Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 17 Reconnaissance Mission
Upon hearing the messenger's words, Morin's heart skipped a beat. The battalion's order... he didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse.

He instructed Klaus to temporarily take command of the troops, urging him to remain vigilant against any potential enemy counterattack. Then, he followed the messenger and hurried toward the small chapel in the center of the village.

Soon, when Morin followed the messenger into the small chapel that had been temporarily requisitioned as the battalion headquarters, he immediately saw his company commander, Captain Hauser, and Major Thomas, who was standing with his hands behind his back in front of a long table covered with maps.

The atmosphere in the chapel was somewhat oppressive. Major Thomas's face was still very grim, clearly the heavy casualty report from that morning weighed on his mind like a boulder.

Although he successfully captured the village, the cost was too high, and the sharp reduction in his forces greatly limited his subsequent tactical actions.

However, when he saw Morin come in, he managed to compose himself and force a smile that could hardly be called a smile.

“Lieutenant Morin, you’ve arrived.” He gestured to the empty seat next to Captain Hauser. “Come on over.”

"Major, Captain." Morin saluted and then stood next to Captain Hauser.

Major Thomas cut straight to the point without any pleasantries.

"We just received a report from the brigade headquarters that the offensives by the 'National Army' and the 'International Brigade' on both flanks are progressing smoothly."

"The brigade and regimental headquarters mean that we cannot stay in this village for too long and must continue the attack on Seville as soon as possible."

Morin and Captain Hauser exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other's reactions.

Major Thomas's words meant that the brief respite was coming to an end, and even more brutal battles were yet to come.

“But before the next attack,” Major Thomas said, his gaze falling on Morin, “I need to send a team to conduct a reconnaissance mission into the area ahead of us.”

This realization sent a chill down Morin's spine; he understood what his battalion commander wanted to do with him.

However, he was also puzzled. Although there were no professional reconnaissance units in the army at that time, reconnaissance missions should usually be handled by senior officers. Why would they find him, an infantry platoon leader who had just joined the company?

Seemingly sensing his confusion, Major Thomas sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness.

"The officers of the 1st and 2nd companies suffered heavy losses in the morning's battle, and there are not many officers left that can be sent out."

He paused, looked at Morin with hopeful eyes, and then spoke.

"Moreover, your judgment and on-the-spot reactions in the battle prove that you are more suitable for this mission than others. I need you to lead the men to find out the situation ahead. I don't want to see my soldiers run headlong into the enemy's machine gun positions again."

After hearing Major Thomas's words, Maureen fell silent.

He had absolutely no desire to take on a mission like reconnaissance before an attack, a task that was clearly very dangerous.

But the problem is that he had already shown his skills in order to survive the attack.

This brought him to the attention of his superiors, which also meant that Major Thomas would assign him more tasks.

After all, if a commander discovers that a highly capable officer has suddenly emerged under his command, especially during wartime, he will naturally be the first person he considers when assigning tasks.
It's like a domino that's already been toppled; once the first domino falls, it can't stop until all the dominoes have collapsed.

Therefore, faced with direct orders from his superiors, Morin could find no excuse to refuse, and he had no way to disobey.

"Yes, Major! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Finally, Morin, who had mastered managing her facial expressions, stood at attention and answered.

"Good! Excellent! Our Saxon Army needs someone like you!"

Major Thomas's expression softened somewhat. He pointed to the battle map on the table, signaling to Morin to pay attention.

"Look here, our battalion's main attack direction next is this area, advancing northwest along this road. Your task is to conduct reconnaissance of this route and the area within 500 meters on both sides!"

"I need to know the enemy's movements, especially to find out if they have set up new defensive positions or laid ambushes."

Morin did not reply immediately. Based on what he had learned before his transmigration, he understood that reconnaissance of an unknown area should involve him leading the entire platoon to obtain useful information for higher-level units.

During this process, his platoon also needed to be divided into command, reconnaissance, guard, rescue, prisoner-of-war disposal, and continuous surveillance groups.
However, the current situation is that the training level of his troops does not support such task specialization. Moreover, the 3rd Platoon is currently also responsible for defensive duties, making it even more difficult for them to spare time.

Therefore, this mission will definitely be a small-scale, quick-in-and-out operation—just like in action movies.
Having figured this out, Morin also stepped forward and carefully studied the map.

He gestured on the map with his finger, glanced at the scale in one corner of the map, and quickly estimated the distance in his mind.

This reconnaissance route was about ten kilometers round trip, with complex terrain along the way, including farmland, woods, and a few scattered villages.

Running there on foot is too inefficient and tiring.

Riding a horse does increase mobility and reduces fatigue, but the problem is that it makes you a large target and easy for the enemy to spot.

"Major," Morin looked up, "I need to borrow a few bicycles from the battalion headquarters."

"bike?"

"Yes, Major. Bicycles are quiet and fast, making it easy for us to pass quickly in open areas and also easy to get away quickly if needed. We can ride to a concealed position and then conduct reconnaissance on foot."

Major Thomas pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"good idea."

He immediately picked up a pen and paper from the table, quickly wrote a warrant, and handed it to Morin.

"Go find the supply train commander and tell them what you need."

Maureen took the order from Major Thomas, and Captain Hauser patted him on the shoulder, his eyes showing both encouragement and a hint of worry.

"Be careful, Lieutenant Morin."

"Don't worry, sir."

After leaving the temporary battalion headquarters, Morin quickly returned to the 3rd Platoon's position. He first called Sergeant Klaus aside and briefly explained the contents of the reconnaissance mission.

"I need to pick a few people to go with me."

Morin lowered his voice and said:
"This mission is not to engage in combat, but to act as eyes and ears, so we can't have many people, but they must be skilled."

He planned to bring only 5 people; any more would make movement difficult and increase the risk of being spotted.

Sergeant Klaus immediately understood Morin's meaning, nodded, and asked:
"Sir, do you have any general requirements?"

"Good physical strength, accurate marksmanship, and most importantly, a quick mind and the ability to stay calm in the face of danger," Morin stated his requirements.

Sergeant Klaus quickly went through the candidates in his mind and soon recommended several people.

This included Corporal Bowman, the young squad leader who was the first to speak at the battle debriefing meeting.

There were also three soldiers who performed exceptionally well during the morning's attack; they were not only brave in combat but also remained calm amidst the chaos.

Maureen was satisfied with Klaus's choice, and he immediately called all the selected people over.

He didn't give a long mobilization speech; he simply explained the nature and danger of the mission clearly.

"Our mission is to scout for the main force, not to eliminate the enemy! So concealment is always the top priority! Without my order, do not fire unless you are discovered by the enemy and unable to escape!"

Morin scanned each young and resolute face with a serious expression.

"Do you understand everything?"

"Understood, sir!"

(End of this chapter)