CHAPTER 1767: CHAPTER 1684: INSIDE THE TRENCHES

The twisted trenches are a nightmare for all soldiers, whether on the defense or the offense, constantly tormented by these primitive fortifications.

In fact, if you take it seriously, there are corresponding trench tactics, but none of these methods can guarantee victory.

On an already uneven terrain, trenches sprawled like centipedes, with numerous Dwarf soldiers hidden inside, already despaired, yet without any intention to surrender.

Because they knew that behind them was Furnace Fortress, the most sacred place in their hearts. No matter what, they had to guard it and prevent the enemy from setting foot on this holy land as much as possible.

Opposite them, the Tang Army soldiers also had reasons to keep fighting. They had come from afar to present a resounding victory for their Emperor.

No matter the cost, they must advance! This was their best testament of loyalty to the Emperor, for the invincible myth of the Great Tang Empire, for the first great unification of this world.

Both sides kept sending reinforcements, sending soldiers into the already scorched trench area. The land there had been loosened by shells, and the air was filled with a choking, unpleasant odor.

In the twisted trenches, a Tang Army soldier advanced with difficulty, holding a rifle. He had to remain constantly alert because one careless moment might mean his eternal rest here.

He adjusted his breathing, each breath a torment to his lungs, peering through the rifle’s sight and out of the corner of his eye, observing the front. At the slightest movement, he would pull the trigger and fire.

From afar, the familiar sound of the Maxim machine gun and the echoes of some Mosin-Nagant Rifles could be heard—indicating that Dwarf soldiers were still resisting fiercely within the trenches, and safety was still far away.

Proceeding along the now less steep trenches, every seven to eight steps, the trench would turn in another direction. No one knew what awaited them at the next bend, perhaps just a corpse, perhaps an entire squad of infantry enemies.

Of course, most of the time, there was nothing after the turn, only some empty ammo boxes and scattered shell casings. Yet even though there was mostly nothing, no one dared let their guard down, even for a moment.

Due to the visibility, the Tang Army soldier moved very cautiously. His comrades followed, having charged into the trench from the other end and dealt with a few Dwarf soldiers stationed there, now battling their way to this position.

Even though the Tang Army had a firepower advantage, and could use various advanced weapons to solve two-thirds of the problems, in the end, it still came down to the soldiers solving the remaining enemies with their own blood and flesh.

Thus, the Tang Army’s casualty rate had been soaring recently. The closer they got to Furnace Fortress, the more common these deadly fights between the two sides became.

"Fire! Fire! Do you see the tank over there? Suppress the infantry behind the tank! Cover our anti-tank soldiers!" From some distance away, the shout of a Dwarf officer from within the trenches could be heard clearly.

The leading Tang Army soldier halted, raised his forearm and clenched his hand into a fist to signal a stop. He then set down his rifle, miming the action of pulling a hand grenade’s safety pin, and gestured a throwing action forward.

The comrade behind him nodded to indicate understanding, removing a hand grenade from his tactical vest, pulling the pin, and waiting to throw together.

The Tang Army soldier at the front also pulled out a hand grenade, grasped it and pulled the pin. Judging by the sound, the enemy was likely just around the next corner, about ten meters away.

They couldn’t accurately estimate the enemy’s position; everything was reliant on probing. Throwing hand grenades was just to suppress the enemy; next, they would forcefully attack and risk their lives.

No choice, they had fought their way here, and their hand grenades were depleted. They could only deal with the enemy this way.

Two hand grenades flew out of the trench together, tracing a graceful arc through the sky and landing in the distance. Whether they accurately fell into the enemy’s trench, no one knew.

"Boom!" The first grenade exploded, the rising dust proving it didn’t fall into the trench. If it had rolled into the trench, the dust wouldn’t have spread so far.

The second grenade exploded soon after, and amidst the smoke, two Tang Army soldiers charged past the corner, pulling the trigger at Dwarf soldiers who had yet to understand where the attack came from.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!" The distinct sound of Tang Army assault rifles echoed in the trenches, catching the Dwarf soldiers off guard and causing them to fall one after another.

Blood splattered everywhere, and a Dwarf soldier who had pulled the pin on a hand grenade was hit before he could throw it, collapsing to the ground while the grenade rolled into the corner.

No one paid any attention to the grenade then; several Dwarf soldiers fled with their heads down, escaping to the other side of the trench, and the Maxim heavy machine gun that had been firing suddenly fell silent.

Just as the two Tang Army soldiers intended to pursue, the grenade exploded within the trench. In an instant, the ground shook, and the leading Tang Army soldier was thrown to the ground by the shockwave.

He felt like he had been hit and flung by a truck, with the world spinning around him. His ears buzzed, and by the time he could feel his own existence again, he was already lying next to a Dwarf corpse at the bottom of the trench.

"I think I’m wounded." He instinctively said, but he couldn’t hear his own voice, so he wasn’t sure if he had actually said it.

His comrade was nervously saying something in front of his face, but he couldn’t hear a thing. He felt no pain, so he didn’t know where exactly he was wounded.

"I see no blood! Where are you wounded?" His comrade shouted at the top of his lungs, as both their ears were now useless.

"Get up! You’ll catch a grenade lying here!" Seeing no response, his comrade continued to shout: "Hurry and get up! Damn it!"

"Damn it!" After a worried glance around, his comrade felt increasingly concerned about the danger. The Dwarf soldiers who had prepared themselves could very well return, and they surely had grenades; they would be overrun here soon.

So, after complaining, his comrade grabbed his bulletproof vest and dragged him back.