Luoshan Road Crossing.

The crossing, which is located on the road to Elena, has lost its former flow of people, and the empty hard dirt road has been dug out of rows and rows of trenches at some point. These trenches resemble countless snakes that snake crawling on the ground, drawing twisted shapes. Behind these trenches was the Iron Shield Breastwork that had once resisted the Prince's attendant of Eliot, Pal Cross. The production brigade and the 1st militia division led by Ivan were stationed behind this line of defense.

"Head, can this kind of trench really solve the problem? Better than a chest wall defense? ”

Ivan stood on the makeshift command platform, looking at the trenches built by Gastens with countless manpower and material resources in front of him, "I feel very good about the previous iron shield breastwall defense line, why do you still dig trenches?" ”

"The bullets are flat," Gastens said, standing beside Ivan, "the main purpose of the Iron Shield Breastwork is to ensure that our soldiers can continue to attack while defending. But now that we have a rear-loading gun, there is no need to stand up to reload, and naturally there is no need to use an iron shield chest wall to defend the line. The enemy's bullets fired from platoon gun arrays, no matter how they were aimed, could hardly hit the soldiers hiding in the trenches. Our soldiers, on the other hand, can easily lie down in the safety of the trenches and shoot and kill the enemy. While guaranteeing the same or even higher output, our soldiers are able to get more protection and are more advanced tactics. ”

"Well...... You say yes...... I'll wait and see how it goes. ”

Ivan is a very serious person, and he will not fully accept this method of defense if he does not see the actual results of this tactic. Gastens also understands his character, so naturally he will not be reluctant. The two chatted for a while, and then they saw the enemy begin to line up on their own front line.

"So fast? They arrived only yesterday and started attacking today? Ivan, a little surprised. The opposite Western Theater had suffered heavy losses in the last battle, and Gastens and Ivan agreed at the pre-war operational meeting that the enemy would rest and give Eliot the opportunity to launch the first attack. I don't know which tendon Skye Hamm twisted, and the day after arriving at the defensive line, he launched an attack.

"Let's fight, just to test my theory."

Gastens didn't have much to worry about defensive warfare, his side had weapons, geographical advantages and tactical advantages, even if the number of people was smaller, but the chances of winning were relatively large. He handed over command to Ivan and stood aside and watched.

After about an hour, the enemy in front of the line finished assembling and began to attack. In terms of numbers, there are probably two divisions. Because of the topography of the Luoshan Pass, the two divisions were in the front and the other in the rear, one as the main attacker and the other as the reserve.

"Do you have confidence that one brigade fights two divisions?" Gastens looked at a gap and asked Ivan. Ivan turned his head to look at him and smiled.

"Head, when are you going to be joking? Is there any need to worry about such a thing? ”

Ivan was right. The enemy still uses the tactic of lining up to shoot. It's just that, combined with the experience of the previous battle with Elena's troops, the soldiers who walked in the front put on double layers of armor, and although they faltered, they also had a sense of security. From Elena's side, Ivan had already placed more than twenty Luoshan-1 steam machine guns in front of the trenches. After discovering that the enemy was using the tactics of the double-armored front row soldiers, Ivan lowered the enemy within a hundred meters to ensure that his Luoshan I could penetrate the enemy's armor before giving the order to open fire.

Because both sides entered the firing range at the same time, the opposite side and their own side opened fire almost simultaneously. The enemy's front-row soldiers, following the instructions of the drum, stopped and raised their guns, only to find themselves facing knee-high mounds of earth in a long line, behind which their enemy was only half of his head exposed, and could not aim at all. But by this time the instructions of the drum had sounded, and the soldiers opened fire one after another, and the bullets flew in the air, but they could not concentrate on the target they wanted to hit.

At the same time, after the enemy entered the attack range, the Luoshan 1 also began to roar at the same time. Their peculiar "sudden-thud" gunshots were like thunder on the battlefield, and the soldiers in double-layered iron armor who stood straight could not resist the bullets fired at such close range, and fell to the ground one after another. The soldiers behind them only wore one layer of armor, and some were not even equipped with armor, so they were naturally unable to resist the attack of the Luoshan type. The exchange of fire between the two sides lasted less than a quarter of an hour, and the attacking troops suffered heavy losses and sounded the horn of retreat.

