Chapter 45 Returning to the People on a Snowy Night

"It's too big!" Fan Chong said worriedly.

Not long after the vanguard army was out, it snowed heavily again. The blizzard of the Northwest Frontier whipped palm-sized snowflakes on people's bodies. Heavy snow obscured the eyes, and it was difficult to distinguish things within ten zhang. Although Zhang Zizhong did not complain, the people in the staff had already begun to suggest that the offensive be suspended until the weather cleared.

"This heavy snowfall is a grind. If you can't even stand this kind of weather, how will you deal with the cold of Siberia in the future? Meng Xiangxin was also worried, what needed to be tested in this attack was not how to face Sheng Shicai's army, but how to defeat the blizzard. In order to cope with the snow, the march of the vanguard army was strictly forbidden to disperse, and it was slowly advanced step by step to prevent anyone from being left behind.

In this kind of weather, it is normal to get lost, but the consequences of separating from the large army are basically the same as death. The bitter cold on the northwest frontier is not comparable to the ordinary winter in the interior. What Meng Xiang hopes is to train the team, not to push the team into the ice cave.

But even if the large army gradually advances, the army of tens of thousands will still be left behind.

"Anyone?" Sun Genbao shouted a little hoarsely, but there was still no figure in sight, and every snowflake seemed to be bigger than the round eyes he was looking around, covering the entire world in front of him.

He had a bad stomach yesterday, and just now he just ran out and found a boulder in the ice and snow, and excreted happily in the windy place. When he walked back, he was lost. In order to find a leeward place, he searched for a long time before he found the boulder. Before he knew it, he had gone far away.

But if it weren't for the boulder he found, going to the toilet in this icy and snowy place would also be a troublesome thing, although it was not like the squad leader said that he had to prepare a wooden stick to beat at any time, but it was definitely frozen to the point of losing consciousness in some places.

Now, though, an even bigger crisis awaits him. In the vast snowfield, I don't know where the team is, how can he survive alone in this place where a snow may fall for three days and three nights?

"Anyone?" He shouted again, but as soon as the words came out of his mouth, they were blown away by the bitter north wind. If the team is in the upwind area, his voice will definitely not reach the ears of the team.

"Anyone?" His screams again were tinged with a hint of desperation, and the surroundings were empty, leaving only a little echo.

"Echo?" He reacted sharply, listened intently, and sure enough, someone seemed to be shouting again in the distance. This made Sun Genbao, who had been trekking alone in the wind and snow for more than two hours, very excited. People live in groups, Sun Genbao has no leisure to taste the loneliness in the vast world, he only knows that loneliness is sometimes fatal, and with companions, there is more strength and more hope to live.

"Anyone?" Sun Genbao raised his throat and shouted with all the strength of his body.

"Who's over there?" Two figures vaguely came in the distance.

"77th Division of the 7th Army!" Sun Genbao raised his arms and waved vigorously, and snowflakes that had been piled up for a long time fell on the thick cotton wool coat on his body.

The two people in the distance got closer and closer, and the muzzle of the gun was not lowered, which made Sun Genbao break out in a cold sweat, he was too careless just now.

Although the vanguard army's attack this time was hidden, it could not hide the inquiries of those who were interested, because the step-by-step advance made the action more transparent. Sheng Shicai will definitely not let go of this opportunity, and his subordinates mainly rely on the tens of thousands of Northeast Volunteers who have entered. These people have adapted to the severe cold in the northeast, and it is not a big problem to set up an ambush or something in the ice and snow in the northwest. Therefore, the vanguard army requires soldiers to be vigilant against the interception and killing of Sheng Shicai's army.

"We are from the 3rd Brigade of the 8th Division." When Sun Genbao's muzzle was slightly raised, an answer was heard from the other side. This made Sun Genbao feel relieved. Because of the different internal establishments of the vanguard army, except for the corps, divisions, and the like that are also organized according to the system of the central army, the brigades and regiments below are all renumbered.

The figure on the opposite side got closer and clearer.

"Hey, and foreigners?" Sun Genbao couldn't help but raise his gun when he saw the man opposite. He had heard from the instructor that some ethnic minorities were Caucasians, much like foreigners. Many of them are hostile to the Han Chinese, so you must be careful.

"He's our German instructor!" On the opposite side, a thin man with some sharp-beaked monkey gills stared at Sun Genbao's Suomi submachine gun with bright eyes, and Suomi in his hand unconsciously raised it.

"Instructor Otto?" Sun Genbao asked with some hesitation, he had not seen it, but he had heard that there was a German with some Chinese blood, and when Hitler purified the human race, he was affected by the prophecy of the colored people, so he ran to the vanguard army as an instructor.

