Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 268 Say it again, what kind of cannon is this? (Bonus Chapter 13)

"Everyone, get on the bus!"

Morin also gave orders to the soldiers of the training battalion.

The instructors quickly boarded the surrounding trucks, while Morin boarded the command vehicle carrying a large radio.

Colonel Lukes also gave him a strangely shaped energy storage device, saying it was a backup power generation device used on armored trains.

Once this energy storage device is connected to the radio, it will save the need to send someone outside to generate electricity by "cycling".

It also allows the training assault battalion to maintain contact with the Odin during the march.

"Colonel Lucas, the road ahead has been scouted by my troops, and no signs of enemy sabotage have been found."

Morin, who was leading the training assault battalion to set off first, reported to the train conductor via radio.

"Roger that, Captain Morin." Lucas's voice came through the loudspeaker. "'Odin' is about to start. We will proceed at a cruising speed of twenty kilometers per hour. Please coordinate with our unit."

At the Odin's maximum speed, the journey from Crécy to Paris would actually take less than an hour.

However, in order to match the speed of the trucks used by the training assault battalion, and also for the sake of safety, Lucas opted for a relatively conservative speed.

Even so, if all goes well, they will be at the gates of Paris in just over two hours.

"Woo——"

With another long whistle, the massive steel train slowly began to move, launching its final assault on the heart of the Gallo-British Republic.

According to the collected railway information, this railway line from Crécy to Paris connects directly to the central train station in Paris.
This means that if the raid goes smoothly enough, the steel behemoth named 'Odin' could even drive directly into the center of Paris after the main force arrives.

Shortly after the train departed, the advance troops of the training assault battalion, led by trucks, made a new discovery.

Large groups of Gallic soldiers are retreating towards Paris along a nearby road.

Because they were moving by truck, the training assault battalion was much faster than the Gallic soldiers who fled on foot, and soon caught up with the defeated troops retreating from the Crey line.

"Don't linger, drive them away! Drive them toward Paris!" Morin immediately ordered the mounted messenger to relay the order to the guard detachment.

"Yes!"

Not long after, sporadic gunshots rang out on the road ahead.

The training assault battalion's guard detachment quickly disembarked from the trucks, established a temporary defensive line using the trucks, and began firing to drive away the fleeing soldiers.

The Gallic soldiers, who had already lost their will to fight, were terrified upon seeing their pursuers. They had no intention of resisting and simply abandoned all their burdens, running even more desperately toward Paris.

At the same time, more and more red unit tags representing the Gallic forces appeared on Morin's system map.

They swarmed in dense numbers, like a swarm of frightened ants, frantically rushing towards the giant anthill of Paris.

"Colonel Lucas, can you provide fire support for my forward units?" Morin picked up the communicator in the command vehicle.

“Of course, Captain Morin.”

Lucas readily agreed, seemingly eager for 'Odin' to launch the attack—after all, since entering Gaul, their primary task had been repairing the railways.

"If you have map number 4, you can just tell us the coordinates, and I'll let those Gauls taste the power of 150mm shells!"

Morin asked Manstein, who was in the same car, a question, and the latter quickly found the map numbered '4' in his staff backpack.

The Saxon Army provided military maps of varying precision and scale to its offensive forces, with the elite training assault battalions receiving all of them directly.

The two men looked at the map and drew a diagram together. Then, based on the marching speed of the Gallic soldiers, they roughly estimated the lead time and quickly reported the coordinates of the area where the Gallic fleeing soldiers were most concentrated to Lucas.

Soon, the Odin deliberately stopped.

"Boom! Boom!"

The four 150mm naval guns at the front and rear of the train raised their barrels and quickly roared out their first volley of fire.

Meanwhile, Morin personally took to the field, directly using the 'actual landing point' given on the system map to guide another round of correction shots.

Subsequent shells almost chased after the fleeing Gallic soldiers, exploding along their escape route.

In an instant, the highway was littered with flying blood and gore, and screams filled the air.

