Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei's War Journey

Chapter 96 The Strongest Shield and the Strongest Spear

A new day began. Due to the unacceptably high losses of the previous day, the four steel behemoths with a caliber of 420 mm, with the strenuous efforts of countless engineers and mules, finally reached their pre-arranged positions outside Fort Dumont.

Moreover, Crown Prince William, the commander of the Battle of Verdun, also personally came to the front lines to direct the battle.

To accommodate these four behemoths and their massive munitions, Prussian engineers worked almost overnight to construct sturdy concrete foundations and bunkers.

As the massive cannon barrels slowly rose in the morning mist, aimed at the distant concrete fortress that resembled a mountain range, the entire front line was enveloped in an atmosphere of grim anticipation.

At the start of World War I, Prussia used the Great Bertha to defeat the Belgian super fortress of Liège, which was almost the strongest fortress in European history, consisting of a ring defense system of 12 concrete bastions.

Each fort was equipped with steam power generation equipment, water pumps, searchlights, and an underground tunnel system. It also stored food, drinking water, ammunition, and medical supplies. The fort was surrounded by deep trenches, barbed wire, and rapid-fire artillery positions. Each turret housed 400 soldiers, including two artillery companies and one infantry company, for a total strength of approximately 25,000 men.

Although each individual turret was significantly inferior to Duamont's, the fortress system formed by the twelve turrets providing cross-protection was still incredibly powerful.

But even such a powerful fortress was completely destroyed by the Grand Bertha in just a few days, ending the era of fortresses. It was also because of the fall of the Liège fortress that the French commander-in-chief, Joffre, believed that Douaumont and the other fortresses around it were of little use and withdrew the garrison and cannons.

Now, everything has changed because of a report from a hybrid from the future. The strongest spear on land is about to face off against the strongest shield on land.

"Can the Great Bertha really break through Fort Dumont?" Otto asked, lying on the edge of the trench, gazing at the steel behemoths in the distance.

No one could answer him. The fall of Liège Fortress was imminent, but Doumont Castle was also widely recognized as the strongest. This was an unprecedented duel.

Lu Mingfei and Caesar were also observing.

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, the observation balloon was launched, and all preparations were complete.

At Crown Prince William's command, the four Great Berthas roared almost simultaneously!

The deafening roar was indescribable, as if the sky and the earth had exploded simultaneously. Even several kilometers away, Lu Mingfei and the others felt the ground beneath their feet tremble violently, their eardrums buzzed, and their chests felt heavy.

Four massive shells, each weighing a ton, carrying destructive kinetic energy, ripped through the gloomy sky and slammed into Fort Dumont at an almost vertical angle.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

All the telescopes were pointed at the fortress.

The first shell landed on the top right side of the main fortress.

It didn't penetrate directly as I had imagined.

The thick layer of soil and camouflage netting on the top of the fortress were instantly blown away, sending up smoke and dust more than ten meters high. A huge, shocking crater and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the concrete surface, with debris flying everywhere, but the main body of the fortress still stood.

The second and third shells fell in succession, hitting the side of the fortress and another part of the top, respectively. The explosions and smoke engulfed most of the fortress, and the violent tremors could even be felt by the Prussian soldiers observing from a distance. The damage to the surface of the fortress was even more severe, with large chunks of concrete falling off and some smaller auxiliary buildings collapsing directly.

However, the main structure of the fortress, especially the key rising and falling turrets, was not damaged much.

The fourth shell, and the first of the last Big Bertha shells, carrying everyone's hopes and tension, hit the front of the fortress, near the main entrance, but only created a large hole in the sign that read "Fort Dumont".

In the clash between the strongest shield and the strongest spear, the strongest shield seems to have a slight advantage.

"Not enough—" Seeing this, Crown Prince William put down his binoculars and murmured, then said to the staff officer next to him.

"Continue the shelling, continue intermittent firing as planned. Order the troops to launch the attack immediately according to the original plan! Tell all regimental commanders, battalion commanders, and company commanders that today, someone must raise the Imperial flag atop Fort Dumont. The first soldier to do so will be personally awarded the highest-ranking medal of honor! Have the supervisory teams all in position! I do not want to see anyone back down!"

Although Doumont Castle did not appear to have suffered much damage, he had to take it down quickly. The Battle of Verdun was his most important battle, his chance to prove himself to his father, and the foundation for him to become Emperor of Prussia. Therefore, this battle could only succeed and could not fail.

The target is there. If the giant cannons don't work, then let's fill the gaps with human lives. Let the flesh and blood of these young soldiers feed this battlefield.

"Prepare for the attack!" Captain Henrik said, coming up behind Lu Mingfei.

"What? They're not going to continue shelling?" Otto exclaimed from the side.

The shelling just now was clearly not very effective. If we launch an attack now, it's very likely that we'll end up like yesterday, with the corpses still lying all over the battlefield.

"Well, we don't have that much time to be held back by this fortress," Henrik said, changing his hat into a helmet and beginning to check his pistol.

"You're going too?" Lu Mingfei was a little surprised by Henrik's actions. Usually, Henrik would stay in the rear and give orders, and rarely charged into battle with Lu Mingfei and the others.

"The supervisory team is here; we have no choice but to go," Henrik continued.

Lu Mingfei then noticed that machine guns had been set up on the rear positions, but these machine guns were not aimed at the Dumont Fortress on the opposite side, but were pointed at them.

"Crown Prince William has given a death order: we must take Fort Dumont today at all costs. The first soldier to plant the flag on Fort Dumont will receive a medal of honor," Henrik said, putting on his helmet and extending a hand to Lu Mingfei.

