Forward Reconnaissance

Hearing what the battalion runner said, Morin's heart skipped a beat. Battalion orders... he had no idea whether this would bring good fortune or disaster.

He had Klaus temporarily take over the unit, strictly instructing him to remain vigilant and watch out for any enemy counterattacks, and then followed the runner at a quick pace toward the small chapel at the center of the village.

Soon, when Morin followed the runner into the small chapel that had been requisitioned as the battalion headquarters, he immediately spotted his company commander, Captain Hauser, along with Major Thomas, who was standing with his hands behind his back in front of a long table spread with a map.

The atmosphere inside the chapel was somewhat oppressive, and Major Thomas's complexion remained extremely grim, the heavy casualties from the early morning clearly weighing on his mind like a boulder.

Although they had successfully captured the village, the price paid was simply too high, and the drastic reduction in available manpower also placed heavy restrictions on his subsequent tactical operations.

Yet upon seeing Morin enter, he still managed to force a shift in his mood, squeezing out an expression that fell short of a smile.

"Second Lieutenant Morin, you've arrived." He pointed to the empty seat beside Captain Hauser. "Come over."

"Major, Captain." Morin saluted, then walked over to stand beside Captain Hauser.

Major Thomas dispensed with the usual pleasantries and cut straight to the point.

"We just received a briefing from Brigade Headquarters. The attacks by the National Army and the International Brigades on our flanks are progressing relatively smoothly..."

"The intention of Brigade Headquarters and Regimental Headquarters is that we cannot linger in this village for too long and must press the attack toward Seville as soon as possible."

Morin and Captain Hauser exchanged a glance, both seeing a grave seriousness reflected in the other's reaction.

Major Thomas's words meant that the brief respite was about to end, and even crueler battles lay ahead.

"However, before the next offensive is launched," Major Thomas's gaze fell upon Morin, "I need to send a detachment to conduct penetration reconnaissance of the area ahead of us."

At this, alarm bells rang loudly in Morin's heart; he realized what his battalion commander had in mind when calling him over.

Yet at the same time, he felt a measure of confusion. Although units of this era lacked specialized reconnaissance units, scouting missions were typically assigned to seasoned officers specifically; why would they turn to him, an infantry platoon leader who had just been assigned to a company?

Seeming to notice his confusion, Major Thomas sighed, a sense of helplessness slipping into his voice.

"During this morning's fighting, the 1st Company and the 2nd Company suffered heavy officer losses, leaving very few officers available to be sent out."

He paused, looking at Morin with hopeful eyes, and continued.

"Furthermore, the judgment and on-the-spot reactions you demonstrated in combat proved that you are better suited for this mission than anyone else... I need you to lead men to scout out the situation ahead. I don't want to see my soldiers march blindly into an enemy machine-gun nest ever again."

Upon hearing Major Thomas's words, Morin fell silent.

Conducting forward reconnaissance before an attack—such an inherently high-risk mission—was the last thing he wanted to take on.

The problem, however, was that in order to survive the attack earlier, he had already played his hand.

This had drawn the attention of his superiors, which also meant that Major Thomas would assign him more tasks.

Naturally, once a commander in a wartime state discovered a subordinate who suddenly displayed strong operational capability, he would think of him first when delegating assignments...

This was like dominoes that had already been pushed over; once the first tile fell, there was no way to stop until every single one of them had collapsed.

Therefore, faced with a direct order from his superiors, Morin could find no excuse for refusal, let alone any way to disobey.

"Yes, Major! I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

Ultimately, Morin, having mastered his facial expressions, straightened up and replied.

"Good! Excellent! The Saxon Army needs talent just like you!"

Major Thomas's expression softened somewhat as he pointed to the tactical map on the table, signaling Morin to pay attention.

"Look here, our battalion's next primary direction of attack is right here, pushing northwest along this road... Your mission is to reconnoiter this route and the areas within five hundred meters on both sides!"

"I need to know the enemy's movements, and specifically ascertain whether they have established new defensive positions or set up ambushes."

Morin did not reply immediately. Based on what he had learned before his transmigration, his understanding of reconnaissance across an unknown territory meant leading an entire platoon-sized unit out to gather actionable intelligence for higher echelons.

During that process, his platoon would also need to be broken down into a command group, reconnaissance element, security element, rescue element, prisoner-handling element, and continuous surveillance element...

Yet the current reality was that the training level of the troops under his command simply did not support such specialized task division.

Moreover, 3rd Platoon was still shouldering defense duties and could not be spared.

Thus, this mission was bound to be a small-scale, hit-and-run operation—just like those portrayed in action movies...

Having figured this out, Morin stepped closer and studied the map carefully.

He traced distances on the map with his finger, glanced at the scale in the corner, and quickly estimated the span in his mind.

This reconnaissance route would be roughly ten kilometers round trip, with complex terrain along the way including farmland, woods, and several scattered villages.

Running it on two legs was far too inefficient and prone to fatigue.

Using horses would certainly increase mobility and reduce fatigue... but the problem was that the profile would be too large, making it easy for the enemy to spot them.

"Major," Morin looked up, "I need to borrow a few bicycles from the battalion supply."

"Bicycles?"

"Yes, Major. Bicycles make little noise and have high speed, allowing us to traverse open ground quickly and make a rapid escape if needed... We can ride to a hidden location and then conduct reconnaissance on foot."

Major Thomas pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Good idea."

He immediately picked up pen and paper from the desk, rapidly wrote out a pass, and handed it over to Morin.

"Go get them from the supply train; just tell them whatever you need."

Morin took the pass handed over by Major Thomas, and Captain Hauser beside him patted his shoulder, his expression holding a mix of encouragement and a trace of worry.

"Be extra careful, Second Lieutenant Morin."

"Don't worry, sir."

Leaving the temporary battalion headquarters, Morin walked swiftly back to the 3rd Platoon position. He first called Sergeant Klaus aside and briefly explained the contents of the reconnaissance mission.

"I need to pick a few men to come with me."

Morin lowered his voice:

"This mission isn't about fighting a battle, but about acting as our eyes and ears. Therefore, we can't have many people, but they must be good hands."

He intended to take only five men; any more would hinder movement and easily expose their position.

Sergeant Klaus immediately understood Morin's intent, nodded, and asked:

"Sir, do you have any general requirements?"

"Good physical stamina, accurate marksmanship, and most importantly, a sharp mind who won't panic when things happen." Morin laid out his criteria.

Sergeant Klaus rapidly ran through candidates in his mind and quickly recommended several individuals.

Among them was the young squad leader, Corporal Baumann, who had been the first to speak at the after-action review.

There were also three soldiers who had performed exceptionally during the morning's advance; they were not only brave in combat but also capable of maintaining composure amidst chaos.

Morin was quite satisfied with Klaus's selections and promptly summoned these chosen men together.

He delivered no lengthy motivational speech, simply stating the nature and danger of the mission with crystal clarity.

"Our mission is to scout for the main force, not to wipe out the enemy! Therefore, concealment is always the top priority! Without my orders, unless we are discovered by the enemy and cannot break away, opening fire is strictly forbidden!"

Morin swept a stern gaze across every young and resolute face.

"Do you all understand?"

"Understood, sir!"