Chapter 30: The Killing Field Plan
"Doctor! Doctor! Kemmerich is dying! Come and have a look!" Lu Mingfei shouted and rushed out of the ward to stop a middle-aged man in a white coat.
"Who is Kemmerich?" The middle-aged man in the white coat ignored Lu Mingfei and turned to look at a nurse following him and asked.
"Bed number 26, the one who had his thigh amputated yesterday." The nurse responded quickly.
"How would I know it was that? I have sawed off five thighs today alone. Come over and take a look." After saying that, the doctor pushed aside Lu Mingfei who was blocking the way and walked quickly towards the operating room at the end of the corridor.
Lu Mingfei was so angry that he was shaking all over as he looked at the back of the doctor who was indifferent to the life and death of the patient. He wanted to continue to stop the doctor and punch him hard in the face, but was stopped by the nurse.
"Don't blame him. He has been doing surgeries since 5am, one after another, and he is still not finished. He is almost going crazy from exhaustion. I tell you, 16 people have died today alone, and your friend is likely to be the 17th. At least 20 people will die today."
The nurse pulled the angry Lu Mingfei towards Kemmerich's bed.
When Lu Mingfei and the nurse returned to the bedside, it was too late. Kemmerich was no longer breathing, and his baby face was covered with tear marks. Lu Mingfei felt as if all the strength in his body had been drained.
"Do you want to take his things with you?" the nurse asked Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei nodded weakly.
"That has to be done as soon as possible. We have to move him away. There are other people who need this bed. We can't let those people lie on the floor all the time." The nurse continued.
Lu Mingfei picked up the things they had packed for Kemmerich earlier, and also picked up the pair of boots that Kemmerich said he would give him.
They were a pair of very well-made long boots, made in England, made of soft yellow leather, reaching to the knees, and tied with straps from bottom to top. Kemmerich usually cherished them very much. Even during the endless bombardment, he insisted on wiping his boots clean.
Lu Mingfei walked out of the ward in a daze, carrying these things. Behind him, Kemmerich's body had been wrapped in a tent cloth by a nurse, who was carrying it away with another nurse.
Lu Mingfei didn’t know whether Kemmerich’s body would be transported home. Perhaps he knew but just didn’t want to think about it.
When Lu Mingfei walked out of the hospital gate, he felt as if he had forgotten something very important. Suddenly, a cold wind blew and made him shiver. He remembered that he had not found Kemmerich's watch yet.
He had promised Kemmerich that he would help him find the watch, which was Kemmerich's last wish.
The Word Spirit Kamaitachi expanded rapidly and instantly covered the entire hospital. Countless wailing sounds in the hospital all poured into his ears. Those sounds were like evil spirits from hell demanding their lives, but he didn't care. He carefully identified the ticking sound of his watch among those sounds.
Not this one, not this one. Lu Mingfei kept shuttling back and forth in the direction of the ticking sounds, and finally he saw the watch on the wrist of a soldier who was carrying the wounded in the hospital.
Lu Mingfei didn't say anything, but punched the soldier in the face, knocking out several of his back teeth.
Lu Mingfei punched the soldier in the face again and again as if he wanted to vent all his anger on him. Some people around wanted to step forward to stop him, but when they were glanced at by Lu Mingfei's angry golden eyes, they were immediately frightened and dared not move.
Just when Lu Mingfei was about to beat the soldier to death, a hand grabbed his fist that was about to swing down. It was Kaczynski. He also came to the hospital to see Kemmerich. Paul and the others went back and told him about the situation here, but he was still a step too late.
"It's time to go home." Kaczynski was like a father who came to take his child who had made a mistake home.
Lu Mingfei followed Kaczynski back to the camp, and he placed the blood-stained watch and Kemmerich's things in front of Paul. He said nothing, and Paul asked nothing. Lu Mingfei didn't know how to face Kemmerich's mother, so he pushed everything to Paul. Paul would send these things to Kemmerich's mother and write to her to tell her what happened.
Lu Mingfei buried his head in the quilt like an ostrich. He wished he could escape from it all.
………………
Prussia
Falkenhayn had just returned home after a day of meetings. He planned to have a simple meal before meeting with the German Emperor to discuss the next offensive plan, but the arrival of an unexpected guest disrupted his schedule.
"What does the Elder Council want you to do?" Falkenhayn looked warily at the young man with bright golden hair sitting in his seat. The young man was very handsome, but his pair of vertical pupils that shone with golden light were a little frightening.
"Long time no see, Mr. Chief of the General Staff." The young man stood up and greeted Falkenhayn politely, but his smile looked so hypocritical.
"Stop talking nonsense." Falkenhayn was not going to fall for it, and his expression became increasingly grim.
"Since Mr. Chief of Staff doesn't intend to chat, I won't waste any more words. The Council of Elders sent me here this time to give you a mission." When the young man heard Falkenham's words, he put away his hypocritical smile and looked down at Falkenham.
"I heard that the Chief of Staff intends to discuss the plan of attacking Verdun with His Majesty the Emperor."
"So what? Didn't you mixed-bloods sign the Abraham Covenant together and not intend to interfere in ordinary people's wars?" Falkenhayn said coldly.
"Yes, we half-bloods do not intend to interfere in your war, so this matter needs to be done by Mr. Chief of Staff." The young man stood up and fiddled with things on the table boredly.
“The Council of Elders needs your troops not to attack Verdun right away, but to kill as many French soldiers as possible in Verdun, turning it into a killing field until the last drop of blood of the French is drained.” The young man poured a glass of red wine, which looked as bright as blood in the glass.
"Impossible! If that happens, a large number of my soldiers will die!" Falkenhayn refused.
"Mr. Chief of Staff, don't refuse so quickly. Don't forget that you only got your current position because of us. If we support another person, do you think he can take your position?" The young man shook the red wine in the glass and looked at Falkenham jokingly.
"What on earth do you Jews want to do!" Falkenhayn was furious, and the veins on his forehead began to bulge.
"A country that can send its own emperor to the guillotine, a country that calls itself a republic, is really terrible." The young man said it was terrible, but his emotionless pupils and the slight curve at the corners of his mouth all proved his inner disdain. The young man drank the red wine in his hand.
"So we have to break the proud head of this rooster, so that we can completely control this country. Mr. Chief of Staff, don't worry, although your army may pay some price, it will win this war in the end."
Thanks to Xi Cunyao for the 400 points and monthly tickets
(End of this chapter)
