artillery arc

Chapter 673 What a beautiful flower
After the motorcyclist finished speaking, everyone turned to look at Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong had very complicated feelings at this time. In fact, he did not spend much time with his good brother Ivan and his "old father" Duke Rokosov. After all, he was a time traveler who had taken over someone else's home.

However, this short period of time together did establish a bond, and two years later, the bond did not weaken with the death of those two people, but instead became stronger.

Perhaps the soul in this body now, in addition to Wang Zhong from another world, also contains a part of the real Alexei Konstantinovich Rokosov.

Because of this, Wang Zhong's inner emotions were surging, and he had to use all his strength to maintain his superficial calm.

Wang Zhong turned around and said to Nellie who was in the jeep behind him: "Nellie, find me two bouquets of flowers. One should be dignified and steady, and the other should be more flashy."

"Okay, General. I'll catch up with you when I'm ready." Nellie said as she jumped out of the car and ran to the side of the road.

There is no shortage of blooming flowers in the Khazaria Steppes in summer.

Wang Zhong looked at the motorcyclist again: "Lead the way, let's see what the cemetery built by the Prosen people is like."

"Yes, General."

The motorcycle immediately turned around and returned along the same route. Wang Zhong's driver stepped on the accelerator and chased after it.

About fifteen minutes later, the motorcycle stopped in front of a cemetery in the wilderness.

The reconnaissance platoon that Wang Zhong sent out to look for his best friend and his father's cemetery had already set up a cordon around the cemetery, and several half-track vehicles occupied the four corners of the cemetery wall.

The reconnaissance platoon leader and an old man stood at the gate of the cemetery.

"General!" The platoon leader saluted. "The engineers assigned to our platoon have checked the cemetery. There are no mines or booby traps."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man next to him spoke up: "I look after this cemetery every day. If the Prosen people planted mines, I would know for sure. But when I told this officer, he didn't believe it!"

Wang Zhong: "Sir, my troops are all Davarish, there is no commander, and I eat and live with the soldiers."

There was nothing false in this statement. Wang Zhong's chef, Seris, also cooked for the headquarters canteen every day. The entire headquarters, including the attached guard regiment and anti-aircraft artillery regiment, could eat. Whether they could eat depended on how fast they could charge.

Wang Zhong always gets to eat because Nellie is the first one in line every day. Only in very special circumstances, will the chef Seris cook for Wang Zhong, such as when entertaining the commanders of the troops going to the front line.

And when Nellie went to the canteen, ordinary soldiers didn't dare to compete with her.

If a new soldier was blind, an old soldier would come over with a cigarette in his mouth and tell the new soldier a story about how Miss Nellie killed two hundred Plossom soldiers with a dagger on a frozen beachhead.

Yes, now according to word of mouth, the number of Proson soldiers killed by Nellie with a dagger is almost the same as the number of tanks killed by Wang Zhong with his saber.

The old man was shocked. "You are the King of Khasalia. How can you do this? Only those warriors with outstanding achievements can have the honor of sitting at the same table with you. This is the only way."

Wang Zhong: "When the war is over, I will donate the crown and scepter to the museum. Times have changed. The time has come when kings are no longer needed, old man."

The old man didn't seem to understand all this. He stared at Wang Zhong and kept uttering the first syllable of the word "but".

Wang Zhong: "Thank you for leading the way, and thank you for taking care of this cemetery all these years."

"Well, this is what I should do." The old man bowed quickly.

Wang Zhong walked past him and headed towards the cemetery. He could vaguely hear the old man muttering behind him: "There is no king anymore. Days without a king..."

The sound gradually faded away.

A destroyed tank is placed on a high pedestal in the center of the cemetery.

Wang Zhong immediately remembered that this tank was the one in the headline photo of the Proson newspaper two years ago. According to the headline article, this was the tank that Crown Prince Ivan Nikolayevich Antonov last rode.

Standing in front of the tank, Wang Zhong recalled the last time he met Ivan two years ago when he led his troops to leave Agsukov and head to Orachi to stop the enemy.

Ivan's face in my memory is a little blurry, but his words are still clear.

"Take care of Olga."

This was Ivan's last wish.

In this situation, have we taken good care of Olga?

Wang Zhong asked himself.

I guess so, it saved her crown and prevented her from becoming a prisoner.

The problem is the future.

When the war is over, if Olga abdicates, he will protect her as her brother and take her to his own estate. She can then grow flowers, create some art, or become a biographer and recall the life of the last tsar.

If Olga does not abdicate - then convince her to do so and place her in the estate, where she can still grow flowers, create some art, or write a book recalling the last tsar.

In this way, I will have fulfilled my old friend's request.