"That's leaving?"

Ivan was a little surprised, "This is not Skye Hamm's style, he just started and wanted to run?" ”

"It is estimated that it is a tentative attack, after all, the trench defense method is also the first time to appear, and they must be very curious."

Gastens was not too surprised by the enemy's quick abandonment, "It doesn't matter if they withdraw, we ourselves need to familiarize ourselves with the application of trench tactics, and the results are good so far." ”

"That's, boss, when did you miss it?"

Ivan smiled and slapped a sycophant, but it was basically sincere. Having followed Gastens for almost a year, he watched firsthand how Gastens went from a serf sentenced to death to the current communist leader. In this young man, it seemed that something was in the dark that favored him, and his judgment was almost never wrong. According to his judgment, the plan was promoted, and the expected results were basically achieved.

"Alright, don't be a sycophant," Gastens smiled, "I'll leave it to you here, I don't think there's anything wrong with your command." I'll go to the factory and then I'll go to Johor Bahru Pass, don't let me down. ”

"Don't worry."

Ivan smiled and sent Gastens away from the podium. As a companion of Gastens , he has an unparalleled trust in his leader.

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"General Hamm, I wonder why your troops chose to withdraw not long after the battle began?"

In the forward command of the Third Army in the Western Theater of Operations, Christopher Hilton, a special observer for Prince Eliot, stood in front of Skye Hamm with a serious expression. Skye Hamm and Tom Levy, the commander of the Third Division, who had just been in charge of the attack, shrugged their shoulders together when they heard the question.

"Gastens has come up with something new, the kind of holes and mounds that have been dug in the ground, so that we can't hit the enemy at all. And their Luoshan-1 machine guns are still harvesting the lives of our soldiers. In this case, even Prince Elliot can only choose to withdraw his troops, right? ”

Skye Hamm was polite to Christopher Hilton. After all, according to the agreement between him and Prince Eliot, the two sides sent observers to each other to observe the other party's attack on Elena, and were also responsible for communicating and coordinating the pace of operations between the two sides. Although he had the intention to pretend, he couldn't go too far, lest he be caught by the enemy and affect the distribution of the spoils after the war.

"Yes, Colonel Hilton, as you can see, we can't hit the enemy at all. Even if you continue to fight, you will be slaughtered. In this case, shouldn't the fighting be suspended for a while and a solution should be found? ”

"To crack, the only way to crack is to use the same rear-loading guns as them. Only rear-loading guns do not require standing reloading. Get rid of the troubles of standing reloading. Our soldiers can also lie down and shoot, reducing the target. ”

Skye Hamm already had an idea of how to deal with Gastens' new weapons and tactics. It was not difficult to think of this answer, both Elliot and himself. The difficult part is how to implement the most critical element of the idea.

Rear-loading guns.

"The Royal Academy of Arms Research is already working on this weapon, and if there is one, we will provide it to you at the same time", Christopher also knew that what the two generals said was the truth. He made a vague promise and left. Skye Hamm watched him leave, and then bared his teeth slightly.

"I knew there must be something in this Garstens. This method of digging a hole in the ground for defense is not easy to do, and it will give Elliot a headache. ”

"That's natural, we lost at least 3,000 enemy troops in the battle in front of us. Elena was already short of troops, and if she had three thousand less, she would definitely be stretched. We've made the most important contribution to the attack on Elena, and it's time for Elliot to shed some blood. ”

Tom Levy was very supportive of General Hamm's views. In his opinion, he has made enough contributions to this battle, and what he needs to do now is to take a breath, instead of rushing up with his neck like a stunned head, and he doesn't know how to die.

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Leaving the Naksan crossing, Gastens crossed the plains and arrived at the First Factory. Originally the maintenance plant of The Paper, the factory in the small town of Elena has been expanded several times and has become the largest and most productive complex in Gastens. From steam engines to weapons of all kinds, almost all of Elena's industrial equipment came out of this factory.

"Boss, how's the fight going on in Luoshan?"

