Ever since the defeat at the station on the other side of the river, Alec has been thinking about why he failed.
Three consecutive days of non-stop bombing temporarily prevented further heretical attacks.
But at the same time, as rumors spread, panic in the military camp continued to spread.
But Yarick believed that he still had a chance to counterattack. The place where they were stationed was an abandoned ancient castle. Because it was well protected and had relatively complete walls and trenches, it accommodated tens of thousands of defeated soldiers who had retreated from various areas.
We, this is also Valedo's last place of resistance.
Because all the regiment-level military commanders have been killed or missing, and now they have formed a temporary regiment, the only surviving regiment-level political commissar, that is, he will serve as the top commander of the front line.
This is something that Alex never dared to think about in the past.
He was responsible for more than 10,000 lives. This burden was so heavy that he could not sleep at night for several days.
Similarly, what made him restless, besides the extremely bad situation before him, was also the scene during the retreat. Those scenes often rolled in his mind...
That day, he saw the entire column speeding up.
But what followed was fear. There were more and more enemies on the streets. Heavy bombs and combat cannons could not stop them. They were as unstoppable as the tide.
This bridge is very narrow.
It's only wide enough to accommodate a Chimera, which is Yarrick's hope for retreat, reorganization, and counterattack.
The command vehicle rushed onto the bridge, it rumbled across the river, and the main battery turret had to cease fire in order not to hit another Chimera.
Yarrick still found some targets, and he bombarded them hard, buying more time for the troops.
Chimera after chimera arrived on the bridge, and the abominable heretics destroyed the vehicles behind them.
No amount of gunfire could stop them. They even climbed onto the roof of the car and pried open the hatch and side door.
Yaric couldn't see what happened to the soldiers inside.
Yet, even from this distance, the screams reached his ears.
Only then did he realize that he could not save the entire column.
"Butts!"
he shouted.
"are you ready?"
"Yes, commissar!"
The temporary lieutenant who replaced Miller, who until recently had only been a sergeant, shouted back.
"very good."
Alex looked behind him and saw that no one needed his help.
He stopped shooting because there was no enemy in range and there was nothing he could do except choose the moment to issue the order.
Soon, his chimera reached the other side of the bridge.
The driver drove it to the shore and parked it next to the defense line. Butts ran over, holding a detonator in his hand.
"How is the defense here constructed?"
She asked, not taking her eyes off the advance of the armored forces. The second and third Chimeras had already arrived on the west bank.
"The remaining troops of two regiments have withdrawn here from other areas, and they brought some basilisks and hydras with them."
"very good."
Alex nodded, seemingly unfazed.
He believed that the image of a political commissar who looked extremely calm and sure of victory could bring more inspiration to the soldiers around him, so he worked hard to create his own image of personal heroism.
But inside -
"What's so good about this?"
He said to himself:
"We were beaten to pieces, pissed off, half the regiment lost, and a lot of good people. What good is that?"
But they're still fighting, these heretics haven't won yet, and that's what matters.
Two more vehicles have crossed the bridge, and the remaining troops are about to arrive here, but those evil heretics are also surging forward, and they have already walked a third of the way.
Alex hesitated for a few seconds, weighing whether to make a sacrifice.
Is there still time to save another Chimera? How many outstanding and loyal subordinates will he choose to give up?
He watched the enemy tide surge, the heretic songs getting closer and closer, and for all those who still remained normal, an unbearable madness was coming.
As strong as he is, he is also afraid of the hellish scene that is about to happen.
He has no choice.
"Now--"
Butts pressed the detonator, and a series of explosions shook the bridge's pillars. A huge fireball exploded in the center of the bridge. Then the entire bridge collapsed on the water, throwing the enemies and vehicles that surged onto the bridge into the air.
Then everything fell away and disintegrated in a swirl of flames, smoke and a curtain of white water.
The loud bang of the explosion and the roar of broken stones echoed throughout the river.
When Yarick turned to speak to the troops on the defensive line, the roar had not subsided.
"All artillery units open fire."
Heavy artillery fire began to cover the river bank, and every basilisk and mortar of the artillery unit was aimed at the eastern river bank.
As the shells fell, this narrow strip of land a hundred meters wide and stretching for more than ten kilometers from north to south was covered by fire.
Even on this side of the river, Arric could feel the pounding of the Emperor's hammer shaking the ground.
The eastern outline across the river disappeared behind dark, billowing smoke, like a volcano erupting its lava beneath the river bank.
This was Yarick's second sacrifice that day.
He mourned those soldiers who did not have time to come off the bridge. They fought well, did their duty, and obeyed orders faithfully.
At the moment of their sacrifice, they were still following him.
Alex felt sad for them, and at the same time relieved for what he had done for them.
In return, they will stand by the Emperor's side, their souls unsullied.
But he didn't want to leave anything behind on the East Coast.
"Sir, the ammunition reserve is running low."
While he was still deep in thought, Butz beside him made a worried voice. They were standing on a lookout post. This was what Alex did most these days - observing.
Thanks to the constant bombardment, nothing has been able to pass through the bombing zone until now.
"Okay, stop the bombardment for now."
As if to confirm Yarick's decision, a strong wind blew from the north and dispersed the smoke.
He saw everything he needed to know almost immediately.
The things on the ground near the embankment crawled, undulated, and jumped in a disgusting way.
This number far exceeds estimates, and it seems that it has not been reduced by shelling or fire.
"what is that?"
He adjusted the focus of the telescope, but he still couldn't see clearly, as if there was an invisible veil blocking his eyes - not just thick fog, it was an indescribable feeling.
But no matter what it was, his instinct told him that he must not let them get close.
"Continue the bombardment! Strengthen the defense line on the river bank! Send two more companies here!"
When he returned to the temporary command post in the castle, preparing to order further intensification of the bombing, the sun began to set in the haze - that was a sign of the coming night, and it was also the favorite time of the heretics.