Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 173 Cavalry Mobility

"Machine gunner! Open fire!"

The sergeant roared at the top of his lungs.

The two MG14 light machine guns began firing almost simultaneously.

"Da da da da da!"

Two fiery whips lashed viciously at the wall of charging cavalry three hundred meters away.

A hail of bullets rained down, and the sergeant and all the soldiers stared intently ahead, hoping to witness the enemy soldiers falling to their deaths.

However, what happened next left everyone speechless.

The anticipated scene of cavalrymen falling from their horses did not occur.

Apart from a few unfortunate warhorses that were hit in vital areas by bullets and fell to the ground with a groan, and a few cavalrymen who were hit in the unprotected head or limbs by bullets and fell off their horses with screams, the rest of the horses were also affected.

The vast majority of the cuirassiers seemed to completely ignore the dense hail of bullets, maintaining their charging posture and pressing forward aggressively.

"What's going on?!" a young soldier exclaimed.

The sergeant in command could clearly see through his binoculars that the 7.92mm Mauser rifle rounds fired from the light machine gun emitted a faint blue flash the moment they hit the enemy's breastplate.
Then it was bounced away directly, unable to penetrate that steel armor that didn't look very thick!
When the enemy is charging at high speed, it is obviously not an easy task to hit the breastplate of a cavalryman repeatedly.

"Enchant Armor!"

The word flashed through the sergeant's mind. He thought of the Saxon Empire's general's guard, the elite troops responsible for protecting high-ranking officers, who were equipped with enchanted armor made by the Empire's magic engineers, capable of withstanding conventional bullets.

The only difference is that the general's guards used full plate armor, which provided more comprehensive protection, while these cuirassiers only had breastplates on their upper bodies.

"Sergeant, their breastplates seem impenetrable!" a machine gunner shouted while firing long bursts.

"Don't panic! Attack their horses! Attack their horses!"

The sergeant's mind raced at that moment, and he immediately found the weakness in the cuirass—this was a cuirassier, not a cataphract.

Those tall warhorses weren't equipped with any enchanted armor!
"Listen up, everyone! Aim at the horses and shoot! Knock them off their horses!"

He yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse from excitement and slight fear.

Upon receiving the new instructions, the machine gunner immediately lowered the muzzle of his gun.

Riflemen and submachine gunners opened fire as the cavalry charged within 200 meters. The cavalry's dense, wall-like charging formation allowed them to hit their targets without precise aiming.

The change in tactics had an immediate effect.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

"Bang bang bang!"

As the new wave of fire swept over, the cuirassiers at the forefront fell in droves, like wheat being cut down.

Their warhorses howled in agony amidst the hail of bullets, bursting into sprays of blood as their massive bodies crashed to their knees, tumbling and throwing their riders off their backs.

In an instant, the charging formation was thrown into chaos.

The fallen horses in the front row created a chaotic obstacle course.

However, the well-trained cuirassiers in the rear reacted extremely quickly. Some tried to go around them, while others skillfully controlled their mounts, directly overtaking their fallen comrades and warhorses.

But in that brief moment of chaos, an even more deadly barrage of fire suddenly came from their flank!
"Da da da da da!"

The sudden flank attack caught the charging cuirassiers off guard.

Their breastplates could protect the front of the chest, but they did not provide adequate protection for the sides of the torso. In the blink of an eye, a large number of the cavalrymen on the flanks were swept away, with men and horses rolling and screams echoing throughout the battlefield.

This was the 2nd Platoon of the 3rd Company, which was ordered to provide support, and it was the intercepting fire that was carried out.

The moment the platoon leader saw the red signal flare and the enemy cavalry charging, he immediately led his troops to seize a slightly raised earthen slope on the side.

This position perfectly exposes the flanks of the cuirassiers' charge to their firepower.

The momentum of the cuirassiers' charge was completely halted!

However, before the soldiers of the second platoon could even rejoice, they discovered that another cuirassier squadron in the distance had separated from their allies and turned around, launching a new charge towards their small earthen mound!

"Damn it! They're coming for us!"

The platoon leader of the 2nd platoon of the 3rd company watched as the newly appeared cuirassiers squadron adjusted its attack direction without hesitation and charged straight towards him. He couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.

He knew very well that his platoon's position had been exposed and that they had become a new thorn in the enemy's side.

"Third and fourth squads, turn your guns around! Stop that new team!" he shouted decisively.

"First and second squads, continue to suppress those horses that have lost their horses in the front!"

The order was carried out swiftly. Two of the four light machine guns in the platoon immediately split off, and together with some riflemen, they opened fire on the newly charging cuirassiers.

On the other side, Colonel Molière's assault force had been routed. "Hiss—!"

His magnificent black horse let out a long, mournful neigh and suddenly sank into the ground.

