Chapter 24 twenty two

November 2, 1916 stoic trench France, Somme * The pain started long ago, long before the attack.The nights were getting longer and the days were full of dark clouds and cold rain.It started raining in October and it didn't stop for three weeks.These soldiers could barely remember what the sun looked like. The land is a miserable galaxy unto itself, a cesspool of failed ambitions.The original green fields and good villages have been destroyed by artillery fire day after day and month after month.The remnants of history and civilization were all razed to the ground, wiped out, and turned into nothing.

There is mud everywhere, like an epidemic destined to end all humanity.Everything was covered with a layer of mud, and if someone saw something clean, his eyes would widen in disbelief.The King James Bible and silk scarves with residual perfume, if soldiers take these things out to appreciate, they will get dirty, so they can only be stored in clothes or backpacks, and try not to take them out. In the last week, the temperature dropped sharply, frost formed, and the rain turned into snow, drifting westward.The dry wind hurts the skin.The water in the crater was covered with ice up to an inch thick.The soldiers slept in the trenches with tarpaulins as curtains. One morning when they got up and looked outside the trenches, the entire front line was covered with a layer of snow.

Standing in the shooting position, Ashley scanned the no man's land with the telescopic telescope, cupped his gloved hands from time to time, and breathed into it.He wished that there would be a little more snow, ten times more, to make this sad no man's land white and shiny, just like Weiss Peak.Weiss Peak is only a few hundred miles away, but it feels like thousands of miles away. Ashley put away the binoculars, stepped down the stairs, and walked into the company headquarters. The hunting season is over, Ashley said: If we can't even cross this piece of dirty water, how can we move forward.

Jeffries shook his head and said: I'm not so sure, what the officer means is to straighten the front line before settling down for the winter, the Queen's Fort has to be taken down. impossible. There is nothing impossible now. Two days later, they were ordered to strike.The whole battalion had to march overnight to the Fortitude Trench, arrive before dawn, and start fighting early in the morning. Company B was responsible for the second wave of attack. Their goal was a fortification of the German army called the Kaiserburg, a highland in the icy swamp that looked like a prehistoric mausoleum, and the chalk rock at the top had a strange appearance that resembled a human figure after months of artillery fire.An officer thought it looked like the Indian queen when she was young, so she named it this.The enemy's fortifications turned the mound into a maze of barbed wire, gun holes, tunnels and concrete shooting bunkers. The British Army Staff believed that Queen's Castle was an important observation point for artillery battles and must be captured.

1. After the British colonized India, the title of the British monarch was also added to the title of Emperor of India or Queen of India.So this refers to Queen Victoria. To be honest, the place was of little use to either army, but it was the only landmark in a sea of ​​mud that couldn't fall into the hands of the enemy.Every morning, the crumbling chalk and rusted barbed wire of Queen's Fort looked down on the British army, on the lieutenants who got up early to reconnaissance and the staff officers who stared at it with binoculars.Since July, the British army has attacked four times, each time paying a heavy price, but they just failed to capture Queen's Castle.

Now everyone thinks that the Empress is German. On the eve of the attack, Ashley asked the messenger Meixiu to help him clean up the revolver.Mayhew, a stocky fellow from Wiltshire, joined the army because dairy farming was hard work and he mistakenly thought it would be easier.He always strode and shuffled in the trenches, with strange postures, and never met the eyes of people, avoiding them whenever he could.But he won the 1914 Star Medal, participated in the battles of Mons and Los, and everyone said that he survived many disasters, and he should not die this time.In fact, Ashley neither likes this person nor thinks he is easy to handle, but Meixiu is good at marksmanship and has a lot of experience, and the order on the battlefield is to fight side by side with you, so Ashley always keeps him by his side.

Meixiu took the revolver from Ashley and muttered to himself: Endure the trenches.Whistled, and said, "The Perseverance Ditch, I was hoping never to see it, sir, I hear it's as bad as it gets, my good brother came out of there last week and said it wasn't a ditch at all, It is a series of craters.No place to sleep, only sleep in the mud Ashley smiled.On the bright side, Mayhew, we're still hours away from getting there. The battalion set out after supper, and it was dark early in November, when it was all dark.The road along the way was not only waterlogged, but also icy water with horse carcasses.The German army took pictures of this road by plane, and printed it in red on the map of the trenches in the German area. Even if the artillery officers had never seen this road with their own eyes, they knew the road conditions, and they fired artillery here day and night. Bullets rained down.

