The soldiers woke up the next day only to learn that while they were still asleep, the telephone line leading to the area had been cut by the Finnish partisans. Amid the shouts of the officers, the soldiers laboriously drove the truck out of the parking lot. They brought out gasoline drums and alcohol to fill up the truck's fuel tank and radiator, then used the strength to start the truck, and then cleared the snow around it in the dark. When all the trucks were ready, the soldiers hit the road and headed to the front line. They drove along a bumpy and snow-covered dirt road. One truck skiddled on an icy road and sank into a ditch on the side of the road, and it took the soldiers half an hour to get it out. They hooked the truck to the back of another truck, but the one in front of them also slid on the ice from time to time. In the end the whole company had to drive like this, and they actually pulled the trucks to their destination. At 8 a.m., they joined an infantry brigade.

A loudspeaker was broadcasting a message from the Soviet High Command. The message was to the effect that even a victorious army would have to face casualties. To such morale-boosting propaganda, the Soviet soldiers seemed numb.

The soldiers soon reached the top of a hill overlooking the vast plains ahead. The speed of the dozen or so cars in front of them slowed down rapidly, and in front of them, about a company of people was busy clearing the snow from the road. The heavy snow has completely buried the road, so much so that every time a convoy passes, people need a compass to dig out the road. The surrounding vast fields are covered with snow about a meter deep. The Soviet commanders got out of their cars and walked out into the snow that had not yet been cleared, and the snow on the road was up to the top of the officers' boots. The commanders stared at the endless snowfields ahead, not knowing how to make their way through the reckless wilderness with no road in sight. The soldiers were then ordered to get out of their trucks and take part in shoveling snow. Since there was not enough snow shoveling, the officers asked the soldiers to shovel the snow with all the tools at their disposal, some using wooden planks, some using steel helmets, and some even using metal dinner plates for eating...... "Now you come with me, and we will go find some manpower now!" Bring your guns! An officer ran over and ordered.

After 15 minutes, they walked to the side of the main road. One officer said: "We need to find some Finns to help." ”

In the snow, everything appears sharply contoured. There was a black spot about 500 meters from the soldiers, and after 10 minutes, they found out that it was a small cabin. The officer walked to the cabin. It looks like the hut was a temporary home for Finnish workers. The officer raised his voice and said to the soldiers: "Let's go to that hut!" ”

The soldiers walked together to the hut. A soldier is joking with his friend. At this moment, a fierce gunshot suddenly reached their ears. At the same time, a faint puff of white smoke rose from the right side of the cabin. Some of the recruits were completely stunned and looked around at their companions. By this time the officer had already jumped to the ground like a goalkeeper, and he was loading his submachine gun. The soldier who had been laughing just now staggered towards him, his eyes wide open, and a strange and dull expression on his face. When he reached about two meters from the officer, he knelt down, his mouth wide open, as if to shout something, but did not utter a word, and then fell backwards. With a pitch-shifting whistle, another burst of gunfire tore through the silence around them. All the Soviet soldiers fell on their stomachs in the snow. The sergeant's submachine gun fired, and the snow on the roof was catapulted into the sky.

The officer shouted loudly to the overwhelmed soldiers: "Cover me! You idiots! ”

After a brief moment of panic, the Soviet soldiers finally calmed down, and they aimed their weapons at the woods, where gunfire was still heard from time to time. The soldiers opened fire. The recoil of the rifle gave some of them some confidence, but they were still a little scared and fired a few more shots. At this time, the officer, surprisingly and with great confidence, stood up and threw a grenade at the hut. The grenade exploded, sending a plank on the roof of the hut into the air.

The Soviet soldiers stared nervously at the cabin. The officer's submachine gun continued to fire. Two men dressed in black rushed out of the cabin and ran towards the forest.

The officer quickly rushed to the hut and opened fire on the two fleeing men, but they did not hit the two men, and they ran into the forest as fast as they could, disappearing.

For many Soviet soldiers, this was their first exchange of fire with the enemy. They simply can't put into words how they feel. It all happened so fast that many of them didn't fully understand it all. But one way or another, there was already a person's life that disappeared from their eyes.

After the rapid march back to the starting point, the soldiers shivered and were already hungry. Due to extreme fatigue, they only felt their head groggy. The collar that stood up was already full of ice crystals that condensed from exhaling water vapor. The soldiers climbed into their trucks, found their backpacks and lunch boxes, and swallowed a few bites of the dirty-looking and soy milk-like mixture left over from the lunch boxes. The smell of the food was so unbearable that some people yelled and dumped the rest in the snow. Outside, a fire was burning in a snow pit, and the flames glowed pleasantly bright. Many people jumped out of the truck and ran desperately towards the fire. Next to the fire, an officer was "chopping" some pieces of firewood with his own knee.