The Gallic soldiers were completely devastated. They no longer dared to flee along the road, but scattered and fled into the fields and woods by the roadside.

Just then, the communications soldier in the 'Odin' armored command vehicle also received a new message.

"Colonel! Armored airship L28 has sent a telegram saying they will arrive over our airspace in forty minutes and rendezvous with us!"

Lucas immediately shared this good news with Maureen.

This relieved the latter somewhat, since he couldn't accurately assess the combat capabilities of the armored train before witnessing its power.

Therefore, the more support troops, the better.

Forty minutes later, when the massive shadow of the L28 armored airship appeared as expected above the Odin, the combined assault force accelerated its advance once again.

With reconnaissance and cover from the sky, the training assault battalion's guard detachment, responsible for scouting ahead, became bolder.

The drivers then began 'racing' at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.
After nearly another hour of forced march, the forward guard unit reported a new message.

"Reporting, Battalion Commander! The alert detachment has spotted what appears to be an enemy fortress complex ten kilometers ahead! We can already see the Eiffel Tower in Paris!"

The messenger, who rode back on horseback, trembled slightly with excitement.

Paris!

Upon hearing this name, everyone in the command vehicle held their breath.

Just like the soldier who quenched his thirst by looking at plums, he was finally about to eat the plums.
Morin immediately instructed the driver to move the car to a high place, then climbed onto the roof, picked up binoculars, and looked into the distance.

On the distant horizon, the outline of a huge city is already faintly visible.

In the heart of that city, a towering steel tower stands prominently.

The Eiffel Tower.
"We've arrived," Morin murmured to himself, a complex and indescribable emotion welling up inside him.

Once upon a time, Paris was just a distant symbol to him, a time traveler.

And now, he has followed the flames of war to the very doorstep of this city.

In his telescope's view, on the outskirts northeast of Paris, a fortress complex consisting of several small forts and permanent fortifications guarded the ancient capital.

They were Paris's last land defense line.

Maureen put down his binoculars, returned to the truck bed, and picked up the walkie-talkie:
"Colonel Lucas, we have arrived near the outskirts of Paris, and the fortress complex is just ahead!"

“Very good, we can stop here, set up temporary artillery positions, destroy these fortresses first, and clear the way for the main force’s subsequent attack.”

Colonel Lucas's voice was filled with excitement:

"We've been cooped up in the car the whole way, it's time to let 'Gungnir' out for some fresh air!"

"Woo——"

With a long whistle, the massive 'Odin' armored train slowly came to a stop in the wilderness ten kilometers from the outskirts of Paris. "Everyone disembark! Establish defensive positions!"

Morin and Leonia issued the orders simultaneously.

The soldiers of the training assault battalion quickly jumped out of the carriages and spread out in platoons around the train, forming a circular defensive line.

Leonia's twenty armored knights were also freed from the flatbed truck.

The massive steel bodies took heavy steps, then dispersed and were deployed behind the temporary positions of the training assault battalion.

The reinforced field artillery battalion that accompanied the train also began constructing artillery positions between the train and the temporary positions.

One by one, 77mm field guns and captured 75mm guided guns were unloaded from the vehicles, and the gunners were busy with their tasks in a tense but orderly manner.

After arranging the troops' next move, Morin and Leonia returned to the vicinity of the armored train and stood side by side next to the 'Odin,' ready to witness the first roar of this siege weapon.

"Attention all units! 'Odin,' switch to first mode—Siege Artillery Mode!"

At Colonel Lucas's command, the entire train seemed to come alive.

"Click - click -"

A series of teeth-grinding metallic scraping sounds rang out as the hydraulic support arms on both sides of all the carriages simultaneously extended, digging deep into the solid ground on both sides of the railway like giant centipede legs, firmly fixing the entire train in place.

The engineers and magic technicians accompanying the vehicle also dragged out a huge, uninflated balloon from the supply wagon.

