Nan Ming Sun Never Sets

Chapter 713
On the banks of the Don River in January, it was so cold that people doubted life.The daily weather of more than ten degrees below zero limits any large-scale military operations.Not only people, but many weapons and equipment cannot function in such severe cold. Trucks, tanks, and even maintenance personnel are afraid to touch the cold steel.

The Qing army led by Cheng Lin never crossed the Don River and launched any offensive against the Ming army on the opposite side.What the Qing army did was to stabilize the camp and build some fortifications to hold on, but there was no sign of war.

The emperor in Mo Jingzhong was so anxious that he kept issuing edicts to ask about Cheng Lin's situation.But the more Fei Yanggu did this, the more a group of courtiers suggested to him not to interfere with the commander of the Great General of the Protectorate.The court now generally trusts Chenglin more than Emperor Qianlong, who often makes wrong decisions and is merciless and ungrateful.

The actual situation is indeed not good. Even at this time, the Qing army has difficulty preparing all kinds of winter clothing. The Qing army on the banks of the Don River even had to cut down trees on a large scale and burn them directly to keep the army warm.Although most of the troops are from cold Russia and Ukraine, they are also unwilling to fight in such severe cold.So Cheng Lin didn't send troops now, but most of the soldiers agreed with it.

"It's better not to fight this damn battle again." The young Russian soldier said to his comrades in a low voice while warming himself by the fire.

His partner whispered to the others: "Hey, do you know? I heard that we fought very poorly on the Western Front. The whole of France has been lost, and nearly 60 troops have been lost there."

"How is it possible? You are talking nonsense. When we fought in the past, no one was our opponent at all, and we still have so many troops. How could we be easily defeated?"

"Why not, do you think the Ming army is an enemy at the level of the Prussians and French? Think about why the masters above us came to our land in the first place. They are a group of bereaved dogs, yes They were exterminated by the Han Chinese in the east and fled to Russia. Now that their enemy, the Han Chinese, has come again, why is it so strange to fail again? You know, the Ming army gathered the surviving countries in Europe, and the total strength must be three 400 million. The Western Qing Empire is on the verge of dying, and almost everyone we know has been sent to serve as soldiers, and their lives are engaged in war-related things, making arms and producing food..."

Some soldiers sighed: "Is it already so difficult? At the beginning, I thought that from Tsarist Russia to Xiqing, I would live a better life."

"Our elders have indeed changed from serfs to free people, but in the empire, who are the real free people? Everyone is controlled by their own banner, and we are all coated, in essence, slaves of the Eight Banners That’s all.”

The soldiers' discussions became more and more out of line, and the older soldiers quickly stopped their discussions: "Be careful, if the military police overhears, everyone will be in trouble."

Someone said: "Don't worry, we are now fighting with Lin Shuai, Lin Shuai is not the kind of general who is reckless and embarrassing."

"Of course, Lin Shuai is a truly capable person."

"Can he lead us to win this battle?"

The soldiers fell silent, and there was a question they kept in their stomachs without asking.

Even if the war is won, will they still be alive?
--split line--

A train across the continent, new reinforcements brought in from the mainland.The Ming Army sent the Second Army and the No.16 Army to the front lines of the Eastern European theater, which also brought the total strength of the Ming Army in the Volga Xuanwei Division to a total of 8 troops in eight army groups.

The Ming army in the Eastern European War Zone had clearly overwhelmed the Qing army in terms of strength, but at this time, the Ming army, like the Qing army, would rather look at each other facing the glacier, but had no idea to cross the glacier directly and wipe out the Qing army.

Naturally, the life of the Ming army at this end of the glacier is much better than that of the Qing army.They have modular barracks that can be built quickly, and they have dedicated briquettes for heating. Although they still get up every day for training in this cold day, they have to shoot a few shells to the opposite bank every now and then, but considering that they spend their free time There is a wealth of entertainment, occasionally playing cards and board games, having indoor cultural and sports activities, and even socializing.

Although the city of Tsaritsyn is more than one level behind the big cities in the native province, a lot of urban infrastructure has also been built here.Recently, several huge indoor gymnasiums have been occupied by Ming soldiers who rotate daily.

The Second Army and the No.16 Army, which had just arrived in Tsaritsyn, were gearing up and preparing for a big fight. As a result, the first notice they received from the theater was "About Holding the 'Tsaritsin Cup' Amateur Basketball" Organizational Decisions of the Tournament".

It is conceivable that everyone has a string of self-explanatory expressions on their faces? ? ?
Participating in this Tsaritsyn Cup includes teams from various divisions, plus teams from local state-owned enterprises, schools, and government agencies. There are actually 64 teams in total.

When the relevant personnel of the Second Group Army went to the gymnasium to see the venue, they found that there was a cultural performance being held here. The students of Tsaritsin Experimental Middle School organized a cultural performance. Soldiers from various armies were the audience. Those who went to the gymnasium At that time, there was a thunderous cheer.

Especially when the officers and soldiers saw the singing and dancing of female high school students of similar age, the atmosphere was even more enthusiastic.The main residents of Tsaritsyn are Han immigrants, and there are also Mongolians, Russians and other ethnic groups, which has a rather exotic feeling.Many of these soldiers have not graduated from middle school for a long time. Seeing these high school students, it seems that they have returned to the time when they were still in school.

Anyway, the theatrical performance is the main theme and tribute. The middle school students paid tribute to the officers and soldiers, and said that yesterday you were studying at school like us, and today you have gone to the battlefield to defend your home and country; or what tomorrow I will be like you s things.Although the tone is relatively old-fashioned, it is still very inspiring to the officers and soldiers who left their hometowns and came to the front line.

The recognition of them by the society and the people will make them more aware of their responsibilities and be more motivated to fight.

Although, the so-called front line here may not have any real battles. The Ming and Qing armies basically played tacit understanding here, but no one outside knew it.

Being able to let the soldiers have such a rich spare time in Tsaritsyn, and even always engage in theatrical performances or sports events, is simply because the theater command did not pay attention to the enemy on the opposite side, or simply knew that there would be no fight .

(End of this chapter)