"I've had enough of the cold here, I got pneumonia last winter. If I ever get it again, I'll die in my hospital bed! He said viciously.

"But, Comrade Sir, won't this reveal our position?" A soldier asked cautiously.

"Our convoy is clearly visible from three or four kilometers away, so burning a few pieces of wood won't reveal our location." The officer replied angrily.

Another soldier who appeared to be at least 50 years old with him said: "Yes, now both Finnish soldiers and partisans must be sleeping in their beds." The other muttered, "How nice it would be to be in bed at home now," the other muttered, looking at the burning flames. ”

With the exception of the officers, who were unpacking the wooden boxes on the side, the soldiers were now actually standing closest to the flames. Suddenly, someone shouted to them, "Hey! You guys! A figure stepped out of the convoy. The soldiers saw that the man was a commissar. The officer and the veteran were stomping on the campfire. The commissar walked up to them and looked at them with stern eyes.

"What are you doing here? You must be crazy! Do you not know the commands? Now that you've come out to light a campfire, now grab your guns and go on patrol! Your 'celebration' has undoubtedly brought some 'guests'. Now go find them! Work in pairs until the convoy leaves! The commissar commanded sharply.

The soldiers left there to look for their guns. Because of hunger, cold, and fatigue, many people are already on the verge of shock, and where can they have the strength to stand for the night in this snow, which is now past the boot shafts of their boots. The soldiers set out in the snow, and although they were full of anger, they did not dare to show the slightest expression.

Just a few steps later, someone fell into the snow. The fallen soldier's hand slammed into the frozen ground. When he barely got up from the ground, he couldn't control his tears.

"Are you hurt?" A veteran asked the man who had fallen.

"Nope."

Hearing the answer, the veteran did not say a word. He just put his collar up again and let the young soldier go ahead of him. The soldiers didn't know where to go, but it didn't seem to matter. All they knew was that they had to return when they reached the end of the convoy.

Despite being exhausted, the soldiers struggled forward, trying to minimize their breathing, lest the exhaled breath make the cold nose uncomfortable. After walking for a while, they could no longer walk, their knees were shaking, and someone began to shed tears. Maybe I didn't understand why all this happened to me, and I needed to find someone to vent my anger, and some people began to curse uncontrollably.

"Why the fuck are we here here?"

"It's all these damn Finnish guys!"

"I shouldn't be in the army either. I was actually retired before the war. But six months ago they recruited me again. Now they need everything who can pick up a gun. Either way, let's all be able to go home safely in the end. The veteran listened to the recruit, smiled, and said calmly, "Although these Finns really make us restless." But the best thing to do is to let the Finns solve their own problems. Finland will not be a [***] country again. ”

"In the end, Finland has nothing to do with us in any way." Someone said viciously.

"Our task now is to provide assistance to the front line! My uncle is there! They must be having a very hard time right now. Someone said.

"It's very difficult for them to be there, and we don't know much about them, but it's not easy to take out the Finns." Someone continued: "They will run away, and this time Comrade Stalin will lead us to defeat them." ”

With little knowledge of what was going on at the front, the soldiers' conversations became silent.

Time seemed to stand still, and the two-hour patrol seemed like a century. The soldiers walked slowly, watching the tips of their leather boots disappear into the snow with each step. There wasn't a bit of wind right now, but it was still bitterly cold. Finally, the deadly patrol was over, and the soldiers returned to their station, and they stopped talking, but hurried to sleep.

As the first rays of morning light from the east hit the tired faces of the Soviet soldiers, they began to clear the snow from the roads again. The temperature in the early morning seems to be cooler than in the middle of the night. The gloves they had issued earlier were worn out, and they now wrapped their frostbitten hands in rags or socks. Despite their efforts to shovel the snow, they still didn't feel any warmth. They either slapped their bodies with their hands or jumped up and down to warm themselves up.

In order to boost morale, the Internationale was played on the loudspeakers.

“…… Get up! Hungry and cold slaves! Get up! People all over the world are suffering......"

