While everyone was waiting, the skyline due east behind them gradually turned white, and the soldiers who had gone out to repair the barbed wire fences and lay mines also jumped into the trenches again.
To Weiran's relief, the two "audiences" from last night came back unharmed. They said that when they climbed near the barbed wire fence, Vanya threw two grenades first.
Just in case there were Germans pretending to be dead, so they could be lucky enough to come back alive. But even so, I heard that an unknown unlucky guy died under a German submachine gun.
Wei Ran was reduced to an "audience" this time, but Yu Wang didn't ask any questions at all. He didn't know the name of the unlucky guy who couldn't come back. He didn't know if he had planned what he would do after the war was over, let alone
Did he have someone he cared about? Did he put the written letter into his hands yesterday?
The two soldiers with happy faces told about their work experience in repairing the barbed wire fence, and the various trophies they brought back from the corpses of the Germans, but they gave Wei Ran a deep sense of powerlessness.
In this war era when people's brains are beaten to shit, personal ideals and wishes are far less important than the value of the barbed wire outside the trenches.
"It's the 24th..."
Wei Ran looked at the gradually brightening sky outside the bunker exit and sighed silently. According to the historical process, the German army will launch an attack on the right wing of the 64th Army tomorrow. As for whether Position 19 is located on the right wing of the Army Group, let alone Wei Ran.
, I am afraid that even the Aleutian company commander who was promoted from the front line does not know.
While Wei Ran was waiting with great anxiety, the German troops on the other side of the front had stopped and had no intention of launching an attack. It seemed that the failed sneak attack before dawn was the KPI they needed to complete throughout the day.
However, compared to the tranquility of Position 19, the explosions in the direction of the Don River took over again after the rain abated slightly. Correspondingly, the supplies sent to various positions also came to a standstill.
"Kaze, have our artillery positions not been built yet?" Aleutian approached Kaze, the artillery observer, and anxiously asked the question he had asked almost every half hour since dawn.
Kaze, who was playing with the two 120mm heavy mortars, shook his head, stood up and replied again, "I'm afraid we have to wait until night."
"Where are these two mortars?" Vanya, who had been following Aleutian, asked after him.
"They can hit the German positions on the opposite side, but they can't reach the opponent's artillery positions. We don't even know where the opponent's artillery positions are."
"Should we destroy their frontline positions first?" Vanya turned to Aleutian and asked.
"We only have 80 rounds of artillery shells," Kaze had to remind, "They should be used when they are needed most."
"These two mortars cannot be moved for the time being."
The Aleutian company commander finally used his reason to defeat his impulse. Although the two mortars can hit the opponent's position, they may not cause much casualties, and may even attract German artillery.
Strike. Once they are destroyed by the opponent's artillery, Position 19 will be particularly passive in the subsequent defense.
Artillery observer Kaze breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. After a short pause, he said, "Captain Aleutian, after dark, correspondent Beshev and I are going to go around the German positions on the opposite side and search for the German artillery positions."
"What help do you need from us?" Captain Aleutian asked immediately.
"I need a guide who is familiar with the surrounding environment." Before Kaze finished speaking, Aleutian and Vanya immediately turned to look at the veterinarian Cyril not far away.
"Cyril! Cyril! Come here!" Vanya shouted, holding up a tin trumpet.
Cyril, who was hiding in the trench with Wei Ran while chatting and sharing boiled potatoes, immediately stood up, ate the last piece of potato in a few mouthfuls, and ran over in the mud.
"We need a guide." Aleutian pointed in the direction of the German position. "We need a guide to take Kaze and signalman Beshev to find the German artillery position."
Cyril, the veterinarian, turned pale, and then asked firmly, "When will we set off?"
"After dark," Kazee thought for a moment, then added, "Or when the rain is heavier."
"no problem!"
Veterinarian Cyril nodded vigorously and pointed in the direction of Wei Ran, "I'm at the postman Victor's. Call me anytime you need to leave."
The Aleutian captain nodded imperceptibly, and then waved to Cyril.
Lowering his head and returning to Wei Ran, Cyril pulled the latter into a bunker not far away, "Victor, do me a favor."
"What are you busy with?" Wei Ran asked confused.
Cyril, the veterinarian, took out an iron box the size of a palm and a message folded into a triangle from his arms and handed it to the guard, "Victor, tonight I will take the communications officer Beshev and the artillery observer Kaze to look for Germany."
