Imperial Elite

Chapter 22 The trenches are full of Teutons!

Since yesterday, Joe has been thinking of a million ways to get the Lucky Bella stuck.

Even when the Lucky Bella arrived at the front line, he was still gritting his teeth because the Lucky Bella hadn't gotten stuck in some mud pit and couldn't be pulled out.

But Joe never expected that the Lucky Bella would suddenly get stuck at this time and place.

When Joe heard Herbert's slightly tearful voice say, "It's over! We think we're stuck!", his mind suddenly went blank.

If it weren't for the fact that the God here is just like the one on Earth, not even caring that his own son has been given a magical artifact, Joe would have thought that someone was targeting him.

Otherwise, why would this car get stuck at the exact time when it should have been stuck the most?

Although this situation was unexpected, after a moment of surprise, Joe immediately began to issue instructions.

"Herbert! You fucking shut the gas pedal! Let go! You fucking only step on it when I tell you to!"

After yelling at Herbert, Joe risked sticking his head out through a hole in the roof of the car to take a look.

Clearly, since the Lucky Bella entered the fray, the battle has turned from a free-for-all into a mixed doubles fight, plunging the Teutons into chaos. The surrounding Teutons are being suppressed by the Lucky Bella's firepower and are huddled in the trenches, unable to raise their heads.

Seeing this, Joe immediately turned to the trench reconnaissance team members who were huddled inside the tanks like sardines, clutching their rifles.

"You lot, get out of the car! All of you get out of the car! Set up a defensive line around the tank. We absolutely cannot let these Teutons get close to the tank and throw grenades in, or we'll be all done for!"

Upon hearing Joe's words, the members of the trench reconnaissance team opened the car door and rushed out without saying a word.

As the members of the trench reconnaissance team rushed out, Joe shouted to the remaining crew members.

"Stop conserving ammunition! Fire all the bullets and shells out of the way! We absolutely cannot let them react!"

As he spoke, Joe drew his revolver from his waist and prepared to rush out of the cabin door. He had only taken two steps when he was grabbed by a crew member.

"Boss, what are you doing down there?"

Joe slapped the crew member's hand away.

"I'm going down there to save the truck! If it stays here, we're all going to die! You go get them ammunition! Don't worry about me!"

Just as Joe rushed out of the tank, the Teutonic general trapped on the wall was watching Joe thoughtfully, his eyes flashing with a strange light.

Joe rushed out of the tank, slammed the hatch shut behind him, and jogged to the front of the vehicle.

Joe breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the half of the track stuck in the mud.

The tank was in much better condition than Joe had expected. Although half of the front of the tank was stuck in the mud, it wasn't too deep. At least one track and most of the track were still outside, so there was still hope for recovery.

Those who frequently get their vehicles stuck know that there are generally two ways to get them out of the situation as quickly as possible.

One method is to find a vehicle with a winch in front of the stuck vehicle and use the winch to pull the vehicle out.

Joe obviously can't conjure a winch right now, so he plans to use the second method: stuffing some planks or tree trunks into the section of track that's stuck in the mud to reduce the pressure of the track on the muddy ground and let the tank climb out of the mud pit by itself.

Then Joe encountered the same problem as the first method: where to get these planks or tree trunks to rescue the Lucky Bella.

In an instant, Joe thought of a place where he could get a lot of planks, and the place was very close to him. The only question was, should he really go?
The answer is clearly yes.

After looking around, Joe fixed his gaze on a section of Teutonic trench not far in front of him.

As a former combat engineer, Joe knew very well that in order to ensure the strength of the trench, a large number of wooden planks were used to reinforce the trench in a standardized trench, and the drainage ditch was separated at the bottom of the trench with wooden planks to keep the trench as dry as possible.

So as long as he could get into the trenches, Joe could get his hands on planks, and even an entrenching tool, to dig through the mud in front of the tracks so he could stuff the planks in.

As the old saying goes, "Since we're already here..."

Joe, holding a revolver, trotted over to the sergeant of the trench reconnaissance team, who was huddled in a shell crater, warily observing his surroundings, and spoke to him.

