8 The Gathered Information
it was a cold and silent room, with walls made of thick cement and the ceiling made with wooden planks enough to support the surface of dirt from crumbling apart.
Inside the room are two men with faces full of grim and patience, sitting with their own respected chairs and in their own side of the table, with a map of the battlefield placed on top.
Both wearing a greyish uniform with a cross made of steel tainted with black, hanging outside the right pocket of their tunics, while above their left pocket were their named stitched together with their uniform. Their darkened hair were covered by a slate like visor cap, with a band that's dark as blood they have spilled.
The one sitting on the left was General Albert Braun, the commanding officer leading the 16th division, and on the left is General Henry Rhine, the commanding officer leading the 14th division. Both having solemn expressions with their gaze lock at the map alone.
The two remained steadfast, their thoughts filled with strategies and attacks they could not act due to limitations. However, as the wooden door creaked their gazes shifted like hawks eyeing their prey.
The open door then revealed the sergeant, whom rather look gloomy with both Hanz and Gunther entering the room behind him with expressions same as his.
"Thank you for bringing them here Sergeant Wilhelm, you have my gratitude,"
General Braun thanked Wilhelm with a small smile written in his mouth. While sergeant Wilhelm stood firm as he salutes, thanking General Braun back.
"Now that you're here, the three of you should sit down and relax. No need to be so tensed about this, all of us here are all humans after all," General Rhine uttered as he pointed his hand to the three chairs in front of them.
The three nodded as they approach their chairs and sat down, while General Braun sighed quietly.
"Sergeant Wilhelm here, and Adolph had already told us that the reason for both of your return." General Braun said as he gazed at both Hanz and Gunther. "They have stated that your mission to infiltrate the Elven trench had been compromised due to Elven detection magic. Correct?"
Hanz and Gunther looked at one another with an expression of approval, gazing back as they gave a slight nod, ashamed of their failures.
"The six men together with us were found out and executed. The only reason we even manage to survive is pure coincidence with the help of the last offensive of the Adriatic troops this morning, and with the thick fog setting in we manage to conceal ourselves and escaped," Gunther explained with a lack of hope in his voice.
"Your uniform?" General Braun asked, pointing his finger towards Gunther's chest. "Did you wear that uniform when you started gathering information from the enemy trench?"
"No, sir," Gunther shook. "We used the Adriatic uniform you gave us when we went there. We only wore this back when we manage to hid ourselves in a small hole made by an artillery so that our chances of us getting hit by our own comrades would be less likely," Gunther answered.
General Braun nodded after hearing Gunther's response.
"This would be harder collecting the bodies. I'm tired dealing with the citizens back home where they would demand their sons back in one piece," General Rhine complained quietly, forming a rough 'tsk' sound as a sign of annoyance.
"Let's not worry ourselves with something we could deal later General Rhine," General Braun muttered back.
He then looked back at the three soldiers in the chairs with a rather solemn expression. "Anyways, I'm sure you men have gathered major information for us to use, right?"
Hanz straighten his back and leaned to his chair, as he replied with a serious expression.
"Our time may have been limited back there, but yes sir! We did manage to get our hands into some information."
"What are you waiting for, spill it out." General Rhine said, his eyes glaring rather impatiently towards Hanz.
"With our four days stay in that trench, both me and Gunther had learned that this is their last well-built trench. After that, nothing is stopping us from advancing, other than if they would start digging trenches again, but it seems unlikely."
Hanz said as he slowly stood up from his chair and draws a line in the map using a pencil which signifies the enemy trench only a kilometer away from their defensive position.
"So that's why they were attacking us so vigorously, almost as if this was already their last stand," General Braun muttered.
"Hanz, is that all?" General Rhine asked as he gazed towards him.
"They're still more, sir. For the past few days they've been bombing our trench with artillery, I'm sure you already noticed that but just today they have no more shells to throw at us, it would take them another two days before a resupply happens." Hanz informed them pointing the pencil behind the line he had drawn, signifying the enemy artillery.
"two more days, huh? I suggest this would be the right, no, the best time to attack if possible. What do you think General Rhine, should we attack our forces?"
