Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 190 Cavalry! Cavalry!
Yesterday's bloody battle left thousands of corpses on the streets of Charleroi's South City.

The temperature in Charleroi in August is not low; the daytime high can even reach over 30 degrees Celsius.

Those bodies that first fell yesterday morning have now been in the body for more than 24 hours.

At such temperatures, the gut microbiota inside the corpse begins to cause problems.

Now, these uncollected corpses begin to unleash their final weapon—the stench of death—on both the attackers and defenders.

Since a true world war has never broken out in this world, chemical warfare has not yet appeared on the historical stage.

Therefore, neither the Saxon Empire nor the Gallo-Baltistan army had been issued gas masks.

Faced with this all-natural, unadulterated 'biological attack,' both sides' soldiers seemed somewhat helpless.

The situation is somewhat better at the training commando battalion.

They were, after all, the defenders, and spent most of their time behind buildings and bunkers. Moreover, their positions were quite deep, so they could dilute the stench by simply covering their mouths and noses, or by sprinkling water or setting something on fire on the ground.

But for the attacking Gauls, this became a real ordeal.

On the 9th Division's makeshift positions outside the city, the soldiers looked pale and listless.

The stench wafting from the city made them unable to eat or sleep.

"General, the soldiers are in very poor condition."

News of the situation quickly reached General Fournier, and an aide reported to him:

"Many people couldn't eat anything from the morning onwards, kept vomiting, and their morale was very low."

After hearing the report, General Fournier now faced an extremely awkward dilemma.

If he wanted to continue the attack, his soldiers would have to cross the street that was beginning to reek of decay and then climb the low walls made up of the rotting corpses of their own comrades.

This devastating impact on sight, smell, and psychology is enough to completely break down even the most determined troops.

He had no doubt that if he ordered an attack now, his troops would mutini before the Saxons even fired a shot.

But simply holding out without attacking isn't a solution either.

The Saxons in the city were able to rest and hold out until their main force arrived, but they were not on the side of Gaul.

"When will the reinforcements sent by the military arrive?" General Fournier asked hoarsely, rubbing his aching temples.

"Reporting to the General, the Third Army has replied that they have ordered the 11th Division to move towards us and are expected to arrive this afternoon. They are also coordinating with other infantry divisions, but that may take longer," the Chief of Staff replied.

General Fournier pondered for a moment before finally making his decision.

"All offensive operations are suspended this morning, pending the arrival of reinforcements."

"In addition, organize manpower and try to find a way to bring back the bodies of our people in the city," he added with difficulty.

This was almost an impossible task; the Saxons in the city couldn't possibly stand by and watch them send someone to collect the bodies.

But as a teacher, he had to make this gesture.

After the Gauls ceased their attack, the southern city of Charleroi was eerily quiet all morning.

Apart from the occasional sniper shot, there were no more sounds of intense gunfire.

Meanwhile, Morin noticed a new change on the system map.

About twelve kilometers north of Charleroi, on a riverbank, a blue soldier's badge representing friendly forces suddenly lit up.

Morin zoomed in on the map, and the information on the unit badges clearly appeared before his eyes.

[Saxon Imperial Army, Third Army, 1st Imperial Guard Cavalry Division]

"Damn, they're finally here!"

Before long, a small unit of this cavalry arrived at the northern city of Charleroi.

Meanwhile, the sentry post north of the city reported to the battalion headquarters that several cavalrymen claiming to be from the 1st Guards Cavalry Division of the 3rd Army Group wanted to enter the city to see Morin.

Having finally waited for their allies, Morin naturally treated them well, letting them in after their identities were verified.

A few minutes later, three officers dressed in Saxon Guards cavalry uniforms, led by a training assault battalion soldier, entered the temporary command post.

They were all tall and straight, with resolute faces, and exuded a strong and capable aura.

The leader was a captain who, upon seeing Morin, immediately brought his feet together and gave an impeccable military salute.

"Captain Morin, on the orders of General Ernst von Hopner, commander of the 1st Imperial Guard Cavalry Division, pays the highest tribute to you and the valiant Training Assault Battalion!"

His voice was loud and powerful, with a hint of pride.

"Welcome, warriors from the First Imperial Guard Cavalry Division."

Morin returned the salute, his face beaming with a genuinely warm smile for these allies. "Your arrival is more exhilarating than anything else."

