Wei Ran was stunned for a moment. When he saw Vanya looking at him, he immediately picked up the shovel stuck in the mud and continued to dig hard into the drainage ditch filled with shrapnel, shell casings and body fragments.
While everyone was busy, the trench at position 19 was re-reinforced. During this period, Wei Ran even risked stepping on the ladder to take a look outside the trench.
The battle last night was far more difficult than he thought. The nearest wreckage of a German tank was less than 10 meters away from the barbed wire fence directly in front of the trench line.
Such tank wrecks are almost everywhere on this scorched earth battlefield, but there are more tank wrecks than tank wrecks. In addition to large and small shell craters that are still smoking, they are dead in different ways.
german soldier.
Even on some corpses, there are a few particularly fat crows that fill their stomachs while bending down and bowing again and again.
But what are bolder than these crows are several soldiers who also ask for benefits from corpses. Whether it is a gold ring on their finger or some German coins, as long as these things can be sent home, they can be exchanged for a family to eat.
Food, and the unfinished cigarettes that the other party smoked before his death were the most popular German souvenirs in the trenches. Of course, what they got in exchange more often were bullets shot by German snipers on the opposite side.
But there is no way to ban this kind of thing, and not only will it not be banned, but it will also be supported openly and covertly by the commander of the position. Compared with those external things, perhaps life here is really the cheapest and least worth caring about.
"Aleutian, the statistics are over." Taking advantage of the break, Vanya approached the temporary commander of position 19, and Wei Ran, who came over intentionally, immediately straightened his ears.
"Not counting you and me, there are 57 people alive, including 6 children. The youngest is 13 years old. They used to be Mehri's postmen."
Seeing that Aleutian was silent, Vanya paused and continued, "Not counting those children and you and me, there are 11 literate people among these people, including a veterinarian, a postman of the army group, a correspondent, and another
There are two more people like me. The remaining six people are the gunner and deputy gunner of the anti-tank gun."
"Where are the additional troops? Why haven't they arrived yet?" Aleutian asked, flipping through the notebook handed over by Vanya.
Aleutian shook his head, "Except for the eight surviving soldiers who came over from Position 18, there will be no additional troops in the short term, and we also have to undertake the counterattack mission of Position 18."
Aleutian frowned when he heard this, and after being silent for a full minute, he said calmly, "Let the three gun commanders take five people each to position 18 to control the two anti-tank guns. The extra gunner squad
Use other weapons first, and immediately make up for the loss of those two cannons! Remind them to seize all the time to restore the combat effectiveness of those two cannons before the battle starts again! "
"Understood!" Vanya agreed immediately.
"Let those two people go over to supervise them, and let the three remaining deputy gunners immediately form a new gunner squad. Also remind them that they must form combat effectiveness before the battle starts again."
The Aleutian company commander flicked the cigarette butt and finally added, "That's all. Call the other literate people over."
Vanya nodded, immediately took off the iron trumpet hanging from his waist, and started to assemble based on the names on the book.
In less than five minutes, the three gunners, each with five experienced veterans, and two fierce-looking soldiers left Position 19. Wei Ran was also captured along with the other two.
Vanya called away from the Aleutian captain.
"Let's introduce each other first."
The Aleutian Captain spoke while scattering a circle of smoke. This time even Wei Ran, who had never smoked, took one and took a strong puff, followed by an uncontrollable cough.
"Just you start first"
Aleutian didn't pay attention to Wei Ran's gaffe, and pointed at a man who looked to be at least forty years old.
The middle-aged man said awkwardly, "I am Cyril, a local veterinarian in Karachi. I was recruited to serve as a doctor, but I don't have any medicines at all. I'm afraid I can't be of much help."
"I am Signal Corpsman Beshev of Position 18," the young soldier next to the veterinarian Cyril introduced himself. "Currently, the phone line between us and the rear has been disconnected. Before the phone line is reconnected, we can only call
Human connection.”
"Victor," Wei Ran, who was still coughing, said with great effort, "The 64th...64th Group Army's field post...postman."
“Don’t waste these good things if you don’t know how to smoke.”
Aleutian took a puff of the cigarette from Wei Ran's hand and put it into his mouth. After taking a puff, he asked in a puff of smoke, "Beshev, how long will it take for the phone line to be connected? In addition, we have a wireless station."
?"
The young communications soldier Beshev thought for a moment and replied, "If the rear and I repair it at the same time, it will take at least two hours. As for the radio, Position 18 had received one before, but it had been hit by a collapsed pillar before dawn.
It’s broken, I haven’t found the command post at Position 19 yet..."
"The command post on the 19th is gone."
Aleutian waved his hand and turned to look at Wei Ran, "Are you familiar with the trench lines here?"
Wei Ran shook his head and said with the same disappointment in the other party's disappointed eyes, "I'm not familiar with it. I should have returned to the other side with the letter from the Don River position last night."
"Oh! I remembered"
Aleutian suddenly realized, "Are you the postman who offered to help at the post office in Mehri last night?"
Wei Ran nodded immediately, "Yes, yes! That's me!"
"What else can you do?" Aleutian asked patiently.
"I can take pictures"
Wei Ran, who wanted to find a camera, subconsciously came up with an answer, and then rushed to say before the other party spoke, "I can also read maps and topographic maps!"
“It’s somewhat useful”
Vanya, who had been standing at the edge, spoke neither loudly nor softly, but just enough for Wei Ran and the Aleutian Captain in front of him to hear clearly.
The Aleut Captain seemed not to have heard anything and turned to look at the veterinarian Cyril, "Are you familiar with the trenches here?"
"familiar!"
Cyril, the veterinarian, replied with great confidence, "I have also participated in the excavation work of these trenches. Even if I close my eyes, I will not get lost."
"In this case, before Beshev repairs the phone, you and the six children will be responsible for communicating with the rear to convey combat orders. By the way, you can help us bring ammunition and supplies back. If you can find useful medicines, you will definitely bring them back.
"
"No problem! No problem! Leave it to me!" Veterinarian Cyril replied excitedly.
"Captain Aleutian, me, where is me?" Wei Ran asked after him.
Aleutian pondered for a moment and then asked, "Do you still have the letter paper? Blank letter paper."
"Yes! Yes!"
Wei Ran quickly opened the canvas messenger bag. Although this messenger bag looked ugly, its waterproof performance was pretty good, and because Wei Ran had been wearing a raincoat, the contents inside the bag did not get wet.
Captain Aleutian looked at the letter paper Wei Ran took out, flicked the cigarette butt away and walked away, saying, "Let's organize everyone to write a letter home during the break!"
"no problem!"
While Wei Ran was speaking, he had sorted out a few cards and was about to hand them to Captain Aleutian and the strong man named Vanya. Unexpectedly, the veterinarian Cyril on the side held down the wrist he had just raised, and then said vaguely
Chao Weiran shook his head.
Seeing the latter looking at him with a puzzled look, the veterinarian Cyril did not let go at all. It was not until the Aleut Captain and the Vanya had gone far that he explained in a low voice, "They don't need the letter paper, and they won't need it in the future."
Give them stationery."
"Why?" Wei Ran asked puzzledly.
"Both of them are Sukka, Sukka who came out of the labor correction camp and joined the army."
Cyril said almost close to Wei Ran's ear, "They no longer have any relatives to contact. Even if they did, their letters would never be sent to the correction camp."
