"Dark night, only bullets whistle across the steppe ♪"
A bleeding soldier sat in the trenches a mere few kilometers from Wien. His mother, his wife, his son were all beyond those walls. He steadied his breathing and held his rifle close to his body to warm the gun with his body heat. The song he heard one of his comrades sing continued to echo across the battlefield.
"Only the wind sings in the wires, the stars flicker dimly ♪"
Artillery and lox strikes from the Königsteuer began as thousands of glowing explosives scattered across the battlefield. The Umstürzler desperately ducked for cover under sandbags and dirt.
The soldiers with missing limbs, who had seen their comrades fall, still refused to lay down arms and beg for mercy. They had put a vow on their lives that they would fight until their dying breath to liberate their families who lived under these vile villains.
All of them knew that if they continued to hold their positions until spring, until Steiner and Felix's divisions came back with provisions, they would be able to siege Wien. All of them said, one more day. And the day after, said one more again. One more day. One more day.
They held shredded pictures of their loved ones close to their hearts, hoping they would be able to hear the heartbeat of their fathers to be able to give them the strength to go on one more day.
The enemy was still entrenched and safe behind their fortifications, sending no soldiers to push the Umstürzlers back, knowing that they would perish in a matter of days from the constant artillery strikes.
At night they would cover their ears and huddle close to each other in cramped underground bunkers made out of sandbags and cement. Artillery shell ambushes at night were as common as the sight of frozen bodies scattered across the battlefield. Rats and crows feasted on the diseased bodies.
Erich von Stapel was on edge in his bunker, thumping the floor over and over again with his boot. Steiner and Felix were 4 days late to the crossing of Wien. Erich tapped on the communications line and tried contacting his lieutenants, which returned as an empty static buzz.
He leaned back on his chair before sitting up. His face was in his hands as he just imagined what happened to his west and east divisions. He pulled out his revolver that he kept on him at all times and inspected every single detail of the gun. Arminius HW revolver series model 457. He ran his cold fingers across the manufacturer's name Kämpfer Frei. Erich checked the bullets and every single one of them was in the chamber.
They would only be able to last at most one more week without the supplies and Selina's army was still waiting for his orders a kilometer behind.
A trickle of supplies from Selina's army came in every day to feed the exhausted frontline but it was far from enough to feed the soldiers who were on the brink of starvation.
A week had passed without a single word from Steiner or Felix and Selina finally got an order from Erich. But it wasn't to ambush the capital but to check up on the armies that had not returned back with the main army. Selina set out immediately west to find Steiner's army.
Early morning, as artillery fire finally calmed down, Erich von Stapel finally received information about his west division.
"They are all dead," Selina's cold words echoed through the static.
Erich slowly and methodically sat down onto his chair before taking out his map with the communication device still in his ear.
"Are you sure it's Steiner's army?"
"Affirmative, Generalleutnant, I have confirmed lieutenant Steiner's corpse."
"I see," Erich answered calmly.
"What is the situation there?"
"The entire second division has been completely wiped out. The enemies must have scorched all of the infrastructure of the town, making it so there was nothing to capture, and trapped Steiner's army in the town, making it impossible for them to break out and resupply."
Erich put down the communication device so Selina couldn't hear him.
"This entire time, Steiner, you fought while I waited like an idiot."
Erich gave the order to bring back Steiner's badge and be careful of any enemy ambushes on the way back.
That's when an ear-deafening explosion was heard right outside of the bunker. The enemy was bombarding them again. But this time it was different, they heard the cries of soldiers from the other side that rushed towards them.
After a brutal shootdown of everyone who had tried to cross no man's land, the battlefield finally quieted. That's when the communication began ringing again and it was Selina.
"Lieutenant Felix von Straus has reunited with the third division. I repeat, we are coming with provisions."
Erich breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The enemies had tried implementing the same scorched earth technique on Felix but due to heavy downpour in the east, the fires were quickly put out and the enemy forces were dispersed after the third division freed the fourth division.
They had finally reunited with the main army and finally relieved them with supplies. Now, with the entire Umstürzler army finally regrouped, they could finally begin their assault on Wien.
Felix asked Erich if Steiner hadn't returned and when Erich showed him Steiner's badge, Felix's face grew grim before becoming even more determined.
Spring finally rolled around and all the soldiers, wanting revenge for their slain comrades, readied their rifles and finally stepped out of the trenches on Erich von Stapel's command.
They countered artillery fire with their own artillery fire. But a strict order was given, not to bomb the infrastructure of the city where everyone lived.
They had to be quick because they had planned for the supplies to last twice as long but due to the second division falling they had to improvise.
The Königsteuer in the entrenched fortifications heard thunderous stomping as the Umstürzler marched at an incredible speed towards them.
Because the enemy was in entrenched positions, sending soldiers straight at them would be like sending them through a meat grinder. So Erich ordered mass strikes on enemy positions from afar.
But it would take too long to wear down the enemy and that's when Selina stepped up and asked the General to let her handle this problem for him. After a night of discussion with Felix and Selina they came up with a plan to break through the city of Wien.
The city was surrounded by a massive river that flowed through it and the Königsteuer had built fortifications alongside the river to make it extremely difficult for them to cross without suffering heavy casualties.
Erich and Felix entrusted Selina with the south gate and went east and west around the capital.
As the Selina was about to walk back to her division, Erich told her to halt. He approached her with a bittersweet smile on his face. He took her hand and gave her a silver necklace.
"My mother gave this necklace to me. She told me that this necklace brings those who wear it luck. And honestly I have been extremely lucky even making it this far."
He turned back towards his soldiers who were watching him.
Selina clutched the silver necklace in her hand and look at Erich's wide back.
With both of his hand behind his back he started addressing his soldiers.
"To you who have mothers, to you who have wives, to you who have sons and daughters, behind those gates is the Freedom you have fighting so hard for. The truth is many will die. Many of you won't be able to see the light that you have fought so hard for. But those who died are their deaths meaningless? Nay! Their sacrifice is meant to serve as a reminder that we aren't fighting just for our own loved ones but also our comrades'. Soldiers, Umstürzlers, THIS IS OUR FINAL STAND, UNTIL ALL OUR BLOOD IS SOAKED IN THE GROUNDS WE SHALL NEVER GIVE UP!"
The soldiers roared with might, raising their guns with one hand and missing fingers. They all cheered:
"LONG LIVE WIEN!"
Selina smiled before turning away, the silver necklace around her neck fitting her perfectly. She made her way back to her division and made it to the south gate.
She channeled her loxes through her arm and formed a blue crystalline rifle. After a speech to her division they readied themselves to cross the fortified river.