The Iron Direction

Chapter Two: The Sudden Battle

"Young man, new here, huh?" Just as I was lost in thought, an old soldier approached me and handed me a water bottle. "Here, there's no wine here, just use this water to calm your nerves!"

I gave the old soldier a grateful look, took the bottle, and gulped down several mouthfuls. Only then did I realize how thirsty I was, and I drank endlessly, guzzling down the bottle before returning it to the old soldier, thanking him, and finally clearing my head a little.

"Young man!" The veteran took the water bottle, screwed on the cap, and hung it on his body while comforting me, "Not used to it? It's okay, you'll get used to it in a few days! Look at them..."

He glanced at the soldiers sitting next to me and continued, "They're all new here too, our unit is about the same as yours..."

"Huh?" I was taken aback and asked, "Brother, you mean... most of our unit are new recruits?" "

If the military training regiment isn't for new recruits, then what is it?" The veteran nodded in agreement.

"Hmm!" I pretended to understand and nodded. In fact, I didn't even know what a military training regiment was. I wanted to ask but was afraid the veteran would become suspicious, so I could only pretend to know.

Later I learned that the military training regiment was actually the recruit camp, it was just that the Nationalist army used a more formal name.

"Brother!" I asked again, still shaken, "You said we're all new recruits, how are we going to fight the Japanese..."

I hated the Japanese, but I also knew that the Japanese who attacked our country in the early stages of the War of Resistance were all seasoned veterans. So, hearing that most of the soldiers in my unit were new recruits made me a little nervous.

"What are you talking about?" a skinny soldier, as thin as a monkey, interrupted. "What do you mean, how are we going to fight the Japanese? If we don't fight, will the Japanese let us go? Besides, those damn Japanese are bullying us, can we just swallow this insult?"

"That's right!" the others chimed in. "The Japanese are too bullying, we might as well fight them to the death!"

"Kill one if we can, kill two if we can!"

...

Someone even shouted at me, "Hey buddy, if you're not tough, go home and farm, don't embarrass yourself here!"

Suddenly, I became the target of everyone's criticism, without even time to explain. While feeling embarrassed, I couldn't help but feel a little strange. Weren't the National Revolutionary Army supposed to run away for their lives when they encountered the Japanese? But now I see a completely different scene.

"Alright, alright..." In the end, the veteran came to my rescue. He waved to the others and said, "Why say so much? Just do your own thing!"

After the others dispersed, the veteran said to me earnestly, "Young man, don't listen to them. For us soldiers, as long as we can survive on the battlefield, that's enough! Let me tell you, the man with the pistol next to you just now was our platoon leader, surnamed Chi. I'm the squad leader, surnamed Hu. You can call me Squad Leader Hu. We'll get to know the others later! Now, let's get ready, the Japanese are about to attack!"

"What? The Japanese are going to attack again? Didn't we just... just now?" Hearing this, all my nerves tensed up again.

"That was just the Japanese reconnaissance fire!" Squad Leader Li casually said, "The real attack hasn't even started yet!"

I was stunned for a long time after hearing this. If reconnaissance fire was so terrifying, what would the real attack be like?

I'll find out soon enough.

"Whoa..." A piercing air raid siren blared in the air, followed by a rumbling sound like thunder. Everyone instinctively looked in the direction of the sound, but the summer sun blinded us.

"Scatter! Get down! Get down quickly..." Platoon Leader Chi jumped to his feet and waved orders at us: "The Japanese planes are coming! Find cover!"

Only then did the soldiers realize that war had once again descended upon them, and they quickly prepared themselves. However, their actions differed. Some hid in houses, some lay prone in trenches, and some even pointed their rifles at the sky, seemingly trying to shoot down the planes...

They were all really new recruits! Seeing this scene, my heart grew heavier.

The rumbling sound grew closer, and without thinking, I followed Platoon Leader Chi's orders and lay prone in the trench... Then I heard a series of piercing shrieks from the sky, followed by a series of loud booms, and gravel and dirt rushed towards me like a tidal wave. Explosions, machine gun fire, screams, and the roar of planes filled the air... The tremors from the ground made me feel like I was standing on a volcano about to erupt.

