"Target azimuth 205, distance 65, wind east, gust level...... Firing angle, right 001 plus 2, upper 040 plus 5, no, 043 plus 5. ”

In a factory in Aocheng, behind the sliding door of the steel warehouse, two groups of Union soldiers were operating two standard field guns according to standard procedures, and behind the windows reinforced with wooden bars, Weiss himself went into battle, measuring distances, calculating, and dispatching the artillery range. The straight-line distance from here to Grumman Tower is estimated to be 32,500 feet, or less than 10 kilometers. With unhindered direct observation, Weiss was confident of hitting the target, but the problem now was not the accuracy of the shot, but the powerful counterattack from the enemy - the three large, indestructible Norman battleships landed directly on top of three buildings in the center of the city, including the Grumman Building, which had been the "tallest building in the Federation" for many years. Their arrival undoubtedly gave the Federal Army's defense system in Austria a "central flower", and what is worse is that the artillery deployed by the Federal Army in the city is either outwardly pointed or used to block a certain area, and only a few anti-aircraft artillery have the ability to fire in all directions. In order to deal with these Norman warships that forced their way into the city, the Union soldiers had to move their gun positions, not only exposing the location of the artillery positions, but also being "named" one by one by the Norman warships occupying the commanding heights.

"Ready, Captain!" The gunner reported to Weiss.

Weiss looked left and right, and the soldiers looked nervous. Of course, they knew that once these two cannons fired, there was a high probability that they would be counterattacked quickly and fiercely by the enemy's guns. Although they are ready to retreat, no one can guarantee their safety, and perhaps, the invisible Grim Reaper is already standing behind them.

"Prepare to ......" Wei Si raised his right hand without hesitation, and a small group of soldiers held the heavy steel sliding door, ready to open it at any moment, so that the two field guns that had been calibrated to shoot at Zhu Yuan could get the firing range.

At this moment, a rapid sound of horses' hooves sounded in the factory area. Through the window, Weiss saw the herald galloping towards him, so he lowered his right hand, walked out through the small door next to the sliding door of the warehouse, and called, "Hey, herald, here I am!" ”

The herald came on horseback, and quickly turned over and dismounted: "Captain Clumber-Hazen? ”

"Yes, it's me." Weiss replied.

"Captain, the regiment commander has an order, and the commanders of each battalion and company will immediately go to the regiment headquarters to attend the combat meeting."

The regimental headquarters of the Guard Regiment was set up in a warehouse three intersections away. Weiss thought about it, told the gunners to be on standby, rode an old-fashioned bicycle himself, and rushed over in the dark. When he arrived at the regimental headquarters, more than half of the battalion and company commanders of the whole regiment came, and the battalion commander, Major Huo Zesen, was among them. The battle meeting had not yet begun, and everyone was talking about the current battle situation. After days of shelling, the Normans finally exerted their strength, which was not surprising, but the expulsion of the Federation fleet from the Ojo defense area in one fell swoop, followed by a strange move that no one expected, which really shattered the glasses of the Federation commanders.

After waiting for ten minutes, the commanders arrived, but the acting commander, Colonel Lodrenz, was nowhere to be seen. After nearly a quarter of an hour, the officer, who had been serving in the 37th Defense Division, hurriedly returned to the regimental headquarters, and said as soon as he entered the door: "I'm sorry, everyone, I was temporarily summoned by General Arteus to discuss the military situation, and everyone waited for a long time. ”

At this moment, Weiss's gaze was firmly drawn to the man behind Colonel Lodrenz. Seeing her face, in addition to feeling more cordial, there is also a kind of happiness like a spring breeze.

This heroic female officer is none other than Octavier Grumman, the only daughter of Henry Grumman, the director of the Grumman Group, a senior combat instructor at the Baseton Military Academy, and recognized by the instructors and cadets as the "Goddess of Baseton".

Weiss noticed that she was wearing the collar epaulette of a Federal Army major, and the armband on her left arm, which seemed to be a pattern that had never been seen before. A newly formed army?

On the battlefield, which is filled with gunsmoke, blood, and death, people are under indescribable mental pressure all the time. Suddenly saw a female officer with good looks and figure, and the attention of everyone present was immediately attracted. Looking at this delicate and wonderful face, some people are excited, some people are forgetful, and some people are like seeing their first love. Before Colonel Lodrenz spoke again, almost everyone stared at her intently.

"Let me have the honor of introducing this to Major Octavier Grumman, Tactical Commander of the 4th Special Service Group of the Federal Army. According to the arrangement of the corps headquarters, our guard regiment will join forces with the 4th Special Service Brigade this time. After standing still, Colonel Lodrenz spoke aloud.