This road is too painful to walk, but if you want to move forward, there is no other way. Ashley was walking at the front of his row, holding a flashlight. Dirty water kept splashing on his legs, small blue ice cubes floated in the water, and rain fell on the surface of the water, causing many pockmarks.The soldiers walked slowly and laboriously, all of them carrying rifles, knapsacks and shovels, carrying ammunition belts, canteens and bombs.Some had additional equipment on their shoulders: iron stakes, barbed wire, drums from Lewis machine guns.They had to lower their bodies from time to time to avoid the Z-shaped telephone lines along the way.Everyone had no rain boots, and their feet were wet and very cold, but no one complained, they all endured in silence, and some even sang.

Someone said: This is not the worst. And what's worse? Yeah, it's even worse in the stoic trenches. As I walked, obstacles appeared on the road.One of the horses was stuck in the mud, a bomb crater filled with mud up to the horse's shoulders.The coachman had separated the horse from the cart, and was coaxing the horse forward, but could not get the horse out of the mud.The horse kept breathing and struggling, covered in sweat, and kicked around, trying to find a place to stay, but the more it struggled, the deeper it sank, all in vain. Ashley said to the coachman: It can't get out, you shouldn't let it continue to suffer.

It's a stallion, sir, he's strong, maybe he'll make it out Nonsense. Ashley watched the horse struggling hard, kicking wildly with its front legs, and its body gradually sank.A captain of Durham's regiment came from the other direction, stopped his soldiers behind the carriage, and walked around the carriage himself.Ashley saluted him. The captain said: This horse is about to drown, why do you stop? Without waiting for anyone to answer, he drew his automatic pistol, walked over carefully, pointed the gun at the horse's head, aimed it behind the eyes and under the ear, and fired.The horse convulsed and dropped its head into the mud, its eyes wide open and its neck muscles stiff and tense.The coachman stood on the side of the road and looked at the dead horse stupidly.The captain ordered Ashley's men to push the cart to the edge of the crater, but the horse couldn't move.

The captain ordered: Just step on it, step on the bulge between the shoulder blades, it is safe to step on there. They continued eastward, and now there was no one singing.The water in the ditch became thicker and thicker, and it was full of thick mud, and the marching speed became slower and slower. The further they went, the fiercer the artillery fire. Gained several pounds. Later, on the road, I encountered many dead horses still harnessed to the carriage, grinning in the dark.There were lots of worse stuff in the mud, soft and hard, with stinking bubbles when the boots went down.The soldiers followed those in front, too tired to think for themselves.The ditch on the road became very shallow and chaotic, and the direction was also confused.The direction of the ranks changed repeatedly, and the soldiers gradually became lost in the night. They couldn't tell whether the falling shells came from friendly troops or enemy troops, because there was no difference.A huge howitzer exploded in the rear of the team, and the two men were thrown to pieces.A recruit went to clean up the few wreckage left. Ashley shook his head and shouted amid the sound of gunfire: This place is too dangerous to stay, we must leave quickly They waded all the way, struggling to walk towards the front line where the flames of war were all over the sky.The water got deeper and deeper until it was waist-high, and it was impossible to go on.Jeffries came to discuss with Ashley with a flashlight and a map in a waterproof box.The two officers didn't want people to hear the conversation, so they took a few steps to the side, and Ashley accidentally stepped into a pothole and fell into the mud.Jeffress grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up, stifling a laugh. "This is Ten Bells, we probably missed the turn under fire," Jeffress said.I think Company A and Company C have turned and we have to get off this road and turn north.It's definitely not going to be easy, but it can't be any worse than it is now.How is your man? They know to be lost, we are always lost. Ashley led the soldiers to climb up the mud slope, finally left the flooded road, and headed northeast, crossing the old battlefield full of rubbish.Everyone walked with half-closed eyes and lost feeling in their legs.Some could no longer walk, collapsed to the ground, and refused to listen to orders.Everyone had no choice but to coax, scold and mop them to catch up with the team.The kettle is out of water.In such a cold day, they were still sweating profusely with heavy burdens on their backs. After the sweat cooled down, they made people shiver with cold.Originally, there was an hourly break, but later Jeffreys was afraid that