Chapter 24: Chapter 19: The Sixth Day

"Quiet! Here they come." I hush my subordinates. I, Lola, and four other Grenadiers are hiding behind a section of the wall, facing down the walkway up to the estate at our back. "Ready your weapon, we will attract their attention, pinning them down before we send the truck downward."

"And don't get greedy, our task is to draw their attention then run away, not killing them outright."

"Yes, boss." Came the agreements from my subordinates. 

We wait for a minute later when the first blue coat comes into view, his head swiveling about. It seems previous engagements have left them on constant alert. It won't change anything much though, we will bring a few of them to hell soon. As payback for their surprise the last time around.

"Do not fire, wait for them all to come into view." The ones ahead of the formation are scouts, not worth the effort we have prepared for them. I call out to our sniper, hiding in the shrubbery of a tree. "Rudolph, you fire the first shot once you deem it a good time for us to strike."

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Rudolph, hiding in a camouflaged observation post, nods. He is a sniper with a Kar98k, his scope and his location provide his team with a much-needed vision of the enemy. As poking their heads out right now is too risky as the enemy scouts can spot them. 

From Rudolph's point of view, he can see the enemy scouts start searching the periphery buildings, probably looking for traps and ambushes. Once they make sure the coast is cleared, they gather around a dried-up fountain, talking about something. Suddenly, one of them, probably the leader of the scouts, points toward the estate uphill, their location. Rudolph tenses up, and his finger starts to move toward the trigger. Yet he doesn't fire, electing to asset the situation first. 

It's a correct decision as the enemy still hasn't noticed them. More like the Ustians point at the estate for it can provide them with a tactical advantage over them, the Belkans. It seems like two of them decide to run back to their main force, calling them to move up. Rudolph then sees the scouts idle about, yet they remain vigilant and near covers. He won't be getting a shot on them any time soon. Nonetheless, he is a patient man, and he can wait for bigger fish to come.

And a bigger fish indeed comes, a very hateful one, however. It's the blasted howitzer truck that caused him to lose two of his friends. The truck is following behind another one, though this one has a pair of machine guns mounting on it instead of an artillery piece. They're both flanked by four squads of conscripts which is as expected. In a head-on conflict, Rudolph doubts they can survive against a group of that size. Yet, what they're about to do is not conventional warfare by any means, hence he's not afraid.

Rudolph whistles, sounding like a sparrow, signaling his leader and squadmates that the game's about to start. He doesn't need to look down to see that his comrades in arms are ready for the fight to come. Instead, he aligns his scope's T-post sight on the enemy gunner that's controlling the MGs on the truck. He forgoes the hateful artillery piece, even though killing it will do much to soothe his hatred. His reasoning is that the MGs can immediately suppress their location, a more immediate danger than the artillery piece that takes a while to set up. Once the MG is down, he will take care of the truck drivers, effectively stopping them for a while. And if the situation permits it, he can get away with killing the artillery crew and a few others before needing to relocate.

Seeing that the enemy is starting to move up the walkway, Rudolph calms his breath. He already has the range calculated before, 200 meters, and he has the high ground over the enemy. He will shoot himself if he missed such an easy shot.

Slowly, he squeezes the trigger. Then, bang.

The 8mm Mauser flies out of the barrel at supersonic speed, its shockwave rattles the leave around Rudolph a bit. The bullet, having covered the 200 meters distance in less than a second, strikes true and blows the head of the unsuspecting Ustian into bits. His brain matters and fluids splat onto the windshield of the truck behind him, while his body crumples down onto the floor.

Quickly pulling the bolt of his Kar98 backward before slamming it to chamber another round, Rudolph realigns his sight on the driver of the lead vehicle, then, pulls the trigger. Another bang sounds, this time his bullet strikes the chest of the truck driver, causing him to collapse and veer the truck to ram a lamp post. Now, the Ustians are in full panic mode, it only gets worse when Erika and the rest start firing at them. For the hit today, Erika commandeers an MG-34 to provide them with a force multiplier. This ensures the enemy stays put, slowing down their deployment. As for Rudolph, he is now acquiring the driver of the last truck as his target. For the howitzer to swing its cannon to its location, the driver has to maneuver the vehicle to show the side of the vehicle to them. That he cannot allow happen, sadly, the driver smartens up and tuck his head low behind the dashboard. Rudolph curses mentally before deciding on shooting out the engine block with two well-placed shots. With that, the truck sputtered out of life, stopping it in place with the howitzer unable to acquire a firing solution on them. Rudolph only has one bullet left in the chamber, so fires off his last shot to take out the head of an artillery crewmember. Unfortunately, his forays are cut short as the enemy is starting to point their guns at his location.

