Chapter 54: Soldiers, you're actually very fragile

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  John took over Luca's platoon leader position, and I found Luca alone to do some ideological work. Although Luca seemed very optimistic and expressed no great resistance to this change in position, the people in Luca's platoon showed a little emotion that John was originally a non-commissioned officer and had not been baptized by war, suddenly becoming their superior.

  "Damn it, I hope he doesn't get us killed for nothing!" That's what the soldier said.

  However, I know that although John's military rank is indeed very high, if he wants to really make these unruly soldiers under his command listen to him on the battlefield, he may still need to show some real skills, otherwise I dare not guarantee that in the chaos of war, John will mysteriously disappear at the hands of his own men.

  I said to John, "John, you know that in the barracks, if you want to make these bastards listen, you probably have to show some real skills. Here, being good with your mouth isn't going to cut it!"

  John just smiled at what I said and said "Just you wait!"

  The first attack on Cherbourg has temporarily come to an end. During the massive aerial bombing, the Allied command made some adjustments to their tactical deployment against the German army, hoping to thoroughly crush the fighting spirit of the German garrison troops with fierce firepower and superior forces. Of course, it's still up to us poor infantrymen to turn these actions into actual results.

  "Comrades, our mission remains unchanged. Tomorrow at 4 o'clock, we will continue to attack the German garrison troops in the city hall. I hope each unit will continue to cooperate." I said, while praising Jones' performance. "Jones, today's attack, your troops did a great job! Once the battle is over, I will recommend you to the higher-ups! Maybe it's time for you to get promoted!"

  "Thanks, Captain," Jones said with a grin. "To be honest, I really don't like working under you, you always give me the tough nuts to crack!"

  It was John's first time attending one of these small-scale military meetings, but he seemed very natural, and took over for me, saying: "This is Lieutenant Colonel Kang, I hold you in high esteem!"

  Jones still has great respect for John, which may be because Jones understands that officers like John from this background, maybe here as a squad leader today, and tomorrow they may be transferred to another place as a battalion commander, promotion is like sitting on a rocket, flying fast! I think no matter how unbalanced Jones' heart is, the clever Jones will probably hide all this in his heart.

  Jones smiled at John and said: "You're right, it's been a long wait, but finally Lieutenant Colonel Kent is willing to promote me!"

  I laughed and said: "Jones, I really don't want to let you go, of course, including all of you! You are all my left and right arms!"

  Ling Bo Na suddenly thought of Qiao Sen and Bruce, he sighed and said: "It's a pity, if Bridge Sen and Bruce were still here, they might have liked this scene very much!"

  All the officers who knew and had contact with them in the house fell silent, leaving only John not yet falling into this unspeakable sorrow. In fact, at such a scene, during battles, during the day, perhaps we wouldn't think too much about it, but when night falls and people are quiet, we would all involuntarily recall those shells exploding around us, dodging through blood and fire, one by one familiar faces appearing and disappearing before our eyes.

  It's not that they can't forget, but rather the fear of death. Some soldiers wake up in the middle of the night for no reason and reach out to touch their guns, suddenly shouting out loud, causing chaos among all the soldiers in the room. When they come to their senses, it was just a dream. At this moment, the soldiers are weak, some cry, some laugh, some curse, and some remain silent. But no matter how they react, these tough-looking men are actually just a group of people without a tomorrow.

  "Alright, forget about them! Our mission is to win this war and then bring those bastards outside back home!" I spaced out for a moment before laughing and changing the subject.

  "Captain Conti is right, we will win this war and then a bunch of idiots go home!" Lieutenant Bernstein suddenly came to his senses and echoed me. But Bernstein's words brought laughter from the whole room.

  After arranging the battle plan, only John and I were left. John said to me: "I didn't expect that you guys are actually quite interesting!"

  I smiled and said, "Look, it's still you and me! These people on the battlefield are all brothers who can take bullets for you! If you get in touch with them deeply, we're actually a group of pitiful people!"

  John looked at me in confusion and asked: "Why did you say they are a group of pitiful people?"

  I pointed at John and then at my own chest, saying meaningfully: "We're all just a bunch of people struggling to survive!"

  John quickly grasped my meaning, and he nodded silently. He was fortunate to have joined the army and become an officer, but he had always been in the rear command post, bullets and shells, wounded and dead, although he often saw them, but he never went to the front line. He would not know that people on the front line would never care about victory or honor, they only thought about eliminating all enemies who threatened themselves so that they could survive!

