The sound of explosions kept coming from the air, and the dense explosions of artillery shells seemed to be the only sound this summer. The suffocating smell of gunpowder smoke spread from the front, and the sound of explosions only made people feel the tension of being on the battlefield.

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Although they are in a war zone, there are still some French civilians in the war zone who have not evacuated. They stubbornly stick to their homes and work as usual. A French girl stands in front of the house and can see the river and the plains.

and distant mountains. The river bed is full of large and small pebbles, which glow white dryly in the sun. The river water is clear and transparent, flowing gently, and turns deep blue when it flows deep.

However, today, this beautiful girl seems to be in no mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery that she has been accustomed to for a long time. For her, perhaps, all this beautiful scenery ended with the outbreak of the war that summer two years ago.

In her big blue eyes, all she could see at this moment was worry, maybe for her family, maybe for her country.

Troops passed by her house one after another and marched forward along the road. The dust they raised continued to fall on the leaves. The tree trunks were also covered with dust. Here, when I saw the troops for the first time,

The girl once thought that when the leaves fell, the troops would pass by again with songs of triumph, but now, the leaves fell twice and became dense again. The soldiers were still on the front line, and the war still has no end. Girl

I just stood there and watched the teams marching on the road. The dust was flying, and the leaves were blown up and fell by the breeze. Then I watched the soldiers walking farther and farther. After a while, there was nothing on the road except fallen leaves.

However, today, there was a look of surprise on the girl's face. For a girl who had never left here, this was the first time she saw those yellow-skinned soldiers. Their military uniforms looked a bit like Germans.

The weapons are also very similar to those of the Germans, but their expressions are different from the serious expressions of the Germans, the smiling faces of the French, and the solemnity and stiffness of the British. Their expressions are very indifferent, as if nothing can

As if they were reluctant to move, they just walked forward, marching towards the battlefield.

"Nothing scares them!"

I don't know why, but such an idea came into the girl's mind.

In July, the plains on both sides of the Somme River were full of crops, dotted with orchards. The mountains were green, and some places were bare. At this time, the battle that had just started was still going on. It seemed that it had not entered yet.

**, the attacking British and French troops were still attacking the German defense line on a 40-kilometer long front. At this time, the Chinese Expeditionary Force's 3rd Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Division, and 11th Infantry Division arrived.

Somme River, heading towards their position.

Because it was late at night, the more than 50,000 expeditionary officers and soldiers who were rushing to the front line could see the flash of artillery fire in the distance, and their ears could hear the "click-click" of machine guns, and bullets whizzing past. There were more military vehicles at night, and they were on both sides.

The mule team carrying boxes of ammunition moved slowly. Dark green trucks carrying soldiers and heavy howitzers were crawling heavily in the queue. During the day, there were also trucks pulling 150mm heavy howitzers they brought from China.

The artillery passed by. Because the French needed to concentrate more artillery fire, in future battles, they were likely to be unable to receive fire support from the "Allies". Therefore, the heavy artillery brigade directly under the expeditionary force headquarters was strengthened to this

Detachment of troops to obtain adequate fire support in future battles.

It rained at night. The convoy was splashed with mud and marched hard on the road. The army also marched in the mud, their cloaks were wet by the rain, and the 2-year-old rifles were hung tightly on their shoulders. The cloaks

Below, the two rows of bulging bullet bags made the soldiers look bulky and bloated. The reason why the soldiers were so bloated was just because they were ordered to carry three bases of ammunition. This was the lesson the expeditionary force learned at Verdun.

.The French’s logistics will not give priority to the logistics support of the expeditionary force, and the unique 6.8 mm caliber of the expeditionary force makes it impossible for them to use the ammunition of the French Army. It is for this reason that the headquarters requires all troops on the front line to

, must carry at least three bases of ammunition to ensure wartime consumption...

Different from the wars they were exposed to at home, this war is essentially a war of attrition, consuming manpower, material resources, and financial resources!

When the troops were moving, some dark green cars often passed by in the marching column. An officer and driver sat in the front row. There were other officers in the back row. The officers' cars splashed on the road.

More muddy points, whether compared with the British army or the French army, the Chinese Expeditionary Force has always maintained the habits of the domestic army - when fighting, officers will wear the same military uniforms as ordinary soldiers, except for military rank.

, it is difficult to distinguish the difference between officers and soldiers, but here, riding in a car - this special status difference is still revealed.

"Into the trenches!"

Finally, when they were still kilometers away from the front line, following the shouts of the sergeants, the soldiers began to enter the trenches ahead along the traffic trenches with signs written in Chinese characters. The so-called front line was even several kilometers away.

It was at this time that the soldiers took off their soft cloth military caps and inserted them under their epaulettes. Wearing their steel helmets, which were called "Krauts", they ran toward the front trenches as fast as they could with their rifles in hand.

.

"Damn it!"

Almost as soon as they entered the trench, the soldiers began to complain... Water!

There was a lot of water under the trench, which was almost two to three meters deep. This was determined by the terrain, because the terrain of the British and French trenches made it easier for their trenches to accumulate water.

"You're complaining, hurry up!"

The sergeants did not give them a chance to complain at all. When someone slowed down, he would definitely get a kick on the butt. Under the "kicks" of the superiors, the soldiers could only drip with dirty water up to their ankles.

, rushed towards the defensive position they accepted. They could not understand the French identification plate, but they could understand the Chinese on it.

