War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 24 The wish is to slap a foot on the Red Square
An hour after the little postman Nicholas left, Captain Aleutian and Vanya, who had been with him all the time, found Wei Ran who was doing nothing at the ammunition pile again.

Calmly stuffing a small bag wrapped in raincoat fabric into Wei Ran's pocket, Vanya with a fierce face then handed Wei Ran two gold rings and whispered at the same time, "If you can survive, please put those Send the letter, if...forget it, so be it."

Wei Ran took the gold ring and held it in the palm of his hand, and at the same time hammered his chest hard, "Definitely deliver them!"

"I hope so"

Company Commander Aleutian smiled and didn't say anything else, but directed everyone to continue to reinforce the trenches, and by the way, dig new artillery positions for the only three anti-tank guns left in position 19.

In the busyness of everyone, the sky gradually became dark, and the pouring rain came after the sun set. At the same time, the explosions in the direction of the Don River became more and more intense, so that even the night sky due east was reflected as a flashing orange. red.

But other than that, there is a lot of good news, at least the Germans on the opposite side rarely launched an attack.In the middle of the night, the veterinarian Cyril also brought back a full 19 supplementary troops to the No. 100 position, as well as two anti-tank guns and two 120mm heavy mortars that risked using a horse-drawn horse. Comes with plenty of ammunition.

Even Beshev, the communications soldier who hadn't seen him all day, finally got through the telephone line with the rear headquarters. Not only that, he also brought back from the rear an artillery observer Kaze with a radio on his back.

But such ample reinforcements made Aleutian and Vanya feel more and more uneasy. If there was such a fierce firepower last night, it would be impossible for the German tanks to drive to a position less than 10 meters away from the barbed wire fence. .

But what about tonight or tomorrow night?What kind of turbulent enemy does the headquarters want them to use these reinforcements to resist?
This question did not have a clear answer until the Aleutians settled the two newly added anti-tank guns and heavy mortars.

Fortunately, thanks to the addition of those reinforcements, Wei Ran and the others could finally get into the bunker on the side of the trench and take a good rest.

Taking off the boots and canvas leggings on his feet, Wei Ran rubbed his already soaked and wrinkled feet, and then lay down on the bunk that was barely made out of empty ammunition boxes.

"We've got so much supplies this time, we're sure to beat the Germans back!" said an excited and familiar companion of a young recruit who survived last night's battle.

In the dim light provided by the kerosene lamp, Wei Ran and the veterinarian Cyril not far away looked at each other and shook their heads with wry smiles.

"Victor, you are a postman, you must have been to many places, right?"

The veterinarian Cyril's tone was full of longing, "Unlike me, until the beginning of the war, I spent most of my life dealing with cattle, sheep and horses."

"Yeah, I've been to many places." Wei Ran took off his wet and smelly boat cap and put it on his face to block the mud falling from his head, and the memories of traveling in Russia when he was studying in Russia in the past few years appeared in his mind. city ​​view.

"Victor, Moscow, have you ever been to Moscow?" Cyril, the veterinarian, suddenly became interested. He half sat up and leaned against an ammunition box and asked enthusiastically. Even the soldiers who were also resting around him lowered their voices. , raised his ears.

"been"

Unaware that Wei Ran, who had become the focus, said in a daze, "I've been to Moscow many times, it's a very beautiful place."

"What's there?" Veterinarian Cyril asked after him.

"There's everything there." Wei Ran finished speaking, and silently added in his heart, "It's the Soviet without red."

"Can't you go into more detail?" The veterinarian Cyril tore off Wei Ran's boat cap in dissatisfaction.

It wasn't until this time that Wei Ran noticed that almost all the soldiers resting in the underground bunker were looking at him, and even the kerosene lamp that was hanging above his head was taken down and placed on the empty box beside him.

"Yes! Tell me in detail!" A soldier looking at his face urged longingly, "Have you ever been to Red Square? Is it big? Have you ever seen Comrade Stalin?"

"Fart! Victor is just a postman, how could he have met Stalin?!"

Another soldier who couldn't name corrected the former, and then asked a little later, "Where is the Kremlin? Is it bigger than the Red Square?"

"Can't you just shut up and listen to Victor quietly?"

The veterinarian Cyril tapped the empty box under his buttocks with a badly chipped enamel jar, and then whispered, "Who still has wine? It seems that our comrade postman didn't plan to talk to us about the city of Moscow until he drank the vodka." What's up."

"Alcohol is fine." Wei Ran, who came back to his senses, quickly waved his hand, he is not used to drinking cold water with the right amount of alcohol.

"Victor, you haven't been to Moscow, have you?" Veterinarian Cyril said suspiciously.

"I have, of course I have."

Wei Ran smiled bitterly, tried not to look into the eyes of the pair of hopeful eyes around him, and introduced in an erratic tone, "The Red Square is very big, about eight or nine hectares in size. Its ground is all paved The uneven stone, if you walk from there at night, you may even sprain your feet if you are not careful."

Such a simple description caused suppressed laughter from the surrounding soldiers, and then one of them asked, "Where is the Kremlin? How big is it?"

"It's about the size of three or four Red Squares"

Wei Ran simply sat cross-legged on the wooden box, while kneading his blistered and wrinkled feet, he tried his best to describe what he saw there to the people around him based on what he saw during his summer vacation in Moscow.

"After the war is over, I really want to visit Moscow."

A stubble-faced soldier was holding an enamel jar, and said with longing, "I'm going to the Red Square to see if it's really like what Victor said about spraining my feet."

"Do not be silly"

Another soldier who looked a little younger drank the water mixed with vodka in the enamel tank in one gulp, and said somewhat disappointed, "When the war is over, I'm afraid we will be dead long ago. It is impossible to see Moscow in this life. No matter what it looks like, there is no chance to sprain your ankle in Red Square."

"so what?"

The stubble-faced soldier put down the pot porcelain jar nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter if I can't see it, my son will definitely have a chance to see it. He is only five years old, and he has already hid in Saratov with his mother. If I don't live until the end of the war, at least I won't let the Germans reach Saratov!"

"Saratov? Huh!" Veterinarian Cyril lit his pipe and took a deep puff. "Don't even think about crossing the Don River!"

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(End of this chapter)