When he met Gastens, the head of the factory, Gurakos, was the first thing he cared about, or the war situation. This is also a common concern for all Elena people. How well the war on the front line progresses directly determines the future of Elena and the future of those who have chosen Elena's path. Everyone on this plain is waiting for the outcome of this war.

"It's okay, the enemy will retreat after a fight, it is estimated that it is a tentative attack", Gastens did not hide it, "I will go to Gallance later, and see how Elliot is doing." ”

"It must be no problem", Gurakos said firmly, "With the chairman here, it must be no problem." ”

"If we want to win, everyone has to contribute, what can I do alone?" Gastens said as he walked, "What is the situation in the factory now, you can tell me." ”

"The overall situation is good", Gurakos, as the head of the factory, has long remembered the relevant data, "according to your orders, the Glory Rifle has been discontinued. We are now concentrating on the production of the Thundering 1 and Luoshan 1. The current output is about 80 Thundering Type 1 and 5 Luoshan Type 1 per day, and if the front line is a little more careful when using it, it should not be a big problem to ensure production. ”

"Very good", Gastens nodded, "the production of weapons must keep up, is there a problem with raw materials?" ”

"Pyroxene and iron ore are not big problems, even if they are producing at full capacity every day, they can ensure a year's productivity. But the problem is lead, the demand for lead bullets in the Luoshan 1 type is too great, and our current bullet workshop has been in full production, according to the current production rate, at most only one month, the supply of lead will not be able to keep up. ”

"The Plains of Elena have no lead ......"

Gastens recalled, confirming that Elena did not currently have lead ore in stock. He thought about it for a moment and proposed an alternative, "If the lead is not enough, use an iron warhead, which is more powerful." ”

"But in that case, the production equipment will have to be redesigned."

"I can help with this, you go to the technical department to find a few people you can trust, and I will try to get the production line of iron warheads out in the next few days. Bullets are the guarantee of victory in the war, and this must not be broken. ”

"That's good, as long as you have the equipment, you can rest assured!" Gurakos patted his chest and reassured, and Gastens laughed and hammered him on the shoulder, turning to take his leave. He also had to go to Johor Bahru Pass to see how Gallence Warren was doing. This old subordinate, who had been withdrawn from Tulucas with him, was directly promoted from the commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Production Regiment to the position of division commander of the 2nd Militia Division, and he did not know what he was doing. Although Caleb Warren was arranged to help, Gastens still wanted to see it for himself and decide on the disposition of the defense line on both sides.

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"Your Royal Highness, the casualties are out," said Billy Barnard, the attendant, standing across from Elliot, holding a few pieces of paper in his hand. Vincent Navry, chief of the General Staff of the Guards, stood beside Barnard, his expression not relaxed.

"Say it," Elliot waved his hand, "Anyway, it's like this every time I fight Gastens, I'm used to it." How many people died? ”

"Fourteen hundred," Barnard's voice was heavy, "and that's the number after we retreated immediately. If the Second Division of the Three Guards Army had been sent according to the original plan, it is estimated that more than so many people would have died. ”

"Fourteen hundred, that is, they know the purpose of the pits dug in the ground by the enemy," Eliot sighed softly, "this Gastens is really difficult to deal with. ”

"Your Highness, I don't know how Hamm's side is going," Billy Barnard helped think, "if things go well on his side, we will have less pressure." ”

"If it's going well on his side, we're going to have to fight with our lives," Elliot corrected him, "they're playing too fast, what are we going to do for the loot?" This still has to wait for the news of Colonel Hilton, so don't worry. Let's talk about countermeasures. Do you have any good ways to defend the enemy? ”

"That kind of defense, unless we give up lining up to shoot and equip ourselves with the same rear-loading repeating rifles as the brave, it is possible to break through, otherwise, it will not work anyway."

Billy Barnard had apparently studied the issue, and after he said that, he emphasized it again.

"Your Royal Highness, now the ordinary steam rifle is no longer good and cannot fight against Gastens. We have to develop the same rifle as him, the same rifle as the Brave, in order to win. ”

"I know," Elliot nodded slightly, "if I'm not mistaken, there should be some progress on Auduye's side." ”