Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei's War Journey

Chapter 99 Our War Behemoths Deployed

After Lu Mingfei was promoted to second lieutenant, he was supposed to go to the military academy in the rear for further study for a period of time. After he returned from the military academy, he would become the company commander of the Ninth Company, while Henrik would become the deputy battalion commander.

However, this is a critical moment in the battle, and it is impossible to transfer people. So everything remains unchanged. Lu Mingfei is still the platoon leader of the third platoon, and Henrik is still the company commander of the ninth company.

But everything seemed to have changed again. The other platoon leaders, who came from good backgrounds, could no longer maintain that superior attitude in front of Lu Mingfei.

A genuine Blue Max Medal, coupled with the legendary feat of conquering Fort Dumont, shrouded Lu Mingfei, a commoner lieutenant, in an aura that even they could not ignore.

Henrik naturally transferred more and more company-level command authority and decision-making responsibility to Lu Mingfei.

Battle briefings, resource allocation, preliminary operational plans, and even some communications with the battalion headquarters all began to be handled by Lu Mingfei.

The other officers and veterans in the company were tacitly aware of this, and even welcomed it. Everyone understood that once the messy battle of Verdun was over, Lu Mingfei would go to the rear to gain experience and return, and the position of company commander of the Ninth Company would be his for the taking. Getting used to his command style in advance would be good for everyone.

The war continued, and the fall of Fort Dumont did not provide any assistance for the subsequent offensive; on the contrary, the fighting became even more difficult.

The Prussian army had fired so many shells that the roads were riddled with craters, severely hindering the advance of the troops—something the staff officers in command had never anticipated.

Moreover, winter passed and spring arrived. The snow on the ground began to melt, and the roads turned into mud. The mud and craters slowed the advance of the Prussian army.

The most critical factor was the artillery. To pull a medium field gun through this muddy hell, it often required eight to ten of the strongest horses and more than ten soldiers to push and pull, making progress as slow as a snail. The logistical supply lines and artillery mobility were severely weakened, and the offensive edge was naturally greatly reduced.

Mud was arguably the Prussian army's nemesis; in any war, mud would slow down the Prussian army's advance.

Moreover, the French counterattack began. Although the fall of Fort Doumont caused an uproar throughout France, and some even advocated surrender, France could not simply give up the fight.

Therefore, French Commander-in-Chief Joffre invited the true protagonist of the Battle of Verdun to take the stage. That man was General Philippe Pétain, who was later known as the savior of Verdun. He was appointed to take command of the Verdun region in a time of crisis.

This 60-year-old veteran, known for his emphasis on artillery and fortifications, quickly demonstrated a style that was completely different from his predecessor.

He reorganized the chaotic command system, established more efficient supply lines, and, more importantly, redeployed and concentrated artillery fire.

The French artillery counterattacks became precise and deadly. Within just a few days, the Prussian army suffered heavy blows on all fronts at Verdun, with casualties rising sharply and losses exceeding 20,000.

The Prussian army's once invincible offensive began to falter for the first time in the face of mud and the French army's reorganized defenses. The battle lines became stalemated, casualties increased daily, and the initial momentum was completely exhausted.

Faced with the stalemate, the Prussian command had to make adjustments. Since the offensive on the right bank of the Meuse River had stalled, they decided to open up the left bank battlefield, disperse the French forces through a pincer attack, and find a new breakthrough.

Therefore, Lu Mingfei's unit was transferred to the left bank of the Meuse River and ordered to establish a new offensive launch position.

"Platoon leader, I heard that the place we're going to attack next is called Dead Man's Mountain?" Otto asked Lu Mingfei beside him while digging a trench with an entrenching tool.

At this time, Lu Mingfei had changed into a Prussian officer's uniform. As a genuine platoon leader, he was no longer required to dig trenches, but he still took an entrenching tool and dug in the mud with the other soldiers.