Not trusting his cover to hold, Rudolph jumps down, running alongside the wall to reconvene with Erika's team.

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I fire my rifle at the window where I know there's an Ustian behind it before sliding down. "Reloading!"

Pulling the bolt of my Kar98k backward, I grab a 5-round clip from my vest, putting it above the chamber, before pressing all the cartridges down. After that, I slam the bolt forward, removing the empty clip and chambering a new round for me to use. At this time, Rudolph runs up to us before taking his location behind a firing port, made previously by removing a few bricks from the wall.

I call out to him. "Nice shooting back there, Rudolph!"

He replies tersely. "No problem, ma'am." He fires a shot, probably taking another kill as a result.

I prepare to do the same, saying. "Keep them there for another minute. After that, we retreat and send the truck barreling down for them!"

"Roger!"

We continue trading shots with the enemy, thankfully, their accuracy is non-existent since we have gotten the high ground. Rudolph helps a lot by keep shooting out whoever braved enough to try and get on the machine gun turret. Still, as we have limited ammo, and the enemy is slowly but surely creeping up toward us, we have to fall back.

Our MG-34 fires the last of its belt, I decided that now it's the time we pack our stuff. "That's it, people, pop smokes and run back to the exfil!"

I uncork a smoke grenade with the others doing the same, and we all throw it above the walls and into the walkway below. A carpet of white smoke covers up the entire area, confusing the enemy. Using the respite, we rush back to the truck where the rest are waiting.

One of them, who is in the driver's seat of the Opel Blitz, steps on the gas once he sees us coming. The truck's wheels start spinning in place as the brakes are still on, and the driver waits for us to get clear before turning off the handbrake. The truck roars, moving forward at impressive speed before the driver jumps out of the vehicle. Now empty, the Opel Blitz rushes down the walkway with the Ustian trucks as its final destination. Without waiting for the IED-rigged truck to explode, we all make a run for the hidden tunnel of the estate, it will lead us back to the second defense line. 

Before that, we also put a five minutes timers on the explosives, dotted around the entire estate. Leave nothing standing for the enemy to use.

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From the Ustians' point of view, all they can see is a cloud of white smoke ahead of them. They're preparing for a charge up the hill when a monstrous rumbling is coming toward them. The conscripts tense up, a few fearing the Ghost of the Misty Night now appearing in broad daylight. Yet, what comes out of the smoke isn't a monster by any stretch of their imagination but an unmanned truck. The conscripts quickly dodge out of the truck's way, afraid of getting run over by the barreling steel menace. Yet, the howitzer is stuck in place as the truck carrying it has no engine power to move. So, a massive crash occurs. The Opel Blitz rams headfirst into the stationary vehicle, crushing both their engine blocks and driver's cabins. Fortunately for the crew of the Ustian howitzer truck, they abandon it the moment danger approaches. They watch in relief as their vehicle is pushed back tens of meters with both of the trucks now laying on their sides. 

"Fucking lunatics..." The surviving truck driver cursed the Belkans for their unorthodox tactics. He and a dozen others start surrounding the crash sites once they've made sure the Belkans's retreated. With any bit of luck, the howitzer is salvageable. Yet, when the driver approaches the trucks, he hears a subtle ticking sound. Unsure what it is, he and a few conscripts start looking for the source and find that it originates from the back of the Belkan truck.

They move behind the flipped Opel Blitz, uncovering the tarp covering its rear and the contents hidden inside it. There are a lot of cracked open boxes, probably destroyed by the crashes, with their packages spilling out for them to see. An artillery crewmember, who's well-versed in handling explosives, almost immediately recognizes the hidden danger.

