Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 480 Trenches
The sun showed half of its face, bringing the long-lost warmth.

On the other side of the battlefield, several hundred meters away, bursts of hot air were rising.

It was breakfast time, and buckets of steaming thick soup made from potatoes, flour, and a small amount of canned meat and vegetables that had been stored for who knows how long were delivered to the soldiers through a series of tortuous communication trenches.

In the trenches, the soldiers were squatting in groups of three or four, hunched over, holding a steel lunch box filled with thick soup in one hand and a piece of bread in the other, dipping it in the soup and putting it into their mouths.

The trenches were not dug deep enough to accommodate the soldiers' entire bodies. If they stood up straight, half of their upper bodies would be exposed, making them likely to become targets of attack by the opposing Han army.

In order to protect their own safety, Brazilian soldiers could only eat in this awkward posture, squatting in the muddy trenches.

"It's moldy bread again, and the soup smells sour. These bastards must be using the leftover soup from yesterday to deal with us. I've had enough of this!"

A Brazilian soldier sniffed the soup and said with disgust.

"Hey, man, stop complaining. It's good to have bread to eat. After breakfast, we have to continue digging trenches. Digging trenches is a strenuous job. If you don't fill your stomach, you won't have the strength to work."

"Bancroft, didn't you steal a lot of grapes from Mauricio a few days ago? Do you still have them now?"

"It's all gone. If there's any left, I wouldn't want to eat a single bite of that hard, unpalatable, moldy black bread!"

The soldier who had just complained looked at the bread in his hand, bit it reluctantly, and explained while eating: "Grit, the shop was robbed by the bastards from the 4th Regiment. I just followed them and picked up some unwanted raisins. And you also took the sugar from the shop at that time."

"Yes, man, you remember that there were three of us in that store," another Brazilian soldier named Gerrit admitted generously.

"The trench conditions were quite bad, especially after a week of continuous rain. The tunnels were full of rain and mud, and the supplies from the rear were not transported to the front in time."

A bearded Brazilian soldier joined the two men's conversation: "Not only food such as bread, meat, and vegetables, but also weapons, ammunition, and medical drugs were cut off for a week. We are lucky. We have been in Paraguay for more than a month from the mainland to Mauricio and then to Villarrica. We have not been injured or sick. We just have to endure the stench of sewage and mud in the trenches. Compared with those unfortunate people lying in the field hospital, infected with dysentery, and waiting to die in pain, we should be content."

"Thank God for blessing us and keeping us safe until the end of the war," said a Brazilian soldier named Gerrit, making the sign of the cross with his hands and praying devoutly.

"Don't be silly, Gerrit. God doesn't have the time to protect you. Have you forgotten how Lieutenant Badlov died in battle? He was a devout believer, but he didn't see God bless him."

Bancroft continued to eat the bread in his hand. After listening to his companions' words and taking two bites, he felt that the bread was not so hard to swallow and felt better. "Whether we can survive on the battlefield is not due to God's blessing, but to Bancroft's smart brain. If it weren't for my persuasion, you two would have died under the enemy's muskets on the first day of the attack on Villarrica."

"That's right, Bancroft. In that battle, our battalion suffered more than 100 casualties, and even our battalion commander was killed."

A Brazilian soldier bent over, moved to Bancroft, took out a small piece of something wrapped in oiled paper, and said flatteringly: "This is a biscuit I found in Mauricio. I have never been willing to eat it. Now I want to give it to you."

"Okay, thank you for your kindness." Bancroft took the biscuits handed to him without hesitation, unwrapped them, and stuffed them directly into his mouth.

“It tastes good. It would be better if there were more.”

"It's the last piece. I didn't lie to you."

Bancroft glanced at the other person, looking at his pitiful appearance, and said, "Tell me, what's the matter."

"We are all partners in the same company, and it is only natural for us to help each other." The Brazilian soldier waved his hand, pretending to be generous, and then tactfully asked: "In the future, can I follow you and support you in the battle?"

"No problem. Just keep your eyes open and do as I say. I'll make sure you stay alive and well until the end of the war."

Bancroft patted his chest and said confidently.

"I have one more piece of news for you. I heard this from Captain Andrews. You can't tell anyone else."

"What's the news? Don't worry. We won't tell anyone else."

Several soldiers looked curious and made a serious promise.

