Trenches, Guns, and Magic

Imperial Military Medical Center, Comprehensive Training Ground.

The training ground was specially expanded following the completion of the modification experiments. It occupied a sizable area, equipped internally with a full set of subject apparatuses ranging from strength testing to agility testing, as well as a standard combat arena.

Master Haber stood on the observation corridor on the second floor of the training ground, hands resting on the railing, overlooking the subjects undergoing group training below.

The various test data from the past few days had already piled high on the research team's workstations. Every new piece of data sent the entire team into a state of high excitement.

Of the 33 survivors, 27 were veterans from the instruction unit's 1st Company. The rest included 1 Guard officer, 2 NCOs from the Alpine Corps, and 3 NCOs from the Stormtroopers.

The degree of physical enhancement these men experienced, while not as dramatic as the changes Morin underwent after being injected with the primal serum in the Paris underground laboratory...

Judged by the standards of ordinary humans, it was already appalling.

Strength, speed, reaction time, regenerative ability... every single metric far exceeded the normal upper limits of humanity.

But what truly surprised Master Haber wasn't actually these physical-level data points.

It was on the third day after completing the modification serum injections, during a routine magical environment adaptation test, that the research team discovered a faint but unmistakable magical affinity reaction present within all surviving subjects.

This kind of reaction, within the previous theoretical framework, could only be obtained through a separate, dedicated human modification surgery.

Because Morin was already a spellcaster before being injected with the modification potion, the research team hadn't been able to confirm whether this serum could produce a "magical affinity" effect.

Looking at it now, the "modification serum" created based on Morin's 【Source Blood】 inherently carried the effect of catalyzing magical affinity in the recipient... At least, current data strongly pointed to this conclusion.

Master Haber's research team and the several low-circle mages assigned to the medical center repeatedly verified this multiple times, and the results were consistent.

According to internal team discussions and speculations, it was highly probable that these subjects could gradually acquire spellcasting abilities through subsequent guided training.

Of course, how far they could go was hard to say right now. The best outcome would certainly be acquiring spellcasting abilities after guided training...

But even if they only possessed the most basic magical affinity constitution, the potential value of this group had already far exceeded the realm of mere "enhanced soldiers."

At this thought, Master Haber's right hand tapped unconsciously on the railing a few times.

His gaze didn't leave the training ground, but his attention had already shifted to the person standing beside him.

He wore the latest model M1915 military uniform, with red piping adorning the collar, lapels, and cuffs.

And red, within the Saxon Empire's military uniform system, was also known as the "General's Color."

On the crimson backing of his epaulets, intricately woven gold and silver metallic threads formed a delicate pattern, adorned with two large silver star insignias.

This was a General of the Infantry of the Saxon Imperial Army.

And his specific identity was the Director of the "Military Economy and Weapons Testing Department" of the Ministry of War—Heinrich von Lübeck-Rheinbaben.

The appearance of this VIP, whose rank was second only to the Colonel Generals like Moltke the Younger and Falkenhayn, at the Imperial Military Medical Center was actually nothing to make a fuss about.

The Military Economy and Weapons Testing Department itself was responsible for managing the various technical development endeavors of the Imperial Army. The modification serum fell under the purview of technical development, and the development of supporting equipment related to the "Thunder Warrior" project also fell under this department's jurisdiction.

Therefore, it was entirely reasonable for the General to make a personal trip. Moreover, he brought an order from the General Staff:

The acclimatization training for the first batch of modification subjects of the Imperial Guard Assault Instruction Unit is suspended effective today. All qualified personnel are to return to the front line immediately.

The instruction unit was to return immediately. The others... weren't mentioned.

After a long silence, Master Haber finally couldn't hold back.

"General Heinrich, since the war on the Balkan Peninsula is so tense that acclimatization training must be suspended early to transfer personnel back, why not deploy all the 'Thunder Warriors'?"

"Only sending the instruction unit personnel over, and just keeping the remaining 6 here?"

Heinrich hadn't turned his head the entire time.

His gaze fell on the figures performing weighted sprints in the training ground. Among them were men from the Guards and men from the Alpine Corps.

After a few seconds, Heinrich finally spoke, his tone completely steady.

"Master Haber, these enhanced warriors are extremely precious resources of the Empire. We cannot put all our eggs in one basket."

"The front line is undeniably important, but the rear also needs to retain a portion of personnel to prepare for subsequent research and development work."

Master Haber snorted coldly.

"General, save those pleasantries for the bureaucrats at the Ministry of War."

He finally turned his head, facing Heinrich directly.

"You know very well I am a researcher... The only things I care about are experimental data and results. So there is no need to fob me off with rhetoric like 'precious resources'."

"I just want to know, what exactly are you planning?"

Heinrich finally turned his head as well. Looking at the Imperial Mage's expression, he remained silent for a moment before actually chuckling softly.

"Indeed, nothing escapes you."

His smile was restrained, carrying a perfectly measured respect.

"To be frank with you, Master... this is also the intent of the higher-ups."

Master Haber didn't interrupt, waiting for the other to continue.

Heinrich returned his gaze to the training ground.

"The Empire's decision-makers do not wish for all the enhanced 'super soldiers' to be concentrated within the same unit. I assume you can understand this point as well, Master."

Master Haber's mouth moved, but ultimately he didn't say it out loud.

He gradually understood everything... Without a doubt, this once again involved the internal struggles among the Empire's higher-ups.

As a veteran imperialist nation, the upper echelons of the Saxon Empire were never a monolith...

The entire Imperial Army knew that the instruction unit was single-handedly trained by Morin, and Morin was Crown Prince Georg's man.

Throwing all the enhanced warriors into the instruction unit... was equivalent to handing the Empire's most cutting-edge military force entirely into the hands of the Crown Prince's faction.

This was clearly unacceptable to certain factions within the Empire.

Although Heinrich didn't spell it out explicitly, Master Haber had already guessed much of what went unsaid...

The faction behind this General of the Infantry even originally intended to hold back a portion of the 27 men from the instruction unit as well.

It was highly likely that figures with real power in the Army, led by Moltke the Younger, Falkenhayn, and others, strongly obstructed this. So the final result was a compromise from both sides: all 27 instruction unit men were released, while the other 6 remained.

Thinking of this, Master Haber suddenly felt somewhat exhausted.

He was a magical researcher; he disliked getting involved in these machinations the most.

But as it happened, the "Thunder Warrior" project was too important—so important that he couldn't completely extract himself from it.

Heinrich seemed to sense Master Haber's shift in mood and opportunely changed the subject.

"By the way, there is one more thing."

The General's voice lowered half a pitch.

"His Majesty has authorized the commencement of the next phase of development work. The official documents should currently be en route to the Imperial Magitech Research Institute. Director Planck is likely already reading the documents right now..."

He paused, then continued: "The 6 enhanced warriors staying behind will also serve as the blueprints for the next phase of development work."

"..."

Master Haber nodded, the expression on his face returning to neutrality.

"Understood. The research team will act according to His Majesty's will."

The two fell into silence once again for a while.

The clatter of metal equipment and occasional short bursts of shouting drifted up from the training ground below. That was Klaus leading the instruction unit veterans through their final set of sparring exercises.

Just when Master Haber thought this conversation had ended, Heinrich spoke again.

"Master, regarding the matter I raised last time... how goes your consideration?"

Hearing these words, Master Haber's face instantly turned cold.

"General."

His tone became stiff.

"I am merely a pure magical research and development personnel. I have absolutely no thoughts regarding taking sides... I will treat this matter, and our last conversation, as if they never happened."

Master Haber turned to face Heinrich, enunciating the latter half of his sentence word by word.

"And I hope, General, that you will not waste any more effort on me in the future."

"..."

Heinrich exhibited no emotional fluctuation upon hearing this; even the polite smile on his face didn't waver.

"That is indeed somewhat regrettable..."

He merely said this one sentence. His tone was casual, as if the rejection itself was entirely within his expectations.

Master Haber ignored him, walking straight toward the other end of the observation corridor.

Behind him, Heinrich leaned against the railing alone, looking down at the profusely sweating enhanced warriors in the training ground.

His fingers tapped lightly on the railing twice. He then adjusted the collar of his military uniform and walked off unhurriedly in another direction.

When the order reached the training ground, Klaus had an NCO from the Alpine Corps pinned on the mat of the combat arena.

The two had been grappling for almost three minutes. This "King of Soldiers" hailing from the Alpine Corps was not inferior to him in strength in the slightest, but still fell somewhat short in groundwork techniques.

This was actually normal...

The close-quarters combat training of the mountain troops placed more emphasis on stand-up striking and short blade techniques. The comprehensive combat skills the instruction unit learned from Morin were indeed more well-rounded.

"Time's up!"