everyone would refuse to leave after a break, so he had no choice but to never let everyone rest. The weather has changed and the rain is getting icier.At three o'clock in the morning, it began to snow.The artillery fire and the snowflakes flew together, falling in the distant no man's land.They hid in a shallow depression with some trees without branches.Minutes later, fire nets were thrown down on them, and metal pellets flew in all directions, whistling through the battered woods.Lieutenant Bennett had two of his men dead, and one of Ashley's lieutenant corporals had his head chopped off by a piece of metal.The wounded were sent to the ambulance station.Ashley led his subordinates around a large crater, and saw a black figure on the opposite side of the crater, sunken in the mud from the waist down.Ashley told everyone to stop, and shouted loudly at the shadow.The guns were too loud, and the human voice was hard to hear. The man said: Leave me alone, sir, I'll be free soon. Who are you? My name is Evans, sir, from C Company.Shot in the leg, fell in here, they didn't see it, and I didn't want to bother anyone.Don't get me out, let me die under the Queen's Castle.sir can you give me a shot Nonsense. It took them ten minutes to get the man out of the mud, and Ashley had him half-backed and led away.He was dripping with mud and water, exhausted, his leg was not badly hurt, but his rifle and most of his equipment were gone, and he talked and said along the way that he really wanted to drown where he was.Ashley told him to shut up. At daybreak the Berkshire infantry arrived at the broken Fortitude trench to replace the ragged and weary Manchester infantry.If you don't listen to the accent, it is difficult to recognize these Manchester people, because their uniforms are covered with mud, and the military emblem has long been invisible.As soon as Ashley's men arrived, the Manchester infantry formed into a single file, ready to leave.A man from Manchester asked Private Mayhew for a cigarette. You're going to fight Queen's Castle, aren't you? Meixiu said: It should be. You can tell the weather from her, you know? real or fake? Look up at her in the morning, if you can see it, it will rain today. interesting. Another Manchester man came over, took a drag on his cigarette, and joined the conversation. not only so.As long as she looks down at you, you'll be out of luck.She belongs to the Germans, is their goddess of fortune, and you have no idea how much she has made us suffer.Last night, because you were coming, we went out to cut the wire, and two lads got hurt and got stuck in the mud, and that's how it went.I tell you, better not look her way, if you look up at that limestone and see her face in there, you'll be in trouble.All those who drowned have seen her face Mei Xiu shook his head.Man, she won't wink at me. Listen, I didn't say blink.You look at her and she looks at you, looking at you with those blue eyes, and that's enough. At the time of the handover, one of the captains in Manchester who was briefed by Company B said that the mud problem had gotten worse in recent weeks, that the burrows were flooded and there was no decent place to hide.A few days ago they had a Lewis machine gun that was drowned in mud, and some brothers tried to save the gun, but almost drowned.Last night, in order to attack, they opened a hole in the barbed wire on the British side, and they suffered a lot for that little thing. The captain said: We can't even keep our heads above the water, and they still tell you to attack. Jeffries said: Let's just do our best. Ashley wanted to command his soldiers to get ready for tomorrow's attack, but the terrain here seemed to have nothing to do with the map in his hand.He was looking for the second line of defense of the Fortitude Trench, a short ditch called the Fortitude Spur, from which his platoon would attack.But rain and artillery fire had ruined everything long ago.In some places sandbags were piled several feet high; in some places it was just processed craters connected by shallow ditches that were still flooded.The Fortitude Trench had been occupied by the Germans until the Battle of July, and now it was full of German corpses, and there was a sweet, rotten smell from all the cracks in the walls.The bodies were built into the trench walls and parapets, with some boot soles and black hands still showing. In the twilight of the early morning, Ashley took a flashlight to shine on the dark ground, trying to find a safe place to stay.There are dead bodies everywhere.A pair of ivory false teeth grinned in the mud.It was impossible to avoid the corpse with feet, so Ashley simply turned off the flashlight.There are places in the trench that are impassable, such as deep mud holes that are still bubbling.At this time, they had no choice but to climb up the back wall and rush to where they wanted to go under the gunfire.Two men were shot in this condition, one through the head and instantly killed.Before noon, the four