Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 14 Trophies

When the sound of the Vickers machine gun fire stopped, the first to react was Captain Hauser, who had been pinned down as soon as he led his team to the front and could only lie on the ground.

He practically sprang to his feet, drew his pistol, and roared at the soldiers behind him who were also pinned down and unable to lift their heads.

"Get up! The enemy's machine guns have fallen silent! Charge with me!"

Upon hearing his order, the officers of the 1st and 2nd platoons immediately blew their whistles again, and the soldiers who had been lying on the ground got up one after another, picked up their rifles with bayonets fixed, and charged forward with gritted teeth.

The survivors of the 1st and 2nd companies who had survived the machine gun fire hesitated for a moment before looking up when they saw the reserve team launching another seemingly reckless charge.

Once they confirmed that the deadly machine gun fire had indeed stopped, a surge of elation at surviving a catastrophe and a long-suppressed rage instantly swept over everyone.

"For the Empire! Charge!"

It's unclear which highly conscientious officer yelled first, but immediately, all the able-bodied soldiers from the 1st and 2nd companies got up from the ground and, together with the soldiers from the 3rd company who had already rushed to their side, charged towards the village like madmen.

Just minutes before, they were being harvested like wheat by that machine gun on this open field, and could only watch helplessly as their comrades were riddled with bullets, their hearts filled with pent-up anger.

At this moment, this raging anger finally found an outlet.

Without the continuous suppression from the machine gun positions, and with Morin's attack from the left flank disrupting the enemy's deployment and drawing the attention of some of the Kingdom's soldiers, the situation became much more difficult.

The firepower of the rifles on the outskirts of the village was completely ineffective against the gray wave of hundreds of Saxon soldiers.

After suffering a major loss once, all the officers and sergeants of the 1st Battalion, including Captain Hauser, learned their lesson.

They ran and shouted, telling the soldiers to scatter and stop crowding together.

Loose skirmish lines formed again, and the soldiers no longer pursued orderly ranks, but instead used their rifles and bayonets to reap the lives of the enemy as quickly as possible.

……

After noticing that a large number of friendly forces on the main battlefield had resumed their offensive, Morin refocused on the farmhouse in front of him.

Although friendly forces will most likely be able to rush up, the battle may not necessarily end there; there will likely still be remaining enemies in the village that need to be eliminated.

Thinking of this, he patted a messenger beside him, pointed in the direction of the river, and gave the order.

"Return along the river to inform Sergeant Klaus and the other squads to advance under cover and rendezvous with the main force here."

The messenger immediately took the order and left.

"Lie down, keep your head down, bullets don't have eyes!"

"Yes, sir!"

After watching the messenger jump into the river and crouch down to walk away, Morin turned around and looked at the squad beside him.

After the machine gun fire subsided, the soldiers were already itching to try their luck, but Morin raised his hand to stop them from rushing into the farmhouse.

"Don't rush off to your death."

His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly calmed down the hot-headed soldiers.

"Grenadier, come here!"

Two soldiers who had just silenced the machine gun with grenades immediately stepped forward.

"Listen carefully, wait until I open the door a little, then you throw the grenade through the crack in the door."

This order, which they had never heard before, puzzled the two grenadiers.

But based on the trust that had just been established, the soldiers did not hesitate at all, taking ball grenades from their waist clips and holding them in their hands, ready to throw them at any time.

Morin took a deep breath and, after confirming that everyone else was ready, he carefully hunched his shoulders and opened the wooden door of the farmhouse a crack.

Almost simultaneously, two grenadiers pulled the pins on their grenades and rolled one after the other through the crack in the door. Morin immediately closed the door and then quickly retreated.

"Boom! Boom!"

A muffled explosion came from inside the farmhouse, accompanied by the sound of planks shattering and something falling to the ground.

"Big guy, kick the door down!"

Standing opposite Morin, a tall and burly soldier, having received Morin's instruction, kicked open the already rickety wooden door without hesitation.

"Fire!"

At Morin's command, the soldiers behind him immediately unleashed a volley of fire into the dark doorway.

The crisp sound of gunfire echoed in front of the farmhouse, bullets hitting the walls and the surrounding wooden farm tools, kicking up clouds of dust.

The group quickly retreated behind the wall, pulled the bolts, and hot shell casings bounced out, clattering to the ground.

When they peeked out again to prepare to fire, they found that the first floor of the farmhouse was no longer moving.

On the ground and at the stairwell leading to the second floor, three soldiers dressed in the Kingdom's black uniforms lay dead.

Morin, holding his gun, led the group slowly inside. He then took a closer look at the three Kingdom soldiers, whose bodies were riddled with bullet holes and shrapnel wounds, clearly indicating they were beyond saving.

"Give them a quick death."

Morin sighed almost imperceptibly and then ordered three soldiers to step forward and end their suffering with bullets.

"Be careful, go up to the second floor!"

Upon hearing the new order, the soldiers following Morin also aimed their guns at the second floor, and then carefully made their way up the creaking stairs.

When the first soldier peeked out from the stairwell, he discovered that the scene on the second floor was even more horrific.

In the confined space, the grenadiers' grenades were used to their fullest potential.

Especially the one thrown in through the machine gun firing window; judging from the explosion marks on the ground, it landed right at the shooter's feet.

So the machine gunner, the assistant gunner, and the other two riflemen on guard duty had all fallen into pools of blood and were no longer breathing.

On the contrary, the Vickers machine gun seemed to have been largely unaffected because the two gunners absorbed most of the grenade damage.

Morin looked down and went to the side of the window to give the Vickers machine gun a quick inspection.

The gun was covered in dust and sawdust, but the water-cooling components and receiver did not appear to have suffered fatal damage.

This relieved him; barring any other problems, this Vickers machine gun would be the 3rd Platoon's first trophy.

Although the available ammunition may not be sufficient, there can never be too many Vickers machine guns, which are considered the 'optimal derivative of the Maxim'.

"Move the machine gun and ammunition boxes to the first floor, and go through the window from the side with your heads down. Don't let the friendly forces outside mistake us for the enemy."

Morin left three soldiers behind, gave them some instructions, and then led his men downstairs.

Outside the farmhouse gate, the three squads scattered along the river had been called back by the messenger and rejoined the soldiers who remained behind.

Dozens of people crowded around the farmhouse, their faces clearly beaming with joy. The soldiers in Sergeant Klaus's squad were even boasting to their comrades about their recent victory.

Looking at the chaotic scene, Morin's temples throbbed.

If the enemy suddenly attacks back, or if a shell lands, their kill count will probably skyrocket.

(End of this chapter)