Human artillery positions, if...if I fail to come back, can you find a way to hand these things over to my family in person?"
Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, "I remember..."
"My daughter is 17 years old"
Cyril sighed and lowered his voice and said, "She always wanted to go to the battlefield, fight the Germans or rescue injured Soviet soldiers on the battlefield, just like her father. But look at the German corpses lying outside the trenches,
Look at the Soviet soldiers who were carried away and buried collectively by those children.
I'm afraid they won't even have a name left in this war. I don't want her to waste her life in such a ghost place. So just leave this war to us. As long as we finish all the wars, that's enough.
.”
Cyril handed the thing in his hand to Wei Ran's hand again, and his voice became softer, "But if this idea is written in a letter, it will definitely be discovered by the battlefield post office, I..."
"I see"
Wei Ran took the iron box and envelope handed over by Cyril, carefully wrapped them tightly in a rainproof cloth together with the letters from Aleutian and Vanya, and then stuffed them into his arms.
"Thank you, thank you Victor." Cyril breathed a sigh of relief as if he had put down a heavy burden, and said in a relaxed tone, "If I can come back, I will come to you to get these things back."
"I'll wait for you to come back and get it!" Wei Ran said with great solemnity.
Just as Cyril was about to say something, communications soldier Beshev came in from the outside, "Uncle Cyril, Kaze called you to come over and inquire about the situation."
"I'll go right away!" Cyril patted Wei Ran heavily on the shoulder, bent down and got out of the bunker.
"Comrade Victor"
Signal Corpsman Beshev also handed a triangular letter to Wei Ran, "I just heard your conversation with Cyril outside. If you can, please accept this letter."
"you also..."
"It doesn't matter." Beishev calmly turned around and got out of the bunker, "Just send it through the field post office. I just informed my fiancée that she doesn't have to wait for me anymore."
Squeezing a ring that seemed to be a ring wrapped in the envelope, Wei Ran sighed. After all, he didn't say anything. He just took out the rainproof cloth package in his arms again.
Shortly after noon, the raging rainstorm finally stopped completely, and even the sun that had been hiding behind the dark clouds emerged, making the muddy trenches extremely hot and unbearable, and at the same time, the explosions in the direction of the Don River became more intensive.
Shortly after the rain stopped, the women and children once again brought simple food and drinks. Also coming with them was Zoya, a female soldier who had been here yesterday.
"Captain Aleutian, is there a postman on your position?" Zoya asked Captain Aleutian.
"Victor! Come here quickly!" Aleutian didn't even get up and started shouting at the top of his lungs.
Wei Ran had been secretly staring at the camera around Zoya's neck, so almost as soon as Aleushin opened his mouth, he stood up and ran over.
"What do you want from me?" Wei Ran asked pretending not to know.
"Send me a letter." Zoya took out a letter from her satchel and handed it over.
Wei Ran raised his eyebrows and looked at the envelope handed to him by the local police. This was the first letter with an envelope that he saw after entering Position 19. On the envelope, the words "Komsomolskaya Pravda" were printed.
It hints at the origin of Zoya's identity.
The Aleut Captain handed Zoya a glass of cold water with sand in it and asked doubtfully, "Why did you come here to send a letter?"
"After Uncle Mehri died, the command ordered Sasha from the post office to take the postman children to the east bank of the Don River before dawn."
Zoya drank the water in the cup in one breath, and then continued, "So currently, you are the only postman in the entire position, and I can only deliver the letters here."
"Do you know the little postman Vasily? Did he follow him to the other side?" Wei Ran asked doubtfully as he put the envelope into the tarpaulin.
Zoya nodded, "It should have been evacuated. Now all the children behind the position have evacuated to the other side."
Wei Ran breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, "Why don't you follow us and withdraw?"
"I am a reporter," Zoya said matter-of-factly, "This is your position, and it is also my position."
Captain Aleutian reminded him nonchalantly, "But the camera in your hand cannot stop the Germans on the other side."
Zoya put down the water glass in her hand and said in a particularly affirmative tone, "At least we can let everyone know what happened on the battlefield and that the Germans are invading our land."
"Then our Victor can deliver your letter to its destination." Vanya, who was wiping his submachine gun, said without raising his head, "But he doesn't even have a waterproof messenger bag now."