Before entering the Tokoa training camp, young people had clearly learned about becoming paratroopers.

Many people choose to become paratroopers because once they pass the training, they can get a silver wing badge, pin the badge to the left pocket of the uniform, wear a special badge on the left shoulder and military cap, and have the right to wear paratrooper boots, and they can also tuck their pants into the boots - this looks very handsome and very forceful.

The young men of Company E had apparently fulfilled their wishes, and in the past, their favorite thing to do was to show that they were different from the ordinary army, and then gain envious glances - or in the tavern, they used their special outfits to attract beautiful girls, and then something indescribable happened, well, sometimes it was a little sad to meet someone who needed to be paid.

In short, becoming a paratrooper is, in general, a very majestic thing.

……

On September 5, 1943, the 506th Regiment boarded a troop carrier converted from a passenger ship - this troop carrier called "Samaritan" was designed to transport 1,000 troops, but this time it not only carried more than 2,000 people from the 506th Regiment, but also carried another army regiment, a total of 5,000 people.

Zheng Yingqi experienced the wonderful feeling of squeezing the train for the Chinese New Year in the depths of his memory - the train may be twice as overloaded, but the ship is overloaded by as much as four times!

At the beginning of the paratroopers, when they said goodbye to the Statue of Liberty, they still maintained the handsome and maverick dress of paratroopers, but in the crowded ship stuffed with 5,000 men, the smell and fishy smell were mixed, and in just half a day, everyone began to break the jars.

Each of the dwellers had a bunk on the floor, but it was still not enough for everyone to sleep - on average there was only one bunk for every two people, and some unfortunate people were given a bunk for three, which meant that they had to take turns resting, and while one person slept, the other had to go to the deck or the aisle or any place where he could lie down and rest, and he had to wear a life jacket.

This is not land, but the vast ocean, the army or the survival guarantee of human beings here, only this crowded ship, Zheng Yingqi sometimes thinks uneasily:

[It should ...... I don't think I will be attacked by German submarines, right? 】

If it was attacked by a German submarine, then ......

Fortunately, what he feared never happened, and the ten-day voyage remained safe - Captain Sobel made another fuss during the period, and he planned to take the people of E Company to do exercises, but he finally brought the people outside, and pushed desperately to squeeze out a small area, but this poor area was not enough for the people of E Company to perform, and he had no choice but to dispel this behavior.

This incident became the laughing stock of Sobel again...... And it's one of the more.

September 15th.

The crowded troop carrier finally arrived at the port of Liverpool, and the paratroopers who had their feet on the ground could finally breathe the air of freedom, and the next day a southbound train pulled them to St. George's in Ogborn, then turned trucks, and then walked with flashlights in the dark - the wartime light control finally made them realize that they had come to the war zone, and were no longer training camps one after another.

It's called Alderburn, and it belongs to Wiltshire, and London, England, is 130 kilometers away from them - unlike the training camps they have spent in before, they are stationed in a small village, living with conservative Englishmen.

"We are here to fight for them!"

The paratroopers had such thoughts, but the conservative villagers here did not welcome their arrival, and it was strange that a group of young and strong young people poured into the village where adult men carried guns to the battlefield for a long time, and the old people here would welcome them!

Fortunately, there was a stern officer named Sobel in E Company, and there were many disciplined officers and sergeants, and after more than half a week of British introductions, E Company and the people of this village barely mixed together.

……

Sobel was still the same as before, he was still so harsh, he made it a rule that no one who took a leave of absence on Saturday to go to Swinton for a ball would not take off his shirt - Private Burgess violated this rule and was punished by Sobel for making a fuss about wearing his shirt even to sleep for the coming week.

As a result, Burgess thought that Sobel would not come to check on him at night, but he didn't think that Sobel had checked it a few times, so when Burgess went to ask for leave to get the pass as usual the next Saturday, he was driven back by Sobel, and said that in the next month, Burgess didn't want to get the pass in front of him - this will be the price of Burgess's disobedience to his punishment.

Sobel wanted too much to assert his authority, but the means were too ...... It was naïve, and although this kind of behavior made the soldiers dare not refute and disobey him, it also aroused the rebellion of the soldiers.

In a live-fire training, he got a pilot's leather jacket, and he was obviously the most beautiful boy in the live-fire training ground - a bullet flew past his side, almost grazing Sobel's body, so frightened that Sobel lay in the pit for a long time and didn't dare to raise his head.

He and Zheng Yingqi thought it was an accident, but in the subsequent training, this happened several times, and bullets often flew past Sobel's side or head from the side or back.