"My life is now in your hands."

Lu Mingfei looked at Henrik's outstretched hand, then at the dark machine gun barrels behind him, pointing at their own men. This was war, driving soldiers to their deaths in the most barbaric way, not even officers of noble birth were spared.

Lu Mingfei looked at the hand Henrik extended and remained silent for two seconds. This timid and shrewd company commander, who still maintained a bottom line and conscience at crucial moments, had chosen to entrust his trust and life to him at this moment, so he finally shook it.

"I will do my best," Lu Mingfei said.

Henrik nodded without saying anything more; they all understood what it meant to do their best on this kind of battlefield.

Soon, the order to attack was passed down from top to bottom.

The whistle for the charge sounded once again.

"For the Emperor! For Prussia! Forward!" The officers of the detachment brandished their pistols and shouted themselves hoarse as they urged the soldiers to leap out of the trenches.

The gray tide surged toward Fort Dumont once again.

Unlike yesterday, Lu Mingfei did not have the troops deliberately slow down. Under the guns of the supervising team, any hesitation was fatal.

He roared, "Three platoons! Charge with me! Keep up with the cover, make good use of every shell crater and corpse!"

He leaped out of the trench first, the Wraith Spear already in his hand, Caesar close behind, his golden eyes gleaming slightly in the smoke, the Kamaitachi spread its arms wide, trying to catch any signs of danger ahead.

Otto and the other soldiers, their eyes red, rushed out as well. Captain Henrik, gripping a Luger pistol, followed behind Lu Mingfei, gritting his teeth.

The bombardment of the Grand Bertha did not appear to be ineffective; the French firing rate this time was much slower than yesterday.

However, the machine gun firepower remained fierce, and the path of the charge instantly turned into a living hell. People were constantly hit and fell, their screams drowned out by the deafening gunfire.

But this time, Lu Mingfei and his men could not stop. The machine guns of the supervisory team hung over their heads like the Sword of Damocles, forcing them forward, ever forward.

Lu Mingfei began to activate the ability he had gained from Philippe Laurent, spreading it outwards to the three rows of soldiers around him, including Henrik next to him.

In an instant, Otto and the others felt a surge of heat explode from their hearts, rushing to every part of their bodies. The fatigue of days of fighting, the fear of the fortress's firepower, the sight of the supervisory team's guns—all these negative emotions were forcibly suppressed by a feeling of excitement. "Bomb crater on the left! Quick!"

"Machine gun! 10 o'clock! Suppress!"

As Lu Mingfei charged forward, he continuously issued concise commands, while his Wraith Spear precisely targeted the exposed enemies within the fortress's firing ports. Caesar, on the other hand, acted as his other pair of eyes and ears, providing early warning of deadly artillery fire and flanking attacks.

Like a sharp awl, they carved a path through the chaotic charging ranks, gradually approaching the barbed wire and trenches surrounding the fortress, where yesterday's corpses still lay piled up, becoming their new cover.

"The platoon leader is dead! There's barbed wire ahead! We can't get through!" Otto shouted loudly, lying next to several corpses.

"Wait! The Big Bertha will go off again in two minutes! Hold on! Everyone, get your grenades ready!" Lu Mingfei shouted loudly from in front of several corpses. The Big Bertha was very powerful, but only eight rounds could be fired per hour.

Then, he abruptly turned to Caesar beside him and said rapidly, "Caesar! Listen! The moment the cannon fire starts, the people inside the fortress will be jolted and their firepower will be momentarily disrupted or even thrown into chaos! I need you to use the Kamaitachi at that moment to pinpoint the exact location in this area ahead—the direction in which the fortress has the fewest people, the weakest firepower, or is in the most disoriented state! Can you do it?!"

"I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Caesar said firmly, pushing the Kamaitachi to its maximum range.

Just then, a piercing whistle came from behind, and four giant cannonballs slammed into the Dumont Fortress in front of them. Lu Mingfei and the others could feel the shockwaves sweeping over them.

"Caesar!" Lu Mingfei shouted.

Caesar, who was lying next to him, had his eyes tightly closed the moment the shelling came. His originally rosy cheeks turned ashen white, and the veins on his forehead, neck, and temples bulged like earthworms. Blood slowly flowed from his ears.

But he maintained that posture, motionless, and poured all his energy and senses into the Word of Power: Kamaitachi.

"There are the fewest people on the left! And the people inside are still dizzy!" Finally, he got what he wanted.

"Everyone throw grenades!" Lu Mingfei shouted again and threw the grenade in his hand. The others threw their grenades as well, and the grenades shattered the barbed wire in front of them. "Charge!!!" Lu Mingfei roared. He was the first to roll over the blasted gap. His boots stepped on the wet and slippery mud. The broken barbed wire around him cut his body, but he didn't care at all.

The others in the third row did the same; they were like wild beasts driven to the brink, roaring as they pounced.

The machine gun fire resumed, but noticeably slower. Before the men in the firing ports could fully recover, several French soldiers, struggling to their feet from their dizziness, were struck by the vengeful gun and fell one after another.

After Lu Mingfei and his group passed through the barbed wire fence, they encountered another obstacle: a trench seven meters deep behind it. Jumping down from that height would leave them either dead or crippled. However, they could vaguely see water at the bottom of the trench.

"Get down! Get down now!" Lu Mingfei didn't hesitate at all. Staying in the open and facing the fire from the front of the fortress would surely mean certain death. Jumping down into the trench was equally dangerous, but at least there was a chance of survival.

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