Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 47 The Stormy Waves (Part 1)

A biplane with an Iron Cross paint scheme flew overhead, circling continuously above the small village.

Years later, Russian soldiers did not show the fear they should have shown towards this "aerial death," and some even dared to provoke the sky with spoons in their hands.

"Hey, I love your color, it's much prettier than the baby that flew in yesterday!" Pavka shouted to the sky.

Seeing the soldiers' state, Qin Hao did not stop them. After all, at this point in 1914, there were still no airplanes that could be used for actual combat.

The fact that such a new type of weapon could be deployed to this small village shows that the German army had placed an unprecedented level of importance on this place.

Hearing the news of the retreat, the soldiers' morale was quite good. They were organizing their weapons and saving their remaining rations. Medic Sasha was arranging for people to take away the lightly wounded, while the artillerymen were preparing to destroy the weapons that could not be taken away.

Everything seemed to be in perfect order, and the soldiers had no doubt that the priest could take them away unharmed.

What they didn't know was that the priest in black wasn't as calm as he appeared.

In a small room in the village, Qin Hao handed a hand-drawn map and several notes to Nosayev and Vasily's small team.

"There are 6 horse-drawn carriages in the village. I plan to use 4 to transport the wounded soldiers and give the remaining 2 to you. You will set off today, following the map I gave you. Everything you need is packed."

“Father, I don’t understand, what are you doing…”

"Don't ask. Once you reach the location on the map, if everything is normal here, you can retreat early the next morning. If you take a horse-drawn carriage, you should be able to reach the ferry crossing ahead of the main force."

"If... if any special circumstances arise here, follow the instructions on the note."

Nosayev reached out to tear open the note, but Qin Hao stopped him.

"Open it when we get there." The priest in black patted the other person's hand.

"Alright, go and call the artillerymen. I have other things to tell you."

……

On the German positions not far away, Max Hoffmann put down his binoculars, a look of confusion on his face.

"Sir?" The major standing to the side looked at the newly arrived operations director with a puzzled expression.

"Don't you sense anything is wrong?" Hoffman asked, looking at the village in the distance.

"No?" The major shook his head. "Sorry, sir, I didn't hear anything different."

"Are you saying that the other side is planning something?"

"I'm not sure, I just have a bad feeling, it's too quiet on the other side."

“Sir, are you overthinking this? We’ve already intercepted their telegrams. They should be out of ammunition and supplies in three days,” the major said, pulling out a previous dispatch.

"Maybe so, perhaps I'm overthinking it." Hoffman pondered for a moment, then shouted to the person beside him, "Any findings from the daytime aerial reconnaissance?"

"Sir, aerial reconnaissance report: apart from a few wagons carrying the wounded leaving, there are no other unusual circumstances," a seemingly quick-witted lieutenant reported, standing at attention.

Transporting the wounded is just a normal activity and doesn't deserve special attention. Hoffman shook his head and began to formulate the next operational plan.

At night, the lieutenant colonel tossed and turned on his cot, his thoughts churning. He seemed to have grasped something, yet he could never quite control it.

He rolled out of bed, picked up his military water bottle, and drank some water. The lieutenant colonel felt himself calming down a little. Just then, a series of knocking sounds from outside the window interrupted his thoughts.

"Guards!" the lieutenant colonel shouted.

"Sir! What are your orders?" A sergeant on night watch entered the tent. "What's that noise outside?"

"Sir! The Russians on the other side are firing flares and shells into the open area." The sergeant said mockingly, "They seem to be trying to tire us out with these petty tricks. What a stupid idea, isn't it?"

"It certainly seems so." The lieutenant colonel gave a dismissive laugh and waved for the other man to leave.

A piece of information flashed through his mind like lightning.

"Wait!" the lieutenant colonel called out to the sergeant. "You mean they've been firing continuously?"

"Yes, sir."

"How long?"

"About an hour ago, they started firing salvos every so often," the sergeant replied dutifully, though he was confused about the situation.

"Damn it! Get Major Henderson up and assemble the troops, we've been tricked!"

A piercing whistle sounded, and a unit quickly assembled.

"Sir, what's wrong?" Major Henderson asked as he ran over, still buttoning his collar.

"The guys over there are copying us! This time they want to be the hunters, and they're using us as bait!"

"I'm sure that guy is planning something big, and he might even have already run away!"

"They escaped?!" The major asked, still doubtful. "Then, sir, what do we do next?"

"Attack immediately! It might not be too late!"

"Attack?!" The major found it unbelievable. On nights like this, with the enemy situation unclear, if the enemy was still there, it would be a massacre for the attacking soldiers.

But military orders are hard to disobey, and soon a company of soldiers was assembled and moved towards the enemy's position.

Until they reached the village entrance, apart from a few scattered shells, no gunfire was heard.

The soldiers charged into the position shouting slogans, only to find the entire village deserted, the heavy machine guns smashed to pieces, and all the supplies they couldn't take were destroyed by dousing them with kerosene.

In the distance, several Russian soldiers on horseback were galloping frantically in another direction.

"We've been tricked! They've escaped! Cavalry, follow me and give chase!" The lieutenant colonel pulled over a horse and shouted to the men behind him.

"Sir! It's nighttime, and the risks of galloping at night are too great. We've already taken control of the position, so let's talk about the pursuit during the day," Major Henderson advised, pulling on the reins.

The subordinate was right; having already occupied the position, they shouldn't risk an attack for a small gain.

But the hesitation only lasted a moment before the lieutenant colonel pulled on the reins. "Let the cavalry follow. That guy is definitely plotting something. We can't let him get away."

In the moonlit September, hundreds of German cavalrymen pursued the enemy.

Before long, dozens of shadows appeared and disappeared on the plain ahead.

"Gotcha, you rat!" Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman muttered to himself, touching the pistol at his waist.

Then something unexpected happened: the dark figures opposite suddenly split into two groups, one large and one small, with about five or six riders urging their horses forward and charging towards the German forces.

"Hurrah!!!!!" shouted the leading knight on the other side, launching a charge.

At that moment, the weapons the soldiers held high gleamed coldly in the moonlight!
(End of this chapter)