Chapter 8: The Day of the Death on the Somme
The next day, before dawn, Zhou Yu had already opened his eyes.
He stepped out of the damp cave where the laborers had slept, and through the thin fog he saw that many figures had begun to move back and forth, as if new troops were still gathering here.
"Everybody's awake and ready, we could attack at any moment."
After observing for a while, Zhou Yu returned to the cave to wake up his companions, and told everyone to dress neatly, check their shovels and other items, and wait for the boss to give orders.
After about a quarter of an hour, the pale-faced Williams walked to the mouth of the cave.
When he saw the neatly dressed Chinese workers of Task Force C13 who had been waiting there for a long time, their expressions were obviously a little sluggish.
"You're already up? Very well, the command was given to us to launch a second general attack at eight o'clock sharp, and at the same time the friendly forces on the right flank and the French army would also attack. The enemy's first line of positions has been completely destroyed, and today we may be moving a little faster.
When we occupy the first line of the opponent's position, you will have to repair the trenches there as quickly as possible, use them as our forward positions, and continue to attack the second line of the opponent's position, do you understand? ”
"Understood, sir!"
Zhou Yu agreed, and soon took his own people to run towards the front line first.
When Zhou Yu and his task force Chinese workers passed by the British soldiers, he only glanced at them, and saw no soldiers with high morale, no indomitable perseverance, and only childish faces full of fear and freckles.
Zhou Yu's heart sank slightly, and he felt that these people were all children who took off their military uniforms, and they should stay on campus, not in hell.
Watching these British soldiers line up in a phalanx and advance with guns under the reprimand of the commander, Zhou Yu really wanted to scold his mother.
Most of the people who are in command of this war have poop in their heads! How could such an ancient formation be used to face the German Maxim heavy machine guns?
Isn't yesterday's lesson enough to wake up these people who are pretending to be asleep?
However, Zhou Yu was also discouraged to find that he could not do anything, and it was impossible for these arrogant British officers to listen to the command and advice of one of his laborers.
The reason why Williams was able to listen to his advice yesterday was also shocked by the hellish slaughter scene, and I believe that today will not be so smooth.
"Hey, you yellow-skinned monkeys! Standing in front, I need you to clear the other party's bombed trench as soon as possible! Then our fighters will be able to minimize casualties! ”
At the front of the position, a British officer who had never seen it stood in front of the Chinese workers of the task force, shouting loudly.
However, Zhou Yu's face suddenly changed when he heard his order, and he asked, "Sir, shall we go up like this?" We even only had a shovel. ”
Since he spoke in English, the officer looked over after listening to it, and then walked in front of Zhou Yu with his hands behind his back.
"You're the one who knows how to speak London? I've heard Williams talk about you, don't think you can speak our language and you're on our footing! If you are not allowed to go up, will we want our precious soldiers to rush to the front?
Tell you, I'll send the Overseers to follow you, and if anyone goes slow or tries to turn around and escape, the Overseers have the right to kill them on the spot! ”
"What? Sir......!? ”
Zhou Yu wanted to say something, but the officer opposite him suddenly raised the horsewhip in his hand and pulled it down.
Zhou Yu's pupils contracted suddenly, and the falling horsewhip turned into slow motion.
But this time he didn't try to dodge, because he knew that the man in front of him was not as indecisive as Williams, and if he tried to dodge the other party's whip or return fire, this guy would really pull out his gun and kill him right now!
Zhou Yu, who confirmed this, just tilted his head slightly to prevent the whip from being whipped on his face, and when everything around him returned to normal, the whip "snapped" on his right shoulder and back, and suddenly there was a hot pain.
"I don't have the time to repeat it to you a second time! You are also not qualified to ask any questions! Just need to execute the command, do you understand? ”
Zhou Yu gritted his teeth and endured the pain, not letting himself hum, and replied stubbornly: "I understand!" Sir......! ”
Behind Zhou Yu, Hong Ah Ghost was just about to make a move, but he was dragged by Lu Xiucai beside him.
The officer glared at Zhou Yu again, and then turned around and left with satisfaction, leaving a team of more than 20 people waiting beside him.
It was only at this time that Hong Ah Ghost angrily shook off Lu Xiucai's hand and walked to Zhou Yu's side anxiously.
