dmims Page 34
Page 34
If you have pent-up frustration, you'll naturally want to vent it, and the Belken are a perfect target. Thanks to the drones, they've been given eyes to keep a constant watch on the enemy.
"Drone reconnaissance showed that the 210th Infantry Regiment had stopped moving 10 kilometers away from us, and no other new discoveries were made."
Ten kilometers, which is a little over two hours. Lu Wu calculated in his mind. This didn't seem like preparation for an attack; after all, a ten-kilometer assault distance was too much of a burden for pure infantry. This posture was more like receiving an order to stop mid-departure.
Perhaps they are waiting for the reconnaissance results to be relayed back, or perhaps they are waiting for friendly forces.
"Expand the search area, especially in these directions." Lu Wu gave special instructions to several different directions, which were the locations of nearby Belken troops. If Belken wanted to make a move, there was no reason for them to forget these troops. Of course, they might also deliberately go the long way around just to avoid their reconnaissance.
However, regardless of the circumstances, a choice now lay before him: whether to eliminate this infantry regiment that had been delivered right under his nose—before the other Belken soldiers arrived. Ten kilometers would take infantry over two hours, but for armored units, it was as easy as buying a Coke at the convenience store downstairs.
……
Didn't enter the palace.
Volume 1: Chapter 188, Chapter 173, 210th Infantry Regiment
Highway 76, 210th Infantry Regiment position, 10 kilometers from Swarthgard.
An order to "stop advancing, hold the position and await reinforcements" brought this infantry regiment, which was rushing toward Swarthburg with all its might, to a halt before the finish line. The dusty soldiers, without even catching their breath, threw down their packs, grabbed their entrenching tools, and began digging trenches like wild dogs digging for food in the ground.
Although the soldiers were full of complaints, their hands didn't slow down at all. The 210th Infantry Regiment had many veterans, and they all had a pretty good idea of why the advance had suddenly stopped, so naturally they wouldn't risk their lives. It wasn't just the soldiers who felt the same way; the middle and high-ranking commanders of the 210th Regiment were also filled with unease.
The information relayed from command made them realize the gravity of the situation. A battalion deployed in the south, reinforced with artillery, had been wiped out before even sounding the alarm. If that kind of firepower were to hit them, it would be incredibly convenient—they'd be blown to smithereens, no need to collect the bodies. Moreover, this unspecified force was marching at an alarming speed; a distance of 10 kilometers might hardly be considered safe. Driven by this mentality, commanders at all levels could only push the order down layer by layer, frantically constructing anti-artillery fortifications. Of course, reconnaissance troops were also deployed like crazy, just to spot the enemy as early as possible and prepare a response.
Thanks to this, when billowing smoke appeared on the horizon, Belken's scouts were almost immediately alerted.
Highway 76 is the logistical artery of the Belken Army, with a considerable daily traffic volume. However, due to a lack of maintenance, the road surface has long been covered with dust and mud. The gray exhaust fumes from tank engines mix with the yellow dirt and debris kicked up by the tracks, forming a low "wall" that serves as a cloak for the armored forces.
The steel tracks left marks on the concrete road, and the noise and vibration of the engine were transmitted to the ground through the tracks, which made the scouts who were lying on the ground trying to identify the number by sound turn pale.
"Damn! Their engines are louder and vibrate more than ours! It's so messy! I can't tell the difference!"
The corporal holding the binoculars bit his lip hard. He was using optical binoculars, not Glaz's smoke-penetrating thermal imager, and could only see the ten tanks lined up in the front row. Although these tanks didn't look as imposing as their own, being smaller in size, the cannons mounted on their rounded turrets were much longer and thicker! Just those ten exposed heavy cannons were enough to give their 210th Regiment a run for its money!
The terrain around Highway 76 is relatively flat with little elevation change. The small hill where the reconnaissance team was located offered limited visibility, making it difficult for him to judge the size of the enemy force based on the extent of the smoke and dust. At this moment, he had no intention of holding off the enemy—no way, he even doubted whether his rifle could penetrate the densely packed, raised squares on the surface!
