Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei's War Journey

Chapter 76 Betrayed and Used as Cannon Fodder

The afternoon passed slowly amidst extreme exhaustion and high alert. Fortunately, the French army seemed to be regrouping and did not immediately launch a new attack, but the oppressive feeling of impending doom always hung over the positions.

As evening fell, the promised support from the company headquarters finally arrived: two 75.8mm light mortars pulled by mules and horses, along with some ammunition.

Lu Mingfei immediately organized a manpower team to build a simple mortar position in a relatively concealed location behind the defensive line. Two relatively experienced gunners sent by the company headquarters operated the mortars, and he clarified with them several pre-set strike zones and simple communication methods.

Along with the mortar came a field mess truck, emitting wisps of steam and the aroma of food.

"By the way, how many of you are there now? I cooked for two hundred people, I don't know if that's enough for you." A young cook approached Lu Mingfei and asked in a slightly nervous voice.

He was Frank, the cook who left food for Lu Mingfei and his friends when they went for a run. He had left food for them many times afterward and had become quite familiar with them. However, he had gained a lot of weight since Lu Mingfei first met him. Indeed, a cook who doesn't steal grains doesn't reap what he sows.

"We still have over a hundred people, that's enough," Lu Mingfei said.

Frank shuddered at the mention of more than a hundred people. He remembered clearly that there were two hundred and thirty of them when they set off, and in less than a day, only a little over a hundred remained.

Frank froze, his lips trembled, and his chubby cheeks seemed to turn pale.

He suddenly lowered his head, vigorously wiped his hands on his apron, and said in a muffled voice with a hint of sob, "Good—good—more than a hundred people—enough to eat, enough to eat—I—I'll go and distribute it right away, so everyone—can eat it while it's hot—"

He turned and ran almost as if fleeing towards the steaming food cart, frantically distributing food. He dared not look at their faces, nor at the bloodstains and tears on their uniforms. He mechanically scooped up potato stew and handed out black bread, but his hands trembled with each scoop.

The soldiers ate the dinner Frank brought in silence; it was still potato stew and black bread, neither particularly delicious nor bad.

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have prepared a more lavish meal. I'll try to get some meat for you to eat when you return to the defense. You—you must come back alive to eat—" Frank said softly to Lu Mingfei after the food was distributed, his voice choked with emotion.

The kind-hearted young cook felt somewhat guilty. His mindset was still stuck in the training camp, and he cooked according to the methods he used in the training camp. He hadn't expected the war to be so cruel, and he hadn't prepared anything good for them to eat before they left.

"Frank, make enough for 150 people. We'll definitely be back for the meat dinner tonight. Wait for us," Lu Mingfei said, reaching out and patting Frank's slightly trembling shoulder.

Frank blinked hard, holding back the tears that were about to spill, and nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

I'll wait for you! I'll bring out all the sausages and meat I've hidden!"

Watching Frank push the food cart disappear around the corner of the trench, Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, turned to face the soldiers who were silently eating in the trench, and shouted loudly.

"Did you hear that? Frank prepared meat and sausages for us tonight. Want some?"

The soldiers looked up at him, a faint longing flickering in their numb eyes. They longed to eat meat, longed to survive.

"If you want to eat, then perk up! The French attack isn't over yet! They're waiting to deliver the fatal blow! We only have a few hours left on our mission! If we hold on, we'll go back alive and eat the meat Frank prepared! If we don't—"

Lu Mingfei's gaze swept across every face as he shouted. He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood.

He raised his wrist, the watch worn backwards, and continued, "Watch the time! We've got a date! Tonight, we're going back for meat!"

The soldiers all nodded heavily, and their eyes held a glimmer of hope.

As night fell again, Lu Mingfei arranged for even stricter nighttime security, with himself and Caesar taking turns on duty to direct the operation.

"Go and rest," Lu Mingfei said, leaning against Caesar. He had just woken up after sleeping for two hours to relieve Caesar.

"Okay, I'll leave this to you." Caesar said, standing up and going to rest in the nearby air-raid shelter.

Lu Mingfei got up and looked outside. It was very quiet outside, with only the occasional flare rising in the distance piercing the night sky and briefly illuminating the open space in front of him piled with corpses.

He then raised his arm and looked at the watch that was worn backwards. The numbers on the watch were glowing in a fluorescent light, indicating that it was 7 p.m. and there were only three hours left in 24 hours.

In three more hours they could leave this damned place and rest in the rear. They just hoped nothing would happen in those three hours.

Lu Mingfei leaned against the trench and looked at the sky, which was full of stars, like countless broken diamonds set on black velvet. The Milky Way stretched across the sky, magnificent and serene.

He hadn't seen such a beautiful starry sky in a long time. If this weren't a battlefield, he would probably have gazed at it all night.

Time ticked by in agony, and finally it was 10 p.m. Twenty-four hours had passed, and their mission was complete.

"Caesar! Come here quickly!" Lu Mingfei immediately called to Caesar on the other side.

"What's wrong?" Caesar was jolted awake from his light sleep almost as if ejected, and rushed out with his gun in hand.

