Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 161 The Birth of an Actor

The battle ended quickly.

When Klaus and his men rushed forward, the surviving Flanders soldiers offered almost no decent resistance and were quickly killed by a hail of submachine gun bullets.

As the smoke cleared, only a scene of devastation and corpses remained on the streets.

Platoon leader Kahn walked up to Klaus. Even at night in Liège in August, it wasn't cool. He wiped the sweat from his face and asked:
"Sergeant Klaus, what's our next move? Which direction should we attack to find the battalion commander and the others?"

This is also the question that all the soldiers of the 1st Company care about most.

Klaus was silent for a moment. He glanced at the darker area deep in the city and then said in a deep voice, "Never mind that for now. Continue the attack on the core area of ​​the fortress according to the original battle plan!"

He paused and added, "Think about it, according to the plan formulated before the operation began, if the battalion commander and the commando team successfully completed the mission, they only had two options."

"One option is to find a place in the core area to hold out and await reinforcements; the other is to break out of the core area and join us."

"No matter which option the battalion commander chooses, their positions and routes of movement will inevitably overlap with our attack route. As long as we fight our way through, we will definitely encounter them!"

"Understood"

Platoon Leader Kahn checked the bullets in his MP14, then said seriously, "We will definitely bring the battalion commander back!"

Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse in the heart of Liege, Morin was monitoring the battle outside the city through the system map.

When he saw the Meuse River battle group outside the Liege fortress complex launch a full-scale attack ahead of schedule, he knew that General Ludendorff had also noticed the chaos on this side.

And when the green badge representing the 1st Company of the Training Assault Battalion finally entered the edge of the Liege map, Morin's tense heart finally relaxed a little.

The reinforcements finally arrived.

He glanced at the commandos sitting or lying around him, and at that moment, a sense of lingering fear rose in his heart.

Looking back now, that night's operation was incredibly dangerous.

In a sense, the commando unit he led could be described as a 'suicide squad'.
God knows what I was thinking before, daring to venture into the heart of the Liege fortress with only 20 men to cause trouble.

Although they ultimately succeeded in destroying the enemy's command center and magic hub, they paid a considerable price.

A 20-man commando team, two soldiers were killed in action while attacking the magic core.

Seven others sustained injuries of varying degrees in the previous battle—including burns from the fireball spell.

Although it wasn't a fatal injury, it severely impacted combat effectiveness.

Even more critically, they had already used up more than half of their ammunition after the defensive battle at the command post and the battle to attack the magic center.

Especially the two light machine guns
Morin had initially thought that with some of the assault team members helping to carry the ammunition, there should be enough.

But he still underestimated the speed at which this 'bullet-consuming giant' was going to run.

By now, both light machine guns only had two 250-round ammunition belts left, and the barrels were scorching hot from prolonged continuous firing.

Moreover, of all the spells he had prepared, only the last one, [Mage Armor], remained.

If things continue like this, let alone continuing any combat missions, they will even have trouble protecting themselves if they are surrounded by a large enemy force.

"We must rejoin the First Company as soon as possible."

The thought flashed through Morin's mind, and then he changed into a uniform of the United Kingdom of Flanders.

The city is in complete chaos now, and wearing the Flanders uniform is actually safer than wearing that conspicuous Brittany uniform.

He opened the system map, carefully planned the route, and then led the exhausted commando team quietly out of the warehouse, preparing to rendezvous with the 1st Company.

At this moment, Liege was in complete chaos.

That 'retreat' telegram, crafted by Morin himself and containing absolutely no exaggeration, was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves.

The morale of the more than 20,000 Flanders soldiers stationed in the city was completely shaken after learning a series of true news, such as the 'capture of the fortress command,' 'General Lyman's death,' and 'the destruction of the magic center.'

Panic spread like wildfire through the military.

Everyone wanted to leave the city, which had been captured by the Saxon assault forces, as soon as possible and escape to the relatively safe rear.

For a time, the city was filled with chaotic troops.

Soldiers scurried through the streets like headless flies, while officers shouted themselves hoarse trying to maintain order, but to little avail.

In this situation, no matter how much Morin used the advantages of the system map to evade, he would inevitably run into these fleeing soldiers head-on.

"Enemy at the front!"

"A commando responsible for scouting reported in a low voice."

Morin immediately gestured for everyone to stop and hide behind a barricade on the side of the street.