"It's me, I'm Otto. Baum. What is your name? Have you long admired my name? The foreigner spoke proficient Chinese, which surprised Sun Genbao and choked on his words.

"Hello sir, my name is Sun Genbao, and I came out of the No. 9 recruit camp in Shijiazhuang. Listen, listen to our instructors talk about you. Sun Genbao still accosted, and the somi in his hand had been put down unconsciously.

"Haha, just kidding you. Dear Sun, are you also lost? Otto smiled, not at all worried.

"Well, I've lost contact with the troops." Sun Genbao said with some unnaturalness on his face.

"It doesn't matter, so do we. I'm sure we'll find the team soon. And I'm sure our team will find a way to come to us as well. Otto's smile kept coming. He knew that at this time, his officer's confident smile could quickly calm down the two soldiers who had straggled.

Qidu Joint Theater Command, Meng Xiang also stood by the window and looked out the window. On the day of the O day of the month, there was also a light snow in Qidu. Splashes of snow cover the hustle and bustle of the city, adding a little more tranquility to the evening air.

"Where have the troops gone?" Hearing the footsteps behind him, Meng Xiang didn't look back, but asked lightly.

"The main force has arrived near Star Gorge." Rat Er's voice sounded behind him.

"What about the losses of troops?"

"8 people were left behind, 9 people were injured in serious falls, and 6 people were frostbitten. One soldier died of frostbite in time. "The troops count the number of people every four hours, and when they are summed up, they can know in time how the damage is.

"There are so many injuries with such thorough preparation this time, it seems that there are not so many problems without going through a real battle." Meng Xiang sighed in a low voice, and then said, "Tell the rescue team behind not to give up the search for every soldier. To live to see people, to die to see corpses. ”

The heavy snow in the northwest is obviously not comparable to the snow in the mainland.

"It's still a small blizzard, and if you encounter a strong blizzard, people can run away. It's normal to be buried in the snow. Some of the snow nests are three or four meters high, and when you step on them, you can't see anyone, and only a snow hole remains. A veteran from the northwest named Feng Gongdao also joined Sun Genbao's team, and listening to him talk along the way, he was more angry. The hood is covered by a mask-like style, and I am not afraid to pour a cool breeze into my stomach when I speak.

"Let's not break in when it's dark, is there any iron ore or anything like that in this place, the compass doesn't work." Otto shook the aluminum-shelled compass in his hand and frowned.

"As I said a long time ago, there is something evil in this place, and that thing doesn't work here. Otherwise, with my ability to know the heavens and the geography, how could I get lost? That thin Mei Gaowang also opened his mouth and looked up to the sky and sighed, which made Sun Genbao couldn't help but laugh. He figured out who was influenced by Otto's joke when they first met.

"Celestial geography?" Feng Gongdao wondered.

"As long as there is the sun, moon and stars, I hope that I will never get lost!" Mei confidently continued to look up to the sky.

"Brag!" Feng Gongdao blinked, not at all. If you really have this ability, can you get lost now?

"I think I have high hopes to make my debut at the age of five, watching the sky and the earth, plus my luck has always been good, and I have never missed. Otherwise, let's make a bet, if you point me a star, I can distinguish between the north, the south, the west, and the east. Mei Houwang glared at Feng Gongdao and said confidently.

Feng Gongdao didn't bet with him, at this time the sky was dark, and there were still patches of goose feathers and snow dancing wildly in the wind, where to point him to the stars. He was about to distinguish, but he heard Sun Genbao behind him say: "Listen to our instructors, the earth under our feet is also a star like a big ball?" ”

One sentence made Mei Gaowang blush.

"Okay, it's inconvenient to walk at night, let's start finding a place to set up camp!" Next to Otto, he took the opportunity to come up with an idiom to solve the siege.

In this temporary squad, Otto, who turned out to be a captain in the German army, was wearing the rank of major at this time, while the highest of the others was only Feng Gongdao's warrant officer rank. Although Otto was not the official commanding officer of the vanguard army, his rank overtook them a lot, so his words were obeyed by several people.

With Feng Gongdao, the old northwest, they have to be more worry-free. It didn't take long to find a huge pile of boulders standing on the plain, and the huge boulders could be sheltered from the wind and snow behind them.

The ponchos of the vanguard army were all of the German-designed kind, and the ponchos of several people together became a tent. They all wore sleeping bags and blankets, and wore thick cotton coats. Each brings food, so you don't have to worry about food and clothing for the time being.

