunshot, and then the baby who was breastfeeding was knocked over by the gunshot!
He saw the child open his mouth but couldn't say anything, the white milk and red blood had been mixed together!
The child's small chest, which was even thinner than his own, was heaving, and his nostrils were wheezing with breaths.
But the ups and downs became slower and slower, and the breathing became weaker and weaker. The life fire of the already extremely weak child was soon extinguished!
At this moment, Shang Zhen, who subconsciously thought that he was already a qualified soldier, was completely stunned.
But the dream did not end here. Shang Zhen suddenly saw the young woman's eyes suddenly open, and her eyes were staring at him, as if saying: "Save my child!"
And at this moment, Shang Zhen, who was curled up in the darkness, turned over and finally sat up. He woke up and realized that he had just dreamed.
He was breathing heavily. Although it was dark in front of his eyes, Shang Zhen felt that the woman's pleading eyes were always staring at him!
Shang Zhen felt his heart pounding and his face burning. At this moment, he suddenly realized that he was different from before, because he was wearing a gray military uniform and carrying a gun.
It was natural for these people to ask the common people for food. If they had money, they would give them money. If they didn't have money, the common people would also give them food. But if they had no money and the common people didn't give them food, Shang Zhen originally thought that he could also rob them.
Although Shang Zhen had never robbed ordinary people of their belongings, he was mentally prepared for this.
But what about now? I eat the food given by the people and sleep on the straw given by the people. The people long for me to give them safety. Although I sometimes use the gun in my hand to save the people, but more often than not, I am more like a deserter!
The old man in the dream looked at him with such contempt, while the woman's eyes were full of pleading. Such a look suddenly made Shang Zhen feel ashamed and embarrassed.
I'm a soldier now, how can I even think about getting food from the common people if I can't protect them? Should I do more with the gun in my hand in the future?
Shang Zhen didn't know why he had such an idea, but he knew that if he continued to be so confused in the future, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life!
Shang Zhen just sat there, thinking, until dawn.
As soon as the sun rose, they had dinner in the village and started on their journey again with some dry food.
At this time, they had already left Jinzhou City behind, and were about to arrive at another strategic location on the Liaoxi Corridor - HLD.
According to Chen Hanwen, this HLD is another mountain pass.
Old Huotou's company came out of HLD in order to implement the no-front warfare tactics. At least when they came out, HLD was in the hands of the Northeast Army.
This was undoubtedly good news for Shang Zhen, Wang Laomao, and others who were desperate to find a large group, so Shang Zhen didn't waste any time and just hurried off!
It must be said that after more than a month of training, Shang Zhen's strength has naturally increased, but no matter how fast his strength increases, it is not as fast as his physical strength.
When a person is thin, his body is lighter, and his marching strength is improved.
Who is the highest commander of their team now? Uh—of course it’s Shang Zhen!
How can one question the authority of his superiors in the military?
Even if Old Huo and his people were dissatisfied with Shang Zhen, they would never express it, because it was Old Huo who proposed that Shang Zhen be the leader.
If they questioned Shang Zhen's behavior, they would be slapping themselves in the face.
Of course, Wang Laomao would not say anything about Shang Zhen's behavior. He would choose the lesser of two options. It would be impossible for him to be the leader, and he was afraid that Lao Huo would take revenge on him if he was the leader. Shang Zhen was always better than anyone else being the leader.
Only Hou Kanshan was not used to Shang Zhen's role as his superior for a while, but when he just complained a little, he saw Wang Laomao touching his mouth!
At that time, I had no opinion about the mountain.
How could he not understand Wang Laomao? Wang Laomao was reminding him not to look for trouble, or he would slap him again!
Isn't that a beating for you?
Yesterday, Hou Kanshan showed off too much, so Wang Laomao slapped him hard in the face. His mouth is still swollen!
Besides, we're on the march now. It's too fast to just breathe through your nose. You have to use your mouth.
So, during this forced march, Hou Kanshan's swollen mouth was like a bellows used to blow fire in the countryside, and he kept "hissing" as he sucked in cold air.
It's okay for others to breathe through their mouths, but when he breathes through his mouth, of course his mouth hurts!
Hou Kanshanben was a person who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He could only blame himself for being unlucky after being beaten by Wang Laomao. But now he couldn't afford to offend Shang Zhen, so he could only bury his resentment towards Shang Zhen deep in his heart.
Shang Zhen and his men continued to move forward, but just as they approached the HLD, they discovered that there were endless streams of Japanese troops on the road, and there was no sound of gunfire ahead!
Finally, they found the homes of the people living outside HLD and asked them, and got some news that was neither surprising nor unsurprising, that is, HLD was also lost!
For a moment, they who were hiding in the dark looked at each other in confusion.
