It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 153 | Going Home? You Need a Home First (Two Chapters Combined)

The last day of early December.

Day 38 of the Battle of Budapest.

The unshaven Shank was taking a walk in the trench next to the business school building.

These days, getting a breath of fresh air is a matter of luck; most of the time, the air is filled with the stench of corpses and the smell of gunpowder.

He reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette case, intending to light one, but found it empty.

Looking dazed, he leaned against the trench and said, "We held it today, but what about tomorrow..."

The protracted tug-of-war was too brutal, and even the usually optimistic Mr. Shang found it hard to bear.

The Hungarian soldiers sat quietly in their shelters or trenches, though some could be heard sobbing.

Drinking in silence.

Playing cards in silence.

Silently staring blankly.

No one can laugh out loud anymore. At first, officers or military police would stop people from drinking, but now they just let it go.

Cigarettes alone are no longer enough to relieve stress, and without the help of alcohol, most people would probably suffer a mental breakdown.

"Mother……"

The intermittent sobbing and whispered murmurs caught Shank's attention, and he followed the sound.

Turning the corner of the trench, one could see a petite female sergeant curled up on the ground, her hands cupping her face, her helmet and Mannlicher carbine lying flat beside her.

Her clothes were covered in mud, and her short brown hair was a mess, matted together in clumps, because it hadn't been washed or cared for.

Shang Ke sighed, searched all his pockets, and finally found two remaining milk candies before squatting down.

"What's wrong? Can't hold on anymore?"

"Sir?" The female sergeant, whose eyes were the only clear and innocent part of her body, sobbed and hesitated, "They're all dead...Sir...All three of my friends are dead..."

"Once the battle is over, you can take a temporary leave and go home, okay?" Shang Ke tried to comfort her.

The female sergeant gave a bitter laugh and said softly, "Sir, my home is right here, Budapest. I have no home anymore..."

As she spoke, her nose tingled, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her face, leaving two stark white streaks on her disheveled cheeks.

Have your family members been evacuated?

"Perhaps I don't understand..."

"Keep going. Once we drive out the enemy, there will be a day when we can rebuild our homeland." Shang Ke patted her on the shoulder.

Shank discovered that among the Hunnic soldiers, the proportion of male and female soldiers suffering from mental breakdowns was not significantly different.

The difference between the two is that male soldiers, after a breakdown, will wail and talk nonsense, while female soldiers, after a breakdown, will mainly sob and act crazy.

Could this be extended and summarized as a general rule for European armies? He wondered.

"Without a strong strategic reserve force to carry out a strategic counterattack, this place will still be doomed," Shang Ke muttered to himself, gazing at the sky.

This is not ancient times. In the agricultural era, siege warfare had its limits. Even if the attacking side had the advantage, it might have wanted to retreat after running out of food supplies, because the cost of mobilizing food supplies was too high.

However, in the industrial age, if the attacking side has the advantage, the negative impact of logistical losses is not so decisive, as a well-developed war machine can continuously recruit troops for a war of attrition.

With the 41st Infantry Corps, almost fully equipped, replacing the 36th Infantry Corps, Ivanros's army made significant progress.

In contrast, the Hungarian army faced multiple difficulties.

As one side gained at the expense of the other, the war situation rapidly deteriorated.

Ivanos's army used large-caliber artillery, tanks, flamethrowers, explosives, and other means to continuously put pressure on the defenders of Budapest, wearing down the Hungarian army's manpower day by day.

Furthermore, the repeated air raids and the appearance of ice floes on the Danube River significantly affected shipping and isolated the defending forces to some extent.

Now, almost all of the key hubs, including Heroes' Square, the Opera House, the Royal Museum, and Sofia Hospital, have fallen.

Tactically speaking, the three major defense zones and more than ten smaller defense zones have been fragmented.

Therefore, in Shang's eyes, the complete collapse of Budapest's city defense system was imminent.

Although troop replenishment has continued uninterrupted, it is difficult to completely offset the staggering casualties. The garrison is now short of more than one-third of its personnel, and the loss of technical equipment is even more difficult to compensate for.

That afternoon, amidst the dire situation of a general crisis, Commander Lieutenant General Caroy announced a meeting of mid- to high-ranking officers.

Officers of regimental rank and above who were able to do so set off, heading towards the city defense command amidst the constant background noise of gunfire.

The city defense command was located in the Citibank building on the riverbank, which was very sturdy and had enough interior space to accommodate the command personnel.

