Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 39 Third row, dinner's ready!
Upon receiving the order, the troops, who had just been basking in the joy of victory, immediately regrouped.

The atmosphere on the battlefield became tense yet orderly once again.

The bearded commander of the International Brigades found Major Thomas and, after a brief discussion, decided to temporarily join the 1st Battalion and continue advancing towards the city of Seville.

Ludwig also stated that the Teutonic Knights were originally there to cooperate in the battle, so they would also enter the city first.

The attitude of these two men relieved Major Thomas; otherwise, he would have been somewhat panicked to lead the heavily damaged 1st Battalion forward.

During this brief moment, Morin quickly took stock of the casualties in his platoon.

Looking at the sparse queue in front of him, his heart sank.

After a battle to capture the high ground, his original full-strength 3rd Platoon was reduced to only 48 men.

Sergeant Jonah, who had fought bravely behind him, also fell in the final hand-to-hand combat and never got up again.

The cruelty of war was presented to Morin in the most direct way at this moment.

This was also the first time Morin had directly experienced what it felt like to see his soldiers die in battle.
After leaving behind a platoon that was almost completely decimated, waiting for the medics and stretcher bearers to come up and collect the bodies of the fallen.

Major Thomas led his troops, in coordination with the International Brigades and the Teutonic Knights, in pursuit of the enemy's wreckage towards the city of Seville.

Although it was called a 'pursuit', to everyone's surprise, they advanced without encountering any obstacles.

Major Thomas also had a messenger report the progress to regimental headquarters. Morin didn't know the specifics; he only heard Major Thomas say:
"Our camp is unimpeded! Unimpeded indeed!"

They encountered no resistance until the International Brigades sent an advance force of more than ten men onto the cobblestone streets on the outskirts of Seville.

The enemy did not simply order a 'full retreat' as stated in the regimental command; they abandoned the entire city outright.

"Something's not right. This isn't how you fight a war."

Morin looked at the eerily calm city before him, his brow furrowed.

According to his previous reconnaissance, the Royal Army and the Britannians had deployed a large force here, built a strong defensive line, and were ready to fight the allied forces to the death.

How could they abandon the city and flee so easily just because of a single failed attack?
This is highly illogical, unless it's a trap.

Morin wanted to find his direct superior, Captain Hauser, but he couldn't reach him for a long time.

In the end, he could only find Major Thomas, who was talking to the bearded commander of the International Brigades, and express his concerns.

"Major, I think this is very likely a trap. The enemy is clearly trying to lure us into the city."

"Morin, your concerns are valid."

Major Thomas interrupted him.
"However, I think it is more likely that the enemy was not prepared to fight in the city streets. After our defenses were breached, there was no point in continuing to defend the city."

The bearded commander nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Ludwig, who had his servants and technicians inspect the damage to the armored knights, also came over and overheard their conversation.

"I think their losses are too great."

Ludwig's voice drew the attention of the three.

"Leaving aside the casualties of the Kingdom's ragtag troops, the Northumberland Fusiliers Regiment of Brittany alone had more than half of its battalion decimated by you on the high ground."

"More importantly, they also lost two armored knights and all their knights' squires, a crushing defeat that the Britannians, who have always been very proud of themselves, have not suffered in recent years."

Ludwig paused, then continued his analysis:
“I don’t think they’ll give up so easily. This retreat is more like a tactical retreat. They will likely regroup outside the city and launch a counterattack against us.”

Hearing Ludwig's words, Morin frowned and asked in return:
"Would you willingly relinquish your defensive advantage and then, at the cost of even greater casualties, launch a counterattack?"

Ludwig: "This shows that the other side is confident in doing so, and they have grasped a point that we cannot refuse."

"Sevilla's importance to us makes it impossible for us to retreat as easily as they have."

Major Thomas, realizing what was happening, picked up the conversation and looked up at Morin.

