Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei's War Journey

Chapter 75 Reconciliation with Caesar

Lu Mingfei felt less sadness and more of a growing weight on his shoulders, so heavy that he could hardly breathe. He raised his hand to check the time on his wristwatch.

"Alright." Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, turned around, and faced everyone who was looking at him. His face was expressionless, with only the same coldness and hardness as Herman's before.

"Sergeant Hermann is gone, but he taught us a lot. Now, I, William Hans, as the acting platoon leader, take over his responsibilities. Our mission remains the same: to hold this place for 24 hours. Not even halfway through the time has passed. The French army has been repelled once, but they will never give up. The next attack will only be more intense."

"So now put away your weakness! Check the weapons! Fortify the fortifications! Inventory all ammunition, including what you've collected from the corpses! Otto, I'm giving you one last half hour; you must get that Maxim gun working again! Caesar, take your men to check the flanks and rear trenches, make sure there are no gaps for infiltration! The rest of you, in groups of three, take turns on guard duty and rest! Move quickly!"

A series of orders were issued, and the soldiers in front began to carry them out silently. In the battle just now, Lu Mingfei had completely established his authority. He was the new Hermann, their new pillar.

Otto wiped his face hard, let out a low growl, and led a few men to rush towards the silent Maxim.

Caesar gave Lu Mingfei a deep look with his icy blue eyes, said nothing, turned around and led the few remaining members of Hoffman's squad, with bayonets fixed on their rifles, to the flank.

Lu Mingfei walked to the edge of the trench, raised his binoculars, and saw that the French positions in the distance had calmed down. He could see some engineers moving around, seemingly reinforcing their front line, or perhaps preparing new firing positions.

Time passed slowly in the tense silence. The soldiers made the most of their time to repair the damaged sandbags, fill the gaps in the trench walls with whatever they could find, and sort and arrange the collected ammunition and grenades.

Half an hour later, a cheer came from Otto's side: the Maxim gun was repaired! Although it was unknown how long it could last, at least they had regained sustained firepower.

Caesar returned with his men, reporting that the flank was temporarily safe. Lu Mingfei nodded, but he was not at all relieved.

He began his march toward the company headquarters, which was located at the corner of the trench more than a hundred meters from the front line. He was going to the headquarters to report and see if he could get any support.

"Acting Platoon Leader, William Hans is here to report!" Lu Mingfei walked into the company headquarters and reported.

The company headquarters didn't have many people, only two messengers, one communications soldier, one orderly, and the company commander, Henrik.

At this moment, Company Commander Henrik nervously watched the entrance to the company headquarters. The previous shelling and the intense gunfire and shouts from the front line terrified him. The large number of soldiers being transported to the rear made him even more tense.

However, he was still very surprised when he saw Lu Mingfei. Henrik remembered that Herman had mentioned this guy named William Hans, but wasn't he the squad leader? How did he become the temporary platoon leader?

"William Hans? You're the squad leader Herman was talking about, the one he thought highly of? Where's Herman?"

"Report! Sergeant Herman has been killed in action. Before he died, he appointed me to temporarily take command of the third platoon!" Lu Mingfei continued, not mentioning that Herman had committed suicide, thus saving face for him.

"What?" Captain Henrik jumped to his feet, the chair scraping against the wet floor with a screeching sound. His face was filled with shock and panic.

"Hermann is dead? Killed in action? How did he die? What's the situation at the front now? What about casualties?"

Herman was the only pillar of experience he, as a gilded company commander, could rely on on the battlefield, and now that pillar had broken!

"The sergeant major was fatally wounded by shrapnel while directing the defense." Lu Mingfei repeated this half-truthful excuse without batting an eye, then began reporting on the situation at the front. These were tasks that Herman should have been handling, but now they were all on his shoulders.

The defensive line is currently stable. We repelled an attack by a reinforced French infantry company. Preliminary statistics indicate that our casualties are around 100, while the enemy casualties are estimated to exceed 200. The main body of the defensive line remains intact, but forward fortifications are severely damaged, machine guns are in need of repair, and ammunition is more than half consumed and urgently needs replenishment, especially heavy machine gun bullets and grenades.

In addition, it is suspected that the French army may be preparing new offensive tactics, requiring the company headquarters to coordinate artillery countermeasures or provide reserve support.

Henrik listened, his face turning pale and then red. A hundred casualties. His recruit company only had two hundred and thirty men in total. In less than half a day, more than half of them had been lost. Although more enemy soldiers were killed or wounded, without Hermann, a veteran and backbone soldier, could the remaining recruits withstand the next attack?

"Company Commander, can we request to withdraw from the defensive line and have the next batch of troops come up?" Lu Mingfei continued.

"No, the reinforcements from the battalion headquarters haven't arrived yet. There's no way they'll send anyone to support us. We have to hold out for 24 hours before any reinforcements arrive," Henrik said, shaking his head.

He certainly wanted to run away, but they were just support troops; there were no other troops behind them.

"Can we request artillery support?" Lu Mingfei continued to ask.

"I will try my best to get the battalion headquarters to send two mortars to support you. If there is any emergency, I will request artillery fire coverage," Henrik said through gritted teeth. This was the maximum authority he could mobilize.

"Thank you for your support, sir." Lu Mingfei stood at attention and saluted, but he didn't have high hopes for the artillery barrage. That would require reporting up the chain of command, and by the time the order came down, it would probably be too late.

Fortunately, they managed to obtain two mortars, which can help them suppress enemy machine guns and are invaluable heavy firepower.

"Go back, Hans. Since Hermann chose you as the acting platoon leader, I trust you. I will have the communications soldier maintain contact with you. Make sure you hold the front line. I will send food and ammunition to you as soon as possible," Henrik said, looking into Lu Mingfei's eyes.

He was just a gilded officer who knew nothing about this recruit, so now he could only trust Hermann's judgment.

Lu Mingfei saluted again, turned and left the company headquarters. He returned to the third platoon's defense zone and immediately informed Otto and Caesar of the news that they had received support.

"Two mortars—it's better than nothing. Hopefully, they'll arrive soon. What about the ammunition? When will it arrive?" Otto muttered.

"The company commander said he would send it as soon as possible. Go and tell the other platoons this news."

"Lu Mingfei said to Otto.

"Understood!" Otto immediately began relaying messages to the other platoons' positions.

Looking at Lu Mingfei, who had already begun issuing orders with practiced ease, Caesar's eyes flashed with a complex expression as he spoke, "It seems Herman was right, you are indeed stronger than me—"

"I just want to live," Lu Mingfei said, extending a hand to Caesar.

"Let's try our best to survive together, and then go back to our original world, partner."

Caesar looked at Lu Mingfei's outstretched hand, stained with blood and mud, and then looked up at Lu Mingfei's unusually calm eyes.

He recalled his past arrogance, his resistance to Hermann's training, the miserable state of Rudolf and Kleiner, and the fierce hand-to-hand combat he had just witnessed—

Lu Mingfei may not be the traditional kind of strongman with lofty ideals, but on this muddy, bloody battlefield full of unknown dangers, he may be the one more likely to lead everyone to survival.

His pride, that of Cesare Gattuso, wouldn't allow him to bow his head easily, but cruel reality eventually forced his proud head to the ground in this bloody mud. He no longer cared about pride or honor; all he wanted now was to go home and leave this hell.

He didn't hesitate for long before reaching out and taking Lu Mingfei's hand.

"Partner, let's survive together, and then, go back—"

They clenched their hands tightly and then separated them. This simple action dispelled all the previous discord, and they became comrades-in-arms fighting for the same goal.

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