The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 17 The Kids Are Still Hungry

...The Chinese people believe that 'food is the most important thing for the people'. No matter whether one is alive or dead, one should have a good meal.

Even the most heinous criminals have a "last meal" before being beheaded.

This is a tradition, but more importantly, it is a belief and persistence engraved in the blood of this nation, which often inspires some people to burst out with great courage.

...Excerpt from Hu Biao's diary collection "Hu Shuo"...

Thank God! Hu Biao and others hurried to the small courtyard and found that the people inside had already fled. However, there was a small well on the side of the courtyard.

After shaking the wheel at the wellhead and drawing up a bucket of water.

Hu Biao, like a thirsty animal, lay down and drank the well water in big gulps. After drinking a few mouthfuls, he buried his whole head in the bucket.

Stimulated by the cold well water, he finally felt alive again.

Unfortunately, before Hu Biao could enjoy the soak, he felt someone grabbing his collar and dragging his head out of the bucket.

After wiping the water off his face, Hu Biao realized that it was Gao Yi, that shameless guy. After dragging him out, he didn't mind that the bucket of water had been used by him before, and he still dived in.

Just like that, everyone drank a bellyful of water and soaked their heads.

Or maybe after taking a bucket of well water and pouring it over his head, he would regain some of his spirit.

Then, knowing that the situation was urgent, they went their separate ways to find some bricks and firewood without the old squad leader scolding or urging them.

After building three earthen stoves, they started to boil water, cook braised meat, and make the Baiji steamed buns used to stuff meat into roujiamo.

If there must be a reason why Hu Biao and others are so self-disciplined, it is:
We can only say that people are made of flesh and blood. When they foresaw that many of their brothers would die in battle today, the only thing they could do was to let them eat well and die full.

No one spoke while they were working, but their efficiency was extremely high.

As the sun above our heads gradually sets, the lard has been cooked, the basket is filled with prepared Baiji steamed buns, and the braised meat in the big pot emits an enticing aroma.

Hu Biao and the old squad leader also started putting the hand-rolled noodles from their trouser belts into the big pot and began to cook the noodles.

At this rate, it wouldn’t take too long for this feast to be ready.

Thinking that their hungry brothers would soon be able to eat these long-awaited delicacies, Hu Biao and his companions felt a sense of accomplishment even though they were so tired that their backs ached.

The only drawback was that there were faint sounds of gunfire and explosions coming from the direction of Luodian, indicating that the battle was in a fierce stalemate.

Let them know that as the No. 7 position on the flank battlefield, there will not be long of peace.

Hu Biao and the others' premonition was correct, and after another ten minutes or so.

Just when the feast was about to be prepared, they suddenly heard several clear explosions coming from the direction of position No. 7.

Everyone turned their heads in unison, but they couldn't see anything because of the two-meter-high wall of the courtyard.

In their anxiety, Hu Biao and others rushed forward a few steps, jumped up, and lay on the wall of the courtyard to look towards position No. 7.

I saw clumps of mud and sand rising from the battlefield a few miles away from me from time to time.

Judging from the scale and height of the rising mud and sand, it should be just the Japanese Type 92 infantry gun, which does not look very scary from a distance.

But it also means that the Japanese have launched an attack.

That was indeed the case. Hu Biao and his men had just been lying down and watching for a while when they saw the only Maxim heavy machine gun in their special forces company open fire.

Soon, more figures appeared in front of them. They were brothers in the company lying on the trenches, firing continuously at the front of the position.

By the way! This was the first time that Hu Biao and other unlucky people who had traveled from the modern dimension had seen a real battlefield.

Amid the fierce sound of gunfire, they were a little at a loss. Instinctively, they looked behind them at the old squad leader who was like a stabilizing force.

You know what! The old squad leader is indeed a veteran who has served in the army for more than 20 years. Faced with such a scene, his face did not show any panic.

He smoked a hand-rolled old dry tobacco calmly, and said lightly based on years of experience: "Don't lie down, it's nothing serious! We have a full-strength company-level position. The Japanese are not superhuman, so how can we take it down in one go?

This is just a tentative attack and it will be over soon.