platoons of Company B had arrived in position, where they were to wait until the next morning before attacking. Ashley then spent an hour checking everyone for trench foot symptoms.Everyone took off their boots and wiped their feet with dirty socks as best they could, and he squatted in the dark mud ditch and looked at it with a candle.The feet were dirty at best and red and swollen and gangrenous at worst.He ordered whale oil rubs and massages on their feet, and watched them put on clean socks.Even if those freshly clean socks are about to get dirty, they still have to be changed.Ashley blew out the candle, handed it to Sergeant Bradley, and walked back down the trench, muttering to himself. If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. In the afternoon, Ashley used a periscope bought at the Army and Navy Supply Store on Victoria Street to study the terrain in this area. The horizon was covered with white snow and plaster, as well as occasional smoke from the flanks and fast-moving khaki figures.After the first wave of attack, there will be a second wave of attack immediately, which is the part of Company B, and the platoon led by Ashley is on the far right. The platoon was commanded by Lieutenants Hawkes and Lieutenants Bennett.On the other side of no man's land, the Queen's Fort was clearly visible. Ashley stared at it for a long time before he could see the image of the Queen, but he could only see the human figure, but couldn't see the facial features clearly. The soldiers had been wallowing in the mud all day, hungry and cold, waiting for food and supplies.They had no water to drink when they marched through the night, and there was none here.Ashley sent two people to look for water nearby, but only found a sack of jugs, which was found from the dead bodies of the German army.Some refused to drink the water for fear of ill luck, but afterwards there was a great cheer when one of the jugs was filled to the brim with Dutch schnapps. At dusk, the supply team arrived, with rifles on their shoulders, gasoline barrels filled with water in their hands, and some carrying sacks filled with biscuits and canned beef. After walking in the mud for seven hours, they finally arrived. .There is no hot food, and the water has a strong gasoline smell, and it is difficult to drink even if you pinch your nose.Ashley took out his flask, mixed some whiskey in the water, and gulped it down.The canned beef tasted so disgusting that he ate only two biscuits before going to bed.Tomorrow morning at six o'clock sharp attack, there are still a few hours to sleep. Ashley, like everyone else, lay down against the damp trench wall, using a gas mask bag as a pillow.When he started to feel drowsy, he whispered to her lovingly, "I can take worse for you, Yinmozhen. Just saying her name made him excited, although no one could hear him, he still felt embarrassed.It snowed almost all night, Ashley didn't really wake up, but he was too cold to sleep well. Ashley woke up before four o'clock, not feeling sleepy, only feeling sick.He got up and walked a few yards to where there was a hole called a toilet, but it was just a little ditch sprinkled with lime.He peed in the hole, then tried to vomit.He thought that during sleepless nights, when his mind was full of anxiety, it might be better to empty his stomach.As soon as Ashley bent over, he felt like vomiting due to the stench, but he just retched and couldn't vomit.He stood there for a while, the cold wind whistling past his ears, and it was dark all around.He wondered if this was his last day on earth, but he knew that even if he asked this question, there would be no answer. Ashley then met with other officers of Company B. The five of them stood at the crossroads of the half-destroyed trench and reported their observations to everyone. Jeffreys talked about the attack.Everyone already knows the plan.Jeffries brought an empty ammunition box, and asked the officers to put in small addressed packages. If they died unfortunately, these small packages containing letters and souvenirs would be sent to their wives or lovers.Ashley put in the text message to Yin Mozhen, but there was no souvenir to keep.Jeffries tied the box and everyone shook hands. At five forty-five, the order came down.On the bayonet.Then everyone drew their swords out of their sheaths and loaded them on their rifles.They waited in the ditch, and many drew out their cigarettes.Today's dawn is bleak, the snow has stopped, and a thick fog is rising from the ground. At six o'clock, the British army opened fire, and the sound of shells was endless, exploding into the distance.The German camp on the horizon burst into colors, red and yellow, like a fountain, constantly spewing out soil and smoke.But the bombing period was not long, it was just a prelude to the attack, which lasted twenty minutes.Ashley lit a cigarette to comfort himself, pretended to be happy, walked around, told some silly jokes, and checked the rifle and equipment.He glanced at