"Our division's combat mission has been changed to defending the current defense line. We only need to keep an eye on the Orientals in Villarrica and prevent them from reaching Asuncion. We don't need to take the initiative to attack." "Ah, that's it? Rio de Janeiro ordered all the troops in Paraguay to gather together, and our division also received the order. Everyone knows it."

"I haven't finished yet," Bancroft glanced at the soldier who interrupted him and continued, "After the order to shrink and assemble was issued, Lieutenant General Rodriguez initially required our division and supporting forces to hold the current position for at least one month. It was Major General Getulio who made every effort to shorten the time to half a month."

"Bancroft, you are well-informed."

"Major General Getulio is a really good man. If only the Orientals could stay in their positions for the rest of the time, we wouldn't have to continue fighting."

"Who knows? Maybe after three, five, or seven days, the road conditions will improve, and the Orientals will realize something is wrong and launch a counterattack. Maybe they won't attack even after we retreat."

“If the Orientals go crazy and launch a counterattack in the next two days without waiting for the road conditions to improve, we will be in trouble.”

"Shut your filthy mouth, Gerrit."

Bancroft glared at the other man fiercely and was about to curse him a few more times, but was interrupted by an order. An officer walked to the back of the trench, pointed at Bancroft and others and ordered: "Bancroft, Grit, Barsalom, Evans... The sixteen of you follow the people of the 7rd Platoon of the 3th Company and go to the east bank of the river to transport supplies."

"Ah, the eastern river bank is 40 kilometers away from here. The road is muddy now, and mule carts are easily stuck in the mud. How can we transport supplies?"

"There are no mule carts, and no heavy supplies to transport. All you need is for each of you to carry some machine gun bullets and artillery ammunition. It's more comfortable than staying in the trenches. Get out of here, idiots."

"That's great, we'll leave after breakfast."...

"Boom," a shell landed on the front line where the Brazilian troops were stationed, stirring up a cloud of smoke.

"Did the Orientals discover our purpose and launch an attack in advance?"

Major General Getulio, commander of the 9th Division of the Republic of Brazil, walked out of the command post set up behind the trenches and said worriedly.

"Guards, guards!" Feeling a little uneasy, Getulio called the guards and ordered, "Go and ask what's going on at the front. Did the Orientals launch a counterattack in advance?"

"Yes, General." The guard ran quickly across a flat ground, then entered the trench and ran towards the front along the communication trench.

About an hour passed. The sporadic artillery attacks ended, and there was no unusual movement in the Han army's positions. The guards returned from the front line and reported what they had observed.

"The enemy only fired a few shells sporadically. After the bombardment ended, the enemy infantry did not step out of their positions to launch an attack. I guess it was just like the previous few days. The Orientals were conducting routine firepower tests."

"The weather has just cleared up, and it will take at least three to five days for the roads to improve. The Easterners should not launch an attack so early."

After confirming that it was just a tentative bombardment by the Han army, Major General Getulio breathed a sigh of relief, but a trace of uneasiness still lingered in his heart. After pondering for a moment, Major General Getulio made a decision:

Captain Sanchez, applying to Lieutenant General Rodriguez:

1. Our troops are short of ammunition and manpower. As the weather improves, the war situation is critical! We request the logistics and transportation department to send a strong transport team to restore the supply of materials to our troops in time.

2 The fighting situation on the front line is fierce and the troops have suffered heavy casualties. Once the road is restored, I hope the commander will send a support force to cover our retreat and transfer the wounded soldiers stranded on the front line.

3 The enemy situation in Villarrica has changed. The enemy relies on the railway branch line to transport troops and supplies. At present, the enemy's troops and weapons and equipment are twice as large as ours. I hope the commander will allow our troops to evacuate or shorten the time of holding on. "

Major General Getulio stated three points of application, paused for a moment, and continued, "That's all for now. Send someone to pass it on to Lieutenant General Rodriguez as soon as possible."

"Yes, General."

"Wait a moment. Issue another order to the frontline positions to continue improving the trench defense line. Increase the trench depth from 1.2 meters to 1.5 meters, and the width from 0.8 meters to 1.1 meters. At the same time, add 9 underground bunkers and 2 frontline observation posts to monitor the enemy's movements at any time. If any abnormality is found, report it immediately."

"As you command, General!"

(End of this chapter)