Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 234 The Growth of the Brittany?
"This is practically a magical piece of equipment tailor-made for me!"

As Morin murmured to himself, he solemnly put the necklace around his neck.

Then I felt a faint, warm current of magic flowing into my body.

The spell slots in the system's [Spells] interface did indeed increase after equipping the necklace.

He contentedly sorted through his spoils, pondering in his mind how to write a report to justify keeping all these good things for himself.

As Morin stepped out of the tent, Kleist and Manstein immediately came to greet him.

"Battalion Commander, your back hurts."

Kleist watched Morin's slightly stiff movements, his face filled with worry.

"You can stay at the battalion headquarters and command today; we'll take care of things at the front."

Manstein chimed in, "Yes, Battalion Commander! Didn't you command very well on the airship yesterday? We were able to carry out your orders from behind."

Morin stretched his back, and the pulling sensation from the stitches made him grimace.

But he still shook his head: "That's different. Yesterday, I had Captain Schneider's airship as my eyes, but now the visibility isn't that good. The battlefield changes in an instant. By the time you report the situation and I give the order, the roasted pork knuckle will be cold."

He patted his two subordinates on the shoulders at the same time and continued:
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and I won't risk my life."

Kleist and Manstein exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

They knew that once their battalion commander, whose way of thinking was quite different from others, made a decision, nothing could change his mind.

"OK then."

Kleist finally sighed.

"I'll have the Fourth Company send a platoon to follow you closely."

"Whatever~"

Mo Lin waved his hand dismissively, his gaze already fixed on the smoke-filled district deep within the southern city.

He was actually aware that he was showing some symptoms of turning into a 'war maniac'.

When did these symptoms begin?
As Morin walked into the city, he kept thinking...
"Probably from the moment he jumped from the armored airship over the Liege fortress?"

The battle in Amiens' South City began at dawn, but the atmosphere on the battlefield was strangely eerie.

The Brittany's defensive line seemed to have shrunk considerably overnight.

Many neighborhoods that were fiercely fought to the death yesterday were deserted when Saxon soldiers advanced into them this morning, leaving only shell casings and debris.

The Saxon commanders in charge of the frontal assault, faced with such a windfall, did not hesitate at all and immediately ordered a full-scale attack on the southern hinterland of the city.

However, their smiles soon faded as the excited Saxon soldiers flooded into the seemingly abandoned neighborhoods.

Instead of retreating, the Britannians dug an even bigger pit for them to fall into.

Furthermore, Brittany's professional soldiers develop very quickly in battle.

So the troops that penetrated deep into the city soon found themselves in a position composed of crossfire, strong barricades, and firing positions on the high ground of buildings.

These Britannians seemed to have suddenly become enlightened; they were no longer the fools who would only hold their ground or charge mechanically like they had yesterday.

Instead, they learned to utilize the complex urban terrain to make small-scale incursions and detours.
Every now and then, a small Britannian squad would emerge from some inconspicuous ruin or even the city's sewers and unleash a barrage of blows on the Saxon troops' flank and rear.

In an instant, fierce battles erupted throughout the southern part of Amiens. The Saxon offensive was firmly halted, and the number of casualties began to rise steadily.

"Battalion Commander, the 113th Grenadier Regiment of the 8th Division is blocked on Via Notre Dame! There are many Britannian defenders in front of them, and it seems there are enemy machine guns in the buildings on both sides. They have suffered heavy losses after two attempts to charge!"

"The 2nd Imperial Guard Infantry Division is in a similar situation; they're blocked in front of a small square and can't get through at all!"

Bad news kept pouring into the training assault battalion's temporary forward command post deep inside the city.

"Let's go, let's put out the fire!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Morin grabbed his submachine gun.

"Order each company to provide support to nearby friendly forces, depending on their distance!"

Soon, the training assault battalion was deployed into the battle as a 'battlefield fire brigade'.

Seeing the Brittanyians adopting their urban warfare tactics and adopting a defensive, huddled style, Morin's lips curled into a smile.

"You've got to learn this trick from me, huh?

The soldiers in the training assault battalion carried far more explosives and demolition materials than regular troops, and all of them received basic demolition training on a regular basis.

Therefore, the Britannians' tactics of defending buildings posed no challenge to them; on the contrary, they provided excellent targets for demolition.

In the block under Klaus's command, a platoon of soldiers quickly stormed into a seemingly safe apartment building.

After determining the location of the adjacent building that served as a Britannian firing point, the instructors trained the assault battalion soldiers to skillfully place explosives on the wall connected to the adjacent building.

