Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 157 Slaughter all those beasts of the imperial kingdom
What it is?
Whether it was the Imperial soldiers preparing to attack or the Imperial cavalry trying to resist with their last bit of strength, almost all of them raised their heads immediately and looked at the huge shadow in the sky.

As the newest and most advanced airship in the Imperial Army, the Wave-class has already participated in many battles on the front lines. However, because almost no enemy soldiers survived after each battle, and even if they did, they would be unable to transmit the intelligence due to environmental factors, very few people, both inside and outside the Empire, knew of the existence of this type of airship.

but……

The empire's eagle banner, however, was recognized by everyone.

"It's our airship!"

The cavalry regimental commander of the 8th Cavalry Brigade, who refused to retreat until all his men had withdrawn, roared excitedly upon seeing the air force eagle flag painted over almost half of the boat's hull. As if sensing his thoughts, the saber in his hand emitted a dazzling light.

His voice was amplified several times by the light, and even cavalrymen hundreds of meters away could hear his roar amidst the continuous sound of hooves—"Blue Star has sent us airships! Airships sent to us by Blue Star of Arthas!"

The roar was like a pebble that stirred up a thousand ripples, instantly energizing the exhausted cavalrymen around them.

It was at this moment, on the lower deck of the Wave-class airship that had already completed its descent, that the gunner Reinhardt looked around at the three 40mm rotary howitzers that had been lowered into their baskets by the hydraulic drive system, and his excitement was palpable.

At the same time, red combat status indicator lights also lit up on the lower deck.

This means the artillery can be fired at any time.

Reinhardt then stood in the center of the deck and used one of the periscopes to check the view of the ground below.

The Imperial cavalry were positioned in the northeastern part of the battlefield, directly facing the bow of the Wave-class ships.

Directly opposite them, and to their left and right flanks, were large numbers of scattered Cossack cavalry and several Imperial infantry regiments that had just completed their formation and were advancing toward the front lines.

"Attention all!"

Having confirmed the situation, Reinhardt rubbed his hands excitedly, pressed his forehead against the periscope's eyepiece, and shouted, "Those cavalry don't need to be bothered with for now. They're exhausted just like our cavalry. Your only target is the Imperial Infantry Regiment! Understand?"

There was no response.

But Reinhardt no longer needs to confirm these things.

The moment his voice stopped, the gunners of the three 40mm howitzers immediately turned their azimuth and elevation levers, locking onto the Imperial infantry units that were still advancing in formation.

Each 40mm grenade, equivalent to a high-powered grenade, hurtled towards the ground amidst streaks of fire and landed successfully after flying for three to four seconds.

But the Imperial Army soldiers didn't even understand what was happening.

These soldiers, who were just serfs and tenant farmers a few months ago, stared blankly at the towering waves in the sky, wondering why this was so different from the airships they had seen in the rear.

But their superiors were a completely different story.

The officers of the Empire were all extremely nervous. As professional soldiers, they knew very well that anything unfamiliar they saw on the battlefield could very well cost them their lives.

Especially when this thing breathes fire from its belly and sides.

Realizing this, they almost immediately brandished their pistols, issuing orders while trying to attract the attention of their clearly disorganized soldiers by firing shots.

"Scatter! Everyone scatter!"

"Those are Imperial airships! Anyone who doesn't want to die, scatter immediately! Scatter!"

But they were too late.

The 40mm grenades landed on the ground at a speed slightly faster than the sound, turning into huge fireballs one or two meters in diameter.

The optimized firing mechanism allows these howitzers to fire at a rate of 250 rounds per minute, which is 50 rounds per minute faster than before.

The simultaneous firing of all three guns further amplifies the lethality to an extremely terrifying level.

The troops that were advancing in dense formation were almost completely routed with just one sweep of fire. Countless soldiers were killed or wounded, and those who were barely able to move or survived the aftershocks of the explosions let out horrifying screams and cries.

The severed limbs and flying blood instantly stained the gray earth a disgusting purplish-red, and were rapidly expanding the area they could cover at a visible speed.

Inside the lower deck of Z331.

Even though he could only see the outside world through the periscope, Gunner Reinhardt was still shocked by the hellish drawings.

But after the initial shock faded, all that remained was an unstoppable sense of exhilaration.

He only had two opportunities to fire on the infantry during his operation in Ostend, but those deterrent shots did not make Reinhard feel the taste of war.

As a soldier, he knew very well that Ostend's operation was to protect the Empire, but he also understood that the soldiers of the United Kingdom in Ostend had not actually completed their pre-war mobilization.

The same was true for the last soldier who died under shell number 332.

They died because of the whims of the officials above them; they shouldn't have died.

This is why Colonel Frieze angrily demanded that the young man's colleagues show him mercy.

But the situation is different now.

The Imperial Army invaded the territory of the Empire, committing rampant burning, killing, and looting on its land.

They deserve to die.

Reinhardt then closed his eyes, walked to the bulkhead next to him, and lifted the cover of a megaphone that led directly to the middle and upper decks: "This is the artillery command post! Machine gun teams, take note: the infantry suppression work is now entirely handed over to the machine gun teams. The lower decks will now prioritize attacking scattered cavalry!"

Immediately afterwards, the roar of the machine gun stopped briefly, and after a short correction, the angle of downward firing was adjusted.

Reinhardt also clearly heard the whooshing sound of bullets flying past the short aluminum alloy skin.

That was the voice of Death.

far away.

The massive Z331 could be clearly seen even from several kilometers away.

Raine and his troops were stationed in the First Army's position, but they were not attacked by the Twelfth Army of the neighboring Empire.

This is all thanks to the precise artillery fire from the mobile artillery units.

