Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 271 Armed Parade
September 7th, early morning.

As the first rays of dawn pierced the darkness and shone upon the temporary camps of the Saxon army outside Paris, the war machine, silent all night, began to run again.

The instructors led the assault battalion soldiers out of their tents, quickly packed their gear, and collected their last ammunition and rations.

The officers' shouts, the roar of engines, and the clanging of metal as soldiers checked their weapons quickly brought everyone to their senses.

"Everyone board! Destination: Paris Gare de l'Est!"

Morin jumped onto his command truck and gave orders to the training assault battalion that had already assembled.

According to General Mackensen's operational plan, they would continue as the escort force for the 'Odin', advancing along the railway line towards the city of Paris.

They eventually captured Gare du Gare de l'Est and used it as a base to control all the major transportation hubs in the east.

"Colonel Lucas, we are ready and can depart at any time."

Morin picked up the intercom from the truck bed and reported to the Odin.

"Roger that, Captain Morin."

Lucas's voice came quickly.

"However, we have an important task to complete first. General Mackenson has ordered us to destroy the remaining air defense positions in the city before we enter the city."

"Understood." Morin nodded.

This was the primary objective that was already determined at yesterday's meeting.

Based on reconnaissance missions conducted by the Dove reconnaissance aircraft at dangerous distances before sunset yesterday and this morning, the locations of the last two large anti-aircraft magic device sites in Paris have been confirmed.

Generals Mackensen and Seekert grasped the use of aircraft for reconnaissance very quickly, and it has now been incorporated into the army group's standard reconnaissance procedures.

To guard against Saxon armored airships, Paris was initially equipped with eight fortifications.

However, three of them were taken to the front lines by Gallieni and were eventually destroyed in battle.

In addition, three other cities were taken with them when the government withdrew to protect the location of the provisional government in Bordeaux.
Inside the command train of the 'Odin', Colonel Lucas looked at the two red dots marked on the map with a cruel smile on his face.

"'Gangnir,' charge! Target: East City Anti-Aircraft Magic Device Base!"

"Fire!"

Accompanied by the familiar buzzing and deafening roar, the blue light representing destruction shot into the sky once again.

The enormous Brilliant Crystal Cannonball traced a perfect parabola across the sky before crashing down with tremendous force onto a block in the eastern part of Paris.

The anti-aircraft magic device site was cleverly disguised in a city park.

But such disguise is meaningless in the face of the power of 'Gungnir'.

The shells didn't even hit directly.

It landed on a street about twenty meters away from the magic device site.

"Boom——!!!"

The earth-shattering explosion instantly engulfed that area completely.

A terrifying energy shockwave spread wildly outwards in a ring shape from the point of explosion.

The six-story Ottoman-style buildings surrounding the impact point were reduced to rubble like sandcastles by the shockwave.

The large anti-aircraft device located near the explosion's epicenter possessed a delicate yet fragile structure—especially its primary lens.
Faced with the extremely high temperature and the irresistible shockwave, it didn't even last a second before being melted and torn apart, turning into a pile of twisted metal slag.

A huge column of smoke rose once again over Paris.

The entire city seemed to tremble amidst this apocalyptic scene.

"Target One confirmed destroyed!" came the report from the observation balloon.

"Good job!"

Colonel Lucas calmly snapped his fingers this time.

"Reload! Target number two! Let's clear the way for the armored airship!"

Meanwhile, in another anti-aircraft magic site in the western part of Paris, all the Gallic soldiers and mages clearly felt the tragedy that had just occurred in the eastern part of the city.

They sensed the devastating energy fluctuations, and some of the mages who chose to stay in Paris even felt the despair of their companions being instantly vaporized.

A chilling coldness rose from the depths of each of their hearts.

"It's our turn next."

A young mage apprentice dropped the magic crystal in his hand, his eyes vacant, muttering to himself.

resistance?

What can we use to resist?
Faced with an attack that could easily wipe out an entire block, all their defenses and struggles seemed so pale and powerless.

Despair spread like a plague.

Fourteen minutes later.

When the second shell from 'Gungnir' descended from the sky with the whistle of death.

This anti-aircraft magic site couldn't even muster a decent counterattack before it followed in the footsteps of its comrades in a violent explosion.

With this, the last barrier over Paris was completely removed.

Control of the skies had completely fallen into the hands of the Saxons.

As the second plume of smoke rose over the western part of Paris, the last vestige of resistance from the remaining Gallic defenders vanished into thin air.

The two armored airships, L28 and L29, also swaggered over Paris.

Their enormous shadows, like a heavy curtain, shrouded the city in despair. "The final assault begins!"