"Prepare for demolition!" "BOOM—!!!"

With a loud bang, a huge gap was blasted open in the thick brick wall.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, the terrified screams of Brittany soldiers could be clearly heard from the neighboring building.

"Grenade!"

Several grenades were thrown into the next room first, and then exploded one after another in the confined space.

"Assault team! Charge!"

The assault team, which had been waiting nearby, rushed in the instant of the explosion.

At point-blank range, the barrage of bullets from the submachine guns, like a storm, instantly tore the several Britannian soldiers in the room to shreds before they could even react.

Amidst the intense gunfire, the soldiers of the training assault battalion, like the most ferocious beasts, launched a bloody hunt inside the cramped building.

This tactic, later known as 'bombing assault' or 'rat hole raiding,' demonstrated its power ahead of time in Amiens.

Other Saxon troops quickly noticed the continuous explosions and efficient advance of the training assault battalion and began to imitate them.

First, the explosives from the engineering corps were continuously sent to the front line, and then more and more engineering corps were transferred to the front line to directly participate in the demolition.

In an instant, the entire southern part of Amiens became a demolition site, with explosions echoing everywhere.

The training assault battalion easily broke through the Britannians' supposedly fortified defenses during the battle, but after advancing a certain distance, Morin decisively halted the troops.

"Disseminate notice to all units to cease the attack! Establish defensive lines on the spot and wait for friendly forces on both flanks to catch up!"

He spoke to several messengers who were about to depart, and then gave special instructions to the messengers heading to the 2nd Company, because Wolf, that reckless fellow, had almost overstepped his bounds again.

In a three-story building that had just been captured, a squad of soldiers from the Second Company quickly cleared the room and mounted an MG14 light machine gun on the window facing the street.

The dark muzzles of guns blocked the street ahead, while several soldiers stood guard throughout the room.

Just then, in a bedroom on the second floor, the wall of the adjacent building was suddenly blown open with a loud "boom"!
Gravel and dust flew everywhere!
The two training assault battalion soldiers in the room instinctively rolled to the ground and hid in a nearby room the instant the explosion occurred, their reaction speed astonishing.

A soldier pressed himself against the door, listening intently. He first heard a conversation in an unintelligible language, followed by a jumble of hurried footsteps approaching.

The next second, a section of a rifle barrel with a bayonet fixed tentatively emerged from the smoke and dust.

It's now!

The soldier moved with lightning speed, his left hand shoving the rifle aside, making it impossible for the enemy to aim.

At the same time, the muzzle of the submachine gun tucked under his right arm was already aimed at the cave entrance.

"Da da da da da!"

The sound of close-range gunfire was deafening in the small room.

The Breton soldier who had been peering out suddenly had a burst of blood mist erupt from his chest, and before he could even scream, he fell backward.

His companions behind him were terrified and tried to rush up to help, but the long rifle in his hand was not able to be used effectively in the narrow hole in the wall.

In the midst of the chaos, he too was taken down by a precise burst of fire from the training assault battalion soldier.

"Good job!"

A soldier hiding behind cover nearby seized the opportunity to peek out and fire a burst of bullets at the hole in the wall, pushing back the Breton soldiers who were trying to rush in.

"Grenade!"

The squad leader, who peeked out from the stairwell, pulled the fuse and accurately threw a grenade through the hole in the wall.

Immediately afterwards, several more grenades were thrown in.

With several muffled explosions and a few screams, the neighborhood fell completely silent, replaced by a deathly stillness.

The squad leader of the second company made a hand gesture, and a soldier cautiously raised his gun and peeked into the next room. Only after confirming that there were no survivors did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"Damn, these Britannians learn pretty fast."

The squad leader spat. That last moment was truly dangerous. If the soldiers hadn't reacted quickly, and the enemy had rushed in, a bloody battle would have been inevitable in this cramped room.

This bloody and brutal struggle, going from house to house, was playing out simultaneously in every corner of southern Amiens.

Every inch of land has to be won with blood and lives; the meat grinder of war is running at full speed.

By noon, the stalemate in the battle had finally reached a decisive turning point.

General Mackensen personally led the main force of the First Army, which swept in from the west of Amiens and successfully joined forces with the Ninth and Tenth Corps, which were attacking from the front.

The two iron pincers of the Saxon Empire finally closed tightly in the southern city of Amiens.

The remaining Britannian expeditionary force inside the city, who had not yet retreated, were finding themselves in an increasingly difficult situation.

(End of this chapter)