Imperial Elite

Chapter 21: Get in the tanks and charge them!

1916 was not a good year for the Gauls, or rather, since the Gallo-Baptiste Régis was first ousted by the anti-Gallic coalition in 1814, no year had been a good year for them.

After the death of the Emperor and his old guard, the Gallic Army, which was originally the most powerful and invincible force in the Old World and was known as the best army in the world, began to go from one defeat to another.

If the defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, the final battle of the Gauls, made them lament, "Damn it! The cavalry are all scoundrels. If they had arrived in time like Desai did at the Battle of Marengo, we wouldn't have lost the victory that was within our grasp!"

The defeat at the Battle of Sedan more than forty years ago left the Gauls with no choice but to say, "Damn Teutons! We are your sworn enemies!"

So when the war broke out, the nightmare of the crushing defeat forty years ago spurred the Gauls to eagerly join the army, ready to restore the glory of the Great Emperor and give the Teutons a good kick in the ass!
Then, the situation changed slightly from what they had expected.

What was originally thought to be a war that would end in a few months turned into a painful and protracted conflict.

The brutal battles caused those once enthusiastic recruits, who were ready to teach the Teutons a lesson, to either fall on the battlefield or survive like a group of vagrants in the trenches.

Due to the harsh conditions and scarce water in the trenches, these soldiers, who often went weeks or even months without bathing, quickly invented the term "hairy soldiers" to describe veterans who had been stationed in the trenches for so long that their hair and beards grew like weeds in an abandoned wheat field.

While these barbarian soldiers may not have possessed the fighting prowess of the old Praetorian Guard, who were once considered the elite of the Gallic elite, they did learn from the old Praetorian Guard's habit of complaining about everything.

From the weather to the flooded trenches, from the soup turning to mush and becoming inedible, to the Teutons across the trench having a fit of madness and randomly firing their guns to scare people, these long-haired soldiers complained equally about everything they could.

Especially today, as the artillery preparations were about to end, these smelly, long-haired soldiers, after checking their equipment and beginning to line up in the trenches, complained even more.

They complained that the artillerymen had only fired a few shots to get by, betting they hadn't even killed a single Teuton, and then hastily ended the shelling to go get some hot soup and maybe flirt with the nurses at the hospital.

Then he complained that the generals were all bastards, that he had just finished the battle at Verdun and now he had to help these damned Buntanians, and that these bastards couldn't even launch an attack!
Of course, the biggest complaint was that we were cavalry, and it was one thing to dismount and fight when we were stationed in the trenches, but now that we were going to attack, why were we being made to walk? Even if we were to die, we should die on horseback like a knight, not like infantrymen dying in the mud.

When his subordinates complained, Jean-Pierre Deschamps listened patiently to their grievances, occasionally offering a few words of agreement while checking their equipment. After checking, he would pat them on the shoulder and remind them to be careful of the Teutonic bullets and not to be foolish enough to get killed by the Teutons.

Although he warned his subordinates to be careful of Teutonic bullets, Jean-Pierre showed no intention of keeping a low profile. Although his officer's uniform and cloak were dirty and worn, several gleaming medals were hung on his chest as if he were afraid the Teutons wouldn't see him.

Although in the first year of the war, officers no longer appeared on the front lines in their fine uniforms due to attacks by Teutonic snipers, and medals were only displayed on their chests when giving interviews or rotating to the rear.

But Jean-Pierre was clearly not that kind of person; according to Jean-Pierre, the bullets that could kill him had not yet been manufactured on the Teutonic production line.

On the first day of the war, as a cavalry officer, he wore his uniform and led his men across the border toward Alsace-Lorraine, a region his father had talked about almost his entire life.

After giving the Teutonic guerrillas a sound beating, Jean-Pierre joined his troops in the battle known as the "Run to the Sea."

As the last large-scale cavalry battle of the war so far, Jean-Pierre led his troops and, in just one day, swept through two Teutonic lines with a flanking attack, capturing six machine guns and taking more than a dozen Teutons prisoner.

However, after that, Jean-Pierre's 7th Cavalry Division had to abandon their horses and begin fighting on dismount like pitiful infantrymen due to the change in the nature of warfare.

