Novel Full Chapter 105 Rocossov and the Edelweiss
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At 0130 in the early morning of the 26th, at the First Mobile Group Army headquarters of the Yeisk Ante Army.
Due to unexpected circumstances, Wang Zhong also decided not to sleep and was pacing in the command center—even though at this time there were no mobile phones or WeChat available.
He had just finished a lap when he heard the sound of trucks outside the warehouse. Looking out, he indeed saw several trucks entering the yard of the warehouse that housed the headquarters.
Wang Zhong knew that these people would be brought into the Judge’s headquarters in the same yard to be tried.
He wasn’t supposed to see any of these people, but from his overhead view, Wang Zhong saw that there were edelweiss badges on the collars of their uniforms!
Damn!
The most memorable scene from “Band of Brothers” to Wang Zhong was either in the third or fourth episode when a cowardly soldier, who went blind in battle, eventually killed a Sturmtiger paratrooper and took the edelweiss from his collar, pinning it onto his own, and then he started to become brave.
The edelweiss!
Wang Zhong switched his view back and ordered the person next to him, “I want to personally interrogate the prisoner with the highest rank, bring him to me, and make sure there is an edelweiss on his collar.”
Pavlov looked puzzled, “Is that necessary? The Judge will take care of everything.”
Wang Zhong: “Yes! Just bring him.”
Vasily whispered, “You wouldn’t be wanting an edelweiss as a trophy, would you?”
Wang Zhong gave him a disdainful glance.
By now, Pavlov had already passed down the order and after finishing, he shouted,”Sergeant Major Grigori! The general is about to do something dangerous again, it’s up to you to cover for him!”
The Sergeant Major nodded, took off the thread trimmer from his back, and held it in his hands.
Why do I feel like everyone is indulging my whims?
Wang Zhong didn’t care; he turned towards the warehouse door, with his hands clasped behind his back, adopting a serious posture.
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Captain Franz, the paratrooper, was initially puzzled why he was being taken to a warehouse alone.
Once inside, he realized that this warehouse was the Ante Army’s headquarters.
He quickly assessed the number of staff officers and the size of the radio department, realizing that this was a very high-level command center, possibly even General Rokossovsky’s headquarters.
Although Franz only understood a little of the Ante language, he could comprehend a part of the conversations, and the information he gathered made him increasingly believe that this was the headquarters of the Ante Army Group that had been blocking the 10th Army Group.
Surprisingly, Franz also saw beds with people resting on them. He speculated that these might be night-shift personnel, and perhaps the entire command center was operating in a three-shift system, sharing beds among three people—like in a submarine.
There were three beds placed separately that were unoccupied, and a petite maid was tidying up one of them.
Franz frowned slightly, as the three empty beds prompted many speculations—could it be that the Army Group’s top commander would also sleep here?
Together with the staff officers and even ordinary soldiers?
Well, sleeping in the same warehouse doesn’t count as “sleeping together,” but to Franz, this was beyond his comprehension.
In the Prussian Army, such a thing would be unthinkable for high-ranking officers; they even wear white gloves to decorate soldiers with medals, so as to not get their hands dirty. Especially those old Junker Nobility, who bring their own batmen—the batmen might have been serving from their grandfathers’ times.
Even though Franz himself was a captain, he would never sleep in the same room as the soldiers; in fact, most of the time, he didn’t see them. The old non-commissioned officers below him were responsible for managing the soldiers, including the various platoon combat backbones and the company quartermasters.
Even during regular training, it was the fierce old sergeants who were in charge, with Captain Franz only staying with the soldiers during exercises.
The Ante Army’s approach of unity between officers and soldiers greatly shocked Captain Franz.
Then, in that state of shock, he saw him.
The man stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a seemingly sun-like glare coming from behind him, outlining his silhouette.
He was looking at Franz, watching as Franz was brought before him.
Then, the man turned back and said, “Vasily, turn off the light; my nape is getting roasted.”
The young man named Vasily turned off the desk lamp and scratched his head, “I thought you wanted to craft your image, General.”
It was then that Captain Franz got a clear view of the man’s face—it was even younger than his own!
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Although young, that face was etched with the vicissitudes wrought by blood and fire (actually a masterpiece of the too-dim warehouse lighting), and his deep eyes brimmed with wisdom and courage.
“Hello, Captain from Prosen,” the man extended his hand, “I am General Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky. I hope that you will tell all you know without reserve, otherwise our Judge will leave you with a lifelong psychological shadow.”
Captain Franz looked suspiciously at the hand extended towards him and hesitated, thinking that this was possibly a body double; otherwise, it was unthinkable for an enemy special forces agent to offer his hand.
In any case, this was too risky.
The paratrooper commandos had always been competing with the Brandenburg special forces, whether in weapon skills or hand-to-hand combat, always building on the basis set by the Brandenburg commando.
Even Captain Franz had learned Ante language to imitate the Brandenburg commando.
Of course, if a Brandenburg commando were captured, they probably would not receive such good treatment. They operated in enemy uniforms and were generally executed as spies after torture, without the privileges of the Geneva Conventions.
Having convinced himself that the man offering his hand was a body double, Captain Franz dismissed the notion of taking him hostage and grasped his hand calmly, “You know I cannot actively disclose secrets; I am a soldier.” Discover exclusive tales on empire
“General Rokossovsky” released his handshake and smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t ask those embarrassing questions. Those are for the Judge to ask. What I want to know is why paratroop even into the steppes of Nan’ant, where it is clearly unsuitable for airborne operations? Pure light infantry on the steppes have too many natural enemies. Why drop in anyway?
“Isn’t this a suicide mission?”
Captain Franz revealed a bitter smile, “No comment. If you were in my position and faced with such unreasonable orders, would you have disobeyed them?”
“General Rokossovsky” patted the pistol on his belt, “Yes, I would have. What’s more, I executed the general who issued such unreasonable orders—two of them, in fact.”
Captain Franz was hit by a second wave of shock, “This…”
“General Rokossovsky” laughed, “After that, we purged a large number of surrenderists who could not see the situation clearly, as well as the deluded advocates for a quick victory. The result is that now even our former mine manager has become a division commander.”
Captain Franz, “With such methods… how can you ensure the army’s discipline? If junior officers dissent from the orders, they could just disobey, and then the whole army would be in chaos!”
“General Rokossovsky,” “Then hold a big meeting, explain clearly to all the combatants who are to carry out the order why it must be done, and adopt their reasonable suggestions. I call this method ‘military democracy.'”
“Nonsense!” Captain Franz instinctively retorted, “Those junior officers haven’t undergone comprehensive senior officer training; how could they possibly offer constructive suggestions?”
“General Rokossovsky,” “Perhaps they really can’t, but they have their own understanding of war. This is why senior commanders must persuade them with their knowledge, experience, and courage, and maybe a little charm.
“After discussion and seeking common ground while reserving differences, we come up with an action plan that everyone agrees on, and in this way, when executed, it will unleash an amazing synergy. That’s how I defeated you.”
Captain Franz was struck by a third shock, “Are you… really General Rokossovsky?”
“Yes, why, did you think I was a body double?”
The man who might have been the chief of staff (actually the Military Bishop, which Captain Franz failed to notice) laughed, “Well, it appears that Alyosha almost became a hostage!”
General Rokossovsky shook his head, “No, Grigori was watching. He would make sure the bullet precisely blew up this Captain’s head without harming me in the slightest. Of course, my clothes would probably need changing; I’d have to trouble Nelly for that.”
Captain Franz followed General Rokossovsky’s gaze and indeed saw a robust sergeant standing not far away, with his hand already on his submachine gun.
The sergeant exuded an aura familiar to Captain Franz, that of a super soldier who had come back from the brink of death over and over, the kind of veteran whom officers often considered the core among their core, frequently consulting them for their opinions.
After the shock passed, Captain Franz asked, “I don’t understand, why risk meeting with me, a mere captain. Is there any benefit to this?”
“No,” shrugged General Rokossovsky, “I just wanted to take a trophy.”
Saying this, the general reached out and removed the edelweiss pinned on the captain’s collar, took out a notebook, and slotted it inside.
Watching all this, Vasily—the general’s likely adjutant—commented, “I have a feeling that these hunters from Prosen — the ones with the edelweiss — better be careful when they meet our soldiers from now on. Absolutely a lot of them will want one of these.”
Captain Franz looked at the young adjutant in astonishment. Suddenly he understood: Rokossovsky was leading by example!
He must hold supreme authority in the army, which is why he was into this thing called military democracy (which wasn’t really)!
His every word and deed would become an example for soldiers to follow! (Indeed)
And to meet with a captive in person without handcuffs was to highlight his own courage! Everything was purposeful!
From this point forward, Rokossovsky’s troops would no longer fear the airborne commandos; they would be bolstered in their morale!
Captain Franz stared at Rokossovsky, suddenly feeling that it would be quite a happy thing to fight under such a general—if one were a soldier.
At that moment, General Rokossovsky asked, “All right, you… are you ready to talk?”
The captain, not quite catching on, responded, “What is it that you wish to know?”
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