  After a day of intense bombing by the air force and artillery, most soldiers gradually became excited again. The fierce firepower could effectively destroy the German armed fortifications, and the loss of soldiers could be reduced. However, except for old soldiers who were not surprised by such scenes, some new recruits even predicted that the battle of Cherbourg would end within two days after seeing this overwhelming firepower suppression, and the troops' optimistic mood began to swell again!

  "Looks like we can take down Seraph without breaking a sweat!" John said similarly.

  "I shook my head and said, 'Germans won't give up so easily!'"

  John smiled and said to me: "You're too pessimistic! Even if the Germans still have resistance, it won't be that serious!"

  "Look at this, it's the difference in understanding between a frontline officer and one from headquarters!" I joked.

  John suddenly said seriously: "Kang Ti, you know that this is my first time to lead the troops in person and have no chance to really face the Germans. Before, I could only understand the battle reports from the lower units or observe through binoculars from a distance. Are the Germans really so powerful that they can make you veterans fearful?"

  "It's not even respect! John, I hope you remember my words, the wars in the command room are never as cruel as those on the front line! Here, whether they are enemies or friends, they are all flesh-and-blood people, not a bunch of damn boring data!" I'm angry that these soldiers, including me, have become just data in the eyes of the command center.

  "I finally understand why you have brothers like Josen under your command!" John sighed.

  "John, actually you and I are the same kind of people, otherwise how would we get along so well?" I said.

  "Are you talking about me and Sherry?"

  I nodded silently, a person who is willing to pay everything for emotions, regardless of skin color, he absolutely deserves to be called a good person. Although in my mind I have lowered the standard of being a good person to an extremely low level, but that's what I think. A good person, I believe, is someone who doesn't steal, cheat, or harm others in this life. Such people are already precious, do they still need to be benevolent to others? Anyway, John is one of those good people.

  "You're flattering yourself, I haven't seen you fall in love with any woman, aren't you just doing this for Anna?" John sneered and continued: "However, Conti, your taste isn't that great, a woman like Anna can't be conquered by just any man! It's said that after Anna returned to the country, she was received by the President!"

  "When was it?"

  "Look at this, isn't it ridiculous?" John teased me: "It's not like she wrote an article about establishing a united organization after some debate and was discovered by our great President! I'd say it's strange, even if she is a remarkable woman, but to write something so insightful, and thoroughly evaluate the Germans, I really don't believe she has this ability. I reckon some man must have told her in bed."

  "Is this really what you think?" I couldn't help but admire John for having such a rich imagination.

  "Was that man you?" John didn't answer my question, instead he looked me up and down with a suspicious gaze and said: "I didn't think you had this kind of charm in you, Conti!" He paused for a moment before adding: "Of course, my own charm is beyond doubt!"

  I teased John, saying: "John, I'll tell Miss Shirley later that John's charm is irresistible, and countless women will surround him. Our dear John can fall in love with Miss Shirley, shouldn't we have a bunch of beautiful daughters for our John?"

  This is not me cursing John won't have a son, but rather John isn't as enthusiastic about having boys or girls like the Chinese are. John laughed and said: "Why not a bunch of sons?"

  "Haha, I said with a laugh: 'My son is born, and then all your daughters will be married into my family!'"

  John scratched his head and said, "Why do I feel like what you're saying is a custom from an Eastern country?"

  One sentence, and I was suddenly speechless. Was I supposed to tell him that I'm an American shell with a Chinese soul? I awkwardly changed the subject, saying: "Let's not discuss this anymore, John. For tomorrow's battle, you'll be my reserve team!"

  John listened to my arrangement and immediately opposed: "Kangdi, you don't believe me!"

  "I said, 'It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that your situation is too special. The soldiers under your command are like your children, they don't dare to believe in your sudden arrival! So everything must be done slowly! Until you really let them see that you can protect them and lead them to victory, I will naturally let you stand alone like Jones and the others!'"

  "But you don't have to treat me like a reserve either! I can make them believe in me! Really, Conti!"

  "John, this is war! No one has the right to say 'try it out' here and prove their abilities and insights are correct, because that's going to get people killed! Besides, I didn't mean to keep you by my side all the time, what I meant was for you to experience the battlefield firsthand, then I'll arrange for you to fight in a suitable place!"

  "Konti, why are you so unbelieving? I'm telling the truth!" John's face fell.

  "Haha, John, you know some new recruits, as soon as they get to the battlefield, they're so scared by the enemy's artillery that they pee their pants!"

  "Alright, Konti! So you've been treating me like a rookie all along!" John finally understood!