.“ 1 ...... Gather! Armed parade! ”

A gruff, slightly southern German accent password made the relaxed atmosphere of the camp disappear without a trace, and the only sounds of helmets and guns clattering and slightly chaotic footsteps were heard.

After 10 seconds, 20 seconds, soldiers soon began to run towards the assembly point while tidying up their uniforms; In 30 seconds and 40 seconds, the number of people gathered increased rapidly; When the last soldier entered the queue, the officer in charge of the timekeeping next to him pinched off the stopwatch in his hand.

"57 seconds!"

Hearing this reading, the tall colonel in monocles standing next to the timekeeper nodded approvingly.

After a short slight friction between leather shoes and the ground, water bottles, guns and bodies, more than 260 soldiers lined up in 5 neat horizontal lines in this small open space, officers above the non-commissioned officer level wore cloth flat-topped short-brimmed military caps and stood on the far left, the soldiers in the first 4 rows were all wearing M1924 steel helmets, and the soldiers standing in the last row were slightly miscellaneous in their uniforms, some wore boat-shaped caps, some wore helmets, and some were equipped with light weapons such as pistols, rifles and submachine guns. Some of them have empty hands.

"Attention all...... Attention! ”

This time, more than 200 pairs of leather shoes were brushed together at the end of the last note of the starting officer, and as far as the eye could see, the soldiers were holding their rifles on the ground, their submachine guns in both hands on their chests, and their posture of standing and holding their weapons was impeccable. Those who did not have weapons in their hands, that is, the soldiers who belonged to the logistics group, hung their hands and five fingers together on the outside of their thighs, their jaws slightly upward, and their chests raised high.

The starting officer, the commander of the infantry company, an army captain who looked to be in his early 30s, with a standard Germanic grim face, who was not tall, short, fat, or thin, turned to the three visitors on the right—the lieutenant officer who had just pinched the stopwatch, the colonel officer with monocles, and the colonel who was familiar with it. Because the entire infantry regiment, including this company, was under his jurisdiction.

"Report, Fatih Portman, the commander of the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment, has been ordered to complete the whole team, and none of the 266 people in the company are absent, please instruct!"

The two colonels looked at each other, exchanged glances briefly, and then walked from the non-bespectacled colonel to the front of the group.

"Take a break!"

It's not loud, but it's magnetic.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think everyone should have heard about the selection of 'Brothers in Arms' by the division. I am honored that you are one of the candidate companies for our division, but a division can only select the best company, and you must prove that you are worthy of this only spot! This is Colonel Gustav Borg, deputy chief of the general staff of the divisional headquarters, and he is here today to give you this opportunity! Now there is a please...... Colonel Gustav! ”

As usual, the soldiers greeted the visitors with a salute.

"Everyone!" In the absence of a microphone, the tall colonel in monocles kept everyone in the room hearing what he was saying at as high a volume as possible but not to the point of roaring.

"Actually, I heard about your company more than a year ago, and I heard about your perfect performance in India! I don't know exactly how many of you participated in the fierce battle that took place in the Song River, but I think there are quite a few who joined the company after that. It was an out-and-out bloody battle, and everyone who saw and heard of it would be shocked! In our military texts. When the casualty rate of a unit exceeds forty percent. We would have deemed it unfit to continue the war; A 50 percent casualty rate means that the force has lost its main combat effectiveness; When the casualty rate exceeds sixty percent, any sensible commander will choose to replace them with reserves, unless the situation allows for an option. But in that battle. We saw such a force, almost all of them in the company of more than 200 people were wounded, but they did not apply to their superiors for a replacement, nor did they choose to retreat, but continued to attack, all the way to the other side of the river to defeat the current enemy! ”

After a pause, Gustav raised his voice to his limit: "That's you, the 4th Battalion of the 1st Infantry Regiment and the 1st Company of the 1st Infantry Division, the heroic company of our 32nd Infantry Division!" ”

The soldiers below, both veterans and recruits. This moment is so proud, look at their raised heads, look at their upright chests, the title of "Company of Heroes" does have extraordinary magic, can make the cowardly become brave, let the brave become tough.

"I remember......" Gustav resumed his tone, but every word sounded heartfelt compliment.

"Over the next month, you miraculously regained your combat effectiveness and took part in the battles at Khulna, Cosima and later in Luzon. Although you no longer fought as brutally and fiercely as the Song River, what does it say that you have behaved like a veteran company rather than a company with a large number of recruits in every combat operation that follows? ”

Nobody spoke, no one thought it was a question for them, to be exact.

"Can someone tell me? What does this mean? Gustav repeated the question.

Still no one spoke, and this time no one knew what to say in order to satisfy this high-ranking officer from the divisional headquarters, especially in this very special time.

"Captain, can you tell me?" Gustav suddenly turned to the captain company commander, who was only two steps away from him.

The company commander's face was fearless, and his voice was still loud.

"Yes, Colonel! I think this means that our company is a dynamic and infectious force. Every soldier who enters our company will integrate into the team at a very fast pace, and will become as full of courage and strength as we are! ”

"Good!" Gustav nodded slightly, then turned to the soldiers, "That's what I'm proud of you!" However, what I just said only proves that you used to be the best team, and now you are not qualified...... As your regimental commander, Colonel Luhmann, said just now, you still have to prove your strength! ”

"Colonel, how do we need to prove it?"

Someone in the queue finally spoke up.

Gustav pulled his shirt, put on a serious posture, and said in a solemn voice: "The battlefield will be your best proof!" ”