A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

The trainees looked at each other, and no one dared to step down for a long time.

"Old Cat" said somewhat angrily, "Brother institutions have come from afar to exchange ideas. You are all outstanding student representatives of West Point and should set an example."

The students were furious. This cunning old fox had managed to escalate the issue to the honor of representing West Point with just one sentence.

"Old Cat's" fiery gaze immediately fixed on Song Hongfei and Zhang Yi, the meaning was clear: you two are the first to try this new trick!

The two men felt extremely uncomfortable under the gaze. After hesitating for a long time and gathering their courage, Song Hongfei finally mustered up his courage, shouted, "Fuck your grandpa!", and rushed off the field.

Zhang Yi mustered his courage and followed behind him. The two of them suppressed their nausea and passed through the terrifying wading field. When they arrived at the edge of the deep moat, they were immediately stunned and broke out in a cold sweat.

The deep trench was filled with sewage that looked to be up to a person's chest. Groups of maggots, like those in a cesspool, were wriggling on the surface of the water, crawling up a string of intestines and internal organs that had dangled into the water from the edge of the trench.

Upon closer inspection, the two noticed sparse, brownish-yellow residue floating on the surface of the water—clumps of excrement. They couldn't tell if it was human or animal waste.

Song Hongfei and Zhang Yi felt a strong wave of nausea rising to their throats.

The two men engaged in a fierce internal struggle, silently cursing Old Cat eighteen times over. Looking up, they found Old Cat staring intently, and the British cadets at Sandhurst Military Academy were also staring wide-eyed.

Well, it was a matter of honor, so the two gritted their teeth, closed their eyes, covered their mouths and noses, and jumped into the deep trench.

With a "plop!" sound, water splashed up from the pit, covering the two men's heads and faces. The stench of sewage mixed with the strong smell of blood, rotting flesh, and entrails rushed from their noses into their internal organs, making them feel dizzy and nauseous.

The two waded through chest-deep sewage. Zhang Yi suddenly noticed that Song Hongfei, who was walking in front, had something on the back of his head and collar that looked like feces or uneaten internal organs, with some maggots wriggling on it. He couldn't help but feel nauseous again and almost vomited up his dinner from the night before.

He made a serious mistake. When people vomit, they involuntarily lower their heads. The water splashed up from the pit suddenly rushed into his mouth and nose. The strong stench and the choking water almost suffocated him. He struggled, coughed violently, and was forced to swallow several more mouthfuls of sewage.

Hearing a noise behind him, Song Hongfei turned around and saw that Zhang Yi's vomit, which had been on the water, was being poured back into his mouth by the waves. Song Hongfei couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited as well.

Neither of them dared to move again, hoping to calm the water.

Zhang Yi coughed violently for a while, coughing up the dirty water that had entered his nose and throat. He then vomited violently, finally spitting out a mouthful of pale green bile.

The two slowly made their way to the end of the trench, climbing up and desperately shaking off the grime that clung to their faces and clothes, trying to suppress their nausea. The old cat, who had been watching coldly, suddenly approached them, seemingly concerned, and asked, "How are you? You didn't drink any, did you?"

Song Hongfei and Zhang Yi immediately experienced a strong physiological reaction, and the two of them forced themselves to suppress their nausea.

The old cat continued leisurely, "That pit in front is wastewater from cooking in the kitchen, and this pit is wastewater from excrement after eating. Isn't it all yours? Uh, on the battlefield, you even have to eat while surrounded by stinking corpses!"

Before he could finish speaking, "Ugh!" Song Hongfei and Zhang Yi finally vomited up their dinner from the night before. When they had nothing left to vomit, they vomited up a mouthful of pale green bile.

That wretched old cat, having succeeded in his scheme, immediately turned and walked away with his hands behind his back.

"Despicable, fucking, crazy, devil, neurotic, sadistic, pervert..." Song Hongfei and Zhang Yi cursed in their hearts with every swear word they could think of.

As the two men cursed under their breath, they reached the low-stakes barbed wire obstacle and immediately felt a chill run down their spines. The barbed wire was littered with severed limbs, broken bones, intestines, and various internal organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. The area below the barbed wire was also filled with sewage, about thirty centimeters below the surface, which was teeming with various unidentified lumps and strips of objects and maggots. They had to crawl through it using a low-profile tactical maneuver.

