Chương 28: Redemption
Upon arriving at the reserve line, Jacques began organizing his forces with the help of the other officers.
"Make sure everything is in check. Roger's platoon will be here in a moment and they're gonna need a resupply." Jacques ordered.
"We can worry about that later. That trap hasn't been triggered yet and I don't think they know anything about it." Richard replied.
"I'm not sending any of our men back there to seal that wall. We don't know their exact numbers yet." Jacques argued.
"How about Johann and his squad? We can give it a shot-" Richard suggested before getting interrupted.
"No. I'm not sending them back. It's important that we reinforce this line because we're the only thing standing between the Soviets and our capital." Jacques argued once more.
"I'll take over the resupply then." Richard muttered before walking away.
Jacques rolled his hand into a fist and punched the sandbag beside him. He was mad at himself for not being able to protect his men. He saw Jeremy as a brother, like the one he lost 5 years before. The memories and the regret continues to haunt and torment him. He felt like he could've prevented it if he stayed and fought alongside them.
"Jacques! We need you out there. You can't just hide here and grovel in your despair!" Edward exclaimed as he pulls Jacques by his collars.
"I-I failed...again. Those guys..." Jacques mumbled as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Don't make their sacrifices a waste! We wouldn't be where we are if it wasn't for them! Show them some respect and keep fighting!" Edward shouted after punching Jacques on the face.
A moment of realization hit Jacques. He slowly stood back up and wiped his eyes before fixing his uniform.
"Are you done being a pathetic bastard?" Edward asked.
"Sorry, I lost myself back there. You're right, I shouldn't let their sacrifices be in vain." Jacques replied before chuckling and walking towards Edward.
"Now are you ready to inspire your men and lead them to victory once more?" Edward asked once more.
Jacques nodded and walked outside of the bunker with Edward. As they walked through the trenches, he sees the anguish within the soldiers' eyes. He knew it was time to deliver one of his motivational speeches to boost their morale.
"Attention! I want everyone to listen. We lost some of our brothers but that doesn't mean that we should give up. That's not what they would want." Jacques announced from atop the trenches.
"Hey Teresa, the major's giving a speech." Johann stated before standing up.
"I said it before and I'll say it again. Honor the fallen and keep fighting in their place. We keep moving forward, not for ourselves but for them." Jacques stated.
"He really is a great man." Teresa mumbled while staring at Jacques.
"I don't know if you noticed but the major has a guard dog. He's not at all impressed with you hovering around Jacques." Johann whispered to Teresa.
"He's a dog, I'm a beast. I'll swallow him whole if he competes against me." Teresa replied before licking her lips.
The soldiers now had stern looks on their faces after Jacques delivered his speech. They didn't speak a word but Jacques knew that he rekindled the flames in their hearts. He reminded them of what their battalion is and what it aims to be.
"The major always knows what to say, huh? I wonder what Sarge would have said?" Phillip muttered to himself.
"Hey. You alright, Phil?" Tristan asked as he walked up to Phillip.
"Corporal, it's you. I guess I am. Things like these always happen and we shouldn't let it consume us." Phillip replied.
"If that's your way of coping then I won't judge. Just don't blame yourself or anyone for what happened because it won't change anything." Tristan said before walking away.
Roger and a small part of his platoon arrived at the reserve line, exhausted and several of them badly hit. Large holes could be seen in the hulls of the other tanks.
"Jacques! We're getting killed out there! We can't hold for much longer!" Roger shouted.
"We'll set some traps and fight small battles only. We have the high ground so we should take advantage of it." Jacques replied as he climbed up the tank.
"That can wait, we need something to divert their attention and take off some pressure on my men." Roger added.
Jacques showed Roger a map and marked several locations where he plans to send tank-buster teams. Roger told him that as the enemy tanks moved up so did the infantry so they had to watch out for those. Jacques reassured him and said that he would be sending Johann and Teresa to escort the teams. Roger agreed and went back inside his tank before Jacques jumped off and ran towards Phillip.
"Phillip, we need you guys again. No one else can do this but your squad." Jacques begged.
"What do you need us for?" Phillip asked.
"I need you to disable those enemy tanks. Johann and Teresa will escort your squad." Jacques added.
"How do you want us to do that?" Phillip asked once more.
Jacques explained the plan and showed him on the map where they should wait and ambush for the tanks. Phillip picked up real quick and gathered his squad along with Johann and Teresa. In the meantime, Jacques ordered a mortar strike where the enemies were last reported to be in. From their high position they could make it rain explosive projectiles from the sky and thin out the enemy formation. Once the bombardment was finished he signaled Phillip's squad to move out.
"Prepare the artillery strike for when the enemies retreat. Time to hit them back just as hard as they hit us." Jacques ordered.
Teresa fell behind the group and made sure that they wouldn't encounter any resistance on their way to the rally point. Johann, on the other hand, acted as close range security for Phillip and the others. Once at the rally, they began setting up the charges along the path and looked for cover where they could shoot from.
"Once we blow the charges, the rest of you are going to bust their hulls with these tank-busters." Phillip explained.
"I'll watch our flank in case they try something funny." Johann stated before sneaking into the thick shrubs.
"Now we wait for them to pass us here." Phillip mumbled.
They kept low and waited patiently for the enemy to begin moving forward. Ever second of silence that passed by was nerve-wracking but it wouldn't last for long once they hear the engines of approaching tanks. Their fingers were itching to pull the triggers of their guns but they had to wait for the perfect moment.
"You recon this is the perfect moment Sarge? If that's what you think then let's light them up." Johann mumbled before setting off the charges.
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