the watch in his hand, and in another forty seconds, the first wave of attacks would be over.The Germans fired pink and green flares, machine guns crackled on both sides, and above a cloud of smoke was the loathsome White Queen. There was a groan fifty yards away as the first wave of attackers climbed over the parapet.Ashley watched them crawl in the mud through the periscope. Many of them managed to stand up before being hit by enemy machine guns and fell down.The front became very unstable, and he saw soldiers dropping their rifles, men falling, some barely staggering forward, disappearing into the mist. Ashley put away the periscope and put the whistle in his mouth.Everyone stared at him, waiting for his order, the whites of their eyes still clearly visible in the mist.It began to rain lightly again.Ashley drew out a pistol, a rope was tied to the gun, and the other end was put around his neck.He looked at his watch, the second hand was going to twelve, and it was time.He raised his arms, blew his whistle, climbed awkwardly up the parapet, slipped back and fell into the mud.He climbed back to the wall, waved everyone forward, and whistled desperately, making a harsh sound.The whole platoon of soldiers began to attack, with a primitive roar, their rifles held flat and pointed forward. A machine gun fired from Ashley's left, sweeping away half of the people in an instant.The machine gun fired at about shoulder height, the tall man was shot in the neck, the short man was shot in the eye, and blood spurted out after falling to the ground.Ashley urged Yu Bing to move forward, knowing that he would be hit by a machine gun at any time.Everyone wants to move forward as fast as possible, but every step is mired in mud, ice and garbage.They carried heavy loads and staggered, their shovels dangling with their steps.They stepped on the planks laid in the long ditch and reached the front line of the British army. Ashley waved his hand and told everyone to move forward, bypassing the previous wave of wounded soldiers and corpses.The artillery fire was deafening, and the ground ahead was full of mud and ice, presenting a grid pattern. The ice was slippery and the mud was sticky.The fog was so thick that Ashley couldn't see far away, only Sergeant Bradley, Mayhew, and a few others were in sight.Spotting a firing machine gun, he rushed forward, but tripped over the raised edge of the crater and fell into the mud.A shrapnel exploded high above him.Holding the revolver high, he half-walked and half-swimmed out of the crater, dripping mud.Mayhew followed closely behind him, and together they joined Sergeant Bradley and three others, taking cover from a small mound of dirt. Ashley asked: What about the others? The sergeant said, "I don't know, sir, I think they're all dead. The machine guns knocked us out as soon as we got out. Mr. Eaton and Mr. Hawks were dead before they got past our own line."I haven't seen Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Bennett. C Company was to the north, and if we could get close to the enemy wire fence, we could join them. Sir, we are closer to the German army than anyone else, it can't be any closer, there are only six of us, it's impossible Nonsense, let's go. Without waiting for everyone to think about it, Ashley rushed out first, and the others followed. The group of people walked forward in the sticky mud and passed the bomb crater full of floating corpses. The uniforms on the corpses were khaki or gray. of.Ashley raised his revolver and foolishly fired at the machine guns facing the German army.They reached the barbed wire fence of the German army and slowly crawled in through the small opening made by the high-explosive bomb.The fog was very thick, and the northern machine guns were on their left.When they reached the enemy's parapet, Ashley gave the signal, and one of them dropped a bomb into the trench.After a series of explosions, they climbed over the parapet, jumped into the trench of the German army, and stepped on the clean wooden floor. There was no one around, and no half of the German army could be seen. Sergeant Bradley said: "It's just too weird. Be careful, Ashley said: the Germans don't know where to hide. They walked down the trench, Sergeant Bradley leading the charge with bayonet, followed by Ashley with pistol, the other hand ready to drop the Mills bomb.They rounded a firing trench and walked around the bend, still empty.Near another firing trench, they found the wooden entrance to the bunker, and down the stairs it was dark.Ashley reloaded the bullet and looked at his companion. 