A large number of 105mm and 77mm grenades created a bombing zone between the positions of the First and Twelfth Armies, a zone that no living thing could possibly pass through. At the same time, the assault company, equipped with a large number of machine guns—more than an entire Imperial infantry brigade—easily suppressed Imperial soldiers attempting to attack the positions from other directions.

Raine could even assert without hesitation that if the assault company had twice as many machine guns, and provided the ammunition supply was in place, he could even lead his current force of over 10,000 men to chase after the Imperial Twelfth Army.

However, the most important thing now is the cavalry at the front.

It was at this moment that a group of heavily wounded cavalrymen appeared on the horizon.

The soldiers at the front instinctively put away their guns, assuming they were friendly cavalry.

But when the cavalrymen appeared in front of everyone, they were surprised to find that they were actually a routed Cossack cavalry.

The Cossack cavalry, who had swept across the continent like a black hurricane, were now stripped of their ability to resist and fled across the land like stray dogs.

However, they had no chance of survival.

Because, at the very moment they came into view of Renn, Z331's No. 2 howitzer had already detected their presence.

The 40mm rotary howitzer spewed out dazzling flashes of fire, scattering about twenty shells onto the ground in front of them.

The string of fireballs instantly blasted the fleeing Cossack cavalry, men and horses alike, into pieces, completely merging them with the earth.

Even so, the Imperial cavalry still did not appear before Rein and his men.

The other soldiers also began to have doubts, but before these doubts could fester, a scout's exclamation immediately drew everyone's attention.

"The 8th Cavalry Brigade is launching an attack!"

"Our cavalry scattered the enemy infantry!"

"The Empire's army has been routed!"

In an instant, the solemn and heavy atmosphere that had permeated the entire battlefield vanished, leaving only cheers of excitement and exhilaration.

The commander of an infantry regiment of the Ninth Army immediately drew his sword and shouted in front of all the Imperial soldiers: "Communications officer! Activate honor communications! Standard Order No. 2, unencrypted!"

His adjutant immediately blew his whistle and roared, "121st Infantry Regiment, assemble! Commanders of all units, prepare to charge! Today we will make those damned imperial bastards die on our soil!"

More cheers and shouts erupted.

Scattered soldiers crawled out of the trenches and tunnels, excitedly fixing bayonets to their rifles and, under the orders of their commanders, unloading all unnecessary supplies, running wildly across the land in a completely lightly armed state.

Should we stop them?

Brinkman stopped riding his horse and instead limped across the muddy ground, eventually appearing beside Renn: "The front line is still five or six kilometers away from here."

"No need."

Ryan smiled faintly: "The Ninth Army has been stuck in Königsberg since August due to supply and tactical reasons. Their lads and officers are going stir-crazy."

"If we stop them now, it will have a negative impact. Let them charge."

Brinkman: "Huh..."

Brinkman was somewhat confused by Ryan's words, but the order just now was not given by her or Ryan, but by the commander of the Ninth Army on his own initiative. Therefore, even if there were losses in the subsequent battle, it would not affect her.

Having figured this out, Brinkman immediately shut his mouth, retreated to the flank and rear of Rein, and began to mobilize soldiers to fill the firepower gaps left by the 121st Infantry Regiment's charge.

But she soon discovered that she didn't need to personally direct these tasks.

Because the 122nd Infantry Regiment filled all the gaps almost immediately, and even magically set up three machine guns on the positions originally held by the 121st Regiment.

This immediately put her at ease, and she turned to look at the distant battlefield, just like Renn.

The roar of machine guns and artillery did not reach the front lines, but the plumes of black smoke rising from the ground and the increasingly gloomy sky said it all.

However, in the eyes of the generals and staff officers in the command headquarters of the Imperial First Army Group, everything happening at the front had taken on a completely different meaning.

"Why hasn't the 12th Army organized any support troops yet! Can't they see that the 1st Army is almost wiped out?!"

"Report! The 27th Army has refused to provide support. The General Staff is in contact with the 27th Army..."

"Who told you to go find the 17th Army? What's the use of going to them when the 12th Army can't even get here in time! Waiting for them to withstand the Imperial Army's attack is a matter for tomorrow! Immediately dial the 12th Army's staff!"

"Report! The telephone line has been blown up!"

"Then fucking send messengers! Messengers!!!"

Countless shouts, screams, and even sounds of beatings and cursing rang out in the command post of the First Army Group.

These senior generals of the Imperial Southwest Army have been completely thrown into disarray by the Empire's offensive against the left and right flanks on the front lines.

Even more critically, due to the Empire's previous attack on the 27th Army, the 27th Army, as the main force of the Central Army, is now even refusing to obey orders.

Such a complex and chaotic situation caused some of the younger staff officers to lose their minds and not know what to do.

But a similar chaotic situation was unfolding at the headquarters of the First Army Group not far away.

General Leningkamp, ​​commander of the First Army, coldly watched his staff officers, his face radiating visible anger.

Meanwhile, the Farran, who had been demanding that the flank forces launch an attack, acted like a student who had made a mistake and refused to repent. He grabbed all the commanders from various units in the command post, demanding that they immediately organize troops to support the First and Fourth Armies, or he berated the Twenty-Seventh Army and the First and Fourth Armies for their inefficiency in logistics.

It seemed that in his view, the battle had developed into what it was entirely due to the Imperial Army's overestimation of its own capabilities. If the troops had steadfastly carried out the orders he had previously given them, they would never have fallen into such a predicament.

"General, what should I do?"

Finally, a staff officer drew his sidearm and approached Leningkamp.

Leningcamp's reply to him was only a short sentence.

"It's up to you."

(End of this chapter)