On April 20, 848, the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st armies of the Eastern Front Command of the Republic of Neglo and the newly formed 22nd, 23rd, and 24th armies, with a total of 160,000 people, were stationed on the Thorny Hills defense line, facing a total of 160,000 people from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Army Corps of the Western Theater, which were responsible for defending the Thorny Hills defense line. The revenge war called Glory is about to begin.

"Regiment commander, the order from above has come down, and our regiment is in the first front."

When Operational Staff Officer Temula Kartley stormed the regimental headquarters with the order, Regiment Commander Evan Henderson was arranging his tie. Although he is no longer the captain of the Negro Republic Banner Striker, his habit of paying attention to his personal image has been retained.

"I see, what about the battle plan?"

"The first attack was launched by the 17th, 18th, and 19th armies, each responsible for the front of one division, and the overall front was carried out on the scale of three divisions and 30,000 men. This attack was a tentative attack, mainly to look at the enemy's defensive arrangements and will to fight, and the division commander said, don't fall in love with battle, and withdraw when you hear the trumpet. ”

"Uncle Bush is still so steady", Uncle Bush in Evan Henderson's mouth, his full name is Taijia Bush, and he is the commander of the Eastern Front Command of the Neglo Republic, with the rank of general. When he was still the captain of the Negro Republic Banner Striker, he had a good personal relationship with the Taijia Bush, so his words were somewhat casual. His combat staff officer, Trula Kateley, did not have this experience, and bowed his head and remained silent.

"Let's go, the front line is the front line, although I have been caught by that bastard of Elliot, but I have never been afraid of fighting!"

For Evan Henderson, the past six months have not been pleasant. When Ankenrein launched the Negru War, he and the Bannermen, the ace of the Negru Republic, were testing the effectiveness of armoured spearmen in Strandwood, the capital of the Duchy of Tulucas. As a member of the Negru Republic, Evan Henderson decided to send a Banner Wing to help Stranwood defend against the enemy's army when his vassal nation was attacked by the enemy. In his eyes at the time, the elite troops of the Negro Republic, together with the full set of weapons of the Weapons Research Institute, should be more than enough to deal with the troops used by the enemy to attack the minor principality. Unexpectedly, the enemy also sent artillery cavalry, directly crushed his resistance, and captured him.

This grasp is half a year. It was not until the end of February of this year that he returned to the Republic of Neglo through a prisoner exchange operation between the two sides. Because of the defeat and the loss of the Banner Striker, it is clear that Evan Henderson can no longer be the captain of the Banner Striker. His father, Steve Henderson, the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the Negro Republic, helped him move and sent him to serve as a lieutenant colonel under Tai George W. Bush.

The drumbeat of the preparatory battle came from outside the tent, and Evan Henderson put on his steam backpack and took his command knife to open the curtain of the regimental tent. In front of him, a vast, slightly undulating line of thorny hills unfolded in its entirety.

The regimental headquarters of the 3rd Regiment and the troops of the 3rd Division were all assembled on a larger hill on the west side of the Thorny Hills defensive line, and from Evan Henderson's point of view, the best part of the entire defensive line could be seen. It took half a year for the Negru Republic and the Ankenrein Empire to turn this once untouched wasteland into a battlefield full of iron and blood. The iron shield breastwork line that runs along the terrain to the north and south is based on stone and wooden piles, and a heavy two-meter-high iron shield that can be slid is installed in the rear. At the height of the iron shield's chest, there were countless hollows for shooting, neatly arranged along the dark iron shield, like soldiers in formation. Because the defense was so boring, many of the front and back of the iron shields were written or painted by the soldiers, adding a touch of life to the solemnity of the iron blood.

On the opposite side of Negru's iron shield line, about five hundred meters away, was Anken Rein's iron shield line, the same stone and wooden stakes, the same heavy iron shield, and the same shooting window. If it weren't for the different colors of the uniforms of the soldiers on both sides, Evan would have thought that he was facing a mirror. In half a year, this line of defense between the two sides has absorbed a large number of personnel and materials from the two countries, and now it has become two long black snakes opposing each other in the Duchy of Tulucas, waiting to tear each other's throats at any time.

The drums beat again.