2, Mills bomb, an alias for an imperial grenade. You and the sergeant stand guard here, and Mayhew comes down with me. Mei Xiu looked at Ashley, but didn't speak.Everyone threw bombs downstairs first. After a burst of bangs and acrid smoke, Ashley and Mayhew walked down the stairs. The walls were made of concrete, and there were light bulbs hanging from the ceiling at intervals, but the lights were not turned on. .They went down ten feet, and it was still dark. Ashley didn't have a flashlight, so he had to strike a match and hold it ahead to light the way.First, he saw the stairs continue to descend in front of him, and then he saw the wooden beams that were not blown up by the bomb just now.Even the wooden steps were only damaged.They stepped cautiously over the spiky splinters and down another fifteen feet.Twenty feet. They entered a room with a wooden floor.There was an iron lever on the wall, and Mayhew pushed the lever, but the light didn't turn on.Ashley found a candle, lit it, wallpaper was pasted on the wall, and colorful prints with wooden frames were hung, depicting forests and churches.The table was blown up, and fragments of china plates and glasses were strewn about.The bookshelves by the wall are filled with four rows of books, with gilded Gothic fonts on the backs.Ashley found a trench map on the lower shelf, folded it and put it in his jacket pocket.He walked across the room, shone a candle forward, and saw a black monstrosity, an upright piano, deformed cannonball splinters embedded in the smooth wood.Mei Xiu stretched out his hand and flicked on a black key, shaking his head in disbelief. There's a piano here, but we're living like mice on the other side of the barbed wire. Bacheng is the battalion headquarters.Ashley said: What is behind that door? They walked down a narrow corridor into a small kitchen and an adjoining room filled with shelves of supplies and food.Mayhew found a pair of dry socks, cheered loudly, and immediately took off his boots and changed the socks.Ashley found a square lantern-style flashlight, turned on the power, and it emitted a small yellow light.There are stairs in the innermost part of this room, which go down.Ashley took the flashlight to shine in the dark, and immediately a mouse jumped out from below, scurrying into the shadow behind him.Mayhew fastened his boots and stood up. Commander, I don't think we should go down. Must go down. The howitzer hit the top with a muffled rumble, the anti-bunker hole shook, and clods fell from the ceiling. Hope you don't hit them.Ashley said: This air-raid shelter is really deep. Mayhew spat on the floor and felt the handle of his rifle with his thumb. It's not the shells I'm worried about, sir, I'm afraid there's a German around Ashley walked down, flashlight in one hand, revolver in the other.Mei Xiu followed behind.There is a strong stench below, and the smell becomes stronger as you go down.One rat rushed up the stairs and slipped past their feet, then another, then a dozen, and finally they couldn't help stepping on a rat.At the end of the stairs is a large room with no floor, a mud floor, and strong beams. There are many rows of bunk beds in the room. There are people on the beds, and they cannot be seen clearly in the dark.Several of them reached out to the light source, panting. They shouted in German: Friends!friend! Ashley turned around and raised his pistol high. Mayhew, don't touch them Sir, I have no intention of that. Ashley looked around with a flashlight. There were a lot of fat rats running around on the floor, their pink tails smeared with soot.There are also many empty cans and bottles.On the lower bunk lay the corpse of a German soldier in a thick overcoat. His face was either green or blue, and his eyes were black holes. He might have died a week ago.Some dead people seemed to be moving, Ashley walked over to look at one of the corpses, the chest in the thick coat seemed to be still beating, and when he got closer, he found that maggots had come out of his neck, and there were also seams in his clothes.Ashley was so frightened that he held up the flashlight and shrank back.On the upper bunk of the dead man lay a living man, muttering strange German, with a bandage on his head, the blood on the bandage had long since dried up and turned black.He put his hands over his eyes to shade them. Mayhew said: What is he talking about? Nonsense, Ashley said: all nonsense.Eighty percent of them were injured in the fierce fighting last week and did not have time to evacuate. It's horrible, sir, I can't stand the smell Go upstairs, tell the sergeant there's no danger down here, and come right back.I want to know if they were hit by howitzers.Also, find a way to get some water. Mayhew went upstairs.Ashley took a flashlight and took pictures on each bed.A man lying on the bed raised his hand to beckon Ashley over. It was a young man.He was beardless, pale, with a filthy mouth and eyeballs, and he was a lieutenant by the single diamond star on his coat epaulet.He beckoned Ashley to come closer. Mr. Lieutenant. Ashley squatted beside his bed and shone a flashlight on his face.The officer covered his eyes with his hands. too bright.He said in German: We have not seen light all morning.When they left, the electricity was cut off.do you speak german? Ashley said in German: A little bit.He also said in English: Is this under your command?Are you from