Ruthless

Chapter 662: Ruthless

The roar of artillery began, and the Battle of Kovel was underway. Commanding the Prussian forces in this campaign was Major General Luke, commander of the Twenty-Second Division—a rising star who had emerged during the last Prusso-Russian War.

Born to an ordinary Junker landowning family, Luke had become a general through sheer force of will, coupled with a little luck.

He had once believed his will was firm enough, that no matter how brutal the battle, nothing could shake his heart.

But at this moment, Major General Luke realized he had been wrong. His heart was in turmoil. Deep down, Luke sighed. "So I'm only human after all."

The Russians did not hide inside their fortifications. As the Prussian army launched its charge, the Russian army countercharged as well, and a savage bayonet battle erupted.

Shouts of killing and agonized screams echoed endlessly across the battlefield. Luke saw with his own eyes a Prussian soldier pierced through the stomach by an enemy bayonet. Even as he screamed, he clutched the enemy's rifle tightly, all to create an opening for his comrades.

Once, he too had been one of them. It was only because he had been luckier, because he had fortunately won military merit, that he had risen smoothly ever since.

Thinking back to the comrades who had enlisted with him, those familiar faces—most of them had ultimately fallen on the battlefield.

To some extent, Luke's meteoric rise had also been built upon the grievous losses suffered by the Prussian army in the previous war.

In wartime, armies spoke through their records of battle. The influence of one's background was reduced to a minimum.

A large number of middle- and lower-ranking officers had been killed, and then came a massive expansion of the army. Lucky men with