Chapter 280 Line of Life and Death (Part 1)
Since the defeat at the station on the other side of the river, Alex has been thinking about why he failed.
Three consecutive days of uninterrupted bombing temporarily prevented the heretics from further attacking.
But at the same time, as rumors spread, panic in the military camp continued to spread.
But Yarick believed that he still had a chance to fight back. The place where they were stationed was an abandoned ancient castle. Because it was well protected and had relatively complete protective walls and trenches, it accommodated tens of thousands of people from various places. The remaining defeated generals who retreated from the area were also Valedo's last place of resistance.
Because all regiment-level military commanders have been killed or missing, and now they have formed a temporary regiment, he is the only surviving regiment-level political commissar as the top commander on the front line.
This is something that Yarick never dared to think about in the past.
He was responsible for more than 10,000 lives. This burden was so heavy that he could not sleep at night for several days.
Similarly, what made him restless, apart from the extremely bad situation in front of him, was also the scene during the retreat. Those scenes often rolled in his mind...
That day, he The speed of the whole column was seen to increase.
But what followed was fear. More and more enemies were on the streets. Heavy bolters and battle cannons could not stop them. They were as unstoppable as the tide.
This bridge is very narrow.
It is only wide enough to accommodate a Chimera, which is Yarrick's hope for retreat, reorganization, and counterattack.
The command vehicle rushed onto the bridge, it rumbled across the river, and the main turret had to cease fire in order not to hit another Chimera.
Yarrick still found some targets, and he bombarded them hard, buying more time for the troops.
Chimera after chimera arrived on the bridge, the abominable heretics destroying the vehicles behind them.
No amount of gunfire could stop them. They even climbed onto the roof of the car and pried open the hatch and side door.
Yarrick couldn't see what happened to the soldiers inside.
However, even from this distance, the screams reached his ears.
At this time he realized that he could not save the entire column.
"Butts!"
he shouted.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, commissar!”
The temporary lieutenant who replaced Miller, who until recently was just a lieutenant, shouted back. scholar.
"Very good."
Arik looked behind him and saw that no one needed his help.
He stopped shooting because there was no enemy in range and there was nothing he could do except choose the moment to give the order.
Soon, his chimera reached the other side of the bridge.
The driver drove it to the shore and parked it next to the defense line. Butz ran over with a detonator in his hand.
"How is the defense line here constructed?"
She asked without taking her eyes off the armored forces. The second and third Chimeras had already arrived on the west bank.
"The remaining troops of two regiments have withdrawn here from other areas, and they brought some basilisks and hydras."
"Very good."
< br>Arik nodded, appearing calm.
He believed that the image of a political commissar who looked extremely calm and sure of victory could bring more inspiration to the soldiers around him, so he worked hard to create his own image of personal heroism.
But inside -
"What's good about this?"
He said to himself:
"We are beaten to pieces, It's a mess, half the regiment has been lost, and a lot of good people have been lost. What's the good of it?"
But they're still fighting, these heretics haven't won yet, and that's what matters. Two more vehicles crossed the bridge, and the remaining troops were about to arrive here, but the evil heretics were also surging forward, and they were already a third of the way.
Arik hesitated for a few seconds, weighing whether to make a sacrifice.
Is there still time to save another Chimera? How many excellent and loyal subordinates will he choose to give up?
He watched the tide of enemies surging, the heretic songs getting closer and closer, and for all those who remained normal, an unbearable madness was coming.
As strong as he is, he is also afraid of the hellish scene that is about to happen.
He had no choice.
"Now——"
Butts pressed the detonator, and a series of explosions shook the bridge's pillars. A huge fireball exploded in the center of the bridge, and then the entire bridge collapsed on the water. , throwing the enemies and vehicles swarming onto the bridge into the air.
Then everything fell, disintegrating in a swirl of flames, smoke and a curtain of white water.
The loud bang of the explosion and the roar of shattered stone resounded throughout the river.
When Yarick turned to speak to the troops on the defense line, the roar had not subsided.
"All artillery units open fire."
Intense artillery fire began to cover the river bank, and every basilisk and mortar of the artillery unit was aimed at the eastern river bank.
As the shells fell, this narrow strip of land one hundred meters wide and stretching for more than ten kilometers from north to south was covered by fire.
Even on this side of the river, Arric could feel the pounding of the Emperor's hammer shaking the ground.
The eastern outline across the river disappeared behind dark, billowing smoke, like a volcano erupting its lava beneath the river bank.
This was Yarick’s second sacrifice that day.
He mourned the soldiers who had not had time to come off the bridge in the future. They fought well, did their duty, and obeyed orders faithfully.
At the moment of their sacrifice, they were still following him.
Yarrick felt sad for them, but also relieved for what he had done for them.
In return, they will stand by the Emperor's side, their souls unsullied.
But he didn't want to leave anything behind on the east coast.
"Sir, there are not many artillery shells in reserve."
While he was still thinking, Butz beside him made a worried voice. They were standing on a lookout post. This is what Yarick does most these days—observation.
Thanks to the constant bombardment, nothing has been able to pass through the bombing zone until now.
"Okay, let's stop the shelling for now."
As if to confirm Yarick's decision, a strong wind blew from the north and dispersed the smoke.
Almost immediately he saw everything he needed to know.
The things on the ground near the river bank were crawling, undulating, and jumping in a disgusting way.
This number far exceeded estimates, and seemed not to have been reduced by shelling or fire.
"What is that?"
He adjusted the focus of the telescope, but he still couldn't see clearly. It was as if there was an invisible veil blocking his eyes - not just the thick fog, but also the thick fog. It's an indescribable feeling.
But no matter what it was, his instinct told him that he must not let them get close.
"Continue the bombardment! Strengthen the defense line on the river bank! Send two more companies here!"
When he returned to the temporary command post in the castle, preparing to order further intensification of the bombardment, the sun began to set in the haze - a sign of the coming night, and the favorite time of the heretics.
The real siege is about to begin.
More updates tomorrow! The desolate writer begs for votes and subscriptions!
(End of this chapter)