Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 222 Infantry and Cavalry Coordination
Just after crossing the first trench, Morin spotted a friendly force with an unfamiliar designation not far away.

The soldiers of this infantry company were using a section of collapsed breastwork as cover to engage in sporadic firefights with the enemy not far away.

Several men in officer uniforms fell into pools of blood. The remaining soldiers, though still holding on, were clearly in disarray and could only mechanically carry out their company commander's last order before his death—to hold this place.

After Morin and his men charged forward, the light machine gun fire of the 1st Company instantly suppressed the enemy who had been exchanging fire with friendly forces, and Morin ran to the side of a sergeant.

"Soldiers! Where is your company commander?"

A sergeant, his face covered in gunpowder smoke, turned around and saw the captain's rank on Morin's shoulder. He paused for a moment, then pointed sadly to the corpse on the ground.

"I am Captain Friedrich Morin, commander of the 1st Training Assault Battalion of the Imperial Guard! From now on, your company will be under my temporary command!" Morin did not mince words and directly announced the takeover order.

On the battlefield, it is perfectly normal for senior officers to temporarily take over subordinate units that have lost command.

The sergeant and the soldiers around him lit up instantly when they heard the name "Training Assault Battalion" and Morin. Clearly, the reputation of the Training Assault Battalion was slowly spreading.

"Everyone! Follow me! Prepare to enter the city for battle!" Morin waved his hand.

The soldiers hesitated for a moment, but then, urged on by their officers, they immediately shook off their confusion and followed as if they had found their anchor.

As we approach the city, the more people the better.

Morin knew very well that breaking through this outer defense line was only the beginning of the battle; the real tough nuts to crack were still in the city.

His gaze had already passed over the chaotic streets before him and locked onto the massive steel structure spanning the Somme River on the system map—the Amiens Railway Bridge.

It was more than just a bridge; it was a vital transportation artery connecting the north and south banks of the Somme River, and the only strategic route that allowed trains to pass through.

If we can capture it, reinforcements and supplies can be continuously transported into Amiens by rail, and then further towards Paris via the Amiens railway line.

Deliver the supplies needed for the 'revolving door' to the front lines.
"You! Find a way to notify the follow-up troops and have them reinforce the railway bridge!" Morin grabbed a messenger from the training battalion and shouted the order.

"Yes! Battalion Commander!"

Having arranged everything, Morin led his newly expanded force of less than two companies into the streets and alleys of northern Amiens.

To his surprise, although the streets of the city were littered with debris discarded by refugees, he did not see any decent barricades or obstacles.

The buildings on both sides of the street were wide open, with no sign of soldiers stationed there, and some citizens who had not had time to evacuate were still running back to their homes.

"Do these Brittanyans really have absolutely no experience in urban warfare?"

Morin began to have doubts, then leaned against a pile of debris and looked ahead through his binoculars. He then discovered that only at the ends of a few streets near the Somme River could he vaguely see a few barricades hastily piled up with sandbags and furniture.

Just then, a heavy, rhythmic rumbling sound came from behind, as if a giant was pacing, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Morin looked back and saw six armored knights and twelve knight attendants appear at the corner of the street.

He quickly recognized the distinctive eagle paint scheme and tactical number on the shoulder armor of the lead armored knight.

"Ludwig!" Morin exclaimed, both surprised and delighted.

"Morin! I knew you'd be at the very front!"

Ludwig's voice, amplified by a loudspeaker, came from the armored knight.

"Our squadron was ordered to attack the railway bridge. I personally led this small team to attack from this side, and I never expected to run into you here!"

"Perfect timing!" Morin laughed. "I was just about to head towards the railway bridge too!"

Looking at the six armored knights wielding giant shields and radiating a cold metallic luster, along with the twelve knight attendants equipped with heavy magical power armor, a bold idea instantly formed in Morin's mind.

"Ludwig, I need to talk to you about something!" Morin ran to the armored knight's feet, patted the knight's outer armor, and shouted.

