Arc of Fire

Fenny Valley Bridge, the battle was still ongoing.

Balasians’ tactics were very simple: first, they bombarded with mortars, followed by infantry charges; if that didn’t succeed, they resumed the mortar shelling.

Fortunately, these Balasians had no mountain guns or direct-fire artillery. The bunkers built by the Prosens were sturdy, and even though the outer walls of the bunkers were blasted away in many places by the mortars, they nonetheless failed to destroy the bunkers.

By two in the morning, the real problem began to emerge.

"We’re out of bullets!" came the voice of Commander Keys from the north side of the bridge on the phone, "The ammo stockpiled in the bunker is almost gone! We’ve fired at least thirty thousand rounds, and the enemy has simply consumed all our ammunition with their bodies!"

It seemed that Captain Henry, who originally commanded the South Bank Commandos, had been killed by mortar fire, so Lieutenant Keys took over command according to the sequence.

Jonathan said, "I’ve already organized two groups to transport ammunition to you, is that gone too?"

"Gone! Not only is the ammunition gone, but the barrels you sent over are all shot out, now the machine guns could burst at any moment, ready to explode! Hurry, think of something!"

"Don’t panic, once the mortar attack is over, we can use our AA guns here to support you!"

"The firing range of the AA guns is limited, and the Balasians have discovered that. After all, they’ve been trained by Prosen instructors, so they do have some tactical proficiency. In addition, they’ve also realized we’re short on troops, so each of their assault formations are even more dispersed, and in the last wave of attack, there were people trying to flank us from the cliffside!"

Just as Jonathan was about to reply, the doctor said, "The mortar shelling has stopped!"

"Hold on, I’ll find a way to support you!"

He hung up the phone and immediately rushed to the window, shouting toward the anti-aircraft artillery position: "Quick, use the AA guns that haven’t been destroyed for indirect fire!"

Commandos who were originally hiding beside the AA guns in shelters immediately ran out, operated the AA guns to turn the muzzles, and started to rain fire on the opposite shore.

The Balasian troops were poorly trained and lacked the will to fight; when the 20mm shells exploded among their attacking formations, many men hit the ground, motionless on the spot, with no telling whether they were dead or just too scared to move.

But the problem was that whether it was the 20mm guns or machine guns, they could only suppress the Balasians in one area.

The Balasians had pulled out a very wide attack front, and, making use of the tactical proficiency trained into them by Prosen instructors, they effectively used various buildings and shelters for cover.

Jonathan observed for a moment and then made a snap decision, "We can’t hold the bridgehead anymore, we have to pull back the troops from the South Bank, or they’ll be wiped out over there!"

Saying this, he returned to the phone, picked up the receiver: "Connect to the South Bank!"

Among the Commandos there were professional communications soldiers who now acted as switchboard operators, and soon the voice of the South Bank commander, Keys, came through the receiver: "Jonathan! I think I should retreat, I do not think these Balasians understand how to blow up the bridge with the unremoved explosives underneath!"

"I agree with your retreat, but I need you to pick two of the most physically fit men to remove the explosives from under the bridge! Just directly remove them and throw them into the river valley below!"

"Damn it, that order really sucks, big Jo!"

"Carry out the order! If the bridge blows up, the Antean army’s advance will be greatly hindered! Our main force on the Southern Front is the Bahara Forces, and you know well how they fight! You served in Bahara!"

"Damn it!" Keys cursed, "Damn it! I’m sending people to disarm the bombs now!"

The phone was hung up, and Jonathan dashed out of the command post, running all the way to the bridgehead, where he hid behind sandbag fortifications and peered toward the South Bank.

He saw two burly Commando Team members dashing out from cover, shedding their equipment as they ran, and finally, dressed only in their uniforms and with pistols slung over them, they ran to the side of the Bridge and skillfully climbed down, hanging from the bridge’s steel beams, advancing like gymnasts suspended, while stripping off the explosives attached to the beams and throwing them down into the valley.

Just as everything was going smoothly, a group of Balasians reached the cliff edge and opened fire on the Commandos hanging below the Bridge.

Fortunately, they were using Lee-Enfield rifles, and their marksmanship was poor.

Jonathan raised his submachine gun and fired at the enemy, but at this distance, he had no expectation of killing them; he only wanted to disrupt their aim.

Before he finished his magazine, the whole group of Balasians lay down.

The two Commando strongmen successfully climbed to the north side of the Great Bridge, having removed all the explosives from under it.

The Commandos waiting to escort them directly pulled the two up, patting their shoulders vigorously.

At this time, Lieutenant Keys also began to retreat with his troops.

The remaining eight Commandos retreated in leapfrogging combat formations.

They were only halfway across when the Balasians, finally mustering up their courage, occupied the now-empty bunkers and shelters, surging to the edge of the bridge and opening fire in a hailstorm.

The Balasians’ nighttime marksmanship was really bad; astonishingly, all eight Commandos made it across.

Lieutenant Keys rolled over the sandbags and took cover next to Jonathan, gasping for breath as he said, "We left booby traps in the bunkers, they should—"

Before he could finish, the bunker opposite emitted smoke and a double flash.

"They should do that!" Lieutenant Keys pointed to the other side.

