Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 44 This Priest is Different

Glug glug glug~~
As his Adam's apple bobbed, Panachenko finished the warm water in his lunchbox. Perhaps because he hadn't eaten properly for so long, a warm feeling rose in his stomach.

"You mean, you're not here to arrest me?" The cavalry captain looked at the smiling priest with suspicion.

“Of course, I don’t think it’s necessary.” The priest put away the lunchbox in his hand, as if nothing important had just happened.

Like a punch landing on a cotton ball, Panasenko, who had been prepared to be arrested, became completely bewildered.

It's important to understand that the domestic environment is extremely harsh right now. Just last July, the St. Petersburg Committee was wiped out by the secret police, with approximately 5000 people arrested, including four of the seven Supreme Councilors.

Given that the other party is a clergy member, shouldn't they be very wary of me?

why?
But what the cavalry captain didn't know was that the calm and composed priest in front of him was actually more bewildered than he was.

What the hell is going on?!
Qin Hao's mind was racing. Although he knew that the Bolsheviks had infiltrated the Russian army extensively during World War I and had even staged several battlefield uprisings, he never expected that there was one right under his nose.

To be fair, he certainly didn't want to take a reactionary stance. However, simply letting the other side stay in his camp wasn't a solution either.

Hmm~ At least I need to know how many people are on the other side, and I also need to make sure they don't have any hostility towards me for the time being, at least not causing me any trouble in the next few days.

Thinking of this, Qin Hao had already prepared a set of words in his mind.

"Actually, you don't need to be surprised. My person has been in contact with you for a long time. Guess who he is?" The black-haired priest pulled out a chair and sat down, adopting a posture as if he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk.

Panasenko paused for a moment, then said softly, "Is it Ivanovic? No wonder, he has always respected you."

Sure enough, the priest in black gave him a "you guessed right" smile.

The next moment, the other party said something shocking.

"Actually, I understand you very well and I don't think you are thugs."

What?! Panasenko stared at the other person in disbelief. "But, but you are..."

"A high and mighty priest? An exploiter who squeezes the blood and sweat of the people? A charlatan who pretends to be a god?" The priest in black continued the conversation.

Panasenko was speechless; that was what he had thought all along.

"The reason you think that way is because you're too young and lack experience." Qin Hao said in a condescending tone, placing his hand on the cavalry captain who was only a few years younger than him, and surprisingly, it didn't feel out of place at all.

"Humans are the most complex creatures. Even among priests, there are all sorts of differences. After all, everyone sees the world differently."

“Even so…” Panasenko still found it unbelievable.

"You don't believe me? Do you want me to recite a passage from 'Das Kapital' for you?" The priest in black made another unexpected remark.

The next second, a series of familiar terms such as "surplus value," "means of production," and "primitive accumulation of capital" began to flow from the mouth of this priest in black.

Panasenko's eyes widened, and he could hardly hide the astonishment on his face.

"When did you study 'Das Kapital'?" the cavalry captain asked in surprise.

The priest in black looked nostalgic. "That was a long time ago, when I was still in school, and my teacher taught me."

Back in school? That would have been at least ten years ago. The fact that he was exposed to these theories back then means that his teacher was a pioneer of the first generation, and would be more senior than most of the cadres in the team today.

Surprised, Panasenko also felt somewhat ashamed of himself.

He had once been proud that he possessed the most extensive theoretical knowledge among his comrades, but in front of this "priest," he appeared so shallow. The priest not only recited vast amounts of classical theory but also added his own interpretations. (Actually, this was due to the difference between the Chinese translation and the original German text.)
"Alright, don't think too much about it. You're safe now. Take a rest. I'll come back tonight." The priest in black smiled gently, and before he could say anything more, he turned and left through the door.

Panasenko watched the departing figure, a thoughtful expression on his face. Images of the man's commanding presence and erudite manner flashed through his mind, gradually harmonizing with his earlier starkness. He remembered something his elders had told him when he was young: besides saints and bishops, there was another special group of clergy who did not pursue worldly glory or church honors, nor cared about money or wealth, yet possessed incredible divine power and boundless knowledge.

Such a person is called a hermit.

Perhaps Father Putin was just that kind of person.

Panasenko wanted to continue thinking, but a strong wave of drowsiness swept over him.

When he woke up, it was already evening. The priest in black once again carried warm water and a lantern into the room.

"Panasenko, how are you feeling?"

“Father, I took a nap and my fever has gone down, but my stomach still feels uncomfortable,” Panasenko said, propping himself up.

"Looks like they gave me the wrong medicine, it should be fever reducer," Qin Hao muttered to himself in Chinese.

"What did you say? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

"No, it's nothing. Drink this, and you'll feel better." The priest in black handed over another glass of warm water.

Panachenko drank the water from his lunchbox, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke, "Father, there's something I don't understand."

"What is it?" The priest in black sat down beside him, assuming a listening posture.

"Why would someone like you get involved in this war?" Panasenko asked, speaking as a junior.

The priest in black pondered for a moment, then pulled the cross from his sleeve and examined it in his hand.

"Panasenko, who do you think is on the side of justice in this war?"

The cavalry captain pondered for a moment and slowly shook his head.

"Look, as you know, this is a war without any righteous people, but I see that the flowers of hope will bloom on the ruins of the cannons, and new red life will rise on the earth."

"Before that, I only hoped that more people could survive, that's all." Unable to give a direct answer, Qin Hao resorted to his mystical rhetoric.

"The flowers of hope will bloom on the ruins of war, and new red life will rise from the earth..." Panasenko repeatedly pondered these words.

“Father, this sounds like a prophecy.”

"If you insist on thinking that way, then so be it," the priest in black smiled mysteriously. "So, in order to allow more people to live, could you help me?"

“I…” Panasenko was about to speak when a strange shriek suddenly came from the sky above.

"Get down!"

boom! ! ! !

A mortar shell blew up the outer wall of the house, burying two people inside…

On September 19, 1914, the German army broke through the defensive line of the Russian First Army. The remaining Russian troops, numbering about 50,000, had only a few crossing points left for retreat.

The nameless village became the last barrier in this direction.

The German artillery fire intensified.

(End of this chapter)