Chapter 1232 The Seeds of Hatred
June 1916.
Macedonia.
Bilato is a mountain forest at the junction of Macedonia and Greece. Of course, after the Ottoman Empire withdrew from Macedonia, it changed hands several times and finally fell into the hands of the Kingdom of Serbia.
But the good times did not last long. Now the Kingdom of Serbia has been wiped out by the armies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its ally Bulgaria. Its government and army had to move into the mountains, and neighboring countries continued to resist.
Entering summer, the entire Balkan Peninsula seems extremely hot, and the cicada cries can be heard throughout the jungle. The soldiers of the Kingdom of Dalmatia are sweating on the border, searching for the remnants of the Kingdom of Serbia.
A small army was walking through the mountains and forests of Macedonia, walking on the mountain trails with a dejected look.
Makaric listened to the cicadas chirping above his head and said impatiently: "I heard that farmers in Macedonia like to bury cicadas in the soil, so that they can easily get money, and I Now I just want to poke these cicadas out of the tree, and then crush them hard under my leather shoes."
Taros, the squad leader, didn't seem to hear the complaints in Makarich's words. Said: "The war has been going on for so long, and now the fighting in the Kingdom of Serbia is basically over. The only pity is that the Serbs escaped to Greece, so we must strictly defend this place to prevent them from reorganizing their forces and infiltrating."
"Although Bilatto is indeed not a place for people to live in, we can't delay the overall situation because of this, and be happy! If it really is winter, I guess you won't be willing."
The Balkan Peninsula, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, is deeply affected by the Mediterranean climate. The Mediterranean climate is very special. Its rainfall is mainly concentrated in winter, while summer is relatively dry and hot.
Makalic immediately thought of the winter days, and then shuddered and replied: "That's not possible. Although it is cooler here in winter, the roads in the rainy season are not as easy as now! And in In this kind of mountain forest, the situation is really terrible when your clothes are wet from rain in winter and the soles of your shoes are muddy."
Talos said with a smile: "You haven't suffered too much. We know that when our generation first arrived in Neretva, it was a real struggle. The situation in the Neretva area was very similar to that of Bilato, with endless mountains and forests everywhere, and the terrain was also quite rugged. "< br>
“At that time, when we, a farmer, first arrived in Neretva, we had only one job, which was to cut down the forest. This was actually not the saddest thing, the saddest thing was to deal with the tree roots.”< br>
“There are towering trees everywhere in Neretva. The roots of the trees are thick and big, deeply rooted in the soil. Some places cannot even be described as soil at all, mixed with a lot of mountain flow. The gravel that came down.”
"A few of my old friends and I took a shovel with a warped edge and cleared it piece by piece. There were no cattle, horses or other livestock. All the work was carried on our shoulders and carried by our hands..."
Once There is dissatisfaction in the team, and Talos likes to talk about the energy of his youth. This can indeed bring some comfort to the entire team. After all, pain comes from comparison.
In this protracted war, low morale is always unavoidable. Of course, the current situation of the Dalmatian Royal Army is not bad.
At the beginning of last year, the Austro-Hungarian Empire basically ended its overall war against the Kingdom of Serbia. Currently, the majority of the troops remaining in Serbia are second-line troops.
The newly reorganized army of the Kingdom of Dalmatia left more personnel in Serbia. After all, in the entire Balkan Peninsula, the Habsburgs could not find any other mixed-blood Germans than the Kingdom of Dalmatia. More loyal local troops.
The spread of separatist ideas in Croatia and Bosnia led the Habsburgs to distrust the troops they recruited from both regions, at least not to station them on Yugoslav lands.
This has led to the result that the local troops in Croatia and Bosnia are currently focused on the battlefield against Tsarist Russia on the Eastern Front, while the Serbian garrison is filled by armies from other regions.
There is no doubt that the Kingdom of Dalmatia, which originally belonged to Bosnia and Croatia, is the most suitable place to serve as a source of troops. After all, Vienna has a deep understanding that these Germans who are not of pure blood cannot interfere with the Yugoslavs. Come together.
Of course, another reason that cannot be ignored is that the Kingdom of Dalmatia can be turned into a sharp knife inserted into the hinterland of the Balkans, and used as a weapon for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to disrupt the unity of the Balkans. Obviously, this decision was quite correct for the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Tarolin spoke to his soldiers without saying a word, but soon his years of combat experience gave him a sense of crisis.
He stretched out his arm to signal everyone to quiet down, and his expression became serious. Even Makaric, a talkative man, noticed the unkind look on the face of Squad Leader Talarolin and closed his mouth.
Tarolin tilted his head and listened in the direction of the jungle with one ear. He covered his ear with one hand and listened carefully to the movements in the jungle.
"Shouldn't it be?" He muttered.
"Squad leader, what did you find?" Makarichi asked in a low voice.
Tarolin said in a slight tone: "I seemed to hear something unusual in the jungle just now, but now I'm not sure. Maybe it's just an auditory hallucination. After all, I have to be on guard here every day. , it’s normal to be suspicious.”
"I see, it seems like it's nothing serious!" Makariqi breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.
But Talorin did not relax. He said in a solemn tone: "Now is not the time to relax. This is not a good place. It is the border between the two countries. Any situation may happen."
“So be careful, and everyone is ready for battle. The next patrol must be more serious. Pay attention to the terrain. If an accident occurs, quickly find a bunker and be ready to fight at any time.”
Faced with Talorin's caution, Makarichi said: "Squad leader, are you making a fuss out of a molehill?"
Tarolin shook his head and said: "My hunch has always been accurate, my intuition Tell me, we seem to be being watched now. Next, you should try your best to behave as usual and don't show any flaws, but be careful, otherwise you won't even be able to shoot bullets."
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Afterwards, Talolin continued on his way with the group of new recruits. Talolin pretended as if nothing had happened, but his heart was always tense.
After Talorin and his party left, the branch suddenly moved in the direction where Talorin's ear was facing just now, and a man with a gun jumped out of the tree.
He looked gloomily at the direction in which the soldiers of the Kingdom of Dalmatia disappeared, muttering to himself that it was so dangerous to almost be discovered just now.
But it was not the time to think about it now. He sorted out the leaves on his body, then swaggered across the path and walked towards the northern part of the jungle. After all, the Dalmatian Kingdom’s patrol had just passed by at this time. , should be relatively safe.
“These Viennese bastards can’t imagine what they missed, but it’s normal. Judging from their faces, except for the squad leader who may be a veteran, the others are not very old. This should be considered a good one. ”
"If the inference is correct, the Austro-Hungarian Empire should have put all its main forces on the frontline battlefield with Russia. As long as this fact is confirmed in depth, it will be a good opportunity for the kingdom's next counterattack."
The man said to himself, then followed the familiar terrain and headed down the mountain. Obviously, he knew the situation here much better than the officers and soldiers of the Kingdom of Dalmatia. The trees covering the sky and the rugged terrain could not stop him at all. His path down the mountain.
Pushing aside the weeds and shrubs, a path that was no longer clear appeared in front of him. It was obvious that this path was difficult to find, but the man found the path down the mountain quite easily.
(End of this chapter)