"Blood hell! They're explosives! Run!" Yet, his warning comes a tad bit late as the timer reaches zero.

*KABOOM* (A/N: Baby!)

A massive, fiery explosion completely decimated the fountain square, and with it, the dozens of Ustian conscripts near it. Almost instantly after the initial blast, the howitzer's ammunition also gets set off, creating a secondary explosion that collapses the nearby buildings. This creates unintended rubbles to further block the advance of Ustian troops. Not to mention the huge amount of boomsticks that help create a sea of fire that cut off this area from the rest of the city.

Unknowingly, this flame will spread across a significant swath of Ustian-controlled territory, burning for three days straight once the estate also gets set on fire. Thus preventing a flanking maneuver from Ustian General Alban, forcing him to make do with a frontal assault on the second Belkan defense line. Future historians will say that the fire is so big that if there was a satellite back in the day, the flame could be viewed from space.

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Standing on the bell tower of a church, Yuki is overlooking the fiery hell that Erika's group has created. She's received her report on the recent engagements with the frontline Ustian troops. Yuki has to admit that Erika's performance exceeded her expectation greatly. And while Erika has attributed the success to the guidance of Yuki and the Urban Combat Theories made by Major Muller. Yuki knows talented people when she sees them in action.

Erika has been a genius of her own back in the Belka Academy, now, she has spread her wings on the battlefield. Yet, Yuki read from the report that Erika has commanded two Grenadiers to stay behind in the heat of combat, sacrificing their lives to cover their retreat. A decision that Yuki knows that Erika deeply regretted. The girl is only 16 and though she has hidden it well, Yuki knows the guilt is slowly chipping at Erika. So, she decides to call Erika back, putting her on reserve for now. The two squads she's put in charge of fought well already, a rest will do them good to sort out their physical and mental health.

With that checked out, Yuki then ponders on the matter of their defense against the never-ending wave of conscripts. The psychological warfare is proceeding well, the enemy is now desperate enough to forgo caution. Meaning the conscripts, who are not very well-versed in training or tactic, are now rushing blindly to their deaths. Still, such a rush is very dangerous to have, this can be seen from the destruction of the first line of defense, way earlier than intended. Yuki knows that General Alban who is in charge of the enemy is a competent one. She rates him higher than the one defending White Rock as the man has proven himself adept in maintaining his ragtag army. Not just that but inspired them enough to charge the first defense line and take it out in one day. Yuki stationed a few Panzer 38s there and converted them into bunkers, the loss of those stung her as it lessen her defensive power. Thankfully, Erika's group and many others have staved off today's assault on their flank. Buying them more time to reorganize the retreating Grenadiers and Storm Troopers.

If only the battlefield was not a dense city like Arash, Yuki could have employed more heavy armors. The current city fight has limited her forces to infantries, mortars, and one-third of her usual armor count. The rest of the vehicles are stationed at White Rock to deter the enemy from retaking the fortress. Guess she will have to make do with these underhanded tactics for the foreseeable future, at least until the Kriegsmarine have taken out the blockade and can reinforce the Arash. That or the Army led by General Belladonna arrives here first, thus breaking the siege by attacking the enemy from behind. Once either one of the two happens, Yuki will have enough leeway to counterattack and push the enemy out of the city.

Yuki breaths out the salty sea breeze, mixed with the burning smell of the ongoing war. She pours herself a cup of chilled tea, prepared in advance by Bryn. The lady in mention is out there, high up in the sky to direct her Witches in preparation for the night. Yuki wonders when this battle will end, having looked up a report on the current supplies she still has left.

Suddenly, she hears footsteps going up the stair to the top of the bell tower. She has an inkling as to who is coming so she pours another cup of tea for the guest that's about to arrive. And as expected, it's Rosa who comes up here.

"Princess Rosa, have you come for an evening tea time with me?" Yuki jokingly asked. She knows why the girl is here. The Ustian princess now dresses up the part of an Ustian officer, though she doesn't have any rank marking on her shirt.

"Yuki, I thought we chose to forgo the formality?" Rosa asked back before taking a seat across Yuki. Her maid Mary dutifully stands behind her just like usual.