"It's still thoughtful to our troops, if it was before, this kind of weather would definitely kill people. Now we have some to eat and some to live. After two or three days, when the snow stops, you will be able to find the road. There must be vehicles transporting goods in the back, and there are also migrant workers clearing snow on the road, and they are afraid that they will not be able to find the team when the time comes? Feng Gongdao said with a smile as he roasted his gloves on the flame of the improvised marching stove.

In a tinplate box on the ground, wisps of blue-blue flames were rising from a piece of blue solid fuel. It was a marching fuel mixed with solid alcohol developed by the Vanguard, which was still in the experimental period, and this march was limited to a few officers to try it out, and Otto happened to have two boxes with him. With a lunch box on top of the stove, you can eat a hot meal or even make a few cups of coffee.

The boulder provided them with a space to hide, and the storm swept over the boulder, blowing all kinds of strange noises from the wind holes that had been blowing for thousands of years, and the blue flames were constantly swaying with the air current, and the shadows on the faces of the few people around the furnace were even more uncertain.

"You say, 'Are there ghosts here?' Sun Genbao listened to the howling sound of the wind blowing overhead, and couldn't help but shrink his neck and ask.

"Poof!" Feng Gongdao couldn't help laughing.

"What's wrong?" Mei couldn't help but glance at him.

"Look at the faces we have, aren't they like little ghosts?" Feng Gongdao pointed to Sun Genbao's eyes on the opposite side and smiled. The under-eye bags under Sun Genbao's eyes were smeared with a layer of black ointment. Not only Sun Genbao is above, but everyone here has it right now.

"You don't know, it's a great enlightenment. When people's eyes stay in the snow for a long time, they see more white things, and they are prone to snow blindness. It's easy to be blind. Apply this to protect your eyes and reduce some damage. Otto said seriously.

"Our ointment has hand guards, face protection, and eye protection. With these equipment, it's worth it for us to run to the vanguard team! Feng Gongdao slapped his thigh and sighed.

Mei Houwang, who was opposite, was about to nod, but suddenly stood up and looked at the sky. Everyone was shocked.

"Look, flare!" Mei shouted as she pointed to the sky in the distance.

Everyone followed his fingers and looked together, where a row of red flares was rising. Each flare is spaced far apart, but the five flares form a straight line. Wait until the flare goes out, but after a while, the flare rises again, and it is still a straight line of five. Although the snow is still heavy, the red flares stand out in the dark.

"They're giving us directions. Let's get there! Seeing this, Sun Genbao immediately packed up his things and went over.

"Don't be in a hurry! The black light fell into the snow hole, but it was miserable. And it is easy to have some unexpected situations at night. If you don't know what to do, it's easy to be taken advantage of. That row of flares must be where the highway is. Let's make a mark, and we'll get over tomorrow. There must be people waiting there. As long as the highway is still open to traffic, we are not afraid of not being able to catch up with the team. Feng Gongdao said cautiously, the leeward place they found at this time was relatively safe, and they could spend the night safely, not in a hurry.

"No, we have to get back early! The sooner the better, otherwise it will easily affect many of tomorrow's arrangements! Otto looked down and thought for a while, then refused, "We have ropes here, and when the time comes, we will line them up, and tie ropes around our waists to not be afraid of those snow nests." ”

"Okay!" Feng Gongdao, who was thinking of being lazy, reluctantly agreed.

There were many of them and they could reach their destination relatively safely, but Gu Zifeng, which was two or three miles away from them, was still alone. After stumbling in the snow like a headless fly for a long time, his heart became more impatient as the night fell. As a platoon commander, he just wanted to come out to find a lost soldier, who would have thought that even he himself was lost. Isn't it a big joke?

"Gotta go back. Tomorrow we may have to fight. "Their 5o division, as the vanguard, may reach Hami tomorrow, and there may be a battle. Their platoon also needed him to go back and lead them through this attack.

But the night made him unable to find the direction, and he only felt that on the reflected snow, the whole night was heavily pressed down with the falling snowflakes, which made him feel extremely depressed.

But the five flares in the distance gave him new hope, and he made a difficult trek in that direction through knee-high snow.

As he was walking, he suddenly saw two green lights in the distance, staring at this side.

"Wolves!" Gu Zifeng, who had seen wolves in the mountains, couldn't help but tighten his heart, and the muzzle of Suomi, who was straddled diagonally, immediately pointed there. But as soon as he was not careful, his feet slipped, and he fell into a snow nest. Under heavy snowfall, everything looks flat, but in some low-lying places, the snow piles up exceptionally thickly under the wind. In some places, two or three meters is not unusual.

Although the place where Gu Zifeng slipped into it was not deep, it suddenly didn't reach his neck, if it weren't for the Suomi he was holding in front of his chest and his outstretched arms to block it, who knew if there was still a bottom below.

