The devastation caused by the prolonged war in the Somme region has been devastating, especially since the area has long been destroyed by millions of shells.

It was supposed to be a lush woodland, but from a distance, the trees were skewed and stacked on top of each other like human corpses, and a few trees were still burning their only bodies, emitting a wailing black smoke.

Zhou Yu and the others walked through a trench area where the poisonous gas had not yet dissipated, covering their mouths and noses with a cotton cloth that had been moistened in advance, not daring to pass quickly without any stop.

In this section of the trench, many soldiers rolled on the ground with blue faces, coughed, convulsed, and even vomited blood.

Some soldiers lay on the ground, dying, foaming at the mouth, but many more were not dead, still whispering for help.

They stretched out their hands helplessly, and some would grab the trouser legs of the laborers and try their best to make a sound, but Zhou Yu knew that they couldn't be saved.

This is the power of poison gas bombs, these poison gases will drift downwind to the position in the direction of the downwind outlet, silently eroding the body of the poisoner.

They may initially find the smell strange, but then they will have difficulty breathing, facial congestion, tearing, and vomiting and choking.

And some poisonous gases not only suffocate people, but even make people fester, such as the famous "mustard gas".

Zhou Yu and the others quickly passed through this area shrouded in thin poison, but even if they covered their mouths and noses, they still felt uncomfortable.

However, after walking through this trench, which is comparable to hell on earth, the group found a cellar with some wine stored in it.

This is a high-strength rum that can be drunk as both alcohol and alcohol.

Some of the laborers took a bite and scrambled the bottles into their belts or arms.

"These foreign devils really enjoy it, and they put so much wine to drink when their lives are dying."

Mu Dezhu stuffed his clothes so much that he carried at least five or six bottles with him.

Zhou Yu walked behind him, and said in a tone without ups and downs: "Drink, everyone drink to your heart's content, provided that whoever has lived enough will bring more wine with him." ”

Mu Dezhu smiled wryly, and took out the wine bottles that he had stuffed into his arms one by one, leaving only one bottle.

"Bring a bottle at most, take a sip when you feel cold to keep out the cold, if you drink on the battlefield and your mind is dizzy, then even the gods can't save you, go quickly, get out of here."

After searching the cellar, the group moved on.

Zhou Yu looked at the valley not far away, his line of sight was from bottom to top, and as far as the eye could see, there were dense craters scattered and arranged.

There was a pungent smell of burnt burning everywhere, until a heavy rain began to fall on the Somme, which slowly overshadowed it.

But then the rainstorm turned the already impassable battlefield into a mud swamp.

The laborers chirped on the muddy ground, and if they were not careful, they would take their shoes off.

Heavy rains even spilled down trenches, scooped down communication trenches, and seeped into soft ground to make supply convoys on both sides impassable, slowing the pace of the war as a result.

"Bah, damn, God's going to leak! If this rain doesn't stop, mushrooms will grow on me. ”

Liu Banxian hid in a trench dug out of a trench, wiped off the felt hat on his head and twisted it with both hands, making a gurgling sound of water.

Mudzhu dug a new hole next to him, but as he dug into the inside of the cave, it suddenly collapsed from above, and if it hadn't been for his companion standing next to him and dragging him out of it, this guy would have buried himself alive.

"Bah, what the hell is this weather, and you can't let people live? It's not October yet, why is it so cold? ”

Mu Dezhu, who was dragged out of the mud hole, trembled, and Zhou Yu could only put his cotton clothes on this guy's head.

Zhou Yu glanced at the large area that seemed to have turned into a muddy swamp, shook his head and said: "I'm afraid this rain won't stop for a while and a half, the muddy position is difficult for both us and the enemy army to pass, and now everyone's self-protection is a problem, if anyone takes the initiative to attack again, their heads must be squeezed through the door." ”

It had been a week since they had moved south in the direction of Verdun, but the speed of the laborers had been hampered by the heavy rain.

Fortunately, the right flank of the Entente has a good record, and has advanced the battle line to the second line of defense of the German army, and is in a stalemate in front of the third line of defense of the opponent.

"Mr. Zhou~~Mr. Zhou~~ I found a cave over there~~!"

The dog baby who was sent out to explore the way slid into the trench excitedly, his head and face were covered with rain, and his body and feet were covered with mud, making his whole body grow a few centimeters taller.