"Yes, we did, though I have a feeling the upcoming matter that you will bring up is more suitable for a formal atmosphere. Rather than a talk between two tea-time enjoyers." Yuki said while presenting Rosa her teacup.

The girl accepts it gracefully before showing a wry smile. "I guess that's true, seriously, has anything ever escaped your mind?"

Yuki nods, calmly stating the truth. "Yes, just recently the first line of defense fell faster than I anticipated. As of now, I'm but one human girl, I'm not infallible."

Rosa points out right after. "Yet you have already planned for such a scenario. That's why we can still calmly sit here, enjoying the evening wind."

"I suppose so." Yuki shrugs, she then moves on with the talk. "Then, Rosa, though I have an inkling of what you're about to say. Just let me ask this, what's your mind?"

"Fine," Rosa drinks from her cup before saying. "can you stop the terror attack on the conscripts army?"

Yuki guessed correctly, it's about this matter, alright. "I see, care to give the reason why?"

Rosa scratches her head, groaning out. "You damn know the reason, girl! I, for the life of me, can't stand to watch my countrymen die in such a gruesome way. That's both unhonourable and unforgivable by any stretch. No one deserves to die with their corpses horrible mutilated and on full display like that. Not to mention the impact on our images by killing them that way. Citizens will look at us no different than barbarians!"

Yuki nods, tersely saying. "I suppose that is a valid concern."

Her concise words leave Rosa stunned, mouth agape. "Seriously? That's all you have to say?"

"Then do tell, what should I have done if not using underhanded tactics like that? This is a war, Rosa, a war where there's only one winner, and only a winner can write history. To further remind you as to why I did this, have you thought about the treatment of non-humans at the hand of your nation from the last war to this one? I can safely say that it's much worse than this, and don't worry, I will make sure words get out about your country's actions for the entire world to see. After this battle's over, no matter how we fight it, we will be hailed as the heroes that uncover the dark truths of your countries instead of being vilified as you've feared."

Yuki takes a breather then continues. "By enforcing terror on the enemy, I'm forcing them to fight with reckless abandon, either to survive or to take revenge for their comrades. As such, it will cloud their judgment, disrupting their operation, and making them prone to mistakes. With us lacking in numbers, that's the only thing we can count on right now. If you've been paying minute attention to the battlefield as I do, you will see the enemy is unable to perform complex maneuvers. All because they aren't trained to handle situations like the ones I'm enforcing."

Yuki's short rundown on her means of doing things leaves Rosa at a loss for words. Finally, she can only sigh and settles down with this. "You know, I really hate you for being right all the time. Can't find a retort to bite back at you just for the sake of it."

Yuki snickers. "That just adds to my charm, no?"

Rosa scoffs, yet she agrees with Yuki's assessment of herself. "I couldn't argue with that, you're one charming girl. Just like a rose, thorny but bloom beautifully."

Yuki smiles in response. "Thanks for the heartfelt compliment." She can also feel the maid's stingy gaze on her. "Though if we flirt any further, I don't think Mary here will take you kindly in bed." Yuki teases the princess and her maid.

They both blush and fumble in response.

"What? It's damn easy for me to notice your debauchery. Just make sure not to eye-fucking each other openly later on. Your society doesn't take too kindly to same-sex relationships yet."

Rosa sighs. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Though I can say this, aren't we like comrades in arms on this one." She points at Mary, leaving the rest of her words unsaid.

"Well yes, but as a matter of fact, no. Belka is more open-minded than Ustio. You should visit us later when you and Mary here get the chance." Yuki offered. 

"I see, I will keep that in mind. Probably will head there for a tour once this fiasco is over."

Smiling, Yuki cheers. "To the time when I can lead you on a tour of our capital."

Rosa responds back. "To the time when I can build a more profitable relationship there."

They both laugh before drinking from their cups. After that, they make some light talks before Yuki resumes her nightly work, leaving Rosa and Mary to watch on with interest. Sometimes Rosa also helps out by coordinating the Reformist's movement with Yuki's. And with that, the curtain of the Sixth day of the Siege of Arash has fallen.

 

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