"Time's up. I'll go see the company commander and see if we can retreat now! You'll temporarily take command!" Lu Mingfei said excitedly.

"Time's up! Go now! Leave this to me!" Caesar was also excited; this was the only good news they had here.

Lu Mingfei stopped wasting words, immediately crouched down, and rushed towards the trench leading to the company headquarters at top speed. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his nerves, which had been suppressed for 24 hours, could finally relax.

Twenty-four hours, a hellish twenty-four hours, and they actually survived. But Hermann died, Bruckner died, and many familiar faces disappeared—they paid too high a price.

"Company Commander! Captain Henrik!" Lu Mingfei practically smashed through the tattered canvas that served as a door and rushed into the relatively wider company headquarters bunker.

"Time's up! 24 hours! Our defensive mission is complete! As ordered, we can withdraw and rest now! Can we arrange the retreat now? The soldiers are exhausted!" Lu Mingfei saluted and shouted loudly.

However, Henrik's expression did not improve upon hearing Lu Mingfei's words. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I'm sorry, we can't retreat now—"

"Why?" Lu Mingfei was stunned. Hadn't they already completed their mission?

"Because we are about to launch a counterattack." At this moment, a figure walked into the company headquarters and answered Lu Mingfei's question.

Lu Mingfei turned his head and saw a Prussian officer with the rank of lieutenant standing behind him.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Klaus Peters, the company commander of the Ninth Company who came to provide support. You must be William Hans, who's in command at the front. You've done a good job," said the officer named Klaus, extending his hand to shake hands with Lu Mingfei.

"What do you mean by 'no retreat' and 'no counterattack'? Our mission was just to hold the position for 24 hours, which we've already accomplished. And now that you're here, shouldn't you be taking over? If you want to counterattack, you can do it! Why can't we retreat!" Lu Mingfei said anxiously, completely ignoring Klaus's outstretched hand.

Lieutenant Klaus's hand froze in mid-air. The smile on his face faded, replaced by a coldness. He did not get angry because of Lu Mingfei's rudeness, but slowly withdrew his hand and put it behind his back.

"Hans—no, perhaps I should call you Acting Platoon Leader Hans—war is always unpredictable. You can't just complete a mission and walk away. We need to make flexible decisions based on the situation on the battlefield," Lieutenant Klaus said coldly.

"I heard you did a good job before, wiping out a French company and even requesting two mortars. So, based on my deduction, we should now press our advantage and retake the area we lost earlier. I have already requested artillery fire, which will begin in half an hour."

"As for why you can't retreat, it's because you're now under my company's command. Go and inform your men that after the shelling ends, they must immediately launch an attack. If anyone dares to retreat even a step, I'll shoot them!"

Lu Mingfei felt his blood run cold. The hope and excitement that had just risen were doused with ice water and chilled him to the bone.

Are you going to send these exhausted, half-dead men, who have just crawled out of hell, to launch an attack and retake the position?

Absurd! This is fucking murder!

"Lieutenant Klaus! Look carefully! How many men in my platoon, no, how many in the entire company are still capable of fighting?! Look at their condition! Look at what weapons we have left! What's the difference between sending us to charge now and sending them to their deaths?!" Lu Mingfei roared.

"We completed our mission! We held out for 24 hours! We have no obligation to carry out such suicidal orders again! We are not cannon fodder!"

Lieutenant Klaus took two steps forward, almost touching Lu Mingfei. He was half a head taller than Lu Mingfei and looked down at the young acting platoon leader, speaking without any politeness.

"Acting Platoon Leader Hans, I understand your feelings, and I see your losses and exhaustion. But this is a battlefield, not a marketplace for bargaining. Orders are orders. Now is the best time to counterattack! With a resolute counterattack, we must crush them, reclaim lost ground, and consolidate our defenses. This is our duty as soldiers!"

"As for your condition—hmph, a soldier's mission is to fight to the last moment. I believe that with sufficient artillery preparation and—the encouragement of the supervisory team—your soldiers will rekindle their fighting spirit. After all, retreating means certain death, while advancing may offer a glimmer of hope and the chance to avenge fallen comrades, isn't that right?"

"And don't forget, you're just an acting platoon leader. I can dismiss you at any time. If you don't want to do it, I'll replace you with someone more capable, and then throw you in a military court for trial as a deserter!"

The supervisory team—Lu Mingfei's heart clenched painfully. They were being forced to their deaths at gunpoint!

He turned to look at Henrik beside him, hoping that the gilded company commander would say something, after all, they were his subordinates.

"According to orders from above, you are no longer under my jurisdiction—I will return to the training camp in a while—" Sensing Lu Mingfei's gaze, Henrik lowered his head, not daring to meet his eyes, and said somewhat guiltily. He had betrayed Lu Mingfei and the others in exchange for his own safe return to a place to eke out a living.

Lu Mingfei was in utter despair. What had he done to deserve this? First, he had an incompetent company commander, and now he had another company commander who didn't treat his soldiers like human beings.

"The shelling will begin in half an hour. Now go back and tell your soldiers that once the artillery fire extends, they should immediately leap out of the trenches and charge towards the French positions directly ahead. I will send my men to follow behind and assist you. Remember, this is an order. I will personally go there in half an hour."

