RPAGF Chapter 219 A Patriot Treated with Utmost Respect
Chapter 219 A Patriot Treated with Utmost Respect
This time, Chen San's company suffered twenty or thirty casualties, mostly from Japanese artillery fire. The unit had never suffered such heavy losses since its inception, and both men were deeply saddened.
The two entered the field hospital with heavy hearts!
This was originally a Japanese warehouse, but was converted into a field hospital. The open space was filled with white tents! Ropes were strung across the open space, covered with clean bandages.
A smell of disinfectant wafted through the air!
After showing their identification to the guards, Chen and his companion inquired their way to their respective regiment's hospital bed.
There were many wounded soldiers in the tents along the way. The First Division of the Army suffered considerable casualties in last night's battle!
Chen San lifted the curtain of a tent and went inside. There were more than a dozen wounded soldiers lying inside, mostly from his company. Two nurses were checking on the wounded soldiers' conditions.
Shen Lian started training female nurses several years ago, and has trained a large number of them over the years. With them around, the hospital is much quieter.
The wounded soldiers gritted their teeth and endured the pain as much as possible, not wanting to lose face in front of the female soldiers. With their gentle words of comfort, the wounded soldiers felt much better.
"Company commander, political instructor!" Xiang Peng, who was lying on the bed in a daze, struggled to sit up.
"Pengzi, don't move! Lie down." Chen San quickly went over and pressed him down.
"Company commander, political instructor. My leg is broken, and I can never go to the battlefield again!" Xiang Peng said, sobbing.
This man, who had lost a leg to artillery fire on the battlefield without uttering a sound, fighting desperately against the Japanese with a machine gun, finally couldn't hold back any longer!
Chen San lifted the blanket, revealing that Xiang Peng's right leg had been sawed off at the knee and was neatly wrapped in gauze.
"What are you crying for! We soldiers must be prepared to die on the battlefield. You've only lost a leg. You're not missing any other parts, and there's still plenty of work you can do in the future," Chen San reprimanded sternly.
“More than a dozen brothers have already sacrificed their lives for the country! Compared to them, you are considered lucky. Once we soldiers go to the battlefield, we never think about going back alive.”
The instructor shook his head, realizing that he, as the company commander, was just too straightforward and didn't know how to comfort people at all!
"Pengzi, don't overthink it! Take good care of yourself. The Commander-in-Chief won't forget you. You fought very bravely this time; you'll at least get a second-class merit."
"After you retire, you'll receive a pension. Disabled veterans like you will also receive a monthly living allowance to ensure your future. If you want to work, the military will arrange a suitable job for you."
"The treatment we receive in the new army is the best it has ever been in history! We have to thank the Marshal for this! He has arranged everything for us!" the political instructor said with emotion.
"You treat me like a national hero, and I will repay you with the same devotion! With such a great commander, how can we not serve him!"
The wounded soldiers around them all nodded in agreement!
"Well said!" a voice rang out, and a lieutenant general lifted the curtain and led his men in.
"Commander! Division Commander!" Chen San and the political instructor immediately stood at attention and saluted.
"Yes! Hello!" Shen Daowu returned the greeting.
When Shen Lian was on the front lines, he loved inspecting the logistics department and visiting field hospitals. This became a tradition in the new army, where commanding officers would typically take time to visit the hospitals after a battle.
"Which unit are you from?"
"Reporting to the division commander, Chen San and Mei Zhengyou from the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Regiment are reporting for duty!" Chen San and his political instructor stepped forward and answered. They had never seen the division commander up close before; they had only seen him from afar.
"Good, good! Relax! Your 12th Regiment was among the first to go to the front lines, and your company was at the very front, right?" Shen Daowu nodded gently.
"How was it? Were there many casualties? How did it feel to fight the Japanese?" Shen Daowu took out a cigarette and offered one to each of them.
"Sir, smoking is not allowed in the ward!" a head nurse suddenly called out.
"Oh! Okay, okay! In the hospital, you have to listen to the doctors and nurses!" Shen Daowu smiled and put away his cigarette. Chen San and the other man also quickly put away their cigarettes.
"Commander, the Japanese are far inferior to us in both tactics and weaponry! We have no problem defeating them. Our company wiped out more than 300 Japanese soldiers, but suffered 28 casualties, including 12 killed. This was mainly due to their sudden artillery bombardment last night!" Chen San replied.
"Hmm! Good! Well done!" Shen Daowu nodded in satisfaction. He then turned and stepped forward to check on the wounded soldiers.
The new army has ample supplies of medicine and other materials, and there is no shortage of doctors. The wounded soldiers are being well cared for. Shen Daowu inspected and comforted them, then nodded in satisfaction and walked out.
"You've all worked hard last night! Go back and get some rest! Report back if you need anything." Before leaving, Shen Daowu patted Chen San and Mei Zhengyou on the shoulder.
"Yes, sir!" Chen and his two companions stood at attention and watched their commander leave.
At the front lines, after obtaining permission from the new army, the Japanese sent squads of unarmed soldiers to collect the corpses scattered on the ground.
Several new army soldiers stood at the front, guns in hand, monitoring the Japanese troops' movements and preventing them from taking any spoils of war.
"That damn Chen San, he really ransacked the place!" Yin Chengcai muttered, smoking a cigarette and looking through the tattered items in front of him.
The officers and soldiers of the new army were mostly from poor backgrounds, and they would collect anything that had even a little value.
The Japanese corpses in front of the position were mostly naked. If it weren't for the bad luck associated with them, they would have loved to rip off the loincloths of the Japanese soldiers.
Over the next two days, the Japanese 9th and 15th Divisions launched several more attacks, but all were repelled by the 1st Army Division.
The Japanese army did not have a strong desire to attack. They would basically charge once, and then retreat if they could not break through. They did not fight desperately.
The Japanese army resorted to their old tricks and deployed artillery to bombard the area. However, the artillery positions were quickly spotted by aircraft overhead.
The artillery regiments of two Japanese divisions were wiped out by the repeated barrages of artillery fire from the 1st Army Division and naval guns! Now the Japanese army was even less able to continue fighting!
The Japanese army did not attack, and the 1st Army Division did not counterattack. They simply strengthened their fortifications significantly.
The air force has detected that a large number of Japanese reinforcements are on their way, and it is clear that the Japanese have fallen into the trap of the new army's artillery fire.
We'll pack together when they arrive!
The battlefield in Tokyo has temporarily quieted down, and the landing operation in Osaka is about to begin.
More than a dozen warships were bombarding several gun emplacements on the coast. Huge shells exploded, creating mushroom clouds.
Shen Lian stood on the deck, observing the effects of the shelling through binoculars. The Osaka side had far fewer gun emplacements than Tokyo, making them no match for the navy. After half a day, only a handful of gun emplacements remained capable of continuing the counterattack!