"Go! We need to send the intelligence back immediately!" The pale-faced corporal stuffed the six-gauge binoculars back into the leather case on his waist belt, turned and ran.
The sharp battle alarm whistle soon sounded on the 210th Infantry Regiment's makeshift positions. There wasn't enough time for the 210th Regiment to construct complete fortifications. The trenches they dug only reached chest depth, and they simply piled up the excavated soil to serve as breastworks. As for the anti-artillery fortifications the commanders were supposed to build—laughable, not a single one was finished. Each squad and platoon was already busy building their own trenches and camouflaging machine gun positions. Connecting all the squad and platoon trenches with communication trenches was already an extraordinary achievement; there was no time to build anti-artillery foxholes.
We can't let the enemy charge forward so recklessly!
Fortunately, when the 210th Regiment halted its advance and began constructing fortifications, its artillery units had already started establishing observation posts and measuring coordinates, although test firing and calibration had not yet been conducted... and the Swarthburg direction along Highway 76 was naturally a priority. After the artillery units were ready to fire, information came from the observation posts that the enemy's tank units had already entered their pre-designated positions.
The three 105mm cannons opened fire first—neither the commander of the 210th Infantry Regiment nor the commander of the regiment's artillery battalion expected this artillery barrage to be effective. In fact, he didn't think that his three 105mm and six 75mm field guns could stop the Allied offensive. After all, the enemy possessed powerful firepower capable of annihilating a reinforced battalion in a short time, and he wouldn't gain the upper hand in an artillery duel.
A 105mm grenade landed on the concrete road, exploding in a large cloud of black smoke. Those in the observation post could clearly see that all three impact points were far from the approaching tank force. However, this had already achieved its purpose—the observation post transmitted back the data needed to correct the trajectory, and the gun crew began adjusting the elevation and azimuth based on the data, firing a second volley half a minute later.
The impact point remained ahead of the enemy tank force, still some distance away, but the three 105mm cannon crews began rapid fire after the observation posts relayed the results—their objective was to intercept the tank assault. No rational commander would order their troops to charge into an area under heavy enemy artillery fire; this wasn't bravery, but suicide. The 210th Regiment planned to use fierce firepower to force the enemy off the main road and into the depressions on either side. If the enemy continued their attack from the depressions, they would encounter ambushes from 75mm field guns using high ground. They also deployed more troops on the flanks; even with tanks clearing the way, it would be difficult for the enemy to break through the defensive line of several hundred soldiers and several field guns in a short time.
According to intelligence from headquarters, if they can hold out for just one hour, the nearest reinforcements will arrive, at which point the allied forces will be caught in a pincer movement, and the initiative in the battle will return to the Belken Empire.
However, events unfolded somewhat differently from the 210th Infantry Regiment's initial predictions. (Tumor)
Under the disappointed gaze of the observation post, the enemy's tank units neither recklessly charged the section of road engulfed in explosions, nor did they intend to flank the artillery fire from the sides.
"Are they planning to stay put and wait for the shelling to stop before continuing their attack?" The observation post frowned.
"They can't be that stupid, right..."
"Never mind all that, let the 105mm artillery fire extend forward." With a "what's the worst that can happen?" spirit, the observation post reported the new coordinates.
Volume 1: Chapter 189 (Chapter 174) - Attack 2
"Main direction 290, 29 02 29 72, horizontal 908 982, prepare report!"
On Highway 76, on the other side of the 210th Infantry Regiment, a convoy stopped. The self-propelled mortar commander, nicknamed "Big 00," got out of the lead GAZ-66 off-road truck, held a walkie-talkie, repeated the coordinates, and gave orders.
