Once they truly entered the fight for the trenches, especially during mobile combat, Gao Fei’s true foundation was exposed.
He basically understood no tactics, and had no tactical movements at all. They were all running forward along the trench with guns in hand, but one look at Gao Fei was enough to tell he was a novice.
Tactical movements were habitual actions formed slowly over years and years of training. No matter how many videos Gao Fei had watched, at a time like this, they were useless.
His mind and his body were simply not on the same frequency.
There were twelve of them, but out of habit they still split into three four-man teams. In this four-man team, Sholokhov raised his gun; even with comrades in front of him, he still brought the gun up, muzzle pointed forward, maintaining a state where he could fire at any moment.
Glasky was second. He carried the machine gun, but did not have it shouldered; it hung from his neck, his right hand gripping the handle, his left hand supporting the foregrip, the muzzle naturally angled toward the left front.
Gao Fei should have been watching the right front. If someone suddenly appeared outside the trench, only then could he open fire in time.
But Gao Fei was only focused on running. He did not realize what his position was, nor did he realize what he was supposed to do in that position.
Samir, behind him, took over Gao Fei’s responsibility. When he saw Gao Fei looking left and right, just holding his gun and blindly running along, he shifted his attention to the right-front side of the trench.
Samir was supposed to keep an eye on the rear as well, but there were people behind him, so the rear did not need his attention.
Even so, when the combat team advanced in search formation, Gao Fei still became the weak link in the group.
Samir noticed, but he said nothing.
The trench wound forward, with forks and corpses, but the gunfire ahead was extremely close. The position of the gunfire could be clearly distinguished, so the First Squad leader did not change course. He led the team straight toward the place where the gunfire was densest.
At a bend, the squad leader stopped, then shouted himself hoarse, “Ocean!”
An ancient yet practical method of distinguishing friend from foe: a password.
The gunfire was dense, but someone heard the squad leader’s shout. Then a voice rang out.
“White!”
Who knew which staff officer had slapped his forehead and come up with this password: two simple and completely unrelated words. If someone shouted “Ocean,” the answer was “White”; if someone shouted “White,” the answer was “Ocean.”
In a battle this fierce, with friend and foe hard to distinguish, they certainly could not rush out rashly. And even if those ahead were comrades, charging out without warning could very easily cause friendly fire.
The password matched. The squad leader roared, “We’re coming in!”
“Come in!”
The squad leader slipped in, and Gao Fei entered this stretch of trench where fierce fighting was underway shortly after.
This was a fully set-up living area that also served as a firing point.
A dozen meters farther ahead, there was a section of trench covered overhead with wooden boards, earth, and camouflage netting. It could not protect against artillery, but it could protect against drone-dropped munitions.
Farther ahead was a trench corner. At the corner, several people would occasionally thrust their guns out and fire down the trench. Every now and then, a few bullets came along the trench and punched into the wood-reinforced walls with crackling sounds.
The formation was too dense; it was impossible to tell at a glance exactly how many people were there.
At least twenty corpses lay scattered haphazardly in the trench.
They were not bodies moved from elsewhere, but corpses of those who had fought here and died here. There were both enemy and friendly bodies, but there were fewer enemy corpses and more comrades’ corpses.
The fighting here had been extremely fierce.
The sense of urgency instantly rose to its peak.
The men from the penal battalion were in a very tight formation, and the reason for that was that they wanted to launch another charge.
The squad leader ran quickly to the very front. He stood at the rear of the penal battalion’s line and shouted, “Who’s in command here?”
“I am!”
“What’s the situation?”
“This is the only communication trench nearby. The other end has been blocked by the enemy. We either leave the trench and attack across the surface, or charge through the trench. But we already took heavy casualties capturing this place and no longer have the strength to launch another charge. Watch out for enemy drones. Their drones have been dropping munitions the whole time!”
The squad leader said, “The only communication trench? Are we about to punch through their main position?”
“Not even close! This is only the blocking zone of the main position. We haven’t even taken the first layer of positions.”
The main position itself was divided into several layers, like an onion, which had to be peeled inward layer by layer.
“How long is the communication trench?”
“Forty meters!”
“How many enemy defenders?”
“Judging from the density of fire, around ten.”
A so-called blocking zone was, in a situation where trenches might be seized by the enemy, a relatively large open space left between several layers of trenches. No trenches were dug in this space; instead, anti-tank mines and anti-personnel mines were densely buried in the ground.
Only a small number of communication trenches were left, allowing one’s own soldiers to pass quickly. Then, with only a small number of troops, those communication trenches could be sealed off, preventing the enemy from breaking through quickly.