Becoming the focus of the officers' attention, Octavier did not look shy and twisted, but stood calmly beside Colonel Lodrenz and said with his head held high: "Good evening, gentlemen. As introduced by Colonel Lodrenz, I am Major Octavier Grumman, the tactical commander of the 4th Special Service Group, and I have been ordered to liaise and coordinate joint operations. Among you, I saw some familiar faces, in fact, I was a combat instructor at the Gaston Military Academy before the war, and it was great to see that my cadets had grown into the backbone of the combat force. To cut a long story short, you have seen the battle situation tonight, we are in an unprecedented crisis, and if the enemy is allowed to occupy the four buildings in the center of the city, our defense in the city will be under pressure several times greater, which is absolutely unacceptable. Under the blockade of enemy fire, we have only two ways to go, one is to blow up four buildings at any cost, and the other is to recapture them from the enemy, and our first task is to reconnoiter the enemy, assess the feasibility of these two roads, and provide support for follow-up operations. ”

After Octavir finished speaking, the officers present did not exchange heads and talk in private as usual, but maintained a straight posture, and every face tried to show the fortitude and firmness of men.

Colonel Lodrenz saw the abnormal behavior of his subordinates, and he snorted: "All right, everyone, sit down!" ”

All the officers sat down in unison, their movements crisp and disciplined, just like a group of hairy young men who had just finished their recruit training.

Colonel Lodrenz explained to the officers the next operational arrangements for each reconnaissance and liaison detachment of the Guard Regiment, with two-thirds of the strength of each company as the upper limit, to "surround" the four buildings that had been turned into special landing grounds by the Norman army, and to fully cooperate with the 4th Special Service Group to detect the enemy's intentions.

Octavier then added that in order to find out the enemy's intentions and movements, the detachments of the 4th Special Service Group would enter the building and try to capture the prisoners and bring them back for interrogation. In the process, the guard regiment was required to provide cover of fire, divert the attention of the enemy, and mask the sounds made during the operation. Next, if the decision of the higher authorities is to blow up the building, in the event that the defending artillery is difficult to complete the task, enough high explosives will need to be transported to the bottom of the building; If the decision from the higher authorities is to retake the building by force, they will lead the follow-up troops to attack from the ground up, where strong direct fire support is required.

In short, the guard regiment had to provide fire support at medium and close ranges throughout. If there were no four Norman warships that forcibly landed on the roof of the building, the difficulty of completing this task would not be high, but there were four Norman warships with extremely strong field control ability and almost no shooting dead ends, and the field artillery machine guns of the Federation Army would be suppressed like a storm as soon as they appeared, how could this be broken?

Colonel Lodrenz looked at his watch: "The situation is urgent, the task is urgent, the special service group will start operating in 40 minutes, and our fire must be in place at the same time." ”

Forty minutes is not too short, but if it were just a weight-bearing march, it would be enough time for the Union soldiers to run around the four tall buildings in the center of the city. Forty minutes seems to be more than enough to drag field guns, machine guns, and various equipment and ammunition to move positions at short intervals, but ordinary firing positions cannot cope with the enemy's artillery counterattacks, and only solid, reliable, and somewhat concealed gun positions can allow the gunners to complete their tasks alive. As a result, some officers bluntly stated that the troops needed time to survey the environment, select positions, and make the necessary reinforcements for firing positions. If fire support must be provided after 40 minutes, only machine guns and machine guns can be used in the early stage, and it is necessary to constantly change positions during the battle, and the intensity and continuity of fire can only be guaranteed in the later stage. If you rush into battle, it is tantamount to letting the gunner die in vain.

"Your concerns have been taken into account by us at the Corps Headquarters when we are discussing countermeasures, but we really don't have time. Proceeding from the overall situation, even if we take great risks, bear great casualties, and even incur the result of the annihilation of the whole army, we must bite the bullet! In a resounding tone, Colonel Lodrenz explained to everyone the cruel reality of sacrificing the ego and protecting the ego.

Faced with this life-and-death task, the officers were collectively silent.

"Gentlemen!" Octavir said in her crisp, melodious and powerful voice, "I know that you are not worried because of cowardice, but because you are worried that you will not be able to complete the set mission in a hurry, why don't our special forces receive the task on an impromptu basis. We didn't expect the current situation at all, but this is war, and the enemy won't give us enough time to prepare! Ladies and gentlemen, you are all the best among your peers, and many of you are already famous. Now, it is time to harness your proud military prowess and unleash your inner potential! I am sure that you will not disappoint our brothers who are charging ahead! Definitely not! ”

Octavier's encouragement made Weiss feel like he was back on the training ground at the Barston Military Academy, back to those years of hard training. Once upon a time, he was angry at the ridicule of his peers, disappointed and frustrated with his situation, but as Octavir says, never look down on yourself until your inner potential is unleashed.