Start from Changjin Lake

Chapter 38 Safflower in the Smoke of Gunpowder
The fire, the high temperature, and the krypton flash during the explosion seemed to be roasting him in a furnace. The time seemed to have passed a century, and it seemed that a second had passed.

Even after jumping into the water, the violent high-temperature flames swept across the entire land and slammed into the covered car, the residual heat still passed over and roasted the entire water surface to the point of boiling.

"what!"

Xu Qing yelled, and woke up from the pain and coma. The water was hot and his whole body hurt. He pulled the soldier beside him, jumped into the water to avoid the impact of the explosion, and soon jumped up.

The flames in the woods were still burning and intensified. He was in a hurry to add the remaining experience gained from killing the enemy in the early morning to his physique. He was covered in hot steam and white mist, and ran to the other side of the woods with great effort.

When he got out of the woods, the plane was no longer visible, and the soldier on his back had already fainted from the pain. He had already recognized it. This was Xuan Qiang, who had only spoken a few words when he entered the new year on the train, not a few years older than him.

The other soldiers of the Seventh Company saw the shells falling into the woods, and all of them opened their eyes wide in disbelief.

Yu Congrong shouted: "Wu Wanli!"

Lei Gong: "They, they..."

Mei Sheng was speechless.

Qianli's mouth trembled, and he couldn't say a word.

Until Ping He shouted: "...Look quickly!"

Only then did everyone raise their heads, and found that on the other side of the woods, two figures crawled away in the dark and deepening smoke, and Xu Qing was running out with a figure on his back.

"They're not dead!" Qilian ran up to respond one after another, and each of them gave a helping hand, hugging the soldier Xuan Qiang on his back.

Qianli touched his body with both hands, he was full of beard and tail, Tie Hanru couldn't help but said: "It's okay, it's okay... that's great!"

But as soon as he raised his head, he saw Xu Qing just standing there, expressionless, not crying, but indescribably cold.

Qianli: "What's wrong?"

Yu Congrong suddenly reacted: "Where is that golden girl, golden girl? Golden girl! She..."

Xu Qing didn't speak, just looked back at the sea of ​​flames.

Everyone stopped in place one after another, and only then did they wake up.

Suddenly, remorse, self-blame, all kinds of complicated expressions appeared on everyone's faces, and all the soldiers felt deeply guilty.

What did they do?
They actually let an innocent little girl be implicated and burned to death, right in front of them, so quietly.

Lei Gong was speechless for a long time, stepped forward and gently pressed his shoulder.

Xu Qing stood there dumbly.

It's not that he didn't cry, it's just that the tears evaporated in the blazing high temperature during the violent running...

After simply bandaging Xuanqiang and applying medicine, it was already half an hour after the fire slowed down.

The flames caused by the napalm bombs were difficult to extinguish. The woods burned for more than half an hour, and other planes in the sky flew back and forth several times.

This dangerous place suddenly became the safest place.

At this time, Qilian was able to enter from the other end of the forest. Everyone wet some clothes with water to block the front, covered their mouths and noses, and slowly poked in.

Once inside the woods, it was all black as ink and scorched ruins, where were there any traces of living people?

Most of the cars that had been covered were melted, and the machine gun barrels on them were melted into iron juice. They counted them, and only about four of them were still intact, but their bodies were as hot as a branding iron, and they couldn't get close for a while.

Xu Qing silently walked to the place where Jin Xuhua fell last.

But there was nothing here, only the scorched ground. He lay down on the ground and groped carefully, and found a hand of black ash. He ran to the stream and jumped into the water.The surface of the water was still steaming and bubbling, and he reached out to fish it in.nor.

Nothing at all.

Yu Congrong watched him get up and run in silence, and murmured, "Isn't there any left?"

Xu Qing didn't answer, just continued to grope around, but the ground, water, and shore were all black and scorched, and there was no body he wanted.

The huge aftermath and high temperature of the explosion destroyed her body to pieces, and the remaining blood and broken limbs were also burned to ashes by the high temperature at the moment of the petrol bomb explosion.Couldn't find anything at all.

Even a little bit!

Ahhh! ! !
Xu Qing held a handful of ashes on the ground, clenched his teeth, and clenched his fists. He really wanted to roar, to vent his unhappiness, remorse, and hatred, but this is a battlefield, a war, and cannibalism The war, he can't do this!

He sat down on the ground, a little weak.For the first time, I personally understood what "there are no bones left" means. It's not an exaggeration, it's not a TV drama, it's a living, bloody reality.

right in front of his eyes.

Death came so vigorously and silently.

Xu Qing silently thought that Jin Xuhua's parents were also killed by the bombing, her family was gone, and now she herself is gone. It seems that there is no trace of this North Korean girl's existence in this world anymore.

People like Qilian are the last people in the world who still remember her, and when they forget her name when they get old... there will be no such person.