Jonathan patted his shoulder, "Well done, you did very well!"

Lieutenant Keys: "What now? Do we still have machine gun bullets?"

"Not much left, we used quite a bit in the fierce battle with the Prosens, and the rest was sent over the bridge to you guys. We’re left to use grenades and submachine guns to block the bridge!"

As he spoke, Jonathan peeked out and the submachine gun mowed down a large number of Balasian soldiers attempting to cross the bridge.

Lieutenant Kayes: "Then how shall we counterattack?"

Jonathan, while reloading his magazine, answered, "You’re asking us? Unless we can win in a hand-to-hand fight against an enemy a hundred times our size, I wouldn’t suggest a counterattack."

After reloading, Jonathan peeked out again and with a rat-tat-tat, he swept fire across the enemy lines.

At that time, Martin charged over with several Prosen submachine guns and a big pile of magazine pouches, sliding into the sandbag bunker. A stray bullet had hit his helmet without penetrating it, leaving only a scratch.

"Shit!!"

Martin cursed, trying to remove his helmet when Jonathan yelled, "No! Usually when a lucky guy like you takes off his helmet, he gets his head blown off! That’s how it always happens in movies!"

The United Kingdom had declared war on Prosen during their invasion of Melania, and after so many years, a bunch of war-themed movies had been produced. Jonathan was referring to the clichés in those films.

The battlefield is an uncanny place; whenever someone disbelieves in its omens, it harshly punishes them.

Martin didn’t remove his helmet but instead passed the submachine guns and ammunition to Jonathan and Kayes, while shouting loudly, "The Anteans are moving our way! Led by that Rocossov!"

"Why is he leading them?" Jonathan asked in shock, "Isn’t he the commander of the Antean Expeditionary Force? What the hell is he doing leading a charge? Trying to be the famous Desert Fox?"

Martin shook his head: "No, no, no, it seems like the Desert Fox learned from him! But I don’t know the specifics. Anyway, the telegram said that the general himself is leading a small squad this way! They have tanks and self-propelled artillery! Of course, there’s also infantry!"

"That’s great! The only issue is, how long will it take them to get here?" Jonathan asked while picking up a submachine gun Martin had brought and unleashing a hail of bullets on the Balas Army, who were again trying to cross the bridge.

Lieutenant Kayes leaned out and threw a grenade.

The grenade exploded on the Valley Bridge the moment it landed, knocking down a group of retreating Balasians, making them run even faster.

Just then, the whistling of shells filled the sky again.

Damn it, more mortar fire!

Jonathan and Kayes shouted in unison, "Get to cover, quick!"

Both men were quick to act, darting away.

The mortar shells fell at this moment, landing on the parade ground of the camp, far from the bridgehead position.

Jonathan had run a few steps when he realized Martin wasn’t with him. He immediately turned around, grabbed his comrade who had started late, and sprinted toward the concrete bunker.

A second shell landed.

This time, the Balasians attempted a stealthy crossing of the bridge amidst the artillery fire!

The machine guns at the Bridgehead Fort began to flicker! It was George inside the fort! Jonathan remembered George had an MG34 on a bipod with several hundred rounds of ammunition.

He lay worriedly at the observation window of the bunker, watching the continuously firing Bridgehead Fort.

"Damn it," he cursed, "if we had taken the big bridge tonight, the Anteans should have been here!"

Martin: "The telegram said that this afternoon the Prosen Air Force bombed Moha, disrupting their unloading and assembly rhythm."

Without responding, Jonathan focused on the only resistance at the Bridgehead Fort under mortar fire.

George’s rate of firing slowed down, probably because he didn’t have much ammunition left.

More fatal than running out of bullets was the barrel’s temperature. Prosen’s machine guns, due to their high rate of fire, often required a barrel change before depleting a 200-round belt.

But its firepower was undeniably effective. Even with continuous bursts, it could pin the Balas soldiers down on the bridge surface.

Jonathan pursed his lips, contemplating his strategy.

At that moment, Lieutenant Kayes said, "When the mortars fire, we daren’t use the anti-aircraft guns. But look, the anti-aircraft guns are just sitting there in the open. Despite so many mortar rounds, not a single one has hit it. Maybe we could gamble on the odds, risk the enemy’s mortars and use the 20mm guns?"

Martin raised his head, giving Jonathan a meaningful look.

After contemplating for a few seconds, Jonathan decided: "Okay, let’s do that. Kayes, you and Martin operate the anti-aircraft gun, and William, you run the ammo! I’ll provide cover with the bagpipes!"

Kayes: "Eh?"

Martin patted Kayes’s shoulder: "You’ll get used to it."

Then Jonathan took out the bagpipes that he always carried, started playing the same tune as before, and walked towards the anti-aircraft gun.

Just at that moment, the mortars stopped.

The Balas commander exclaimed angrily, "Why have the mortars stopped?"

"We’re out of shells!"

"Damn!" the commander swore, drawing his saber, "The enemy doesn’t have much ammunition left either. Let them witness the Balasians’ courage and loyalty, charge!"

He leapt from his cover, saber held high, rushing towards the big bridge.

The Balasians, greatly inspired, charged after him towards the Valley Bridge.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!