In the middle of summer, the rows of birch forests are full of new life and lush green leaves. A faint fragrance fills the air.

In a complex of academy buildings full of Eastern European elements, an entrance ceremony is unfolding without any new ideas.

Under the shade of greenery, dozens of tall teenagers, dressed in military uniforms without military ranks, were standing in front of a yellow building with their heads held high.

"Click!"

The flash flashed, and the initial appearance of this group of teenagers was also frozen. In the future, this group photo will be hung on a red wall along with thousands of similar group photos of new students.

……

"Knock...... ......"At noon, the solemn and solemn bell rang. One by one, the students walked out of their classrooms, or went back to their dormitories, or to the cafeteria, or to the court.

But in one classroom, a young man of medium stature was still sitting in his seat, holding his head. And in front of his desk was a school plan.

His name was Nikolayevich and he came from a village in the Far East. has had excellent grades since childhood, and at the same time has an inexplicable yearning for the army.

……

During the Bering Strait War, which broke out in his childhood, a group of servicemen passed by his hometown. They were the remnants of the army that had been withdrawn from the battlefield, and the morale of this group of remnants was still high, but they were withdrawn because of excessive losses.

In times of war, the spiritual spirit of the entire nation will change dramatically. And these people are no different.

"Hey! Brat! Come here! ”

Near their camp, a child was tiptoeing over their dusty steel chariot. A soldier beckoned to the child and motioned for him to come.

"Hey! Ivan! You're going to scare your child. ”

A bespectacled, well-mannered soldier said to the five big and three thick soldiers.

The soldier covered his head and smiled.

And the child walked cautiously with his head down at this time, looking frightened.

The soldier, named Ivan, took the gloves from his hands, threw them to the child, and said, "Take them home!" Brat! You can wear it for your father, or you can wear it when you grow up! ”

The child took the glove, his face full of shock and incomprehension.

"Uncle, don't you want it?"

Ivan laughed, pinched his right hand with his left hand, and pulled it down, and his "right hand" fell.

It's a prosthetic leg made of steel.

"Hahahahaha! I don't need it anymore! It's for you young people! ”

The child was stunned, he looked at the scene in front of him, and couldn't say anything for a while.

The next morning, the army withdrew.

The child looked at the billowing smoke and felt himself throbbing. Although he had seen the tragedy of the war, he still inexplicably developed a yearning for the army.

Probably because of the simplicity and deep affection for the people of these soldiers, he was deeply touched. He also wants to be respected by the people. Just like the people of the village did to them.

He wondered why. But this still planted a seed in his heart - to join the army.

Some troops have been stationed here at the same time as simple schools have been set up to teach the children of the village. This undoubtedly provides nourishment for this seed.

After a month, the war ended. The garrison army was withdrawn, and the military school was disbanded, but the child's obsession deepened.

After fifteen years, he finally got out of the village. At this time, he was already a teenager, and the revolutionary ideals in his heart were more firm. With a spirit of dedication to his country, he came to Moscow, the most prosperous city in the Soviet Union, and began his education.

……

The first day of the class gave this bright teenager some headaches.

"Isn't it! Is there anyone else looking at the question here? Felix, don't be a fool! ”

The classroom door was suddenly pushed open, and two teenagers, dressed in school uniforms but wearing expensive watches on their hands, walked in.

Nikolaevich heard the ridicule, frowned, looked up, lowered his head and continued to study.

"No, brother, why are you working so hard? Isn't this just coming in and gilding for a few years? Why don't you enjoy campus life? ”

A teenager walked up and put his arms around Nikolayevich.

His words made Nikolayevich's heart tremble.

"Gilded? What do you mean? Aren't you here to learn knowledge and serve the people? ”

Nikolayevich was shocked to ask a question that sounded extremely silly.

The two men were stunned, they looked at each other and laughed.

From that day on, Nikolayevich became an outlier in the school. No one was on the same path with him. He is just a man who walks on what he thinks is right. Even if this path is no longer in step with the times.

War can indeed reunite the spiritual power of a nation, but only for the people at the bottom. In a corrupt country, in the eyes of the rulers, the state is just a piece of cake. If he could eat the biggest part of it, he would rather destroy the country.

In the eyes of these people, there is no country, only themselves.

This military school is no longer the military school of the old days. He has now become a rich boy's gilded place. When other young people come here, they will only be slowly corrupted in this atmosphere and become the garbage of the city.

If there is anything from the old times that this military school still retains, it should only be the birch forest.

So, that birch forest was also a place where Nikolayevich frequented. There, he seemed to perceive the echoes of that passionate era.

On the day of graduation, Nikolaevich lost the passion of the day he entered the school. But in the past few years, not only has he not worn off his edges and corners, but he wants to do something for the country even more. He firmly believes that the rulers of this country have like-minded people.

In the first three years of the army, because of Nikolayevich's determination, or rather rigidity, he did not understand the way of the workplace. Although he graduated from the Frunze Military Academy, he only worked as a company commander for three years.

But at the bottom, there were many soldiers who admired Nikolayevich. They are all children of the poor, just like they were hundreds of years ago. Before stepping into the army, they all had the same fantasies as Nikolayevich. Despite all these years of baptism, they have long since become corrupt. But when they saw the existence of such a person, the fire in the hearts of many people was slightly ignited again.

This year, the war broke out again.

