Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 26 Morin's Efforts

After a while, the air in the command post began to circulate again.

Major Thomas and Captain Hauser exchanged a glance, both seeing the same emotion in each other's reactions—they had struck gold.

The young lieutenant in front of me is not only quick to react and adaptable, but his professional skills are also excessively strong, even surpassing some veterans who have served for many years.

Even disregarding their outstanding performance in the morning battle, the intelligence and tokens they brought back from their deep behind enemy lines alone were far more valuable than the two had anticipated.

Moreover, the battle that took place that morning cannot be ignored.
Therefore, at this point, Major Thomas's feelings for Morin had changed from simple admiration to an undisguised high regard.

Captain Hauser, standing to the side, wore an expression as if he had seen a stunningly beautiful woman. Of course, this is a metaphor.

"cough."

Major Thomas cleared his throat, interrupting Hauser's burning gaze, and turned to Morin.

"Lieutenant Morin, mark the information you've gathered on the map."

"Yes, sir."

Without the slightest hesitation, Morin took the pencil handed to him by a staff officer.

Instead of immediately working on the large map in the command post, he first took out a hard-covered notebook and a folded map from the inside pocket of his uniform.

This is his own 'backup'.

Maureen is not one to put all his eggs in one basket, so he wasn't entirely confident that his "golden touch" wouldn't go wrong.

In accordance with the Saxon Army's map-based operational procedures, he had already copied down the key information from the system map during the reconnaissance process.

This action also perfectly explains why he was able to remember such a vast amount of information and avoid unnecessary suspicion.

After all, if he could have a photographic memory and reconstruct a large area of ​​enemy troop deployment out of thin air, Major Thomas and his colleagues would also suspect that he had made it up.

Morin spread out his map and notes, and then began to mark with a pencil on the larger battle map at the command post.

His map-making skills are quite good, both before and after his time travel.

So, red symbols representing enemy firing points and troop concentrations quickly took shape under his pen.

As more and more red markers appeared on the map, Major Thomas and the others grew increasingly serious.

Everyone fell silent, especially when Morin drew out the magic crystal cannon positions located on the high ground.

Senior officers knew that the Britannians' magic crystal cannons had a range of approximately 4500 meters.

Deploying the magic crystal cannons at the locations marked by Morin covers most of the area where they are about to launch their attack, and the power of the magic crystal cannons is devastating to infantry groups.
After Morin finished marking all the maps, all the officers in the battalion gathered around the map, speechless for a long time.

The defenses of the Aragonese army and the Brittany expeditionary force in Seville were far more formidable and difficult to manage than they had anticipated.

Major Thomas stared at the map, his brow furrowed. After a while, he looked up at Morin.

Morin knew it was his turn to speak.

"Sir, I think we shouldn't rush into an attack."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet command post.

"The enemy's current situation is very clear. They are tightening their defenses and relying on the city and those magic crystal cannons, hoping to make us run headlong into them."

Morin's finger traced across the dense red area on the map.

"If we attack rashly now, even if we eventually take Seville, our casualties and those of our allies will be considerable! If the enemy launches an effective counterattack, it will be uncertain whether we can hold on."

These words are clearly organized and logically sound.

Any rational commander, upon seeing this map, would have to seriously consider this possibility. Major Thomas's expression showed that he had been persuaded.

Molin pressed on, adding, "Sir, after that battle this morning, I'm sure you don't want the troops to repeat the same mistake!"

And that last sentence was incredibly effective at finishing off the opponent.

Of course, the reason why Morin went to so much trouble was not entirely for any grand tactical considerations.

He has his own selfish motives.

Having witnessed Seville's defenses firsthand, he knew all too well that the upcoming siege would be a bloodbath.

But he had no intention of sacrificing his life for the glory of the Saxon Empire.

Are you crazy? Who would risk their life for a country they've been in for less than 24 hours?
If we can postpone the fight by one day, then we should postpone it by one day; if we can avoid fighting altogether, that would be even better.

What he is doing now is doing everything he can to postpone this attack, which is almost destined to result in mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"you're right."

After a long silence, Major Thomas finally spoke, letting out a heavy sigh.

He was persuaded by Morin, but a hint of helplessness appeared on his face.

“But Lieutenant Morin, I am just a battalion commander. Whether or not to attack is not a decision I can make.”

He paced back and forth in the command post a few times before finally making up his mind.

"Come with me, we're going to the regimental headquarters, to the brigade headquarters!"

Major Thomas lightly punched the map with his fist.

"Whether we can persuade the regimental commander and the brigade commander is another matter, but at the very least, we must let them know what the situation is like in Seville right now!"

He looked at Morin, his eyes filled with an unprecedented solemnity.

"Get ready, we're leaving right away!"

Soon, Major Thomas selected several skilled horsemen as guards, and together with Morin, the group galloped off towards the brigade headquarters.

Horse hooves flew and dust rose up.

By the time Morin and Major Thomas arrived at the headquarters of the 32nd Infantry Regiment, it was already dusk.

Without delay, after finding the regimental commander, Major Thomas immediately and succinctly explained the seriousness of the situation.

After listening to the report and glancing at the evidence brought back by Morin, the commander of the 32nd Infantry Regiment also looked extremely grim.

He made a decisive move and personally led the two men to the headquarters of the 16th Infantry Brigade, located in the core area of ​​the camp.

The atmosphere was serious inside the brigade headquarters' command tent.

When Morin stood before the enormous battle map once more, he noticed that this map of a brigade-level unit was much more detailed than that of a battalion-level unit.

Moreover, some red enemy symbols had already been scattered around the outskirts of Seville, indicating that their small team was not the only one sent out for reconnaissance.

In front of the brigade commander, brigade staff officers, and several liaison officers from the National Army and the International Brigades, Morin once again demonstrated his excellent map-based skills, marking up the intelligence he had gathered.

He then recounted in detail what he had seen and heard in Seville, from the enemy's defensive deployments to the soldiers' discipline.

Finally, he once again offered his suggestion, hoping that the command would carefully consider it and postpone the attack.

(End of this chapter)