They skillfully connected the air pump to the balloon, and soon a huge artillery observation balloon, carrying two observers, wobbled into the air, providing the most accurate firing data for the upcoming artillery bombardment.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the mysterious carriage carrying 'Gungnir' finally made a move.

The heavy armor plates slowly slid down to the sides, revealing the true face of the ferocious giant cannon inside.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary train cannon that had appeared in another timeline.

The gun barrel doesn't look particularly special from the outside, but its caliber is estimated to be between 280 and 300 millimeters.

"Colonel, may I go up and take a look?" Morin's curiosity was completely piqued.

“Of course, please go ahead.” Colonel Lucas gestured for him to proceed.

Morin quickly climbed up to the front carriage of the 'Gungnir' and peered closer to observe it.

When he saw the inside of the cannon barrel, he was completely stunned.

Smooth as a mirror, without a single rifling groove.

How the hell is this a smoothbore cannon?!
At the same time, his system interface began to refresh with detailed information about 'Gungnir' at an alarming rate.

When Maureen jumped off the train, the way he looked at Colonel Lucas had changed.

"How about that? Scared, huh?" Lucas said smugly.

"This...this is a smoothbore cannon?" Morin still couldn't quite believe it.

"Smoothbore cannon? No, no, no"

Lucas shook his head and corrected him:
"To be precise, it should be called the 'Twelve-Stage Acceleration Magic Cannon,' another masterpiece combining our Empire's magic technology and Radiant Crystal technology!"

Its caliber is 305 millimeters.

Lucas stroked the cold cannon barrel as if he were caressing his lover.

"And what it fires are not ordinary shells."

As Lucas explained, a shell with a slightly different shape was taken out of the ammunition magazine inside the carriage by a huge hoisting machine and then slowly fed into the breech from the rear of the gun barrel.

The shell appeared to have only a large, metallic warhead, without the usual cartridge case or propellant charge.

"see it?"

Lucas pointed to the shell and said:

"It doesn't need gunpowder propulsion. The entire inside of the barrel is filled with 12 coils of acceleration runes made of high-purity magic crystals! When 'Gungnir' fires, these coils will activate in sequence, forming a powerful acceleration field that propels the projectile out at an unimaginable speed!"

Morin was stunned.

Railgun!
This is a magic-based railgun!

"Moreover, the shells it fires are not ordinary shells used by the army artillery."

Lucas continued boastfully:

"Its main component is a high concentration of a crystalline compound that, upon hitting a target, produces a violent energy explosion. The power, hehe, you'll find out soon enough."

"No, why wasn't this weapon used in the previous siege of Liege?"

Morin voiced the question that had been bothering him.

If this thing had been there, it might have been able to take down the fortress without needing to be airdropped by armored airships.

"Sigh, don't even mention it. The original plan was indeed to have us attack together with the 420mm gun."

Lucas sighed.

“At the beginning of the war, Odin and Gungnir were still lying in the testing grounds, undergoing their final tests.”

"By the time we are officially commissioned and have completed all the testing, your First and Second Army Groups will have already reached Amiens."

"What a pity, I was thinking of trying to get a look at the legendary 'First Fortress Complex of Europe'~"

Morin: "."

As they were talking, 'Gungnir' had completed all the launch preparations.

The massive cannon barrel slowly rose under the drive of the hydraulic system, its muzzle pointing at a huge angle towards the distant Paris fortress complex.

Several magic engineers in blue uniforms entered the control room at the rear of the carriage to begin the final parameter settings.

"'Gungnir,' launch ready!"

As a command came from the control room, a low and strange buzzing sound emanated from inside the gun barrel.

Morin could sense that the free magic in the surrounding air was becoming unusually active and violent.

"Magic circuit fully charged: 30%, 60%, 100%!"

"Target locked! Temporarily named: Fortress Complex Northeast of Paris, Fortress No. 1!"

"emission!"

“Buzz—boom!!!”

With a deafening roar that seemed to tear eardrums apart, a dazzling blue light shot out from the cannon's muzzle!

(End of this chapter)