Imperial Elite

Chapter 24 Long Live Friendship!

Looking at the Teutons about to launch their attack in the distance, Joe felt that he actually wanted to leave and didn't want to stay.

But just like how Joe paid bonuses and holidays to his factory workers and implemented an eight-hour workday, although he was a small capitalist, Joe was different from other capitalists in that he still had some conscience.

Thinking about how these Gauls had just helped him get his vehicle out of the mud pit, he realized that if he hadn't happened to encounter them attacking the Teutonic trenches, his vehicle would have been stuck in the trenches, and it was hard to say what would have happened to him.

Joe felt a surge of unease.

Just as Joe was feeling annoyed, a sergeant from the trench reconnaissance team looked in the distance at the area where the Gauls had just occupied the trenches and sighed, "The scale of the Teutonic counterattack this time looks very large. I don't know if they can hold out."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the car turned their attention to Joe.

Under the watchful eyes of many, Joe put down his binoculars and looked at the people staring at him.

"What are you looking at me for? Do you still want to go back and help them?"

No one spoke; they simply watched Joe silently.

"Damn it, have you thought this through? That's hell."

People inside and outside the car were still staring at Joe without saying a word.

Joe took off his hat and scratched his head. While feeling irritated, he also felt a sense of relief.

"Check the ammunition! See how much stock we have left!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing Joe's order, the passengers in the car immediately sprang into action.

"Herbert! Stop the car! All of you get out!"

As the crew began to move, Joe ordered Herbert to stop the vehicle, and then, while the trench reconnaissance team was being ushered off, the prisoners were also forced off the vehicle, leaving the trench reconnaissance team to watch over them.

The trench reconnaissance team was naturally dissatisfied with Joe's arrangement. "I'm a soldier too," they said. "I can fight too. I can also beat up the Teutons."

Then Joe gave the trench reconnaissance team a good scolding.

"What can you guys do?! Do the Teutons need a bullet to shoot you? Or are you guys invulnerable?! Forget it! Taking you along will only slow the car down further, and I don't want to have to save the car again! You all better stay put!"

After being thoroughly scolded by Joe, the trench reconnaissance team quieted down.

They stood obediently by the roadside watching the group of Teutonic prisoners of war they had captured, and Cecil, who was still unconscious.

After dismissing the trench reconnaissance team and letting the prisoners off the vehicle, Joe returned to the vehicle and began to listen to the crew's report.

Because they had refueled at the Teutonic command post and then used the fuel from those vehicles to refuel again when they abandoned them, the vehicles still had more than half of their fuel left, which should be enough to drive back to the Bunitania-controlled area.

Although there was enough fuel, there wasn't much ammunition left. After three rounds of fighting, less than a quarter of the ammunition remained.

The interior space is huge, so it can carry a lot, which is probably the only advantage of this massive tank.

After thinking for a moment, Joe said.

“We’re not in good shape right now, so let’s floor the gas pedal, rush over, fire all our ammunition, and then leave.”

"it is good!"

Upon hearing Joe's order, the crew members all nodded.

"You guys..."

Joe climbed onto the tank, a slight smile playing on his lips as he poked his head out through the hole in the roof. He waved and shouted, "Armor, advance!"

With a roar of its engine, amidst a cloud of black smoke, the Lucky Bella, its roof adorned with a Gallic flag, turned and charged toward the battlefield like a lone knight, drawing the complex gazes of the trench scouts and Teutonic prisoners.

Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre, in the trenches, was regretting not asking for two more machine guns when the regimental headquarters issued the orders.

When the war broke out in 1914, the cavalry units, still wearing metal breastplates, naturally wouldn't carry heavy equipment like machine guns in order to emphasize mobility.

Although in 1915, when most of the cavalry began to dismount and be deployed as elite infantry, each cavalry regiment was supplemented with a machine gun squadron.

However, this kind of organizational structure attached to the regimental headquarters will only be reinforced to the corresponding company when the regimental commander deems it necessary.

The equipment in each company remains the same as before: each person is equipped with a bolt-action rifle, a saber, and a metal breastplate, with sergeants and above each person also equipped with a revolver.

This equipment was barely adequate when attacking the Teutonic defenses. After all, when raiding trenches, the combination of the breastplate and saber still allowed them to quickly clear the Teutons from the trenches, just like in the past.

But when it came to the situation of him crouching in the trenches to defend against the Teutonic attacks, things were different.

