Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei's War Journey

Chapter 69, the last lesson: Heading to the front lines.

A new day has begun, and to Lu Mingfei's surprise, they did not hear Herman's shouts or whistles today. However, his biological clock, which he had developed over this period, still made him get up at 4:30 sharp and then wake up the others.

They arrived at the playground fully armed within three minutes, but there was only their class there. No one knew what was going on, but no one dared to move and stood obediently in place.

About half an hour later, Caesar and his Hoffmann class hurriedly stood on the other side of the playground. There was no whistle or shout from Hermann; they had overslept.

They expected Herman to give them a severe reprimand, but to their surprise, Herman still didn't show up. "Squad leader—why hasn't Sergeant Herman arrived yet?" Karl asked quietly from the side.

Lu Mingfei shook his head: "I don't know, but don't let your guard down."

He was also puzzled as to why Herman had not yet appeared. They had not seen Herman since they returned from their run yesterday, and everything seemed strange.

Compared to the ramrod straight-standing Hansbands under Lu Mingfei's leadership, the soldiers of Hoffmann's squad, led by Caesar, were noticeably more relaxed.

Some people were yawning, some were secretly stretching their stiff joints, and Kleiner even made a quiet joke, which elicited a few suppressed laughs.

"Keep quiet," Caesar whispered, but his own brow furrowed.

This anomaly was unsettling. For the past eight weeks, Herman’s roars and whistles had been as punctual as sunrise every morning, and now the disruption of this routine was causing a strange sense of unease.

Another half hour passed, and the sun was fully up before Hermann finally came into view.

Herman looked extremely tired, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, but Lu Mingfei and the others breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him.

Hermann's gaze first fell on Hansban, who stood ramrod straight, fully equipped, and had held his ground for nearly an hour even without supervision. A look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"It seems that all that training these past few months hasn't been in vain." He said this as if he were talking to Hansban, but also as if he were talking to himself.

Instead of immediately launching into a tirade or issuing punitive orders as he usually did, he simply waved his hand.

"Let's begin training."

Under Herman's orders, Lu Mingfei and the others resumed their daily training, and soon it was lunchtime.

"Everyone, go eat, including Hansband," Hermann said.

Hermann's order caused the Hansband soldiers to exchange surprised glances. This was the first time they hadn't been kept behind for extra training, but instead were dismissed and went to eat with the Hoffmann squad as usual.

Otto even secretly pinched his thigh, wondering if he was dreaming.

Lu Mingfei, however, did not feel happy; Herman was behaving very strangely today.

He wanted to ask something, but under Hermann's orders, he went to the dining hall with Caesar and the others.

The mess hall was unusually noisy and crowded today, with soldiers from other platoons pouring in at almost the same time, making the already cramped space even noisier.

This was the first time Lu Mingfei and his friends had come to the cafeteria so early and so normally. They blended into the crowd, and it felt almost unreal.

But what surprised Lu Mingfei and his friends even more was that their lunch today was beef stew with potatoes, and there was even more beef than potatoes. They were also given sausages and a small piece of sweet and delicious-looking pudding for dessert!

The food made Lu Mingfei and his men feel like they were dreaming. This was the first time in eight weeks that they had eaten such a sumptuous meal, and the soldiers cheered in unison.

Lu Mingfei stared at the large chunks of stewed beef, the succulent sausages, and even a small piece of pudding on his plate, and the ominous feeling grew stronger.

The other platoons of recruits were wolfing down their food, their laughter and the clatter of cutlery filling the mess hall, but the soldiers of Hanspan and Hoffmann's platoon gradually quieted down.

Caesar sat not far away, also staring intently at the food; clearly, he too had noticed the anomaly.

"Squad leader, what's going on? Are they going to shoot us after we finish this meal? —" Otto said, sitting down next to Lu Mingfei with some concern.

"It won't be an execution, but something big is definitely going to happen," Lu Mingfei said in a low voice.

Hearing Lu Mingfei's words, the people around him also showed anxious expressions, but they did not stop eating. No matter what, they could not let go of these delicacies.

Just as Lu Mingfei and the others were eating with great concern, Herman appeared at the cafeteria entrance and shouted loudly.

"Hansbank, assemble immediately for a 10-kilometer armed cross-country run!"

Hearing the shout, Lu Mingfei and the others suddenly felt a sense of relief. They knew that Herman would not let them off so easily. Everything was the same as before, except that Herman had changed to a new way of tormenting them.

Lu Mingfei was the first to put down his cutlery and stand up abruptly, and the others in Hansband followed suit without hesitation.

"Run! Walk!"

The group began to move, the familiar weight pressing on their shoulders, the familiar panting in their ears, and the familiar route stretching out beneath their feet.

But Lu Mingfei could still sense that this training session was different from the past. Hermann did not ride behind them on horseback and roar, but instead led the way, contrary to his usual behavior.

Having just eaten, Lu Mingfei and his companions immediately engaged in strenuous exercise. As they ran, they vomited, expelling everything they had just eaten. However, no one dared to stop, because the demon Herman was right in front of them.

After running 1,000 kilometers, Lu Mingfei and the others felt like they were about to vomit their internal organs.

Herman watched them catch their breath quietly, showing none of his usual irritability. Only after the last person had caught his breath did he speak.

"That was just my last class with you, and I hereby officially announce that you have graduated."

"What?" Everyone, including Lu Mingfei, was shocked.

"Sergeant Major, what do you mean?" Lu Mingfei asked hurriedly.

