War Military: From 1978

Chapter 220 The Eve of Returning Home

Thunderous applause!

There were many people welcoming us, especially many female soldiers from the art troupe.

But the marching team was very quiet.

As the voice on the radio stopped and the applause around stopped, the scene gradually became quiet.

The fellow villagers and female soldiers who came to greet him also showed a trace of heartache on their faces.

Because they saw that most of the soldiers in the marching team had heavy expressions on their faces, and even their eyes were a little dull.

Including Chu An.

Before the broadcast sounded, he was very happy to see the military camp here.

Because this finally means they can return home.

They don't have to fight anymore.

But later, when the voice on the radio continued to sound, his happiness disappeared without a trace.

At this moment, every detail from before the war, when the team was assembled, to the subsequent combat period, appeared before his eyes like a fleeting glimpse.

Moods and expressions also gradually changed.

He became like most people in the queue, with dull eyes and a wooden expression.

At this time, the broadcast and applause had stopped, and Chu An happened to come to the Arc de Triomphe which was obviously specially built in front of the military camp.

This is a temporary gate tower built with three trees, with the words "Arc de Triomphe" simply written on a wooden plaque.

Chu An couldn't help but stop his feet, and his eyes slowly focused on the three words "Arc de Triomphe".

"Ouch! Captain, I'm sorry!"

Someone suddenly bumped into him from behind.

Chu An looked back without saying a word, then he looked directly back, passing the long line of Regiment C. He looked further back, and at this moment, the fallen comrades seemed to appear before his eyes.

Chu An seemed to see them smiling and waving.

"Company commander!"

Wang Xiaohu stood beside Chu An and called out softly.

He also looked obviously haggard, which was not the case before.

When Chu An first saw this side, he saw him jump up and yell, "Fuck, he's finally back home!"

And now.
"It's okay, let's go!"

Chu An turned back silently.

Soon, after the entire C Regiment crossed the Arc de Triomphe, they were directly arranged to rest in this camp.

Chu An walked ahead and heard the receptionist say that this was the gathering point.

If there are still some troops here who have not arrived yet, you can wait here.

But if everyone is here, they can usually just change clothes and go back home. But now it is getting dark, so Group C has arranged for them to stay here for one night and return home tomorrow morning.

To be honest, everyone was very anxious and wanted to go back directly.

But since that was the arrangement from the higher-ups, we could only listen.

Soon, someone from the camp delivered new military uniforms, and one squad also received a bar of soap.

There is a small river here.

The purpose of sending soap boxes and military uniforms is very clear now. It is to let everyone take a bath in the nearby river, change into new clothes, and return home with a new look.

Naturally, no one would resist this.

Many people haven't taken a shower since they first entered the country.

More than twenty days passed.

In the hot and humid environment, everyone rolled in the mud and swam in the blood.

In fact, they had all become like beggars a long time ago. Many soldiers' uniforms had become rags, and the smell on their bodies was indescribable.

Now we can take a shower, and we have come to a safe place. We will be returning home soon, so naturally everyone wants to go back in a clean state.

So without saying anything, they all took the military uniforms and soap that had been distributed and ran to the small river in front.

The water is very cold!
But now this is just right for the soldiers of Regiment C.

The soldiers, who were originally filled with sorrow, became more expressive after being cooled by the cold water.

"Ouch! Holy shit! It's so cold!"

"Fuck, move away from me. Look at you, you are spreading poison!" Inside the river, the soldiers regained their temper and all kinds of shouting and cursing began.

This is really a small river, only six or seven meters wide, and the water is not deep.

The deepest part is only up to the thigh.

Now, as the soldiers of Regiment C went down one by one, they could see with the naked eye that the water was beginning to turn black.

Clusters of black water spread out, and then the originally clear river water quickly turned into the kind of water in a stinking ditch.

The soldiers a little downstream started cursing loudly, but no one stood up. Some people just tried to squeeze upstream.

Then those upstream wanted to move further upstream, but some cadres rebuked this behavior.

The whole stream was in a mess, and Chu An was amused by it.

He suppressed the sadness in his heart and without caring about others, he quickly squatted down and rubbed himself in the cold water.

He took the scouts and occupied the upper reaches at the first opportunity, and now the water near him is relatively clean.

But it will only take a moment.

As you put soap on your body and then wash it, the water next to you immediately turns gray and dirty.
Seven or eight minutes later, when Chu An changed into a clean military uniform and stood by the river, he saw himself through the dark river water.

He was a little dazed.

It’s been a long time since I saw myself so clean, and it’s been a long time since I felt so refreshed.

That night, the soldiers of Regiment C had hot meals again.

It's real rice, stir-fried vegetables and meat.

A lot of supplies were recovered from the Vietnamese country. Maybe it’s nothing compared to our country’s population, but it’s easy to use some of it to improve the food for the soldiers on the front line.

"We will return home tomorrow!" At night, in the regimental command tent, the leader looked at everyone and said with emotion.

Those present were all battalion-level officers in the regiment and company commanders of companies directly under the regiment.

At this time, some people had relaxed smiles on their faces, while others looked melancholy again.

After the battle, the regimental commander, who seemed to have aged ten years, looked around at everyone and said: "Comrades, thank you for your hard work. Although the process was difficult, the result is good. We won and returned alive!"

"Wow~"

The sound of a match was heard, and it turned out to be Chu An silently lighting a cigarette in the back.

It was just because it was so quiet in the tent that the sound of the matches was rather abrupt.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Chu An's originally somewhat sad expression melted.

"Excuse me!"

As he spoke, he took out his cigarette and stomped it out.

"Hey, why are you moving so fast?" The team leader laughed.

Then he looked at the others again and said, "Don't be polite, I know you are under a lot of pressure, I am under a lot of pressure too, don't be polite, come on, hit me!"

The regiment commander took out his own cigarette, and the commissioner and deputy division commander beside him also took out cigarettes.

Soon, smoke began to fill the tent.

At the same time, the atmosphere seemed to have eased a lot.

"tomorrow."

Inside the tent, the group leader and the committee member continued to make arrangements for returning home tomorrow.

There isn't much else to say.

After everyone returns home tomorrow, Group C will go directly back to their base before departure.

Returning home does not mean the war is over.

Next, we have to be on guard against a counterattack by the Vietnamese devils.

Regiment C is a border defense force itself. It was responsible for border defense tasks before the war. It is impossible that it would no longer need border defense just because it fought a war.

Moreover, even if we ask everyone to retreat now, I’m afraid no one will leave immediately.

Regiment C, there is a mountain at its previous base.

There are green mountains and clear waters, and the environment is very good.

There, there are graves dug by the soldiers of the regiment themselves.

There, many of our brothers who shared life and death on the battlefield, our mentors in military careers, and our close friends who shared the same bunk with us are now lying.
Some of them returned long ago, while others never returned, leaving behind only some pre-war belongings and a tombstone.

These are the people that everyone misses, and now that they are back, everyone wants to go see them!
(End of this chapter)