He gave Lu Mingfei one last glance, the meaning in his eyes was crystal clear: either carry out the order, or be executed right now for disobeying military orders.

Lu Mingfei felt a chill run down his spine from head to toe. He looked at Klaus, then at Henrik, who was cowering to the side, not daring to meet his gaze. He knew that there was no point in arguing any further.

He slowly loosened his clenched fist, and blood dripped from his palm onto the ground.

He stood at attention and saluted, his movements were precise, but he didn't seem angry.

"Yes, sir." His voice was calm, without any inflection, like a stagnant pool of frozen water.

After saying that, he looked away from everyone and turned to walk out of the company headquarters bunker.

The night outside was still pitch black, and the stars were still shining, but in Lu Mingfei's eyes, all that remained was endless cold and darkness.

He slowly walked back to the front line, and when he returned to the third platoon's defensive zone, Caesar, Otto, and the other soldiers who had not yet rested immediately surrounded him.

"How is it? Can we retreat now? What did the company commander say?" Otto asked anxiously, a lingering hope on his face.

Lu Mingfei looked at them, unsure how to begin. Should he tell them directly that they had held out for 24 hours at the cost of their lives, but what awaited them was not rest and a hot meal, but a near-suicidal counterattack?

"The order has changed. We have been assigned to the newly arrived Ninth Company. Our new mission is to launch an assault after the half-hour shelling ends and recapture the previously lost forward positions." Lu Mingfei finally announced the order with great difficulty.

A deathly silence.

The expectation on the faces of all the soldiers froze instantly, eventually turning into utter despair and disbelief.

"Charge—charge? We—we're going to charge like this?" Karl said, clutching his injured leg, his voice trembling.

"This is sending us to our deaths! Is that new officer fucking insane?!" Otto roared, his eyes bloodshot.

The unrest began to spread, and the suppressed anger and fear were like a volcano about to erupt.

"This is an order. Anyone who disobeys an order will be subject to battlefield discipline by the supervisory team." Lu Mingfei repeated, his voice still calm. As the commander, he could not allow his emotions to affect the soldiers around him.

Upon hearing the orders of the supervising officers, the soldiers' faces drained of all color. Retreating meant certain death, and advancing might also mean death, but retreating would mean dying faster and in greater humiliation.

Caesar stared intently at Lu Mingfei, trying to discern something beneath his calm exterior.

"Is there no other choice?" Caesar asked.

Lu Mingfei slowly shook his head.

Caesar paused for a few seconds, then whirled around and growled at the remaining soldiers of Hoffmann's squad, "Check the weapons! Gather all usable ammunition! Collect the grenades! Now!"

Otto spat angrily, then turned and rallied the Hansband's men: "Damn it! We're all going to die anyway! Let's take a few Frenchmen down with us! Get moving!"

Despair, ironically, fueled a ruthless, reckless attitude. The soldiers stopped complaining and fearing, and were left with only a numb, resigned demeanor.

They silently inspected their weapons, attaching bayonets to their rifles, their eyes gleaming with the ferocity of dying beasts.

Lu Mingfei walked to the edge of the trench, gazing at the deep darkness of the French positions opposite. Artillery fire—could it really weaken them? A charge—could they break through that death zone? And his only trump card, the one-minute unlimited ammo, had been used up; it would take several hours before it could be used again.

Perhaps this is the end; his life will end here as cannon fodder.

But the next moment, a fierce glint flashed in Lu Mingfei's eyes. He absolutely would not allow himself to die such a pathetic death.

Even if he dies, he absolutely cannot let that bastard who sent them to their deaths get away with it.

"Caesar, come here for a second," Lu Mingfei called out to Caesar, who was checking equipment.

"What's wrong?" Caesar asked as he walked over.

"You're a hybrid, aren't you? What's your Word of Power?" Lu Mingfei asked. He recalled seeing golden light flashing in Caesar's eyes during their close-quarters combat, which was a symbol of hybridity.

Upon hearing Lu Mingfei's words, Caesar was taken aback at first, but then he remembered that Lu Mingfei had experienced such a miraculous time travel with him, so it didn't seem surprising that he knew about the mixed-race people.

"Yes, I am a hybrid. My Word of Power is a Kamaitachi, which is somewhat like radar, allowing me to hear sounds from a great distance," Caesar said frankly.

"No wonder you're such a good shot, and you can even hear the shells in advance," Lu Mingfei said thoughtfully.

"Now I'm giving you a task: when we're on the battlefield, find a way to kill that new Ninth Company commander. Sending us up to our deaths while you hide in the back won't work!"

Caesar's icy blue pupils suddenly contracted as he stared incredulously at Lu Mingfei's eyes, which were now burning with a mad flame.

Killing a friendly officer? This is an unimaginable crime in any army, even on such a chaotic battlefield. Once discovered or suspected, the fate awaiting them would be far worse than dying at the hands of the French.

But instead of refusing immediately, he readily agreed, and a flame of madness ignited in his eyes.

"I didn't expect you to be even crazier than me, but that suits me just fine. If they want my life, Caesar Gattuso's, then I'll make them pay the price!"