Chapter 307: Capturing Charles Alive
"I'm not sure!" Charles answered simply, "but we can only take a gamble now!"
As he spoke, Charles squatted back in front of the map and gave a battle plan after a moment's hesitation: "Continue the attack from the front to attract the enemy's attention. Six amphibious landing ships have arrived. Arm them and cover the second echelon's movement along the highway."
"Interspersed along the road?" Tijani exclaimed and looked at Charles in disbelief. Isn't this too obvious?
Before this, amphibious landing ships also drove onto the highway, after all, the highway was very close to this line of defense.
But that was only possible because the troops were occupying trenches which provided them with the necessary cover.
"Only the front armor of the amphibious landing ship can stop bullets, Colonel." Tijani reminded: "If the enemy has defenses on the road, even if there is only one platoon, we may suffer heavy casualties..."
"Do you think the enemy has time to deploy troops on the highway?" Charles interrupted Tijani, his voice full of confidence: "No, General. They just arrived and organized defense in a hurry, and their troops are not enough to extend to the highway."
Seeing that Tijani was still hesitating, Charles added: "We must hurry, otherwise the enemy will soon fill this loophole!"
Tijani gritted his teeth and nodded, "I'll listen to you. You're Charles!"
Charles sighed inwardly, Tijani has good abilities in all aspects, especially comprehensive knowledge of naval and land combat, but he lacks a little courage.
In this situation, not taking a risk means death, and taking a risk still leaves a glimmer of hope. What else is there to consider? Hesitating for even a second is a crime!
Fortunately, he did not waste much time. As soon as the order was given, the commando team was organized: two infantry companies with more than 400 people, led by a captain and battalion commander named Alphonse, carried out the infiltration.
Tijani also equipped Alphonse with a backup radio to facilitate communication.
Charles instructed, "After you cross the enemy's line, don't worry about anything else. Just occupy the trenches all the way to the sea. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Colonel!" Alphonse replied.
After Alphonse led the troops away, Tijani said, "Don't worry, he is the best battalion commander of the 105th Regiment. He knows what to do."
Charles was speechless. It seemed that you, the leader, didn't know what to do!
…
Bahar lay behind the ruins and quietly observed the offensive of the French army.
In his impression, the French army always charged towards the enemy under the cover of artillery fire regardless of life and death, fighting in large groups in dense formations.
But the team of soldiers in front of him was a little different. They advanced in a skirmish formation, using anything they could to cover themselves. Sometimes they lay in bomb craters, and sometimes they hid behind trees.
Once they were well hidden, they raised their rifles and fired, covering the other team's advance.
This tactic of mutual cover and alternating advance surprised Bahar a little, which made it difficult for the three Maxim machine guns Bahar brought to play a role, because when they were firing, the enemy was often already hiding in concealment.
Therefore, although the battle was fierce, the enemy suffered little casualties. Instead, many Ottoman soldiers on the defending side died under the enemy's mortars, and two machine guns were destroyed because their positions were exposed.
They are worthy of being Charles' troops, Bahar secretly praised them in his heart, no wonder they could advance here at such a fast speed.
However, Bahar felt more and more at ease as the fight went on.
It was clear that the battle was moving in the Ottoman army's favor.
"My goal is not to defeat you." Bahar put away the telescope and muttered to himself: "I just need to stop you. When the reinforcements arrive, I will win!"
Bahar turned his head and looked behind him, and saw more and more troops coming to reinforce him.
They were soldiers from the 69th Infantry Regiment. They were once at a loss in the trenches. They knew that the enemy was coming, and they could also judge from the gunfire that the enemy was on the side.
But they were not allowed to leave their posts without orders, so they could only wait there, holding their rifles.
So, everyone was repeating the experience of others: one or two hundred people faced the attack of five or six hundred enemies, their defense line collapsed, and finally they fled.
It was like dominoes, one domino after another was pushed forward, and the entire line of defense was almost destroyed by Charles without any effort.
Until Bahar arrived and adjusted the direction of the defense in time.
Watching the soldiers adding two heavy machine guns to the defense line, Bahar breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense string in his heart gradually relaxed.
This battle is almost over.
Charles failed to capture the entire line, and victory belonged to the Ottoman Empire.
Then Bahar thought, could Charles be in this army? If they could surround the enemy's landing force, could they capture Charles?
Bahar's eyes lit up and he looked in the direction of the enemy with anticipation.
If this can be achieved, it will not only win the war, but also lead the gradually declining Ottoman Empire to a new peak!
"Everyone, pay attention!" Bahar shouted in high spirits, "Charle is just ahead. Defeat them and capture him alive!"
The soldiers were stunned at first, but then their morale was boosted, and they shouted one after another: "Defeat the enemy and capture Charles alive!"
The shouting even drowned out the sound of gunfire and reached the other side.
…
The translator passed the message to Tijani, who looked at Charles with a half-smile and joked, "I envy you, Colonel. You are so popular everywhere!"
"Should I wave at them?" Charles asked.
Tijani laughed. “They didn’t recognize that it was Ciel’s hand.”
Charles poked his head out to look at the battlefield and said to Tijani, "It's time to start!"
Tijani nodded, turned around and ordered the signalman: "Action!"
The signalman immediately used flag signals to inform Alphonse, who was already ready in the direction of the highway.
…
At that time, the Ottoman army fought more and more bravely.
Perhaps knowing that Charles was on the opposite side, they even launched a counterattack against the French army.
The Ottoman army did have the capital to counterattack: Bahar's guard company, the gathered defeated soldiers, and the troops transferred from the rear trenches, they had a manpower advantage of nearly a thousand people.
At the same time, Bahar also believed that the counterattack would help boost morale because it would tell everyone that they were winning.
However, just as Bahar launched his attack, a burst of machine gun fire suddenly came from the direction of the highway.
Turning around, I saw a troop advancing along the road under the cover of "tanks".
They were moving very fast. The "tank" was probably running at more than ten kilometers per hour, and the soldiers were running madly behind it.
The machine gun on the "tank" fired fiercely at the soldiers blocking the front, and then quickly broke through and penetrated to the side and rear.
Bahar thought to himself that something was wrong, as the trench behind him had been emptied.
The enemy only needs to run into the trenches and then a line of defense can be organized behind him...
(End of this chapter)
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