Evan Henderson and his team enter the battle sequence. In accordance with the instructions of this operation, the front line combat regiment in the front row was all equipped with armor to act as armored spearmen to resist the enemy's counterattack. Evan Henderson, as the regimental commander, led the way, wearing a more beautifully carved armor, and stood in the fourth row of his regiment.

The platoon gun tactic, which circulated from Ankenrein last year, has proven to be the most suitable tactic for steam rifles. The experience of the Negru War on both sides has also continuously improved everyone's understanding of this tactic. Evan Henderson divided his regiment into four platoons of 250 men each, two in groups, forming a wide offensive format. Behind him, there was also a regiment, which had increased the thickness of the front.

The drumming continued, and Evan Henderson's 3rd Regiment and the rest of the forward force began to assemble outside the Iron Shield line. Their actions caught the attention of the other side, and Evan Henderson could see that enemy forces were also beginning to assemble behind the Iron Shield Breastwall. From time to time, the red figure flashed through the shooting hole on the iron shield, which made him a little excited.

"We will finally return the shame of being captured for half a year!"

The rhythm of the drum turns, and the final drum beat is struck. After that, the sound of the empty whistle sounded.

"Forward !!!"

The voices of countless heralds echoed in the air, and Evan Henderson carried his backpack and marched with his troops. His operations staff officer, Temulla Kateley, walked beside him, a slight gasp.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine soon!"

Evan whispered comfort, and the iron shield breastwall on the opposite side grew larger and clearer as they approached. Evan could even see the slogans written on it in Ryan and Neglo. However, before he could read the content of the slogan, the sound of the air whistle turned into an offensive tune.

"Raise the gun !!"

Evan Henderson shouted loudly, and his order passed less than ten meters and reached the ears of the soldiers in the two rows in front. The heavily armored soldiers raised their Welsh II steam rifles and pointed at the iron shield on the opposite side. The steam backpacks on their backs were belching steam because they were overheating.

"Shhhh

From time to time, the sound of the pressure relief of weapons sounded.

"Start the offensive !!!!!"

In Evan Henderson's impression, the Type 27 rifle used on the opposite side had a relatively close range, and his side had about two rounds of priority shooting. But as he gave the order to shoot, the gunshots on the opposite side rang out almost simultaneously, and the buckshot in the air shot onto the iron shield and armor with a crisp sound.

Changed weapons on the other side?

Although pre-war intelligence work has already shown, it is likely that the opposite side has updated its weapons. But Evan Henderson was a bit of a surprise. But whether he was surprised or not, the war had already begun, and the fighting was still ongoing.

Buckshot slammed into the armor and shields, occasionally a person fell from the ranks, and someone on the other side screamed. But on the whole, the battle loss rate of both sides is not high. The power of the weapon is weaker than the power of the armor, so that the beginning of this attack is not too bloody.

The distance between the two sides quickly approached a position where they could break the defense.

The smell of blood began to thicken in the air.

"Shoot!"

"Change!"

"Shoot!"

"Change!"

Evan Henderson was still giving orders to the sound of the air whistle. The well-trained soldiers, even though the iron shield breastwork on the opposite side was almost within reach, were still methodically reloading and firing. The two platoons of soldiers in front of the 3rd regiment were exhausted. Evan Henderson himself, joined the queue for shooting. From time to time, lead bullets bounced on his armor, but Evan Henderson didn't even hear the sound.

"Rush, !!!!"

From behind them rushed lightly armed soldiers, who, armed with scimitars, cut through the gaps between the armored spearmen, jumped onto the breastwork, pushed the iron shield hard, and even began to climb over it. The iron shields mounted on the slides were pushed crookedly by them, and many soldiers rushed in from above the iron shields. The sound of fighting rang out from behind the iron shield.

The lead bullets that shot from behind the iron shield were thinned.

"Like, isn't it that hard?"

No sooner had Evan Henderson come to this conclusion than he heard the sound of bean-like gunfire coming from behind the iron shield. The soldiers of their own side who had just rushed in fell silent for a moment.

"Forward!"

New commands came from the rear again. More soldiers rushed in with broadswords. There were also soldiers holding the thick bumper wood, and in two or three strokes they smashed the iron shield open, revealing a gap large enough to pass through two or three people. More soldiers swarmed in through the gap, provoking an even more intense burst of gunfire.