With a command from General Mackensen, the main force of the Saxon First Army, which had already assembled outside the city, poured into the city of Paris from all directions like a flood bursting its banks.

However, the intense street fighting that was expected did not occur.

This so-called 'general offensive' is more like a massive armed parade.

In most neighborhoods, there was no resistance whatsoever.

Because after the Battle of Amiens, the Prime Minister, who publicly declared that he would remain in Paris in accordance with the constitution, actually secretly took a train that night and evacuated with various government departments.

Those who were able to leave the capital, or those who were capable of leaving in a short period of time, all went to places further south.

Paris is now a ghost town, and has no value other than its status as the 'capital'.

So when the Saxon soldiers entered the city, all they saw were tightly closed doors and windows, and streets that were deathly silent.

Occasionally, sporadic gunfire would rang out, but it was quickly suppressed by the Saxon soldiers' fierce firepower.

"Gallic soldiers still resisting! You have been abandoned by your politicians! Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately! We will treat all who surrender well!"

"I'll repeat myself! Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately! Don't make pointless sacrifices for those politicians who are full of lies!"

Temporarily installed metal loudspeakers on a row of Huijing trucks repeatedly broadcast announcements urging surrender in broken Gaulish.

Inside a building that had been used as a makeshift barricade, a dozen Gallic soldiers looked at each other, their faces filled with hesitation and struggle.

Their ammunition was almost gone, several of their brothers were wounded, there were countless Saxons outside, and two enormous shadows like the Grim Reaper loomed in the sky.

They knew that if they continued to resist, there would be no other outcome than death.

"Let's surrender."

An older soldier dejectedly put down his rifle.

"My home is just next block away; I don't want to die here."

"But."

"No buts! We came back only to protect our families! Now the Saxons have promised not to harm civilians or those who surrender, so why should we go and die?"

Finally, a white flag made of bedsheets trembled as it was raised from the building's window.

Similar scenes are playing out in every corner of Paris.

The courage of those soldiers who voluntarily returned to Paris is admirable.

However, their fighting spirit was ultimately worn down by the absolute disparity in strength and their instinct for survival.

After all, the only reason most of them come back here is for their families.

"My God, is it over already?"

Kleist sat in the truck, looking out the window at the dejected Gallic soldiers being led towards the prisoner-of-war camp outside the city, his face filled with disbelief.

"I thought we were going to have a fierce battle."

“Be content,” Morin patted his helmet. “You really want to fight in the streets of Paris? Our battalion wouldn’t be enough to fill that.”

However, looking at this 'peaceful' scene, Morin himself felt a little unreal.

He and his training commando battalion, as the core force of this blitzkrieg, fought their way from Crey to Paris.

In the end, they became the most relaxed unit.

Aside from initially escorting the Odin and calling in a few artillery shells, they were essentially just "playing a minor role" throughout the entire mission.

"Commander, where are we going next? Directly to Paris Gare de l'Est?" Manstein asked.

“Yes, we will occupy the East Station as planned, establish a temporary camp, and then rest on the spot.” Morin nodded.

For him and the training commando battalion, the battle for Paris, the capital of the Gallic Republic, turned out to be the easiest one since the start of the war.

The comfort made him feel uneasy.

His intuition told him that things wouldn't end so easily.

Did the Gauls really give up resistance? What about those mysterious 'sentinels'? Did they just surrender or flee along with them?
Morin always felt that beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of the city, an undercurrent was surging.

Meanwhile, the vanguard of the 2nd Infantry Division of the Saxon Guards had arrived outside the Champ de Mars, where the Eiffel Tower is located.

Looking at the world-famous steel tower before them, the soldiers cheered excitedly.

"Look! It's the Eiffel Tower!"

"We've really made it this far!"

A young major, brimming with confidence, addressed the soldiers around him:
"Guys! Get the national flag and our division's flag ready! Today, we will make the Imperial Black Eagle fly high above Paris!"

According to information previously obtained by the army group's intelligence department, although this iron tower was the mage tower of the Gallo-Soviet mage organization 'Eye of the Loire', the mages who remained there should have already evacuated with the government agencies.

In theory, the Eiffel Tower today is just an empty steel frame.

To occupy it and use it as a symbol of the Saxon Empire's conquest of Paris would undoubtedly be a tremendous honor.

However, just as the major was about to order his troops to advance, he suddenly felt that the air around him seemed to have changed.

An inexplicable sense of oppression enveloped the entire square.

He subconsciously raised his head and looked at the top of the giant tower.

Then, at the top of that tower, hundreds of meters high, tiny blue sparks of electricity began to flicker.

(End of this chapter)