As for leaving the trench and attacking from the outside, that was even more impossible. Crossing the open ground would mean being fired on by machine guns, while also having to watch for mines underfoot.
A forty-meter communication trench, straight, with almost no room to dodge and nowhere to use as cover. And forty meters was an extremely awkward distance: too far to accurately throw grenades into the enemy trench, and even most people could not throw a grenade that far at all.
The First Squad leader lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Then he turned back to his men and said, “Brothers, I’ll be in front. Get ready to charge with me.”
The squad leader did not say anything especially stirring or impassioned. He only said, charge with me.
After speaking, the squad leader turned and walked toward the entrance of the only communication trench. Then he stopped at the bend.
The trench was relatively wide, but it could only accommodate two people passing side by side. The communication trench was narrower still; basically, it only allowed one person to pass comfortably. If two people passed, one of them would have to turn sideways and squeeze through.
It was terrain where they had no choice but to line up in single file and go forward to die.
Standing at the entrance to the communication trench, watching bullets strike the earth beside him, the squad leader said with a numb expression, “Prepare grenades.”
Gao Fei’s position was relatively far back. In the line of all twelve people, he was somewhere around the rear of the middle.
Gao Fei silently took a grenade off his chest rig and held it in his hand.
Samir pulled Gao Fei from behind. Gao Fei turned back, and Samir gestured for him to make way.
“What are you doing?”
“Get behind me.”
“No need.”
“You can’t do it.”
Samir did not say much more. He simply tugged Gao Fei and squeezed in front of him.
Everyone was preparing grenades, but they could not pull the pins directly, because they might be hit while advancing. If that happened, they would be unable to throw the armed grenade in time.
The squad leader was about to give the order, but just then someone suddenly shouted, “Are you from Third Company? Do you know the position of Second Platoon, Second Squad?”
Several penal battalion soldiers looked at one another, then one of them said, “We’re from Third Company. This is First Platoon’s position. Where is Second Platoon?”
“Second Platoon is on the left.”
Andrei said angrily, “Suka blyat!”
Andrei turned his head and was about to leave. He wanted to find his own unit.
But the person who had said Second Platoon was on the left suddenly said, “Second Platoon is all dead. The position your Second Platoon took was recaptured by the enemy.”
A position that had been taken and then retaken by the enemy—needless to say, they were all dead. Not a single one would be left.
Andrei froze. He looked somewhat at a loss.
Gao Fei did not know what they were saying. He could only tell that Andrei was very confused right now.
The First Squad leader waved at Andrei and pointed to a camera hanging on his own chest.
“Kid! If you want combat merit, come with us.”
Gao Fei really had not noticed before that the squad leader had an action camera clipped to his chest, one of those very small ones that could record video.
Gao Fei could not help asking curiously, “What does that mean?”
“It’s easier to earn combat merit in this kind of battle, and the squad leader can record it.”
Glasky answered Gao Fei’s question. He turned back, saw that Gao Fei had ended up behind Samir, and then said in a low voice, “Be careful.”
Regardless of whether Andrei was going to join the fight, the squad leader stepped forward again. He took a deep breath and said, “Ready!”
Hearing the squad leader say ready, Glasky immediately turned and brought up the machine gun.
Gao Fei held his rifle with his left hand and gripped a grenade in his right.
“Ura!”
The squad leader did not say charge, nor did he say attack. He suddenly shouted “Ura,” then abruptly rushed out.
The squad leader charged into the communication trench.
A spray of blood splashed backward.
The squad leader fell backward at the corner of the communication trench.
The squad leader had not managed to advance even one step into the communication trench.
The squad leader’s helmet had been hit. The bullet pierced the helmet and smashed half his head apart.
“Ura!”
Nevin, the leader of Team One, charged out. The instant the squad leader fell, he shouted and rushed into the communication trench, bending forward and firing ahead, opening up fiercely as he charged while shooting.
Gao Fei saw the squad leader fall. He saw Team One’s leader turn and rush into the trench. He heard the gunfire and watched all four men of Team One rush in.
“Ura!”
Sholokhov shouted and followed.
“Ura!”
Then came Glasky.
Samir shouted nothing.
Gao Fei watched one person after another disappear before his eyes, charging into that narrow communication trench filled with the aura of death.
It was Gao Fei’s turn. He did not shout “Ura” either. He was not used to it.
Gao Fei rushed into the communication trench. He ran five or six steps, then had no choice but to lift his foot and step over Nevin’s corpse.
Two more steps forward, another comrade with a bullet wound in his waist had fallen against the wall of the trench. It was precisely the one who had fought with him and smacked him with a shovel.
There was no fear, no sorrow, no excitement, and no anger.