"Yes, that place has a very wide field of vision. Taking it will eliminate the French field artillery group deployed on the reverse slope, which will reduce the pressure on the main force on the right bank," Lu Mingfei replied while digging.

He had obtained detailed intelligence about the upcoming battle, information that was normally only available to the company commander, but Henrik had given it to him along with the information.

"Dead Man Mountain—that's a really unlucky name—" Carl muttered from the other side.

Lu Mingfei's face had been pale ever since he arrived on the left bank to dig trenches; he knew better than anyone the cruelty of that mountain of the dead.

"The name doesn't matter. Our task is to pull out this nail and keep digging." Lu Mingfei tried to speak casually so that the soldiers around him wouldn't notice that something was wrong with him. He continued to swing his entrenching tool and dig the trench.

The soldiers around him silently followed him as he continued digging, but they could still sense Lu Mingfei's tension—a tension they hadn't felt even when facing the Dumont Fortress.

Caesar did not participate in the digging. He leaned against a newly built sandbag shelter, his eyes closed, seemingly dozing, but in reality, he was listening intently.

Since the explosion at Dumont Castle, his hearing has been damaged, but the powerful physique of an A-class hybrid has allowed him to recover much faster than ordinary people, and he is now able to use the Kamaitachi again to a limited extent.

His ears once again became the most valuable early warning radar for this small team.

"Fire! Get down!" Caesar suddenly shouted.

Without the slightest hesitation, all the soldiers who were digging, including Lu Mingfei, immediately dropped their tools and threw themselves down at the bottom of the newly dug trench, their bodies pressed against the cold, sticky mud, their hands tightly clutching their heads.

Although they didn't hear the sound of cannonballs, no one doubted Caesar's hearing.

Three seconds later, the whistling sound of the shell cutting through the air was heard, followed by an earth-shaking explosion.

Shells rained down on the newly dug trenches like hail, and huge shockwaves kicked up mud and rocks, which came crashing down like a torrential downpour.

The soldiers lay face down in the mud, their hands covering their heads, feeling the terror of death rushing overhead.

The shelling lasted for about ten minutes. Although it wasn't particularly intense, it was very accurate and was clearly aimed at their newly opened offensive launch position. Fortunately, thanks to Caesar's warning, there were no casualties.

This is also why Lu Mingfei's expression was unusually grim. The French army had discovered that they were about to launch an attack and would harass them with artillery fire from time to time. Moreover, the French army had already deployed a large number of troops to be stationed opposite them.

They cannot catch the French army off guard like they did on February 21st; a frontal assault would certainly come at a great cost.

"Hans!" Just then, Major Henrik trudged along the muddy trench, his face even more grim than the gloomy sky.

"New orders from headquarters! The attack is moved up! The first wave of assault on Dead Man's Mountain will begin tomorrow morning!"

"Tomorrow?! We haven't even dug our trenches to the designated positions yet! And are the artillery pieces ready?" Otto exclaimed in surprise.

"Artillery?" Henrik gave a wry smile.

"The situation on the right bank is critical, and most of the artillery has been diverted to support it. As for the left bank—we'd be lucky if they could provide us with half an hour of artillery preparation, and the weather forecast says there might be fog tomorrow."

Insufficient artillery support, incomplete trenches, and the potential for dense fog to hinder observation and coordination—this was practically sending soldiers into a meat grinder.

Lu Mingfei's heart sank immediately. He looked at Henrik and continued, "Company Commander, what's the specific attack plan?"

Henrik took out a sketch with muddy edges and spread it on the wet sandbags: "Our battalion is responsible for the left flank attack. Our company is the spearhead, and your platoon will lead the charge. Today's main objective is to take the forest ahead and establish a position. That's the only forest in front of Dead Man's Mountain and the only place that can provide us with cover."

"Isn't there any other support?" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but ask.