It was almost early in the morning. After walking for nearly an hour, they just entered their position. This forward position had been attacked several times by German artillery fire, so that many of the positions needed to be rebuilt.

"The machine gun enters the firing position, calibrate the firing range, and others check the trench!"

The Chinese Expeditionary Force entered the trenches and did not immediately allocate camp areas, but also required the troops to prepare for defense in order. Although they knew that they could not stay here for a long time, preparing for defense was a benefit to themselves.

Xiao Ming is responsible.

"Mortar school shooting..."

Listening to the sound of artillery shells piercing the air above his head, Wang Shiqin opened his arms to the new recruit Lu Siyou next to him.

"Whether it's a machine gun, a mortar, or a howitzer, they all have to be calibrated after entering the position. Now, we don't have time. If we had time, it is estimated that the artillery would have to fire hundreds of rounds, so that when fighting, the artillery can fire

Be more accurate!"

"Sir, the French are here..."

Looking at the tracer light in the distance that was constantly cutting through the night sky, Lu Siyou looked at the squad leader next to him with some curiosity.

"We don't need to know where they are, this. You just need to remember one sentence."

As he spoke, he took a puff of cigarette, exhaled the smoke, and said something mysterious.

"On the battlefield, only the bravest survive. Those who are most likely to die are cowards!"

The squad leader's words not only shocked these people who had never been on the battlefield, but also made Wang Tianmu, a second lieutenant officer who had just graduated from the officer education corps, prick up his ears. He knew that Wang Shiqin was not just a squad leader in the simple sense.

Rather, the Third Division was one of the 400 soldiers "exchanged" from the Fifth Division, which was mainly composed of the Jiangsu Army. He was a "veteran" who had been on the battlefield.

"Monitor, are you telling the truth?"

Wang Shiqin glanced contemptuously at these guys who had never been on the battlefield. Then Wang Shiqin said in a very proud tone...

"You know what it means to risk your life and live another life!"

Put yourself to death and live again? Before everyone could understand, they heard him say it again.

"Do you know why new recruits narrowly escape death when they go into battle?"

"Afraid. When you are afraid, your legs will feel tight and squeak. You have even forgotten what you were told during training. If I don't kill you, who will die! So, I put myself to death and try to survive. I know how to survive.

…”

After taking another puff of cigarette, he started to show off, and now not only Wang Tianmu but also some soldiers in the distance pricked up their ears.

"Think of yourself as a dead person first. Dead people are afraid of birds!"

Although most soldiers understood the meaning of the squad leader's words, Lu Siyou understood the way to survive on the battlefield from these simple sentences. As an officer, he naturally knew that the more timid and cowardly a person is on the battlefield, the more likely they are to survive.

The easier it is to be killed, so the casualty rate of recruits who go into battle for the first time is alarming. Veterans who have been on the battlefield and have gone through the test of life and death naturally understand this rule. In addition to being more calm and calm than recruits, some soldiers may also be born with

This kind of fighting technique is a crazy "seeking death" in the hope of "accidental" survival. Since the fate of death cannot be controlled by an individual, then treat yourself as a dead person. In this way, you may be able to survive in death.

"Want to die, wish to die..."

As a new soldier, although Lu Siyou did not understand the meaning of the squad leader's words, it did not prevent him from thinking about "the art of war" while repairing the fortifications.

"To wish for death, to wish for death, is it to assume that you will die, so to fight fearlessly with the attitude of "wishing to die"..."

He has never been on the battlefield and does not know what seeking death is. But can a person really sacrifice his life to seek death and survive in death?

While waving the shovel to shovel the soil into sandbags, his mind once again thought of "know your shame, avenge your shame, and become a benevolent person". This is what the superiors told him after joining the expeditionary force.

The so-called knowing shame means that the shame of the Chinese people is that they cannot consolidate national defense and restore China's dignity. Therefore, they went to Europe to avenge their humiliation and the shame of the Japanese army in the snow. Cheng Ren, Cheng Ren requires them to embrace the country.

Fight bravely with a sincere heart, and succeed like an officer and soldier of the first division.

"hurry up……"

At this moment, there was a roar like thunder in his ears, which made Lu Siyou tremble all over. When he came back to his senses, he turned around and saw the expressionless face of the sergeant major, so he quickly accelerated the speed of filling the sandbags.

.

As a soldier, you think too much! You might die tomorrow...

While he was laughing at himself, another thought came to his mind, if he had to die tomorrow... Suddenly, the originally tense mood seemed to be much more relaxed at this moment, and there was no longer the previous nervousness.

...Is this a state of seeking death?

That change of mentality and the ensuing psychological crisis only made Lu Siyou feel excited. At this moment, he felt that he seemed to have understood the "skill of war", to be precise, "the art of victory in a hundred battles"

technique".

You will win every battle, but you will die...

The air was filled with a thick smell of gunpowder smoke. The soldiers who were waiting for the attack order in the somewhat humid trench were listening to the battlefield concerto composed of the sound of artillery while enjoying the pleasant time on the battlefield. In the trench

Beside the shooting stand, two soldiers were playing cards.

"A pair of k's,"

"A pair of a..."

While they were playing cards, a low-level soldier carrying a rifle came towards them with a box of bullets in his hand. Xiao Kenian, who was playing cards and smoking, said to the soldier.

"Bring me a cup of tea when you come over later!"
To be continued...