Since the regiment was only reinforced with two Hotchkiss M1914 machine guns this time, they were at a slight disadvantage in terms of firepower compared to the Teutons.

In addition, since they had just captured the trenches, they hadn't had time to transport more supplies here, so they were also slightly short of ammunition.

The good news is that this thing uses a magazine and the same bullets as the rifles they use, so it's usable even if you make do with it a little.

The only problem was that Jean-Pierre had to tell the machine gunners to fire slowly, not to run out of bullets in one go, otherwise they would have to cross the trenches and use their sabers on the Teutons.

However, as the Teutons launched their attack, Jean-Pierre quickly forgot his earlier advice to the machine gunner to conserve ammunition.

Faced with the horde of Teutons surging towards him, Jean-Pierre only regretted not asking for two more machine guns so he could use bullets and water hoses to drench the Teutons.

Due to insufficient firepower, the Teutons advanced quickly.

Fortunately, Jean-Pierre's cavalry was a seasoned veteran. Facing the rapidly approaching Teutons, these dismounted cavalrymen used precise shooting to cut down swathes of the charging Teutons.

However, the Teutons were simply too numerous, and after two years of fighting, they had long since learned to take advantage of opportunities to snipe at the defenders in the trenches while charging.

As a result, during the exchange of fire, cavalrymen frequently fell headfirst into the trenches, and the Teutons quickly closed the distance to within fifty meters of the trenches.

Usually, once you reach this distance, you've entered the stage with the highest casualties in trench warfare.

At this distance, both the attackers and defenders can throw grenades next to each other, and even a blind Britannian could easily hit a human-sized target with a rifle at this distance.

At that moment, the Gallic sergeants and officers in the trenches shouted in unison, "Throw the bombs!"

He ordered his strongest soldiers to throw grenades at the Teutons like cannons.

Jean-Pierre knew that if grenades couldn't stop the Teutonic charge, he would have no choice but to lead his men out of the trenches and fight them with sabers. There was no other way; although sabers were far superior to entrenching tools in both lethality and range, they had one major drawback.

That is, for trench warfare, this thing is just too long, and it is easy to get stuck somewhere, causing the user to be killed by the Teutonic entrenching tool or those ugly trench knives.

Jean-Pierre was prepared to launch a counter-offensive for another important reason: the number of them equipped with pistols was significantly greater than that of the Teutons.

Using a pistol in the confined space of a trench could easily result in friendly fire, so a direct counter-attack is a more reliable option.

Seeing that the grenade explosions still hadn't stopped the Teutonic advance, and that the Teutons continued to press toward the trenches, Jean-Pierre felt as if he were back in the winter when his great-grandfather had retreated from Lucia, when countless Lucias surged toward the last of the old guard who were covering the Emperor's retreat.

The thought that he might die here today uncontrollably surfaced in Jean-Pierre's mind, and the fear of his own death made his hands tremble slightly.

But the next moment, Jean-Pierre remembered the stories his grandfather had told him, from the royal army during the Sun King's era, which maintained a strict formation even when the troops were retreating to their deaths, to the old guard who launched a desperate charge at Waterloo, and his grandfather's regret before his death, wondering why he hadn't held the position back then.

If they held their ground, the Teutons would not be able to defeat the emperor at Sedan, and Gaul would not have to endure decades of humiliation.

An inexplicable anger replaced the fear that he might die today.

Jean-Pierre released his rifle, gripped his saber and pistol at his waist, and prepared to order, "Cavalry! Draw your swords!" Leading the remaining cavalry in a final charge, much like the old guard who charged the high ground under the fire of the Bunitas at Waterloo, a fierce explosion and burst of gunfire instantly repelled the Teutonic offensive.

At times like this, there will be artillery and machine gun support. Could it be that reinforcements have arrived? Have those artillerymen who have been slacking off all day finally done something worthwhile this time?
However, when Jean-Pierre turned around, he did not see the reinforcements he had expected. Instead, he saw the tank that had just left the battlefield, which was now charging into the fray like an enraged dragon.

The flags fluttering in the wind on the tank make it look like a lone knight charging into battle, and the light shining through the clouds at this moment makes the tank look even more sacred.

The image stunned Jean-Pierre for a moment, leaving a deep impression on his mind.

However, as a battle-hardened officer, Jean-Pierre only lost his composure for a moment before releasing his saber and gripping the rifle in front of him again.

"Hold on! Reinforcements are right behind us!"