"What's the matter? Tell me!"

"We need to change our tactics!"

Morin pointed to the street ahead and continued, "This street is not wide enough for us to deploy all our forces, and it is easy for the enemy to attack from both sides."

"Then what do you mean?"

Ludwig was clearly aware of the problem. Although the armored knights were invincible in a direct confrontation, their vision was greatly limited when they entered urban warfare.

A completely new tactical concept has clearly emerged in Morin's mind.

“We’ll reorganize our forces! Divide your six armored knights and twelve squires into three groups, with two knights and four squires in each group. Then we’ll also divide our infantry into three squads and follow behind you!”

"Mixed composition?" Ludwig was taken aback, not understanding Morin's meaning for a moment.

"Yes! Mixed formation!" Morin became more and more excited as he spoke. "You armored knights will be at the forefront, using your big shields and outer armor as mobile cover for our infantry! We'll follow behind you, responsible for clearing out any enemies that might be hiding in the buildings on both sides, and providing fire support! We'll push towards the railway bridge from three streets at the same time! So that they can't support each other from both ends!"

Ludwig remained silent for a few seconds in the cockpit.

His mind raced.

The coordinated operations of infantry and armored knights are nothing new in the Saxon army.

But usually, so-called 'coordination' is nothing more than everyone playing their own game in the same offensive sequence.

The armored knights were tasked with smashing through the enemy's hard-shell defenses like a heavy hammer.

Then the infantry followed and surged in like water to clear out the remaining enemy and consolidate the gains.

For someone like Morin to combine infantry and cavalry so tightly, like twisting a rope, to conduct squad-level coordinated combat, this was absolutely unprecedented.

This is practically using noble armored knights as mobile shields for infantry!
But Ludwig only thought about it for a moment before he immediately understood the brilliance of Morin's tactic.

In urban warfare, the greatest threat is not the enemy in front, but sniper shots from all directions.

The biggest weakness of infantry is their lack of defense, while the biggest advantage of armored knights is their amazing defense.

The armored knights' defensive capabilities compensate for the infantry's vulnerability, while the infantry's agility and firepower compensate for the armored knights' blind spots and attack dead zones in urban warfare.

This is a match made in heaven!

"Okay! Just do as you say!"

Ludwig agreed without hesitation.

He was also a shrewd man, knowing when to use the most effective method to win.

"very good!"

Morin excitedly pumped his fist, and the two quickly reorganized their troops.

Morin and Ludwig personally led the main force in the center, while the other two groups launched attacks from the two parallel streets on the left and right.

At the command, three brand-new combat squads immediately began operations. On the central street where Morin was located, the scene took an unusually peculiar turn.

Two massive armored knights, one in front of the other and half a body length apart, moved forward steadily like a pair of mobile steel fortresses.

The enormous shields they carried, large enough to be used as doors, almost completely blocked out most of the frontal field of fire for the entire street.

On their two flanks, four knights in heavy magical power armor vigilantly guarded the sides.

Behind these steel giants, Morin and two companies of infantry formed a loose column.

A group of soldiers followed closely behind the armored knights, using their massive bodies as cover.

The other group huddled against the walls of buildings on both sides of the street, crouching low and carrying guns, moving step by step.

Their eyes were fixed on every window across the street and overhead that might harbor enemies.

From time to time, terrified faces of civilians could be seen flashing past from behind the curtains in the buildings lining the street.

The Britannians apparently failed to disperse the civilians before the battle, leaving many ordinary people still trapped in Amiens.

These Gauls were clearly terrified; they locked their doors and windows and hid in their homes, trembling with fear.

But this also put immense pressure on all the Saxon soldiers.
The worst thing about street fighting is when civilians and enemy soldiers are mixed together. You never know which window will stick out next, and what you'll find is a clothesline or a dark rifle.

"Keep your eyes peeled! Watch out upstairs!" Morin whispered, constantly reminding the soldiers around him.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from a window on the second floor to the right.

