Morin entered the battalion headquarters tent with a forced surge of energy. Major Thomas, at this moment, was looking quite energetic.
Well, Field-grade officers do have military horses to ride, after all…
He was standing before a simple camp table, on which a military map had already been spread out.
Once the four Company Commanders were all present, Major Thomas went straight to the point, circling a place name on the map.
“Gentlemen, this is the objective of our 1st Battalion’s current attack—San Lorenzo de la Parrilla.”
This tongue-twisting name was new to all four Company Commanders present.
“According to the intelligence we have gathered, this is a small town with a population of less than a thousand people, but its geographical location is extremely important…”
While Major Thomas described the location, Morin carefully examined the town on the map.
It certainly qualified as a transportation hub in this area; at least two roads were marked as intersecting here.
More crucially, a castle named Garcimuñoz was marked north of the town, which Major Thomas happened to be mentioning now.
“This castle is our true objective.”
The Major pointed heavily with the end of his pencil at the castle icon on the map.
“Because of the presence of this castle, and the two roads that converge here, this small town has become a critical strongpoint on the defense line of the Kingdom Army and the Britannian Expeditionary Force.”
His tone was solemn, and the atmosphere in the tent grew tense.
“According to the information brought back by the Division reconnaissance unit, there is at least one battalion of Kingdom Army troops garrisoned in this town.”
“And this entire area is the defensive sector of the Kingdom Army’s 32nd Infantry Regiment.”
Major Thomas paused here, looking up to survey everyone.
“So it is highly likely that the headquarters of the Kingdom Army’s 32nd Infantry Regiment is located within the town or inside the castle.”
Silence fell over the tent, broken only by the sound of heavy breathing.
An enemy battalion, plus a hard-to-assault castle, situated on relatively flat high ground, would undoubtedly be a tough nut to crack.
“Based on the enemy’s defensive strength, the unit actually launching the attack is the entire 32nd Zwickau Infantry Regiment.”
Major Thomas continued:
“However, our 1st Battalion will serve as the main assault force, responsible for a direct attack on the town.”
“The 2nd and 3rd Battalions will act as flanking support once the battle begins, and will be responsible for blocking any potential enemy reinforcements.”
He paused, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.
“Perhaps it is fate that two infantry regiments with the same ’32’ designation should encounter each other in this manner on this foreign land…”
This slightly dark humor briefly eased the tension in the tent.
Morin took advantage of the short lull to open his system map.
The entire battle situation was instantly and clearly displayed before his eyes.
From a macro perspective, the right flank of the Saxon 32nd Infantry Regiment was the 31st Infantry Regiment, also belonging to the 16th Brigade.
On the left flank were units from the 15th Brigade.
The total offensive front of the entire 8th Infantry Division was approximately three kilometers wide—which was exactly the deployment width of an infantry division in the early stages of WWI, as Morin recalled.
The right flank of the 8th Infantry Division was the 7th Infantry Division, advancing side-by-side.
In the rear was the 9th Division, serving as the reserve force.
Three full-strength Saxon infantry divisions, along with allied National Army and International Brigade units, formed a massive attack front nearly six kilometers wide.
On the map, it looked like a sharp sword, its edge fully exposed, aimed directly at Madrid in the northwest.
“Three divisions dare to attack Madrid. If it were three Army Corps, would they dare to attack Paris?”
Morin sighed inwardly, looking at the dense blue arrows on the map. Lieutenant General Mackensen certainly had a lot of guts.
However, he quickly noticed another detail.
Perhaps it was because the elite forces on both sides suffered heavy losses in the previous Battle of Seville.
Or perhaps it was because negotiations had begun, and both sides were consciously controlling the intensity of the war.
Both sides seemed to have reached a tacit agreement not to deploy their expensive Armored Knights to the front line this time, let alone Mages.
Morin searched the map carefully. The only marker he could see for a Teutonic Knight Order detachment was positioned alongside a friendly battalion-sized unit labeled ‘Royal Guard.’
Their position was about five or six kilometers behind the current main force staging area.
It seemed they had no intention of participating in the first wave of attack.
“It seems the upcoming battle will be a traditional Army engagement.”
Morin thought to himself. This was probably good news for him.
At least, for a while, he wouldn’t have to rack his brain figuring out how to deal with those iron cans and High-Level Mages.
On the other side, Major Thomas, after allowing everyone to digest the command, began formally laying out the specific attack plan.
“Gentlemen, the Battle of Seville taught us all a painful lesson.”
The Saxon Army Major’s expression was utterly solemn. His combat philosophy had clearly undergone some profound changes after enduring that hellish street fighting.
“This time, although we are attacking a small town, and the enemy forces currently detected are only about one battalion…”
“If we still use traditional attack tactics, charging forward in dense formations, the result will only be the same as outside Seville—causing massive and unnecessary casualties.”