Shank went there with Major General Ratz-Jené, traveling in an armored vehicle for security reasons.

In reality, the enemy's vanguard had advanced to within three blocks, less than a kilometer in a straight line from the city's defense command post; a knife was practically at their throats.

The armored vehicle drove to the side of the riverside highway, turned, and stopped behind the bank.

Major General Jene looked at the patches of ice floating on the river and said, "This winter is quite cold. It's going to snow soon, and the Danube will probably freeze ahead of schedule."

"The ice won't freeze very thick in the short term, will it?" Shang Ke asked somewhat warily.

"Uncertain, but at least pedestrian access is permitted."

"If the enemy launches an offensive in winter, the Danube defense line will face great pressure."

The two then entered the bank building...

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The battle to defend the city has been going on for over a month, and the number of people attending this meeting is significantly less than that at the pre-battle meeting.

Many familiar faces have disappeared, and of the few regimental commanders Shang Ke knew, only one remains.
Everyone's appearance was extremely dirty and disheveled. Their uniforms were filthy and tattered, and dust, dirt, sweat, and blood mixed together, turning their faces into a palette of paints.

Everyone looked serious, silently staring at the map or passing cigarettes to each other; no one had the leisure to joke or liven things up.

Mr. Shang's arrival was greeted by many people, and their eyes revealed their heartfelt respect.

Lieutenant General Caroy was wearing a loose, baggy winter uniform, without a cap, and had prominent dark circles under his eyes, but his spirits showed no sign of dejection. He slowly began to speak:
"Today is the thirty-eighth day since the Ivanros were besieging our city. Our side has inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy by relying on the city. The Ivanros's fantasy of quickly defeating our country has been completely shattered."

"However, the enemy still has a strategic advantage. The enemy's air blockade of the Danube has seriously interfered with our logistical support, and all units are experiencing shortages of personnel and ammunition."

"Most buildings in the city have been destroyed, our main strongholds have been lost, communication between units is poor and it is difficult to coordinate effectively. It is anticipated that the enemy will continue to cut into our defense zone."

Lieutenant General Caroj briefly described the current predicament and proposed consolidating the remaining forces to Sector V, abandoning the other defense zones, and focusing all efforts on defending Sector B5, which is near the Capitol Building.

There was no objection to this.

The city's defense system was on the verge of collapse. Continuing to insist on a dispersed defense would only result in being divided, surrounded, and then defeated one by one.

"If my divisions are brought together, we can form four more battalions," Major General Yene said with his hands on his hips. "Come on, let's fight to the death. I'm confident I can take out several thousand more enemies."

At this moment, someone asked, "Commander, there have been rumors that Marianna's army will send an expeditionary force to support us. Is that true?"

Lieutenant General Caroj nodded and said, "It's true and reliable. The expeditionary force has already set off, consisting of one mechanized division and two infantry divisions."

The emptiness and helplessness that had been gripping everyone was now a welcome relief.

Lieutenant General Caroy took an unopened pack of Paramount cigarettes from his jacket pocket and handed it to the lieutenant colonel next to him, offering cigarettes to everyone.

Then, Lieutenant General Carlo looked at Shang, smiled wryly, and said, "Shang, as Huns, we admire your contributions immensely. The battle has escalated to this extremely dangerous situation. This is not your country, nor is it your war. We will forever remember your outstanding achievements and the time you spent defending this city with us."

He continued, "Yesterday, enemy planes dropped heavy bombs on the Sixth Middle School. I heard you were injured. Leave the war zone to receive treatment and recuperate."

No one said a word.

Recuperation from injuries?

Shank knew that this was Lieutenant General Caroy finding a good and reasonable excuse for him to withdraw.

Budapest is in a critical situation. If they don't leave now, it might not be so easy for them to escape once they're trapped.

Shang Ke scanned the crowd and asked humorously, "I've been fighting alongside you all for over a month. If I wanted to run away, I would have done so long ago, wouldn't I?"

Major General Ratz-Jené wanted to offer further advice, but hesitated to speak.

A long silence fell over the scene, with only the beeping of the telegraph machine in the background.

With a complex expression, Lieutenant General Caro said solemnly, "Colonel Shang, the Military Police and the Royal Guard are responsible for the defense of Margaret Bridge. It's up to you there. God bless you."

Finally, he added, "I'll send you two more armored squads."

"Understood. I'll try my best to make the enemy suffer more." Shang Ke succinctly accepted the instructions.

As they were leaving the Citibank building, a major rushed over and called out to Mr. Shang.