"The battalion commander said that he will send us a great weapon tomorrow, but I don't know what it is." Henrik shook his head with a wry smile. "A great weapon?" Lu Mingfei frowned. He thought of the four large Bertha cannons in front of Fort Dumont, but it was impossible to bring those four heavy cannons over to this muddy ground. What else could be called a great weapon besides those four heavy cannons?

Henrik noticed Lu Mingfei's doubts, but he couldn't offer any more information. He could only pat Lu Mingfei on the shoulder and say, "Don't overthink it, Hans. Let's take down the forest in front of us first."

"Understood." Lu Mingfei suppressed his unease and focused his attention on the battle plan at hand.

He examined the wet sketch closely. The forest, located about 800 meters directly in front of Dead Man's Mountain, was a sizable coniferous forest.

Looking at the map, if we can control the edge of the forest, we can use it as a base to establish attack launch positions and observation posts, and use the trees for cover to reduce the frontal exposure distance when attacking Dead Man's Mountain.

However, the French army must also have known the importance of this forest, and their defenses would certainly not be weak.

Soon, Lu Mingfei began arranging for people to prepare for the attack the next morning.

In the latter half of the night, Lu Mingfei barely slept a wink, repeatedly checking the weapons and ammunition. Otto and the other soldiers were doing the same thing, and everyone was extremely tense.

Caesar leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, but Lu Mingfei knew he wasn't asleep either; he must still be listening to what was happening on the other side.

"Caesar," Lu Mingfei called him softly.

"Hmm?" Caesar opened his eyes, his golden pupils gleaming slightly in the darkness.

"Tomorrow, your ears will be our most important early warning system. Don't push yourself too hard. If you feel something is wrong, speak up immediately. Your safety is just as important," Lu Mingfei said earnestly.

Caesar paused for a moment, then nodded: "I know, you should also be careful."

"9

The brief words conveyed the tacit understanding and trust that had developed after working side by side many times.

Time passed slowly, and a faint light appeared in the eastern sky once again, but the fog showed no signs of weakening. On the contrary, it turned into a thicker grayish-white due to the reflection of the light.

"Ready!" Lu Mingfei stood up, stretched his stiff body, and gave the order in a low voice.

The soldiers did a final check of their equipment.

From behind came the familiar sound of artillery shells firing, as the artillery on the left bank began preparing to bombard the area surrounding the forest.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosion sounded muffled and distant in the thick fog, and the firelight turned into a blurry orange-yellow ball. The shelling was quite intense, but it was nowhere near as intense as it was on the 21st.

The shelling lasted for an hour, and when the last shot faded into the fog, the entire battlefield seemed even more deathly silent.

"Now! Third platoon, follow me!" Lu Mingfei roared and was the first to leap out of the trench.

Like a tidal wave, gray figures began to surge out of the trenches and head towards the woods opposite. Bullets came from different directions in the mist, hitting the surrounding tree trunks and soil, sending wood chips and mud flying. The French resistance began. They were clearly not completely stunned by the shelling just now, and some still held their ground.

"Scatter! Take cover! Fire freely!" Lu Mingfei shouted, rolling behind a pine tree that had been blown up. He quickly pointed his revolver in the direction where the gunfire had just flashed and pulled the trigger.

A French soldier hiding behind a makeshift bunker fell to the ground.

The forest instantly transformed into a massive killing field, with bullets whizzing between tree trunks, grenades exploding and kicking up dirt and splinters, and screams and roars mingling together.

With his Wraith Gun and an officer's Luger P80, Lu Mingfei, with his powerful close-range firepower and superhuman reaction speed, acted like an efficient scavenger, constantly clearing out any French soldiers that popped up in his field of vision.

But he soon discovered that the French resistance was more organized than expected. Instead of holding their ground, they used the complex terrain of the forest to constantly outflank and encircle the Prussian squads that had penetrated too far.

"Platoon leader! The right flank is being suppressed! They have quite a few men!" Otto's voice came from the right, accompanied by a burst of gunfire.

