After being prepared, the troops were divided into several columns and lined up, and then it was like a military parade. The tanks lined up in front, the infantry followed, followed by a group of artillery, and then followed by a group of dejected Luo, prisoners of the German coalition forces.
.
As soon as I walked into Harbor Street, there were thunderous cheers. Although it was pouring rain, the streets were crowded with people on both sides. There were soldiers and civilians, old people and children, men and women...especially those generous and beautiful Ukrainians.
The girls kept blowing kisses to the team, and some of them couldn't help but rush into the street to warmly embrace these brave soldiers.
So the troops only advanced for a while and were blocked. People were bringing water and food, asking for help, shaking hands and thanking... The whole street was crowded with people.
Although there are traces of war everywhere on both sides of the street: collapsed buildings, houses burned down to their frames, craters, pools of blood, and even in some corners you can see corpses and organs.
But this did not affect the enthusiasm of the soldiers and civilians at all. They even climbed onto the tank to deliver food to the tank crew, which forced the tank to stop moving to avoid danger.
"Comrade!" While Shulka was looking at everything in front of him from a third-person perspective, an old woman suddenly grabbed Shulka's hand and said, "Are you married? If not, look.
Look at my granddaughter!”
As he spoke, he pulled up a plainly dressed but very beautiful Ukrainian girl behind him and introduced: "Her name is Yelena, she is seventeen years old..."
Shulka couldn't help but be stunned. This old woman actually went on a blind date on such an occasion.
The soldiers nearby started to boo, and regardless of whether Shulka agreed or not, they stepped forward one after another and said half-jokingly:
"Auntie, you have such a good sense. This is our platoon leader, comrade!"
"He is a famous 'escape hero'!"
"Yes, have you heard of Shulka?" The actor grabbed Shulka who was about to run away and pushed him in front of the girl, saying: "Shurka, 'Escape Hero' Shulka!"
…
There was not much change in the expression on the old woman's face. She had obviously never heard of it, and she didn't seem to like the word "escape", so she looked a little suspicious.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian girl who was reluctant and embarrassed couldn't help but look at Shulka with her eyes widened when she heard the name.
"Are you the 'escape hero'?" Yelena asked: "The 'escape hero' from Brest Fortress?"
"That's right!" Shulka replied helplessly: "That's the nickname they gave me, although I don't like it!"
"I've heard of you!" Yelena's previous embarrassment was swept away, and she became active as if she were a different person: "I've heard many stories about you..."
The soldiers cheered around:
"Comrade platoon leader can tell you more stories!"
"When there are only two of us!"
…
"Shulka!" Davydov shouted from the front: "Keep going!"
Only then did Shulka notice that there were many police officers around to maintain law and order. They pushed the crowd to both sides to ensure that the troops continued to pass.
"Goodbye, beautiful girl!" Shulka waved to Elena: "I will miss you!"
If this were in China, Shulka would not dare to tease girls like this because it would be regarded as "teasing".
But in Ukraine, Shulka knew that this was normal, and could even be said to be friendly and complimentary.
"Goodbye!" Yelena also waved: "My name is Yelena!"
Shulka guessed that Yelena probably wanted to tell Shulka her address so that she could contact her again, but when she was stopped by the police, she said her name again in desperation.
Then, they were separated by the crowd.
Shulka smiled indifferently. He felt the boldness and enthusiasm of the Ukrainian girl. It was an exotic feeling to him, and it could also be said to be a beautiful memory.
The soldiers carried their guns all the way, waving to both sides of the street with their heads high and striding forward. It took more than an hour to complete the parade... But this hour passed very quickly, even if
The soldiers have been fighting continuously until now.
Of course, it's different with the prisoners behind the team.
Shulka suddenly felt that this was a bit like the entrance ceremony of the Olympic Games, except that there was no announcement shouting: "What appears in front of you now is the 1st Tank Battalion. They marched forward in the battle and repeatedly broke through the enemy's defense lines..."
Then there was applause and the flowers were waved.
"What appears in front of everyone now is the prisoner detachment, which is composed of the Romanian detachment and the German detachment..."
Then there were scoldings and eggs and mud were thrown at them.
The scene was even more chaotic than depicted. The fighting nations would not be polite to these invaders. Some of them spat at the prisoners at close range, some punched them severely, and some threw stones at the prisoners' faces.
, they were beaten until their noses were bruised and their faces were swollen, and they screamed in agony.
The policemen who were maintaining order seemed to be stupid and pretended not to see anything and did not stop them.
However, Shulka and others did not need to worry about this. The troops followed the tanks in front and entered the school that was used as a temporary military camp.
During wartime, schools are the ideal place to serve as temporary military camps.
This is partly due to the fact that in a war situation it is impossible and will not be possible for schools to be put into use for a considerable period of time... Students are suspended and teachers are on holiday.
On the other hand, it is because the school has relatively complete facilities: walls, classrooms, dormitories, canteens, and even bathhouses. It only needs slight modifications or additional beds to be used as a military camp.
But Shulka and others don't care about so much.
The high-spirited look when marching on the street just now was actually an act. As soon as he walked into the military camp, he immediately shrunk by half. After walking into his dormitory under the order and lying down on the bed, he no longer had the energy to get up. He even couldn't even stand up.
He didn't even take off his military uniform that was soaked by the rain, and then he started snoring one after another.
This is normal, because since we set off from Kiev, we have been in a state of high stress for more than ten days and have not been able to take a good rest.
Of course, the infantrymen riding in the car can indeed take a rest, but even if they take a rest, it is the kind of rest where they have to jump up like a spring at any time and jump out of the car, because if they are even half a beat slower, they may be hit by bullets and cannons.
Take lives.
Now, after entering Odessa, a tight string finally relaxed, and all kinds of fatigue and fatigue rushed up, like an unstoppable tide.
Shulka was no exception. He found a bed in the corner, put his rifle next to him, and wanted to take off his raincoat before sleeping, but he only took off half of it and fell on the bed and fell asleep.