Everyone continue to cook. The kids are still hungry now. When the Japanese retreat, we will serve them the oil-splashed noodles and roujiamo (meat buns). Only when the kids are full will they have the strength to fight the Japanese. "

After hearing the old squad leader's confident answer, Hu Biao and others felt relieved for some reason and continued to work.

However, in the following period, the development of the battle situation was quite different from the judgment made by the old squad leader based on his previous experience.

Or, in other words, the wars that the old squad leader had experienced before were nothing more than a fight between domestic warlords trying to seize territory.

If it were a current war between an agricultural country and an industrial country, the fight to the death between the two sides would be completely different.

Anyway, the battle between the special forces company and the Japanese was becoming more and more intense.

The artillery fire from the Japanese changed from the initial sparse Type 92 infantry guns to more intensive and large-caliber artillery bombardment.

Even from a few miles away, after each loud explosion, Hu Biao and his friends could clearly feel the vibration from the ground with their legs, which made them inexplicably want to pee.

After throwing the last handful of rolled noodles into the big pot to cook, Hu Biao finally couldn't help but ask:
"Old squad leader, there's such a big commotion at the position, are you really okay?"

Although the other four people, Wang Peng, Zhou Kun, Zhang Wei, and Gao Yi, did not say anything, the looks they gave him showed that they were also worried about this.

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" The old squad leader patted his chest and assured Hu Biao and the others.

But after turning his head, his eyes were filled with uncertainty, and he muttered something in a voice that only he could hear clearly:
"Oh my god, these little Japanese devils are so fierce when they fight..."

******
Thank God! After fighting for more than half an hour, when the sun was about to set, the gunfire on the battlefield finally subsided.

By this time, the roujiamo and youpomian were naturally ready.

The roujiamo, which is packed in a basket and covered with a white cloth, can be eaten directly; the oil-splashed noodles are a bit more troublesome because under normal circumstances, the noodles will clump together and not taste good when they are served on the battlefield.

However, the old squad leader has been working in the kitchen for many years, so he still has a way.

Under his arrangement, Hu Biao and his team placed the cooked noodles in a bucket of ice-cold well water, and placed chili powder, pepper powder, chopped green onion, minced garlic, meat slices, etc. in large bowls.

The more critical point is that at the bottom of a bucket is charcoal fire placed in a ceramic basin. There is ash between the charcoal fire and the ceramic basin, so there is no need to worry about the ceramic basin exploding.

On top of the ceramic basin was placed a metal bucket filled with boiling hot oil.

So when we got to the position, we put the noodles into a bowl and added ingredients like chopped green onions, minced garlic, meat slices, chili powder, etc.

Finally, pour hot oil on it, and with a sizzling sound, a bowl of delicious oil-splashed noodles is ready.

When the time comes, the brothers will take a bite of roujiamo, a bite of oil-splashed noodles, and occasionally a bite of raw garlic picked by Zhang Wei. Wouldn’t it be delicious?
Even so, the old squad leader still felt that something was not perfect and started to complain:
"During these chaotic times, many things are not yet ready, and today's meal is not well prepared.

It's best to use rapeseed oil for oil-splashed noodles, and there are no ingredients like wood ear mushrooms, tomatoes, or green peppers; when cooking the braised meat in roujiamo, no rock sugar is added, otherwise the taste would be better."

Despite all the complaints, the old squad leader did not forget to greet Hu Biao and the others, who hurried towards the position carrying food, condiments, bowls and chopsticks.

I don't know what was going on, but when the old squad leader set out, he brought his usual kitchen knife and rolling pin.

Seeing this, Hu Biao also put a kitchen knife on his belt.

The group had only walked about a hundred meters when another burst of fierce gunfire rang out on the battlefield; the ceasefire had only been a few minutes, and those Japanese soldiers attacked again?

The key point is that after many shells hit, some of them flew over the position and hit the path forward for Hu Biao and his men. Each explosion left a big hole.

Then the question arises, should we continue to deliver this food to the battlefield?
Hu Biao and others stopped and looked at the old squad leader, waiting for the senior veteran to make a decision.

Gnashing his teeth, the old squad leader displayed a heroic spirit they had never seen before, shouting, "Keep sending! The kids are still hungry..."

(End of this chapter)