As if just now, as if yesterday, everything that happened in the cave and on the battlefield was a dream.

This North Korean girl in a foreign country with a broken family but extremely strong is dancing under the eyes of everyone, singing the "Song of Arirang" of the Korean people, her sad and calm smile in the firelight, and the figure of her rushing to help despite the hail of bullets , her ecstatic expression after clumsily learning how to use a gun...

And these all become memories.

Unspeakable sadness flooded everyone's hearts, Xu Qing tried hard to maintain his rationality, he was afraid that he would not be able to control himself.

It's not that he can't see death, nor is he afraid of death, he just fears that such an innocent life will die in front of him in this way.Even part of the reason is because of myself.

Looking at the scorched land, he went to the place where Jin Xuhua sat last and dug out a piece of charcoal ash on it, and carefully sealed it up.

Yu Congrong looked at the pot of soil and realized that everything was irreversible, so he couldn't help crying. He was afraid that others would see it, so he covered himself silently.But such a strong man is emotional, anyone can see it.

Lei Gong sighed, he had seen too many deaths.Still sigh.

Everyone in Qilian took off their hats in silence.

In just one day and one night, this little North Korean girl with a calm appearance and a love for laughter has been deeply imprinted in the hearts of each of them, and they can't get rid of it.

After leaving the woods, everyone in Qilian was a little frustrated.

Mei Sheng said, "We are the ones who harmed her. She shouldn't have gotten so close to us."

Xu Qing bowed her head.

Yu Congrong was silent, the dull air enveloped everyone, and no one spoke.

Qianli was originally sitting, but when he heard this, he suddenly burst out: "What's wrong with you? The Seventh Company, which has fought countless battles, is gone? Gone? Lost soul? What about your beliefs? Are you worthy of the injured comrades? girl!"

"If they don't kill them, they will kill us! Comrades, soldiers, my dear comrades-in-arms, this is not a joke, this is a real battlefield! War-has come! You are raising your hands and surrendering, continue Hang your head here, or fight with me?!"

Xu Qing thought more.

For the first time, he hated himself so much for not being strong enough to let an innocent girl die in front of him.

If... If he could kill a few more enemies earlier, get more experience points, and add more attributes to his body, wouldn't it be possible to change the ending of the little flower girl?
live, live...

At this moment, he suddenly remembered his mission [to live]. This life is not only for himself, but also for the people around him.

What's the point of all the hard work and all the sacrifices if you can't keep the people around you alive?
"beat!"

Xu Qing was the first to stand up, "We must fight!"

He was more firm than ever:
I will never let such a tragedy happen before my eyes again

--never! ! !

.........

A handful of black soil, in front of the ruins of the little flower girl's house.

Qilian stood silently.

They set up a small tomb, next to her parents' tomb, inside the tomb was the jar of "ashes", and a piece of wood that Xu Qing cut by herself was inserted into the grave.It is engraved in both Chinese and Korean: To our strongest and loveliest flower of the Korean nation—Ms. Jin Xuhua!

"Human beings are fragile in the face of war, and they can't last a moment under the shells, but we are also strong..."

Qianli looked at him: "What are we?
Xu Qing said: "The Chinese People's Liberation Army."

"No! Not anymore...at least not now." He shook his head, "The later one."

Xu Qing stood at attention: "We are soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteers."

Qilian: "We are soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteers!"

Qianli: "What is our goal?"

Qilian: "Support the Korean people and defend the peace of the motherland!"

Qianli asked again: "What can we do?"

Qilian roared: "Fight, fight, fight!"

Qianli's eyes were also red, and he shook his fist vigorously: "The seventh interspersed company, keep going!"

The Seventh Company will march again.

Behind, there is a fiery red "Jindalai flower" on the small grave bag.This season is not open, Xu Qing folded the pages of textbooks in her schoolbag - Jindalai is her favorite flower.

The freshly picked "petals" still had blood on them, and were blown by the cold wind, moving silently in the ice and snow, as if they were singing, chanting, or saying goodbye...

　A few things for reference:
　　[U.S. bombing equipment vehicles, adapted from "Memories of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea" by General Hong Xuezhi.Hong Xuezhi, a general, was born in Jinzhai, Anhui today, and served as the deputy commander of the Chinese People's Volunteers. 】

　　【山谷游击战，改编自42军124师3营营长邢嘉盛，歼灭陆战1师7团炮兵营的真实战例】

　　[The U.S. military reconnaissance platoon is a historical patrol of the U.S. military on November 1950, 11. It crossed Huangcaoling to Gutuli to scout Chinese]

　　[It is true that the U.S. military hid the bottom of the car and knelt down, adapted from "The Coldest Winter: The Bloody Battle at Changjin Lake" by He Chuwu, an expert on Korean War History]

　　[The North Korean girl Jin Xuhua is indeed a real person, which comes from the memories of my grandfather who resisted US aggression and aided Korea.In that extremely cold winter]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)