“I will not watch my soldiers be mown down like wheat on the path of a charge again.”
His words, unsurprisingly, resonated with Morin and the other veteran Company Commander.
As officers who had both survived the bloody fighting in Seville, the two nodded silently in agreement.
“I have been thinking and studying these past few days.”
Major Thomas’s gaze subtly flickered toward Morin.
“I have gained some inspiration from some new tactical thinking… So, for this battle, I have decided to change our tactics!”
He picked up his pencil and quickly began marking the map, speaking as he worked:
“First Lieutenant Morin, your 1st Company will serve as the main assault company, tasked with tearing open the enemy’s line of defense from the left flank!”
“Yes, Major!” Morin immediately responded.
“2nd Company, 3rd Company, you will launch simultaneous feint attacks from the front and the right flank, drawing the enemy’s attention and creating an opportunity for the 1st Company!”
“4th Company, you will be the Battalion Reserve, ready to be committed to battle at any moment to support the 1st Company’s attack!”
After laying out the basic tasks, Major Thomas’s gaze finally settled on Morin.
“First Lieutenant Morin, I heard that you have intensified training on a certain type of earthwork for your company recently?”
Major Thomas was clearly still paying close attention to the training of his subordinate companies, especially Morin’s 1st Company.
“I am very curious: can the things you’ve been training be utilized in this attack?”
Major Thomas’s question drew the eyes of everyone in the tent onto Morin.
The other three Company Commanders also looked at him curiously.
The commotion made by the 1st Company’s training recently was too great. The entire battalion, regiment, and even the entire brigade knew that First Lieutenant Morin was training his soldiers in an entirely new way.
But no one expected Major Thomas to formally bring up the issue in a pre-battle meeting.
Morin walked to the map and carefully examined the terrain surrounding the town of San Lorenzo de la Parrilla.
Combining this with the observations he had personally made during the march, a clear assessment formed in his mind.
“Reporting, Major.” Morin looked up, meeting their gaze, and said in a deep voice: “I have observed the terrain in this area. It is mostly open ground, and the town is situated on relatively high ground, with almost no available cover nearby.”
“In this type of terrain, if we use a conventional frontal assault, it would be tantamount to sending our soldiers directly into the enemy’s guns. That is absolutely unacceptable.”
Morin’s words caused the officers present to nod in deep agreement.
“Therefore, I believe we can use the cover of night, employing earthwork to dig approach trenches, advancing our offensive starting position as close as possible to the enemy’s front line.”
Morin paused, then added:
“This way, we can significantly shorten the distance of our charge when the assault begins, minimizing the time we are exposed to enemy fire, thereby reducing casualties.”
“However…”
He changed his tone and looked at the other three Company Commanders.
“I am unsure if the other companies can complete this kind of earthwork simultaneously. It requires the soldiers to master certain digging techniques and have sufficient tools.”
The moment Morin finished speaking, the commanders of the 2nd and 3rd Companies exchanged a glance, a simple smile appearing on their faces.
“Heh-heh, Lieutenant Morin, I won’t lie to you…”
The Commander of the 2nd Company, Hummels, a Captain with a small mustache, said with a suppressed laugh:
“We saw you training so enthusiastically and figured that method must be good. So… we also found ways to procure some shovels and picks from the engineers and the quartermaster unit.”
“Exactly,” Commander Khedira of the 3rd Company added. “We’ve actually been secretly practicing it, trying to follow your example, these past few days.”
“You rascals!” Morin laughed and cursed good-naturedly. “You owe me tuition for stealing my tactics!”
“Tuition is no problem, tuition is no problem!”
“I’ll treat you to the best Saxon beer after this battle is over!”
Inside the tent, the previously tense pre-battle atmosphere was instantly relieved by these few jokes.
Even Major Thomas, who had been maintaining a stiff face, couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth lift slightly.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
He needed his officers to maintain an active, confident, and creatively thinking mindset before the battle.
Not just mechanically following orders, as in the past.
“Excellent!” Major Thomas slapped the table, making his final decision.
“Since everyone is prepared, it is settled!”
“After the troops complete their rest, before the Division’s scheduled General Assault time, we will secretly approach the town by conducting earthwork operations under the cover of night!”
He looked at Morin: “You will be responsible for formulating and guiding the specific digging plan. All companies are to cooperate fully!”
“Yes, Major!” Morin saluted.
“One more thing.”
Major Thomas remembered something and continued:
“The Regimental Headquarters, having learned lessons from the Battle of Seville, has disassembled the six MG08 heavy machine guns of the Regimental Heavy Machine Gun Company and reinforced our three infantry battalions. Our 1st Battalion has been allocated two of them.”
(End of this Chapter)
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