He gestured for the three to sit down, then cut to the chase and asked, "Captain, how did your division get here so quickly? As far as I know, the main force of the Third Army should still be in the Dinan direction."

The captain nodded, took a map from his briefcase, and spread it out on the table.

"Captain Morin, the battle in the Dinan direction was basically over by yesterday evening. The main force of the Gallic Fourth Army was successfully defeated by our army and is currently retreating south."

"The main force of the Third Army has begun to pursue and is preparing to form an encirclement with the Fifth Army, which is advancing westward, in order to completely annihilate this part of the Gallic army east of the Meuse River."

His finger moved quickly across the map, clearly explaining the overall situation of the entire war zone.

Morin, Kleist, and Manstein all crowded around, listening intently.

"Upon learning that your unit had successfully raided and captured Charleroi, but was facing an attack from the Fifth Gallic Army, the Army Command immediately ordered our division to break away from the main force and rush to provide support."

"After receiving the order, our division immediately marched at full speed toward Charleroi. Just now, we successfully found a suitable crossing point on the upper reaches of the Sambur River, 12 kilometers from here, and completed the crossing operation for the entire division."

Hearing this, Morin gained a new understanding of the execution capabilities of this Imperial Guard Cavalry Division.

The ability to complete a long-distance forced march in a short period of time, and also to carry out a river crossing operation for a division-level unit, demonstrates remarkable mobility and efficiency in this era.

"So, what are General Hopner's next plans?" Morin asked, as this was the question he was most concerned about.

The captain's face broke into an aggressive smile as he pointed his finger heavily onto the vast plains south of Charleroi.

"Our division commander's plan is simple: after crossing the river, the 1st Imperial Guard Cavalry Division will immediately launch a harassment attack on the flank of the Gallic Republic forces besieging Charleroi."

"We will be like a pack of wolves, constantly tearing at them, keeping them from having any peace and preventing them from launching a full-scale attack on the city."

"Once we find a favorable opportunity, or if their formation falls into disarray, our division will not hesitate to launch a decisive large-scale charge to completely crush them from the flank and rear!"

The captain's tone was full of powerful confidence.

It was as if, in his eyes, the Gallic infantry besieging Charleroi were nothing more than a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

However, after hearing his plan, Maureen was not so optimistic.

The smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Captain, if I may be so bold, I think this plan is a bit too risky?"

Morin's words instantly made the atmosphere in the command post somewhat awkward. The captain's smile froze, and he looked at Morin with some confusion.

"Adventure? Captain Morin, I don't understand what you mean. We are cavalry, isn't it our duty to deal with slow-moving infantry in open terrain?"

"No, you misunderstood me."

Morin shook his head, knowing that the other party might think that his words were questioning the combat capabilities of the Imperial Guard Cavalry Division.

He pointed to the map and patiently explained:

“What I’m worried about isn’t your fighting strength, but that after you cross the Sambur River, you’ll find yourselves in a completely isolated and helpless situation.”

"You have the Sambur River behind you, and there are no friendly forces to rely on. If the situation turns bad, you won't even have a way to retreat."

"and"

Morin emphasized, and said seriously:

"Based on our experience fighting the Gauls these past two days, their fighting spirit is extremely strong, and the main force of the entire Fifth Gallic Army is moving towards this side. They may send reinforcements, or even their cavalry, to deal with you at any time."

“If you get bogged down by another enemy cavalry force of equal or even larger size, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

Morin knew very well how vulnerable cavalry was when facing modern armies with well-developed support systems.

Especially when there is no infantry-artillery coordination and the army is deep in enemy territory, it is easy for the entire army to be wiped out once it gets into a tough battle.

The captain remained silent.

Although he had full confidence in his troops, he had to admit that the concerns raised by Morin were objectively valid.

"Captain Morin, your concerns were also considered by our division headquarters when formulating the plan."

He remained silent for a moment, but finally spoke up to defend himself:

"But we have no choice. Your unit is in a very dangerous situation. We are all members of the Imperial Guard, and we must help you out of this predicament as soon as possible. Therefore, we must take certain risks."

"Moreover, we believe that the impact of the First Guards Cavalry Division is enough to take out the enemy before any Gallic reinforcements arrive."

Looking into the other person's still confident eyes, Morin knew that there was no point in saying anything more.

These traditional officers of the old era were inherently filled with a chivalrous spirit of adventure and a thirst for honor.

Making them shrink back, well, that might be worse than killing them.

(End of this chapter)