My Italy

A new day begins, and the battle in Alem also begins as scheduled. However, today is obviously different from the past. Abyssinia's attack is more fierce, and it has no intention of retreating at all. It is completely determined to fight to the death.

If it weren't for the dissuasion from the Maxim machine guns, the Abyssinians would have rushed up with a sea of ​​people despite the casualties.

Facing the Abyssinian attack, the Italian officers and soldiers serving as defenders felt incredible.

"What's wrong with these Abyssinians? Why are they so desperate?"

As the commander of the 6th Mountain Brigade, Zelos couldn't help but ask when he saw his men struggling to hold on under the Abyssinian offensive.

"What else can there be? General Simeone's reinforcements must be arriving soon, and these Abyssinians want to make a profit."

Major General Pascal, who walked behind him, expressed his judgment. The commander of the Eighth Division didn't seem to be in good condition, with a tired look on his face and bloodshot eyes, but he was in high spirits now. After taking a look at the attacking Abyssinian army, he turned to Zelos and asked.

"Can the Sixth Brigade withstand this enemy offensive?"

Hearing that the reinforcements were coming, Colonel Zelos, who wanted to gain more credit on the battlefield, said with a serious face. "Okay, I will let the officers and soldiers of the mountain brigade block the enemy."

"Well, I will tell the artillery not to save shells, and they will fully support you."

Yes, both men were betting that the army led by General Simeone was not far away from them. Because if this is not the case, then how can one explain the enemy's desperate attempt to seize their position. Because of this, Major General Pascal no longer hesitated and directly took out all his belongings to have a good fight with the enemy.

Major General Pascal's words greatly increased Zelos' confidence. Because he had to save artillery shells, he could not suppress the enemy's artillery. This put a lot of pressure on the defending mountain brigade. As long as there is no enemy artillery support, the offensive of these Abyssinians is nothing to worry about.

The good days of the Abyssinian artillery were over as Major General Pascal allowed the artillery to fire freely. Due to the terrain and training level, the Italian defenders' artillery units were able to threaten all Abyssinian artillery positions.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

The shelling from the top of the mountain made it impossible for the Abyssinian artillery to suppress the defenders' position. This artillery battle was very different from the previous ones. Both sides were not trying to evade, but were completely aiming to kill one thousand enemies at the expense of eight hundred.

So a rare scene happened on the battlefield. The artillery positions on both sides were continuously destroyed, but they all agreed not to evacuate. One side relies on the advantage of large numbers, and the other side takes advantage of its own technology.

While the artillery of the two sides was destroying each other, the battle on the position was still fierce.

There was no retreat this time. One unit could not withstand it any longer. Immediately another unit took over and charged with them. There was a firing squad standing in front of the position at the foot of the mountain. Anyone who retreated would be shot to death.

The strict orders from military law made all Abyssinians aware of the harsh consequences of retreating and dying. Unable to be forced into a desperate situation, these East African warriors burst out with a final roar and rushed forward to the position.

Faced with this death-defying outbreak, the defenders of the position could no longer bear it. They watched as these Abyssinians gradually approached the position despite their casualties.

One hundred meters!

Fifty meters!

Twenty meters!

Then there was a burst of cheers, and the Abyssinians rushed to the position and fought at close range with the officers and soldiers of the 6th Mountain Brigade.

"Well done. I want to congratulate the first brave man to charge forward. I want to make him a noble."

At the foot of the mountain, Johannes IV looked at his own troops who had attacked the position. He was overjoyed and even offered a noble title as a generous reward. You must know that the nobility of Abyssinia is closer to the Middle Ages. It has its own fiefdom, annual revenue, and army. It is completely a small independent kingdom.

After saying that he wanted a heavy reward, Johannes IV immediately put down all bets.

"Follow the reinforcements and deal with the enemy."

Since the Abyssinians were so happy, things were terrible on the Italian side.

"Quickly, organize everyone to pick up weapons and reinforce the position."

Seeing the enemy attack the position, Major General Pascal immediately ordered all those who could take up arms to take the position. But even so, the four balls in his hand were still tightly squeezed.

On the position, facing the attacking Abyssinians, the Italian defenders drew their bayonets and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, trying to drive the enemies out of the position.

A brutal fight unfolded on the battlefield, and the desperate fight between officers and soldiers from both sides made the scene even bloodier.

Now the eyes of both parties are focused on the top of the mountain, waiting for the result. However, they did not notice that there was movement on the edge of the battlefield.

Not to mention that no one noticed that several Abyssinian cavalrymen came over with blood on their bodies, fighting hard.

"What did you say!"

With a shocked expression on his face, Johannes IV looked at the cavalry reporting the news in front of him, his eyes showing an expression of reluctance.

Although the cavalryman who reported the news did not want to offend the emperor in front of him, he still had to bite the bullet and repeat it again. "Your Majesty, the enemy has broken through Duke Harar's obstruction and is coming here."

The atmosphere at the scene was extremely depressing. Everyone present knew that this was bad, and it was too late to retreat.

Johannes IV said with a frustrated look, waving his hands. "Let the troops stand down."

Following the order of Johannes IV, the sound of retreating horns made the two parties fighting on the top of the mountain feel incredible.

But at this time, a defender who reacted quickly shouted. "Our reinforcements are coming."

"Reinforcements are coming."

This sentence greatly boosted the morale of the defenders, and even made the Abyssinians who had attacked before look ashen. He didn't care about fighting with the defenders on the position and ran down the mountain in a hurry.

But it was a little late for them to go down the mountain now. Because in the distance, the smoke and dust brought by the large-scale army march have appeared.

The figures of the indigenous cavalry at the front were already looming, which meant that reinforcements would appear on the battlefield in less than half an hour.

Faced with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Major General Pascal took out his last trump card. "The fourth regiment attacks to hold the enemy back and not let them escape."

Following Major General Pascal's order, nearly two thousand Italian troops who were recharged burst out with endless fighting power. They chased the enemy's retreat and rushed over.

The attack of the fourth regiment was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing the Abyssinians who had just retreated to collapse. It was like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger, and was about to spread to the entire battlefield. .

At this time, Johannes IV, the emperor of Abyssinia, made a surprising decision.

"You guys should retreat with your troops, I'll stay behind to break up the rear."

"Emperor, think twice."

"His Majesty……"

Facing the dissuaded prince, Johannes IV waved his hand to stop him and continued to speak. "You retreat first. If I die in battle, let Menelik take over. Let me end the fight with the Italians."

After saying these words, Johannes IV gave the final order. "Order the Imperial Guard to come over immediately and prepare to fight with the emperor."

Johannes IV's Praetorian Guard was his most loyal force. The more than 10,000 Praetorian Guards were the best in terms of training and equipment. This was also the core force of Johannes IV to suppress the entire empire. But today, he needs to use this unit to block the enemy and win a way for other units to survive.

Because he knew that someone must be responsible for this defeat, and no one except him, the emperor, could bear the responsibility for such a loss.

So Johannes IV and his Praetorian Guards became the anchor of stability for the retreating Abyssinian officers and soldiers, gradually calming down the already ongoing defeat.

It's just that the army led by Simone has appeared in front of him, making it impossible for the emperor's guards to leave.

The old emperor pulled out his sword and loudly gave orders to his guards.

"Prætorian Guards, advance!"