In reality, if you truly expect a Commander’s nonsensical pep talk to make soldiers loyal, explode with morale, and increase combat effectiveness by N percentage points, thereby turning the tide and pinning down a previously superior enemy, then you must have watched too many third-rate war movies.
What, do you really think everyone has a system that can boost the efficiency of their verbal attacks by N times? Do you really think everyone has maxed-out charisma and good looks?
Morale is actually a very subtle system art. The reason it’s an “art” and not an “engineering” is because, even with civilization’s development to the Present day, a reliable and controllable formula to calculate all of this still hasn’t been found. And verbal attacks, perhaps, are just the most useless yet most flamboyant exterior decoration on this grand edifice. However, what is certain is that the Commander’s prestige, the accumulation of Past victories, and the soldiers’ own feelings are indeed the most important bricks, stones, steel, and cement.
Fortunately, after the previous day’s battle, when countless valiant Velociraptor cavalry and chariots of the Sand People were battered and bruised beneath Tulon City; when the city’s outskirts flickered with fire, and visible explosions occurred one after another in the Sand People’s camps stretching beyond the horizon—all of the above had already been built.
And so, as Elinore carried the military flag and passed through the soldiers, cheers and battle cries began to boil, even drowning out the explosions outside the city.
At that moment, these security force rabble, these militia mobs who had only undergone a few days of proper training, all felt that the universe spirit had transformed into a visible Goddess of Victory, guiding them forward. They were not rabble, they were not mobs; they were clearly possessed by the spirit of the Volunteer Army led by the founding father thirty years ago.
We will be victorious! We are bound to be victorious!
Amidst the overwhelming surge, assault teams in Dragoon mechs followed closely, then security force soldiers in AS40s, and then a considerable number of militiamen, armed only with simple protective suits and rifles, also charged out.
Of course, before the army commanded by Elinore charged out of the light barrier shield, the remaining forty-plus black panther cars and Type 10 light tanks in Tulon Port had already left the city first, beginning to barrage the ground with Vulcan cannons, landmines, and high-explosive shells. The dual-purpose sentry guns and moat cannons had already opened fire even earlier, wantonly pouring firepower into the enemy ranks.
And so, when the Tulon defenders, with their infantry-tank coordination, charged before the Sand People, they were completely bewildered.
Twenty-plus years was not enough time to instantly evolve the Sand People from a martial, classical military state and nomadic era into a true hot weapon era. Although they had constructed some fortifications under the guidance of “collaborators,” they were not regular, lacked quality supervision, and were not understood or maintained. More importantly, the sudden artillery bombardment covered the area where the Great Elder was in smoke and fire, and the ordinary Sand People soldiers completely lost their command. Their lords and chiefs were also in a state of confusion and terror.
And so, the troops that charged out of the city almost without resistance leapt over the first trench. It was truly a shallow trench; an ordinary Sand Person standing in it would only reach their chest. Not to mention stopping black panther cars and tanks, even a power-armored mobile infantryman could leap over it in a single stride.
Elinore raised her Z17 rifle, gave it a casual flick, and with a booming explosion, all Sand People soldiers within a 30-meter, 60-degree fan-shaped area in front of her were riddled with holes.
Yes, compared to the C10 issued to “light armored infantry” and “unarmored infantry,” the Z17 rifles used by the Marine Corps and assault teams were much more powerful and had a larger ammunition capacity, and they could also switch between rifle and shotgun firing modes.
Elinore Bonaparte raised her left hand, allowing the Vulcan cannon to begin sweeping, while giving rapid yet orderly follow-up commands in a machine-gun-like tone.
“Major Sangjia, clear out all anti-aircraft positions!”
“Captain Luelong, once the outer anti-aircraft positions are captured, launch all airships and drones! Target? The enemy is all around here, do I need to draw it on the map for you?”
“Captain Williams, take your tank unit south, destroy their armory, and then push all the way south, breaking through the enemy lines!”
“Captain Ames, go north, drive the enemy into the lake!”
“Major Dorset, stick close to me! Towards the direction of the densest gunfire!”
Elinore was a crazy woman who loved to charge head-on, so she was naturally incredibly brave. However, the difference between reckless courage and a famous general’s courage is that the latter always knows where to charge. The area of the bombardment was naturally where the Sand People’s spiritual leader, Great Elder Hessen, was located. Unless she saw his corpse, Elinore would not consider herself victorious, even if a million Sand People heads were piled up.
At this moment, Yu Lian’s heavy artillery position also received a signal from Tulon Port.
“Senior… has Officer Bonaparte already left the city? Leading from the front again?”
