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

Chapter 165 (Section 160) | Death and Missing Persons Notification

A day and two nights pass in the blink of an eye.

Mariana's expeditionary force arrived by rail in succession. After unloading and assembling, two mechanized divisions and one infantry division quickly reached their designated positions.

According to the General Staff's plan, there are now only seven or eight hours left before the official implementation of Operation Lenard.

"Our camouflage is superb. The Ivanros' aerial reconnaissance has found nothing unusual. Your Majesty, the Royal Air Force has not launched an attack for two weeks. This time, we will go all out to catch the Ivanros off guard."

"Hopefully the battle will go well."

The good news cheered Sigrid up.

Now, although the Imperial Russian 10th Army, which has invaded Hungary, has increased in size by 80,000 to 90,000 men since the start of the war, with a total strength of about 290,000 to 300,000 men, it has suffered heavy losses due to the siege of Budapest. One corps (the 36th Infantry Corps) has been decimated, and another corps (the 41st Infantry Corps) is tied down in the city. Moreover, several divisions have suffered heavy casualties among their junior officers, with an average shortage of 25% to 30%.

Therefore, in a sense, Ivan Rus's army, this detachment, was actually less effective in combat than it was at the beginning of the war.

However, what worries Sigrid is that Shang is still missing.

The defenders east of the Danube were in their final moments, compressed into a narrow area only a few hundred meters deep and less than two kilometers wide.

Such a fierce battle was extremely chaotic, making it difficult to fully coordinate the various units, let alone find a way to locate someone who had gone missing during the breakout.

The liaison officer from the General Staff stationed in the air-raid shelter advised her not to have too high expectations.

Because urban street fighting is extremely brutal and cruel, most of the soldiers who were sent there to reinforce the city were considered lucky if they survived for two days.

Even a general, once scattered and lost, is no different from a soldier; he may be dead, or he may be captured.

Sigrid clung to a sliver of hope, wishing that Shang would be rational in his predicament and prioritize survival. She reasoned that the Ivanross wouldn't dare do anything to him and would probably have to treat him well.

In front of her lay a document—a draft notification of the deaths and disappearances of particularly important personnel prepared by the Hungarian Ministry of Defense.

Because this involves diplomatic issues with the Grand Unified Federation, it must also be presented to the Emperor.

Once she signs her name, the standard procedures will begin.

If killed in action or missing in combat, the embassy will be notified, and posthumous honors and promotions will be granted.

"Shang, you are an extraordinary soldier, a tactician with chivalry. Your dedication has refuted the rumors that 'all Chinese are cunning and selfish businessmen.' I sincerely pray that God will bless you."

Sigrid closed her eyes and whispered to herself.

She then picked up her pen and, under the dim light, read through the document again from beginning to end, finally writing "Understood" and signing her name at the end.

At this very moment, at Perth train station...

As a metropolis bisected by the Danube River, Budapest has a train station on each side of the river.

"Colonel, the battle lines are too tight. What should we do?"

Throughout the day, Shank and Emilia moved cautiously among the ruins, trying to find a relatively loose and weak spot to cross the front lines of Ivanros' army.

However, because the Hunnic army had been compressed into a narrow area along the Danube, the Ivanos army besieging them naturally became more and more concentrated.

As a result, Mr. Shang was unable to find a suitable place.

Along the way, he and Emilia encountered several scattered and defeated Hungarian soldiers.

There were seven people in total, the most senior being Corporal Kevin. Shang temporarily organized them into two combat teams.

Emilia didn't quite understand this move—with more people, the target would become bigger, wouldn't that make it easier to get into trouble?
Mr. Shang's answer was to do the opposite: the more dangerous the place, the safer it is.

The proportion of first-class soldiers in Ivanros's infantry was already small and their numbers were limited. At this moment, with the fierce battle still ongoing, they must still be concentrated on the front line.

The group quietly arrived at the ruins of a restaurant north of the train station.

The area was severely collapsed, making it difficult to move. It took using both hands and feet to barely climb to the second floor.

"Everyone, take out your bullets and rations and share them. We must be patient now." Shang Ke patted the icy mud off his hands, signaling everyone to rest on the spot.

With such a high-ranking officer present, and a renowned one at that, the soldiers felt extremely at ease.

Respecting those who are truly powerful and convincing is probably a principle ingrained in our genes.

Everyone sat down and then took out their bullets, grenades, rations, and other supplies, placing them in front of them one by one.

These defeated soldiers came from all walks of life, including infantrymen from the 4th Infantry Division, signalmen from the 51st Reserve Infantry Division, and medics from the 'Lister' police battalion.

Corporal Kevin carried an FN-manufactured 7.92mm Browning BAR automatic rifle with two magazines remaining. This was the same batch of munitions that the Grand Union had sent after requisitioning the Putua cargo ship.

As for the others, on average, each Mannlicher rifle or carbine would receive about thirty bullets, but only six grenades.

The harsh winter cold made everyone extremely uncomfortable, but since they couldn't light a fire, they had no choice but to huddle together for warmth.

Frozen cookies are hard to swallow; you can only take a bite of cookie and then drink a sip of cold water until the cookie softens in your mouth before you can swallow it.

Shang Ke leaned against the dilapidated window, carefully observing the outside world.

He noticed something unusual suddenly appearing in the square east of the distant train station.

There was already a supply depot and a first aid station there, and many enemies came and went.

Now, a squad of Romanian soldiers is escorting a large group of civilians to a warehouse next to the square. The Romanian soldiers are forcing a dozen or so of them to stand in a line facing the wall.

"Hmm?" Shang Ke sensed something was wrong.

Everyone gathered around curiously, gazing in that direction.

The Romanian soldiers raised their rifles and opened fire in unison, killing the civilians.

Before long, more than a dozen civilians were driven to the front of the wall and then shot dead.

The Romanian army's atrocities in Budapest aroused public outrage, and citizens widely resorted to various means of resistance, including poisoning and assassination.

Enraged, the Romanian army began arresting all those involved, indiscriminately executing men, women, and children as a warning to others.

After executing three batches in this way, the Luo army commander probably thought it was too slow, so he drove the remaining hundred-plus people to the front of the wall.

The Romanian soldiers who were lined up for the executions were also moved aside, and two light machine guns took their place.

Shang Ke's gaze sharpened, then he turned away, unwilling to look any longer.

A few seconds later, bursts of gunfire came from that direction...

(End of this chapter)