Gao Fei’s mind was blank. He saw everything, but everything he saw had no meaning. He could hear sounds, yet right now, his ears were very quiet.
They had advanced less than twenty meters, and three men from Team One were dead.
Only at this distance could they throw grenades.
Gao Fei hurled the grenade with all his strength. Then he clearly realized that he had not pulled the grenade’s pin.
Forget it. Throwing grenades while running was not Gao Fei’s strong suit. He did not even know how to exert force to throw something while on the move.
Gao Fei raised his gun, but Samir was swaying in front of him, preventing him from aiming.
He could see heads bobbing ahead one after another. He could see the man at the very front holding his gun and spraying fire. He could see Sholokhov throwing grenades one after another.
Grenades exploded ahead. The ones thrown by the enemy exploded in front of the line, while the ones Sholokhov threw detonated inside the enemy’s circular position.
Team One’s sacrifice had meaning. Gao Fei did not know how they had done it, but the machine gun that had been firing directly to seal off the communication trench had stopped. And that was why the last surviving member of Team One was not dead yet.
It was also the only reason Gao Fei could still keep charging forward.
The man at the very front ran out of bullets. He turned sideways and leaned against the wall, and Sholokhov squeezed past him.
Sholokhov did not move aside. He raised his rifle and sprinted forward while firing.
Whether there were people there or not, he just fired. The shooting could not stop; there could be no gap between bullets. This was called suppressive fire, and it was crucial.
Thirty rounds—on automatic, they were gone in a few seconds. Sholokhov’s ammunition was also emptied. If this were somewhere else, he would change magazines while running and then continue firing. But now, the suppressive fire could not stop for even a moment, so he could only press himself against the wall and make way for the firing position and the path forward.
Glasky squeezed past Sholokhov, held the machine gun properly against his waist, and opened fire while running.
Bullets flew wildly, striking the earthen walls on both sides of the communication trench, but even more bullets were fired down the length of the trench.
Now, only Glasky and Samir remained in front of Gao Fei.
Gao Fei also squeezed past Sholokhov.
The moment they entered the communication trench, casualties had been severe. Four people died in the first ten meters. In the middle section of the communication trench, they suppressed the enemy, and the process was relatively smooth; across thirty meters, not a single person died.
But next, when they charged into the position sealed off by the enemy, no one knew how many more would die.
Sholokhov changed magazines with astonishing speed. He replaced the magazine, but he could only follow behind Gao Fei.
The lone surviving soldier from Team One was slightly slower. He also finished changing magazines, then without the slightest pause, after Sholokhov squeezed past him, he naturally followed behind Sholokhov.
They were about to rush out of the communication trench ahead, but Glasky suddenly stopped. At the same time, without Sholokhov needing to give an order, grenades whistled over Gao Fei’s head and fell into the enemy position.
The grenades exploded in dense succession. Smoke and dust rose everywhere in the enemy position. And the instant the grenades detonated, Glasky started moving again, charging forward.
Gao Fei was very afraid that Glasky would die the moment he rushed over, just like the squad leader and Team One’s leader. He wished he could charge at the front himself and use his rifle to kill every enemy he saw.
Gao Fei wanted to shoot, but there were two people blocking him. He was anxious, but he could not fly over them.
Glasky had already reached the exit of the communication trench, but he did not rush out. Instead, he dropped to the ground, swung the machine gun outward, and began sweeping fire sideways.
Samir did not rush out either. He pressed himself against the right side of the trench, hooked the trigger with his left hand, and extended the gun sideways to spray fire.
Fine. Russians were not only capable of brute force; they had tactics too.
Even if they could not see the enemy, they still had to shoot. They had to suppress them. Even if they could not hit the enemy, they could disrupt the enemy’s firing and make their shots less accurate.
Now Gao Fei was the person at the very front.
But Gao Fei did not know what he should do at this moment.
He was just a military enthusiast. He had only watched videos. His mind was blank, and he did not know whether he should stop and throw a grenade, or raise his gun and stick it out sideways for a blind burst.
At this moment, Gao Fei could only rely on instinct to make his choice.
Two people were blocking the way, so he could not run straight out.
Samir was standing on the right side, blocking the space to advance, but Glasky was lying on the left, with a sliver of space still left above him.
So Gao Fei planted one foot on Glasky’s backside and leapt up.
Then Gao Fei flew out.
The correct way to put it was that he jumped out, but in Gao Fei’s eyes, the world seemed to enter slow motion. He felt as if he remained in the air for a very long time, so he had flown over.
He flew out of the communication trench.
While flying through the air, he fired a shot.
He flew onto the position the enemy had sealed off.
Then he fired again.
Things are a bit better today, so I’m making up for what was short yesterday.