Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 50: Street Fighting Begins

Upon hearing the whistle, Morin took a deep breath, glanced one last time at the group of workers and artillerymen still working feverishly, and shouted loudly to Andrei and Ludwig:
"I'm leaving this place to you! Make as much equipment as possible for the remaining armored knights!"

Ludwig nodded emphatically, then patted his chest: "Don't worry, we'll make those Britannian tin cans pay!"

Without further delay, Morin turned around and sprinted towards his 3rd platoon's defensive zone.

Along the way, he was surprised to find that in the less than two hours he had been gone, most of Seville had changed.

The potential that people can unleash in dire circumstances is astonishing.

While he and Ludwig were conducting their 'can opener' experiments, Saxon soldiers, International Brigades fighters, and the Aragonese National Army, under the organization of their respective officers, had already put Morin's urban warfare theory into practice.

Many of the once wide streets have now been transformed into uneven barricades by various debris—overturned carriages, broken furniture, doors and stones removed from buildings.

On some major thoroughfares, dense barbed wire fences have been erected, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Large numbers of citizens, along with their families, evacuated to the relatively safer southern part of the city and the suburbs, guided by the more "people-friendly" soldiers of the International Brigades and the National Army.

A few elderly people who were unwilling to leave their hometown hid in their cellars after being persuaded by their neighbors, and blocked the entrance with heavy wooden planks.

Although due to time constraints, many details emphasized by Morin, such as the internal connections of the building and the camouflage of the firing positions, could not be fully implemented.

But Seville is already beginning to take shape as a 'street fighting mill'.

Morin felt a little more at ease. This tactic was deadly enough for soldiers who had not yet experienced the brutal baptism of urban warfare—especially for the attacking side.

However, he was still somewhat uncertain. Although he had the support of the 'urban warfare theory', the soldiers had not yet undergone targeted training, and this was their first time engaging in urban warfare.

So, Morin didn't know how the fight would ultimately turn out.

He glanced at the several lines of notifications he had pinned to the system map:
[Saxon Imperial Air Force - Zeppelin-class armored airship - L30]

Status: Approaching the destination

Estimated arrival time: 3 hour 48 minutes

"There are less than four hours left, we should be able to hold on, right?"

When Morin ran back to the 3rd Platoon's temporary encampment, panting, Sergeant Klaus immediately came to greet him.

"Platoon leader, you're back."

Klaus's voice remained as steady as ever. In the absence of Morin, this platoon sergeant had already arranged the defense zone under the responsibility of the 3rd Platoon in an orderly manner.

"The battalion headquarters just issued an order that the platoons of the 1st and 2nd companies that suffered heavy losses have been broken up and sent to our platoons that are still relatively intact."

Upon hearing this, Morin's spirits lifted. This was good news, after all, the losses of the 3rd Platoon were not small after the previous battle.

How many people were assigned to us?

Klaus: "Quite a lot. Not only have we filled the gaps in our manpower, but we've also got two extra infantry squads! The regimental heavy machine gun company has also given us an MG08 heavy machine gun team!"

Upon hearing this, Morin was overjoyed; it was like a pillow being delivered just when he was sleepy.

He immediately unfolded the map, pointed to the three rows of defense zones marked on it, and began to issue orders.

Perhaps because Major Thomas and the brigade's higher-ups valued Morin and his platoon's fighting capabilities, they were assigned to a defense zone that was one of the few relatively wide streets in the north of Seville.

This street is called 'Sun Avenue', and it is the most likely main direction of attack that the enemy will choose after entering the city.

At this moment, many sections of barbed wire have been laid along this avenue, and three main barricades have been built at the end of the street using sandbags and bricks.

All the alleys leading to both sides were completely blocked by various debris, leaving only a few narrow passages for our personnel to pass through.

This made the enemy's attack direction very limited, forcing them to advance directly along this street.

"Klaus, you and the other sergeants will each lead one or two squads and wait in the standby area. Once the enemy infantry comes up, enter the second and third floors of these buildings I've drawn and form crossfire along this street. Remember, block up all the doors and windows on the first floor. You guys go in from the back."

"Yes, Platoon Commander!"

"The two newly added squads are to be placed in the standby area as reserves, and to be careful to remain concealed and not to expose themselves easily."

After a while, some good news came: a 77mm field gun and a 105mm howitzer had also been assigned to this defensive zone.

Morin immediately hid them behind the heavy machine gun positions, with the shells to be loaded being shrapnel and high-explosive rounds. After deploying the main force, Morin left a ten-man squad with himself, including two messengers.

In an era without individual radios, they will relay his orders to every corner in this doomed battle.

After doing all this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and opened the system map.

On the map, red enemy soldier icons have appeared densely on the outskirts of the city and are slowly encircling Seville.

Judging from the information on those soldier tags, the enemy did indeed receive reinforcements of at least two regiments, and the Britannian Northumberland Fusiliers Regiment also gained a brand new battalion.

The observation posts that our side had set up outside the city were constantly retreating, and the area they illuminated was getting smaller and smaller.

However, one unit's icon stood out—it was the 52nd Cavalry Regiment, which had launched the crucial rear charge on the high ground.

Their troop identification information shows that this roving unit currently has only 64% of its original strength remaining.

But the cavalry regiment did not retreat. Instead, like a pack of tireless wolves, they continued to patrol the perimeter, trying to find high-value targets such as enemy command posts or artillery positions.

"Be careful, my friends," Maureen prayed silently for them.

A few minutes later, the red soldier markers on the outermost edge of the map had reached the edge of Seville.

Perhaps because the magic crystal cannon positions were severely damaged, the Kingdom's army did not conduct any artillery preparation before this round of attacks began.

Before long, the vanguard of the Kingdom's army and the Britannians cautiously stepped into the city that was about to be ravaged by war.

Major John, the Britannian officer in charge of forward observation, was filled with doubt.

"What's going on? Why is there no resistance?" he asked the liaison officer of the Kingdom Army beside him.

In his view, since the Saxons had chosen to hold their ground, they should concentrate all their forces on the outskirts of the city and engage them in a fair and square decisive battle, relying on their fortifications.
This is consistent with the usual style of Saxon soldiers, at least in their previous conflicts in overseas colonies.

But now, the outskirts of the city are deserted, eerily quiet.

"Could it be... that they've abandoned the defense of the city?" The liaison officer of the Kingdom's army was also somewhat uncertain. "They've simply handed the city over to us?"

The idea sounds tempting, but it's also too illogical.

Major John frowned and waved his hand:
"Let Wang Guojun's men go in first, we'll follow behind and stay alert!"

The first group of royal soldiers, having mustered their courage, entered the streets of Seville.

They moved slowly and cautiously, their guns pointed nervously at every possible hiding spot.

However, after walking several dozen meters, there was nothing on the outer streets except for some scattered debris.

Their courage gradually grew, and the officers moved to the sides to restore the somewhat loose formation.

However, when they arrived at the center of a main road according to the map, they found that the road ahead was blocked by all sorts of messy obstacles and barbed wire, leaving no place to even put their feet.

"Damn it, what are these Saxons up to?" a Royal Army officer cursed. "Send a few men up there and cut those barbed wire fences!"

Several soldiers responded and ran towards the barbed wire fence, carrying huge bolt cutters.

They had just run to the barbed wire fence and crouched down.

"boom!"

A sharp gunshot shattered the deathly silence.

A soldier holding pliers had a burst of blood erupt from his head and fell straight down.

Then, as if it were a signal.

"Bang! Bang! Bang bang bang!"

“Da da da da da—!”

The whole of Seville came alive.

(End of this chapter)