"Have two men follow me; I need to go to the trenches ahead and get some planks."

Although the sergeant looked at Joe with a questioning gaze that seemed to ask, 'What could possibly be worth risking your life in the Teutonic trenches?', he only paused for a moment before waving behind him.

"Edward! Come here!"

After saying that, he looked at Joe and said, "I also have a pistol. Rifles are not very useful in the trenches, so I'll go with you."

After saying that, the sergeant put down his rifle, drew a pistol and dagger from his belt, and said to Edward, who was rushing over with a rifle, "We need to go with the lieutenant to the Teutonic trenches to get some things. Be smart, fire first, then question, understand?"

"understand!"

Edward nodded to the sergeant and Joe.

Seeing that the sergeant and Edward were ready, Joe turned around and gestured sharply to the Lucky Bella, signaling the gunner in the turret to fire a shot into the trench.

The gunner understood Joe's gesture, and the next second a burst of fire rose from that section of the trench.

"go!"

As the fine sand and gravel thrown into the air by the shockwave of the explosion were still falling like raindrops, Joe, the sergeant, and Edward crouched low and charged toward the trench.

Soon Joe, the sergeant, and Edward arrived at the edge of the trench.

According to training regulations, Joe should have jumped into the trench in this situation, but he was worried that the recent shelling had damaged most of the wooden planks in the trench.

If the wooden planks here are badly damaged, then all my jumping would have been for nothing.

So before jumping, Joe stopped and looked into the trench.

Then Joe saw a group of Teutons wearing helmets and carrying guns, standing full in the trench.

Seemingly noticing Joe's footsteps or sensing his gaze, the Teutons, their helmets still covered in dust and gravel from the recent shelling, all looked up at Joe outside the trench.

Faced with this scene, Joe's blood ran cold. Hadn't there just been a shelling attack?! How come these people are completely unharmed?!

The Teutons in the trenches seemed to have no idea that a Buntanian would suddenly appear from outside the trenches at this moment.

For a moment, silence fell over both the trenches and the battlefield, until one of the Teutonic sergeants blew the whistle he was holding in his mouth.

The brief silence was broken by the sound of the whistle, and the Teutons in the trenches raised their guns and aimed at Joe. Joe, regaining his senses, also raised his pistol and fired a few shots haphazardly at the Teutons in the trench before lying prone on the ground.

Because this position was not very convenient for loading, Joe, who had just emptied the cylinder of bullets, casually pulled out the pistol that the Teutonic general had given him.

Just then, the sergeant and Edward rushed to Joe's side.

"What happened? You were shot?"

Upon hearing the sergeant's voice, Joe shouted back at the sergeant with all his might.

"Teutons! The trenches are full of Teutons!"

Just as Joe was speaking, a head popped out of the trench.

Before he could even get a clear look at the face, Joe raised his gun and fired.

The Teutonic man fell back into the trench.

When the sergeant heard Joe say that there were Teutons in the trenches, he was also startled.

However, the experienced sergeant immediately pulled a grenade from his belt, bit off the pin, and threw it into the trench.

Although Edward, who was running behind, didn't hear what Joe had just shouted, he saw the sergeant throwing grenades into the trench, so Edward quickly pulled out a grenade and threw it into the trench as well.

Meanwhile, the Teutons in the trenches also began throwing grenades out of the trenches, but they didn't know where Joe and the others were outside.

Therefore, the grenades thrown by the Teutons generally landed a little far from Joe and the others.

After a rather unfriendly exchange of projectiles between those inside and outside the trenches, cries of alarm rang out from both the Teutons and the Bunitans.

Although neither side could understand what the other was saying, judging from the scene, they were probably both shouting "Grenade!" or "Take cover!"

As a series of explosions rang out almost simultaneously inside and outside the trenches, Qiao covered his head and lay on the ground, regretting that he hadn't paid attention during his officer training. If he had listened carefully, he wouldn't have gotten lost.
If I hadn't gotten lost, I wouldn't be stuck here; if I hadn't gotten stuck here, I wouldn't be getting hit by a grenade...

