A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 496 A Reckless Battle

Drouot sometimes wondered why he, an artillery general, was leading a heavy infantry division.

Moreover, this organizational structure seems to have been dug out of an ancient book. In those days, the army was full of idiots, and everyone wore cotton-padded clothes, or at most a thin breastplate. There were also heavy infantry.

During the troop training, a group of spellcasters suddenly arrived, excitedly bringing a pile of metal shells and machines he couldn't understand in twelve horse-drawn carts, which they then assembled under the influence of magic.

Yes, he's eleven meters tall, fully armored, can't fly, and is indeed very heavy; he's definitely a heavy infantryman.

The giant mechanical breakers assigned to the Drouot division were codenamed "Heavy Gunner," a name that suited his expertise. They had practiced with the behemoth more than once. Now it was time for actual combat. Not only him, but four of the nine legions participating in the battle today were equipped with the new generation of constructs.

The Imperial Army had already detected the National Guard's movements, and now the enemy, well-rested and ready, was poised to attack. Drouo could see nothing but ugly scars on the earth – trenches, their byproducts, barbed wire, and makeshift fortifications.

Clearly, charging would be useless against such an arrangement, but the guard's high command seemed to have become superstitious about charging, as if the era of line infantry and firing squads was over, and they would create conditions for a one-wave rush even if they didn't have them.

If morale is low, there are supervisory teams; if there are too many obstacles, there are "heavy artillerymen".

Drouot could initially understand this line of thinking. After all, the Valuvans were somewhat more superstitious than the Imperials. After the rush tactic miraculously saved Valuvan, they felt that such "courageous tactics" would have some kind of magical bonus. In addition, the National Guard had too many new recruits in the early stages of expansion, and their organization and training were not enough for them to complete too many complex tactics.

But now that things have come to this, there are more veterans than new recruits in the ranks, and continuing to use expedient methods is unacceptable to Drouot. At least he still values ​​every soldier under his command and can't bear to let the supervisory team fire on their own men.

Fortunately, his troops had no shortage of artillery and "powerful weapons".

By noon, all the soldiers had a simple meal of biscuits and candy, and a small amount of cheap, spicy liquor. Once the allied forces had completed their battle deployment and reached their designated positions, Drouot began to mobilize his troops, issuing the order: "Fire!"

The first round of test firing targeted the enemy's high ground, aiming to hit every building visible through binoculars. Of course, this was only in an ideal situation; field artillery has limited range, and most of the test firings so far have landed in fields or tunnels, without achieving any foreseeable results.

One group of gunners immediately adjusted their elevation and aim, while another group began to shift positions and advance to coordinate with the friendly forces about to charge. No, the warriors of other units had already begun to move. The first round of artillery fire was more like the roar of wild beasts before battle, an attempt to intimidate, while soldiers from other regiments almost simultaneously took off and rushed towards the fortifications a few hundred meters away.

It was utterly devoid of aesthetic appeal. Back when Drouot was still in school, the textbook descriptions of tactics during the Sun King's reign were like works of art. The two armies would first engage in tense long-distance contact and reconnaissance, then calculate the marching time to deploy, and once the war began, the various branches of the military would coordinate with each other.

The war between the two countries, which has continued to this day, initially showed a glimpse of the last vestiges of the classical style, but then it all disappeared. The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, as if the officers of Valois and the Empire had tacitly forgotten how to fight before and had all chosen the simplest mode: charging forward while digging trenches and waiting for the other side.

The drumbeats urged the vanguard forward. Lately, the drumbeats had been strange, no longer the usual simple rhythm. However, the soldiers ran faster and faster, more and more easily, forgetting their fear.

Because of the "poisoning" of spellcasters, they extracted the "resonance" technique, which had a massive impact on soldiers, from the "battle rituals" of ancient nobles. They combined it with drumbeats and alchemical potions mixed with alcohol to achieve an additional "courage" boost. At least that's what the mage told Druo.

As the vanguard gradually reached the Imperial Army's firing range, the gray-clad defenders could see the blue, white, and red-clad attackers. They set up their guns, and sporadic gunfire and smoke finally filled the air above the fields.

Among the charging troops was a special type of soldier who was selected because of their running ability. They pushed a two-wheeled cart with a two-meter-high steel plate attached to the front of the cart.

Before the race, the mage cast a levitation spell on the steel plate to reduce its weight and gave the athletes a sprint buff to ensure they could be at the front and defend against bullets and shotgun blasts. Most importantly, once they reached the barbed wire fence, the steel plate would be secured to hold down the bridge that served as an obstacle crossing.

This ridiculously simple method would have been impossible before, but with a mage's simple tap, they could display their power on the battlefield. When the vanguard approached the enemy, they would unconsciously gather behind the steel plates, and the effect was obviously quite good.

It's utterly absurd that Drouot thinks he's forgotten how to fight.

Dark gun barrels emerged from the Imperial Army's makeshift bunkers, and shotguns were also pushed out. Soon, the attacking soldiers on the front lines, along with commanders like Drouot, noticed something was wrong—the density of bullets fired from the small bunkers was unusually high.

Drouot noticed that the gunfire had become much more frequent and had a certain rhythm. There were many other interfering sounds on the battlefield until a gap appeared, leaving only the unfamiliar gunfire. He silently noted that one set of gunfire consisted of about six to eight shots in succession.

Rapid fire? The Imperial Army's surprises for the National Guard didn't stop there. A shell from the Imperial Army flew over the National Guard's charging formation and detonated. The high-speed flying shrapnel instantly knocked down a large number of them. Even the "strongmen" who were protected by iron doors had no protection behind or to the sides.

Several more delayed-explosion shells exploded over the National Guard. The two new weapons did not appear to be deployed on a large scale, but their appearance caused considerable shock and hindrance to the frontline soldiers, immediately slowing down the pace of the charge and the advance into the first trench.

The radio call signs blared as the National Guard commanders tried to figure out how to deal with the new situation. Only the mage next to Drouot seemed relaxed, "admiring" the grand scene through binoculars: "It seems we're not the only ones who have prepared a 'gift' for the enemy."

"The situation is unfavorable for us now. Is it time to deploy the 'heavy artillerymen'?" Drouo was very dissatisfied with the spellcaster's detached attitude, as if the deaths and injuries of his compatriots on the front lines had nothing to do with him.

"You can send them out as soon as you give the order."

Thirty-one minutes into the battle, looking ahead from the Imperial army's trenches, a massive burst of steam suddenly erupted on the horizon, and five enormous black figures rose from the white mist.

They broke through the dissipating steam, their heavy steps shaking the earth, yet their charge towards the position grew ever faster, and their size increased in the eyes of the Imperial soldiers. Behind and to their sides was the true main force of the National Guard, charging a second wave with long rifles at the ready.

Veterans who participated in the Battle of Valuana have seen similar steel giants, but they are very different from what we see today.

The new models of constructs have reinforced their frontal armor and abandoned their exaggerated jumping abilities. With each step they take, thick steam rises behind them, seemingly indicating the source of their power, but at the same time, magical glow overflows from the gaps in their armor, especially the back of their classic helmets, which glows red like a murderous gaze.

"Quick, quick, all heavy artillery, aim at the new targets! Those big guys!"

(End of this chapter)