Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei's War Journey

Chapter 108 The Tank Crushing Through the Sea of ​​Flowers (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

It was already September, and Lu Mingfei and his men had been on the front lines at the Somme for almost two months before being relieved to rest.

Lu Mingfei stood at the canteen window receiving his food. Although supplies were already very scarce, the officers' food was still quite plentiful: stewed potatoes and meat, sausages, white bread, butter, and even a small glass of red wine.

No wonder so many people dream of becoming military officers.

He carried the food to Otto and sat down next to him, placing the sausage from his plate onto Otto's plate. Then he said softly, "Otto, if I'm gone, are you capable of raising the others?"

Otto was initially very excited to see the sausages on his plate, but his expression froze instantly upon hearing Lu Mingfei's words, his eyes filled with disbelief, astonishment, and a hint of panic.

"Leave? Company Commander, where are you going? Transfer orders? Or—are you injured?" Otto asked urgently in a low voice, while looking Lu Mingfei up and down to see if there were any wounds.

Lu Mingfei remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Otto—if one day I suddenly disappear, can you lead them to survival? Not by my orders, not by my—those special abilities, but by your experience and judgment as a platoon leader and a veteran, and that heart that will do whatever it takes to keep your brothers alive."

Otto's breathing became heavy, and just as he was about to say something, Caesar walked over. He was wearing a flight jacket, and his short hair was beginning to turn into flowing long hair again. Eagles in the sky are not bothered by fleas.

"What are you talking about?" Caesar had just parked his plane at the airport not far from the town and couldn't wait to come over. He hadn't been able to get together with Lu Mingfei and the others for a long time and didn't want to miss this rare opportunity.

"Lieutenant Caesar, our company commander said he might be leaving. Can you believe it—" Seeing Caesar approaching, Otto quickly put on a smile, but the smile was very stiff, and his eyes looked at Caesar with a pleading expression.

Having been around Lu Mingfei for a long time, he could tell which of Lu Mingfei's words were serious and which were jokes. What Lu Mingfei said just now didn't sound like a joke.

Upon hearing Otto's words, Caesar's previously nonchalant smile vanished, and he stood there silently for a moment.

Seeing Caesar like this, only Otto was initially flustered, but now the other veterans also suddenly felt a strange sense of unease.

"Come out for a smoke with me." Lu Mingfei stood up, walked over to Caesar, and patted him on the shoulder.

Without saying much, the two walked out of the noisy cafeteria one after the other.

The September wind already carried a chill, stirring up dust and withered leaves. In the distance, the outlines of airplanes could be vaguely seen at the airport. Further away, the sky in the direction of the Somme was always leaden gray, with the sound of artillery fire like an incessant background noise.

They walked to a relatively quiet corner behind the barracks, away from the soldiers' sight and noise. Lu Mingfei took out a cigarette case, shook out two crumpled cigarettes, handed one to Caesar, took one for himself, and lit it.

They each took a deep breath, the pungent smoke swirling in their lungs before slowly exhaling and dissipating into the gloomy evening air. A moment of silence followed, before Lu Mingfei finally spoke first.

"I'm almost at a thousand—what about you—"

He and Caesar had been in this world for a year and a month. The conditions for their return, besides surviving until the end of the war, included killing a thousand enemies.

When he first arrived, all he could think about was how to survive until the end of the war; he didn't even dare to consider the other option.

But he found that with the continuous killing throughout the year, he was actually about to complete his goal of killing a thousand enemies. Thinking about it now, it was still a bit unbelievable that he had actually killed so many people.

"I also need a thousand. I was planning to tell you later, but you said it first," Caesar said, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.

Although he didn't kill as many people as Lu Mingfei in previous battles, he caught up in the kill count over the past two months by flying planes. In addition to shooting down enemy planes, his planes also provided some ground fire support.

"We're about to leave this godforsaken place. What, are you reluctant to leave?" Caesar retorted.

"How could that be? But what will happen to Otto and the others if we leave?" Lu Mingfei said, somewhat bewildered.

He certainly wanted to leave this hellish world, but he was also reluctant to leave Otto and his men. If he just left like this, what would happen to them?

Caesar didn't speak, but silently took another drag of his cigarette. He understood Lu Mingfei's hesitation.

They, Otto, Karl, and others had crawled out of the mud of boot camp together, endured the hell of Verdun together, and struggled to survive on the Somme. This camaraderie forged on the brink of life and death countless times was not so easily severed.

"Lu Mingfei, do you remember what you said to me when we were in Dead Man Mountain? You said I should fly, that the sky is my battlefield. At that time, you told me not to think too much, gave me the medal, and even paved the way for me."