"This also means that we're stuck here, Lieutenant Morin. Your concerns are indeed valid."

"It seems we must remain vigilant; there may be even tougher battles to come," Ludwig concluded.

Soon, the National Army, the International Brigade, and the follow-up troops of the 16th Infantry Brigade entered the city and carried out a thorough mopping-up operation.

After some time, it was finally confirmed that the enemy had indeed completely withdrawn. Once the city was deemed safe, the supply troops, field hospital, and field kitchen quickly followed suit, setting up camp on an open area on the outskirts of the city.

Morin first ordered several soldiers in his platoon who were seriously injured but had only received emergency treatment to be sent to the field hospital, which reduced the number of men under his command who could move to 42.

Then he called Sergeant Klaus aside.

"Klaus, take stock of the ammunition consumption of each squad, then take a few men to the company quartermaster and replenish the ammunition."

"Yes, Platoon Commander!"

"Especially hand grenades, try to get more of them. If we are going to face urban warfare, these things will be more useful than anything else."

Sergeant Klaus quickly accepted the order and left.

"Corporal Bowman!"

"To!"

"You are responsible for compiling a detailed list of all the dead and wounded in the platoon, and then submitting it to the company clerk."

Morin looked at the young corporal in front of him, his tone becoming unusually serious.

"You must be careful and not miss a single name, not even a single letter can be wrong. This is related to whether the fallen soldiers can receive their compensation, and it is related to the future lives of their families far away, do you understand?"

"I understand! Don't worry, sir!"

Corporal Bowman nodded emphatically, and the soldiers around him, including some International Brigades volunteers who were listening intently nearby, all looked at Morin with a subtle change in their gaze.

After dealing with these trivial matters, Klaus returned with ammunition and two grenades. After Bowman and the others rejoined the team, an enticing aroma wafted from the field kitchen not far away.

The hunger that surged in the soldiers' stomachs quickly overwhelmed their grief over the loss of their comrades. Although it was cruel, it was indeed a reflection of the battlefield.

If people cry and wail and can't eat whenever a comrade dies, then there's no point in fighting this war.
Looking at the three platoons of still-alive, starving soldiers, Morin finally waved his hand dismissively.

"Third row, everyone! Let's eat!"

After a whole morning of fierce fighting, both Morin and his soldiers were starving.

Today's meal was more lavish than anyone had imagined.

The soup, made with 'Urbi sausage' and potato chunks, becomes even thicker after a long simmer.

And the staple foods, black bread and hot coffee, were also plentiful.

In addition to these three staples, the field kitchen also lavishly prepared fried sausages for everyone, and each person even got a whole one.

At this time, the Saxon Empire was clearly not in a period of material shortage, so the supply of military supplies was also very abundant.

Unlike the Second German Empire in another timeline, where soldiers on the front lines were forced to eat bread mixed with large amounts of sawdust after air routes were blocked and supplies became scarce.
Saxon sausages were not scored.

The chefs placed the whole sausage directly into the pan and fried it in butter until it sizzled and the skin was golden brown and crispy.

This method locks in the juices and oils inside the sausage to the greatest extent possible, ensuring the purest flavor.

As a "foodie king" who had quickly become famous throughout the company, Mo Lin couldn't wait to find a place to sit down after getting his food.

He blew on the steam rising from the sausage and then took a big bite without waiting.

"Crack."

"Hiss-ha-"

Although it was a little hot, once you bit through the crispy outer layer, the scalding hot juices mixed with the rich aroma of meat burst in your mouth.

In that instant, Morin felt his tired body and mind completely healed by this unparalleled deliciousness.

He quickly recognized it as a classic Thuringian sausage.

It is also one of the German sausages that is more in line with the tastes of Chinese people.

The soldiers around them couldn't help but swallow hard as they watched their platoon leader eat with such a blissful expression.

They felt their appetites were completely whetted, and they all buried their heads and began to eat heartily.

(End of this chapter)