North of Leysk, Rain of the 59th Regiment of the 15th Infantry Division is crouching in a trench to check his smoke mask.

The smoke mask, which consists mainly of rubber compartments, glass glasses, and filter cans, is stored in a straw green tin bucket and tied to the belt.

In order to prevent the enemy from copying them after they are captured and to neutralize our army's superiority in special smoke and poison gas operations, and in addition, the authority to use special smoke bombs is generally above the group army, and it is carried out by independent special artillery units or chemical engineer companies under the engineer regiments of each division, so the front-line infantry usually does not carry smoke masks with them, and only after the order is issued by the superiors, each company goes to the regiment headquarters to collect them.

Receiving a smoke mask meant using special smoke against the enemy - for Zhang Xinyu, this was the first time he had come into contact with such a thick, black, hideous-looking thing in actual combat.

The colonel and brigade commander, who had commanded nearly 3,000 cavalry three days ago, was tied to a small black room and accused of his prime minister's brother-in-law for just a few casual complaints—in the eyes of the pretentious Commander Xiao, who were out-and-out sloppy military remarks. Zhang Xinyu looked at the mask in his hand, as if everything that had just happened was just a nightmare, he was still wandering ignorantly in the dream, pinching his arm, and when he woke up, there was nothing to do.

Zhang Xinyu didn't do anything stupid, he knew that this was not a dream, and there were still many question marks lingering in his mind: why did he say that at that time? Why would a brother-in-law who is in the position of prime minister be so himself? Is it still possible for me to be reinstated?

"Private Zhang Xinyu!"

A shout of rage interrupted his thoughts.

Zhang Xinyu looked up and saw that it was the secretary general of the company, a short, middle-aged non-commissioned officer, with a tiger face crossed his waist, glaring at him viciously.

"What are you doing? Do you want me to salute you? ”

Zhang Xinyu hurriedly got up and saluted. The other party kicked him in the thigh, and he screamed in pain.

"Called? What a big man, **ah! Also a colonel brigade commander? How did you become a soldier before? Standing in a military posture is crooked, your instructor hasn't pumped you? ”

"Sir, I'm a cavalryman...... ...... after riding a horse for too long."

Zhang Xinyu still wanted to explain, but he was kicked in the ass again, and he almost didn't get him down.

In the past, this little sergeant, when he saw himself, had to obediently straighten his waist. His chin was raised to the sky, his left hand snapped neatly against the seam of his trousers, and his right hand was raised with a smack—his middle finger was poked into his temple, and his heels slammed together, and he didn't hesitate until he casually raised his hand and raised his eyebrows in return, and then he dared to dissolve and do anything else.

The world is impermanent...... But this guy is too bullying!

Zhang Xinyu stood up straight, his eyes were about to attack, and he was already grabbed by the collar by the angry secretary. Nose to nose roared.

"You hear me, I'm not your immediate boss though. But I'm the secretary of this company, do you know what a secretary is? The executive officer of the company commander? No, not only that, I am also the guardian of the company's military discipline and the medical staff of the company's morale, and I must discover and eliminate any factors that may affect the company's combat effectiveness in time, eliminate them, and nip the trouble in the bud. And you're the biggest trouble we've ever had! ”

Zhang Xinyu endured his anger. whispered: "I don't want to ...... like this either"

This sentence provoked an even more hysterical rebuke from the other party: "What did you say? You don't want that? Do we want you to come? Are we idle eggs, or are you looking for your own smoke? Private Zhang Xinyu, listen to me, you are a piece of now. Roll out and stink wherever you go! The only way out is to forget about your past, admit that you really are a piece of, and hold your rifle. Listen to the commander's orders to act, the commander tells you to die, you have to die happily, the commander tells you to eat, you have to eat it happily, do you understand! ”

"Understood, understood......"

Zhang Xinyu's fists were clenched tightly, and his entire arm trembled.

"I can't hear me!"

"Understood! Sir! ”

Zhang Xinyu almost cried out, he had already stabbed the damn fat pig in front of him with a bayonet in his imagination, and if the other party pushed one step further, he could not guarantee that he would not put his imagination into practice.

"Very well, sit down."

The secretary squinted nervously and smiled, let go of his hand, and left with a triumphant shake of his shoulders.

Zhang Xinyu sat heavily on the ground, his chest kept surging with shame and indignation, almost making him unable to breathe, and his face was red and white for a while, very ugly.

"Hey, you're fine."

There was a tap on the shoulder, but Zhang Xinyu didn't bother to look up, and continued to check the other equipment spread out on the blanket in a muffled voice: a slender Type 97 rifle, a bayonet and scabbard, a Y-shaped armed belt, a leather bullet box, a pile of 5-pack bridge clips filled with bullets, a cloth grenade bag, eight one-year wooden-handled grenades, a green patent leather aluminum lunch box, and an aluminum kettle with a light-colored thermal insulation cover......

"Don't take it to heart, that old yellow dog can't live if he doesn't scold people for a day, I'm also a veteran, so I don't have his problem - my name is Zhang Yu."

A calloused hand stretched out in front of him—the hand of a hard-working farmer.

There is no reason to refuse the enthusiasm...... Zhang Xinyu raised his head and saw a broad, dark, rough face of a Northwest man, and when he held his hand, he felt warm, thick and powerful.

"You know my name."

Zhang Yu smiled heartily: "Yes, I know everything about you." ”

"You don't hate me?"

Zhang Xinyu was still very careful, in this strange army, he didn't dare to expect too much from this strange enthusiasm.

"We're in the same class, so we have to take care of each other." Zhang Yu said with a smile and sat down next to Zhang Xinyu, "Is there any smoke?" ”

Zhang Xinyu took out a pack of Jinhard Gate, causing Zhang Yu to smack his lips: "Golden, amazing." ”

"Take whatever."

Zhang Yu rubbed his hands and looked left and right, and carefully pulled out two sticks, one in his mouth and one in his jacket pocket.

"That's enough, borrow a fire—"

Zhang Xinyu took out the British lighter with a silver background and gold relief given by her brother-in-law, and lit a cigarette for Zhang Yu, who was blinking with big eyes.

"It's a rarity...... By the way, did you go to get ration number three? ”

Zhang Xinyu shook his head: "No, the squad leader asked me to sort out the equipment first." ”

In the Army, the No. 3 ration is a special ration food that is different from the company's daily ration (No. 1 ration) and the combat ration (No. 2 ration), mainly biscuits and canned meat, which are only distributed and eaten according to the orders of the regimental commander when the unit is transferred to fierce fighting and it is difficult to open a group.

The distribution of ration No. 3 began, which meant that the big war was imminent.

Suddenly, there was a sharp whistling sound in the sky—

Zhang Xinyu's eyes trembled, and he said "lie down", and reflexively pressed Zhang Yu to the ground......

Amid the whistle of the train, on August 1, 1915, the Khoflin Group of the Russian Army, which surrounded the advancing troops of the Chinese Army in Aleysk, consisted of about 32 men from 6 military headquarters, 13 infantry divisions, 3 cavalry divisions, and 920 artillery pieces.