Caesar flicked his cigarette ash, looked at Lu Mingfei, and continued, "Now it's your turn. We came here to complete our mission, to survive and find our way back. Now the path is right in front of us, and you need to think about your own future."

Lu Mingfei remained silent, his gaze fixed on the distant sky shrouded in smoke.

"As for Otto and the others—" Caesar continued, his tone becoming very complicated.

"Lu Mingfei, you've transformed them from recruits into tough guys who can survive for two months in the Somme. You've taught them how to survive artillery fire, how to fight back in dire situations, and even—you just asked him if he could help people survive while you're gone. You've done everything you can. You can't be their babysitter forever, and this war won't stop devouring lives just because you're gone."

"We are all sand caught in this storm. All you can do is try your best to hold on a little longer for yourself and those around you, or leave something behind after the storm passes."

"You gave Otto and the others the skills and the will to survive, which is more important than any medal. The rest of the way, they have to walk on their own, just like when we were in boot camp, we eventually had to face the enemy outside the trenches on our own."

Lu Mingfei exhaled a long puff of smoke. He knew Caesar was right; he couldn't stay here forever, and the war was far from over.

His departure was inevitable, it was only a matter of time. His concern for Otto and the others was more like an unyielding sense of responsibility and a feeling of guilt for being powerless to change the status quo.

"You're right, I just—hope they can survive, at least a few more." Lu Mingfei finally said in a low voice, his voice carrying a hint of relief, but also a hint of helplessness.

"They will try, because you have been teaching them how to survive," Caesar said with certainty.

"Thanks, Caesar," Lu Mingfei said softly.

"Stop with the act. Let's go back and finish our meal." Caesar chuckled, threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stubbed it out with his boot, and headed towards the cafeteria.

"Do you know how to find me when we get back?" Lu Mingfei smiled, took the last drag of his cigarette, stubbed it out, and said again.

"Of course, you've repeated it so many times. You live in the Binhai Xiaocheng Garden community, attend Shilan Middle School nearby, and work as a security guard at a high-end club in the city at night. Don't worry, I remember everything," Caesar said, raising an eyebrow.

In the past year, he and Lu Mingfei had thoroughly investigated each other's backgrounds, all in order to prevent an accident like Nuonuo's from happening again. However, he had not forgotten that he was a penniless man in his original world, so he had to ask Caesar, the super-rich second-generation, to come to him.

"Let's go then," Lu Mingfei said, and the two turned around and walked back into the cafeteria side by side.

Otto and the others in the cafeteria were still somewhat worried, and even the fairly plentiful food had lost its appetite.

Seeing his soldiers so dejected, Lu Mingfei wanted to say a few words of comfort, but just then a messenger rushed into the canteen and shouted.

"The British have launched a massive offensive! They've reached the vicinity! The front lines need reinforcements! All soldiers, proceed to the front immediately! Pilots, take off immediately!"

Lu Mingfei and Caesar exchanged a glance, both realizing that this might be their last battle.

"Everyone stand up! Check your equipment! Move out immediately!" Lu Mingfei's voice instantly drowned out the noise in the canteen. He was the first to pick up the rifle and helmet leaning against the table.

Otto, Karl, and the others jumped up almost reflexively, quickly grabbing their weapons. The new recruits, after two months of life-and-death training, were also beginning to adapt to the battlefield, and together with the veterans, they grabbed their weapons and ran outside.

Caesar also rushed to the airport and began an emergency takeoff.

Lu Mingfei led his men on a frantic run. The sound of gunfire was not far from them, which made his heart sink. It meant that the British army had broken through five or six kilometers in a very short time.

"The artillery fire still reached here—" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but sigh. He really didn't want the artillery fire to reach outside this town, because the area outside the town was full of poppies.

On the battlefield, there is only gray smoke, yellow soil, and red blood. Although poppies are also red, they are the red of life. The poppies covering the mountains and fields made these soldiers, who were used to death, realize that there is still beauty in this world.

Now even these last beauties are about to be destroyed by gunfire.

"Everyone, start setting up a defensive line! We absolutely cannot let them get through!" Lu Mingfei shouted as he deployed his domain.

The soldiers behind him all began to feel their adrenaline surge, and then they began to occupy the makeshift trenches they had dug during their rest period. It all happened so suddenly; the speed at which the British army had broken through today was simply unbelievable.

For the past two months, they and the British army have basically been locked in a tug-of-war within a distance of one or two kilometers. The British army would occupy their trenches, and Lu Mingfei would drive them out. There has never been a day when they broke through five or six kilometers.

"Unless—they have deployed far more troops than ever before, or—they have used some new tactics or weapons that we don't know about." This thought made Lu Mingfei's heart tighten.

