The heavy artillery was only transported to the pass yesterday evening, and fierce fighting broke out on the front line after nightfall. Before the situation became clear, the artillery company had to rest at the pass. Although Verli led the artillery company to the pass early this morning, the mountain road was difficult to travel, and it was only noon now. Dingle guessed that they might not arrive so soon.
Although Zoye, who was in charge of guarding the pass, had half a division of troops, he lacked heavy weapons. There were less than forty cannons there, which made Dingle worry.
Although the pass is strategically important, occupying a high vantage point and accessible only by a main road, making its defense relatively simple, the fierce fighting last night has resulted in our troops being forced into retreat. While orders have been issued to return and join forces with the pass's defenders, this may not be successfully achieved.
Once the mountains on both sides of the pass are occupied by a large number of enemy troops, the pass will likely be attacked from three sides, and defense will no longer be so easy. But this is already the most promising situation. What worries Dinger the most is the rear. If the enemy infiltrates deep into our territory, they may very well break out from behind the pass. If this happens, no matter how strategically important the pass is, its defense system will gradually crumble under the attack from all sides.
Therefore, when Veerly set off this morning, Dingle specifically instructed that sentries must be stationed on both flanks as the troops advanced along the main road. Although they should not venture too deep into the mountains, they should still provide a certain perimeter for the troops to prevent any potential encounters with enemy soldiers.
Now, the enemy's artillery bombardment has begun, and Dingle only hopes that the terrible situation he has foreseen will not occur.
Looking at Kyle, whose face looked terrible, Dingle sighed silently.
Perhaps before the arrival of the Yan Kingdom, the Empire's mountain infantry divisions were indeed among the best, and it was understandable that General Kyle was so confident. Unfortunately, this time the enemy was not only cunning, but also far too powerful. At this stage of the war, the difference was no longer just in terms of weaponry.
Thinking of this, Dingle turned his head to look at the main peak behind him.
Unlike the other uneven mountain peaks, this main peak behind them was particularly tall and imposing, resembling the apex of a triangle. While not quite reaching into the clouds, it was certainly sharp and pointed. A few days earlier, Harris and his soldiers had struggled to climb the main peak, with several soldiers even falling to their deaths. Fortunately, despite the perilous journey, they ultimately accomplished their mission.
Currently, boxes of explosives have been placed on the cliff of the main peak. Once detonated, the rock layers protruding from the mountain and suspended in mid-air will continuously collapse. As a result, the rolling rocks will block the road below. However, no one can accurately predict how much damage the collapse will cause.
But Dingle knew that if the situation developed to the point where it had to be contained by such an uncontrollable factor, then it would be his last stand.
With these thoughts in mind, Dingle silently turned his face and murmured:
"I hope it doesn't come to that..."
——
"Take cover! Watch out for artillery fire!"
"Find a more solid cover!"
At the pass, a barrage of artillery shells rained down, bombarding an area within a one-kilometer radius. The Götterd garrison was thrown into chaos, constantly shifting their positions amidst the explosions.
Although this place is the focus of their defense, it is not like the Heinrich military base with a large number of man-made fortifications. During the time they have been stationed here, Zoyer has ordered the soldiers to build temporary defensive fortifications as soon as possible. Although there is no shortage of rocks, the temporary defensive fortifications are very crude. They can withstand light artillery fire, but such a large-scale bombardment is really making it difficult for these fortifications to withstand.
Looking up at the shells coming from several directions, the soldiers were as pale as snow, and could only run back and forth between various bunkers like grasshoppers on a hot plate.
Under normal circumstances, they only needed to avoid artillery fire from the front, which was exactly what they were prepared for, and they had already found the appropriate cover. But now, the shells coming at them were not only from the front, but also from both flanks at the same time.
All of this was because the enemy was advancing rapidly on both sides of the main road. The mountain infantry divisions that came to support them were supposed to block them, but they were routed. Now they are still fighting the enemy on the flanks, but the enemy is able to launch artillery bombardments on the pass with impunity during the lulls in the fighting. This is enough to show that their own troops have been completely suppressed, and the enemy even has the spare time to launch artillery bombardments.
Beside a natural cave, the commander of the garrison at the pass, Zoye, shouted anxiously:
"Don't run around! Find cover and stay there!"
"Keep a close eye on the main road! If the Yan people advance, launch an attack immediately!"
The soldiers who heard the roar were in a state of panic. Under such fierce artillery fire, they not only had to make sure they were not hit by stray bullets, but also had to guard against the enemy's ground assault, repel them, and hold the pass.
This is a much more difficult mission than conventional field warfare, and just a few days ago they were cavalrymen riding fine horses and fighting in open fields.
But now their beloved horse has been taken away from the battlefield, and the cavalrymen have been forced to transform into mountain infantry in a short period of time. This is not a battlefield they are familiar with, nor is it a battle they are good at. The time spent guarding the pass has left them physically and mentally exhausted.
The constant threat from the enemy, the harsh mountain environment, and the brutal battle when the military base fell—those nightmarish scenes were deeply imprinted in everyone's minds, and many soldiers even began to consider retreating and developed a fear of fighting.
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