Although various treaties related to prisoners of war were signed throughout Europe, during the war, whether Germans, British or French, they never strictly abide by various treaties related to prisoners of war. For many soldiers, prisoners of war camps are to some extent equivalent to death.

The captured soldiers were engaged in hard labor in prison camps, eating the least food, and dying seemed destined to prisoners, and they would never change anything because of those treaties.

At the end of the hospital in the prisoner-of-war camp, the two nurses were returning along the same route, with slow pace. The hospital in the prisoner-of-war camp was filled with the atmosphere of death. The Germans may provide some medicine for the prisoner-of-war camp out of humanitarianism or so-called national honors, but for most wounded soldiers, especially seriously injured soldiers, the hospital in the prisoner-of-war camp, which has never been sufficient, has always been a place to die.

Almost every day, bodies are carried out.

Once again, the food placed on the pot on the cardboard was placed on the bedside table. In the ward, prisoners from Britain, France and other countries seemed to have become accustomed to this scene in the past two days, and the official of the Chinese New Year was still on a hunger strike.

But if he doesn't eat it, it doesn't mean that his food will be wasted. In fact, after the German nurse left, the cardboard tray was taken away by others. When Tom saw someone holding the paper cone,

"Everyone has one!"

"But he..."

Tom pointed at the middle-aged official who was lying on the hospital bed.

"He is on a hunger strike!"

"What?"

Although he was surprised, he still defeated the rest. At this time, his companion of prisoners of war - from the military uniform, should be a Canadian - cut a small piece of noodles in his left hand and put it on another plate. The balance was balanced. The Canadian put two slices of bread on a cloth. There were five slices in total, and the weight was exactly the same. The Canadian took his hand back.

Tom reached out to take the closest piece to him. Although there were pieces of wood chips on the dark dough at first glance. The Canadians waited for everyone to choose before taking the remaining piece. Everyone left, but Tom did not. He still felt guilty about everyone sharing the food of the top official like this.

"I've eaten sawdust. Huh?"

Tom shrugged.

“New?”

Tom nodded.

This was his first day at the Hutst Prisoner of War Camp. The camp was a desolate place, with only small sheds, barren land, barbed wire, and guard posts. There were a total of one thousand people inside, and sixty people lived in each simple shed. Twelve cold faucets formed the washing equipment of the entire camp. Everyone had to work for a long time, and were always under the supervision of the German guards, who were called "guardians". What they had to do was to smash the rocks and provide raw materials for a nearby soda factory.

Accommodation conditions are not the problem.

Not a faucet, not a job.

Food is.

There was only so much bread for each person every day. There was nothing else. Although it was only the first day that he came here, Tom had become hungry. It was also the first time in his life that he had seen a man on the verge of starvation here, and now he himself joined the ranks.

"You can eat sawdust too,"

Canadians said to put the cardboard balance under the bedding.

"You can chew it well."

There is a characteristic in him that Tom immediately likes and trusts him.

"Tom Chris."

Tom reached out to introduce himself.

The Canadian looked around with a smile.

"Mickey Noffel."

They exchanged information that prisoners often exchanged. Nofel has been imprisoned here since December 1915. Although Nofel joined the Canadian army, he was actually an American citizen. He was enlisted because his mother was Belgian, and he was shocked by the atrocities committed by German soldiers in Belgium in the first few days of the war...

"So I think I should join the army, so that they can commit atrocities against me. I think my plan is implemented better than I hope."

"Are you American? I thought-"

"Yes. Yes, the Canadian army does not allow the Americans to be accepted. Yes, they do not allow it, but they do."

Tom told Norfel his story: formation, arrest date, work details.

And then Nofel's expression became serious, and he told him that in this prison camp, most prisoners could survive because in addition to the rations distributed by the prison, they would also receive packages sent by the Red Cross from Geneva. However, if your record is "missing, presumably dead", the human rights agency will not provide anything.

"By your Royal Navy, the Germans can't even feed themselves, let alone their prisoners. Without these food packages, you can't stand it."

Tom shrugged and pulled his waist. His belt had been tighter than usual, and his pants began to look loose.

"Where is that person?"

He pointed at the official and asked Nofel.

"Why did he go on a hunger strike?"

"God knows, it seems that he doesn't want to be a prisoner! The Germans said that!"

"Fight bravely and not be captive for living!"