Evan Henderson saw through the cracks in the iron shield that the red Ankenrein army had formed a platoon of guns behind the iron shield, and the soldiers who rushed in, not one of them, were exposed to enemy fire. These soldiers, who were not equipped with armor for hand-to-hand combat, were rapidly consumed by the enemy's volley fire.

And the battle situation, there is no progress yet.

"Forward troops, rush forward!!"

The drums beat again. Trula Kantley translated the drums into orders and sent his armoured spearmen to advance. Against the enemy's platoon of guns, only armored gunners can withstand them.

Armored soldiers rushed into the gap, and the gunfire inside became more violent. Evan Henderson watched as the soldiers in his regiment rushed into the gaps that had been knocked open one by one, and then knocked down one by one, and for some reason, he felt a fire burning in his heart.

"Kill me!!!!"

Enraged, he charged with his rifle, and before he could reach the gaps, he heard the drums of retreat behind him. Before retreating, Evan Henderson only had time to see through the cracks in the crooked, knocked down iron shields, rows of red-clad Anken Rein soldiers, shooting at his brothers and men.

Numerous casualties were immense.

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"The enemy's defenses are almost exactly the same as we predicted, they have built multiple iron shield lines, and placed platoons of spearmen between the iron shield lines to attack our soldiers who break through the defenses. Because after breaking through the defensive line, it is difficult for our soldiers to form a gun formation, so they cannot suppress the enemy in terms of firepower, and they will be eliminated quickly. In order to capture the enemy's iron shield defense, it is necessary to have at least two to three times the enemy's troops. ”

The commander of the 19th Army, Levi Slattery, stood in front of the sand table and told his analysis. The commander of the 17th Army, John Clemonz, the commander of the 18th Army, Alan Carvallo, and other generals who participated in the battle, gathered in the Eastern Front Front Command to analyze the gains and losses of the battle.

"I agree with General Slattery that with the current style of play, if you want to break through the defense line of the Iron Shield Breastwork, you can only fill it with human lives, or make a detour like the Alonte Empire's attack on Ronninger."

John Clemonz gave his opinion. Several other generals also expressed their opinions, and their opinions were basically the same.

"Today's offensive has verified our previous thinking, the Iron Shield Chest Wall defense line is very difficult to break through in the current attack mode of queuing and shooting", Eastern Front Commander Taijia Bush knocked on the tactical board, "So, I plan to launch a second offensive tomorrow, starting with the 20th, 21st and 22nd armies, and the 17th, 18th, and 19th armies resting." For this offensive, we will use a new weapon provided by the Weapons Research Institute, the Steam Cannon. ”

"So early?"

Slattery was a little surprised, "Isn't it a little too anxious to use the killer weapon so early?" The enemy is not yet at its most exhausted, and our war of attrition has just begun......"

"This weapon should be used as soon as possible to reduce casualties," General Bush explained, "If I can, I hope to be able to recover Tulucas and take Rylin within a month, and I don't have time to waste too much time here." ”

Hearing Tai Bush's plan, the generals thought for a moment and began to express their opinions. Although everyone is in a high position, when it comes to combat, there is no general's demeanor in the argument, and the headquarters gradually becomes noisy.

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"If you could use a steam cannon, today's battle wouldn't be like this, would it?"

Evan Henderson stood in front of a human-tall mechanical structure, listening to the comfort of his old friend, Atta Wales, a researcher at the Weapons Research Institute, and shook his head helplessly.

"No, Uncle Bush won't agree to the first attempt to attack. This is our killer weapon, and we will definitely wait until the battle situation is anxious and the opponent is almost consumed. ”

"In that case, the casualties will be great."

Atta Wales sat on the tank of the steam cannon, rummaging through the cannon's fist-sized shells. In order to increase speed and reduce power, this kind of shell is a special hollow projectile, which can launch an effective range of more than 200 meters with steam power, and within the effective range, it can directly destroy or even penetrate the iron shield.

"But we're going to win," Henderson said as he walked over to the muzzle of the cannon and looked inside. The muzzle of the gun was swarthy, and nothing could be seen.

"That is, after all, this kind of weapon is only available to us. Steam cannons that will change the course of the war! ”

Atta Wales was confident in the weapon in his hand, and Henderson stroked the cannon's stubby barrel, feeling the reassurance of the metal, and suddenly an idea came to him.

"You say, what should we do if the enemy has this weapon, or some other new weapon?"