The Fourth Calamity never believed in the steel torrent!

Chapter 20 Captain, can we really defeat them?

"Damn it, where did they go?"

"I don't know, maybe they ran into the woods?"

The Black Hawk soldiers, who had rushed to this section of the trench, regrouped, but they found no trace of the enemy.

The battlefield was littered with the corpses of Black Hawk soldiers, many of them charred black by flamethrowers, a gruesome sight.

The Black Hawk soldiers who arrived glanced at the path behind them and estimated that if these people wanted to break out, they would most likely run into the woods along this path.

Otherwise, they couldn't possibly charge towards the reserve team waiting behind their own lines, could they?

If they actually headed towards the reserve team and the troops that arrived later, then these people would be a laughing stock!
An officer who arrived late glanced at the murmuring soldiers, frowned, and asked:
"What's going on? What are you discussing? Shouldn't you be pursuing the enemy immediately?"

Upon hearing this, the Black Hawk soldiers exchanged glances, secretly wishing they could curse.

It's true that with just a few words from the officer, the soldiers have to run themselves ragged. Those Cambrian Empire soldiers were fighting so fiercely just now, how could they dare to pursue them?
Hundreds of Black Hawk Empire corpses lay strewn across this battlefield, a number exceeding the casualties of their previous attack on the trenches!
"Sir, we've just lost track of the enemy, but we suspect they've followed the path into the dense forest nearby!"

A soldier saluted, but then, with a displeased expression, said:
"Excuse my bluntness, sir, pursuing them into the dense forest now is definitely not a good choice; the sun is about to set!"

"We are completely unfamiliar with the forests within the Cambrian Empire. If we insist on fighting in the jungle, our brothers are very likely to sacrifice themselves in vain!"

Upon hearing this, the officer nodded; he hadn't expected the soldiers to chase them into the woods anyway.

Although he, born into a noble family in the Black Hawk Empire, didn't care much about the lives of ordinary soldiers, the casualties were still too high, and as his direct superior, he would inevitably bear joint responsibility, especially since these were unnecessary casualties.

So he just said impatiently:
"In that case, you hold this position. I will contact the rear immediately and have them bombard the nearby jungle with artillery fire!"

"These cunning Cambrian people won't last long. They have no supplies along the way, and their soldiers are exhausted and hungry. In the end, they will have no choice but to surrender to us!"

He observed that if the enemy was breaking through towards the forest, the Cambrian Empire's breakout force would run right into their marching direction.

By then, these people will have no choice but to be captured or die on the battlefield. It's impossible for them to break through the blockade of hundreds of thousands of people and fight their way out.

The request for artillery fire was quickly relayed from the front lines to the artillery positions in the rear, but the request was rejected.

Because the artillery positions are currently being moved, and after consideration by their division headquarters, they believe that it is completely unnecessary to delay the entire artillery unit's relocation for the sake of a few hundred soldiers who break out.

Although it was getting dark, they were preparing for open battle and would pursue the retreating Cambrian Empire forces.

They were positioned on the north and south flanks, and two new units had already launched a pincer attack, encircling the enemy force. Two mechanized assault regiments had already penetrated into the enemy's rear.

Therefore, they were well aware that the Cambrian Empire's forces would inevitably try to break through the encirclement, and if they relied solely on these two assault regiments, it would be difficult for them to stop the enemy's breakout.

Therefore, they planned to pursue the enemy overnight and try to completely annihilate the enemy force that had fallen into chaos under the cover of darkness!
Meanwhile, Andrei directed his troops to advance along the forest path, clearing the way for the main force behind them.

He had already made preparations to have his soldiers take cover immediately if enemy artillery came at them. While this wouldn't guarantee they would avoid much fire, it would at least make it harder for the enemy artillery to aim, preventing them from bombarding the path.

However, it seems the enemy has no intention of using artillery to bombard them.

Andrei glanced at the soldiers behind him and felt a slight tightness in his chest.

After that burst of energy and the loss of adrenaline, his troops are now exhausted.

Although the soldiers were in high spirits because of their successful breakout and the fierce fighting they had done along the way, and were discussing their kill records, the unit was now at its last gasp.

The problem is, they can't afford to exhaust themselves now!

In Andrei's view, this forest was not a safe place, and it was impossible to rest here at night.

Putting aside the possibility of artillery shells falling overhead at any moment, the presence of wild animals in the forest and the possibility of enemy troops pursuing them make this place unsuitable for rest.

Even if he thought the enemy was unlikely to enter the forest at night to fight, it was still possible that they were lurking far behind them.

Thinking of this, he quickly stepped forward, stood in the center of the group, clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention to himself, and then encouraged the crowd, saying:
"Brothers, hang in there! Let's get to the village on the other side first!"

"If we just keep following this road, we'll soon reach a village where we can rest!"

"We can't stop now. The enemy could catch up at any moment, so we have to hold on a little longer!"

Upon hearing Andrei's words, the soldiers present responded enthusiastically.

"Captain, no problem, we can still walk!"

"I just snatched a bag of sausages from those Black Hawk devils, we can eat them as we walk!"

Because Andrei had just led them to a successful breakout and fought brilliantly, this unit was very supportive of Andrei, especially with tireless players cheering them on.

However, some soldiers hesitated for a moment and asked somewhat timidly:

"Captain, I'd like to ask, can we win this battle?"

As soon as he asked the question, all the soldiers around him turned their attention to him, causing the young soldier to shrink back involuntarily.

Even so, he still continued to ask:

"Captain, we've been at war for a month now, but our front lines are constantly retreating, and the country is on emergency conscription!"

"The Black Hawk Empire even claims that it could destroy us in just six months, and their army is far stronger than ours. Can we really defeat them?"

(End of this chapter)