The bullet was deflected by the edge of the shield of an armored knight in front of him, sparking a string of sparks and making a crisp "clang" sound, without leaving even a white dot.

"Damn it! There really is one!" a soldier from the training battalion following behind cursed.

Almost at the same time the shot rang out, before the Britannian soldier who fired had a chance to retreat, several training assault battalion soldiers on the flank had already reacted.

The submachine gun and rifle in his hands instantly spat fire, and a burst of bullets swept across the window like a chainsaw.

The wooden window frame and glass shattered instantly, and a row of gruesome bullet holes appeared in the wall. The screams behind the window stopped abruptly.

"Well done!" Morin praised.

This is the benefit of coordinated operations: an attack from any direction will be met with a simultaneous counterattack from several directions in the first instance.

The column slowly advanced for more than a hundred meters, and finally, a large enemy force appeared in front of them on the street.

"Attention! Enemy approaching!"

With a shout, a large number of Brittany infantrymen suddenly emerged from the corner of the street ahead.

They charged toward Morin and his men in a dense formation still popular in this era, shouting as they did so. However, they froze in place when they saw the two armored knights leading the charge, and then opened fire.

"Bang bang bang!"

Suddenly, there was a loud sound of gunfire.

Countless bullets rained down, striking the shields and armor of the two armored knights, creating a dense clanging sound.

Morin quickly glanced at the system map to confirm the approximate number of troops.

This is a full-strength infantry battalion, which appears to be a reserve force sent by the Britannian commander to counterattack and attempt to retake the outer positions.

Unfortunately, their commander clearly did not expect the outer positions to be lost so quickly.

The reinforcements were noticeably slow to arrive.

Now, let alone a counterattack, they haven't even left the city before being blocked head-on by Morin and Ludwig's strange team.

"This is like meat delivered right to my door!" Morin thought to himself with delight.

Despite the overwhelming numerical superiority of the enemy, Morin remained completely calm.

Just kidding, I have Gundam here!

"Infantry, take cover! Fire freely!" Morin shouted the order.

The training assault battalion soldiers behind him reacted swiftly, immediately using the debris on the street or rushing into the buildings on both sides to quickly establish temporary firing positions.

Submachine guns, rifles, and light machine guns opened fire simultaneously, weaving together a dense net of fire to meet the charging enemy.

The temporarily incorporated friendly forces, though a bit slow to react, quickly followed the example of the training assault battalion and began to learn from them.

At the same time, Ludwig and another armored knight also moved.

They came to a steady stop, slammed their massive shields to the ground, and then calmly raised the menacing weapon in their other hand—the armored knight's assault cannon!

This thing is actually a 75mm howitzer, with an added magazine and a straight-pull bolt, specifically designed for use as a long-range weapon for the armored knight.

The two armored knights opened fire almost simultaneously.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two muffled cannon shots rang out, and two 75mm grenades, trailing faint smoke, whistled as they crashed into the dense ranks of the Brittany's charging troops.

"Boom! Boom!"

The violent explosion occurred instantly, and the flames and shockwave engulfed more than a dozen soldiers.

Limbs and broken weapons were thrown high into the air, and blood mist filled the entire street.

The Britannian soldiers at the forefront were thrown into chaos by the sudden attack, and their entire charging formation was thrown into complete disarray.

The commander on the other side, a rather young-looking Britannian major, lost all color in his face the moment he saw the two armored knights that looked like demons descending to earth.

"Armored knights?! How could Saxon armored knights be here?!" He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Where are our knights? Where is our Order of the Garter?!" he cursed inwardly.

He knew very well that sending infantry to charge this steel monster without the help of their own armored knights was no different from sending them to commit suicide in a line.

The rifles in the infantry's hands posed no threat whatsoever to these tin cans.

"Retreat! Retreat now!" he shouted hoarsely.

The Britannian soldiers, who had already charged halfway, felt as if they had been granted a pardon and immediately turned and ran, causing chaos in the scene.

(End of this chapter)