Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 16 This Priest Isn't So Cold 2
Using a shovel to throw away the silt, Qin Hao took a bite of the potato in his mouth and chewed it with difficulty.

He was surrounded by a constant stream of gazes; Qin Hao knew at least a hundred eyes were watching him. The potato in his mouth tasted terrible, even containing grit, but Qin Hao knew he had to swallow it. He couldn't let these hundred people see any disgust in him.

He needed to establish his prestige in the hearts of these soldiers within these few days, and he had to overshadow that incompetent coward, Kazman.

Moreover, the higher the prestige, the better.

Eating and working together is just the most basic thing. In order to speed up the process, he also has to use some underhanded tricks.

For example, performing some "miracles".

For some special reason, the trenches were being built very quickly today, and afterwards the priest announced that he would give the soldiers a free confession and blessing.

Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, the soldiers suddenly became eager to get started.

Whether they are religious or not, almost everyone who has fought on the battlefield believes in things like luck to some extent; otherwise, no one would specifically seek out bomb craters on the ground to use as cover.

It would be incredibly fortunate to have a private confession and blessing from a priest before going into battle.

The soldiers argued and quarreled for a long time, but still couldn't decide who would go first.

“Mr. Putin, is this alright? You’re already very tired, and there are so many soldiers…” a lieutenant colonel nearby took the opportunity to persuade him.

“Thank you for your concern, Lieutenant Colonel. What you say makes sense. In that case, I’ll just pick a few soldiers to confess. Please understand, this is my duty.” Qin Hao bowed slightly, and then, without waiting for Kazman’s reply, he selected a few soldiers in front of him to offer their prayers.

Later, a shelter built with logs on the front line became Qin Hao's temporary residence. Pavka, as his attendant, drew a black cross on it with charcoal, representing that this was Father Putin's confessional.

Qin Hao sat on the small wooden chair and took a deep breath. Although he had been an "apprentice" with the priest in the church for a few days, he was still far from being able to make a complete confession.

However, time was running out for him, and he had no choice but to go through with it, hoping that those farmers wouldn't be able to tell that he was a fake.

At that moment, the wooden planks outside were gently tapped.

"Please come in," Qin Hao said, straightening his clothes one last time.

The wooden door creaked open, and a soldier holding a tattered military cap stood nervously in the doorway.

"Father"

"Soldier, your name?" Qin Hao began to improvise based on his half-baked knowledge of confession.

"No need to call me sir, soldier. What is your purpose in coming here?"

"Father, I am guilty," the soldier said in a low voice, bowing deeply.

“Everyone is guilty, now you just need to say it.” A document with a cross symbol was taken out; since he wasn’t carrying any other religious items, Qin Hao used this as a ritual object.

The soldier's expression relaxed slightly. He swallowed hard and then whispered, "Five years ago, I was sixteen. I was so hungry that I became a dishonorable horse thief. The horse owner found out, and I hit him on the head..."

Qin Hao simply listened quietly.

A few minutes later, Qin Hao remained silent, while the soldiers' expressions became somewhat flustered.

“Father, I… my sins are too great, aren’t they…”

"No, I'm still waiting for you to finish speaking."

The soldier suddenly became frightened. "Father, I've told you everything, I..."

"No, you didn't finish." This time Qin Hao interrupted him. "You didn't say that your father lost his job, your mother has lung disease, and your six-year-old sister is starving to death."

The soldier's eyes widened, and he covered his mouth in disbelief, unable to comprehend how the man before him knew.

He truly never told anyone these things, not even those close to him.

“Father Pugin, how…how did you know…” “The Lord knows. The Lord has always been watching over each of us.” Qin Hao patted the other man’s shoulder with a holy expression, then pointed to himself, “I know too.”

"You did something dishonorable to save your life and your family, which is forgivable. However, you hurt the horse's owner, so you will be punished on the battlefield, but you will not die. After that, you will be completely forgiven."