General Braun asked as he gazed towards General Rhine's eyes which were darting from the map as if he was already making up a plan for the offensive.
"Best scenario is that we would have five-hundred casualties or lower. I see no point in objecting to this plan. Let's do it," General Rhine agreed with a smirk on his face.
However, as the generals were already planning, Gunther stood up from his chair as he started to speak.
"There's still more information regarding this, sir. I suppose I'm the only one who had gathered this as Hanz didn't even mention it once."
The two generals gaze towards Gunther with curious face as they awaited for what Gunther would about to say.
"The stronghold of Mettis, the city four kilometers away. This is their main defense against us from advancing any further from their lands. All their logistics lie here. Food, shells, ammo, everything you need to sustain an army all are being carried and stock there for nearly twice a week. If we manage to capture that city, the rest of defenses down south would be weakened as well."
The two generals were silent, intrigued on the idea as they pondered. They soon found their eyes gazing at the map once again as they looked at the city of Mettis and its roads connecting the other cities down south.
General Rhine closed his eyes and sighs with a venomous smile written on his face, slowly standing up from his chair as he salutes both Hanz and Gunther with a firm and satisfied gaze.
"Thank you for telling us all of what you've gathered and your hard work, together with your fallen comrades. Private Hanz Stein, Private Gunther Hartmann, both of you are now dismissed."
Both Hanz and Gunther stood up and saluted with gratitude in response, as they walked out the door and exited the room.
"Sergeant Wilhelm, I want you to rally my men back here in the trench from a local village nearby," General Braun ordered Wilhelm, his expression still solemn with his eyes still gazing at the map.
Sergeant Wilhelm, with no questions stood up from his chair and saluted, walking out of the room as well. Before he left, however, he turned behind and gently closed the door leaving behind the two generals to ponder on their own.
The room once again consumed by silence as General Rhine remained his eyes watching the door.
"What are you planning General Braun?" General Rhine asked as he gazed down towards General Braun's focused expression to the map.
"After what the two soldiers had told us, I can't help but feel a great victory would soon come to our paths once again." General Braun muttered, gently scoffing.
He then stood up from his chair and pointed his finger towards the line that Hanz had previously drawn.
"Will attack tomorrow early two A.M. Will try to use the old element called surprise. Hopefully, that will give our men about one-hundred or two-hundred meters dash before resistance happens from the enemy trench," General Braun suggested.
He then slowly pointed his finger away from the line and into the stronghold of Mettis, as he tapped the city using his finger multiple times in the map.
"If the offensive tomorrow morning is a success, will start a city siege for the next day. If what Gunther informed us is true, then this would change the tied not only this front but also our comrades from the north," General Braun smiled. He sighed after saying his plan as he crossed both of his arms. "So? What do you think?" He asked.
"So both of us were thinking the same plan, huh?" General Rhine uttered with a confident tone and a smirk on his face.
"It's settled then, we're going with this one. Will call it, Operation Mettis," General Braun said.
General Rhine nodded, walking away as he tried to grab his grey coat hanging on the wall. "Anyways, I'll try contacting our fellow generals down south using a 'runner'," He said with lazy tone as he gently wore the coat to cover his uniform.
"What are you planning General Rhine?" General Braun asked.
"We can't just attack on our own tomorrow, we don't want the enemy to just focus on us, that would be horrible don't you think. So I've been thinking. We could attack together with our comrades down south," General Rhine informed him. "That way, they wouldn't know where the main offensive will occur."
After fully tucking the coat, he approached the map again, pointing his fingers towards two not so populated but importance cities.
"Specifically, I want them to conquer both of the city Villie and Colmer." General Rhine then slid his fingers following the road back to the point of the city of Mettis as he continued. "as they both have connections with the stronghold of Mettis."
General Braun sighed in response as General Rhine started walking the door. However, he didn't look like he wanted to object to this idea, nor have a better alternative. So he just nodded to General Rhine's plan.
"Then it is settled and sealed in iron. Now, let just hope that tomorrow everything will go as planned." General Rhine's last words as he gently shuts the door closed.
Now it was only General Braun who was left as he gazed at the door being closed, with his thoughts the only thing left to provide him company in a room with nothing but silence.
