Chapter 66: First Day on the Somme
In the Somme region, the Prussian army built an extremely solid defense system. The chalk soil here was as hard as cheese and very suitable for digging trenches.
The Prussian army took full advantage of this geographical advantage. In other places, Prussian trenches usually had only three, but in the Somme area, they dug an additional trench, forming four lines of defense.
The distance between the first trench and the last trench was eight kilometers. This design ensured that most of the British artillery fire could not directly threaten the Prussian army's reserve forces.
Not only that, Prussia also dug a complex and huge underground system between these trenches. These underground systems consisted of sturdy bunkers and connected underground passages, buried deep beneath the surface, like an invisible line of defense, isolating Prussian soldiers from enemy firepower.
"What day is it today?" Lu Mingfei shook his head and asked in a hoarse voice. The explosions in his ears were deafening. The long-term use of Kamaitachi also made his head dizzy and his consciousness a little unclear.
"It's the seventh day..." Hill responded weakly. His face was full of fatigue and exhaustion, and his eyes had lost their former luster. The fierce artillery fire ravaged his nerves and prevented him from falling asleep.
“It’s the seventh day…” Lu Mingfei repeated the number, and his originally confused mind suddenly became clear.
His thoughts were racing, and suddenly a memory emerged in his mind. He vaguely remembered that his teacher had mentioned the Battle of the Somme in history class, saying that the British army had bombarded the Prussian positions for a whole week before the attack.
Lu Mingfei realized that they were likely to face an attack from the British army. Thinking of this, he immediately became alert and shouted loudly: "Everyone, be alert. The British may launch an attack."
Recalling the scene when he first arrived at the Somme, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but sigh. When they first arrived at the Somme, they were arranged to stay in a sturdy bunker, which was 12 meters deep underground.
The walls of the bunker are made of thick concrete, which is indestructible and has a spacious interior. It has nine rooms and five shelters, enough to accommodate a company of troops. The living facilities inside the bunker are also extremely complete, equipped with electricity and running water, and even card tables and decorative paintings. It is a veritable underground fortress.
When Paul, Hill and others first entered the bunker, they were overjoyed. Compared with the hard life they had experienced in the trenches before, this place was simply like a paradise.
However, Lu Mingfei always had a trace of worry in his heart. The Battle of the Somme would leave a very loud reputation in future history. He always felt that there was a huge crisis hidden under this tranquility.
Sure enough, the next day, before Paul and Hill's excitement had worn off, the British artillery bombardment began.
The artillery fire was so fierce that the earth shook and the whole land was trembling in this horrible shock. The power system and water pipes in the bunker were soon damaged by the shelling. The dim bunker could only rely on faint candlelight for lighting, but this faint candlelight could not illuminate the entire space. Fortunately, the bunker was very strong and could not be destroyed by the British artillery fire.
But the bad news was that the British army's continuous shelling made it impossible for Prussian military workers to deliver hot meals and water to the underground bunkers on the front line.
Lu Mingfei couldn't bear to let the new recruits who had just been brought in from Prussia risk their lives to get food outside, so he decided to get it himself.
Although Lu Mingfei's fear of artillery fire was greatly reduced because of the bronze throne, and he would only suffer minor injuries if hit by one or two shells, the strength of one person is limited after all.
Every time he brought food back from the rear, he took a huge risk. Although he tried his best to use the sickle-weasel to detect the landing point of the shells and used the Eye of the Wind King to blow away the flying shrapnel, he still could not avoid the food bags and water bottles being torn by shrapnel.
The food that was originally enough to feed dozens of people was almost gone by the time he brought it back to the bunker under fire, and his physical strength was only enough to support him to run two trips at most, and the food he obtained in these two trips was far from enough to meet the needs of the entire company of soldiers.
Fortunately, despite the fierce artillery fire, the military industries in the rear of Prussia were still working hard to deliver food. However, the amount that could reach Lu Mingfei and his team was extremely limited. But combined with the food brought by Lu Mingfei, they finally solved their problem of food and clothing.
At this time, Lu Mingfei was standing in the bunker, holding a periscope in his hand, looking out through the narrow observation port.
It was already dawn outside, but the sky was still gray, as if shrouded in a haze that would never dispel. The artillery fire was more intense than ever, and the entire earth was shaking in the intensive roar. The ground was blown to pieces from time to time, and mud and rocks flew up.
