CHAPTER 317: CHAPTER 317: TRUST

Shen Bili spent several hours leading the sniper company to get familiar with the terrain in the "sandy" trenches, sometimes even setting up sniper positions and communication trenches himself.

"We are different from ordinary soldiers." Shen Bili instructed his subordinates, "When the battle starts tomorrow, if an ordinary soldier lies down on our sniper position, are we really going to fight him to get the position back?"

The subordinates laughed.

"That’s why we need our own sniper positions," Shen Bili said seriously, "And we must have multiple sniper positions. Fire a few shots and then move to another. This is crucial, it can save your lives!"

Shen Bili instructed the sniper company to set up sniper positions in the open areas behind the defensive lines, where snipers could move easily without crowding the trenches with ordinary soldiers.

Additionally, ordinary soldiers in the front-line trenches would attract enemy fire and attention since enemy machine gun fire would be directed at those crowded areas.

Some sniper positions were even set up outside the "sandy" trenches.

Shen Bili analyzed the map:

"Imagine, after the battle starts tomorrow, our soldiers will leap out of the trenches and charge at the enemy."

"What would happen if your sniper position is right behind the ’sandy’ trenches?"

The soldiers were stunned.

None of them had realized this, and they might not see any enemies because their view would be blocked by their own comrades.

So, the sniper positions were immediately changed to higher ground and the flanks of the attacking front.

After these preparations, they practiced the coordination between spotters and shooters again. Shen Bili issued a final order: "Sleep, and make sure you fall asleep!"

Getting enough sleep is essential to ensure the quality of the battle the next day; this is common knowledge.

The soldiers understood, but it was the hardest part. Most of them couldn’t do it, including Idris.

But Shen Bili leaned against a sandbag and soon began to snore evenly.

Shen Bili often slept outdoors while hunting kangaroos in Australia, so this was nothing to him.

The only thing missing was the delicious roasted kangaroo meat and falling asleep to the warmth of a campfire and the crackling of dry wood.

...

At 5 AM, before dawn, Shen Bili was awakened by the roar of naval gunfire.

He stood up in the trench, carefully peered out in the direction of the exploding shells, and found it strange.

Since the Ottomans approached the trenches, the fleet had stopped its continuous bombardment of Point "A" because it was pointless.

But now, the fleet suddenly resumed shelling, targeting Point "A" once more.

What’s the point of this? Shen Bili frowned.

Then he noticed several amphibious landing boats emerging from their hiding places and gathering near the beach, accompanied by a squad of soldiers.

Shen Bili froze and then understood.

"Smart guy!" Shen Bili smiled and shook his head, "He’s planning to bypass them from the sea using the amphibious landing boats!"

The naval bombardment was obviously to cover the sound of the landing boats’ engines.

Then Shen Bili understood why Shire wanted to position the sniper company here.

The "sandy" trenches were the main attack direction and were critical, while the enemy’s machine guns were the biggest obstacle blocking the French Army’s path to success.

"Lieutenant!" Idris’s excited voice came from the darkness on one side of the trench, "It’s Shire, I saw Shire. He’s looking for you!"

Shen Bili responded with an "Oh," grabbed his rifle, and ran in the direction Idris came from.

Shire was carrying a rifle, which seemed somewhat inconsistent with his rank of Colonel and role as a staff officer, but Shen Bili had heard that Shire’s marksmanship was quite good. He had killed more than a dozen enemies in previous battles.

Shen Bili had no doubt. If Shire didn’t understand firearms, he wouldn’t have invented the two-man sniper team tactic.

"Colonel!" Shen Bili stood at attention in front of Shire.

"Ready?" Shire asked.

"Yes, ready!" Shen Bili answered confidently.

"Very good." Shire nodded, "Prepare for battle, launch the attack at 5:30!"

"Yes, Sir." Shen Bili responded, then asked curiously, "Colonel, aren’t you going to ask about the preparations?"

"I trust you to handle it," Shire answered, patting Shen Bili on the shoulder before leaving.

Shen Bili stood still for a long while.

He had never received such a level of trust before. From childhood to adulthood, no matter what he did, he was always doubted or belittled, even though he had done well enough.

But Shire not only didn’t question how he did things, he entrusted Shen Bili with such an important task and maintained absolute trust.

This made Shen Bili somewhat uncomfortable.

Shen Bili turned to look at Shire’s back, unconsciously pondering:

He was already 30 years old, had been living in the wild and surviving on hard work since he was a teenager, but for what reason?

Was it to get rich, to gain promotions?

Or was it for a living?

Or perhaps, what he really wanted was just others’ recognition.

Unknowingly, Shen Bili’s eyes reddened a bit. He felt he was on the right path and had achieved what he wanted. This was exactly what he wanted!

...

Shire didn’t know that Shen Bili was having a moment of emotional reflection.

He trusted Shen Bili not for any other reason but because he was Shen Bili.

This guy was the sniper who scored the most kills in World War I, with 150 confirmed kills during his four months of service in Gelibolu. The total confirmed kills were actually 201, and he was just a rookie at the time.

(Note: 150 kills were confirmed with a spotter, and others without.)

More importantly, he also invented the two-man sniper team tactic, which is still used today.

With such sniper talent, who else would Shire trust if not him?

Shire carefully peered out of the well-known "sandy" trenches, looking towards the enemy lines through binoculars. In the moonlight, the enemy’s machine gun positions were vaguely visible, some with sandbags piled up leaving only small openings.

This would be a severe test for Shen Bili, Shire thought, but it should not be too difficult for him.

At that moment, Tijani approached with several signalers, gestured towards the beach, and said, "Ready."

"Hmm." Shire replied softly.

That was the elite force of the 105th Infantry Regiment, only 400 strong. They were hidden near the shore, covered with canvas along with the amphibious landing boats.

With just one order, they would rush to the sea and bypass the enemy’s flank as quickly as possible.

Shire’s gaze shifted to the east, where a bit of white was faintly visible.