Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 166 The Capture of Charleroi
When Morin heard the distinct sound of automatic weapons firing in the gunfire, he already sensed something was wrong.

The red soldier tokens that kept appearing on the system map further confirmed his intuition.

The 1st Platoon of the 1st Company was tasked with continuing the advance as the guard unit. They encountered the enemy at the north bank of a bridge on the river.

Judging from the enemy's unit number displayed as "[3rd Infantry Division of the United Kingdom of Flanders - 11th Mixed Brigade - Remnants of the 31st Infantry Regiment]", they were indeed the garrison troops who broke out of the Liège fortress.

Morin didn't dare to delay any longer and quickly led the 2nd Company to provide support. After all, the training assault battalion only had one platoon in front, and if the enemy fought desperately, they could very well be wiped out.

At this time, Charleroi was not as big as the world before Morin's time travel, and there were really no enemy troops in the North City except for civilians, so Morin led the 2nd Company to the riverbank very quickly.

The reinforced platoon responsible for forward reconnaissance, having been given two light machine guns, now boasted a total firepower of six MG14 light machine guns.

They were using the low stone wall at the bridgehead as cover to fire at the bridge and across the river.

Another group of soldiers lay prone on the riverbank and fired at the bridge piers.

After the 2nd Company reached its position, it quickly deployed along the riverbank under the orders of Company Commander Wolf, and then set up its guns to fire at the Flanders soldiers running back and forth on the opposite bank.

"battalion commander!"

When Kahn, the platoon leader of the 1st Company who was leading the way, saw Morin, he ran over with a look of relief on his face, his voice still carrying a hint of lingering fear.

"When we got to the bridge, we ran into about a company of enemy soldiers who were crossing it!"

"The two sides immediately exchanged fire. Our firepower was overwhelming, and we took down a lot of them. They didn't seem to expect us to be here!"

Kahn pointed to the corpses lying haphazardly on the bridge and continued his report with lingering fear.

"But they seemed to have gone mad, braving our firepower to force their way onto the bridge, leaving dozens of corpses at the bridgehead."

"besides!"

He pointed down to the bridge.

"We discovered that enemy soldiers were approaching the bridge piers in small boats, seemingly preparing to plant explosives, but several of them were killed by the riflemen in our platoon!"

Upon hearing the report, Morin breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, we arrived in time.

The spacious stone bridge in front of us is the largest and widest of the three bridges in Charleroi. If it were destroyed by the enemy, it would greatly affect the crossing of the main force.

He also realized that infantry squads still needed some precision firepower to suppress enemies at a distance or to carry out some precision attacks.

The MG14 light machine gun and MP14 are indeed excellent at suppressing fire, but if you want to accurately suppress certain targets, a semi-automatic rifle with sufficient firepower and accuracy is also very necessary.
"Tell everyone to conserve ammunition and focus your attacks on enemies trying to get close to the bridge piers!"

"Who knows how long we'll be fighting here?"

After giving the order to Kahn, Morin turned to 2nd Company Commander Wolf.

"Wolf, you leave one platoon to me and take another platoon to search westward along the riverbank towards the bridge. Send the other platoon eastward! Use the signal pistol to make contact immediately in case of any emergency!"

"Yes, battalion commander!"

Wolf accepted the order and immediately led two platoon leaders into action.

As the 2nd Company deployed its forces, the firepower along the riverbank suddenly increased several times over.

A crossfire network of more than a dozen MG14 light machine guns completely blocked the south bank of the Sambur River.

The Flanders soldiers, who had just crossed the bridge and hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath, were instantly stunned by the sudden and intense firepower.

They fought back desperately, relying on the buildings and sandbags on the south bank, but their single-shot rifles seemed so powerless in the face of the seemingly incessant roar of the MG14.

Bullets clattered against the low walls and riverbanks in front of the Saxon soldiers, sending up bursts of sparks and dust, but they could not inflict any effective damage on the assault battalion soldiers hiding behind their bunkers.

On the contrary, as soon as they dare to show their faces, they will immediately attract the attention of several fire whips.

In the brief exchange of fire, although the 2nd Company suffered single-digit casualties, it still managed to suppress the enemy on the opposite bank, which was only a few dozen meters away, thanks to the firepower advantage brought by its light machine guns.

The soldiers of the United Kingdom of Flanders on the other side of the river were clearly surprised that the Saxons had arrived so quickly.

After breaking out of the Liege fortress complex, they barely rested along the way, relying entirely on their will to survive to walk until dawn today, finally arriving in Charleroi.

They had hoped to gain a brief respite here, and perhaps even receive support from their Gallic allies.