Lu Mingfei felt a little uneasy. This might be a signal that the British army was about to launch an attack. He put down the periscope, took a deep breath, took out his watch and looked at it. It was 7:20.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Lu Mingfei ordered loudly, with unquestionable firmness in his voice.
He knew that the coming battle would be extremely brutal, the gates of hell on the Somme River were about to open, and they had to be prepared to face this disaster.
…………
At the same time, in the British trenches, another story was unfolding. Under the gray sky, the air was filled with the smell of earth and gunpowder, and the ground underfoot became slippery and sticky because of the drizzle that had just fallen.
"Hector, do you think we can break through the defense line in front of us?" Traore leaned against the earth wall of the trench, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue, but more of an uncertain expectation.
His fingers groped nervously for the bayonet at his waist. The touch of the cold and hard metal made him feel a little relieved. From time to time, his eyes looked ahead at the battlefield filled with the breath of death.
"Don't worry, Traore, we will win." Another British soldier said with a forced smile. Although the dust on his face covered his features, the smile did not disappear. His voice was deliberately relaxed, as if this could dispel the fear that was growing in his heart.
"We've already smashed the Prussians in front of us to pieces. I bet they don't even have the strength to stand up."
On the other side, the short man Hector shouted loudly, with a strong sense of confidence in his tone. For him, this was not just a battle, but also an opportunity to prove his worth.
"When we defeat the Prussians and return home with medals all over our chests, Martina will definitely fall in love with me." Hector chuckled and continued, as if he had already seen that beautiful future. He imagined that when he returned home, everyone would welcome him as a hero, and Martina would put a wreath on him.
"Stop joking, Hector." Another soldier teased, with a disdainful smile on his face.
"Look at yourself. If you hadn't put a few pieces of paper in your shoes, you wouldn't even be able to pass the conscription physical examination. Martina likes tall and strong men who are meters tall, not 'small guys' like you." His laughter seemed so easy in the air, as if the shadow of the battlefield had never shrouded them.
They were classmates who responded to the call to join the newly formed British army. They joined the army not only because the British army offered very good allowances.
The allowance not only allowed them to bring back a fortune when they returned home after the war, but also made them feel that they were fighting for justice. The allowance given by the British army was the highest among several countries, times that of French soldiers and twice that of Prussian soldiers.
However, the real motivations for them to join the army are varied. Some people want to broaden their horizons and see the world, while some people join the army "passively" because everyone signs up enthusiastically and their friends and brothers also join the army. So in order not to be laughed at by others, they have no choice but to join the crowd.
Of course they also believed that they were fighting for justice, and British propaganda portrayed the Prussians as a group of rude and cruel guys who came to save France.
Just as they were teasing each other, the company commander suddenly appeared in front of them with a football in his hand. This football should be the only item on the battlefield that could bring a little relaxation. There was a smile on the company commander's face, as if he wanted to use this method to dispel the uneasiness in the soldiers' hearts.
"Don't worry, kids. No one will survive in the Prussian trenches. Our artillery has sent them all to hell." He spoke with a firm tone, as if everything was under control.
The British army fired 150 million artillery shells in this week, which was Britain's 11-month artillery reserve. Just to cover the upcoming attack, 20 artillery shells were poured down. On average, one ton of ammunition fell on every square yard of land on the Prussian trenches.
The company commander waved the football in his hand and continued, "There will be no obstacles during the attack. How about we have a football match later to see who can kick the ball into the Prussian trench first? The other platoons have agreed, and you are the only ones left."
"Really? We will definitely be the first to kick the ball into the Prussian trenches! You know, I'm called the 'Little Prince of Football' in school!"
Hector took the football excitedly with a gleam in his eyes. He loved playing football very much because there was no height requirement for playing football, as long as you had feet you could play. Although he might not be as good as others in other aspects, he would never lose to anyone when it came to football.
"Then let's get ready." The company commander looked at his watch and saw that it was already 7:28. His expression became serious, and the smile gradually disappeared from his face, replaced by a seemingly calm tension.
He knew that as the pointer slowly pointed to 7:30, everything would be back on track and the fate of the battlefield would be completely changed in these few minutes.
As the pointer slowly pointed to 7:30, the fierce artillery fire on the battlefield suddenly stopped. In an instant, the whole world seemed to be paused, and only silence echoed over this scorched earth.
