Chapter 54: Chapter 54 — Advance
Back in the commanding Dreadnought, celebrations had broken out. Officers cheered and celebrated their victory.
[The trial of Mustard Gas warheads is a great success!]
[These warheads are much more effective than conventional ones! I propose to make them our standard ammunition!]
Erwin did not speak, but he was visibly pleased. After all, a new, effective weapon was just added to his arsenal.
However, despite its great performance, it also came with its disadvantages. Its effective area was limited and dispersed quickly in open and well-ventilated environments. It was unpredictable and dependent on environmental conditions. If the wind shifted and you were unlucky, the gas could drift back onto your troops.
Additionally, countermeasures significantly reduced the effectiveness of such attacks. Gas masks and protective suits greatly countered gas attacks. Let alone magical means, whether that be burning, blowing it away or isolating it. Gas is also indiscriminate. It would attack anything, whether that be civilians, animals or beasts. In fact, that was why Beastmen restrained from using poison in their attacks; it destroyed the very land they relied on.
Erwin knocked on the table and gave orders. Now was not the time to celebrate.
[This should be their entire border force for now. More will likely arrive soon, so stay in place. Wait until our main force arrives, then push forward together!]
[All battleships will hang behind the main ground force, and only in safe, occupied land. They will only fire at confirmed targets, shells are too precious to waste on inefficient kills]
[This time, we are facing a new enemy. We may not be so invincible in the air any longer. Therefore, this is the time for the People's Army to shine!]
[[[Yes Sir!]]]
The frigates stayed in the air, patrolling, while the rest of the fleet unfurled their landing support and landed on the ground to save magic power. As for the bloody battlefield, it was simply left there. The main army could clean it up.
Flares were sent up, signalling that it was safe. Upon seeing this, airships waiting behind the fleet started their propellors and came over at full speed to offload their troops and equipment. The transport ships also offloaded the remainder of their troops. However, there were no more captured soldiers to be seen; they were all soldiers of the People's Army.
Gradually, an army of thousands formed as the rest of the battleships also deployed troops. There were no heavy weapons like tanks and armoured cars, they were too unsuitable for the forest environment. Instead, soldiers were equipped on mass with carbines, submachine guns, shotguns and flamethrowers.
However, they had only received last-minute training in jungle warfare, and most of it during their journey.
[Advance!]
Under the command of dozens of NCOs, apart from a reserve team staying behind, the soldiers systematically spread out and advanced, disappearing into the tree line. The forest was completely quiet and peaceful, pretending like no such battle had just happened. However, its traces said otherwise.
As the soldiers advanced, they gradually came across the remains of the escaped Border Army. Most of them had already died, and the rest were struggling on the door of death, such was the lethality of Mustard Gas.
A soldier looked at the struggling Beastman warrior on the ground with a twinge of sympathy. The Beastman, although close to death, still tried to tremblingly raise his weapon, determined to keep fighting. In response, the soldier raised his rifle and sent a bullet through his head, putting him out of his misery. They had been ordered to accept no prisoners, and soon came the entire annihilation of the short-lived Border Army.
Unbeknownst to them, the Thornspire Empire had already formed an army, and the vanguard was heading to the frontline. The commander of the Beastmen vanguard complained as he rushed forward with the rest of the army.
[Tch, I hope that idiot is dead. I don't want to have to take in his wounded soldiers. Knowing him, he's already dived into fighting the humans]
From an ariel view, the human vanguard was rapidly advancing into Thornspire territory, and the vanguard was rushing to them, promising an inevitable collision.
After advancing for several kilometres, the Third Reich came across their first Beastmen village. And it certainly would not be their last.
An adult Beastmen was deep in the forest, teaching several younger Beastmen how to hunt. They were stealthily moving through the forest, bows and spears ready, when they came across humans holding strange metal weapons. He drew his bow in surprise, but-
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The squad of soldiers rapidly fired their MP18s, sieving the Beastmen. Upon hearing the gunfire, the rest of the army knew they had been exposed and picked up their pace.
Soon, a group of a hundred soldiers came across the village the hunter had originated from. A large clearing with dozens of crude houses and hundreds of civilian Beastmen. Compared to the humanlike demi-humans, Beastmen, with their fur and animal features, were much easier to dehumanise and kill.
[Line up, ready to fire! Remember, leave no survivors!]
An eagle-eyed Beastmen spotted the muddy soldiers staring at them with fire in their eyes and cried out.
[Humans! There are humans here!]
The entire village looked over in curiosity and reached to grab their weapons, ready to fight them. Beastmen civilians could not be thought of as human civilians, each one was a natural warrior.
However, despite this, it was all futile.
[Fire! Kill them all!]
A hundred rifles and submachine guns opened fire, cutting through the Beastmen crowd. Hundreds of Beastmen staggered to the ground, filled with gunshot wounds, not even knowing what killed them. It was a slaughter.
Soon, all that was left were moaning and groaning wounded survivors sprawled on the grass; all those standing had already been killed. The soldiers slowly advanced, putting any survivors by their feet out of their misery. A few were pale at the bloody scene.
[Flamethrowers, advance!]
A group of flamethrowers came to the front and shot burning flame into the village houses. Soon, screams came out of them as Beastmen waiting in ambush ran out, desperately trying to put out the fire. They were immediately shot and killed by waiting soldiers.
Like this, the soldiers progressively advanced through the entire village, leaving no survivors. Several Beastmen foraging teams had rushed back at hearing the gunfire and were promptly dispatched by the overwhelming firepower.
[Sir! There are no survivors left!]
[Very good. Report it to headquarters, and keep advancing!]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone