Chapter 1186 The Tragedy of Budapest
The cold night was no longer cold because of the food and wine, the fear was forgotten because of the passionate dance, and the warmth was felt because of the embrace of others.
The next day, early morning.
The embers of the bonfire still had heat, and these recruits were still immersed in yesterday's beautiful dream. After all, it was difficult for them to eat meat, let alone drink wine, and they were so free and unrestrained.
The officer's call sounded, and the recruits hurriedly got up and put on their clothes. Even if they were reluctant and unwilling to wake up, they had to get up. After all, the officer's whip was merciless.
"Listen! The target is Budapest! Forward!"
The team slowly moved along the road. The Austrian army really turned a blind eye. Only an old priest stood on the roadside with a white flag and spoke in Hungarian.
"Children go back! Go back! If you still have a conscience, let these children go back!"
But no one cared about the dirty old priest in front of them.
"Don't worry about him, he's just a madman."
"Bah! Austrian running dog!"
"We're about to enter the city!"
The recruits sang and danced, and the crows in the sky danced to the songs.
"The drums of war disturbed the ghosts,
The footsteps crushed the peace,
The young people strode towards the unknown destiny,
Only the dead souls sighed softly in the wind"
Ancient Vandal folk song.
Everything went more smoothly than they imagined. The recruits quickly passed the Austrian army's defense zone. The gate of Budapest opened to them. There seemed to be light flashing in the crack of the door. Everything was full of hope.
But when the recruits stepped into this holy city of the Huns, they found that the magnificent buildings had been razed to the ground, and the original structure of those streets could not even be seen.
People lingered in the ruins, and there were people with tattered clothes and distorted expressions everywhere. Countless pairs of greedy eyes were staring at the supplies on their cars, or at themselves.
It was the first time Thor saw such a look. He was afraid and looked at the recruiting officer. However, the conscription officer and the veteran were holding weapons and looking at them coldly.
"Sir, what's this?"
Suddenly a stone hit Thor's face, and he felt dizzy, and people on the roadside rushed to the carriage carrying supplies.
"Hand over the food quickly!"
"You bastards! I'm starving to death!"
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! What garbage!"
"Why should I stay here!"
"Ahaha! There are women!"
When Thor woke up, his boots and pants were gone. He got up with difficulty and found himself with his companions.
Thor hoped that this was a dream, but his companions still had bruises and bloody faces, and the obviously reduced number told him that everything was real.
"Why? Why is this?"
No one answered.
"Aren't we here to guard Budapest? Aren't we here to reinforce them? Shouldn't they welcome us?"
Still no answer, only the cold wind blew.
He questioned for a long time without any result, and the angry Thor found the conscription officer who brought them here.
"Why!"
"Why? You see, this is hell, and we are prisoners in hell."
"I don't understand!"
"Wait."
"Wait for what?"
Suddenly, a sharp sound of breaking through the air was heard, and countless brilliant fireworks rose in the sky. The light was dazzling, but extremely deadly.
Heavy siege rockets continued to explode over the city, and countless fire rains mixed with fragments fell from the sky. Wailing and screaming continued, and smoke and gunpowder filled the air.
Thor subconsciously hid behind a broken wall. Facing the roar of rockets and cannons, he deeply felt his own insignificance and powerlessness.
Thor desperately fled to the new recruits' camp. When he returned to the base, the new recruits' camp was in a mess, with broken limbs and arms mixed with countless broken tiles and wood chips, as well as the stench of burnt corpses.
Thor felt his stomach churning. He vomited out all the bitter bile, but there was no food residue. He felt extremely hungry and cold.
In the next few days, Thor quickly understood the survival rules of this city. Some people wanted to escape, but the military law team held all the passes unless someone led the guards away.
Only when the people caught by the guards saw their companions shot into sieves by the Austrian army on the road outside the city did they know what it meant to have no door to hell.
The new recruits soon became veterans, and the eyes of the veterans gradually became turbid and greedy, and their behavior gradually became unrestrained.
With the arrival of batches of newcomers, Thor became stronger and had followers around him. The daily bombardment made the whole city nervous, and everyone hoped that everything would end soon.
But everything ended too suddenly.
Bombardment, bombardment, bombardment.
Everyone seemed to be accustomed to the days when the Austrians surrounded but did not attack. Over time, the collapsed city walls were not repaired, and the loopholes in the defense were not noticed, and no one would run to the top of the city to seek death.
The artillery had no shells. Even if the artillery could be used, the range of both sides was not comparable. Rather than being unilaterally ravaged by the other side, it was better to hide in the ruins and live a muddled life.
Everyone was staring at the food and weapons in their own hands. Without food, people would starve to death, and without weapons, they would only become prey to others.
After the bombardment, it was the peak period of mutual competition. When the Magyars in the city were on guard against each other, the Austrian army launched a general attack.
To be honest, the Austrian soldiers had been holding their breath for a long time. They had long wanted to tear the Magyars in the city into pieces, to avenge the family of Grand Duke Stefan, and also for the entire empire, as well as the sacrificed comrades and innocent civilians.
Of course, there might not be so many ifs. They just wanted to end the war and go home as soon as possible. But in any case, when the horn of the general attack sounded, there was no way back.
The terrifying bombardment and rocket coverage did not stop, but reached an unprecedented density. The powerful firepower almost covered all possible firepower points.
Countless steel behemoths took off and headed straight for Budapest. The earth was also rumbling, and countless steam tanks were spewing black smoke.
Countless white spots on the endless battlefield were constantly enlarging. They were Austrian soldiers filling the mountains and seas, and they were countless.
When Qiutkale climbed up the city wall and saw this scene, he was stunned. He pressed his forehead with one hand and held his stomach with the other hand, laughing wildly.
The laughter was so loud that even the scar on his face jumped. This was the first time he laughed since the siege began, and it was also the most hearty laugh.
"Haha! Haha! It's all true! It's all true! Haha! Flying in the sky! Running on the ground! How can we fight this? Kossuth! Fuck your ancestors!"