This is the British artillery adjusting the firing angle, preparing to extend the firing to pave the way for the infantry's attack. The soldiers' breathing becomes slow and heavy, and every heartbeat seems to echo in their chests. As time goes by, the invisible sense of oppression becomes stronger.
The British soldiers took a deep breath. They knew that after this brief period of peace, there would be a bloody storm. Before the company commander's order was given, everyone had already clenched their weapons. At this moment, they were no longer the young men who teased each other in the trenches, but fearless soldiers on the battlefield.
"Attack!" Following the order from their superiors, the British soldiers quickly set up ladders or crossed the trenches on their side through the holes cut in the barbed wire yesterday. They marched in uniform steps, like an endless long snake, slowly moving towards the no-man's land. Their steps were firm and their eyes revealed a tenacious belief.
At the same time, British artillery fire began to shift to the rear, which indicated that the infantry's offensive had entered a critical stage.
Lu Mingfei, Hill and other soldiers quickly rushed to the combat department on the top of the bunker. Their location was an important firepower point on this line of defense. They were equipped with five Maxim machine guns. The muzzles of these machine guns were aimed at the no-man's land, ready to take the enemy's lives at any time.
Lu Mingfei put his hand on the trigger of the Maxim gun. The cold touch from his fingertips made him feel inexplicably at ease.
This time he will serve as a machine gunner, and he knows that this is not a simple battle, but a life-and-death struggle involving countless lives.
This was his first time using a machine gun. In every previous battle he was on the offensive, and the machine gun was not easy to use. But now as a defender, the machine gun will become one of the most terrifying killing machines of this era in his hands.
He stared straight ahead, his eyes as sharp as an eagle. At the same time, the sickle-weasel also transmitted the sounds from afar to his ears, and the sounds of a large number of heartbeats gradually became clear in his ears.
This feeling is like when playing a game, the small map in the upper right corner is full of small red dots representing enemies, densely packed and covering the entire field of vision.
In the Somme River region, the troop strength ratio between Prussian and British troops reached an astonishing 1:7. Such a huge disparity in troop strength made Lu Mingfei sweat.
He knew that he was facing an extremely severe test. If he was not careful, their defense line might be completely destroyed by the enemy. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and the voices in his ears and the sound of his heartbeat gradually merged, forming a sense of oppression that could not be ignored.
Just as Lu Mingfei was daydreaming, a short figure appeared in his sight. The figure seemed a little thin, but his movements were extremely agile. He was wearing a British military uniform and was dribbling a football under his feet.
Seeing such a scene on the battlefield, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but be slightly stunned. Then the soldier made a big kick and the football flew towards Lu Mingfei and the others in an arc. The arc drawn by the football in the air stretched out in front of his eyes, as if time had slowed down at this moment.
The flying football was like a clarion call for the British army to charge. More and more British soldiers climbed out of the trenches. They appeared in Lu Mingfei's field of vision in a neat and uniform pace. Hundreds of soldiers rushed to the Prussian trenches like a tide. Every step they took seemed so firm, as if victory was already waving to them.
Before the short British soldier could cheer for his kick, a sharp whistle suddenly came from the sky. A cannonball streaked across the sky, and the sound tore through the air, foreshadowing the impending destruction.
However, this time it was no longer the British that fired the shells. Instead, the Prussian artillery, which had been silent for a week, finally began to play their own requiem.
One after another, shells fell among the British soldiers who were climbing out of the trenches. The explosions were like the roar of a giant beast, shaking the entire earth.
The Prussians did not have abundant artillery shells, so they did not choose to counter the British artillery. Instead, they poured all their artillery fire into the no-man's land. Fire and smoke spread instantly. The once neat team was torn apart in the explosion. The soldiers desperately tried to hide in the flames and smoke, but the shadow of death was everywhere.
At the same time, the machine gun in Lu Mingfei's hand also began to fire. The muzzle of the Maxim machine gun spewed flames, and the dull gunshots echoed in the air, like the laughter of the god of death.
The ammunition belt was sliding rapidly, and each bullet was aimed at a life. At the border between life and death, Lu Mingfei's heart was surprisingly calm. His gaze did not waver at all, and the machine gun in his hand seemed to have become a part of him.
The god of death raised his butcher knife, and the roar of machine guns formed a symphony of death on the battlefield. British soldiers fell one after another, and their eyes became empty at this moment.
The football finally fell into the mud and was stained with the blood of the battlefield. Its movement came to an abrupt end here, just like the lives of countless soldiers.
(End of this chapter)
