Volume 1: The Rise of Elanhill Chapter 0073 Shout
"A garrison regiment on the border has lost contact with the 3rd Battalion... According to the pre-set plan, they are retreating." A liaison officer looked at the general in front of him and began to report.
Bourjois frowned as he looked at the map in front of him, trying to figure out what kind of enemy this was that could wipe out an entire battalion of his own in one bite.
Under the premise of not knowing where the enemy will attack from, dispersing one's own troops and deploying them along the border is a more reasonable response measure. After all, the combat capability of Ailan Hill's troops is very strong. It is estimated that tens of thousands of people are needed to defeat a battalion of Ailan Hill in one go.
"A messenger from the Steppe Empire has arrived, saying he has very important news." An officer walked into Burjos's headquarters, clenched his right fist against his chest and reported, "He is in a mess!"
"Let him in!" After thinking about it, Bourgeois felt that he should meet the friendly messenger who brought the message.
As a result, the man knelt weakly on one knee as soon as he entered the room. He was helped to stand up and cried breathlessly: "We encountered the dragon riders of the Holy Demon Empire! There were about 10 dragons! 3,000 people! I was the only one who escaped!"
In fact, he did not run away. He hid under the corpse and waited until the other party flew away. Then he found a horse and ran back. The other party seemed to have more important things to do, so this grassland cavalryman arrived at Maritsa before the other party's dragon.
"Dragoon... Damn it! Contact the 16th Regiment's headquarters and tell them not to go looking for the 3rd Battalion... Maybe they have been attacked." Bourjois said to his subordinates in annoyance, "They have no anti-aircraft firepower, so they are probably in danger, right?"
"Let the 16th Regiment shrink the defense line! Move closer to Maritsa as soon as possible!" Burjos knew that if the Holy Demon Empire counterattacked, he would lose some troops. But he didn't expect that the opponent's counterattack was so fierce that he lost a battalion of troops in one fell swoop.
If things go wrong, the 16th Regiment will suffer heavy losses, with 1,000 or more casualties. Bourjois glanced at the map hanging on the wall and said, "Send a telegram! Contact General Wilkes... We need reinforcements!"
"Wait!" After giving the order, he stopped the adjutant who was about to pass on the message and revised his order: "Send a telegram to Seris first! Tell His Majesty that the Holy Demon Empire has joined the war! At least 10 dragon knights! Our real trouble is coming!"
After a pause, he continued his order: "Then, send a telegram to General Wilkes and ask him to send reinforcements! We don't want infantry! We want anti-aircraft artillery!"
As the orders were passed down one by one, rows of soldiers in red uniforms ran up the ancient city wall. Their uniforms were very conspicuous under the sun, and their clothes looked more attractive than those of the infantry.
These soldiers also wore steel helmets, but they were not equipped with Mauser 98K rifles, but only with a short pistol on their waists. When these soldiers ran to the top of the city, the Elanhill grenadiers on the city wall had already assembled.
"Wow!" Several anti-aircraft soldiers in red uniforms tore open the tightly wrapped 30mm caliber dual-purpose anti-aircraft and anti-aircraft guns. The metal gun body covered with iron reflected a light that was impossible to look directly at under the sun.
"The enemy may arrive at any time! All soldiers, prepare for battle!" The officer commanding the anti-aircraft gun pressed the long sword at his waist and ordered his men. Following his order, the artillerymen sat on the seats on both sides of the anti-aircraft gun and began to shake the handles beside them.
As they turned quickly, the slender gun body was lifted up little by little, and the cold barrel pointed to the clear sky. Several loaders took out the huge magazine from the cart beside them and inserted it into the gun body of the anti-aircraft gun.
Behind the city wall, on the towering commanding heights of the city, the soldiers in charge of lookout set up huge telescopes. These telescopes are responsible for monitoring the entire sky. No matter which direction the enemy rushes from, they can find the target in the first time.
Beside them, all the flag bearers were ready to show the flags in their hands to indicate the direction of the enemy's attack. Soldiers on the top of the city wall kept an eye on the flags on the commanding heights. Through this clumsy method, a crude air defense warning network was established throughout Maritsa.
"I hope our anti-aircraft guns can really kill those damn dragons!" Standing in his specially set up air defense command post, Burjos nervously pressed his sword, looking in a certain direction outside the window from time to time.
