Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 129 New Concept Review

The news that the Crown Prince would soon be coming to inspect the troops and observe the test firing of a new light machine gun was naturally good news for Morin and the training assault battalion.

However, this "soon" also means that their preparation time will be significantly shortened.

Kleist contacted Maureen immediately upon receiving the news.

"Commander, should we adjust our training plan?"

The usually meticulous battalion adjutant's face showed a rare hint of worry.

"I think we should temporarily reduce high-intensity physical training and instead strengthen drills and ceremonial aspects, after all..."

Before he could finish speaking, Morin waved his hand with a smile.

"Crest, you haven't caught on yet."

Morin patted him on the shoulder, his tone relaxed.

"Remember, this is the training assault battalion, not the Imperial Guard's honor guard."

"Our unit was not created for traditional tactics from the very first day it was formed."

"What His Highness the Crown Prince wants to see is our unique character, soldiers who are truly capable of fighting."

Since Morin had said so, Kleist naturally had no objections.

He simply straightened his back instinctively and replied loudly, "Yes, sir!"

Even Manstein, who had already prepared several revised versions of the training plan, silently suppressed his own ideas about how to optimize the inspection formation route.

After spending some time together, the two of them have gained a very clear understanding of Morin.

On some major issues, once Maureen makes a decision, it is very difficult for others to persuade him otherwise.

On the contrary, it is often the details at the execution level that Morin frequently adopts their suggestions, and he can always come up with some optimization solutions that make them applaud.

Meanwhile, Morin also took the time to inform Helga.

He didn't directly mention that the Crown Prince was coming to inspect and observe the test firing; he simply told her to keep the precious prototype gun in top condition and await his notification.

The young girl now obeys her boss, Morin, without question, carrying out his orders without any hesitation.

Upon receiving the notification, he immediately plunged into the workshop to begin the final maintenance and adjustments of the prototype gun.

And so, as Morin continued his 'learning and training', time quickly came to the late March of 1914 in this world.

On the morning of March 28, Morin, who was listening to General Hohendorf explain the history of the war in the large lecture hall of the War College, was quietly taken to the office by a faculty member.

The instructor told him that his direct unit had called to say they had something important to discuss with him.

Morin understood immediately. After answering the phone, he heard Kleist's calm voice on the other end of the receiver.

"Battalion Commander, the sun will rise tomorrow."

This seemingly incomprehensible remark immediately made Maureen understand what Kleist meant.

This was a code word that he and Kleist had agreed upon beforehand.

This means that the Training Assault Battalion has received official notification from the Army that the Crown Prince and a number of senior army officials will arrive at the Training Assault Battalion's base on the outskirts of Dresden tomorrow morning.

After all, even though it was in Dresden, the Crown Prince's travels were still somewhat sensitive, so Morin set up a separate code just in case.

Kleist and Manstein naturally agreed with Morin's caution.

However, they firmly disagreed with Morin setting the password to 'The fat sheep will come tomorrow'.

Although they didn't quite understand the specific meaning of the word 'fat sheep,' their keen military intuition told them that it seemed a bit inappropriate to use the word to describe the Crown Prince.

So, after the two argued their case, Maureen had no choice but to change the secret message to the now-common phrase, 'The sun will rise tomorrow.'

After hanging up the phone, Morin went directly to the office of Vice President General Horndorf to ask for leave.

Over the past few days, he has become quite familiar with this old-fashioned but rigorous scholar.

Occasionally, the vice president would take up his afternoon return time to the barracks and discuss with him privately in his office some topics about the future development direction of infantry tactics.

General Horndorf didn't even ask Morin why he was taking leave before signing his leave application.

“Go, Captain Morin.”

The old general simply gave him a meaningful look.

"I hope your unit can give everyone a surprise."

"Yes, General."

Morin saluted, turned and left the office.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

A convoy of several black luxury cars and accompanying guards quietly drove out of Dresden and headed towards the suburbs.

In one of the cars sat Crown Prince George, War Minister Falkenhayn, and Army Chief of Staff Moltke the Younger.