Obviously, at this time, everyone, including Sobel, already knew that this was not an accident, but a deliberate attack.

[That's probably more appropriate to call it teasing.] 】

Zheng Yingqi, who was silently watching all this, had the answer in his heart, and he saw with his own eyes that Burgess aimed his gun at Sobel, and the bullet swept past Sobel's head - Burgess's marksmanship was not bad, and it was obvious that he was not determined to deal with their company commander, but only vented his frustration in this intimidating prank.

Zheng Yingqi thought that Sobel would react after experiencing so many "accidents", but he didn't say anything, nor did he investigate to the end, but continued to jump up and down on the training ground, running around, or because he was too confident in the soldiers he brought out.

In private, Gordon and the others made a gamble, betting that who would not be able to resist shooting Sobel - that was the first time Zheng Yingqi was angry, and he knocked down the table set up by Gordon and others in front of the whole platoon.

"If there is a next time, I will deal with him in the same way. We will go to the battlefield together in this company, if we can't even trust the people around us, how will we survive? ”

In the face of Zheng Yingqi's cross-examination, Gordon and the others didn't say anything, just quietly put the table back up, but on the live-fire training ground the next day, a bullet with a sense of intimidation and threat swept over Zheng Yingqi's head, and Zheng Yingqi, who was practicing the attack, stopped and looked behind him indifferently.

Many people thought that Zheng Yingqi was scared stupid, but only Second Lieutenant Walsh knew that Zheng Yingqi was actually staring at him at that moment.

Such a threatening threat has never happened since Zheng Yingqi lifted the table, but the tricks of Sobel have not stopped—Private Lu Zi will imitate the voices of others, and during a night marching exercise, the barbed wire fence used by the farmers to enclose cattle has seriously affected the night march, and in order to avoid being affected by the barbed wire, E Company often makes a loud noise.

"Captain Sobel, what obstacles have you encountered?" At this time, the voice of Deputy Battalion Commander Horton rang out.

"It's barbed wire." Sobel replied.

"Cut the barbed wire fence and don't let it get in the way of the march!"

"Yes!"

Sobel complied, but the next day the surrounding peasants complained to the battalion headquarters - because the barbed wire was cut and their cattle were running everywhere.

The battalion commander, Strayer, came to E Company angrily and asked Sobel: "Why did you cut the barbed wire?" ”

"Sir, Major Horton ordered me to cut it off!" Sobel replied innocently.

"Impossible! Horton went to London the day before yesterday! ”

Sobel was dumbfounded, he knew that he had been tricked again, but no matter how much he investigated, no one admitted it, and no one knew who had tricked him that night—Company E was united, and no one betrayed Ruz.

Teasing again and again made Sobel's authority plummet, he wanted to consolidate his authority, so he could only keep finding excuses to punish the thorn in his eye, even Zheng Yingqi did not escape the punishment for no reason, and was punished to clean up the toilet for a week.

……

The 82nd Airborne Division, which had come down from the battlefield, became a neighbor of E Company, and the officers and soldiers of the two divisions communicated frequently, and from the mouths of the 82nd Airborne Division, they also learned about the battlefields of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy—the inevitable increase in the pressure before the war.

Sobel also felt the obvious pressure, although he knew that the battlefield was very cruel and did his best to achieve it, but after learning about the various aspects of the war from the people who came down from the battlefield, his pressure was even greater.

His temper became more perverse, more and more sadistic - he trained E Company in stricter and more perverted ways.

[He felt uneasy and wanted to train the soldiers to be more effective before going to the battlefield, so as to increase the survival rate of the soldiers on the battlefield. 】

Zheng Yingqi understands Sobel's thoughts, but this method is actually more counterproductive to a relatively mature army.

But Sobel did not feel the excesses of this method, and while constantly "oppressing" the company, he also made another decision - he intended to deal a severe blow to the prestige of Lieutenant Winters.

In E Company, Sobel established his authority in his own way, in a way that was unacceptable to the soldiers, while Winters used his personality charm to establish his image in the hearts of the soldiers - as the platoon commander of a platoon, he was respected by the whole company, and everyone, including Sobel, knew that if there was a conflict between his orders and Winters's orders on the battlefield, everyone would not hesitate to choose to carry out Winters's orders.

Therefore, Sobel intends to deal a severe blow to Winters' prestige and consolidate his authority.

……

The opportunity that Sobel was looking forward to came.