I don't know how much time passed before the outside world finally quieted down. I shakily stood up, only to find Platoon Leader Chi still waving and shouting at us, but I could hear nothing but a buzzing sound...

Just as I was wondering what Platoon Leader Chi meant, another sharp whistle came from the sky, followed by a deluge of artillery shells exploding nearby. Terrified, I quickly crawled back into the trench, too afraid to move.

Having a history background, I knew one thing very well: planes and artillery were common tactics used by the Japanese in warfare. They did this not only to destroy our fortifications, but more importantly, to demonstrate their modern weaponry, instill fear in our army, and thus crush our fighting spirit, achieving victory without a fight.

Indeed, such situations were common in the early stages of the War of Resistance. After a barrage of Japanese air and artillery fire, the defending Nationalist troops would flee in disarray, and the Japanese would easily occupy our defense zones…

In some ways, I even hoped that this unit before me would flee like other Nationalist troops, at least giving me a chance to catch my breath… However, to my disappointment, they didn't. On the contrary, they displayed unprecedentedly high morale, like the few around me… who would occasionally peek out from under the gunfire to observe the enemy situation!

Then I quickly understood. I remembered Platoon Leader Chi telling me that today was July 28th, which meant that it was only 21 days since the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. What did this mean? It meant that Japan had only recently launched a full-scale war, and those who joined the army at this time were probably filled with hatred and ready to fight the Japanese to the death on the battlefield. This military training regiment was no exception!

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but secretly groan. If this continued, wouldn't my life be over? No, I didn't want to die like this. I had to do something! But what could I do? I was just a college student; on this battlefield, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I was utterly powerless…

Just as I was struggling, with a strange cry, groups of Japanese soldiers surged towards our positions from the fields outside the camp.

It was harvest season, and the rice and sorghum in the paddy fields were already half a person tall. These were originally the fruits of our people's hard work, but now they provided excellent cover for the Japanese army. Those little Japanese relied on them to safely slip right under our noses before launching their attack on our lines. However, there was nothing we could do; it was clearly too late to cut down the crops at this point.

The hillsides were swarming with Japanese soldiers, countless in number, each camouflaged, bayonet in hand, their eyes gleaming with a predatory light. Just looking at them made my legs go weak. If it weren't for the friendly forces all around me, I think I would have turned and run!

It's funny to think back on it now. When I read about the Nationalist army's rout in the face of the Japanese attack, I just laughed at their incompetence. But now, facing this myself, I realized I was even more terrified than they were…

It was clear I wasn't the only one in the unit who was afraid, because I saw a significant number of soldiers glancing around, observing the reactions of others. After all, they were all new recruits; the gap between ideals and reality was huge. It was already quite an achievement to have held on this long!

"Prepare for battle!" Platoon Leader Chi roared in his slightly hoarse voice, waving his phone.

The soldiers set up various weapons on the trenches, and I reluctantly found a spot to set up my rifle. Just as I was about to aim, I suddenly remembered I was out of bullets. In a panic, I asked the bearded soldier next to me, "Brother! I'm out of bullets, do you have any extras for me...?"

The soldier gave me an incredulous look, gestured towards the ammunition box behind him, and replied with dissatisfaction, "Take it yourself... What time is it that you only realize you're out of bullets now!"

I blushed, and without saying a word, I ran to the ammunition box, grabbed the bullets, and stuffed them into my pocket, also grabbing a few grenades.

I hurriedly returned to the trench, loaded the rifle, and was about to fire when the bearded soldier stopped me.

"What are you doing?" the bearded soldier shouted at me rudely, "Didn't you hear the platoon leader's order? No firing! Let the enemy get closer before you fire!"

"Oh!" I nodded in response. I had to admit that I was somewhat disoriented in the face of those Japanese soldiers, to the point that I hadn't even heard Platoon Leader Chi's orders.

Looking through the rifle's sights at the Japanese soldiers opposite me, they were still charging towards our position one after another, shouting vicious words I couldn't understand...

Was all of this real? I asked myself agin, had I really gone back seventy years and become a member of the National Revolutionary Army?