Chapter 8: Dancing with Heroes

  "Senior Lieutenant, comrade, we should go, the Germans are coming soon." Just as Chu Si-nan was still saluting Su Chekof's body, the young Soviet soldier who had been holding the map beside him whispered.

  "Oh, I see," Chu Si Nan came back to himself and looked at the young soldier with a kind and understanding expression, "What's your name?"

  "Senior Sergeant Akhromeyev reporting to Comrade Lieutenant!" The young soldier was taken aback for a moment, then stood up straight and replied respectfully.

  "Hmm, I..." Chu Si Nan had just spoken one word when his body suddenly jerked to a halt. He stared at the young Soviet soldier beside him in shock and asked hesitantly, "You... you said your name was what?!"

  "Senior Sergeant Sergei Fyodorovich Akhromeyev reporting to Lieutenant Comrade!" Perhaps hoping the newly appointed lieutenant, a foreigner, would remember his name, the young soldier had given his full name. All he got in return was an even more puzzled expression from Chu.

  At this time, Chu Si Nan was indeed a hundred emotions, he felt that fate and himself had made a huge joke. Akhromeyev, the winner of the Soviet Hero title, received countless medals throughout his life, including four Lenin Orders, one October Revolution Order, two Red Star Orders, one First-Class Order of the Patriotic War, and so on. In 1983, he was awarded the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. His life is absolutely legendary for ordinary people, and it's also unattainable. In the late Soviet era, he was almost the main leader of the Soviet military, serving as the Chief of Staff of the Soviet Army and Gorbachev's military advisor.

  To be honest, Chu Si Nan didn't have a good impression of this person. Firstly, he had personally formulated the military action plan for invading Afghanistan and had also supported the military invasion of China by Vietnam. Secondly, this guy was an out-and-out Soviet expansionist. However, no matter what, having such a person who later became famous and unattainable to himself standing in front of him, listening respectfully and waiting for orders, would be enough to shock anyone's jaw off. Moreover, although Chu Si Nan didn't like this guy, he still had some admiration for this true and absolute patriot from the bottom of his heart. He couldn't forget the tragic end of this old marshal, and he could even recite the fragment of the will that the old marshal wrote before his death after the disintegration of the Soviet Union: "When my motherland is about to perish, when the meaning of my life is destroyed, I can no longer live on. My age and the path I have walked give me the power to die. I fought until the last breath of my life."

  A will without grandeur, a purely military life journey, starting as a soldier and ending as a soldier. He didn't even engrave his glorious life on his tombstone, but left behind only a few simple words for future generations - "Man, Patriot, Warrior."

  In a daze, Chu Si Nan seemed to have abandoned his curse on fate for the first time. He felt that being able to mysteriously arrive in this era was a fortunate thing, not just for him, but for every soldier. Because he would have the opportunity to meet people who were previously only seen in TV shows, movies, or military textbooks - those who were military geniuses and warlords, such as Zhukov, Vasilevsky, Budyonny, Patton, Montgomery, Eisenhower, and others. Chu Si Nan was excited, he would not forget that at this time his country was also in a state of war, and the old revolutionaries and legendary figures who only existed in memories were all appearing on stage in this world. He had the opportunity to see them alive, and perhaps even fight alongside them as comrades-in-arms. What an honor it would be for a soldier! A great man will stand tall in this world, even if he dies, he will have no regrets!

  In less than an hour, Chu Si Nan seemed to be in a daze twice, but the reasons for the two times were vastly different. The first time was due to his sentimental feelings, and this time was because he was fantasizing - fantasizing about Old Master.

  Just as he was pondering how to lead the Soviet Red Army to fight against the Japanese devils, how to drink and play with Zhukov, how to grab cigarettes from Stalin, how to share cigars with Patton, how to compete with Roosevelt for a wheelchair, how to mock Churchill's brain being full of fat... at that moment, Senior Sergeant Akhromeyev, who had been waiting quietly for a long time, finally spoke up.

  "Comrade Captain, shouldn't we... shouldn't we retreat? The Germans will be upon us any moment now," Akhromeyev said in a low voice.

  "Oh, retreat, retreat!" Chu Si Nan came back to his senses. This was not the best time for daydreaming. The Germans' gunfire was getting closer and closer. If they didn't retreat soon, he would probably only have the chance to drink and smoke with Yan Luo Wang (the King of Hell). Only he didn't know if the Soviet Union in 1941 had a department for Yan Luo Wang's affairs.

  "Comrade Akhromeyev," Chusun asked solemnly after a moment of thought, "I recall that the map shows we'll be entering the marshes soon. Are there any among our surviving comrades who are familiar with this marsh?"

  "Captain Comrade, I am somewhat familiar with the terrain of this area," Akhromeyev replied without hesitation. "A few days ago when our troops were heading to the front line and passing through here, I asked a few local comrades and roughly figured out the situation of this swamp."

  "Oh?" Chu Si Nan was taken aback, and immediately not only admired this young soldier who would become a marshal in the future, but also understood that he had done so because he didn't think much of the war situation on the front lines. He must have been exploring the retreat route in preparation for any unexpected situation. Perhaps from this point alone, young Akhromeyev was stronger than those high-ranking officials in the Soviet military headquarters, with a better sense of timing and a more strategic approach to planning before acting.

  I felt like I was going to pass out again, Chu Si Nan hastily shook his head and then said to Ahkromeyev beside him: "Alright, Comrade Akhromeyev, please lead the way in front. Whether we can successfully get through the marsh area, whether we can survive and continue the revolution, continue to contribute to the great Soviet power, and continue to fight against the evil German fascists, it's all up to you now."

  Young Akhromeyev's body shook as if the high-pitched words that even Chusovoy felt were a bit too much for himself had made a great impact on him. He stood up straight, first giving Chusovoy a military salute with a determined face, then turned around and walked forward without saying another word.

  Soldiers in the years of revolutionary war were like this, perhaps they would sometimes be afraid to die, and sometimes their courage would falter, but when a series of revolutionary slogans hit them on the head, they often became fearless warriors in an instant. Even someone like Akhromeyev was no exception.