Several machine gun bullets struck its chest and abdomen simultaneously, the immense kinetic energy tearing through its flesh, and blood instantly stained its black fur.

Colonel Molière was experienced; the instant he sensed his mount was about to fall, he was already prepared.

He abruptly released his feet from the stirrups, and as the warhorse crashed to the ground, he rolled to the side, dissipating most of the impact.

Amidst the flying dust, he scrambled to his feet, not bothering to brush the dirt off himself. He grabbed the command sword that had fallen to the side and simultaneously drew the revolver that symbolized his status from his waist.

He glanced ahead.

We are less than forty meters away from the enemy's position!
Behind him, there were more than forty cuirassiers who were still able to get up from beside their fallen horses.

Most of them had lost their carbines from their holsters, leaving them only with their military knives.

Victory is within reach! Once they cross these final forty meters, they can use their sharp sabers to show those Saxon infantrymen hiding behind the earthen embankment what true warriors are!

"God bless Gaul! May the glory of the cavalry live on forever!"

Colonel Molière let out a beastly roar, his mustache trembling violently with rage.

He no longer cared about aristocratic decorum; like a mad bull, brandishing his saber and revolver, he launched a final charge on foot towards the makeshift defensive line.

"God bless Gaul! May the glory of the cavalry live on forever!"

Inspired by their commander's bravery, the surviving cuirassiers let out a frenzied shout, raised their sabers, and followed closely behind Colonel Molière's figure, launching a desperate charge.

Meanwhile, in the woods on the other side, Captain Leo witnessed this chaotic and bloody scene.

He saw the cuirassiers' charge abruptly halted by the intense firepower, saw countless elite cavalrymen and their precious warhorses fall in pools of blood, and saw Colonel Molière, like a madman, lead his foot men in a charge.

The entire battlefield is now in complete chaos.

"Captain! What do we do?" the adjutant asked anxiously.

Leo glanced at the cuirassiers squadron on the flank that was charging toward another Saxon position, and then at the infantry cuirassiers in the front who were making their final charge.

He knew he had to do something.
"Second Squadron, attention!"

Leo suddenly stood up and cocked his carbine with a 'click'.

"Target: the village ahead! Suppress their firing positions to relieve pressure on the cuirassiers!"

He did not choose to charge on horseback. The bloody scene he had just witnessed made him realize that under such a density of fire, charging on horseback would make him an easy target.

Therefore, he planned to lead his squadron of dragoons in skirmish formations, using the terrain for cover, to capture the village first.

"Captain Marchand, I request that you flank around the river and rendezvous with Captain Lafontaine, then launch an attack from the other side!"

"Understood!"

Captain Marchand nodded, then immediately mounted his horse.

"Mount up! Follow me!" he roared at his men.

He believed that Captain Leo's arrangement was correct. The Saxons were being held back by three squadrons of charging cuirassiers, and the enemy's attention was also on Colonel Molière. This was the perfect opportunity for the cavalry to take advantage of their mobility and deliver a fatal blow from another direction!

He led his squadron back onto their horses, and the soldiers, with their lances at the ready, quickly moved toward the river.

In an instant, the situation changed on this small battlefield southeast of Charleroi South City.

The Gauls, taking advantage of the superior battlefield mobility of their cavalry, seized the brief opening when the training assault battalion was tightening its defensive lines. With an overwhelming force of six companies and nine hundred cavalrymen, they launched a fierce attack from three directions simultaneously, forming a huge encirclement.

Although their attack was driven by the personal whims of their commander, their overwhelming numerical superiority and highly coordinated offensive resulted in the two platoons of the training assault battalion, who were preparing to withdraw and provide support, being instantly divided and surrounded!
"Damn! Are these cavalry units really that effective when they move?!"

Inside the temporary command post in the city, Morin stared at the several rapidly moving red arrows on the system map, and couldn't help but feel tense.

He hadn't expected the enemy commander to be so reckless, daring to commit all of his cavalry to such a large-scale charge when the situation was unclear.

What was even more unexpected was that these Gallic cavalrymen possessed such strong fighting spirit and mobility that they were able to seize the opportunity when the city's outer guard forces were retreating, creating a fatal local advantage in a short period of time.

The green soldier badges representing the two platoons of the 3rd Company were now more than 200 meters outside the city. The friendly forces inside the city could only provide fire support and dared not send anyone out.

Can't wait any longer!
Morin suddenly grabbed the wired telephone that had just been set up on the table, which connected to the artillery positions outside the north city.

"Can the artillery positions provide fire support to the southeast of the city?"

"Captain Morin! We've seen the fighting over there! But the artillery positions have only just been deployed! We haven't conducted any calibration fire yet."

"Never mind that now, fire while aiming!"

"Yes, Captain Morin!"

(End of this chapter)