Nikolayevich's unit was disguised as a mercenary and dropped into a satellite state to participate in the war between the American and Soviet satellite states.

On the battlefield, most of the soldiers are like mercenaries, taking money to do things, and mixing things if they can. But Nikolaevich's company was different. Under his infection, the entire company has a kind of spiritual power that was centuries ago. It was fearlessness and determination.

His heroic performance instantly attracted the attention of his superiors.

Although they are all corrupted, they still have to pretend to each other that they don't know in this system. Abide by their so-called responsibilities. Do the work on the surface.

So his superiors began to promote him.

From company commander to battalion commander, from battalion commander to deputy regiment commander, from deputy regiment commander to regiment commander, and finally to brigade commander. His promotion was earned in exchange for military merit.

The war is over.

The term of office of the country's leaders has also ended.

Although the war could not be hyped up, the leaders of trust were struck by Nikolayevich's performance.

He was also a man like Nikolayevich.

It's just that he is more tactful than Nikolayevich, and can rise step by step in this corrupt power field, holding on to the power at the top. But he didn't forget his beliefs. But it also made him nailed to the pillar of shame in history.

After the war, he received Nikolayevich.

Because of "etiquette" restrictions, he could only meet Nikolaevich once.

He looked at Nikolayevich with a smile in his eyes, and he said softly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel! How did you pull off those miracles on the battlefield? ”

Nikolayevich was stunned and said excitedly: "All for the people!" ”

All for the people.

An old-fashioned cliché.

Despite the fact that these were Nikolayevich's sincere words, the leaders were somewhat disappointed. Enough of such words had been heard, and what he hoped for was the allegiance of Nikolayevich. He thinks his previous hints are obvious enough. It's just a pity that Nikolayevich is a political fool.

Nikolayevich returned to the barracks, and the dispatch came down immediately. He was promoted to division commander.

This was the allegiance of the superiors after seeing that Nikolayevich was valued by the new leader. Even though they were loyal only to interests, they still chose to make this face-saving decision.

Anyway, the division commander is a hands-on division, and it is nothing more than a loss of several million.

But what the leaders wanted was for Nikolayevich to be the commander of the Guards Division in the capital. But Nikolayevich's attitude led him to cancel this decision, choosing another shark with a keen sense of smell.

Another profit-seeker.

The leader immediately embarked on a drastic reform.

The sudden rise of power and the "allegiance" of various institutions made him think that he was at the helm of the country. But he forgot that the real person at the helm is interests.

His reforms touched countless people on the interests.

Soon, a storm was brewing out of sight.

A coup d'état soon broke out. He, as a traitor, was ousted from power.

And the first to storm the Kremlin was his Guards Division.

Nikolayevich saw the news and was filled with disbelief.

He could not believe that such a leader would be overthrown for treason. And the evidence is so strong.

As a high-ranking person, he knows the truth. But he still underestimated the benefits. Cannibalistic interests.

What is the difference between this country, the so-called civilization, and the end times?

This is the civilization of the rulers, the last days of the people.

His order came down immediately. Taking into account his abilities, his post of division commander was retained. But he was still transferred out of the central system. Going to serve as a garrison in an allied country meant that he completely lost the opportunity for promotion. And waiting for him there is a bunch of real trash, a bunch of walking dead who have completely lost their faith.

But the arrival of Nikolaevich changed all that. In two years, under his inspiration, this army was revitalized. It's just that in such a place, it's useless to live or not.

But despite this, they still planted a birch tree next to the barracks as a reminder of their hometown. Although there is no difference between home and other places.

Soon, the last war of the old era broke out.

Because of the remoteness of the place, Nikolayevich's troops were preserved intact. But the birch forest was burned down in the fire.

As soon as the war ended, he immediately led his troops into the city and launched a rescue.

In the process, he met Wu Guosheng, a former colleague. Wu Guosheng proposed to consolidate forces and wait for the government's call. Nikolayevich easily believed Wu Guosheng.

But Wu Guosheng is the commander-in-chief of a military district, and Nikolayevich is just a degraded outcast, and there are so many things he doesn't know. And Wu Guosheng has long known that there is no government in this world.

Wu Guosheng already had plans to divide one side, all he wanted was Nikolayevich's troops. Although the other side is only a border army, its combat effectiveness is still much stronger than its own army.

So what happened later, from the mouth of Mainovich, we also know.

Quarrels broke out between him and Wu Guosheng. But he did not choose mutiny, because he was a soldier and the muzzle of the gun could never be pointed at his compatriots.

He believed that in the last days, all human beings would be compatriots.

And Wu Guosheng didn't dare to make a mistake because he didn't dare to fight, and he couldn't beat it.

In the end, Nikolaevich was gone.

What did he remember when he died?

Is it a conversation with the leader?

Is it a conversation with a comrade-in-arms?

Is it a quarrel with Wu Guosheng?

We don't know.

At the time of his death, some images flashed through his mind. But we couldn't see the face standing across from him, perhaps because at that moment, everything didn't matter. Because he was so close to his ideals that he forgot about those who stood in the way of his ideals.

Perhaps the moment he closed his eyes, he thought of the veteran, of the birch forest.

They are all so fragile, but they are the motivation and hope of their own lives.

At this moment, Nikolayevich also became such an existence in this group of survivors.

There are no regrets in this life.

The end times are coming, but for Nikolayevich, what is the end times? Where are the last days?

No one knows the answer, but everyone knows the answer.