On that day, the commander of the 2nd Battalion, Strayer, was to inspect Company E at 11 o'clock, and Sobel ordered Winters to check the toilets at 10 o'clock, but a few minutes later, about half past nine, Strayer asked Winters to check the soldiers' mail to prevent anything unfavorable to the morale of the army.

Checking the soldier's mail obviously can't be done at the company headquarters, so Winters took the mail to his dormitory, and when it was almost ten o'clock, Winters rode his bicycle to the barracks at a rapid speed to carry out the task given to him by the company commander - but by this time Sobel was already cleaning the toilet with a bitter private Melot.

Merlot's beard was unshaven and her hair was messy, and she gave Winters a pitiful wry smile when she saw it.

Winters looked at the toilet and cleaned it up, but Sobel didn't look like he didn't see Winters.

When Strayer came to inspect that day, he was naturally very satisfied with the situation of the entire E Company, after all, the E Company had cleaned the toilets very cleanly—but in the afternoon, Sergeant Major Evans handed over a document to Winters.

The document was printed by Evans, but it was signed by Sobel, who asked Winters to explain in the form of a document that he had not cleaned the toilet at 9:45, and told Winters in a chosen way:

Are you willing to be punished or court-martialed?

Winters went directly to Sobel, and after asking Sobel to let him speak, he said, "I was ordered to go check the toilet at 10 o'clock. ”

"I changed the time to 9:45."

"No one informed me."

"I called and sent a correspondent." Sobel said unhurriedly.

Winters was nearly blown up, his office had no phone, and he had no orders from the correspondent.

Eventually, he left Sobel's office and chose to be tried by a court-martialed on the document given to him by Evans—a matter that slowly began to stir up, and Sobel and Winters went back and forth on this document, and finally even alarmed the battalion commander Strayer.

Strayer was laughed at angrily, just because of such a trivial matter, the two of them actually made a fuss about going to court-martial? He ended up cutting through the mess with a quick cut, fifty boards each, no punishment, but criticism of Winters—verbal criticism.

But Sobel didn't stop there, and the next day, he asked Evans to give Winters a document.

This document, which is a continuation of the events of the previous one, asks Winters to explain two points:

First: why Private Merlot was not instructed not to clean the toilets.

Second: Explain why you didn't let Merlot shave before she went on the mission.

Seeing this document, Winters was directly chilled out - he took the document and whispered: "That's it, I'll admit defeat and shoot me!" ”

So he replied to Sobel's questioning without excuses.

[The "struggle" of the two souls of E Company is finally in front of everyone. 】

Zheng Yingqi saw the almost naïve confrontation in the past few days, and couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion - he had already thought of the ending of Winters, and sure enough, after Strayer saw the follow-up of this confrontation that was not suppressed, he decided to transfer Winters from E Company to serve as a catering officer in the battalion with an attitude of being responsible for E Company.

Sobel won the final victory of this encounter.

But...... But he was also defeated because of this!

……

An undercurrent is surging inside Company E.

The sergeants and soldiers were in an uproar, and as a sergeant, Jung Young-ki clearly sensed that an "organization" was forming, and they were discussing something behind their backs—and one night, Sergeants Lanny and Harris found Jung Young-ki and took him outside.

"Jacob, we must react to the top! If we don't replace Sobel, we're going to hand over the epaulettes! Harris said to Zheng Yingqi seriously.

Although Zheng Yingqi had been prepared for a long time, after hearing Harris's words, he still felt a chill to his bones - this is a mutiny!

"Jacob, what would happen if we let Sobel take us to battle? He can't even read a map yet, and he's taking us with him, he's going to take us to hell! Lenny also persuaded Zheng Yingqi.

"Join us in reacting to the top! This time, it is a collective action of all the sergeants and soldiers of our E Company, we have to act together, and there can be no dissenting person, even Evans, we will also look for him and let him act with us! Harris emphasized.

Evans is the sergeant major, the person who has the best relationship with Sobel in the entire E Company, and is also jokingly called the "embarrassed by the soldiers".

"I'm sorry, I won't do that." Zheng Yingqi waved his hand, he can integrate into this army, but there are some principles that must be adhered to, he will not teach his knowledge that belongs to his "mother" to them who will fight against the volunteer army in a few years, nor will he commit a red line that a soldier must not touch.

Mutiny, no matter what the reason, a soldier must never touch it, even if it is coerced, even if the reason is incomparably righteous, but the soldier must never touch this point.