Hermann walked to the front of the column, his gaze sweeping over each young and weary face: "It means you have completed all the necessary training. You have learned how to shoot, how to take cover, how to deal with poison gas, how to survive artillery fire—you have learned everything a soldier should know, and these are the keys to survival on the battlefield."

Otto couldn't help but speak up: "But there are still two weeks left in the sergeant major's training! We still have so much to learn—"

"There will always be things you haven't learned. I've taught you everything I can. The war will teach you the rest." Herman pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, took a deep drag, and continued.

"News from the front lines indicates that the Anglo-French forces have broken through our defenses, causing heavy casualties. Tomorrow, our entire recruit company will be heading to the front to fill the gap."

"Tomorrow? But we've only been training for eight weeks!" Carl exclaimed.

Bruckner's face drained of color instantly: "The Anglo-French forces have broken through the lines?"

Lu Mingfei forced himself to remain calm. He should have expected it. The lavish lunch and the unusual training meant that lunch was indeed his last meal before his execution.

"Sergeant Major, can you tell us more details?" Lu Mingfei asked.

Hermann took a deep drag on his cigarette, the smoke drifting slowly in the sunlight: "The Anglo-French forces launched a massive offensive in the Champagne and Artois regions, using thousands of artillery pieces. Our defenses were breached by several kilometers on the very first day."

"In three days, the 24th Infantry Division lost more than 60 percent of its strength, and the gap is still widening, urgently requiring reinforcements."

Sixty percent, which means that six out of every ten people will be killed or injured.

"Our company was assigned to the very front of that breach, or more precisely, a section of trench at the edge of the breach. Our mission was to hold that position for 24 hours until reinforcements arrived."

Lu Mingfei felt a chill run down his spine. Sending a group of new recruits to hold off the enemy's main attack zone for 24 hours was practically a suicide mission.

"But—but we're just new recruits—" Otto muttered to himself.

Hermann threw away the cigarette butt and crushed it with his boot: "I know you're scared. I'm scared too, everyone who's been to the front lines is scared, but this is war, we're soldiers, we have no choice."

"Dismissed now. Go back and pack your personal belongings, write letters, do what you need to do, and then get some rest. We'll all set off together at four o'clock tomorrow morning."

Although the order had been disbanded, no one left immediately. The soldiers stood there, looking at each other blankly, as if they couldn't understand what they had just heard.

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and turned to face Hansban: "Did you all hear that? Now, go back and pack your things, write the letters that need to be written, take care of the things that need to be taken care of. The time has come to test our grueling training. Our only task from now on is to survive!"

"Believe me, I will do everything in my power to save everyone, I promise."

His words gave the Hansband soldiers a bit of courage. They looked at each other and then slowly walked toward the barracks.

On his way back to the barracks, Lu Mingfei saw Caesar and the others, who had obviously also received news that they were going to the battlefield.

However, Caesar's expression was completely different from Lu Mingfei's. His face still carried confidence, and his confidence made the soldiers behind him fearless in the upcoming war.

Back in the barracks, the soldiers all started writing letters, except for Lu Mingfei, who didn't write one because he didn't know who to write to.

He quietly inspected his beloved gun, the G98, which he truly cherished like a wife. He would maintain it every day, no matter how tired he was, because he didn't want it to suddenly break down on the battlefield.

In the evening, the cafeteria prepared a special dinner, which was more lavish than lunch, and even included a small glass of real wine for each person.

But this time, no one cheered, no one wolfed down their food; the soldiers ate silently, as if performing some kind of solemn ceremony.

After dinner, the chaplain came to the mess hall and held a prayer service for the soldiers who were about to depart. Most of the soldiers participated, regardless of whether they truly believed in God. At such times, any possible refuge was worth trying.

At nine o'clock in the evening, lights out sounded, and the soldiers returned to their barracks and lay down.

Lu Mingfei closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep, knowing he would need all his strength and energy tomorrow.

But he couldn't sleep.

He thought of the Andes Mountains, and of Nono's smile; he wondered if he would ever see that smile again.

At 4:30 a.m., the familiar whistle rang out, and all 230 men in the company lined up neatly on the training ground.

"Soldiers, you are the sword of Prussia, you have an iron will, you will use these weapons to tear apart the enemy's defenses and protect the glory of the Empire!" Captain Henrik stood at the front of the troops, trying to make his voice sound powerful and resounding.

"Now, we will board the train and head to the front lines, where you will prove yourselves and that these eight weeks of training have not been in vain. May God bless you and may God bless Prussia," Henrik continued reading his speech, boosting morale.

As the speech ended, Hermann stepped forward and said in a concise and powerful voice, "Attention! Right turn! Destination: train station! Forward!"

Walk!"

The sound of orderly footsteps rose in the pre-dawn silence as the 230-person procession, like a black river, flowed toward the train station.

On the train platform, several freight trains were ready, their doors open and filled with hay, like livestock waiting to be loaded.

"Board according to your train number! Hans's train, first car! Hoffmann's train, second car! The rest of the trains, board in order!" Hermann shouted.

The soldiers boarded the carriage one by one. There were no seats, only a cold floor and sparse hay, but no one complained. Eight weeks of training had already made them used to worse conditions.

Lu Mingfei was the last to board the first carriage. As he stepped onto the carriage's platform, he glanced back at the direction of the training camp, a place they had once deeply hated, now appearing exceptionally quiet in the fading light of dawn.

Lu Mingfei knew this was the last time he would see this place.

The next moment the doors closed, and the carriage was plunged into semi-darkness, with only a few rays of morning light filtering through the gaps in the carriage.

The train emitted a long whistle and slowly started moving, carrying these young lives to the battlefield.