Hearing the battalion runner’s words, Morin’s heart gave a jolt. An order from battalion headquarters—he had no idea whether it was good fortune or disaster.
He had Klaus take temporary command of the unit, stressing that they must remain vigilant and guard against an enemy counterattack. Then he followed the runner at a brisk pace toward the small chapel in the center of the village.
Soon, when Morin followed the runner into the chapel that had been temporarily requisitioned as battalion headquarters, he immediately saw his company commander, Captain Hauser, as well as Major Thomas, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back before a long table spread with maps.
The atmosphere inside the chapel was somewhat oppressive. Major Thomas’s expression remained extremely grim; clearly, the heavy casualty report from that morning weighed on his heart like a massive stone.
Although they had successfully taken the village, the price they had paid was far too great. The sharp reduction in manpower under his command also placed many restrictions on his subsequent tactical operations.
Still, when he saw Morin come in, he forced himself to adjust his mood and squeezed out an expression that could hardly be called a smile.
“Second Lieutenant Morin, you’re here.” He pointed to the empty place beside Captain Hauser. “Come over.”
“Major, Captain.” Morin saluted, then stood beside Captain Hauser.
Major Thomas dispensed with any further pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“We just received a notice from brigade headquarters. The attacks by the ‘National Army’ and the ‘International Brigades’ on our two flanks have both gone relatively smoothly.”
“The intention of brigade and regimental headquarters is that we cannot remain in this village for too long. We must continue the attack toward Seville as soon as possible.”
Morin and Captain Hauser exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in the other’s reaction.
Major Thomas’s words meant that their brief rest was about to end, and even crueler fighting still lay ahead.
“But before the next attack is launched,” Major Thomas’s gaze fell on Morin, “I need to send a team to conduct an infiltration reconnaissance of the area ahead of us.”
At that, alarm bells began clanging wildly in Morin’s mind. He realized what his battalion commander had called him here for.
At the same time, however, he was somewhat puzzled. Although units in this period did not yet have professional reconnaissance elements, reconnaissance missions should normally be handled specifically by veteran officers. Why had they come to him, a platoon leader who had only just joined the company?
As if seeing through his confusion, Major Thomas sighed, his voice carrying a trace of helplessness.
“In this morning’s battle, the officers of 1st and 2nd Companies suffered heavy losses. There are not many officers left who can be sent out.”
He paused, then looked at Morin with a hopeful gaze before continuing.
“And the judgment and on-the-spot reactions you displayed in battle have proven that you are more suited to this mission than the others. I need you to take men and figure out the situation ahead. I don’t want to see my soldiers run headlong into enemy machine-gun positions again.”
After listening to Major Thomas, Morin fell silent.
Forward reconnaissance before an attack—this kind of mission, which was obviously extremely dangerous at a glance, was something he did not want to accept in the slightest.
The problem was that, in order to survive the previous attack, he had already shown his hand.
That had drawn the attention of his superiors, which also meant Major Thomas would assign him more missions.
After all, when a commander discovered that an officer under him had suddenly revealed strong professional ability, and in wartime no less, he would naturally think of that person first when assigning tasks.
It was like a row of dominoes that had already been pushed over. Once the first tile fell, there was no stopping until all the tiles had toppled.
So, faced with a direct order from a superior, Morin could find no excuse to refuse, and still less could he disobey.
“Yes, Major! I guarantee I will complete the mission!”
In the end, having managed his expression, Morin snapped to attention and answered.
“Good! Very good! Our Saxon Army needs men like you!”
Major Thomas’s expression eased somewhat. He pointed to the operational map on the table, signaling Morin to pay attention.
“Take a look. The main direction of our battalion’s next attack is here, advancing northwest along this road. Your mission is to reconnoiter this route and the area within five hundred meters on both sides!”
“I need to know the enemy’s movements, especially whether they have set up new defensive positions or laid ambushes.”
Morin did not answer immediately. Judging by what he had learned before transmigrating, reconnaissance of an unknown area should involve him taking out an entire platoon-sized element to gather effective information for higher headquarters.
In the process, the platoon under him would also need to be divided into a command group, reconnaissance group, security group, rescue group, prisoner-handling group, continuous surveillance group…
But the current level of training of the troops under him did not support such a detailed division of tasks.
Moreover, 3rd Platoon was currently responsible for defensive duties and could not be spared.
So this mission was bound to be a small-scale operation—go in fast, get out fast—just like something out of an action film.
Having thought this through, Morin also stepped forward and studied the map carefully.
He traced a line over the map with his finger, then glanced at the scale in one corner and quickly estimated the distance in his mind.
This reconnaissance route would be more than ten kilometers round trip. The terrain along the way was complicated, with farmland, woods, and several scattered villages.
Running there on two legs would be far too inefficient and would easily lead to fatigue.
If they rode horses, their mobility would indeed improve, and they would not tire as easily. The problem was that horses made far too large a target and would be very easy for the enemy to spot.
“Major,” Morin raised his head, “I need to borrow a few bicycles from battalion headquarters.”
“Bicycles?”
“Yes, Major. Bicycles are quiet and fast. They’ll let us cross open ground quickly and make it easier to break contact if necessary. We can ride to concealed positions, then proceed on foot for the reconnaissance.”
Major Thomas thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Good idea.”
He immediately picked up paper and pen from the table, quickly wrote out an authorization, and handed it to Morin.
“Go to the transport train and draw them. Tell them whatever else you need.”
Morin accepted the authorization from Major Thomas. Beside him, Captain Hauser patted his shoulder, his eyes carrying both encouragement and a trace of worry.
“Be extra careful, Second Lieutenant Morin.”
“Don’t worry, sir.”
After leaving the temporary battalion headquarters, Morin quickly returned to 3rd Platoon’s position. First, he called Sergeant Klaus aside and briefly explained the contents of the reconnaissance mission.
“I need to pick a few men to go with me.”
Morin lowered his voice and said,
“This mission isn’t to go fight. It’s to serve as eyes and ears, so we can’t take many people, but they have to be good.”
He planned to take only five men. Any more than that, and moving would become inconvenient while also making them easier to spot.
Sergeant Klaus immediately understood Morin’s meaning. He nodded, then asked,
“Sir, do you have any general requirements?”
“Good stamina, accurate shooting, and most importantly, sharp wits. They can’t panic when something happens.” Morin stated his requirements.
Sergeant Klaus quickly ran through the candidates in his mind and soon recommended several men.
Among them was the young squad leader who had been the first to speak at the after-action review, Corporal Baumann.
There were also three soldiers who had performed outstandingly in the morning’s attack. They had not only fought bravely, but had also remained calm amid the chaos.
Morin was very satisfied with Klaus’s choices. He immediately called over the men who had been selected.
He did not make any long-winded mobilizing speech. He simply explained the nature and danger of the mission clearly.
“Our mission is to reconnoiter for the main force, not to eliminate the enemy! So at all times, concealment comes first! Without my order, unless you are discovered by the enemy and cannot get away, you are not permitted to open fire!”
Morin swept his stern gaze across each young and resolute face.
“Do you all understand?”
“Understood, sir!”