Working as a police officer in Mexico-Chapter 1678 - 762: Our Swords Are Not Without Edge!

"Stay quiet, watch out for tripwires."

He whispered, his eyes warily scanning the area ahead.

Suddenly, a soldier in front stepped on something.

"Snap."

The sound was very faint, but strikingly clear in the silence.

The next second—

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three explosions almost in a row erupted on both sides of the trench, prefabricated shrapnel sweeping across the entire trench like a torrential rain.

Almost simultaneously, several flares were launched into the air, their blinding white light illuminating the area as if it were daylight.

"Ambush!" Jean-Pierre only had time to shout this one word before the blast wave from the explosions threw him into the mud and water.

The air was filled with screams and curses.

"Open fire!" The voice of the Mexican soldiers came from behind the earthen slopes on both sides of the trench.

The sound of automatic rifles and light machine guns firing erupted in unison.

French Army soldiers exposed under the flare light became easy targets, with people continuously being hit and falling.

Blood stained the stagnant water in the trench red.

Jean-Pierre struggled to get up, spit out the mud from his mouth, and blindly fired his FAMAS rifle in the direction ahead.

"Retreat! Retreat along the original path!"

But the way back was also blocked. Another group of Mexican soldiers had unknowingly circled behind them, sealing off the trench with light machine gun fire.

"Lieutenant! We're surrounded!" A Sergeant Major fell beside him, a deep cut on his face bleeding profusely.

"Call for support! Quick!"

On the front line, Durand received a call for help from the east side.

"Damn it," he cursed, "The second infantry company is ambushed, casualties are heavy. Armor platoon, advance to the edge of the village and draw the enemy's attention with firepower. First Infantry Company, prepare to assault! We can't let them swallow up our brothers on the east side!"

The last three AMX-10RC tank destroyers began to advance, continuously bombarding the outer edge of the village with their 105mm rifled guns. The brick and wood structures of the buildings collapsed like paper under direct hits. The 12.7mm heavy machine gun on the VAB armored vehicle also joined in, the trajectory tracing bright paths in the twilight.

The pressure on the Mexican defenders in the village increased sharply.

"Officer, the ambush in the eastern trench was successful, but the pressure on us directly is too great!" A soldier rushed into the basement, "Their armored vehicles are approaching, and we lack heavy firepower!"

Salsedo glanced at the map, then at his watch; the battle had been raging for forty minutes, and the darkness was rapidly falling.

"Inform all platoons to prepare for Phase Two defense,"

He said calmly, "Abandon the farms on the outskirts, and withdraw to the church, barn, and three brick buildings in the village center. The anti-tank teams should focus on their armored vehicles."

He paused, revealing a slight smile, "Get that ready."

"That" referred to the two M40 recoilless rifles Salsedo had secretly positioned at the forest edge on the west side of the village. This old-fashioned weapon wasn't common on modern battlefields, but in such close-quarters urban combat, its 106mm shaped charge shells were a lethal threat to light armored vehicles, and it had almost no firing signature, making it extremely difficult to locate.

Night fell completely.

The Saint Louis Louisiana Village had become a burning cage. The few farm buildings on the outskirts were ablaze under bombardment, the flames intermittently lighting up the battlefield.

Under the cover of armored vehicle fire, the first Infantry Company's advance finally broke through the village's outer defenses and began clearing house by house.

But this was exactly what Salsedo wanted—urban combat.

Modern urban combat is a strange blend of technological equipment and primitive savagery.

The thermal imaging on the helmets of French soldiers could penetrate walls to detect human heat sources, but the Mexican defenders were prepared, placing heated decoy targets in key locations.

A cat-and-mouse game unfolded amidst the ruins.

A French soldier kicked open a half-collapsed wooden door, the tactical flashlight on his FAMAS rifle illuminating the room.

In the corner, a heated dummy model radiated infrared signals.

"Decoy!" He barely got the words out when the ceiling suddenly collapsed, and a Mexican soldier dropped down, his shotgun nearly pressed against the French soldier's chest as he fired.

"Bang!"

A blood mist splattered the walls.

In an adjacent room, two French soldiers searched back-to-back when suddenly, the green world seen through their night-vision goggles was flooded with intense white light, as a Mexican soldier tossed in a flashbang grenade.

This was immediately followed by the sound of a hand grenade rolling.

"Hand Gren—"

The warning was swallowed by the explosion.

Yet the French Army was ultimately elite.

After paying a bloody price, they gradually adapted to the brutal pace of urban combat. The teams cooperated seamlessly, using flashbang grenades, door breaching explosives, and corner mirror systems, gradually gnawing away at the positions of the Mexican defenders.

Durand Colonel had already moved the command post forward to a half-destroyed farmhouse on the edge of the village.

"Colonel, the survivors of the second Infantry Company have withdrawn, with casualties exceeding forty percent," the adjutant quietly reported.

Durand nodded expressionlessly, "Tell Lieutenant Jean-Pierre that his soldiers fought bravely. Now, order the third Infantry Company to engage in battle, launching a new attack from the west side. We need to fully control this village before midnight."

"And our armored vehicles..."

"Have them continue providing fire support, but be cautious of anti-tank weapons. The Mexicans surely have more tricks up their sleeves."

No sooner had he finished speaking than two muffled sounds were heard from the west side of the village, as if to confirm his words.

"Thunk—shoosh!"

This was immediately followed by two violent explosions as the side armor of an advancing AMX-10RC tank destroyer was hit, the 106mm shaped charge shell easily tearing through its relatively weak side armor. The tank destroyer caught fire, and the crew struggled to escape, only to be immediately cut down by machine gun fire.