Chapter 3 of 10

Chapter 3

19 min read4,647 words

Four people formed a semicircle, staring at the foolish young man crouching by the wall. The big guy wiped his saliva, glared at the object the young man was holding, and muttered, "What a find, a Czech machine gun! A machine gun!"

Zhao Yong gave the young man a thumbs up, "Foolish young man, you're amazing! If I had known you could get this thing just by going to the bathroom, I would have gone with you. We might have even gotten a mortar."

Hu Yi didn't expect this foolish young man to pull off such a feat. Although he was still a child, Hu Yi couldn't help but admire him. It took courage and cunning to do this. Well done.

Wang Laokou coughed, "Ah, you troublemaker. Why did you bring this thing back?"

"I saw Brother Hu didn't have a gun, and you were worried about it, so I wanted to help. But it was too dark to see clearly, so I just picked the biggest one," the young man said, wiping his cold nose with his sleeve and looking up at the platoon leader.

Seeing the young man's pitiful state, Wang Laokou didn't know what to say for a moment, but he knew they couldn't keep the gun. Regardless of whether the company commander would allow the machine gun to stay in the third platoon, even if he did, Wang Laokou didn't want to keep it. A stronger mule pulls a heavier cart. With a machine gun, the third platoon would still be the third platoon!

The big guy and Zhao Yong's opinions could be ignored, but Wang Laokou was very curious about Hu Yi's thoughts. After all, he was new, and they didn't know his personality or temper. It was a good opportunity to gauge his stance. A soldier's attitude toward a gun often determined his behavior on the battlefield.

Wang Laokou stepped forward, took the machine gun from the young man, and handed it to Hu Yi. "The young man said he got this gun for you. What do you think?"

The big guy got anxious, "Platoon leader, I think I'm the best one to use it. It's heavy, and it's not a joke to carry it on the march. Look at the body type of any machine gunner. Just give me this gun."

Wang Laokou pushed the big guy away, "You brute, get lost. Hu is the expert with machine guns, not you."

The big guy was still unwilling, "What? He's an expert? Why is he an expert? I..."

Wang Laokou cut him off, "Because I'm the platoon leader!"

The moment Hu Yi touched the machine gun, his heart skipped a beat. A familiar sensation tingled through his body, making his hands tremble slightly. Hu Yi sat down against the wall, legs crossed, and quickly unbuttoned his shirt, laying it flat on the damp ground. He placed the machine gun on his lap, removed the magazine, pressed the catch, lifted the trigger guard, rotated the gun, and then lifted the barrel handle with his left hand, pulling the gun body out with both hands. He pressed the catch on the bottom of the stock, turned the cover, and removed the accessory box and cleaning rod. He moved the sight lever, opened the feed cover, pushed the bolt stop, and pulled out the barrel lock. He held the barrel handle and pulled the barrel forward. Using the hammer and punch from the accessory box, he knocked out the connecting pin, pulled out the bolt, and removed the recoil spring. He used the charging handle to pull out the bolt carrier and bolt. He removed the bipod from the barrel, flipped it over, removed the pivot pin, unscrewed the pivot nut, loosened the direction lock, separated the upper and lower parts, and finally ejected the twenty Mauser rifle cartridges from the magazine, placing them in order.

For some reason, Hu Yi's skilled and fluid movements left the four people speechless. In a short time, it felt like they had watched a three-day play. The third company had a machine gun, a Czech one in the first platoon. They had seen the first platoon's machine gunner disassemble and clean the gun before, but that was just removing the magazine, the barrel, and a simple disassembly of the bolt. No one had ever disassembled it so thoroughly, especially in the dark by the wall!

The big guy's eyes nearly fell out, "This, this, this isn't just an expert, this is an ancestor!"

Zhao Yong smacked his lips, "A good Czech machine gun, and now it's ruined?"

Although he was only wearing a dirty, thin shirt, Hu Yi didn't feel cold; instead, he felt a comfortable warmth, a long-lost comfort. Looking at the disassembled parts on his shirt, he said to himself, "This is a copy from the Guangdong 41 factory. It's worn out. If we replace the barrel, it might be better, but it can still be used."

Wang Laokou finally came to his senses. This wasn't just a show; it was genuine skill. This was the difference. A pocket watch was worth it. Seeing Hu Yi's focused expression, Wang Laokou felt a pang of sadness. A fine horse is still a fine horse, even if it's kept in a stable. Fine, fine, it's just a machine gun. If he wants to keep it, let him. He'll figure out how to talk to the company commander later. He sighed and said to Hu Yi, "Little Hu, how does the gun feel?"

Hearing the platoon leader's question, Hu Yi realized he had been lost in thought. He paused and then firmly replied, "We can't keep this gun."