After saying this, Qin Hao placed the cross on the other person's forehead and said, "In the name of the Holy Trinity, I forgive you and pray for you."

It can be said that Qin Hao's so-called confession was full of loopholes, and the whole process was more like a mess. If it were seen by a real religious person, it might be labeled as "disrespectful," but the effect was surprisingly good.

The soldier left the camp almost in tears, telling his comrades that he had met a true saint. He hadn't even spoken, yet Father Pugin already knew his entire past and blessed him, a sinner, so that he wouldn't die on the battlefield.

Others were skeptical.

But the fact that the second, third, and fourth people who went in all looked like this makes one wonder what's going on.

Is it really that amazing?!
In fact, these soldiers were specially selected by Qin Hao. In the previous cycle, they were all wounded soldiers in the dressing station. Those words were told to Qin Hao by these soldiers themselves when they were injured.

That noon, rumors began circulating among the soldiers that the new priest was incredibly powerful and could know the past and the future. At this point, the soldiers only felt a sense of mystery but did not completely believe it.

But after yet another ineffective charge, the situation changed dramatically.

None of the soldiers who received Father Putin's blessing died!
"I was charging forward with everyone, and the German guns were pointed right at me. I felt at least three bullets were going to hit me, but they grazed my scalp and only took off half of my ear," said a soldier with his head bandaged.

"A grenade exploded just a meter in front of me. I thought I was going to die. At that moment, I seemed to feel a light protecting me. When I woke up, someone was dragging me away. There was a piece of shrapnel stuck in my butt," the guy on the stretcher said confidently.

"I know, the priest told me that being injured was my salvation, I am forgiven! I am forgiven!" the former horse thief, now a survivor, shouted.

The soldiers had the illusion that these wounded men were supposed to die on the battlefield, but had escaped death thanks to the priest's blessing.

However, at this moment, Lieutenant Colonel Kazman sensed that something was amiss.

The soldiers seemed more willing to listen to the new "Father Putin," and began to outwardly comply with his orders but inwardly disobey them.

If he could turn a blind eye to minor things like repairing trenches, digging mud, or adding an extra potato to breakfast, then the fact that the supervisory team did not fire on the fleeing soldiers during the daytime battle, under Father Putin's intervention, crossed his red line as a commander.

That evening, the roar of the lieutenant colonel echoed from the command post.

"What exactly is he trying to do! What is he trying to do!"

"So, he's from Moscow?!"

"he…"

“But, sir, he knows Samsonov and General Lenninkamp,” the adjutant whispered, trying to dissuade him.

…………

Kazman was speechless. Even if he didn't want Father Putin to say a few good words for him in front of the two generals, he couldn't afford to offend him publicly.

"Are we just going to let him continue like this? In two days, the soldiers will be calling him 'commander'!" Kazman said irritably, downing the drink on the table in one gulp.

“This is what I’m thinking,” the adjutant said after a moment’s thought. “His Excellency Putin has such a great influence mainly because his blessing ceremony looks so magical. If the soldiers feel that he’s not all that great, wouldn’t they give up some unrealistic ideas?”

"Oh?" The lieutenant colonel raised an eyebrow and looked at his assistant.
"Keep talking!"

"Yes, sir, what do you think is the best course of action?" the adjutant asked, bowing his head. "Let's find Father Putin something else to do, so he won't have time to give confessions and prayers for the soldiers."

"What do you want?"

“How about letting him manage the dressing station? The church has an obligation to guide battlefield medical care, and he has no reason to refuse. Given the state of the dressing station, he probably won’t have time to manage anything else.” The subordinate then confidently suggested from the side.

"Hmm~ We'll do it your way!" The lieutenant colonel pondered for a moment before making his decision, then muttered to himself while holding his wine glass.
"When you get to the dressing station, you can't exactly bring those dying people back to life, can you?"

(End of this chapter)