Just as Jean-Pierre was organizing a counterattack in the trenches, Joe was huddled inside a tank, marveling at his incredible luck.

Because the observation tower was destroyed in the morning shelling, and the bulletproof glass in Herbert's driver's seat is now almost completely obscured, the situation has changed.

Therefore, when commanding the tanks to launch an attack, Joe could only stick his head out of the tank to observe the surrounding environment before directing the tanks to move in a certain direction and the artillery to fire in a certain direction.

But obviously, a vehicle with the Gallic flag stuck in its body, looking like a volcano erupting and charging towards the battlefield, would be far too conspicuous even on the battlefield.

After the tank fired its first shot, the Teutons in the distance simultaneously opened fire on the Lucky Bella.

Rifle bullets have little chance against tank armor, but for Joe, who was sticking his head out of the tank, it was a different story.

Upon hearing a "whoosh" sound and the clanging noises from the tank armor, Joe immediately pulled his head back inside the tank. But the instant he pulled his head back in, he felt a chill on the top of his head.

Joe instinctively turned his head and saw his hat lying on the ground, with a huge bullet hole clearly visible on the Britannian coat of arms.

If Joe had shrunk his head a little slower, the shot wouldn't have hit his hat, but rather his forehead.

Damn, that Teutonic sniper, his aim was spot on.

Picking up his hat, Joe looked at the tear in it, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

However, after the initial shock subsided, Joe looked at the tear in his hat and was immediately filled with rage.

Joe strode over to the left-side turret and patted the gunner on the shoulder.

"Get out of my way! I'll take over!"

The gunner, of course, would not disobey Joe's orders.

After Joe took his position, he adjusted the muzzle while muttering to himself, "You think I'm sniping you? Then let's snipe each other! I've got a six-pounder!"

The six-pounder's magnifying sights allowed Joe to quickly locate a Teutonist huddled in a shell crater, firing a sniper shot. After a quick calculation of the mil, Joe pulled the trigger.

With the slight vibration of the turret as the artillery fired and the smell of gunpowder as the spent cartridges were ejected, another explosion occurred on the crater, and some random debris was thrown into the air by the shockwave.

Seeing that he had successfully sniped, Joe felt a great sense of satisfaction and handed the cannon back to the gunner. He then returned to the breach in the roof of the tank, took out a mirror, and began to observe the environment outside the tank through it.

While observing, Joe also began to wonder if a periscope or something could be installed on the tank, and whether it was possible to apply for a patent for it.

But now that the Teutons are using submarines to blockade shipping lanes, perhaps they already have this thing?
Although many random thoughts flashed through his mind, under Joe's command, the overwhelming firepower of the Lucky Bella easily crushed the Teutonic attack.

As the Teutons dressed in black retreated like a tide, Joe, inside the tank, breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously peeked out from the gap.

After realizing that no one was planning to shoot him this time, Joe tapped the top armor of the tank.

"Herbert, turn around! Let's go home!"

Meanwhile, watching the Teutons recede like a tide, Jean-Pierre first breathed a long sigh of relief. As the nameless anger dissipated, a feeling of emptiness welled up in Jean-Pierre's mind.

"Did I survive?"

As the thought popped into his head, Jean-Pierre involuntarily turned to look behind him.

Jean-Pierre wanted to see the tank that had saved him from the brink of death.

Turning around, Jean-Pierre saw the tank silently leaving the battlefield, just like in legendary tales where noble knights always quietly depart after their heroic deeds.

As Jean-Pierre looked at the tank, his hand suddenly touched the bottle of sparkling wine in his satchel.

Jean-Pierre suddenly had an idea, so he immediately climbed out of the trench and ran towards the tank.

"Hey! Hey! Wait a minute!"

Jean-Pierre ran up to the tank and shouted at it.

However, Joe on the tank couldn't understand what Jean-Pierre was saying. He simply waved to Jean-Pierre after hearing the voice, as if signaling him to go back.

Seeing that Joe didn't understand what he meant, Jean-Pierre had no choice but to stop and throw the wine bottle in his hand at Joe.

As Joe caught the bottle and looked at Jean-Pierre in surprise, Jean-Pierre waved to Joe and shouted, "Long live friendship!"

Joe looked at the bottle in his hand. He could tell it was a good bottle of wine. Although he couldn't understand what Jean was saying in the back of the car, Joe figured it must be something nice. So Joe waved to Jean and joined him in shouting "Long live friendship!" in Gaulish.

(End of this chapter)