A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 416 Fighter Jets

Pascal was ultimately unable to defend the entire hilltop by himself, but fortunately, when the enemy came up, reinforcements from his own side arrived as well.

It was Drouot, who was focused on his subordinates, who led the remaining artillery and infantry companies willing to provide support. When communications were interrupted, only a trained officer like Drouot could seize the opportunity, while the other rookies were still fighting a bitter battle with the Imperial infantry.

"Squad leader, well done!"

"It was my senior brother and I working together," Paul replied, continuing the battle. The two mages achieved great success in their first battle, especially Paul, who commanded the key artillery barrage. When they tallied the battlefield, they discovered that the unfortunate victims all carried scrolls of potions and enchanted weapons, realizing just how big a "fish" they had hit.

Thus, the gunner was promoted to company commander, leading one-third of the artillery in Drouot's artillery battalion, while Pascal became Paul's adjutant. Their promotions were not fast by today's standards. After the National Guard expanded, there was a shortage of officers, so anyone with a little talent and merit could be promoted. On the other hand, this was also a means of boosting morale.

However, the military organization and the situation in Valuwana remain chaotic, so military ranks have not yet been finalized. Even if the commendation order can be issued in time, judging from Paul's performance today, it will need to be updated again.

"Set up the cannon and blast it down the mountain!" Pascal cast the [Linger] spell on the shotgun to speed up the movement and setup of the group, but he forgot about the recoil for a moment, and the shot almost caused the lightweight cannon barrel to be fired backward.

Paul, observing the battlefield situation, suddenly said, "Stop setting up artillery, let's move from this high ground."

Drouot couldn't understand: "We finally managed to capture this crucial position, and now we're going to give it up?" He thought Paul was intimidated by the enemy's counterattack.

"It's not abandoning the position, it's preparing to move. This place will soon be useless." Paul didn't use his binoculars, squinting as he took in the battlefield in the rain.

"On the main battlefield below, our army's subsequent charges were clearly lacking, but the Imperial army showed no signs of counterattacking. The front line appeared to have made a breakthrough in the west, but in reality, the enemy did not suffer large-scale casualties. This indicates that the Imperial infantry was systematically tightening their lines and moving towards the east."

Drouot looked and indeed saw that the density of the Imperial Army on the eastern front had increased significantly.

"But on their eastern flank, which is our side, even knowing that Hill 2 has fallen, they still approached it, exposing themselves to artillery fire. Surely the enemy couldn't mobilize all their forces to retake a position? This unusual deployment..."

"And then consider the enemy forces now attacking the high ground." Paul turned his gaze back down to the enemy assaulting the high ground.

At this moment, Pascal was leading his artillery battalion in a valiant fight against the enemy, preventing them from advancing an inch. But in Paul's eyes, it was clear that the enemy's fighting spirit was low: "These enemy troops are using small-scale, rotating attacks to feint attacks, trying to avoid casualties in close combat as much as possible. Combined with the main force converging eastward..."

He took out a map: "We should go around the woods from the east and get to the semi-permanent camp that the scouts found earlier."

Paul's train of thought and speaking speed were both rapid, allowing Drouot to extract only the core ideas: Paul judged that the enemy was about to make a large-scale retreat! Therefore, the strategic significance of the high ground currently occupied had plummeted. Rather than spending time deploying and then firing a shot or two, it was better to advance to the next position, ensuring that the enemy's main force was still within range.

"It's easy to verify." Paul also ran to the edge of the high ground and discussed with Pascal for a moment using the [Telecommunication] spell. The two of them then summoned the [Fireball] spell together, and it was a fireball that was as big as possible.

This move isn't about how much damage it inflicts, but rather it directly tells the enemies below: There's a spellcaster here!

Sure enough, as the heat from the fireball subsided, the cautious and fearful faces of the imperialists were revealed. They still pointed their guns at the Valuans on the high ground, but had begun to gradually retreat.

"Just as I thought." Paul looked down arrogantly at the retreating soldiers, then turned to report to his superior: "It was indeed a feint attack by the enemy, and they have now retreated. Moreover, after we cast our spell, no enemy mages retaliated, proving that those guys have moved on. The spellcasters who want to protect themselves are always the first to slip away."

Drouot finally believed Paul's judgment and issued new orders to the entire battalion, advancing closer to the enemy's positions. He said to Paul, "But you two always manage to be at the forefront."

Pascal thought to himself: Actually, I was being dragged along by my junior brother.

As Paul marched, he raised his arms and shouted, "Because I want to defend my country! I want to achieve glory! To become a general!" He surveyed the smoke-filled battlefield: "Here, I am even more certain that I am a true Casicone man. Gentlemen, I love fighting!"

Before leaving, Drouot patted him approvingly on the shoulder: "Good, a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is a coward."

Pascal noticed the change in his junior brother's expression and quietly asked using [Telecommunications], "What's wrong? Did you hurt your shoulder?"

Paul's tone was somewhat strained: "No, sir. Mr. Drouot stole what I wanted to say!"

Pascal, gun in hand, rolled his eyes: "How dare you boast like that?"

The Valois army, pressing their advantage, planned to continue using skirmish tactics.

The commander replaced the heavily wounded troops, reorganized the remaining combat-ready soldiers, and sent them straight through the woods—as long as there was no formation, the sparse grove of trees wouldn't disrupt it. On the eastern flank, grenadier cavalry took turns harassing the retreating enemy's rear, while the original reserves became the main force, following behind the cavalry in pursuit.

The Imperial Army retreated to "Turtle Shell".

It is called a "shell", but it is not a permanent fortress. Instead, the camp is surrounded by more than five layers of trenches, combined with staggered longitudinal communication trenches. When viewed from above, it does indeed look like the cracks in a tortoise shell.

The sheer number of layers reveals Richard the Turtle's madness. It's also because the highest-ranking officers were rotating, giving him and his engineers four days and three nights of unsupervised digging time. Richard the Wizard had reason to suspect that if there had been enough barbed wire, he would have installed it in front of every single trench.

Now, the trenches, once considered superfluous, have come to a crucial role, accommodating most of the Imperial infantry and, combined with small steel helmets, providing every Imperial soldier with a great sense of security.

The cavalry couldn't possibly break through, and the National Guard infantry wouldn't arrive so quickly either. The Imperial soldiers, advancing with lightning speed, leaned against the muddy wall, catching their breath.

During this time, shells actually landed in the trenches. At first, they were terrified, but they soon realized that the probability of being hit was extremely small.

Paul, who had just entered the new position, took the binoculars from Drouot. The battalion commander asked, "How is it?"

Paul clicked his tongue: "The results are almost negligible. These cowards are scattered in the gutter; firing at them is a waste of ammunition."

"What a pity, it's rare that we reached the new position so quickly." Drouo also took a risk. Their artillery battalion moved too fast. If the messenger from headquarters couldn't find him, he might be court-martialed for acting without authorization.

"No, our battalion can still do its job." Paul ordered the artillery to adjust its target: "Fire at that thing in front of the defensive line, make sure all the shells hit the same spot."

Paul has discovered that barbed wire is hindering skirmish tactics from working, and now the Imperial infantry have better cover, while the National Guard infantry are helpless against the barbed wire.

Paul's shell blasted a hole, but a new section of barbed wire quickly filled in.

"We need to find a way to keep making breakthroughs!" Paul handed the binoculars back to Drouot.

(End of this chapter)