The smell of sewage was unbearable, so Song Hongfei and Zhang Yi immediately slowed their pace.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! What are you standing there for?! Are you waiting to get shot on the battlefield?!" "Old Cat" roared from the barbed wire fence.

Song Hongfei had a plan. He shouted "Kill!" and suddenly accelerated forward, closing his eyes and mouth, holding his breath, and plunging headfirst into the sewage. This rascal had definitely chosen the posture and angle of entering the water on purpose.

With a loud "splash," a large wave of black water was stirred up, and "Old Cat," who was standing next to the barbed wire fence, was covered from head to toe in the splashed sewage.

Zhang Yi's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed. He winked at the trainees behind him, shouted "Kill!", and plunged into the sewage right behind Song Hongfei. The crowd behind them suddenly understood and were eager to try it themselves.

Various objects on the water's surface were suddenly swept away by the waves, only to bounce back when the waves reached their end. Song Hongfei, enduring the pungent stench of blood and decay that made him dizzy, forced himself to crawl quickly and efficiently through the 5-meter-long barbed wire fence to avoid being hit by the gushing sewage.

Zhang Yi had already vomited all he could, and kept dry heaving as he crawled forward at top speed.

Those who came after them fared much worse. The waves were getting bigger and bigger, and any unlucky soul who couldn't help but open their mouth to vomit would definitely have waves of dirty water poured back into their mouths.

Standing in front of the barbed wire fence, "Old Cat" was covered in dirty water. He watched Song Hongfei and Zhang Yi quickly pass by and secretly laughed and cursed, "Those two brats, what despicable guys!"

"Old Cat" frowned and sniffed himself. "Ugh, it smells awful..."

Seeing that the students behind him were starting to speed up, preparing to follow suit and vent their dissatisfaction with him, "Old Cat" quickly cursed under his breath and dodged away.

"This is fucking disgusting..." Old Cat also felt nauseous. He finally tasted the "masterpiece" he had created.

Sir Edward, the leader of Sandhurst, and Brigadier General Louis of West Point followed along to observe. The two were initially very interested and followed far behind, chatting and laughing all the way.

They were horrified when they saw this.

Sir Edward, pale-faced, asked hesitantly, "Is military training at West Point always this bloody and brutal?"

Brigadier General Louis was unaware of the name of the old cat's act beforehand and was embarrassed, unsure how to answer. He could only stammer, "I have heard that your school's education and training are renowned for their rigor, high quality, and remarkable effectiveness, serving as a model for others. The West Point instructors, with the intention of learning more and humbly seeking advice, came up with this scene, but they did not do it properly and have made a fool of themselves. I would appreciate your guidance."

And so on...

What advice could Sir Edward possibly offer? He had never heard of such a thing before and was already inexplicably shocked. The two of them then stammered out a string of official platitudes and exchanged compliments.

Meanwhile, the mastermind behind this whole thing—"Old Cat" Lieutenant Colonel Winters—was also feeling uneasy.

Although it was just regular training with the addition of a "bloody environment" of real combat, he still wasn't sure: which country's army in the world had ever trained like this? If any trainee got frightened and caused something, he would be in deep trouble.

So, during the training, he stayed close to the trainees with trepidation, constantly observing their condition so that he could take timely protective measures in case of any problems.

At first, Lao Mao was secretly pleased: "Fortunately, with Song Hongfei and Zhang Yi taking the lead and setting a good example, the trainees all managed to handle it and didn't cause any trouble."

"Those two audacious and quick-witted fellows are truly despicable, taking the opportunity to smear themselves! Ugh, this feeling is really unpleasant! It seems they might have gone a bit too far..." Old Cat was filled with mixed emotions.

As a result, this "real combat environment" training was only conducted once, and there was no second time. Other teams did not enjoy the same treatment, which made Song Hongfei and his team of trainees very depressed.

That day, all the trainees from both sides rushed into the shower room as soon as they got back. Everyone's shower time was seriously overdue, soaking in the shower room for an hour without coming out. Everyone scrubbed themselves until they were completely soaked in soap, as if they wanted to peel off a layer of their skin.

That day at dinner, despite the extra meal provided by the school, no one had an appetite. If anyone mentioned anything about "pork," "bones," or "intestines" at that moment, many of them would immediately vomit up even pale green bile on the spot.

After this "real-world" contest, the British, who still held onto the past glory of the British Empire, also put aside their arrogance.