2S24 Podnos自行迫击炮基于MT-LB的车体迅速掉头，把安装在乘员舱的2B14迫击炮转向了210步兵团的阵地方向，长长的迫击炮炮身开始按照坐标进行调整。
"Ladies, we need to hurry," the commander reminded them. "The tank company girls have drawn the enemy artillery away for us, and now it's our turn to rescue them! The target is 4 kilometers away, which is our maximum range, but I believe we can do it!"
Operating the 2B14 mortar does not require a complicated procedure; within a short time, responses indicating that preparations are complete arrive in quick succession.
"fire!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Three 82mm mortar shells, trailing sharp whistles, slammed into the exposed Belken artillery position. This rather hasty, maximum-range firing did not achieve a first-shot hit, but the impact points were already very close to the enemy artillery. The drone operator could even clearly see the enemy artillerymen becoming panicked under this sudden attack on the screen. Several shirtless Belken artillerymen even stopped what they were doing, looked at a certain spot together, and then returned to their positions with the brushes used to clean the breech.
"A little more to the right, 010, rapid fire!"
This time, the 82mm mortar unsurprisingly hit both howitzer firing positions. The almost vertically falling mortar shell created a circular kill zone with a radius of 18 meters. People within this zone were ravaged by the shockwave and shrapnel, collapsing to the ground, limbs convulsing. The only saving grace was that, despite the time constraints, these Belken artillerymen strictly adhered to operational procedures when constructing their firing positions, refraining from placing ammunition closer together to increase the rate of fire, thus avoiding the tragic fate of being swept away by the cascading explosion.
“Well done! They’re like they’re dancing around in a disco!” Although the drone operator had never been to a disco, that didn’t stop her from describing it that way.
The 2S24 self-propelled mortar fired two more rounds of shells, confirming the complete destruction of the three 105mm artillery positions of the 210th Infantry Regiment before beginning its withdrawal. The 210th Infantry Regiment had deployed a considerable number of scouts in the area, whose positions had undoubtedly been exposed. However, the 2S24's unassuming appearance had misled the Belken soldiers, leading them to mistakenly believe the armored vehicle lacked heavy firepower, thus prioritizing the 105mm guns against the seemingly more threatening tank units. Now, the Belken soldiers should have realized that these unassuming, short vehicles were the true greatest threat.
They only destroyed the 105mm gun; several 75mm guns were still intact. The MT-LB's hull was definitely not able to withstand 75mm shells, so at this point, it was best to use it as much as possible.
As the artillery fire blocking the tank advance disappeared, Captain Rayming, the company commander of the 1st Company, issued the order to advance and continue the breakthrough along Highway 76 against the enemy's frontal positions.
"Comrade! Aim before you fire! There's more fighting ahead, we must conserve every bullet!" Lei Ming reminded them over the communication channel. The two battles along the way had already depleted 20% of their ammunition reserves, especially high-explosive rounds. Their current location made resupplying difficult, so ammunition consumption had to be strictly controlled.
After the 105mm artillery was destroyed, the 210th Regiment's frontal defenses could no longer mount any countermeasures that could threaten the T-72AVs. Machine guns and trenches less than a person's height were obviously ineffective. Faced with this absolute disadvantage, these Belken soldiers displayed a tenacious fighting spirit. Realizing that their guns were completely useless against these tanks, they instinctively took out cluster grenades. The anti-tank soldiers crouched in the shallow trenches, waiting for the roaring tanks to pass overhead, and then, seizing the opportunity, leaned out and stuffed the cluster grenades between the tank's road wheels and tracks.
After a cloud of black smoke, the anti-tank operator was killed, but the T-72AV, with its road wheels destroyed and tracks detached, only managed to advance a few more meters before coming to a helpless stop.
"Bure!"
Thunder's driver angrily slammed his fist on the dashboard—but the protruding metal guardrail on the dashboard blocked the angry blow.
"This is Thunder City, we can't move. Have you seen where the attack is coming from?"
"No, it looks like there's an anti-tank soldier in the trench you just crossed." A BMP following behind Lei Ming witnessed the whole thing.