Whether it is thirst or hunger, for Zhao Peiren, he only has one thought now, that is, to die, die like a soldier!

Not to be a prisoner for life!

Not to be a prisoner for life!

For him who was seriously injured, with the help of others, perhaps a hunger strike was his only choice and his last choice to maintain the honor of officers.

What is he talking about?

Just as a question surged in his heart, Tom saw a German officer walking in, and behind him was a German doctor and a soldier. The soldier was holding a steel plate in his hand. There was even a glass of milk on the plate. Smelling the thick milk fragrance, Tom drooled like everyone else.

"Hello, Mr. Warrant Officer! I am the commander of this prisoner-of-war camp, Major Heidrich!"

Major Heidrich looked at the officer lying on the bed. Until now, he had never known the name of the officer. In fact, he had never said a word since he was captured. Until now, if the military doctor had not told him that the officer was on a hunger strike, he would not even notice that in his prisoner camp, a officer was still imprisoned. After the outbreak of this war, the first officer captured by the German team.

Based on basic officer etiquette, Zhao Peiren opened his eyes and lay on the bed and looked at the strange King of God.

"Hello, Major Heidrich!"

When fluent German was spitting out of Zhao Peiren's mouth, Heidrich was stunned. He looked at the officer in surprise and subconsciously classified the officer as a professional officer with higher education.

"Doctor Hank told me. In the past two days..."

Heidrich looked at the table. Although there was no food on it, he knew that it must have been in the mouth of others, not the officer.

"You have been refusing to eat, have you?"

Zhao Peiren did not continue to speak. Seeing that the other party did not answer, Heidrich signaled the soldiers behind him to put the plate next to his bedside table.

"Maybe, it's because the food here is very rough!"

This is just a test!

He once used this action to test one British, French, and Canadian officer after another, and now this is just a different role.

When he put down the plate, Heidrich saw it with some disappointment that the official of the top official did not even look at the bowl. He didn't even look at it with his eyes. He just lay there quietly, as if he was waiting for...death!...

Is he waiting for death?

"Mr. Warrant Officer, do you want to express anything through hunger strike?"

The other party's indifference aroused Heidrich's curiosity. He imprisoned dozens of Chinese prisoners of war in his prison camp, but this was his first contact with the captive Chinese official.

"Is it a protest?"

Thinking of the discrimination suffered by the Chinese prisoners, Heidrich said with some self-righteousness.

"protest?"

Opening his eyes, Zhao Peiren looked at Heidrich, his chapped lips slightly raised, and his pale face without any blood was full of contempt.

The other party's contempt only stunned Heidrich, what expression was he like?

"Mr. Major, I think, the only thing worth my protest is that your shells are so poor that they didn't blow me to death!"

What is the answer?

Could it be that he didn't want to be a prisoner, but wanted to die on the battlefield?

More than a dozen minutes later, Heidrich got an answer from other Chinese prisoners that surprised him.

"Fight loyally and bravely, and not be captive for living!"

This is the creed of the official of the Central Government! Hedrich, who was sitting on the chair for a while, could not react. For the first time, he became interested in the official of the Central Government who was on a hunger strike. An officer who had ordered soldiers to kill him, but now ended his life with a hunger strike.

"Let him survive!"

Heinrich murmured to himself that this might be a way to end his boring life while he was keeping a prisoner of war camp.

"Not for captives..."

While Zhao Peiren was muttering, Tom felt a little bitter when he listened to the incomprehensible Chinese, and his hands even trembled, feeling a little guilty in his heart.

Although he had just arrived here, he heard his story from others. He was extremely impressed. He had never seen such an officer. At least after he joined the army, he had never seen an officer who was unwilling to survive. To be precise, he was an officer who was unwilling to live as a prisoner and wanted to end his life.

Tom stared at the food in the basin with his hungry eyes, and then he looked at Zhao Peiren and said.

"Feel sorry!"

However, to his surprise, the other party spoke fluent English.

"Need not!"

With his eyes closed, Zhao Peiren was unwilling to continue talking. He didn't want to say anything or talk about it anymore. He just wanted to die just now, thus ending his life and maintaining the dignity of the officer.

At this time, Major Heidrich came over again, looking at Zhao Peiren lying on the bed, and then said.

"Mr. Warrant Officer."
To be continued...