Chapter 50 Night on all sides
A kerosene lamp was lit, and someone held it up high in his hand. Under the dim light, He Chi drew his scalpel and removed a bloody bullet from the Jason's shoulder taken out.
While cleaning the wound, He Chi picked up a glass bottle, "Be patient, the medical alcohol is used up, it may not feel good when you pour this on it."
"Oh oh oh! !Fuck the Krauts!
A bottle of transparent liquid was poured down, and the burning pain on the wound distorted the expression on the French lieutenant's face. He got up and cursed dirty words.
In the past, a lady like Christine would have frowned in disgust and stayed away, but now the blonde girl just raised the kerosene bottle in her hand higher so that He Chi could see clearly.
He Chi’s work was completed, and Camille took over to bandage Second Lieutenant Jason.
"Hey, man, what did you serve me? It's really good!" The second lieutenant gritted his teeth and acted like a tough guy.
"Whiskey, the previous male owner here must have been an alcoholic. The wine is 60%, but the ratio is not very standard, but we have more of it now." He Chi raised his hand. bottle on.
“Whiskey?!” The second lieutenant’s eyes lit up. “Can I have some?”
"Second Lieutenant, the injured cannot drink alcohol..." Margaret wanted to persuade, but was stopped by He Chi. "Forget it, let the Second Lieutenant have some. It doesn't matter if you drink a little at this time."
He Chi Chi handed over the bottle and the ensign took it. The spicy taste made the Frenchman hooked.
The two nurses looked at each other, and neither said anything. After all, the second lieutenant could still drink this drink, but some people would never have the chance again.
A white sheet covered a person on a small wooden bed not far away. In the battle just now, a soldier named Pete was unfortunately killed.
The war was cruel to both sides. Although the retreating German troops suffered heavy casualties, the French squad was equally miserable. Except for one person who was killed in battle, almost everyone else suffered injuries. Second Lieutenant Jason's arm was almost disabled. fell, and in the end even Christine picked up a weapon and started fighting.
"Aren't we going to use blackout?" Camille weakly pointed at the kerosene lamp.
"No need, we won't have any secrets after today." He Chi said as he looked at the broken wall outside the window and listened to the rumble of cannons in the distance.
——
At the same time, the French military headquarters dozens of kilometers away.
"The U.S. and Canadian troops are advancing smoothly. They have advanced to a position 10 kilometers away from the Somme River line yesterday afternoon. The British Saxon regiment has recaptured the previous fortress and is repairing the damaged pontoon bridge. We The mobile strength of the five divisions on the eastern front has delayed the retreat of the Second Army." Lyon Phillips, who had returned to Marshal Pétain, was explaining to his commander seriously in front of the sand table, as if he had been there a few days ago. What happened didn't affect him at all.
"Very good, but the frontline troops must pay attention to the rhythm of the attack and don't let the British or Americans take the lead." Marshal Pétain was in a good mood. His previous plan was successful. He appropriately shrunk the defense line, including the Americans who were preparing to pick peaches. The Allied second-line troops, including 1,000 men, were all involved. Now the Germans were facing the military power of the entire Europe and North America.
Another piece of good news he did not tell others. According to the news returned by his own informants in Berlin, as long as the German army suffered one or two more defeats, the confidence of the German high command would completely collapse. There is a strong possibility of offering conditional surrender in exchange for a ceasefire.
Of course, injured beasts and gamblers betting to the last chip are the most dangerous. At times like this, we cannot relax our vigilance against the Germans.
"Is there anything unusual on the front line?" the marshal asked his adjutant.
“Yes, the reconnaissance plane reported that at least one regiment of German troops was heading towards the front carrying very suspicious items. According to the information given by the intelligence personnel, those items were probably used by the Germans in Ypres last year. "Mustard gas bomb." "Mustard gas" Marshal picked up his monocle and rubbed it gently, chewing the word repeatedly.
Compared to the chlorine gas that Germany first used in Belgium in 1915, mustard gas is already their second generation product. It first appeared on the battlefield last year with its more terrifying lethality and sequelae. It shocked the Allied troops.
Due to the late development time, the German army lacked experience in using it and therefore did not apply it on the battlefield on a large scale. However, pulling it out at this time shows that the opponent is going to fight to the death.
"Let the staff analyze the locations where the other side may use mustard gas, and give me a list of gas masks for frontline troops." Marshal Pétain took this news seriously as never before, although gas masks can reduce poisonous gas to a certain extent. It is harmful to the respiratory system, but mustard gas has a comprehensive impact on people. As long as the exposed skin is exposed, it may be seriously injured.
“Sir, our people have analyzed it and found that the use of mustard gas has strict requirements on wind, temperature and terrain. Now it seems that the most likely location is along the Somme River. In which locations may it be located? Someone from the technical department will send a list right away," the blond adjutant Li Ang nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door, and a map specially made by the technical department was delivered to the office by a messenger.
Several red circles are framed, indicating that this is most likely an area where the German army used chemical weapons.
"Give the gas masks to the front-line troops and let the artillery prepare them. Once the location of the opponent's weapons is determined, blow them up." Marshal Pétain looked at the map and gave the order.
When the blond adjutant saw a circled position in the upper left corner of the map, his eyelids twitched unconsciously.
——
Rose Manor, German Command Post
Tear it apart!
A map was crumpled into a ball in someone's hand and then torn into pieces.
"Less than ten! There are less than ten enemies in total, and there are even women, and we failed to take them down! This is a shame! A huge shame for the soldiers of the German Empire!"
"The Americans will attack here in three days at most, but we are dragged here by a French class!"
In the command post, the colonel was furious and walked back and forth, smashing the things at hand on the ground from time to time.
The adjutant on the side obviously understood his commander's temper. He calmly took away the important items and then interrupted at the right time, "Sir, the special operations force has arrived. They asked when the previously agreed material storage point will be. Can you cash it in?”
“Don’t you see the battle isn’t over yet? Let them wait!” the colonel replied angrily.
"But..." the adjutant hesitated and lowered his voice, "but there will be great risks if special gas shells are stored in the open. Once something goes wrong, our people will..."
"Okay," the colonel touched his chin and then ordered, "Let the soldiers vacate three tents to store these things. There must be at least one platoon of guards. Also, let the people involved be stricter in their mouths."
"Sir, but preserving it in a tent is not a long-term solution."
"Just for one day, tell them that tomorrow we will definitely take over the manor opposite and let them use it!" The colonel finally made the decision.
"By the way, didn't we seize two British devices before? Let's bring them up together tomorrow!"
(End of this chapter)