Jean-Pierre didn't really have much of an opinion on this, since all he wanted was to get him to kill the Teutons.

Unlike most other Gauls, Jean-Pierre had some personal grudges against the Teutons.

Jean-Pierre's great-grandfather was once a member of the glorious old guard of the Emperor. However, after the Emperor was exiled, the nobles and royal families who had been driven out made a comeback. Jean-Pierre's grandfather did not hate the Bunitas or the Lucias, but he hated himself for not fighting harder and depriving the Teutons of the manpower to participate in the Battle of Waterloo, so that the Emperor would not have lost.

According to this logic, Jean-Pierre's great-grandfather hated the Teutons.

With such a great-grandfather, Jean-Pierre's grandfather naturally joined the army without hesitation after the Emperor's nephew returned with the banner of "Make Gaul Great Again," ready to follow in his ancestor's footsteps.

At first, everything was going well. One military victory after another made everyone feel as if they were witnessing the most glorious era of Gaul. Then Jean-Pierre's grandfather encountered the Battle of Sedan.

The battle was lost, the emperor was captured, the Teutonic Emperor was crowned in the Hall of Mirrors, reviewed his troops in Paris and took Alsace-Lorraine. Jean-Pierre, who grew up listening to these stories from his grandfather, understood a principle very early on.

Two tigers cannot share one mountain, unless one is male and the other female. If Gaul wants to become great again, it must defeat the Teutons.

So from the moment he could hold a gun, Jean-Pierre began military training. By the time the war broke out, Jean-Pierre, now a cavalry lieutenant, was different from the others who were filled with a mix of fear and excitement. He simply felt, "Damn it, this day has finally come! The revenge for my great-grandfather and grandfather! I can finally avenge them!"
This time, I'll either die on the battlefield, or I'll ride my horse into Germania! I'll give the Teutons a taste of the Battle of Sedan!
After inspecting his men's equipment, Jean-Pierre looked at them and said...

"The fog is very thick today, which is advantageous for the attack. And the fog hasn't dissipated yet, which is clearly a sign of the Holy Mother's mercy. You all know what we need to do, and you all know how to do it. Now let's go and wipe out those Teutons."

As he spoke, Jean-Pierre took a bottle of wine out of his bag and held it up.

"Last year's finest sparkling wine from the Champagne province, for the guy who slaughtered the most Teutons today! Long live Gaul!"

Long live Gaul!

Seeing the sparkling wine in Jean-Pierre's hand, Jean-Pierre's men cheered loudly, whether for the sake of Gallicia or for the sparkling wine itself, it was unclear.

"Ping!"

"Shu~!!"

As a signal flare soared into the sky, a series of whistles sounded from the trenches.

As Jean-Pierre put the bottle back into his bag, he also put the whistle in his mouth and blew it.

With the sound of a whistle, the Gallic soldiers in the trenches climbed the ladders beside the trenches and rushed into the no-man's land outside the trenches.

Just as they had expected, the artillery bombardment failed to break through the Teutonic defenses. As they rushed out of the trenches, the Teutonic machine guns began to roar, and the Teutonic infantry also poked their heads out of the trenches and began to fire.

These Gallic soldiers were seasoned veterans of such counterattacks. They thought, "So what if it's machine guns and snipers? I'll just lie down and kill the person who's firing."
If the distance is too far for a person to hit accurately, then try to get closer and throw the grenade in, right?
Jean-Pierre, also an officer, began searching for weaknesses in the Teutonic defenses on the battlefield, just as he had done in the past.

Although they were currently fighting on foot, this didn't hinder Jean-Pierre's plan. He intended to find the Teutons' weakness and then lead his troops like a train to ram them, giving the Teutons a small shock from Gaul. However, the Teutonic resistance was unprecedentedly fierce today, and Jean-Pierre couldn't find their weakness immediately.

Just as Jean-Pierre hesitated about whether to charge straight in and start a breakthrough from any random spot, he noticed a sudden commotion in the Teutonic defenses, followed by an explosion.

Jean-Pierre involuntarily made the sign of the cross on his chest. "Holy Mother, what the hell is this thing...?"

An ugly, enormous metal box appeared behind the Teutonic defenses, emerging from the thick fog.

Although this box was so ugly it could drive Parisian artists to suicide, it was loaded with cannons and machine guns.