"You continue forward, deputy company commander, take over command." Lei Ming rotated his panoramic sights, handing over command of the company to his deputy. "Fire a smoke grenade ahead of us, but don't interfere with our men."
White smoke grenades billowed in front of the tank, and soon it disappeared into the smoke. After confirming that it was safe, Lei Ming opened the hatch on top of the turret, picked up the AKS-74U from beside his seat, and was the first to leave the tank, followed closely by the driver and gunner. The gunner immediately took control of the NSVT machine gun in the commander's position, while Lei Ming and the driver grabbed the repair tools from the storage box behind the turret.
The two quickly located the damage—between the fifth and sixth road wheels. This made Lei Ming a little nervous, since the fifth road wheel was where the fuel tank was located, and the sixth road wheel was where the engine was located. If they were unlucky enough to be affected by the explosion, it would be difficult to deal with.
However, the engine appeared to be running normally, and the damage from the explosion seemed to be limited to the road wheels and tracks, which was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.
"Boss, how's the situation?" The gunner, whose upper body was no longer under the cover of the turret, felt insecure and asked anxiously.
"This is not good." The explosion's damage radius was small, which also meant that the energy was absorbed to the maximum extent by things within that area. As a result, the road wheels were completely deformed and damaged, rendering them unusable. The T-72AV's road wheels are large, and there are no usable spare parts on the vehicle.
Volume 18: Chapter 1960 (Chapter 175) That's the situation.
Swarthburg, Allied Command Post.
“雷鸣的1连已经突破了210步兵团的防线，正在掩护机步2连、3连展开，他们正在尝试直接推到210步兵团的指挥部，将整个210团切成两半。”
"The 2nd Tank Company has completed its split. The 1st and 3rd Platoons, which are closer to the position, have arrived at their blocking positions. The 2nd Platoon and Major Bai Xue's battalion detachment are on their way and are expected to be in position in 12 minutes."
"Except for the self-propelled howitzer teams assigned to the 2nd Platoon and the battalion headquarters, all other teams are in position."
"Captain Valerio has spotted a small group of enemy troops in the 010 direction, suspected to be an enemy reconnaissance advance team."
Numerous blue markers were already visible on the extensive terrain map. In order to eliminate the 210th Infantry Regiment as quickly as possible, Lu Wu committed more than half of his forces to the 210th Infantry Regiment's direction. Apart from the self-propelled rocket artillery company, the remaining troops were divided into small detachments and deployed in conjunction with self-propelled howitzers in the directions where Belken's reinforcements might appear, responsible for delaying the enemy's movements. Small units have unique advantages in mobility and concealment; they can strike and retreat quickly, and the enemy may not even be able to figure out their size, which can effectively mislead the enemy's judgment.
"What is the situation regarding troop losses and ammunition depletion?" Lu Wu asked.
“Lei Ming’s vehicle was damaged and has now withdrawn from the battle. Her deputy is currently in command of the 1st Company. Two SU-122Ms have also broken down on the road, and the crews are currently trying to get them operational again.” Yelena listed the details with ease. “As for ammunition, the tanks and infantry fighting vehicles have about half of their ammunition left, the infantry have about 10 magazines left, and the rocket launchers can fire another round.”
"Temporary modifications are just makeshift solutions," Lu Wu shook his head. Of the 18 SU-122Ms modified by "Scarp King," 5 have already encountered problems on the road, which is nearly a third of the failure rate. Well, after all, the usage method has changed so much, strictly speaking, it's considered unauthorized disassembly and modification. It's normal for such non-official modified products to have a higher failure rate. Of course, more importantly, unauthorized disassembly and assembly will void the official warranty, and you can only find third-party repairs (just kidding).
"We still have too few men," Lu Wu sighed as he observed the battlefield situation. If the 7th Brigade were a complete armored brigade, he wouldn't have resorted to such a stingy and petty harassment. He would have simply left an infantry regiment to cut off Highway 76, while the remaining two tank regiments would have moved south along the highway, stabbing the Belkens in the back. Wouldn't that have been much better?