After an instruction unit soldier in the referee's position called a halt, Klaus let go, patted the other man's shoulder, and the two climbed up from the mat one after the other.

Just then, the side door of the training ground was pushed open, and Master Haber's assistant walked in briskly.

"Captain Klaus! Master Haber requests your presence!"

Klaus grabbed a towel draped over the arena fence, wiped his face, then followed the assistant out of the training ground, meeting Master Haber at the corner of the corridor.

Haber: "Order from the General Staff: all instruction unit personnel who passed the acclimatization training assessment are to suspend training effective today and return to the front line immediately."

Klaus was stunned for less than half a second. Immediately following, his entire spirit and energy changed.

"Ho ho ho... finally!"

He rubbed his hands together, his impatience completely undisguised in his tone.

"Master Haber, when do we leave?"

"What are you rushing for..."

Master Haber waved his hand.

"Have your men pack their gear first. You will take a dedicated military train to a large depot within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then follow a resupplied armored airship to arrive at the front line and rendezvous with Colonel Morin's Kampfgruppe."

"Departure time is 6:00 PM today."

Klaus nodded forcefully, already calculating how to make the arrangements in his head.

Master Haber watched him for a few seconds, then added one more sentence.

"Also, the batch of supporting equipment for the 'Thunder Warrior' project will be transported over with you."

Klaus's movements paused.

That "armor."

During breaks in training these past few days, they had already conducted multiple wearing and operational tests on the new equipment developed by the Imperial Magitech Research Institute.

During his time under study at the medical center previously, Morin had proposed many suggestions for modifications to this set of equipment. It was said the Institute went through several revisions before finalizing the design.

Klaus still remembered the feeling of putting on that armor for the first time.

It was as if an extra layer of muscle and bone had been added outside his body. A fist smashed into the testing target directly dented a deep crater into the solid alloy steel plate.

The researcher responsible for recording data at the time had shaking hands after copying down the numbers.

"In addition, a group of researchers will travel with you to the front line to collect actual combat data."

Master Haber's voice pulled Klaus back from his memories.

"You've all gotten to know each other over these past few days... Protect them well, and don't let them fall into danger."

"Don't worry, Master. We in the instruction unit are very good at bodyguard duty."

Klaus grinned.

Master Haber said no more, waving his hand to signal him to hurry up and prepare.

Klaus turned and walked briskly back to the training ground, blowing a whistle at the 26 instruction unit veterans training inside.

Everyone's movements stopped simultaneously, all eyes turning sharply toward him.

"1st Company, attention! Fall in! Return to the barracks and pack your gear!"

Klaus's voice wasn't loud, but this sentence directly ignited all the 1st Company veterans.

"We're going back to the Colonel's side..."

The training ground was quiet for about a second, then erupted in a burst of suppressed cheers.

For once, Klaus didn't make them form up again. The group of grown men walked toward the barracks, clapping each other on the shoulders.

Being cooped up in this isolated medical center for almost half a month, every day consisting of either training or testing, or being poked and prodded by researchers collecting data when not testing—this kind of life felt like years for this group of veterans accustomed to the sound of guns and cannons.

Meanwhile, the few remaining non-instruction unit subjects watched the instruction unit men disperse boisterously, their expressions becoming much more complex.

That Guard officer—the only noble officer who survived after being injected with the modification serum.

He hesitated to speak several times, but ultimately said nothing.

He turned to look at the two Alpine Corps NCOs and three Stormtrooper NCOs beside him. The six looked at each other in dismay.

The thought in everyone's mind was clearly unanimous: Why aren't we included?

However, about half an hour later, an officer appeared before them and led the six men to a conference room on the third floor of the medical center's administration building.

When they pushed the door open and entered, General of the Infantry Heinrich von Lübeck-Rheinbaben was already standing in the middle of the room.

Upon seeing the rank of General, the six instinctively snapped to attention and saluted.

Heinrich smiled and waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit.

"Relax, take a seat."

His tone was extremely affable, without the slightest air of a general officer.

"First of all, on behalf of the Imperial Army, I express my gratitude to all of you for the courage and spirit of sacrifice you demonstrated during the modification experiments. I also understand how you are feeling..."

Heinrich paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the six men before continuing.

"Watching your comrades in the instruction unit return to the front line while you are left behind... you must feel uncomfortable."

No one spoke up, but from their expressions, it wasn't hard to see that Heinrich had hit the nail on the head.