He peered out and saw a Flemish force of about a company rushing toward them in a chaotic manner not far ahead.

"Damn, there are way too many people here."

Morin knew that a direct confrontation was definitely not an option. Even with automatic weapons, the risk of fighting hundreds of people on the street was still too great.

"Attention everyone, no one is to fire without my order!"

Morin whispered to the soldiers around him, while giving Manstein a wink. Soon, the Flanders troops spotted Morin and his men hiding behind the barricades.

"Hey! Which unit are you from?" a Flemish officer walking at the front of the line shouted.

Before the other side could get close, Morin and Manstein, both dressed in officer uniforms, stood up from behind the barricades. The former shouted at the top of his lungs in standard Dutch:

"We are from the 24th Regiment of the 11th Brigade! Our regiment has been decimated and cannot retreat, so we have split into smaller units and are stationed in various parts of the city to prepare to intercept the pursuing Saxons! You should pass through quickly and not linger here!"

Molin's voice was filled with sorrow and determination, as if he were ready to sacrifice himself for his country at any moment.

Upon hearing this, the officer first opened his mouth in surprise, then a look of gratitude appeared on his face.

He never expected that, in this moment of total defeat, there would still be such loyal and brave soldiers willing to stay behind to carry out the desperate rearguard mission.

A surge of passion welled up in his heart.

"Soldiers! We cannot abandon our comrades!"

He drew his officer's revolver from his waist and roared at his soldiers.
"We'll stay here too, and fight the Saxons alongside them!"

Upon hearing this, Morin nearly fainted on the spot.

Brothers, wasn't your morale completely shattered? Why aren't you leaving when someone's covering your retreat?
He forcibly suppressed the rage bubbling inside him, forced an even more tragic expression onto his face, and shouted at the officer:
"Sir! We appreciate your good intentions! But your organization is more complete! You must retreat to preserve Flanders' fighting strength! Avenge us later!"

Manstein also chimed in with great enthusiasm:

"Yes, sir! You should leave quickly! We are outnumbered and less of a target, and we can lead the Saxons around the city! If you stay, you will only sacrifice yourselves in vain!"

The Flemish commander's eyes reddened as he looked at Morin and Manstein's fearless expressions.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed heavily. He knew the other party was telling the truth; staying would only increase casualties under these circumstances.

"Warrior! Take care!"

He gave Morin and the others a solemn military salute, then led his troops to quickly circle around them.

Watching the troops disappear into the distance, Morin and the commandos breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Sir, with your acting skills, it's a real shame you're not an actor at the Dresden Theatre."

Manstein leaned closer to Morin and said with admiration.

"Your acting and reactions are pretty good too. Let's go together sometime, hahaha~"

Morin waved with a grin, then checked the map to confirm that the surrounding area was temporarily safe before continuing to move towards the 1st Company's position.

Using this amazing 'rear guard' technique, they successfully deceived another sizable fleeing army.

Finally, after traversing most of the chaotic city, Morin and his commando team spotted the 1st Company's forward guard unit in a secluded alley.

The latter had obviously noticed their enemy force and immediately sought cover.

Seeing this, Morin also told the others not to show themselves, and then shouted loudly in Saxon.

"Five hundred thousand marks worth of bread!"

"These are the prices from this morning! Battalion Commander, we've finally found you!"

The soldier recognized the code, and the wariness on his face instantly turned into surprise.

Morin and his commandos emerged from the shadows.

"Sir!"

"battalion commander!"

In the alley, the 10 soldiers from the 1st Company of the guard detachment saw Morin's figure and excitedly surrounded him.

"Alright, alright, calm down, this is war! Keep an eye on the surroundings!"

Morin laughed and scolded, then patted the shoulder of the soldier closest to him:

Where is Klaus?

"The acting company commander is directing the troops to mop up the remaining enemy forces from the rear. He has ordered our squad to come forward and provide cover!"

Morin nodded and led the assault team behind him into the alley.

Soon, the soldiers of the 1st Company, who had finished mopping up the remaining enemy, arrived to join them after receiving the news.

Although they didn't know exactly what earth-shattering things the battalion commander and his small detachment had done in the city, they could guess the general idea from the unstoppable attack outside the city and the chaotic scene inside.

This was absolutely a surprise attack worthy of being recorded in history.

When Morin saw those familiar faces behind him, the weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

He knew he was finally safe.

He won this crazy gamble.

(End of this chapter)