The major handed him a note, stood at attention, saluted, and then turned and went back.

After reading the note, Shang Ke smiled helplessly and casually tossed it away.

In his note, Lieutenant General Karoi instructed: Do not commit all your tanks to the battle. If you are in dire straits, then ride your tank across the Margaret Bridge and break through to the west. Once you have crossed the Danube, blow up the bridge.

Escaping in a tank on the eve of defeat? Isn't this a classic tactic of Nationalist generals?

Shang Ke didn't appreciate the good intention and immediately forgot about it.

The two armored squads only have a total of six tanks, and we need to conceal and preserve a few more, so let's forget about it.

The defending forces are no longer the fully equipped and combat-ready troops they were at the start of the defense. New recruits often don't survive more than a day, and each battalion and company has had at least two rounds of personnel changes. Ammunition is also running low.

｜第4步兵师，全师剩约6600人，轻武器还有2726支步枪、308支冲锋枪、283挺轻机枪。

｜第10步兵师，全师剩约5200人，轻武器还有2640支步枪、233支冲锋枪、248挺轻机枪。

｜第51预备步兵师，全师剩约6100人，轻武器还有2305支步枪、220支冲锋枪、205挺轻机枪。

Although the number of personnel appears to be large, it is important to know that the proportion of combat personnel in a division-level combat unit is very low. Such severe casualties mean that all three divisions have been crippled, with only 20-30% of their combat effectiveness remaining.

As for the 'Lister' police battalion, it was completely wiped out a week ago, with the remaining soldiers numbering less than a hundred.

According to the decision of the city defense command, all troops must take turns covering each other as they withdraw from their respective positions and regroup in District 5, where the Capitol Building is located, to establish the final line of defense.

As for the 'Hungati' military police regiment and royal guards commanded by Mr. Shang, these two thousand-plus men were responsible for defending the Margaret Bridge on the north side of the Fifth District, protecting the flank of the final defensive line.

Upon returning to his command post at the Sixth Middle School, Shang Ke immediately began to arrange the evacuation operation.

The Royal Guard's frontline units actually consist of only three companies, and their overall casualty tolerance is very low. Shang Ke has always used them only as a battlefield fire brigade.

The military police also suffered heavy casualties in the fighting over the past month, and only after continuous replenishment were they barely able to make ends meet.

Currently, each battalion is short an average of 42%, and its light weapons include 805 rifles, 117 submachine guns, and 83 light machine guns.

Shang Ke ordered the disbandment of the Third Battalion, which had suffered the greatest losses, and the remaining less than two hundred men were added to the First and Second Battalions to ensure basic combat effectiveness to the greatest extent possible.

In addition, the battle had been going on for so long that the sporadic fighting had caused many officers and soldiers to be scattered and lost, and the dozens of people taken in by the military police were all added to the military police force.

That night, the troops began an orderly withdrawal.

Margaret Bridge, located north of Budapest's city center, was built in the late 19th century and is 25 meters wide. Interestingly, it is actually divided into two sections, forming a 165-degree angled ">" shape.

The load-bearing structure of Margaret Bridge has been equipped with explosives and wires by the engineering corps, and can be blown up at any time if the position is lost.

To the southeast of the Margaret Bridge stands an eight-story building—the Mamara Hotel. This hotel had long been fortified by the Hungarian army as a stronghold, and thus, it was naturally used by Mr. Shang as his command post.

He announced his deployment to the officers.

"The Royal Guard will construct a counter-attack position in the public cemetery in the northwest as a reserve; the 1st Battalion of the Military Police will defend the area using the ruins of civilian buildings and barricades, and you will have two-thirds of the remaining landmines; the 2nd Battalion of the Military Police will directly guard the bridgehead area, and you will have three of the five anti-tank guns left..."

After giving the instructions, he carefully looked at each person in front of him, one by one.

"How long are we going to hold out, sir?" a captain asked hesitantly.

Before Shank could speak, Captain Zeno frowned and rebuked him, "Imurrey! If you're scared, then get out of here!"

"Hehe, this was a question raised by my subordinate. As for me..."

Captain Imre was not angry. He sneered, took a pistol bullet out of his pocket, tossed it in his hand, and then put it back in his pocket.

The silence speaks.

Shang Ke just smiled, playing with a few colored pencils, and said quietly, "Everyone has done their duty. I can understand if some people don't want to fight a desperate battle where they are sure to die. Tell the soldiers that those who want to withdraw can take the remaining small boats across the river, with a two-hour time limit."

(End of this chapter)