African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1238 Instigation
The city of Vinnytsia on the southern Bug River.

The Southern Bug River is one of the important rivers in Ukraine. It originates in the Podolian Hills and flows southwest into the Black Sea.

The banks of the Southern Bug River on the western plains of Ukraine were originally fertile and rich land, but because of the outbreak of World War I, it finally became the front line of the battlefield between Russia and the Allies in July 1916.

With the defeat of the June War, the Allied forces entered Russian territory, and the situation on the Russian Southern Front took a sharp turn for the worse, forcing the Russian army to withdraw its forces to the east bank of the Southern Bug River to regroup.

The city of Vinnitsa has become the new front-line headquarters of the Russian army in the south. Currently, the city has gathered nearly 100,000 soldiers who were defeated from the front line.

The entire periphery of Vinnitsa has been surrounded by barbed wire and trenches. These makeshift defense works are obviously rather sloppy, but with the help of the Southern Bug River, the Russian generals are confident that they can fight a desperate battle.

Of course, compared with the Russian generals, Russia's army of "gray cattle" already seemed overwhelmed.

The military camp southwest of the Nambug River was in a gloomy mood at this time. This place was close to the Nambug River and was a salient of the river, so the Russian side sent a large number of troops here to form a new position.

Kartichev was wiping the Mosin-Nagant rifle in his hand out of boredom, with a patinated brown wooden pipe in his mouth.

Next to him was Royavsky from the same village. He was lying on a wooden box, chewing a grass stem in his mouth with lifeless eyes.

Around his head was a strip of grey gauze, passing just below his ears, which, judging by the grey patches of blood and dirt, had once been white.

"Karchichev, do you think we can return to Burlyat village alive after the war is over?" asked Royavsky.

Kartichev was oiling his gun. While smearing the barrel with a rag, he said to Royavsky, "I guess only God knows the answer to this question, but judging from the current situation, it may be difficult. After all, we are just cannon fodder in the eyes of our superiors."

"Yes! I still remember when we first arrived at the front, our comrades Cherkayev, Yurika, Kulka..." Royavsky named a dozen people one after another like ordering food, and then said: "But these people are gone now."

"Right now, in the entire barracks, the only people from the same hometown that we know are you, me and Maxim next door."

At this point, Royavsky's tone became somewhat sad.

"Last week, my ear was shot through. The bullet was only a little bit away from my head. If it had been a little bit off, I don't think I would have had the chance to talk to you here."

Kartichev, on the other hand, was very open-minded. He said to his fellow countryman, "There is no reason why there won't be casualties in war. The moment we arrived at the front from the rear, I knew our fate. It's just like drawing lots. Every day someone will be unlucky enough to be drawn."

"Many troops were even wiped out. The fact that the two of us are still alive is already a blessing from fate."

"What's even more precious is that we still have all our limbs intact. If we really become disabled, we probably won't have much hope for the rest of our lives. We can only hope that good luck will always bless us."

After saying this, Kartichev put down the gun in his hand and began to pray, as if this could really continue to maintain God's protection.

Royavsky looked at Kartichev's devout prayer and said with a self-deprecating smile: "If God really exists, I don't think he would let this war break out. After all, many people in the army are his devout believers. Some people are kind all their lives but get nothing in return." "Take me for example. Although I have never done anything good in my life, I can say with a clear conscience that I have never done anything bad. I used to go to church often to listen to the pastor's teachings, but those priests are just like you. They only advise us to be calm, but they don't tell us how to get rid of suffering."

"As for the so-called heaven, it is nothing more than a fantasy created by the priests. After all, the beliefs of the Austro-Hungarians across the street are quite different from ours, but it is clear that God favors them more..."

Kartichev seemed not to have heard Royavsky's complaint, and after completing the ceremony, he picked up his rifle and wiped it.

Seeing this, Royavsky was a little angry. He said to Kartichev, "You just spend all day cleaning your broken gun, but he can't guarantee your survival. After all, the enemy is now saturating the artillery with artillery, and you are just lucky to avoid the landing point of the shells."

Kartichev then said, "What do you want to say? Or what do you want to do? We are just nobody and cannot change anything. We just need to remain pious and have a clear conscience. Any suffering is just a test from God."

Royavsky sneered: "Perhaps only people like you would be happy to accept this kind of test. This war could have been completely avoided. After all, we were allies of Germany in the past, but the top leaders of the empire chose to turn friends into enemies with such a powerful enemy."

"These big guys are only after their own interests and don't care about our lives at all. And I don't agree with what you said that small guys can't change anything. Without small guys like us charging into battle, the Germans would have reached St. Petersburg long ago."

Kartichev listened to Royavsky's rebellious words and hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Royavsky, it's better not to discuss these topics at this time. After all, this is the front line. If someone with ulterior motives hears it, you will be killed or even skinned alive."

Royavsky said: "The problem is that I can't see any hope of survival. The end of the war is nowhere in sight. You and I are just a little bit lucky, but this kind of luck is obviously not sustainable."

"So you are destined to die in a foreign land. What's wrong with me complaining a little? Let me ask you one last time, do you really not intend to take control of your own destiny?"

"I don't want you to continue to degenerate because we are from the same hometown. If it were someone else, I wouldn't say so much."

Kartichev said: "Your true intentions are finally exposed. Did the organization deceive you? If you turn back now, you may not make a big mistake."

Royavsky sneered and said, "The big mistake you mentioned is just defined by those bigwigs above. We have paid enough."

"It's true that we are fighting for the sake of the country, but if the price is that we fight to the death on the front line, eating moldy bread, while the commanders are fat and fat, living a life of debauchery, and they can't even make the right decisions, and will only waste the lives of the soldiers, then this kind of justice is nothing but false propaganda. Kartichev, if this is what you are pursuing, then I have nothing to say."

In response to what Royavsky said, Kartichev's brows twitched. After all, anyone who serves as a low-level soldier in the Russian army would probably have a lot of resentment in his heart.

It's just that some people can hypnotize themselves, such as Kartichev. He is a typical example. Faced with the instigation of his fellow villagers, he took out his pipe and flicked the ash.

"What you said makes sense, but I won't take risks with you. After all, this kind of situation has happened before."

"On the contrary, it's you who should listen to my advice. Although there is a great risk of dying on the battlefield, there is always a chance of survival. However, if you follow your actions, you will definitely die."

"The organizers behind you are just like those officials, except that they are hiding in the dark to sow discord. They are both seeking death. I would rather choose the one with the least risk."

(End of this chapter)