Wang Zhong stopped looking at the tank and walked around the marble base into the empty cemetery behind it.

There are only two tombstones in the entire cemetery. The larger tombstone is engraved with a double-headed eagle, the symbol of the Ant royal family. That should be Ivan's tomb.

Wang Zhong came to the tombstone, on which was written in Prosodic and Antwen: Crown Prince Ivan Nikolayevich Antonov died here in battle. Although he was an enemy, his courage still impressed us.

Sergeant Gregory whispered in Wang Zhong's ear: "I will arrange for someone to remove the words of the Prosen people--"

Wang Zhong raised his hand and waved, "No, that's good. Nothing can better demonstrate Ivan's courage than the enemy's recognition. We must protect this monument and the tanks behind it." Vasily stepped forward, "But it would be bad if you didn't leave some traces, right? After all, he is your close friend."

Wang Zhong didn't say anything, but walked to the second tombstone.

The inscription written by the people of Prosen reads: The loyal old duke, wearing the military uniform of the old times, was buried for the country that was about to become history.

Gregory: “Should this be changed?”

Wang Zhong shook his head: "No, the Prosen people didn't say which country is about to become history."

Vasily: "I've written this down. It will be the front page headline of all newspapers in Yeburg tomorrow."

Wang Zhong did not answer, but stared at the tombstone.

In fact, compared with his good brother Ivan, the impression left by his "father" in this time and space was much shallower. Wang Zhong couldn't even remember the last words the old duke said to him.

But he vaguely remembered that before leaving, the old duke invited him to drink. At that time, the old duke should have realized that his "son" was no longer the original one.

But the old man still hugged him like a father.

Now, Wang Zhong stared at the tombstone, trying to remember the feeling of that hug and the smell of tobacco.

Then Vasily's voice interrupted his recollections.

"General? You've been silent for ten minutes," said Vasily.

Wang Zhong: "I'm fine, I just have a lot on my mind."

Vasily: "General, it only took you two years to fight back. You definitely lived up to their expectations."

Wang Zhong: “I know.”

Just then, footsteps were heard, and Nellie walked around the tank monument with flowers and entered the cemetery.

Nellie: "Here come the flowers. This one is more dignified and majestic—"

Without waiting for her to finish, Wang Zhong took the bouquet and placed it in front of the old duke's tombstone.

Nellie: "The other one, I made with the Proscen medals I collected on the battlefield and baby's breath. It's more fancy."

Wang Zhong took the "bouquet" and shook it slightly, making a "jingling" sound.

"He'll love this."

As he said this, Wang Zhong placed this strange bouquet of "flowers" in front of Ivan's tombstone.

This scene reminded Wang Zhong of the Yugoslav movie "The Bridge" which he loved very much when he was a child. The theme song of the movie "Goodbye, My Friend" was adapted from the Italian guerrillas' war song "Bella Ciao".

He could sing this song when he was very young.

Now he hummed subconsciously.

Vasily raised his eyebrows. "Isn't this a song that the Commandas often sing? It seems that when they were carrying out sabotage activities in the Apennines, the local guerrillas sang it to commemorate their fallen comrades and the civilians who sacrificed their lives to protect them."

Wang Zhong: "Yes. The lyrics seem to be: 'Guerrillas, take me away quickly, I can't stand it anymore.'"

Vasily took out his harmonica and began to play.

To the melody of the harmonica, Wang Zhong walked forward and gently touched Ivan's tombstone.

In his mind, a voice kept singing along with the sound of harmonica: "If I die in battle, you must bury me~"

As the harmonica melody was coming to an end, Wang Zhong spoke the lines from the movie in a voice that only he could hear:

"Good luck, Ivan. Don't be afraid, Ivan."

When the harmonica melody came to the end, Vasily asked, "Do you want to play it again from the beginning?"

Wang Zhong shook his head: "No, that's not necessary. Where is that old man just now?"

"Here, General!" The old man took two steps forward. "What can I do for you?"

Wang Zhong: "I appoint you as the manager of the cemetery. When the local church is reestablished, I will grant you funding. You hire people to plant flowers around here. You must control the flowering period and ensure that there are flowers blooming all year round."

"Okay, General. Although I am not familiar with flowers, I can let my grandson learn - I mean, if he can come back."

Wang Zhong patted the old man on the shoulder and said, "I'll leave it to you."

The old man: "But, General, is this enough? You should also build a monument or write something, right?"

Wang Zhong: "No, they are all in my mind. As long as I am alive, I will remember them. I asked you to plant flowers because I wanted people to say how beautiful the flowers are when the war is over."

After saying this, he strode out of the cemetery.

The flowers he left behind bloomed in the early summer sunshine.

(End of this chapter)