After the explosion ended, before Joe could even lift his head from the ground, the sergeant grabbed his pistol and went to the edge of the trench, unleashing a barrage of fire into the trench.

"Alright, this trench is cleared."

Upon hearing the sergeant's words, Joe raised his head and then scrambled into the trench.

Jumping into the trench, looking at the Teutons lying dead all over the ground, Joe felt a mix of emotions.

However, now is clearly not a good time to be sentimental or melancholic.

After looking around the trench, Joe immediately abandoned the idea of ​​dismantling the trench wall panels.

Although these thick wall panels were not damaged much in the explosion and most of them were still usable, Joe had obviously found some better materials.

These are the Teutonic rifles and helmets.

Although these rifles are not as wide as the wooden planks, they have ropes attached, which makes them easy to move.

If it's just moving planks, I can only carry two planks at most at a time, depending on their size. But if I'm dragging these rifles, I can carry a whole bunch at once!
My loving father once said that quantity is itself a kind of quality!
Forget about those planks, just bring these Teutonic rifles!

After changing their targets, Joe and his group quickly obtained a number of rifles from the Teutons, and Joe even got two entrenching tools.

Grabbing a bunch of rifles and entrenching tools, Joe and his group slung their rifles over their shoulders and left the trench.

However, after leaving the trenches, Joe was surprised to find that all the gunfire on the battlefield had stopped. What happened?

Joe looked again and saw a group of people in blue uniforms talking as they walked toward the Lucky Bella.

Because he was too nervous before, Joe didn't pay much attention to these men in blue, but now that he's calmed down, he realizes that these are the Gallic Army.

What is the man in the lead doing, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a Gallic flag in the other?

Where did that sudden acceleration come from?
What were they doing at the tank?
Damn it! There's a Teutonic general and a bunch of officers in my car. What if they see this?!

------

Jean-Pierre, holding a bottle of sparkling wine in one hand and a Gallic flag in the other, cautiously approached the ugly metal box.

"Boss, are we really going? That thing looks dangerous."

"What are you afraid of?"

Jean-Pierre spoke to the corporal who had just spoken without turning his head.

“When we jumped into the trench just now, I saw the people coming down from above wearing the uniforms of the Bunitania Expeditionary Force. They had just intercepted the Teutons who were trying to evacuate through the trench. They must be friendly forces.”

Looking at that ugly metal contraption, Jean-Pierre lowered his voice and said.

"The fact that they were able to emerge from behind the Teutons means they must have made significant progress on the Teutonic defenses, and may even be able to help us. So, keep your spirits up and don't embarrass yourselves! You don't want to be looked down upon by the Bunitania, do you?"

Upon hearing Jean-Pierre's words, the Gallic officers and non-commissioned officers who had come with Jean-Pierre to join forces with the allied troops immediately straightened their backs. Although they usually had no regard for appearances in the trenches and would even laugh at those guys who actually took the time to groom themselves, shave their beards and hair, and wash their faces with the limited drinking water available, they were still very proud of them.

However, upon realizing that they were meeting with allied forces and representing the face of Gaul, these officers and non-commissioned officers began to regret not grooming themselves after getting up that day, even just shaving their beards.

Meanwhile, someone in the group whispered to Jean-Pierre.

"Boss, I brought a camera. Can I take a few pictures later?"

Upon hearing this, those who hadn't bothered to tidy themselves up since arriving at the front lines immediately glared angrily at the person carrying the camera.

You want to take a picture of me when I look at my worst?! What do you mean by that?!

But Jean-Pierre, who was used to grooming himself and making himself look presentable, did not have such worries. On the contrary, he felt that if such a historic moment could be photographed, he could brag to his grandchildren about how he had kicked the Teutons hard on the battlefield.

Jean-Pierre then stated unequivocally, "Take pictures! Take more, and make sure they look good."

Just as Jean-Pierre was speaking, he saw a Bunitania officer and two soldiers dragging a bunch of rifles out of the trench and walking toward the ugly iron box.

This puzzled Pierre. What was going on? Had Bonitania fallen so low that officers were already leading teams to collect spoils of war right after the battle ended?
(End of this chapter)