But the bigger crisis comes from the two points of green light that are getting closer and closer. Gu Zifeng tried hard to hold on, trying to grab Suomi to fight back, but his body slid down again, which made him break out in a cold sweat.

"What should I do?" Gu Zifeng kept thinking about it, if there was only one situation, it would be easy to do. But at this time, it was falling into a snow nest again, and it was a wolf, so it was not allowed to be carefully calculated.

Just when sweat was oozing from his forehead, under the reflection of the flare in the sky in the distance, the black shadow that looked like a wolf suddenly barked twice.

"Dog...... Dog? "Gu Zifeng's nervousness is a little worse, but his heart is still vigilant, where does the dog come from in this wild place, is it not a wild dog that eats dead corpses?

It didn't take long for the dog to come closer. With a faint light of snow, when he saw the conspicuous vanguard symbol on the equipment carried by the dog, Gu Zifeng's heart finally relaxed.

As long as it wasn't a wolf, it wasn't too difficult to climb out of the snow nest that hadn't completely sunk in, but it took some effort, and with the help of the big black and white dog. Gu Zifeng finally crawled out of the kennel.

The dog had a first-aid kit and a small bottle of medicinal liquor in it. In this kind of weather, drinking some wine can really ward off the cold.

"You want me to follow you?" After Gu Zifeng unceremoniously drank a few sips, he looked at the flower dog in front of him after walking a few steps, turned his head and looked at him again, and after several consecutive times, Gu Zifeng pondered. This is the life dog of the vanguard army, and it also came to lead the way. Of course, he didn't know that these well-behaved dogs were cloned dogs.

"How many missing people have been found?" Meng Xiang, who had only slept for three hours, quickly woke up, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw that Rat Er was not far away, and he couldn't help asking. If this short march had injured a lot of people, Meng Xiangxin would have felt a little guilty. The vanguard army only went through a simple winter training and carried out this actual combat journey, will it be too eager?

Meng Xiangxin also knew that he was not in a hurry, and it would not be long before he entered 4o years. There are so many things that need to be laid out in advance, and there is still a need to settle down, and it takes time. But the thought that those living lives did not fall on the battlefield again, but dissipated in his marching order, made his heart feel a little uncomfortable.

"After a night of searching and guidance, 98 people had returned to the team by dawn, and some people were temporarily missing. However, after dawn, more people may be found. Rat Er said unhurriedly.

"Oh!" Meng Xiang was noncommittal, he had already sent a large number of dogs to participate in this search mission, if he couldn't even help them, then he could only consider other ways.

"It's a pity that in heavy snowy weather, airplanes are prone to accidents, and airships are also prone to problems in snowstorms. Otherwise, it's better to add an empty search. However, if you still can't find it, wait until the weather is a little better, and immediately send a plane to join the search. Meng Xiang instructed.

He pondered for a moment and then said: "The weather stations set up by Zhu Kezhen in Dihua and other places should pay attention to strengthening protection and pay more attention to changes in the weather. The sappers at the rear should take care to keep the road clear. The supplies must be delivered in place first, so as not to have any accidents on the side of Soviet Russia. ”

Soviet Russia has always been greedy, and even with the Finnish battlefield in the west and the threat of the growing Germans, it still refuses to let go of the plunder in the east. The title of the double-headed eagle is definitely not called so for nothing. Greed must make it have to do everything. Things are definitely not going to be easy to solve. Meng Xiang was also ready to engage in a local battle with it, so he stepped up logistics and transportation.

"And how are our weapons tested in freezing weather?" Meng Xiang asked again.

He was talking about practical combat tests of weapons equipped on a large scale. The data of those weapons under laboratory conditions did not represent the overall level, even though the quality of the base construction had always been good, Meng Xiang still cautiously re-tested.

"The Suomi submachine gun has good low-temperature performance!" Rat Er said Suomi first. This one doesn't seem to need to be questioned anymore, even if there is no evaluation from later generations, at this time, on the battlefield of Su Finn, those Snow Phantom Hands' Somi still performed well. Not only Somi, but even the Elephant anti-tank gun has repeatedly made new achievements, and those Soviet tanks and armored vehicles that are dazed in the forest have become good targets for elephants. After reaping the results of 80 tanks, the Finnish government added 300 O-mm Elephant anti-tank guns to the copycat company.

"The low-temperature performance of the Rainstorm machine gun is also very good, and there are no major mechanical failures for the time being!" Rat II continued.

Meng Xiang nodded, in history, MG-4 has also experienced the test of the severe cold in Moscow, and the problem is not very big.

"There are still problems with some of the vehicles." Rat Er said again. R