that legion?2nd Naval Infantry Division? Lieutenant, let me see your face, you look familiar.Are you a lieutenant?Or Captain?Now some captains are very young Ashley shone the flashlight on his own face and then back on the German army. The officer smiled wryly and said: I knew it was you, we met, remember?You went to Berlin before the war, we met in that old café called Occidental, and you took with you a girl who only spoke French and she didn't like to speak German.He said in French: You can speak French, right? No way, I've never been to Berlin.Is this under your command? I don't think there's anyone in charge here, Mr. Lieutenant, tell me, what happened to the girl?Actually she's not French, is she?She has a camera and is good at taking pictures.She may forget you, but you'll never forget her Ashley stood up and stopped listening.Meixiu came back, but he didn't enter the door. He only poked his head and said, "Report sir, the howitzers missed them."But there is no water here. Ashley found a candle among the litter, lit it with a match in his pocket, and put the whole box of matches into the German's hand.The German officer laughed. Don't worry, friend.Although they are gone, they will definitely come back. Ashley and Mayhew crawled back to the surface and found that Sergeant Bradley and others were moving sandbags for reverse defense, setting up obstacles at the intersection on both sides to prevent enemy troops from attacking from the side.Ashley looked up at the Kaiserburg, which was still in the fog a hundred yards away, behind the second German line of defense.Sergeant Bradley pulled Ashley aside to speak. The German took all the guns with him.We did everything we could, but if they come back The Royal Frontier Infantry Regiment will come to our rescue. They thought we were dead, sir, and if they'd come, they'd have come. they will come. Ten minutes later, the Germans counterattacked.It started with a terrible burst of high-explosive shells and shrapnel, which set the back wall on fire.The nearest shooting ditch was also badly blasted, sending fire and smoke into the ditch.Ashley and the sergeant rushed around the corner and found Gregory dead, with a piece of his head missing and his mouth cracked open to reveal rotting teeth.Shi Duhua was screaming, his stomach opened wide, and blood gushed out like a fountain.The sergeant pressed the bandage on Stewart's wound, reassuring him that nothing would happen, but the blood immediately soaked the bandage, and the sergeant's hands were covered.Stewart's face turned pale and he stopped breathing.More shrapnel exploded above them. Second soldier Renault's arm was seriously injured. Ashley quickly helped him bandage it up, but Renault had to put down his rifle and use his left hand to hold his useless right arm. Lots of little wounds. Ashley ran to the corner, hid behind the back wall and looked at the German reserve front with a periscope. The German machine guns fired fiercely, and he saw orange fire in the distance.He saw a line of dusty figures, at an arm's length from each other, advancing here, across a wide expanse of mud.Mayhew was on the firing platform next to him, firing like hell. Mei Xiu murmured: They have millions of soldiers. Ashley said: No more than a hundred or so. He ordered a retreat, and the four of them climbed out of the trench together, crawled under the German barbed wire, and moved west to the Fortitude Trench.Only barbed wire and bright yellow bullets could be seen from a distance.They staggered and staggered through the mud, bullets raining down on their heads.A high-explosive bomb exploded nearby, and there was a storm of bright red flames.Ashley was thrown to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of dirt and blood, and his ears were buzzing.He must have bit his tongue.He saw the sergeant's eyes widen in horror, his arms dragged his body forward vigorously, but his legs were bleeding profusely, and he couldn't exert any strength at all.Mayhew slung the rifle, grabbed the sergeant's arm and pulled forward.Ashley grabbed his other arm as well.Together, the two dragged the bleeding sergeant into a crater and huddled behind the black mound.Meixiu yelled at Ashley, but Ashley's tinnitus was so severe that he couldn't hear clearly. What? Dead, sir, the sergeant is dead. What about Renault? Dead too, sir, we should take cover here until dark. Ashley couldn't hear it.He took a breath, pointed to the fortitude trench, and the two got up and set off, passing many rusty iron nets, and many unexploded bombs stuck in the mud.Mayhew pointed to the left, speaking something Ashley couldn't hear.They turned left around a huge bomb crater, then climbed down a small slope, and there was a trench not far ahead, perhaps a British line.There was another explosion overhead, raining bullets.Then came the second wave of concussion, the third wave, mud and smoke and steel everywhere.Ashley fell to the ground, panting desperately, and the buzzing sound was endless.