Chapter 139 Pre-war Exercise (Part 1)
The third day of the exercise, 9:45 in the morning
Trrocles Plain
His name is Lucian Xi Los, belonging to the 4th Armored Regiment of the Astral Knight Auxiliary Army, is also the spearhead of the ground auxiliary force of the Chapter.
But today is different, today he will play the defender.
This made him uneasy, but there was nothing he could do as the orders came directly from the Chapter Master.
If there is anything that has been embedded in him from the first days of training, it is that there is only one thing - to obey orders resolutely no matter what happens.
The intermittent firelight illuminated the mountains on the other side of the plain, emitting a harsh, pale light.
The bright flame streamers are like teardrops of fluorescent powder, leaving burning traces in the night sky.
The retreat from the fortress was long and arduous, made even worse by the ruthless and tenacious pursuit of the attackers.
Those warriors who play the enemy are like piranhas following the smell of blood in the water. They never give up, never let go, and never stop attacking once the battle begins.
What is more important is quantity. As defenders, they must face ten times the number of enemies.
This is the purpose of this exercise.
He doesn't know how the war is progressing in other areas. All he knows is the dynamics of the war around him. It may be a simulation, or it may be a drill of a certain army.
But no matter what, they seemed isolated and helpless.
In the drill the day before, Fortress No. 11 held out until the last person was judged to have fallen, long enough for most of them to escape and retreat to the defensive circle prepared in advance by servitors, bunkers and artillery positions.
Lucian jumped up and picked up his pistol from the rock beside him.
He ran through the ready checkpoints and quickly and safely reached his headquarters, all the while thinking of new defensive strategies.
The Terrocles Plain is generally undefeable, and only the Talis Hills where they are located can be considered a position with geographical advantages.
The Talis Hills are like a curved spine winding through this barren plain. Each spine has a curved mound, and each crack has a series of corrugated valleys. Their canine teeth interlock with each other, forming hidden valleys.
This was difficult terrain to defend, and every idea of invasion depended on high ramparts and their connecting bastions.
But those assumptions never considered an enemy with absolute superiority in numbers.
Under his feet was a sloping wall made of compacted gravel and rapidly solidifying rock concrete, sealing the valley with a series of strong fortresses and fortresses.
Lucian was no stranger to the speed and completeness with which the Adeptus Mechanicus sculpted landscapes, but the sight before him was still mind-boggling.
The valley grew wider and deeper, its wings blasted, dug, drilled, and scooped out, creating a criss-crossing series of earthworks.
His tank battalion had been transferred from here less than half a day ago, when the valley floor had been flat and deserted, the rocks dyed dark green by tenacious lichen.
Now everything is gone, the valley is now like a quarry that has been mined for decades. The engineers built the fortress on the spot using existing materials and deployed heavy firepower, which occupied it for ten hours trenches that did not exist before.
This seems to be able to block most enemies.
But Lucian knew this was not enough.
The enemy not only has a numerical advantage, but the firepower standard given by the exercise department is also terrifying. The opponent's heavy artillery is almost as many as their machine guns!
On the first day of defense, nearly three of his companies were directly wiped out by artillery fire.
If he hadn't been cautious and kept holding the armored battalion in his hand, otherwise the armored battalion would probably have crashed in.
But even so, he withdrew from the front line at a huge cost.
This was a difficult retreat, with the enemy's forward troops pressing on them every step of the way.
Lucian was unwilling to let the enemy maintain the initiative, but the sheer power of the enemy forced him to do so. The infantrymen who were still on the drill schedule got a temporary respite and rested behind the high wall. Lucian passed directly through them.
When he passed through the position and came under a shadow, he felt relieved again.
They are his magic weapon for victory and his last resort to turn the tide of the war.
The huge metal body is gray-brown, with a huge-caliber main gun and various secondary weapons installed on it. Its side is decorated with the Empire's Sky Eagle emblem and printed with the Astral Knights. emblem.
An entire battalion of Malcador heavy tanks was deployed behind the defensive wall.
As part of the exercise, a series of battle rules and orders were issued from distant Chapter headquarters, setting strict guidelines for each company's actions throughout the battlefield.
But as the supreme commander on the battlefield, Lucian still has sufficient command flexibility.
Suddenly, he saw Captain Kent Ruspel standing on the steps, listening to the reconnaissance report of the scouts - there are some light armored vehicles in the armored battalion. These vehicles usually accompany tanks in combat and generally accept tanks. Commander's command.
"Any sign, Captain."
Lucian walked over.
Kent turned immediately and beat his chest with his fist - the Chapter's in-house salute.
"They have a lot of activity around the defense line, but there is no sign that they intend to attack immediately."
As he spoke, Kent put his hands straight by his side, as if standing on a military parade On the field, not the battlefield.
"Captain, there is no need to be so formal."
Kent nodded and changed to a more relaxed posture.
"I can see that you are eager to fight now."
Lucian said as he wiped the rough dust from the mountains from the silver surface of his breastplate.
"Yes, sir."
Kent replied, staring at a spot on his right shoulder.
“We are born to attack.”
"You're absolutely right, Captain. It would be great if the Chapter Master had a naysayer like you around him."
"I mean it, sir."
"I "Yes."
Lucian replied as he climbed up the steps guarding the wall and stared down the mountain.
Kent followed him faithfully, standing by his side, ready to carry out any order he gave.
Although he couldn't see them, Lucian knew that the enemy's large forces were probing the hills, looking for weak points in the defense line.
However, after these few days of observation, he noticed that although these enemies have certain tactics, they most often execute them very recklessly. The reconnaissance is only limited to discovering heavy firepower points, and they will attack before passing by. It was a very protracted process.
During the attack, it will become quite chaotic. The coordination of infantry and artillery is extremely poor. It is often determined that serious artillery fire accidental damage will be caused to one's own side, and vehicles will often move among the infantry groups.
All these characteristics combined, it is difficult not to remind him of a kind of alien -
Green skin.
(End of this chapter)