"Mr. Zhou, how are you? That foreign devil is so not a thing! What did he tell you? ”
Zhou Yu turned around to signal that he was fine, he looked at everyone's concerned eyes and said in a deep voice: "The foreign devil let us take the lead." ”
"What? Let's take the lead? We're not soldiers, we're just laborers! ”
Hearing this news, Liu Banxian suddenly felt a little nervous, he and the dog baby glanced at each other, and even had the urge to escape.
Zhou Yu whispered: "Calm down!" Don't act rashly, don't you see this group of GIs left next to you? They are Warlords, and they will follow us.
If someone tries to run away or moves too slowly to reach the enemy, they'll pull out their guns and kill us all! Rest assured, these people will definitely not have the slightest psychological burden to shoot at us, we will only be on our own. ”
"Mr. Zhou, we all listen to you!"
Lu Xiucai stood in front of Zhou Yu and showed absolute trust in him.
Zhou Yu looked at the crowd, gritted his teeth and commanded in a low voice, "You don't have to worry too much, the enemy's first front has been destroyed by artillery fire, and as long as we are careful, we may not be attacked." But for the sake of the insurance period, I felt that I should go to Williams and apply for a steel helmet for each of us. ”
However, before the official start of the general offensive was announced, Zhou Yu was unable to find Lieutenant Williams.
The guy didn't know where to go, facing the twenty wolf-like overseers, Zhou Yu, these laborers were like a flock of sheep without resistance, urged to climb out of the trench and began to march towards the no-man's land filled with gunsmoke and mud.
The ground in the no-man's land was still muddy and difficult to walk, so Zhou Yu and the others could only hold each other's arms and move forward a little bit.
The areas made of cannon fodder and mud seem to have some kind of invisible suction, making it a great deal of perseverance for you to take every step.
In the mist composed of puffs of gunsmoke, Zhou Yu saw the crooked enemy barbed wire from a distance.
"Everyone, be careful! It's already close to the enemy's first line of positions! Hold your body down! ”
Zhou Yu waved his hand and motioned for his companions to separate on both sides, not to crowd in a pile and move forward.
But at this moment, the Overseer team members who were following them suddenly shouted, "Don't disperse!" Concentrate on moving forward! Those who disobey military orders will be killed on the spot! ”
"What?"
Zhou Yu felt a wave of anger in his heart, didn't he make it clear that he wanted to use these Chinese workers as shields?
"Sir! That's death! ”
"Do as I say! Or reward you with a bullet now! ”
A member of the Overseer team raised his pistol and pointed it at Zhou Yu, revealing a hideous expression.
Zhou Yu had no doubt that the other party would pull the trigger, and if he dared to use his special ability to dodge, there was a high probability that other companions would also suffer.
"......"
Zhou Yu, who had no way to send it, could only turn around again and continue to move forward with the brainless dense formation of the British army.
Suddenly, Zhou Yu's heart throbbed, and an indescribable danger warning flashed through his mind.
"Danger! Get down! ”
Zhou Yu didn't have time to think about it, so he shouted and took the lead in rushing forward.
The other laborers saw his movements, and threw themselves into the muddy water in front of them with their heads in their hands.
"Hell! You pigs! Get up for me! It seems that if you don't kill the two, you still think I won't dare! ”
Seeing that the Chinese workers fell to the ground one by one, the members of the supervision team immediately raised their guns and prepared to shoot.
But before he could lift the pistol and pull the trigger, tongues of fire had already burst out from the enemy position.
"Dadada~~"
The Maxim heavy machine gun rang out again, and began to frantically harvest the lives of all those who were still standing.
The Warlords bore the brunt of the attack, torn to pieces by the barrage of bullets, and the rows went limp.
Zhou Yu, who was the first to fall to the ground, tried his best to bury his head low, listening to the bullets flying above his head, and did not dare to move.
A whistle flew from far and near, making Zhou Yu's body tremble violently.
"Watch out for shelling!"
He had barely heard his voice for a meter before it was drowned out by the sound of an explosion coming from behind him.
The violent explosion lifted the dirt into the sky, and then rained down and smashed on Zhou Yu.
He heard screams not far from him, and then something hit him in the head.
When Zhou Yu saw that kind of thing clearly, he found that it was not dirt or bullet casings that had just hit him, but a half-bloody ...... Calf!