Suddenly, the wind blew fiercely, and despite the officers' orders and intimidation of the soldiers, all the Soviet soldiers threw away their shovels and ran behind the leeward car. Many people thought they were going to freeze to death. No matter what they do, they can't feel even the slightest warmth. Some people even sprinkle urine on their frozen hands to make themselves feel some warmth, and some hope to use their own urine to disinfect those frozen wounds. Soon someone fell ill with pneumonia and was lying in a makeshift hospital bed in a truck. The medics in the convoy were helpless against this serious illness. In addition, at least 40 people have developed chilblains. Some people have noses that are frozen and infected. Some similar frostbite infections occur around the eyelids, ears, and especially on the hands. Some people were not severely frostbitten, but their fingers were still frozen, and every time they moved their fingers, the wounds on them would bleed. These wounds hurt them heartbreakingly. They went to the medical van and put my hands in warm disinfectant alcohol, which made the wound hurt even more, but then their hands felt warm for a few minutes. The soldiers soon ran out of food. Due to the severe cold and the long distance, they had to eat what they should have eaten at the front. Many of the vehicles had mechanical failures and were unable to be repaired, so they had to destroy them along with their cargo in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Finnish partisans. Many people developed chilblains, and several had to have their limbs amputated.

Before they reached the front, they also passed through an area that appeared to be the line of defense of the Finnish army. The convoy traversed a field littered with the wreckage of abandoned tanks, trucks, and cannons, scattered across a large expanse as far as the soldiers could see. From time to time, sticks or crosses were erected in patches, cemeteries hastily built for fallen Soviet soldiers.

What they didn't know was that, in fact, the Soviets far outnumbered the Finnish army in casualties. They saw that every 10 or 12 Soviet soldiers were buried together in each cemetery, and their graves had a Russian Orthodox cross on them. Along the way, they also had to get out of the car and fill in the large craters on the road from time to time to make it easier for the convoy to pass. Our convoy finally reached the front. The city here does not appear to have suffered much damage. Most of the fighting between the Soviets and the Finnish took place on the outskirts of the city, in the areas they had just passed. When the Finnish army could no longer withstand the Soviet attack, they retreated to the other direction outside the city, which saved the city from being destroyed by artillery fire.

The city where they were located was currently an important supply center for the Soviet army in the Finnish theater. From here, a steady stream of troops arriving from the rear was being transported and thrown into the offensive on all fronts. The city was full of soldiers and military vehicles, and everywhere there was a distinctly front-line atmosphere.

The convoy stopped on the outskirts of the city to wait for orders. Once again, the Soviet soldiers found themselves walking on a snow-covered, frozen road. They had thought that all the troubles would be over. Everyone was looking forward to the order to go to the barracks to rest. But they were first sent to the epidemic prevention station, where they washed themselves. Everyone was dirty to death, and they all had fleas. Seven people were hospitalized with serious injuries, and the rest stayed in the city for only seven hours before hitting the road again. Before leaving the well-organized city, the soldiers were ordered to stand in a line on the avenue in front of a building. At this time, a commissar arrived in front of us in a Volkswagen. He gave a short speech to the soldiers in the car.

"Brave soldiers! Citizens of the USSR! At this very moment, the battle to defend the Motherland from aggression and to liberate Finland is going on on this land, and our Motherland is looking forward to your final victory. Your duty is to support the fighting units on the front lines. You will face many difficulties and obstacles on the road ahead. There is no reason for each of us to waver or run away from the face of difficulty! No one has the right to doubt our just victory. Together, we are all united in our work, and the only way to overcome all odds is to overcome all difficulties. Never forget that everything you have come from your homeland, which expects you to repay it with your fearless sacrifice. You must learn to face the pain and difficulties ahead without complaint, because you are Soviet soldiers! Long live Comrade Stalin! ”

Hearing this, the soldiers also quickly replied in unison: "Long live Comrade Stalin!" ”

Then the commissar cleared his throat and began to speak to the soldiers in a more cordial tone: "You will form a whole and join the combat mission on the outskirts of the city. You will be protected by an armored detachment. They will protect you from the saboteurs who want to thwart you. As you can see, Comrade Stalin is making every effort to ensure the successful completion of your tasks. ”

Then he saluted the group, and his driver immediately started the car and left.

The soldiers and their own units were combined with the other two units at the designated location to form the attacking force. After the reorganization of the troops, the first thought of many people is that they will meet some of their friends in the boot camp, if they have not been transferred or killed in battle. A mobile cooking cart drove up, and the soldiers had a hot meal. This has made their morale rise again.

(To be continued)