"Let's clean up, let's go to the cave to take shelter from the rain, if we stay in the trenches any longer, we will freeze to death if we don't starve to death."

Zhou Yu glanced at the more than twenty shivering laborers around him, and remembered the description he had seen in a certain book before.

The man seemed to be saying that World War I soldiers would dig tomb-like holes in the ground to hide themselves in order to resist the cold, just as they did now.

In such an environment, you can't stick your legs out of the hole, because it's raining outside, and you can't look up, because the water seeps from above, and don't move your arms, otherwise the cold rain will get into your collar, but you still have to move from time to time to avoid freezing.

Also, the most important thing to do in the icy trench potholes is to "don't fall asleep" or you may never wake up again.

"Damn, there is no such thing as a winner in this battle...... No, if there is a winner, it is probably the New World far away in North America. ”

At this moment, Zhou Yu's idea of going to the New World became more and more urgent.

Encouraging everyone to get back on the road, they struggled through a muddy swamp under the guidance of the dog, and finally found the cave in a sparse wooded hill.

The cave was stone, dimly lit and leaky, but it was much more comfortable than they were in the trenches.

"Let's look around to see if there's any wood and leaves that aren't so wet, and we'll have to light a fire to dry our socks and clothes."

Zhou Yu's feet can now squeeze out a bubble of water with every step, and at first he would feel stinging, but now he is even a little numb, and this feedback makes him feel scared.

Now everyone is in desperate need of a set of dry clothes and socks.

"Mr. Zhou, it's damp everywhere here, and there's no way to light a fire."

Mu Dezhu held a few wet logs and said in frustration.

"Let's find some rocks around the cave and build a stove out, and we'll make a fire in it later. Dezhu, Copper Lock, Lao Cui, a few of you come with me. ”

Zhou Yu ordered a few tall laborers and asked them to follow him out of the cave, looking for something in the crooked woods.

After a while, he pointed to one of the thicker trunks and said, "Cut down these branches, although they are already a little damp on the outside, they should still be dry and ready to ignite when the bark is peeled off." ”

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Yu saw a few birch trees, this kind of wood is rich in oil, even if it is not so dry, it is easier to start a fire than other trees.

Under the command of Zhou Yu, several people cut a lot of wood, and when they returned to the cave with the wood on their backs, they found that the others had also built a simple stove with stones.

This shape with a wide lower part and a narrow mouth allows the fire to burn faster and faster, and can also store heat for everyone and expel toxic smoke, which is a common sense skill for them who have lived on the battlefield for a long time.

Zhou Yu took out a knife and peeled off the outer skin of the wood that was only damp but not rotten, leaving only the drier part in the center, and then had the softer wood scraped into the shape of flowers with a knife so that it could be ignited more easily.

After doing this, he pulled out the flint and steel, and after a little effort, finally lit a bonfire.

"Dezhu, a few of you go and cut down some more trees according to the kind of trees we were looking for just now, and prepare a little more, this fire must not be extinguished."

"Okay, Mr. Zhou."

When everyone saw that the bonfire had finally risen, they couldn't help but feel a burst of joy in their hearts, and their movements were much faster.

"Come on, everyone, take off your clothes, pants, shoes and socks, and we have to find a way to dry them as soon as possible."

As long as there is fire, it seems that human beings can realize their infinite potential.

The laborers were thinking outside the box, using what they had learned or heard from the old man before, and worked hard to renovate the small cave.

Some of them dug a diversion channel in the cave floor, allowing rainwater from the roof to flow down the channel to the low-lying terrain.

Someone built a row of bunks out of rocks and trees and leaves, away from the wet ground, and while it didn't allow them to sleep on it for twenty or so people at the same time, it would be enough for everyone to sleep better than they had been before.

Others dig out of the cave and dig up some tree roots and sweet potatoes, and roast the food on a campfire, and in a short time it becomes a peerless delicacy that cannot be bought with money.

The sound of night falling, the sound of rain outside the cave is still rattling, and there is no intention of stopping.

In the cave, everyone used hollow wooden stakes to make a diversion canal to collect some rainwater and boil it to drink, and then with wild vegetable roots and sweet potatoes, we had a beautiful dinner.