amaotonovel Chapter 250 We Are Young
Chapter 250 We Are Young
"Give me a hand, brother—comrade."
With hands clasped together, shovels dug trenches in the ground, towering red, yellow and purple tricolor flags fluttered on the position, and Maxim machine guns and ammunition belts were stuffed into the firing positions.
For most of the young people, this was their first time experiencing a battlefield. On the front lines in northern Naples, they saw smoke rise into the sky for the first time, and the pungent smell and scorched earth surrounded them. This was their first time in this hellish place.
"How about it?"
"Fortunately, the taste isn't too bad..."
An International Brigades soldier nodded and looked at the elf beside him. Their mission was to guard this war zone until the next order came.
The smoking elf picked up a book from his backpack. He hadn't read a book in a while, but soon something caught his attention.
He saw a man with a weathered face, his eyes shining. He did not wear the same uniform as the International Brigades, but instead had a crookedly sewn green, white and red patch on his body, which was the symbol of the Roman Restoration Army.
He didn't look young, and he didn't have any vitality. His hands—rough hands—were rubbing together, as if trying to hide his anxious feelings.
The elf noticed the strip of cloth casually hanging around his neck; it was a towel he used to wipe away sweat. The elf put down his book and went over.
"Hello, sir, may I ask...?"
"Hello...uh...that..."
You can call me Li.
"Sir Li, sir, may I ask where the commander of this unit is?"
"Don't rush, comrade, I'll take you there."
"No, no need, sir. I'm just here to deliver supplies. There's no need to trouble the officer. Just tell him that the Poli man has delivered the supplies he requested."
Li sensed a strange, peculiar barrier between them. Compared to them, the man before him seemed to belong to another world, as if a heavy mountain was pressing down on him, crushing his back and his spirit.
Li led the man to the makeshift anti-artillery command post. Apart from the advisors, the military commander of the International Brigades Volunteer Battalion was elected by all the volunteers.
The equality in the volunteer battalion comes from their ideals and beliefs. The equality between officers and soldiers in Amerancy is what they learn from. They have heard of Alice's military theory, which states: "Every soldier, whether officer or soldier, is a sacred, inviolable, and equal individual. In the crucible of the army, everyone should enjoy equality of personality under the procedures of military command."
The volunteer camp is more egalitarian. These young people from all over the country meet because of their passion and ideals, so there is naturally a relatively equal atmosphere.
The person in front of Li was an anomaly. He knew that this person was the real proletarian from the bottom of society. For them, and for the soldiers of the International Brigades, the theory of the proletariat was being accepted by more and more people during the days of fighting.
The International Brigades should not fight for the bourgeoisie's aid and abetment of tyranny; they should fight for the proletariat of this country, which is transforming from a world ruled by gods and priests to a world ruled by men. But if only the bourgeoisie holds power, then compared to the Church today, it is merely a change of masters of exploitation.
Li led the man into the command post, where he met the military commander of the International Brigades Volunteer Battalion, a retired Britannian Republican Army major, who was also one of the few volunteers who had received formal military training.
"Have a cup of tea, sir... Please have a seat."
The major had a scar on his face, a horrible wound, but Li knew that what was even more horrible was that after the major retired because of this wound, he received nothing but two hundred Britannian gold certificates, which wasn't even enough to rent a house for two months.
The major later participated in the veterans' march in Brittany and later joined the Brittany Proletarian Commune Committee. After that, he came here and joined the International Brigades Volunteer Battalion.
"Alright, Comrade Li, go and gather some comrades to unload the goods, before a fight breaks out."
"Yes."
Li didn't hear what the two people inside were talking about. He called some people to move the goods from the wooden carts to the temporary warehouse. He was carrying a bag of flour when he suddenly heard a sound.
That was the sound of the wind howling, the sound of air being torn apart. Before he could react, someone shouted, "Artillery fire!!!"
A deafening roar erupted from the position, followed by a shockwave that threw Li off balance, causing the flour sack in his hand to fall to the ground.
After he regained consciousness, gunfire erupted, and in the smoke-filled no-man's-land, the figures of the enemy could be vaguely seen.
"The enemy is attacking! International Brigades! Counterattack!"
Some people were shouting, while those who could still move covered their heads and looked at the bodies that had been blown apart by the shelling. Others picked up rifles and fired, but they were completely inaccurate. It wasn't until the gunner in charge of the Maxim machine gun recovered and pulled the bolt that people were able to get into combat mode.
"Get into battle positions! Comrades! Quickly!"
Li grabbed his Carcano rifle, pulled the trigger, and fired—shooting.
"This is the International Brigades Volunteer Battalion's defensive line! Enemy attack! Repeat! Enemy attack! Requesting artillery support!"
On the other side of the battlefield, a hand pushes the banner symbolizing the Holy Army toward the defensive line in front of them.
Despite being ravaged by the relentless bombardment of the Amerlane navy, the Holy Army still managed to transport their supplies to the front lines thanks to their familiarity with the terrain. The attack was postponed by a month, but in the end, they completed their preparations. In those deep mountains and forests, fanatics, in order to prove their faith, spared no expense in transporting supplies for the Holy Army. The fanatics of the Holy City—this was the Church's advantage.
The small-scale probing attacks and intelligence gathering over the past month have also led the Holy Army's northern group to discover that the forces on the northern front of Naples are not many, and it seems that most of them have been used to advance southward. The "powerful steel monsters" mentioned in the southern intelligence have not been seen here, and even the front line is just trenches.
The church thus gathered most of its artillery and troops, and the first target was the position of the International Brigades Volunteer Brigade.