"However, keeping you in the rear is because there are more important tasks that need to be entrusted to you."

Heinrich leaned forward slightly.

"His Majesty and the Imperial high command value you greatly. The current plan is to use you six as the core to form a brand new special unit."

After these words fell, the conference room fell quiet for a few seconds.

A flash of hesitation crossed the Guard officer's face, but ultimately he couldn't hold back.

"General, forgive me for being blunt... doesn't the Empire already have the instruction unit?"

This question was straightforward, but Heinrich was clearly prepared for it.

"Your positioning and that of the instruction unit are entirely different."

He stood up, resting his hands on the table, sweeping his gaze across the faces of the six men one by one.

"The instruction unit is a model unit for the entire army, more focused on developing new tactics and exploring new equipment..."

"But you, you will become an even more special card in the Empire's hand than the instruction unit."

Heinrich paused for a moment before delivering his final sentence.

"To put it more bluntly... you will become an existence even more dazzling and important than the instruction unit."

The breathing rhythms of the six men changed almost simultaneously.

Heinrich took this in, the smile on his face growing more satisfied.

"Specifics regarding organization, unit designation, and mission will be communicated to you by dedicated personnel later."

"Right now, you only need to remember one thing."

He straightened his back.

"From today onward, you no longer belong to your original units."

"You report directly to the Empire."

Shortly after Klaus and the other instruction unit veterans boarded their dedicated train with their specialized equipment and set off for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Morin Kampfgruppe on the front line also received replies from the Fifth Army Group Command and the General Staff.

Reinforcements were on the way.

In addition to the artillery regiment Morin originally requested, four more infantry regiments and one artillery regiment would be added. They would still be drawn individually from various divisions of the Fifth Army Group and incorporated into the Morin Kampfgruppe under direct command.

This didn't even count the much larger cooperating combat force, whose commander was still being finalized.

Furthermore, the 27 veterans of the instruction unit's 1st Company who underwent modification at the Imperial Military Medical Center would also arrive at the front line via armored airship.

Following that, support units from the Teutonic Order would also arrive...

In summary, Morin was about to receive a "super-sized cup of reinforcements."

Morin read the telegram twice, then spoke to the few people in the command tent.

"Plenty of good news. The scale of the reinforcements is even larger than I expected."

Standing beside the map, Kleist looked at the designations of the regiments directly attached to the Kampfgruppe and chimed in: "His Highness the Crown Prince really went all out this time."

"Mhm. That's why, before the reinforcements arrive, we absolutely cannot make any mistakes."

Morin stood up from his folding chair and walked to the map.

His finger started from Bucharest and drew several arcs outward along marked railway lines.

"Tell me about the situation with the railways."

The one reporting was an officer from the Kampfgruppe's reconnaissance detachment.

This officer unrolled a detailed sketch map, with red marks indicating demolition points from recent days.

"Report, Colonel. As of noon today, various reconnaissance units have completed demolition operations on all major railway lines surrounding Bucharest."

"A total of four main railway lines. At least four to five breaches were blown on each line. The length of destruction for a single breach is between fifty and eighty meters. In some sections, bridge piers and roadbeds were additionally destroyed."

"Most of the explosives used came from the reserves captured previously within Romanian territory..."

Morin nodded in satisfaction. The captured explosives finally came in handy, and the sheer volume of 300 tons was truly durable.

"What about the Romanians' ability to repair railways? Have you assessed it?"

"We have."

The officer turned to the next page of the sketch map.

"Based on our knowledge of the technical level of the Kingdom of Romania's railway department, repairing a single breach takes about a day. With four or five breaches stacked together on each line, even if they rush repairs with all their might, it will take at least four days to restore traffic."

"Furthermore..."

The officer added another sentence.

"While blowing up the railways, the reconnaissance units also gathered and burned all spare sleepers they could find along the lines. As for the steel rails, we dragged quite a few back to reinforce our positions. If the Romanians want to repair the tracks, they'll have to transport materials from much further away."

This move made even Kleist raise an eyebrow.

"Who taught them that?"

"During a debriefing session one night, everyone brainstormed it together..."

"Good job. This is exactly the kind of subjective initiative you need~"

Morin was clearly very satisfied this time. What he wanted was never just a unit that strictly obeyed orders with rigid discipline; he hoped even more that these elites under his command could show more "creativity" on the battlefield.

"Since the railways are cut, the returning Romanian main forces can only stop... sixty kilometers away."