The other vehicles carried high-ranking officers from various departments under the Army and the General Staff.

Such a large-scale operation demonstrates that, under the Crown Prince's impetus, the army's top brass has also increased the importance attached to this inspection.

When the convoy was about one kilometer away from the training assault battalion's location, the guard unit responsible for forward reconnaissance suddenly sent a messenger back.

"Report! Unidentified troops have been spotted gathering in the woods on both sides of the road ahead!"

This news startled everyone in the car.

Falkenham and Moltke's expressions instantly turned serious. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with doubt and uncertainty.

However, new information soon arrived, dispelling the false alarm.

"Report! Confirmed, it's the training assault battalion! They're conducting some kind of exercise!"

Upon hearing that it was Morin's troops, Falkenhayn and Moltke the Younger relaxed their furrowed brows slightly.

But then doubts arose; they had absolutely no idea what the training assault battalion was up to.

Who conducts exercises on the way to welcome the Crown Prince and high-ranking army officials?
This is completely against the rules!
Crown Prince George, however, was not angry at all. Instead, he found it quite interesting and showed great interest on his face.

"Let's speed up and go check it out."

He gave the order to the driver.

"I'd like to see what new tricks that kid Morin is up to this time."

With a command from Crown Prince George, the entire convoy noticeably increased its speed.

When the convoy arrived at the grove, everyone was captivated by the sight before them.

On both sides of the road, in the woods, one could see shadowy figures of soldiers dressed in the standard grey field uniforms of the Saxon Army. They were scattered and concealed behind trees and bushes in squads, the whole scene silent yet filled with a chilling atmosphere.

If they hadn't known beforehand that these were their own people, anyone in the convoy would probably have thought they had stumbled into a carefully laid ambush by the enemy.

Just as Falkenhayn and Moltke were filled with doubt and thought that Morin had messed things up and were about to reprimand him, a sudden change occurred!

An officer's sharp whistle shattered the silence of the woods.

The soldiers who had been scattered and hidden in the woods suddenly sprang into action.

They sprang from their hiding places with dazzling speed and quickly assembled on one side of the road.

The entire process was smooth and efficient, without any delays or chaos.

In just a few dozen seconds, this temporary company-level combat unit, centered around the old 1st Company and composed of outstanding soldiers from the former Imperial Guard and Bavarian Jäger units, was formed.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, they quickly regrouped from a scattered state into a standard four-pronged marching column.

Immediately afterward, at the command of the officer in charge, the troops began to march in neat and powerful steps, rushing rapidly toward the camp.

Their running posture is also quite different from the common fast sprint.

With faster strides and a lower center of gravity, they possess a wild and explosive power.

All the senior officers in the convoy, including the somewhat absent-minded Moltke, were stunned by the novel scene before them.

"This"

Army Secretary Falkinham opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to comment.

While they might be considered undisciplined, the coordination and efficiency they demonstrated throughout the entire process, from concealment to assembly and then to the start of their march, were even higher than those of the most elite Imperial Guards.

However, while they are known for their strict discipline, this unprecedented "welcoming ceremony" is quite unconventional.

Crown Prince George, on the other hand, watched with great interest, his face full of admiration.

"Interesting, really interesting!"

He couldn't help but clap his hands.

"Come on, follow us and take a look!"

The convoy followed closely behind the rushing company, arriving at the entrance of the training assault battalion's camp.

Almost as soon as the car came to a stop, Crown Prince Georg jumped out and quickly followed the soldiers who had run all the way to a wide-open training ground.

He and the other high-ranking army officers who followed him immediately witnessed a scene that surprised them even more.

The soldiers, who had just completed a nearly one-kilometer fully armed sprint, did not stop for a moment after entering the training ground.

They once again dispersed rapidly from the marching column into multiple combat groups at an astonishing speed, and then advanced at high speed in a fan shape towards the various humanoid targets and simulated fortifications that had been pre-set at the end of the training ground.