"There's movement on the left flank too! It looks like they're trying to encircle us!" another soldier shouted.

Lu Mingfei's heart sank. They had rushed too fast, creating a gap in their coordination with the follow-up troops. Now they were surrounded on three sides and in danger of being encircled.

"Contract your formation! Move towards the center! Don't get separated!" Lu Mingfei decisively ordered, while simultaneously firing continuously at a French squad that was trying to sneak in from the flank, forcing them back.

The soldiers began fighting their way back, converging on Lu Mingfei's position. But the French firepower intensified, and soldiers continued to fall, wounded by bullets.

"Caesar! Can you hear me? Where are the troops behind us? What's the enemy's main attack direction?" Lu Mingfei shouted to Caesar, who was not far away.

"—There's gunfire behind us, but it's still some distance away—the enemy—the right flank in front is under the most pressure—the left flank—seems relatively weak, damn it! Fire! Get down!" Caesar shouted.

The French artillery counterattack came. Upon hearing Caesar's shout, Lu Mingfei and his group immediately lay down, but the other Prussian troops who had advanced with them were not so lucky.

The dense explosions instantly covered the area where Lu Mingfei and his group were located, as well as the surrounding forest.

"ah!!!"

"My legs!!!"

"Medics!!!"

The screams were instantly drowned out by the explosion. Shrapnel and debris swept everything away like a metal storm, and the Prussian troops that had just broken in were completely scattered.

Lu Mingfei lay prone at the bottom of the crater, feeling the scorching air currents and the constant impact of dirt and gravel on his back.

Otto and several soldiers took cover in another crater not far away, where they were also unable to lift their heads due to the blast. Caesar managed to roll behind the roots of a thick tree trunk, but the shockwave from the explosion still made his eardrums ache, and his old injuries seemed to be recurring.

The shelling lasted for about two minutes, but to the soldiers inside, it felt like an eternity.

When the explosions finally stopped, a barrage of French bullets came again. Lu Mingfei looked up, shook the dirt off his head, and saw a scene of devastation. The trees around him were blown to pieces. He quickly scanned his surroundings.

At least three soldiers lay motionless in pools of blood, while many more were wounded, groaning or struggling in pain. The assault forces on the other side suffered even greater losses.

If they continue their advance without heavy firepower cover, they will inevitably pay an unimaginable price.

Should we abandon this offensive now?

Just as Lu Mingfei was hesitating whether to order a retreat, they heard the clattering of a train behind them.

Lu Mingfei turned his head and saw an armored train coming from behind. Was this the big weapon Henrik had mentioned before? No wonder they chose a place with a railway as their assault site.

At first, he thought it was for better troop and supply transport, but he didn't expect it could be used for this purpose. Armored trains are usually used on the eastern front, and this was the first time Lu Mingfei had ever seen one.

The armored train, like a giant steel python, slowly drove along the railway line, which was cratered by artillery fire but whose tracks had miraculously not been completely destroyed, into the edge of the battlefield.

Its body was covered with thick steel plates, and several turrets and machine gun turrets protruded from the roof and sides, with the dark muzzles of the cannons and guns pointed at the forest ahead. There was even a shovel-shaped obstacle clearer hanging at the front of the train to push away obstacles on the tracks.

This is indeed a powerful weapon. On the left bank, where heavy artillery support is lacking, such a mobile and heavily armed steel fortress is enough to change the balance of the local battlefield.

The armored train had just come to a stop when its side turrets and machine gun turrets roared simultaneously!

75mm rapid-fire cannon shells whistled into the area of ​​the forest where French fire was most concentrated, and the barrage of large-caliber machine guns swept across the exposed French positions and skirmish lines that were trying to encircle them, like the scythe of death.

The French firepower was instantly suppressed, the originally dense rain of bullets became sparse, and the troops that tried to outflank were also unable to raise their heads due to the fierce artillery fire, and even began to suffer casualties and retreat.