The answer from the earpiece was naturally affirmative.
“What is wrong with this… It’s the age of the universe, why does everyone always have a Stone Age heart!” Yu Lian patted his forehead, thinking of his senior’s fate in “history,” and suddenly felt a little panicked.
And at this moment, news from the other side also came immediately.
“Officer, we also have enemy attacks here.” That was Sergeant Youyou’s voice. He and the 8 soldiers he commanded, along with a black panther car, were left by Yu Lian in the valley hiding place, directing the cowboys to protect the civilians.
“Have we been discovered?”
“Yes, a small squad of giant lizard riders came over, sniffing. We did take them out, but more enemies will arrive soon, won’t they? But don’t worry, we’ve organized ourselves. According to your arrangements, the valley entrance has been sealed with fortifications, and fire points have been set up on both sides of the mountains.”
“Understood…” Yu Lian was about to ask for more information when the signal was directly cut off, which made his heart completely sink.
He knew that the reason the canyon hadn’t been discovered by the Sand People for so long was partly due to its concealment, and partly due to Ina, the scout’s, illusion-like ability. She could construct a psionic array structure in advance, and once applied to the valley entrance, it could create a kind of illusionary effect with the atmosphere, rocks, and heat, interfering with the five senses of living beings. However, Ina was also in combat now, and as a novice, how much mental power could she spare to continuously maintain the psionic array over a long distance?
What’s more, a large-scale fierce battle had already occurred, with explosions, fire, high temperatures formed by ions and beams, blood, and howls happening one after another. Life was fading, souls were perishing, and the structure of the airflow, temperature, and even geology were changing, all of which would naturally affect the stability of the psionic array.
Those Saint Masters, even in battles spanning the star sea, could deploy vast mental arrays, giving war buffs to thousands of warships and millions of soldiers, like deities.
However, Ina was only at the First Ring after all!
Yu Lian was a little troubled. He looked at the direction of the bombardment down the mountain, and then at the rear where the valley was located, feeling as if he had suddenly encountered nothing but bad news.
The only good news was that, perhaps due to Yu Lian’s interference, the 101st Company’s assault was smoother than in “history,” and the defensive positions were also better arranged.
The fire points on the stone gate and watchtower fell into enemy hands before they even opened fire. The ground-to-air autocannons were pushed to the mountainside, continuously pouring fire in the direction the Sand People were approaching. Four “Frankenstein” tanks were directly pushed down the mountain, rolling and getting stuck between the rocks, completely blocking the path up the mountain. All Sand People attempting to counterattack were blocked below the highland, unable to move.
The Sand People tried to push the tanks away, but were shredded by a barrage of bullets. They also tried to bring in artillery fire, but argued for half a day just finding suitable emplacement, and were then killed one by one by Ina on the other side of the ridge.
More Sand People, with bloodshot eyes, seeing the mountain path blocked, simply resorted to the most brutal “ant-like” attack of the cold weapon era, climbing the cliff with knives in their mouths and guns on their backs. But in this way, even if the 101st Company’s soldiers casually pushed down a few rocks, they could cause them enormous casualties.
This hollow area below the Alqi Highlands instantly turned into a sea of blood. However, the courage of the Sand People must be acknowledged; even so, there was still an endless stream of reinforcements arriving, such courage was enough to compose a timeless hymn.
But that was all.
So far, not a single person in the 101st Company had been injured, which was even more exaggerated than their record in the original timeline. Perhaps such a record made the Captain overconfident, and he said to Yu Lian: “I can give you 30 men.”
Yu Lian was a little stunned. He had indeed considered asking the Captain for some reinforcements, but he would have been happy with ten. He also guessed that since the battle was going so smoothly, someone would get overconfident, but why Captain Winter of all people?
“Yes, we are indeed under siege now, but I have confirmed the enemy’s tactics. Heh, they are certainly brave, but they lack discipline and effective organization. One less platoon won’t significantly affect the overall battle situation. Trust me, Warrant Officer, although you are incredibly intelligent, I have accumulated more experience in land warfare than you.”
Yu Lian certainly wouldn’t doubt Captain Winter’s judgment, but the problem was that the company’s more than a hundred people were still surrounded by tens of thousands of enemy troops, and they could not relax under any circumstances. Moreover, fighting always requires reserves, isn’t that common sense?
“Yes, so now is the time for the reserves to be deployed! However, how to use them and where to use them is up to you. Parkin, assemble your platoon!” The Captain made the decision without further discussion.
“I obey your command, Moon People.” Lieutenant Parkin, two ranks higher than Yu Lian, patted his forehead, grinning, showing no sign of resentment.