Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 71 Target——Belfort
Brian's lieutenant began to feel that he was being tricked.

But Brian on the side didn't say anything - he was holding the intercom, listening to the voice of the acting commander of the second battalion.

The acting battalion commander seemed to want to say something, but he probably didn't know what to say and what not to say, so he kept hesitating on the other end of the phone.

After a moment, Brian lowered his hand from the microphone and asked, "When did they attack?"

"An hour ago, sir." The acting battalion commander didn't recognize Brian's voice, which was normal, as he had never seen Brian in person.

"I see."

Brian said this lightly, then covered the phone with his hand and said to the captain of the staff closest to him, "Connect me to the Second Fleet."

The captain nodded, turned the phone handle several times, and then dialed the number connected to the Second Fleet: "Your Excellency, Commodore."

Brian didn't waste any words. He took the phone and, without asking the other party's identity, said directly: "This is the Mulhouse Front Staff Headquarters. I am the temporary Chief of Staff Brian. Where is your commander?"

A female voice immediately came from the other end of the phone: "I am, His Excellency the Brigadier General."

"Warrant Officer Perris." Brian paused as he remembered the young girl's name. "I hope you can complete your reconnaissance of Belfort immediately. Captain Ryan Flegg, who is in charge of the front line, led a breakthrough into Belfort. We have now lost contact with them."

"Let's begin." Warrant Officer Perris' voice was as calm and composed as ever.

“How long will it take to heal?”

"Fifteen... no, ten minutes."

"very good."

Brian immediately hung up the phone and turned his attention back to the staff department.

The staff officers who were previously busy mobilizing troops to prepare for the subsequent defensive battle looked at Brian, holding pencils, pens, erasers and wooden sticks for adjusting the sand table.

"I need a force that can immediately cross the front line and make contact with the Second Battalion that is fighting the First Farland Army!"

He roared, "Now, mobilize all the troops! I want them to set off immediately and start the attack on Belfort!"

"The troops at the front have already captured the enemy headquarters without us knowing anything! I want you to assemble all the troops within three hours! Trucks, pull out all the trucks! Have them take the east bank of the Rhine and deliver the people to the front immediately!"

"And the artillery! Send someone to notify the artillery regiment immediately! I want them to start bombarding Belfort as quickly as possible. Don't hold back a single shell. Fire all the shells!"

After several orders were issued, the staff officers who were still dazed by the previous intelligence suddenly woke up and rushed to the nearest phone.

In an instant, the news that the troops stationed on the front line had captured the enemy army headquarters spread throughout the Seventh Army through the telephone lines.

Hundreds of officers volunteered to lead their infantry regiments to support friendly forces, and some troops even fought to grab the front-row troop transport trucks.

These soldiers, who had been holding back from the first day of the war until now and had endured nearly twenty days of defensive deployment, were like new recruits who had received a precious vacation. They carried their guns, dragged their ammunition, and stepped on the muddy ground full of puddles, following the trenches that had been dug before, and began to charge towards the Farlan border.

The flares in the sky provided them with excellent guidance.

The distance that would have taken several hours to advance was now covered in less than an hour due to their attack.

The scene of their charge was also seen clearly by the Farlan soldiers and the soldiers of the Second Battalion far away at the end of the Vosges Mountains.

The two infantry regiments of the Farlan Eighth Army originally wanted to return with other troops to support the attacked headquarters, but as soon as they escaped from the guns of the Second Battalion, they were horrified to find that a group of running heads suddenly appeared on the distant horizon.

What frightens them even more is the threat from the sky.

Behind the Empire's front line, several huge balloons were quickly raised, and soon, dazzling searchlights lit up in the sky.

The searchlights mounted on the balloons quickly swept across the Farlan positions and transmitted the data needed for the bombardment back to the artillery regiment in the rear within a few seconds.

Finally, after a few minutes, the thing that these Farlanes feared the most happened.

Countless small dots with faint light appeared from the sky. They passed through the sky above Mulhouse and fell into the city of Belfort after flying for more than 30 seconds.

Countless explosions occurred almost simultaneously in the city of Belfort.

Balfour, who had already been disturbed by the small-caliber artillery of the Second Battalion, almost immediately started an even more intense fire.

The 150mm and 203mm caliber heavy artillery turned half of the buildings into dangerous buildings in just one round of firing. The second round of artillery fire that followed directly turned the buildings used by the Farlans to resist the attack of the Second Battalion into ruins.

But the artillery fire did not stop there.

The soldiers of the artillery regiment fully followed the requirements of the Imperial Manual. They would bombard Belfort for six hours and would not stop unless otherwise ordered by the General Staff!
At this time, outside the city of Belfort.

Ryan and the soldiers of the assault company stood next to the farm barn. They looked in surprise at the artillery shells falling into the city of Belfort, completely igniting the city that was already in flames.

McIver stood beside Ryan with a pistol in hand, while the other soldiers aimed their rifles at the captured prisoners.

"Are the artillery regiment members crazy?" McIver asked Ryan in surprise, "Or was it someone from the General Staff who gave the order to attack?"

"The brigadier general must have known about our actions."

Ryan looked at him and thought that this was unlikely.

Not to mention that he had never told Brian about the attack. Even if he knew, how could he have ordered his troops to launch the artillery bombardment at the right time?

Could it be the flare that was fired just now?
But there’s no point in thinking so much now.

Ryan took a breath, glanced at the "prisoners", and then arrived.

"You guys, lock the prisoners in the barn first and assign someone to guard it. The rest of you, look for a truck or other vehicle nearby that can be used. We can't stay here for long. Enemy reinforcements may arrive soon."

"We have to hurry and get out of here."

(End of this chapter)