My soldiers are all Fourth Calamities!

31. Liberate "Krostián"!

A sharp and brutal struggle swept across Ukraine, with more and more people taking up arms, and new recruits voluntarily joining the army in every battle.

For the people of this land, the peaceful life of the past is a distant memory, gone forever.

The old houses trembled amidst the rumbling of cannons, and the people huddled together in the corners of cellars or hid in simple trenches they had dug themselves.

All sorts of gangs emerged – big and small leaders, all kinds of organizations, and countless bandit gangs.

Veteran officers, right-wing and left-wing Ukrainian outlaws, declared themselves kings, sometimes even brandishing a large yellow and blue flag symbolizing "Petrila," and used every heinous means to seize power. (PS: Petliura, the leader of the "Cossack Provisional Government" mentioned earlier)

These gangs of all sorts of people, along with a group of wealthy farmers and some minor leaders whose names are not even known, formed various forces.

In May 1920, after the bombardment of Korosten, which had just been captured, a resident who was so frightened that he had lost his mind opened his window, cautiously poked his head out, and asked his neighbor who had opened his window earlier.

"Arkady Sergeyevich, who's in charge of this area now?"

Arkady Sergeyevich, clutching the window he was about to slam shut, looked around cautiously several times. Once he was sure no one was watching, he whispered, "I'm not sure either! Alexei Vasilyevich, let's wait and see. If the Jews are being robbed, then it'll be 'Petrilla.' If the robbers address us as 'comrades,' then we'll understand immediately."

Alexei lowered his voice and asked, "So the Jews were robbed?"

Arkady replied, "I'm not just observing. Only after figuring things out will he know whose portraits to collect. I don't want to get caught up in this, you know?"

"What?"

"Our good neighbor, that Gerasimov!"

"What's wrong with him?"

"Poor Gerasimov just didn't understand the situation. He hung up Vladimir's portrait, and coincidentally, three 'Petricula's' men came by! As soon as they saw the portrait, they flew into a rage. You know, they started cursing and whipped him forty times, killing him instantly."

As soon as he finished speaking, Arkady, mimicking the tone of the "Petrilla" troops, whispered, "You little bastard, just by looking at your face, I know you're a Bolshevik. We'll see how we skin you alive!"

Alexei feigned surprise: "Your imitation is spot on. You could blend into their army without looking out of place."

"Don't talk nonsense. I don't want to become like them. No matter how Gerasim argued or shouted back then, it was all in vain."

Just then, a group of heavily armed men walked along the main road. Upon seeing this, the two men immediately closed the window and hid.

The residents here all hate the yellow and blue flag of "Peteliura"—people are powerless to resist this guy who advocates independence and chauvinism.

Rochester and the other troops entered "Croosevelt," a well-developed small town that served as a transportation hub. The fierce resistance they put up was evident from the fortifications they had constructed.

The entire city was riddled with bunkers and barbed wire, and most importantly, after the "Korosken" captured it, several military trains loaded with supplies pulled into the station.

Leading the Rochester troops were Rochester himself and the players on horseback. As soon as they entered the city, they began shouting, "Comrades! Folks! We've arrived!"

"We are soldiers of the 'Redwitt Alliance,' and the enemy has been driven away!"

Guo Ruhe suddenly walked up to Rochester, who was riding on horseback, pointed to the red flag in his hand, and said, "Commander Rochester, may I wave the flag in your hand?"

Rochester was taken aback at first and wanted to refuse, but when he saw Guo Ruhe's sincere eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say no and reluctantly handed the red flag to Guo Ruhe.

Guo Ruhe became even more excited when he received the red flag, and ran ahead with it.

When the other players saw this, they all gathered around Guo Ruhe, asking him to wave the flag for them as well.

The other units laughed when they saw the lively and young soldiers. Timoshenko, who was riding a horse not far away, also laughed when he saw this scene. "Company Commander Rochester, you have a good group of soldiers."

Upon hearing Timoshenko's assessment, Rochester replied, "Of course!"

As more and more troops entered the city, "Korosten" gradually became lively. The long-suffering citizens came out of their basements or cellars and stood at their doorways, watching the Red Army troops entering the city.

Soon, things got even more lively at the Sixth Cavalry Division. An old woman and a young woman spotted her son, the young woman's brother, walking with the main force.

He walked without a hat, with a bullet belt around his waist and a rifle slung over his shoulder.

The old woman angrily raised her hands and slapped them together. Oleksandr, her son, had gone to war.

This won't do him any good! Just think about it, what will happen to him afterward if he parades around with a gun in front of the whole city?

Thinking of this, the old woman could no longer hold back, so she shouted, "Oleksandr, come home with me now, and I'll teach you a lesson. If you want to fight, go home and fight!" As she spoke, she walked towards her son, trying to stop him.

But Oleksandr, her Oleksandr, the Oleksandr whose ears she had pulled more than once, looked sternly at her mother and said resolutely, "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere!"

"You...you, do you know what you're doing?!"

Oleksandr dismounted and embraced his mother, and the girl—his sister—also came forward and embraced him.

"Mother, this is a revolution. The nature of a revolution is tragic. It is built on the blood of countless Bolsheviks."

"Then why..."

"Mother, we are fighting now so that our descendants will not have to fight, so that countless people like us can eat bread. If we are not fighting this war, then our next generation will have to fight it. I understand perfectly what I am doing. I have dedicated my whole life and all my energy to the most magnificent cause in the world."

Oleksandr hugged his mother and sister tightly.

The two said nothing more.