"Why?" Lenny looked shocked, and he said incredulously: "You are so good, and you are often punished by Sobel without asking the reason!" He bullied you so much, you didn't do it? ”

Zheng Yingqi looked at Lanny, looked at Harris, and said softly: "Sobel is not suitable as the company commander of Company E, and he is a battalion commander and a regiment commander who need to consider, but we must not force Sobel away by mutiny." ”

"If we don't do anything, how will the above know that Sobel is not suitable for Company E? Do we have to let life prove that Sobel is not for us? ”

This is a conflict between two concepts, but for Zheng Yingqi, even if the soldier died because of Sobel's stupidity, as a soldier, he must not use this means to force Sobel away - he is a soldier, a soldier of Lao A, and the principle of the soldier is related to it, and it must be maintained without hesitation!

The three of them parted unhappily, Lenny and Harris did not say anything about Zheng Yingqi, but this did not mean that they stopped "resisting", on the contrary, all the soldiers and sergeants participated, and later, they even blatantly began to discuss what to do.

In the united E Company, two people were isolated in this way, one was Sobel, the target of everyone, and the other was ...... Zheng Yingqi, who was once isolated because of loneliness and was later accepted, but now he is deliberately isolated.

Sobel had always seemed to be unaware of this surging undercurrent—but based on Zheng Yingqi's observations, Sobel should have known, after all, even Sergeant Major Evans had been pulled into this vortex, how could he not know?

But he acted as if he didn't know, and he was still stubbornly playing his role.

On that day, many people were in the final preparations - they planned to go to Colonel Zinke the next day, which was their last preparation.

Many people gathered in a heated discussion, and although the atmosphere was fierce, they were unprecedentedly united, and it was at this moment that Sobel entered.

Suddenly, the place became silent, and everyone was looking at Sobel, looking at Sobel with a complicated look that had broken through the facts, but with shame and justification.

Sobel didn't say anything, just took a book and walked away, as if he didn't know that these men, these men he brought out, were discussing how to "kill" him.

……

In the evening, Zheng Yingqi went to Sobel's office.

In this office, where few people want to come in, the contents have been packed, and Sobel is reading a book upside down—apparently because of the illusion that Zheng Yingqi has made when he comes in.

Seeing that Sobel had already packed up his things, Zheng Yingqi understood that Sobel was ready.

But this stubborn Jew is still holding on to his face, waiting for the final "happening".

"Sir, may I sit down?"

"Yes."

Zheng Yingqi sat down and looked at Sobel, the company commander who had been with E Company for more than a year, and said softly: "I want to ...... You should know everything. ”

"I know, my subordinates want to mutiny and get rid of me, the company commander." Sobel laughed at himself and said, "All the subordinates. ”

"I made them one of the best units in the U.S. Army, but they were going to abandon me as a company commander."

Sobel's tone was full of resentment, and he threw the book on the table, and said with suppressed hysteria: "Shouldn't I be moved and relieved that all of you are going to abandon me, the company commander?" Should I cry and beg you to let me go? ”

Zheng Yingqi said softly: "You have made them excellent soldiers, but they are about to join the war immediately." ”

"Yes. All of us are going to war. ”

"They just want to live."

"I also want to take them out of this war alive!" Sobel said excitedly: "So I am strict with them, so I eliminated all the weak people in the team!" But they just want to get rid of me, the company commander! ”

"Because you're not fit to command a war." Zheng Yingqi said a cruel answer, Sobel was stunned, pointed to his packed baggage, and said:

"I am strict with the officers, I am afraid that if they do not know how to fight, many young people will die in vain! How many war books did I read in order to take them with them and let them live more? How many people do I ask for advice in order to be able to fight? ”

"Just because I'm Jewish? So all of you think I'm not going to fight? It's just an excuse for you to abandon me! Just because I'm Jewish! ”

Zheng Yingqi shook his head slowly, and said softly: "No, no one can deny that you are an excellent officer, without you there would be no E Company, you are an excellent training officer, you brought out an excellent company, and made this company the best company in the excellent 506 Regiment." ”

"The most dazzling company!"

"But...... They don't dare to trust you. ”

"Why? If I can bring them into a good company, can't I take them with me and let more people survive? Sobel was not convinced, and finally questioned Zheng Yingqi:

"You're here to show off to me, the loser?"

Zheng Yingqi ignored Sobel's questioning, but continued: "Sir, everyone believes that Winters will protect them, but you drove Winters away, and without Winters, they are insecure under your command. ”

"Winters......" Sobel smiled bitterly, and he ...... After all, is it not as good as Winters?

