Alien Arms Empire.

Chapter 1856 1857 Thank You and You're Welcome

"Thank you!" The battalion commander guarding the barricade thanked him gratefully after taking the cigarette from the other party and borrowing a lighter. This was really timely, he really wanted to smoke a cigarette.

"I brought more than 300 people." Obviously, the troops under the battalion commander who came to support were not fully staffed. At this point in the war, the shortage of troops on the coalition side was actually very serious.

A battalion with a full complement of more than 500 people would actually be short of 40 to 80 people. This was already considered normal, and the shortfall was said to be replenished with new soldiers before going into battle.

However, after entering the battlefield, due to changes in the battle situation and changes in plans, it was often not possible to replenish troops in a timely manner. In the end, the commander had no choice but to bite the bullet and lead these 450 people into the position.

But in fact, more than one-third of the troops could not even reach this level. During the march or before the transfer, they were required to leave dozens or even hundreds of people behind as training backbones to supplement the newly expanded troops.

There is no other way. Training soldiers requires instructors, and building a troop is not something that can be done casually. The backbone can only be drawn from troops that are well-trained and experienced, which leaves many frontline troops seriously short of manpower.

This is the situation with the troops in front of us. They did not lose some troops in the battle, but they actually only have more than 300 people.

"This is really good news." Hearing that the other side was a "reorganized battalion", the battalion commander defending the barricade exhaled a puff of smoke and said in one breath: "Finally, we have held on until you come. When will we withdraw to rest?"

Hearing this question, Captain Ryans, who came to reinforce, was somewhat awkwardly silent for a few seconds. It was not until the other party realized the problem and looked over that he replied bitterly: "... I have bad news for you. I only have the order to reinforce here, not the order to change guard."

The other party was slightly startled after hearing what he said, and then his expression became impatient: "What? You mean..."

The new battalion commander had no other choice but to tell the truth: "Yes, that's right... The division commander didn't ask you to retreat. The rest of you must hold on here with my people."

As they were talking, on the distant barricade line, a machine gun position had emptied a belt of ammunition, and the assistant gunner began to reload the machine gun.

The continuous gunfire suddenly stopped, and only the sound of rifles echoed in the street. Both sides seemed tired and needed a rest. Even the gunfire seemed so exhausted, as if both sides were just starting to deal with their work.

"We have been fighting here for a day and a night!" The battalion commander who had been directing the battle on the barricade said angrily, pointing at the soldiers who were helping to bandage the wounded, the men who were rushing to load ammunition into magazines and belts, and the young men with faces covered in dust leaning against sandbags, not knowing whether they were asleep or fainted.

"I know. But I can't do anything." The battalion commander who came to reinforce spread his hands, indicating that he was powerless. This order was indeed not issued by him, not even by his division commander.

Paul did not let the front-line troops retreat, hoping to maintain enough troops on the front line to continue to put pressure on the Tang army. In this way, he could test the weak points of the Tang army's defense line and deploy more reserve troops to launch a counterattack at that weak point.

But the disadvantages of doing so are also obvious. Many troops on the front line have been fighting continuously for a long time, and they all need rest and replenishment... The problem is that Paul did not give them this opportunity.

Seeing the helpless look on the other side's face, Captain Ryans, who was holding on to the barricade, became even more angry. He lowered his voice and emphasized: "Do you know how many of my men have been killed? I only have less than 200 soldiers left now." The battalion commander who came to support him could only think of a solution for him. He suggested: "I'm sorry, you can send someone to ask the division headquarters. If the people above forgot, maybe they will bring an order allowing you to retreat."

To be honest, he has been very "merciful". After all, if this is successful, he will be losing 200 people who can help.

Normally, the battalion commander who came to support could have completely ignored the other party, but he still gave a plan that sounded feasible.

However, everyone knew what the final result of this plan would be. So, after staring at the other party angrily for a long time, the battalion commander stationed at the barricade put the cigarette back into his mouth, took a deep puff, exhaled the smoke, sighed, and said dejectedly: "Alas... You know this is impossible, right?"

"Is that so?" After taking a puff of his cigarette, the new battalion commander agreed helplessly.

"How many rocket launchers did you bring?" After the two were silent for a while, the battalion commander stationed at the barricade suddenly spoke and asked such a broad question.

"Four." After hearing this question, the new battalion commander knew that the other party had accepted his fate. So he also changed the subject and raised four fingers to answer.

Hearing this despairing number, the battalion commander stationed at the barricade smiled bitterly and said: "Ha! I hope your anti-tank soldiers are smarter."

They were reluctant to use this kind of thing to bombard the Tang army infantry on the opposite side. If they had to say, they would rather let the infantry put on bayonets and launch a charge... because anti-tank rocket launchers were their only means to deal with Tang army tanks in street fighting, and it was their magic weapon to maintain the front line.

Although this magic weapon is not very effective 90% of the time, it can indeed damage the Tang army tanks and force the Tang army to retreat at the most critical moment... For the coalition frontline soldiers, this is already a very difficult task.

"They... are the best." The new battalion commander seemed very confident in his soldiers and said with a forced smile.

"We will all die here." The battalion commander who had already accepted his fate and was in despair said affirmatively when he was stationed at the barricade.

The new battalion commander could only stare at the other man and say seriously: "I hope we won't all die here."

"Thank you!" Shaking the half-smoked cigarette in his hand, the battalion commander stationed at the barricade thanked him again. It was unclear whether he was thanking him for the cigarette or for his blessing.

  The new battalion commander glanced at his men who had entered the position not far away, then looked at the battalion commander who thanked him and nodded, "You're welcome."
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As people age, their bodies really fail. When I was young, I would take some medicine and drink some hot water if I caught a cold or had a fever, and it would be fine in a day. Now my whole body aches, and I feel uncomfortable for several days. I used to have no problem playing games or writing, but now my fingers start to swell as soon as the weather changes dramatically...

I have been writing for more than ten years and have never taken so many leave. I am really sorry and have let everyone down.