Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 14 Background (Republished)
A priest?!
The surrounding people's eyes were immediately drawn to him, and everyone's attention was focused on the Asian priest in front of them.

The commander made the sign of the cross on his chest and bowed slightly, addressing the officer as "Father Putin," his entire demeanor a complete contrast to before.

For these frontline soldiers, the battlefield priests are important figures.

Although there is no specific military rank for the profession of battlefield priest, it is definitely a high-ranking position in the Russian army. Generally, each priest is assigned to a combat unit at the division level. Many people have heard of it but have never seen it.

The treatment of ordinary priests was basically equivalent to that of officers of the rank of lieutenant colonel, and most of them came from privileged classes. Even if you met them in Kazman, Yekaterinburg, you would have to treat them with utmost respect.

Of course, there were also doubts.

Lieutenant Colonel Kazman glanced at Qin Hao's tattered soldier's uniform, a fleeting look of doubt in his eyes.

“Father Pugin, please forgive my intrusion, but your clothes…”

As expected, battlefield priests have special uniforms, and Qin Hao knew his attire would easily arouse suspicion. Fortunately, he was prepared.
He handed the forged letter of introduction to the other party.

"Everything is a test from the Lord."

"Please take a look at this."

The lieutenant colonel named Kazman took the letter with a puzzled look, unfolded it in his hand, and then the expression on his face began to become very interesting.

Snapped! ! !
“Father! Gregory Kazmanovich Kazman pays his respects!”

After their boots collided, the short and stout Lieutenant Colonel Kazman stood at attention and saluted again, looking somewhat comical due to his stature.

Unlike before, this time, in addition to surprise, his tone also revealed a hint of awe.

Because it was a handwritten letter from General Paul von Lenningkamp, ​​Commander-in-Chief of the First Army.

In the letter, he referred to the man before him as a "close friend," a "close comrade-in-arms" with whom he had fought in the Far East, and recommended him to the emperor in his own name as "the true ascetic from the mysterious East," "the next saint."

For an imperial general to shower so many accolades on one person, that person must be no ordinary individual.

After glancing at the other man's tattered infantry uniform, Lieutenant Colonel Kazman made his own guess.

The guy in front of me is definitely more than just an ordinary priest.

It is well known that missionary work and intelligence activities have always been intertwined, and using missionary work to gather local intelligence has always been a common tactic used by various established empires.

As a well-informed minor nobleman, he was aware of General Leningkamp's past activities in northern China. Therefore, the man in front of him was likely an informant that this lord had found for him in the area—or a high-ranking spy.

Since he was a spy, he must have had an important objective to infiltrate the battlefield by disguising himself as an ordinary soldier.

If he could please this "Father Putin," he might even have a chance to catch the general's eye, and then his future would be...

Thinking of this, Lieutenant Colonel Kazman almost rubbed his hands together with excitement.

"Father, please go to a safe place to rest first. I will come to see you as soon as the fighting here is over."

"Thank you for your generosity." Qin Hao pretended to make the sign of the cross, then put on a stern face and said, "Also, I need a follower now."

"Of course, I'll send the orderly right away..."

"No, no, no, that would be too rude." Qin Hao waved his hand as if to decline, then pointed to the old soldier standing to the side, "He'll do it."
-
Bang bang bang bang bang! ! ! ! ! ! !
The distinctive sound of the Maxim machine gun still echoed in the distance, German slogans came and went, and when the roar of Russian-made M1902 field guns joined the chorus from behind, the noise on the battlefield rose to another level. Boom!!!

A field artillery shell struck the Russian position, sending flying pebbles pounding against the wooden planks of the makeshift fortifications with a series of thuds.

Qin Hao, behind the wooden plank, did not appear flustered. After all, this was not his first time on the battlefield, and he knew that the German attack was just a feint.

The destructive power of such small-caliber field artillery would not reach the area where it is now.

He enjoyed preferential treatment at the command post.

Although it was called a command post, it was actually just a simple fortification where a trench was dug a little deeper, the four sides were covered with wooden planks, and a thin cover was added to the top.

Of course, this was already the safest place for this thousand-strong force, and Qin Hao leaned against it, listening to the sounds outside.

Soon after, the gunfire became sparse, the shouts of battle faded into the distance, and finally only the crackling of burning wood remained.

The German troops on the other side have temporarily retreated.

The sound of military boots hitting the ground came from behind Qin Hao. He turned around and found Lieutenant Colonel Kazman standing behind him with an aluminum lunchbox in his hand.

"Father Pugin, you've worked hard. Please have something to eat first to fill your stomach. I've already asked the kitchen to prepare a more substantial meal."

Qin Hao took the lunchbox and found that it contained white bread with smoked bacon inside. These were foods that soldiers on the front lines would never dare to dream of, but at this moment they were just appetizers to fill their stomachs.

"No need for that, Lieutenant Colonel. I don't care about these things. Asceticism will allow me to hear the voice of heaven more clearly." Qin Hao raised his hand and made the sign of the cross, a gesture he was becoming more and more proficient at.

"I admire your frugality and modesty." The commander bowed slightly, offering a subtle compliment.

He then asked, "May I ask what your purpose is in coming here? Also, as a devout believer, is there anything I can do for you, for a true monk?"

A devout believer? A true monk? Which eye of yours saw that?

Recalling his cowardly performance on the battlefield, Qin Hao rolled his eyes at this snobbish man in his heart, then put on airs and spouted nonsense.

“Mr. Kazman, I originally planned to go to the Second Group Command to see General Samsonov, but my guards were scattered when I came here, which is why I ended up here by chance. I suppose this is God’s will.”

He even knew General Samsonov?!

Wait a minute, the lieutenant colonel had some doubts at this point. He carefully chose his words and asked in a low voice, "Father, I don't doubt your integrity, but I've heard that there's been some minor misunderstanding between General Lenningkamp and General Samsonov..."

In fact, the lieutenant colonel's statement was too restrained. The relationship between these two generals was not as simple as a minor misunderstanding; it should be described as one of irreconcilable conflict.

The two men had slapped each other when they met at a train station in northern China years ago, and in Moscow they even accused each other of being German spies in front of the Tsar.

At this moment, Qin Hao smiled helplessly and said, "What can I do? They don't want to meet each other, so I can only take the trouble to act as their messenger."

The way he spoke of the two generals at this moment was as if he were talking about two close friends who had a falling out.

Upon hearing this, the lieutenant colonel's eyes burned even brighter with the lust for power.

But what he didn't know was that the man in front of him was already planning how to sideline him and then completely abandon him.

(End of this chapter)