Did he succeed in driving out Winters, but eventually led him to leave the company in disgrace?

"I'm not here to laugh at you, you created this company, and I hope you can end tomorrow's farce in another way." Zheng Yingqi said.

If the sergeants and soldiers of E Company go to the regimental headquarters tomorrow, in the case of imminent war, the regiment will definitely meet the requirements of the sergeants and soldiers and transfer Sobel, but will this result be the best outcome for Sobel and everyone in the entire E Company?

"You're their lobbyist?" Sobel looked at Zheng Yingqi coldly.

Zheng Yingqi shook his head and said, "No." ”

"I know you're not, you're the only sergeant without a signature." Sobel calmed down again - there were many men in Company E, and not long ago each platoon was supplemented with an ensign, but throughout the torrent, all of them signed their names, except for one person, who did not sign from beginning to end.

"Why don't you sign it?"

"I'm not going to mutiny." Zheng Yingqi laughed bitterly at himself, although he did not mutiny, but today's behavior of finding Sobel is actually ...... Isn't there a sense of forcing the palace?

Sobel sneered, obviously he understood the meaning of Zheng Yingqi's wry smile, and he said, "You go, tonight...... Just as if you hadn't been there! ”

Zheng Yingqi looked at Sobel deeply, this stubborn man, just waiting to tear his face and leave with his bags?

He said goodbye to Sobel and returned to the dormitory - on the way, he could see many people staring at him, and when he entered the dormitory, the people inside seemed to be sleeping deeply, but after Zheng Yingqi went to bed, he clearly heard someone scolding:

"Traitor!"

This night, no one slept in E-company, many people were waiting for tomorrow's picture of the poor dagger, and there were also many people who were thinking:

How do you clean up that traitor......

……

"Sobel isn't here!"

"He's gone? Did he go to the regimental headquarters to move the rescue soldiers? ”

Early in the morning, the entire E Company was shocked by the news, and people's eyes couldn't help but converge on Zheng Yingqi, a "traitor", with anger in his eyes, indignation after being betrayed, and killing intent.

Only Zheng Yingqi was stunned - Sobel, did you decide to break the net?

Does he want to single-handedly destroy the company he has created?

The atmosphere in the morning was very strange, and all the people of Company E, who were not willing to be captured, were enthusiastically forming a team, intending to go to the regimental headquarters to fight their company commander in the ring - either put them in prison, or drive Sobel away, and by the way, drive out Sobel's loyal lackey.

Just after the sergeants and soldiers had joined the sergeants, Sobel returned, very suddenly.

In an instant, the noisy camp fell into an eerie silence, clamoring for either Sobel or their E Company sergeants and soldiers, but no one spoke.

Sobel stopped in front of the silent crowd, as if he hadn't seen the petition they had signed collectively, but smiled:

"I've been promoted, and I finally don't have to be with you stupid guys."

……

With Sobel gone, the 101st Airborne Division opened a paratrooper school in the village of Fuliyat in Chelton, which would be used to train the division's logisticians to be paratroopers who could parachute with the army – a position that no one was better suited to than Sobel.

When Sobel left, the whole company stayed quietly in the dormitory, but many people were looking at the figure who came out of the office, watching him carry many, many salutes into the jeep.

"We ...... Shouldn't I send him? Gordon asked abruptly and oddly.

"Send it off."

So the first row of people came out, and then the second and third rows came out, and everyone stood together and looked at Sobel.

Sobel looked at the last scene with some surprise, and couldn't help but pause as he moved things, and finally he continued to load his things as if he didn't see anyone, and then got into the car as if nothing happened.

But in the end, he couldn't help but glance at this company with remembrance—the company he brought out.

The car roared away, and suddenly a lot of chaotic sounds rang out, and Sobel listened for a long time before he heard clearly, and they shouted:

Goodbye, sir.

There is no banter, just like an ordinary farewell.

Sobel said: Goodbye...... Stupid and excellent guys.

……

Sobel's voluntary departure made a mutiny disappear, but the news of the mutiny finally spread—after all, it was a series of actions of the whole company, and under the orders of the battalion headquarters, two sergeants, Lenny and Harris, were demoted to privates.

There's no clear reason for that, but it's for everyone's sake.

The officers and men of E Company had been thinking about Winters back in E Company, but instead of being the commander of E Company, he continued to serve as his platoon commander, while Lieutenant Sweeney of Company A served as the deputy company commander of E Company, and Lieutenant Meehan of B Company fell to E Company as company commander.

At this point, the Sobel era of E Company came to an end.