Now this box is like an angel raining down fire on Somador, destroying the Teutonic trenches with machine guns and cannons.

Although I don't understand what this ugly box is, or why it's behind the Teutonic defenses and attacking the Teutons.

However, the Teutons were clearly unaware of the situation, leading to chaos within their previously tight defenses.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jean-Pierre, who had been lying in a shell crater firing sniper shots at the Teutonic lines, jumped up from the ground.

"These are reinforcements sent by the Holy Mother! Brothers, don't hesitate! Charge with me! Long live Gaul!"

Having said that, he picked up his rifle and charged forward. Seeing that Jean-Pierre had also charged, Jean-Pierre's men also picked up their rifles, got up from the ground, and rushed toward the Teutonic trenches.

Long live Gaul!

Just as Jean-Pierre launched his attack, Joe on the Lucky Bella panicked.

According to the original plan, Joe was supposed to pass through the junction of the two Teutonic forces, and he had planned it all out as he drove into the thick fog.

Once they reached the trenches, they told the general that they were a special unit and asked the troops not to fire, but to let them pass quietly.

Would those Teutonic soldiers dare disobey the general's orders?
Once we cross the Teutonic trenches, won't the world be our oyster?

Then, after driving for another hour through the thick fog, Joe realized something was wrong. According to the map, they should have crossed a landmark bridge, after which they would be close to the junction.

But where the hell is the bridge?! Where is the bridge?!

Not finding the bridge, Joe didn't dare to ask anyone for directions.

After all, I was lucky to have found a general's command post last time.

Joe didn't even want to think about what else they might find this time.

Joe was fully aware of his past luck in gacha pulls, which relied entirely on the guaranteed drop rate, so he could only take the compass and have Herbert head southwest.

Surely there won't be any more problems now.

Then, as he was driving, Joe heard the sound of artillery fire ahead.

While hearing artillery fire is generally not a good thing, Joe, who is now completely lost, has broken free from conventional thinking.

Joe figured that since there was artillery fire coming from here, it must be close to the front lines, or at least a Teutonic artillery position.

If this place is close to the front line, then if I make my way from here, wouldn't I be able to find my organization?

If this is a Teutonic artillery position, then if I build a fortification here and then head south, I won't have to worry about being targeted by artillery.
This is like Qin Shi Huang looking in a mirror—a win-win situation!

Brothers, abandon the vehicles, get in the tanks, and charge them!
Then Joe discovered that the already overloaded tank, after being crammed with a group of trench reconnaissance soldiers, had become as cramped as a sardine.

It would have been one thing to squeeze in a few passengers, but once the Lucky Bella was crammed with spoils and full of people, its already slow speed became even slower.

Basically, even a Britannian cripple with a cane wouldn't be much slower than this thing.

But Joe didn't dare let the trench reconnaissance team get off the vehicle.

After all, who knows how many Teutons are around? Letting them get off the vehicle now is no different from sending them to their deaths. Let's just make do and wait until we make contact with the enemy.

Then, after Joe passed through the thick fog, he first saw the Teutonic defenses.

We saw the Teutons. There's not much to say. Just bombard them with cannons, blast them with machine guns, and get them done.

Once I break through this Teutonic defense line, I'll head back!
But when the gunners began bombarding the Teutonic trenches, Joe was surprised to find that, wait a minute... why weren't those attacking men wearing the uniforms of the Bunitania Expeditionary Force?
Good grief, where did that throttle go?
After discovering that the opposing force was not the Bunitania Expeditionary Force, Joe was even more reluctant to let the trench reconnaissance team get off the vehicle.

After all, in trench warfare, friend or foe identification has become so simple that you can shoot anyone who isn't one of your own. So even though the Lucky Bella is now severely overloaded, to the point where it meets the KPIs that traffic police would have for a year, it still managed to survive.

But Joe still ordered Herbert, "Full throttle and charge towards the other side of the trench!"

Amidst the roar of the engine, Herbert shouted, "It's at the bottom! If I step on it any further, I'll stomp into the gas tank!"

Just then, the Lucky Bella suddenly stopped, and Herbert's voice trembled with tears.

"Damn it! We think we're stuck!"

(End of this chapter)