"It's an armored train! Our armored train is here!" The surviving Prussian soldiers erupted in cheers of relief.

Lu Mingfei's spirits lifted. He immediately seized the opportunity and shouted, "Those who can still move! Charge with me! Coordinate with the armored train and take the French positions!"

Under the cover of the armored train's powerful firepower, the Prussian soldiers, who had been in dire straits, regained their courage and followed Lu Mingfei in launching a counterattack into the depths of the forest.

This time, the French resistance was significantly weakened. They were thrown into disarray by the sudden arrival of the armored train, and the previous fierce resistance from Lu Mingfei and his men had already caused considerable casualties, so their defensive line began to crumble.

Lu Mingfei, along with Otto and others, advanced rapidly along the edge of the armored train's fire coverage, clearing out the remaining enemy forces and occupying key positions. They then joined forces with another Prussian unit, which had also been reorganized with the support of the armored train, and together they consolidated an area on the edge of the forest.

Although the armored train had fierce firepower, its mobility was limited by the railway line, preventing it from penetrating deep into the forest. Moreover, the French army was clearly aware of the threat posed by this steel monster.

Not long after, from the depths of the forest and the direction of Dead Man's Mountain, came the more muffled roar of artillery with larger calibers, as the French field artillery began to return fire.

The shells landed around the armored train and on the railway line with a sharp whistle, and the explosions kicked up huge plumes of smoke and mud.

Although the armored train's thick armor could withstand small arms fire and shrapnel, it was still dangerous under direct hits from field artillery. It began to return fire while slowly moving backward, trying to create distance and avoid the area of ​​most intense artillery fire.

"They're using heavy artillery against our train!" Otto shouted.

Lu Mingfei knew that the advantage brought by the armored train was temporary, and once the French army adjusted its artillery fire, this steel behemoth could also be destroyed.

They must take advantage of the opportunity while the armored train draws fire and attention to completely capture the forest position and establish a solid defensive line.

"Don't stop! Keep attacking! This is our only chance!" Lu Mingfei roared, pushing his morale-boosting skills to the limit. The soldiers around him, enveloped by his domain, felt their adrenaline surge and were completely fearless.

Everyone knew that once this steel behemoth was forced to retreat or fall silent, what awaited them was complete annihilation by the French forces that had regrouped in the forest.

"Charge! For Prussia!"

"Follow the lieutenant!"

The soldiers followed behind Lu Mingfei, no longer caring about casualties or hoarding ammunition, and charged forward desperately, sweeping away all remaining resistance.

The French army, caught between armored trains and infantry, finally began to collapse.

Some positions were abandoned, and the soldiers fled in panic to the depths of the forest or toward the Dead Man's Mountain. Lu Mingfei led his men to quickly occupy several key machine gun nests and mortar positions, captured some ammunition, and used the captured weapons to establish temporary defensive points.

"Quickly! Establish a circular defensive line! Utilize the French fortifications! Set up the machine gun!" Lu Mingfei commanded while personally dragging a captured Hotchkiss light machine gun and setting it up on a ridge with good visibility, aiming the muzzle at the direction from which the French might counterattack.

Caesar, Otto, and the other soldiers quickly took up cover about two hundred meters inward from the edge of the forest. The terrain was relatively high, with a few large trees that had not been completely destroyed and trenches hastily dug by the French that they could use.

The armored train was engaged in a fierce exchange of fire with the French artillery in the distance. Shells flew back and forth, and explosions were heard continuously. It tied down most of the French heavy firepower, buying precious time for Lu Mingfei and his men.

About an hour later, the gunfire in the forest gradually subsided, and the French army seemed to have given up on its plan to immediately retake the area, or was reorganizing its forces.

Meanwhile, the Prussian reinforcements finally caught up and began to fill the gap opened by Lu Mingfei and his men, and to build a more complete defensive line along the edge of the forest.

However, this war behemoth had now turned into a pile of burning scrap metal, having fulfilled its mission perfectly.

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