The legends, a mix of truth and exaggeration, that circulated from the Second Army Group, spread rapidly among the soldiers and junior officers of the various Army Groups. This also gave the title ‘Butcher of Charleroi’ a thick layer of mystery—many wanted to know whether ‘Butcher’ referred to Morin’s unit’s combat prowess or his large appetite.
Now, this figure of ‘battlefield legend’ stood alive before them. It was only natural that they were somewhat excited.
Even Ludwig couldn’t help but look at Morin with a strange expression. He leaned in and asked in a low voice: “Hey, Morin, are those rumors true? Since when did you become such a big eater?”
Good grief, Ludwig believes the last one.
“Pffft—” Morin nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. “Do you think that’s possible? I’m not a pig! Even a pig couldn’t eat that many Pig Knuckles in one sitting!” He rolled his eyes at Ludwig, annoyed: “If I really ate that much, I wouldn’t be a Captain right now; I’d be a three-hundred-pound fat man!”
“Hahahaha!” Ludwig roared with laughter at his words. The surrounding Knights also laughed, and the atmosphere instantly became light and lively. Their gaze toward Morin shifted from initial shock and awe to one of closeness and curiosity. Turns out the legendary ‘Butcher’ isn’t so scary after all; he’s a young man with a good sense of humor.
“Alright, alright, stop standing around giggling.” Ludwig stopped laughing and waved his hand at his subordinates. “Get back to your duties; stop crowding around.”
After dismissing the other Knights, Ludwig put his arm around Morin’s shoulder and said enthusiastically: “Come on, don’t rush to the Command Post. They are busy right now and won’t have time to receive you. Come sit in my camp first, and I’ll have someone take you over after they finish up.”
“Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?” Morin hesitated.
“Nonsense!” Ludwig said carelessly: “I’ll send someone to inform the Command Post. They’ll probably be happy I’m hosting you. Besides, this assault mission is urgent. After our forced march to get here, they still have a mountain of preparations to complete.”
With that, he half-pulled, half-dragged Morin toward the Armored Knight camp nearby.
The Armored Knights’ camp was noticeably larger than a standard infantry battalion camp. Beside each of the finely made field tents were several familiar ‘Siegfried I’ Armored Knights. These pure War Machines, even while stationary, exuded a suffocating sense of menace. The last rays of the setting sun reflected off their thick armor, casting a cold, metallic sheen.
Morin was led into a spacious command tent by Ludwig. Inside, Orderlies had already prepared hot coffee and pastries. See, the Knights are indeed the elite.
After the two sat down, Ludwig dismissed the Orderlies. Only he and Morin remained in the tent.
“Seriously, Morin, what you pulled off at Charleroi was truly remarkable!” Ludwig handed Morin a coffee cup, genuinely complimenting him: “One battalion holding off an entire division for three days! That kind of combat record is unbelievable! Now, everyone on the entire Western Front knows the name ‘Butcher of Charleroi’!”
“What ‘Butcher?’ That’s a terrible name, sounds like a pig slaughterer.” Morin shook his head, then explained: “I was forced into it. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to fight in that kind of meat grinder battle.”
“And although they say we held off a division, in reality, since the enemy couldn’t fully deploy their troops in the city, the maximum number of enemies facing my position at any time was only a little more than one regiment. You fought in Seville; you understand what I mean.”
“Ah, when you put it that way, I understand, but that record is still incredible.” Ludwig nodded, the smile on his face fading slightly, replaced by a look of gravity. “And that’s how war is. Many times, we have no choice.”
He changed the subject, smiling again: “But seriously, Morin, I’m genuinely happy to see you again! Not just because of our friendship, but also because those new gadgets you created are performing brilliantly on the battlefield.”
Ludwig stood up, pulled aside the door curtain, and pointed toward the Armored Knights parked outside. “See the new equipment on them?”
Morin followed his finger. Only then did he notice that upon closer inspection, the ‘Siegfried I’ Armored Knights were equipped with some things he hadn’t seen before.
Morin’s gaze fell on the weapon racks around the backs of the Armored Knights. Besides the close-combat weapons and artillery he had seen before, these Armored Knights were all equipped with a weapon that was intimately familiar to Morin.
The Spike Mine—I mean Spike Mine.
In addition to the lance-like spike mines, many Armored Knights also had a short-handled hammer-like weapon strapped to their backs. However, the hammerhead part was replaced by a component with a structure similar to the spike mine.