Morin's finger tapped the spot marked by the reconnaissance officer on the map.

"Sixty kilometers. Walking on two legs..."

Manstein picked up the thread.

"Based on analysis of data from the Kingdom of Romania's military exercises in recent years, their infantry's marching speed is relatively slow. Under good road conditions, it's about twenty-five to thirty kilometers per day. It will be even slower on complex terrain."

"Which means, even if they immediately switch to a forced march on foot after discovering the railways are blown, it will take them at least two and a half to three days to reach the outskirts of Bucharest."

"And—"

Paulus chimed in from the other side.

"Their withdrawing troops from Bulgaria are coming from more than one direction. Coordination and assembly between various units will also take time. The actual time to arrive and complete combat deployment will only be longer than three days."

Morin nodded.

Sixty kilometers, over three days of marching time, plus railways blasted to pieces.

The Kampfgruppe had ample time to make all necessary preparations to handle the upcoming battles and hold out until reinforcements arrived...

"What is the progress on constructing fortifications across the defensive lines?"

Kleist picked up another report.

"The first three trench systems of the main defensive position have been completed. Currently, reinforcement and refinement work is underway. The landmines we brought and the various improvised explosive satchels we made have already covered sixty percent of the main approach axes. Three layers of barbed wire have also been strung."

"Three alternative positions were selected for the artillery. The main position has completed camouflage and range calibration."

He turned a page and continued.

"Regarding nighttime security, per the Colonel's requirements, all forward positions have doubled their sentry posts after dark. Communication cables between positions have also been laid redundantly."

"The current stockpile of flares is enough for seven nights. We can replenish when the follow-up supplies arrive."

Morin didn't respond immediately. Instead, he walked back to his desk and sat down, unconsciously twirling a pencil in his right hand. He was thinking about the situation inside Bucharest.

"Gentlemen, do you think..."

He stopped twirling the pencil and asked the group: "Will the enemy inside Bucharest actively come out to fight us?"

The tent was quiet for two seconds.

Manstein was the first to respond.

"Colonel, if I were the commander of the Bucharest garrison... I would consider a night raid."

"They have no advantage during the day, and even less advantage in a head-on assault... But at night, if those vampires can participate in combat... they could consider using Blood Thrall vanguards to launch a surprise attack on our forward positions, followed by infantry to widen the breach."

"Colonel, you mentioned last night that the vampires pursuing you did not carry firearms. This differs somewhat from the situation encountered during earlier aerial reconnaissance. Therefore, I suspect that perhaps the vampires last night had not yet displayed their full combat capabilities."

Paulus frowned.

"But the commotion Colonel Morin caused in the city that night wasn't small... Someone among the garrison and civilians in the Romanian city must have noticed something wrong... Under these circumstances, would Ferdinand I really dare to openly use Blood Thralls for military operations?"

"He doesn't need to be open about it."

Morin's answer was crisp.

"During a night raid, who can clearly see whether the ones charging at the front are humans or 'monsters'? As long as the combat results are achieved, if he claims afterward that it was a night assault by elite troops, who can refute it?"

"Furthermore—"

He tapped his finger twice on Bucharest's location on the map.

"Based on my observations in the city that night, Ferdinand I's control over these Blood Thralls in the city is stronger than we imagined. If he can precisely command these things to launch attacks at a specific time and from a specific direction..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the three men in the tent had already completed the rest in their minds.

Kleist let out a heavy breath.

"Then we have a problem."

"How is the collection of metallic silver going?" Morin suddenly asked.

Paulus, who was responsible for this task, replied upon hearing his question: "Colonel, we managed to gather some industrial silver that hadn't been evacuated from various factories in Ploiești, roughly about 1.5 tons."

"In addition, soldiers across the Kampfgruppe very enthusiastically handed over the Imperial Silver Marks on their persons. After all, you did say you'd pay them back double once we return to the Empire~"

Hearing the last sentence, Morin shrugged helplessly. He truly never expected that one day he'd need to "throw money" on the battlefield to support an upcoming operation.

This was truly "throwing one's all"...

"Since we've already collected this much silver, has the work on 'prefabricated metallic silver shrapnel' also begun?"

"Yes, Colonel. We have temporarily requisitioned some industrial equipment in Ploiești. This work began this morning..."

Speaking to this point, Paulus also paused, looking at Morin somewhat hesitantly.

"Colonel, the silver weapon prepared for you is also currently in production, but... are you sure you'll have a use for a 'Silver Sword'?"