When they arrived at the courtyard house and the celestial bridal chamber, they discovered it was a

Qin Jianheng suddenly raised his head, tears blurring his vision, yet still displaying the last stubbornness of a soldier: "They are all good soldiers of my Iron Fifteenth Army!"

The mountain wind swept across the scorched earth, carrying a faint smell of gunpowder, as if echoing their words.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the land soaked in blood, and the former battlefield finally ushered in a long-awaited peace.

Those fallen soldiers remain here forever, becoming part of Shangganling, guarding this land they defended with their lives.

Afterwards, Staff Officer Wu and Qin Jianheng went to the high ground trenches. Looking at the trenches stained red with blood, they couldn't help but shed tears again.

Soon, Staff Officer Wu and Qin Jianheng went into the tunnel again.

The tunnel was filled with a pungent smell of blood and decay, and dim lights flickered on the walls.

In the largest tunnel, the bodies of hundreds of soldiers lay scattered about, many missing limbs, some with their eyes wide open, as if they had died with their eyes open.

Seeing this scene, Staff Officer Wu and Qin Jianheng burst into tears again, and the accompanying comrades also had red eyes. They hadn't cried like this in many years; it was just too heartbreaking.

These young soldiers, who should have had bright futures, fell forever on this foreign land.

They are all the most lovable people, and the greatest warriors.

The group stayed in the tunnel for a long time before slowly getting up and walking out of the tunnel step by step.

The sunlight outside was a bit dazzling, and the two of them subconsciously squinted. The tear tracks on their faces were still clearly visible, and their eyes were full of exhaustion and heaviness.

They hadn't cried like this in years. On the battlefield, even when they were seriously wounded or watched their comrades sacrifice themselves, they would hold back their tears and continue fighting. But this time, they were heartbroken and felt so sorry for them.

Staff Officer Wu stood at the entrance of the tunnel, gazing at the distant mountains. After a long silence, he slowly turned to Qin Jianheng and asked softly, "Comrade Jianheng, where is Comrade Zhou Zheng'an?"

Upon hearing the name "Zhou Zheng'an," Qin Jianheng's eyes instantly dimmed, and a deep sense of regret appeared on his face.

He sighed softly and said in a heavy tone, "Staff Officer Wu, I don't know. I'm looking for him too. After he blew up the American artillery base, he sent me a telegram saying he had completed his mission, and then I never heard from him again. He's completely disappeared."

At this point, Qin Jianheng sighed again, his eyes filled with helplessness and regret: "It's such a pity. Zhou Zheng'an deserves immense credit for the victory in the Battle of Shangganling and for achieving such great results. If he hadn't blown up the US artillery base, our soldiers would have suffered even greater casualties."

Staff Officer Wu's face also darkened, and a sense of unease rose in his heart.

He knew that on this battlefield where hundreds of thousands of people were fighting, the situation was constantly changing and danger was everywhere. A single person, or even a platoon or a company, could be killed without a trace if they were not careful.

This is the battlefield, this is modern warfare—cruel and ruthless, with no room for luck.

But he suppressed his unease, looked at Qin Jianheng, and said firmly.

"Don't worry too much, he should be fine. Comrade Zhou Zheng'an is not only extremely capable in combat, but also has good luck. Before, on Hill 406, he was bombed relentlessly by American planes, and even his tunnels were blown up, but he still survived unscathed. This time, he will definitely be able to turn danger into safety and return safely."

Staff Officer Wu was trying to convince himself rather than Qin Jianheng.

Qin Jianheng nodded, but the worry in his eyes did not diminish at all.

He knew that what Staff Officer Wu said was nothing more than a wishful thought and a way to comfort himself.

On such a brutal battlefield, once someone goes missing, the chance of survival is extremely slim. Yet he still refused to believe that Zhou Zheng'an, who was omnipotent and had repeatedly performed extraordinary feats, would simply disappear on the battlefield.

The two fell silent again, the air thick with a heavy and regretful atmosphere. The distant mountains remained silent, as if mourning Zhou Zheng'an's disappearance and the fallen soldiers.

What they didn't know was that Zhou Zheng'an hadn't sacrificed himself, but was carrying out an even more dangerous mission: rescuing captured volunteer soldiers.

Meanwhile, after successfully blowing up the US artillery base, Zhou Zheng'an hid in a makeshift tunnel he had dug in advance.

At that time, he originally wanted to rush back to the high ground immediately to reinforce the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers who were holding the position. However, after observing for a while, he found that the main force of the United States had been defeated and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had gained an absolute advantage. The overall situation was settled, and it wouldn't matter if he were one more or one less.

Just then, he suddenly remembered that before he traveled through time, he had seen many captured Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers being forcibly transported to an island.

Moreover, after learning from historical records that these captured volunteer soldiers had suffered inhumane treatment, Zhou Zheng'an could no longer sit still.

Without the slightest hesitation, he decided not to return to the high ground for the time being, but instead to lie in ambush and wait for an opportunity to rescue his captured comrades.

As night fell, the smoke from the battlefield gradually dissipated, and the darkness enveloped the earth like thick ink, with only a few sporadic gunshots occasionally heard in the distance.

Under the cover of darkness, Zhou Zheng'an quietly emerged from the tunnel, moving swiftly through the night like a nimble cheetah, heading towards the direction in which the eagle and Hanhan soldiers had retreated.

He carefully avoided enemy patrols, relying on his keen battlefield awareness and superb concealment skills to make his way unimpeded.

Soon, he encountered a group of retreating Hanhan soldiers. He quietly lay in ambush, observing the enemy's movements and waiting for the best opportunity.

When one of the Hanhan soldiers broke away from the ranks to urinate, Zhou Zheng'an seized the opportunity, rushed over quickly, covered the soldier's mouth, and with a light slash of his dagger, the Hanhan soldier fell to the ground without even uttering a sound.

Zhou Zheng'an quickly took off the other man's military uniform, put it on himself, and then dragged the other man's body to a hidden place.

He then mingled into the ranks of the cold-blooded soldiers and retreated with them.

During the retreat, Zhou Zheng'an pretended to be on his way while secretly inquiring about the location of the captured Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers.

He subtly probed, deliberately chatting with the soldiers around him, and with his exceptional intelligence, he finally learned the exact location of the prisoner-of-war camp from one of them.

In an abandoned village just a few dozen kilometers away, more than 1,100 volunteer soldiers were being held captive.

Upon hearing the news, Zhou Zheng'an was overjoyed and became even more determined to rescue his comrades.

As he retreated with the team, he silently memorized the route and secretly planned a rescue strategy.

He knew that there must be enemy guards in the prisoner-of-war camp, and that it would be extremely difficult to successfully rescue his comrades. But he did not back down in the slightest. Even if he was all alone, he was determined to rescue his captured comrades and bring them back to the Volunteer Army's position.

Three days later, Zhou Zheng'an finally followed the chilling soldiers to the vicinity of the prisoner-of-war camp.