“Shaped Charge Armor-Piercing Rounds… So you’ve managed to mass-produce this and put it into practical use.”
“Exactly!” Ludwig nodded, his face excited. He pointed to the two weapons, detailing their use to Morin: “The ‘Armor-Piercing Lance’… is similar to your original design. It uses the Armored Knight’s charging momentum to directly ‘stab’ the warhead onto the enemy Armored Knight, detonating the warhead to penetrate their armor with a molten metal jet!”
“And this ‘Armor-Piercing Hammer’ was developed by our Knight Order ourselves based on our combat style!” Ludwig pointed to the ‘short-handled hammer’ on the Armored Knight’s back. “It has a larger warhead and more explosive charge, making the power even more terrifying! It’s also more flexible in combat. You suddenly pull this thing out during close-quarters combat, and one swing can blast a hole right through the enemy!”
“Furthermore, the warheads for both the Armor-Piercing Lance and the Armor-Piercing Hammer have been made replaceable with the help of technicians, allowing for quick reloading without fully withdrawing from the battle!”
Ludwig grew more excited as he spoke, walking over to Morin and clapping his shoulder. “Morin, I have to thank you on behalf of our entire Teutonic Knights! Do you know? Because of this new weapon you created, our battle to annihilate the Order of the Golden Fleece in the Grand Duchy of Flanders was unbelievably easy!”
“The Order of the Golden Fleece…” Morin certainly recognized the name; he had already read the Teutonic Knights’ battle report about that engagement.
“Exactly, them!” Ludwig’s eyes sparkled, seemingly recalling the battle: “Their Armored Knight technology came from the Britannians, and their Armored Knights were indeed slightly superior to ours in performance, but this time they ran into our new toys and were completely stunned!”
“The battle lasted less than half an hour. Their defense line was shattered by our charge! Our wedge-shaped assault formation easily pierced their line!”
“In that battle, every Knight who participated achieved a confirmed kill on an enemy Armored Knight!” Ludwig’s voice was full of pride and glory. “The Grand Master was also incredibly fierce, personally destroying twelve enemy Armored Knights and killing their commander in a duel! It was truly a massacre!”
To be honest, just hearing Ludwig’s description made Morin feel a rush of excitement, even regretting not having witnessed this large-scale battle between hundreds of Armored Knights. However, he knew that as the war continued, there would only be more of these duels between true armored warriors.
With the Ludendorff-led Battle Group successfully linking up with the First Army Group forces in the area between Arras and Cambrai, this flank attack force, totaling 80,000 men and designed to punch into the enemy’s defense line like a dagger, was finally assembled.
On the morning of August 20th, after a night of rest and final pre-battle preparations, the attack order was officially issued.
The commander primarily responsible for this attack was Generaloberst Alexander von Linsingen of the First Army Group. He had originally intended to launch the assault on the afternoon of August 19th, immediately after the Ludendorff Battle Group arrived. However, considering that the entire Battle Group was exhausted from an 80-kilometer forced march, he finally postponed the attack until the morning of August 20th.
At 6:00 AM sharp, the eight artillery regiments deployed across the various positions, totaling 432 77mm Field Guns and 96 105mm Howitzers, roared in unison. Countless shells screamed through the air, cutting across the sky like a dense rain of steel, savagely pounding the outermost position of the Britannian Expeditionary Force southeast of Arras. The ground shook violently. The explosions merged into a continuous, deafening sound. Huge fireballs and columns of black smoke rose into the sky from the enemy’s position.
This fire preparation lasted for half an hour. At 6:30 AM, as the artillery fire began to stretch deeper into the enemy lines, the signal flares marking the start of the assault rose into the sky.
“All forces, charge!”
Accompanied by the hoarse roars of various-level commanders and the sharp sound of charge whistles, the Saxon soldiers, who had moved into and concealed themselves in the assembly area under artillery cover, leaped up. Like a tide, they charged toward the enemy position, which was still shrouded in smoke and flames.
The two divisions tasked with the first wave of attack deployed an attack line that stretched for six kilometers southeast of Arras. Simultaneously, the Britannian Expeditionary Force’s main position north of Arras also came under attack from the main force of the First Army Group. Massive artillery fire similarly saturated their positions. The four-to-one numerical advantage immediately put the Britannian Expeditionary Force on the defensive.
(End of this Chapter)
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