"What?—"

Everyone couldn't believe their ears. The big guy turned to Wang Laokou, "Platoon leader, did you hear that? He doesn't want the gun. Let me use it. I'll treat it like a son."

Zhao Yong asked, puzzled, "Is it because it's too disassembled and can't be put back together?"

Wang Laokou waved his hand, "Quiet, listen to Little Hu."

"I just think it's better to turn it over to the company for distribution," Hu Yi added, saying no more.

The big guy got upset, "If you don't want it, I do! This is what our foolish young man found. Why should we turn it in?"

"Having been a petty officer for a while, your awareness is different. Truly selfless," Zhao Yong chimed in sarcastically.

Wang Laokou stared at Hu Yi for a while, seemingly understanding his thoughts. "Ah, it's settled then." He turned to find the company commander.

Hu Yi wasn't a selfless person. Who doesn't like a machine gun? But having been a machine gun platoon leader and fought on the battlefield for years, Hu Yi knew that once a machine gun fired, it became the target of all enemies. Machine gunners had the shortest lifespan and were replaced most frequently. It wasn't that Hu Yi was afraid of death; he didn't want to endanger the third platoon. Near a roaring machine gun, enemy grenades, mortars, and sniper fire would be relentless. If they kept the machine gun, it would put the third platoon in the most dangerous position. Hu Yi couldn't do that. As for whether the machine gun would go to the first or second platoon, Hu Yi didn't care. Although they were in the same company and called each other brothers, Hu Yi didn't know them and didn't want to know them.

"Hey, Wang Laokou, I was just about to call you. Tell your guys to stop huddling by the wall and come over. We have orders to move to Qingpu," the company commander shouted to Wang Laokou, who was walking towards him.

"Sure, no problem," Wang Laokou smiled, approached, and offered a cigarette, lighting it for the company commander. After the company commander exhaled the first puff, Wang Laokou said, "Company commander, I have a good deal for you."

"Oh! A deal with you? It takes a lot to get a feather from you. I have no money. No interest."

Wang Laokou lit a cigarette for himself, took a deep puff, and said slowly, "A Czech machine gun."

Cough, cough, cough... The smoke choked the company commander, making his nose and eyes water. From a private to a squad leader, then a platoon leader, and finally a company commander, his perspective had changed. After over a year of the war, the Japanese had strong firepower, while their logistics were poor. They were always on the defensive, and the whole company had only one machine gun. A Czech machine gun hit a nerve.

Wang Laokou pretended to pat the company commander's back, "Look, look, you're a company commander, but your body is worse than mine. What a shame."

"You old bastard, if you're joking, I'll transfer you to the second platoon. Believe me?"

"I believe you, so I'm not joking!"

"Ah! You really have it? Where did you get it? Where's the gun?"

Seeing the company commander's eyes widen like bells, Wang Laokou felt a surge of satisfaction. "Each chicken has its own way of peeing. Don't ask so many questions. I've worked so hard for the third company. Shouldn't the company show some appreciation?"

"Ha! Appreciation my ass. Hand over the gun, or I'll enforce military law!"

"Sure, I'll hand it over. But I don't know if it's missing any parts. If it doesn't work, it's not my problem."

"You—!" The company commander, seeing Wang Laokou's stubbornness, was at a loss. He changed his tone, "Alright, old Laokou, you're short two rifles, right? You can pick any two from the company."

Seeing the company commander finally give in, Wang Laokou smiled inwardly. Now it was his turn to get something. "Add a pocket watch!"

"What? Ha! You're getting too cocky!"

Seeing the company commander's displeasure, Wang Laokou backed off a bit, "Company commander, don't get upset. I've kept that watch for a long time without pawning it because I really like it. I often hold it to pretend to be refined, not for money, but for fun. We've been in the third company for so long. Can you consider it a favor to me? I'll take one rifle, how about that?"

Hearing Wang Laokou's words, the company commander calmed down. The watch wasn't a big deal to him; it was just a matter of how many silver dollars it could fetch. Since he was getting it from Wang Laokou, it was fine. He took it out and threw it to Wang Laokou. "You're really stingy. Here, take it. Pick the rifle, we're moving soon."

Wang Laokou put the watch in his pocket, "Why pick? Just give me yours." He came over to take the rifle from the company commander's shoulder.

"Old Laokou, you—!" The company commander instinctively tried to avoid it but was still grabbed by Wang Laokou.

Wang Laokou, while prying the company commander's fingers off the rifle, said, "Why carry a long rifle as a company commander? It doesn't look official. Don't you have a pistol? That's enough to look impressive."

This was a 'Type 24' rifle, made in 1936 at the Gongxian Arsenal. It was almost new. The 67th Army was part of the Northeast Army, not Chiang Kai-shek's direct forces, so they only had a symbolic number of these rifles, allocated to a few elite platoons and junior officers. Now, it was taken by Wang Laokou...

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