No one expected that just as they were planning to blow up the bridge to delay the Saxon attack and buy time for the main force of the Gallic Republic to arrive, the Saxons would actually catch up with them in such an absurd way.

This is absolutely unreasonable!
Did they fly over?

A major in the army of the United Kingdom of Flanders hid behind a broken wall, watching the soldiers fall around him, his heart filled with despair and incomprehension.

His name was Philip, and he was currently the highest-ranking officer in the remnants of the 31st Infantry Regiment. As for their regimental commander...
He's long gone and no one knows where he went.
When he escaped from the chaotic Liege fortress, he didn't even know what had happened, and he managed to break through in the chaos.

They thought they were safe, but before they could even blow up the bridge, the Saxons caught up with them again, and this Saxon force had firepower that was completely unreasonable.
That's not the kind of firepower an infantry squad should have!
He knew that Saxon squads consisted of two platoons, and these squads seemed to each have one or two heavy machine guns that could be carried around.
God knows how these Saxons managed to carry those heavy machine guns, which should have been placed in fortress firing positions, around.

Right now, their soldiers would be torn to shreds by a hail of bullets the moment they peeked out, with no way to mount any counterattack. "Sir! We can't hold on! The Saxons' firepower is too intense!"

An officer scrambled to Philip's side, his face filled with terror.

"Our demolition team is pinned down under the bridge and can't get close to the piers at all! If this continues, we'll all die here!"

Philip gritted his teeth, watching the flames spewing from the opposite bank of the river, a deep sense of powerlessness welling up inside him.

He knew he couldn't go on like this.

In a direct firepower contest, they are no match at all.

We have to think of another way!
"Messenger! Messenger!"

He roared behind him.

"Go find the Gauls! Tell them the Saxon vanguard has reached Charleroi! Make them send reinforcements immediately! Immediately!"

Several messengers on horseback immediately rushed out from the depths of the southern city and galloped southwest towards Ilson, within the territory of the Gallic Republic, where the headquarters of the Fifth Gallic Army was located.

Watching the messenger's departing figure, Philip took a deep breath; he knew what he had to do next.

He drew the officer's revolver from his waist and pointed it across the river.

"Soldiers! We have shamefully abandoned the Liege Fortress, and now there is no way to retreat."

He roared with all his might.

"Everyone who can still fight, follow me! We must hold them off here and buy time for our allies to arrive!"

Encouraged by him, the more than 500 Flemish soldiers who were willing to stay rekindled a sense of determination in their eyes.

They knew it was a fight to the death, but they had no way to retreat.

Philip knew that with his limited forces and no firepower advantage, engaging the Saxons in a firefight on the riverbank would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.
We must lure them into the city!

Only in this way can we minimize the opponent's firepower advantage and buy time with space.

"Everyone! Retreat in batches! Enter the southern part of the city! Break into smaller units and prepare for street fighting!"

Philip gave the final order.

"Those who were under my command, follow me! Hold the bridgehead! Cover the retreat of the rest into the city!"

He led a platoon of soldiers to the vicinity of the south bank bridgehead, intending to make a final stand using the few available bunkers there.

Just as his troops began their operation and the messenger had barely left, the direction of the bridge suddenly changed.

Philip was observing the enemy's movements on the north bank through his binoculars when he was astonished to find a thick plume of smoke rising from the wide bridge.

The smoke spread extremely quickly, covering the entire bridge surface in the blink of an eye and completely obscuring his vision.

"What's going on? What are the Saxons up to?"

A strong sense of unease welled up in Philip's heart.

Just as he was about to order the soldiers around him to prepare to engage the enemy, he saw a figure moving at incredible speed suddenly burst out of the smoke.

The figure moved with incredible speed; almost the instant it emerged from the smoke, it rolled and disappeared around the corner of a street directly opposite the bridge.

At the same time, two dark objects flew in an arc towards his and his soldiers' location.

Philip's pupils suddenly contracted.

As an experienced veteran, he instantly realized what it was, and then turned around, waving his hand as he lay down on the ground.

"Grenade! Take cover!"

boom! boom!
Two loud explosions rang out between Major Philip and the soldiers around him.

The scorching heatwave, carrying countless fragments, swept outwards.

Philip felt a tremendous force shove him to the ground, his ears ringing, and he temporarily lost his hearing.

He lay on the ground, feeling a burning pain in his back, and blood instantly soaked his military uniform.

He struggled to lift his head, only to be met with a hellish sight.

The dozen or so soldiers who were just with him have now mostly fallen, lying on the ground groaning in pain, completely incapacitated.

The soldiers who were not affected by the attack immediately rushed forward and tried to drag the people on the ground to the back.

However, this was only the beginning of the Saxon attack.

(End of this chapter)