The view here is very good, and you can see almost half of the city. If the battle is taking place on the other side, he only needs to go up one more floor to see the opposite direction. Originally, this was a place built by the city lord for enjoyment, but now it has become a temporary headquarters that Burjos likes best.
"All the heavy machine guns have been deployed! They are responsible for covering the anti-aircraft guns! We don't know how much damage the machine gun bullets can do to the dragon, but this is the strongest anti-aircraft firepower we can muster." With his hands behind his back, an air force commander in a Red Army uniform reported the latest air defense deployment to Burjos.
"All the infantrymen have also climbed onto the city walls... They will keep firing, and we have plenty of ammunition." The infantry commander of the 6th Regiment said firmly, "We will fight to the last moment! If a battle breaks out, I will immediately rush to the top of the city walls and personally command the infantry there to fight."
"The two garrison regiments on the flank have been ordered to retreat. They have no anti-aircraft firepower and can be easily suppressed by the enemy." Burjos' adjutant reported the movements of the garrison regiment in another direction.
Because these garrison regiments were not equipped with heavy weapons, they were not even qualified to participate in the war. They could only give up the flank of the city of Maritsa and retreat humiliatingly to a safe place to wait.
But they are not completely useless: perhaps when the Alante Empire comes to attack the city, they can ensure the safety of Maritsa's flanks and rear, so that the entire city will not be completely surrounded.
"There's news from the 16th Regiment. The 1st Battalion was also attacked by a dragon. The enemy is obviously coming for us and has not cleaned up the battlefield..." An officer rushed into the headquarters in a hurry, put the news he had just received on the table, and said breathlessly.
"The 3rd Battalion of the 16th Regiment was probably wiped out, and the 1st Battalion was almost wiped out as well. Because it was a garrison regiment, they didn't lose many heavy weapons, but they lost at least 700 guns. This was a very serious failure." The officer in charge of quartermasters complained with a bitter look on his face.
You know, in the past, it was not easy to collect these 700 guns. At that time, everyone used wooden models for training. But now, 700 real rifles were lost in one battle. It makes people feel painful just thinking about it.
Even now, a batch of rifles is not cheap. Counting bullets and grenades, this batch of arms is already very expensive. Modern wars are not only fought on industrial foundations, but also on countless money...
"Woo..." The sound of a horn was suddenly blown. Bourgeois didn't bother to read the reports on the losses. He walked to the window and saw the small black dots gathered in the distant sky.
"Here they come!" He clenched his fists, staring at the gradually approaching black figures, and encouraged himself in his heart: This is probably the most glorious moment of his life! Standing in front of so many dragons, even if he dies in battle, it is worth it!
"Gentlemen! We are standing on Elan Hill! We are fighting not only for ourselves, but also for His Majesty who trusts us!"
"For Ireland Hill!" Inside the command center, everyone clenched their right fists and pressed them against their chests.
"For the sake of mortals, we can face everything with confidence in the future! For the sake of mortals, we can stand up and regard ourselves as human beings! For us poor mortals! We must all fight on! We are not afraid of sacrifice! Your Majesty has given us the courage and weapons to stand in front of dragons! We are not afraid of sacrifice! Because we want to prove that mortals will never be slaves!" Bourjois pushed open the window in front of him, looked at the dragon knights whose outlines he could already see, and shouted out the window.
"Mortals will never be slaves!" The soldiers who were defending the city raised their arms and responded loudly. The soldiers standing on the city wall also raised their arms and shouted to the sky.
The anti-aircraft soldiers sitting in the anti-aircraft gun positions were already on full alert. They had pointed their guns in the direction of the dragon's attack. The gunner had his finger on the trigger, waiting for the gunner in charge of observation to give the order to fire.
They have already put the dragon in the center of the circular sight, and they are ready for everything. They will make the first cry for mortals, and they will fight for their dignity to the last moment.
Suddenly, the grenadiers around them, who had already raised their rifles, shouted louder and louder: "Mortals will never be slaves!" They also shouted along, shouting from the bottom of their hearts.
The sound flew in the wind, causing the dragon knights who were already close to the walls of Maritsa to frown. The thing they were most worried about had already happened. Mortals were trying to destroy the rule of the Holy Demon Empire, which was a disaster they could not accept.
"Never be a slave? Then die!" Listening to the shouts from the city wall that reached the sky, Irdo, riding on the dragon's back, looked cold and spoke lightly.
Then, the knight captain raised his arm, made a random attacking gesture to all the dragon knights, and slashed forward with an unstoppable momentum: "Kill!"
