Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 54 His Majesty Wants to See You

My body was swaying back and forth, as if I were lying on something.

The smell of horse manure in the air almost made Qin Hao think he had returned to the horse farm he used to live in.

He opened his eyes, and there was a large face right in front of him—it was a dung horse pulling a cart, chewing on the hay between his legs.

His throat was dry, and it took Qin Hao two tries to make a sound.

"Can someone bring some water?"

“Father, you’re awake?” A pair of hands supported his body, helped him sit up, and then brought a military water bottle to his mouth.

After drinking half the water in one gulp, Qin Hao wiped his mouth and then began to observe his surroundings.

He lay on a hay-covered wagon, which was creaking along the road, flanked by unfamiliar soldiers carrying guns who were moving silently forward.

The only familiar person was the cavalry captain, Panasenko, who was leaning against the side.

"Panasenko, where are we?" Qin Hao cleared his throat and asked.

“Father, we have broken off contact with the Germans and are now on our way to the Kovno fortress,” the cavalry captain replied in a low voice.

"How many of our people are still here?" Qin Hao noticed that there weren't many familiar faces around.

"There were about a dozen people, plus a few of my cavalrymen, and no one else."

Hearing this, Qin Hao sighed deeply. It seemed he was almost back to being a lone commander, but there was nothing he could do about it. Fortunately, this time he didn't have to face imminent danger.

According to his recollection, after the Battle of Lake Masur, Germany and Russia entered a period of stalemate, and the two sides did not resume high-intensity fighting until the snow fell. The Kovno Fortress, as the stronghold of the First Army, finally held out until August 1915 before falling.

There's no one around, but at least we don't have to fight for the time being, which seems pretty good.

Looking around, the soldiers were in low spirits, and most of them were dejected.

Unlike in the Siberian camp, these people clearly felt alienated from the black-clad priest in the carriage, and some even harbored subtle hostility towards him because he was occupying the carriage alone.

Suddenly, several black dots appeared to be moving rapidly across the distant plains, quickly closing the distance to where we were.

"Cavalry! German cavalry!" someone shouted, and the moving crowd suddenly erupted into chaos. These soldiers, after a series of defeats, had become extremely nervous.

"Don't panic, protect the priest!" In contrast, the Siberian soldiers, who had fought in several tough battles, formed a stark contrast. The infantry quickly set up defenses using the wagons, while Panasenko drew his pistol and led his men to surround Qin Hao.

The battle-hardened troops and the surrounding stragglers instantly became clearly distinct.

Fortunately, the alarm was quickly lifted, and the opposing cavalry were carrying a black banner with a double-headed eagle embroidered in gold.

own people.

The cavalry approached from afar, and the leader was surprisingly a colonel riding an Orlov steed.

These high-ranking officers were not usually seen, so the country bumpkin soldiers hurriedly made way for them.

The tall Orlov horse slowed down and approached the carriage with an elegant posture. The colonel kicked off the saddle, and the gleaming boots clattered together, making a pleasant sound.

"Are you His Excellency Putin?" The other party's attitude was unusually respectful.

"Your Excellency?" Qin Hao was surprised that the other party would address him with this term.

"My name is indeed Putin, but I am just an ordinary priest," the priest in black replied.

Snapped! ! !
The officer opposite saluted again. "I admire your humility, but your contributions to this country are beyond words!" "The General is waiting for you. I will show you the way."

"General Leningkamp?" This was the only person Qin Hao knew who could be addressed as "Your Excellency."

"Yes, Father, please come with us as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Colonel, but look at me here..." Qin Hao gestured to the other party that he only had a dilapidated carriage, and the old, lame horse pulling it didn't look like it could catch up with the Orlov horse at all.

"Please don't worry about that, General. Everything is ready for you and will be here shortly." The colonel stepped aside, and the rumbling of machinery could be heard in the distance.

With 7mm nickel-steel armor, a twin-turret design, a four-cylinder 50-horsepower gasoline engine, and a 4×2 wheeled structure, a British-made Austin-Putilov armored vehicle assembled in Russia appeared at the front of the procession.

The soldiers stared wide-eyed, many whispering amongst themselves; the vast majority had never seen such a steel monster before.

You want me to sit on this thing?!
At this moment, the long-dormant spirit of a middleman within Qin Hao slowly began to awaken. As the progenitor of armored vehicles, this thing had a factory price of $15 in 1914, and Russia imported fewer than fifty. In later generations, none survived, existing only in some faded black-and-white photographs. If only he could get his hands on one and sell it…

The next moment, Qin Hao shook his head vigorously.

There must be some special purpose behind Lenningkamp's ostentatious way of picking him up.

What could it be?

"Does Your Excellency have any instructions?"

“No, please, Father!” The colonel reached out and opened the door of the armored vehicle.

A moment later, the armored vehicle roared to life and sped forward at 50 kilometers per hour, with a dozen cavalrymen, led by a colonel, surrounding it for protection.

About half a day later, the main building of the Kovno fortress came into view in the distance.

This impressive team attracted almost everyone's attention.

When he got off the armored vehicle, Qin Hao almost thought he was going to be smashed to pieces. It wasn't that the shock absorption of this thing was ineffective, but it was practically nonexistent. He could clearly feel his buttocks groaning in pain with each free fall.

Sunlight streamed in from the opposite direction, and the black-clad priest, backlit by the light, squinted as a bear-like shadow approached him.

He almost instinctively reached for the butterfly knife.

“My friend, you’ve finally come! Thank God! Do you know how worried I’ve been about you all this time!” Renningkamp gave the black-clad priest a big hug with his body, which smelled strongly of his own.

Qin Hao then had time to observe, and he discovered that almost all the senior commanders of the First Army Group were gathered here.

"General, this is..."

"Don't worry, Father Putin. You must be tired from your journey. We have prepared a very nice room for you. You can take a nap and there is a hot shower."

The general, as if he were with a close friend, led the priest in black into the house in full view of everyone.

The general quickly changed his expression as the door behind him closed.

He said three sentences in total.

"I need your help."

"The special envoy from St. Petersburg has arrived."

"His Majesty and the Empress wish to see you."

(End of this chapter)