Immediately afterwards, a series of high-level offensive maneuvers, which could be described as a performance, unfolded before everyone's eyes.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The crisp sound of gunfire rang out on the training ground.

The soldiers used the various cover structures set up on the field to take turns providing cover as they rapidly advanced.

Their movements were precise and swift, and each tactical maneuver clearly showed extensive practice.

Two MG08 heavy machine gun teams, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, also provided suppressive fire from the flanks.

Tall, strong former Imperial Guard soldiers used training grenades to precisely eliminate the 'enemies' in the simulated fortifications, while more riflemen, under cover of fire, continued to advance.

The entire offensive process was like a precise machine, with every link seamlessly connected.

Crown Prince George was overjoyed, his face flushed with excitement.

The scene before him was a completely new offensive tactic that he had witnessed through a telescope from an observation balloon on the Aragon front, a tactic that had left an indelible impression on him.

This time, he was no longer just observing from afar, but was able to stand close and directly feel the suffocating speed and oppressiveness brought about by this infiltration and assault tactic.

What pleased him even more was that he could clearly distinguish among these soldiers many tall, fierce former Imperial Guard soldiers, as well as those lean, sharp-eyed Bavarian hunters.

What does this mean?
This shows that the new training methods and tactical ideas promoted by Morin are truly universally applicable!

It's not just the domain of the veterans of the old 1st Company; it can truly transform even the most traditional soldiers in the Saxon Empire Army into elite commandos adapted to future warfare!
This is undoubtedly great news for Crown Prince George, who has long hoped to push for military reforms in the army.

The attack procedure demonstration ended quickly, the whole process was clean and efficient, without any unnecessary movements.

Guided by Morin, the Crown Prince and his entourage, still feeling exhilarated, went to the newly completed 400-meter obstacle course on the other side of the camp.

Here, they will observe another core training subject of the instructor commando unit.

Instead of having a full demonstration, Morin selected four soldiers with the best training performance from the entire battalion's preliminary tests and had them give a full demonstration of the process.

At Kleist's command, four soldiers charged out like arrows released from a bow.

Piles, trenches, low walls, and high-platform jumping platforms.
They moved with equal agility and speed, dodging and weaving among various obstacles.

Watching the soldiers struggle through the mud and obstacles, the senior officers in the convoy had different expressions on their faces.

Army Secretary Falkinhan seemed thoughtful, as if he saw in this high-intensity training some value in improving soldiers' individual combat capabilities and willpower.

Chief of the General Staff Moltke Jr. also figured out some of the tricks of the trade.
But what he was thinking about more at that moment was the intelligence that the General Staff had recently received regarding the frequent troop increases by the Gauls in the border region between the two countries.

Therefore, the one who best understands the essence of this is actually Crown Prince Georg.

He could almost clearly imagine, through the movements of the four soldiers in front of him, countless Saxon soldiers like them, with the same agile movements, rushing swiftly through a hail of bullets and tearing through the enemy's defenses on a real battlefield.

What an exhilarating scene that would be!
After the demonstration, four soldiers lined up behind the finish line and saluted the Crown Prince.

Despite their heavy breathing, they remained upright.

Only then did Morin finally sound the assembly whistle, gathering all the officers and soldiers of the battalion into neat square formations on the training ground, to formally receive the Crown Prince's inspection.

Crown Prince George was very satisfied with this novel approach of first demonstrating strength and then subjecting it to inspection, as well as the stunning effect it ultimately produced.

During the inspection, he generously expressed his high regard and expectations for the training assault battalion to all the officers and soldiers.

He hoped that the soldiers would continue to train hard, overcome all difficulties, and become a model for the entire army as soon as possible, spreading the flame of the assault battalion throughout the Saxon army!

The Crown Prince's words filled the soldiers of the training assault battalion, especially those who had recently joined the former Imperial Guard and the Hunters, with unprecedented excitement and pride.

The way they looked at Morin now held a deeper sense of awe and reverence.

"This unit made the right choice!"

This is what everyone is thinking at this moment.

(End of this chapter)