The artillery fire had begun to fall sporadically on the edge of the town. The hillsides and fields that had once been blooming with poppies, bringing the soldiers a moment of comfort, were now being ravaged by the flames of explosions and the mud kicked up. The red of life was being replaced by the charred and scarlet of death.

"Otto! Take the first platoon to the left flank and hold the crossroads leading to the town! Karl! The second platoon to the right flank, at the edge of the woods, establish crossfire! The rest of you, stay with me and hold the front! Set up the machine guns! Quickly!" Lu Mingfei commanded, raising his binoculars to try and see through the gradually spreading smoke and twilight to discern the scale and method of the enemy's attack.

In the field of vision, khaki figures surged forth like a flood bursting its banks, coming from the breach in the defensive line ahead. Their numbers far exceeded any previous local attack.

Just then, another burst of dense, shrill whistling sounds came from the sky.

"Fire! Get down!" Lu Mingfei warned. As soon as he finished speaking, a dense barrage of explosions, like hail, pounded on the front and flanks of their newly established defensive line. The flames from the explosions stretched for miles, and the shockwaves swept up dirt and debris like a storm.

Under the cover of this artillery fire, the British troops continued to advance. The development of the war led to the advancement of tactics, and this was the British army's new tactic: the advance barrage.

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the British army was not yet familiar with this new tactic, which resulted in 70,000 casualties. However, after two months of updates and iterations, it has been almost perfected.

This is a tactic that uses artillery fire like a moving wall, closely following the advance of one's own charging infantry. It can suppress and destroy the defending positions to the greatest extent possible, clearing the way for the infantry. However, it requires a high degree of coordination between artillery and infantry and consumes a huge amount of ammunition. The British army has rarely used it so extravagantly in local offensives in the past.

The wall of artillery fire was moving, relentlessly cutting across the ground, advancing towards Lu Mingfei and his men's defensive line. Explosions were just tens of meters away, and the next salvo could directly hit them from above.

Just then, several agile Fokker E.1s swept low overhead and headed straight for the British observation planes that were circling high above, indicating targets for the artillery.

One of the red fighter jets was particularly eye-catching, like a burning meteor, as it bit into a biplane BE2 observation aircraft in an almost provocative manner.

It's Caesar! Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat. Although the aerial combat couldn't directly disperse the ground artillery fire, it could at least interfere with the British artillery's observation and trajectory correction. "Hold on! Wait for their lull in the fire! Prepare to engage!" Lu Mingfei shouted hoarsely from the edge of the trench, staring intently ahead.

Sure enough, the wall of artillery fire showed slight ripples. The explosions were no longer landing precisely on the British infantrymen's toes; they began to scatter. Clearly, aerial observation was being interfered with, and the artillery fire was becoming less accurate. Some shells hit their own men, while others bypassed Lu Mingfei and his men and hit further back.

Without artillery cover, the British infantry were completely exposed to the guns of Lu Mingfei and his men.

"Now! Fire!" Lu Mingfei suddenly leaned out, raised the Wraith Gun, and instantly activated the unlimited ammo skill. The .460 bullets instantly took down several British soldiers who were charging at the front.

The soldiers behind him seized this precious opportunity. Two machine guns began to spit fire, and a volley of rifle fire rang out. Dense bullets rained down on the British charging formation, instantly felling many of them.

However, the British army's numerical advantage was simply too great. After a brief period of chaos, the following infantrymen, driven by their officers, continued to charge forward, howling, stepping over the corpses of their comrades.

Although their charging formation was somewhat disrupted by artillery fire and the defending forces' firepower, their resolute momentum and sheer numbers were still breathtaking.

Lu Mingfei's Ghostly Spear relentlessly shot down the charging British soldiers. The immense kinetic energy of the bullets shattered their chests and limbs, and blood splattered onto the loosened poppies, making the vibrant poppies even more alluring.

At the same time, Lu Mingfei felt that his return was getting closer and closer. Just then, the sound of an engine came from behind the British troops.

That's... a tank?!

Lu Mingfei saw several diamond-shaped steel monsters slowly emerge from the smoke, their tracks crushing the land ravaged by artillery fire, crushing poppies and corpses.

He finally understood why the British army could break through a distance of five or six kilometers today; it was because the King of Land Warfare had stepped onto the historical stage.

The Mark I tank was the world's first tank to be officially used in war.

Although the Mark I tank in front of him seemed incredibly rudimentary to Lu Mingfei, for the ordinary people around him who were seeing such a steel behemoth for the first time, the oppressive feeling brought by that ugly, diamond-shaped steel monster spewing black smoke when it actually appeared in their field of vision far exceeded any written description.

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