The current situation is this: with such a small force, after leading the main attack, he also has to guard against the Belken's thinking, "Hey, their main force is attacking my logistics, so the south must be undefended. Maybe we can take advantage of this and try to take it." Air support needs to be reserved for this situation, so he can only use this method of taking small bites at a time to whittle down the Belken's forces. However, this operation is somewhat extreme. If either the annihilation or delaying phase goes wrong, resulting in failure to achieve the intended objective, it could lead to the enemy joining forces, putting the 1st Tank Company and the 2nd and 3rd Mechanized Infantry Companies, who are currently attacking, at a disadvantage.
Fortunately, after this period of intense "work", the current progress of the line opening is encouraging. All Tier III ground vehicles have been unlocked, and a sum of silver lions has been saved up. This poor life of being short of people everywhere will soon be improved.
Among these unlocked ground vehicles, one stands out as particularly out of place—its 76.2mm main gun seems unremarkable, its boxy hull lacks strength, and it appears to have limited combat capabilities. However, a closer look at its equipment and specifications reveals the inconsistency: this 76.2mm gun boasts two-way stabilization and can fire BK-354M fin-stabilized armor-piercing rounds with a maximum penetration of 200mm! Furthermore, it can be equipped with a low-light night vision device, giving it some night-fighting capability! As for its weak armor, part of the reason lies in the fact that this is an amphibious tank capable of landing operations! Yes, this is the renowned PT-76B! (Big lie)
The PT-76B, an amphibious tank developed since 1947 and commissioned in 1952, seems out of place among Tier III vehicles. While it exudes an air of advanced technology, for the Army, it might not be as appealing as the T-34-84/D-5T alongside it. The reason is simple: the PT-9B is a complete one-trick pony. It's like an unarmored Japanese swordsman who has only focused on agility and attack. He might be able to easily overpower unarmed thugs in a street brawl, but if the opponent has a dagger or even a wakizashi, his chances of failure increase significantly.
Fourthly, when facing the Belken, the BK-354M armor-piercing round was clearly overkill in terms of penetration. Currently, even armor-piercing high-explosive rounds of the 53-BR-354 class can penetrate the Belken's frontal armor at 800 meters. Why use the more expensive fin-stabilized armor-piercing round? Furthermore, the design of armor-piercing high-explosive rounds allows them to better support infantry combat, making them more versatile than the BK-354M. The 7th Brigade, having fought the Belken for so long, understands that anti-armor capabilities are not their most pressing need. What they truly require are traditional tanks that achieve a balance between firepower, mobility, and protection. The PT-76B simply cannot charge forward while facing the Belken's 75mm field guns.
The T-34-85/D-5T has a larger gun caliber, thicker armor protection, and better mobility. More importantly, the T-34-85's production process is simpler than that of the PT-76B, resulting in a higher unit output, which is obviously more in line with the current needs of the 7th Brigade.
With this in mind, Lu Wu immediately sent new instructions to the command center in Svorbella via his terminal, and also issued orders to change the production line and mass-produce the T-34-85/D-5T and BTR-152 vehicles through the industrial zone's back-end system. He planned to use these two vehicles as the core to first fill his own organizational gaps; he had had enough of the embarrassing situation of being short-handed and stretched thin. The 7th Brigade's battle in the Kingdom of Elgia once again proved that the BTG battalion-level combat group was not a panacea, and had its own limitations and scope of application.
Volume 1, Chapter 191: The Line-Filling Camp and the Unexpected Incident
5. Kingdom of Elgia, Swobella.
Captain Katrina, who was in charge of staying behind at the mother base, was overwhelmed by the new orders from her boss.
Lu Wu wanted to build an infantry force capable of keeping pace with armored units, quickly seizing positions after enemy lines were breached, and holding off enemy counterattacks on its own. The individual soldier quality of these troops didn't need to be on par with the current "little green men." If we use the standards from *Wargame: Red Dragon*, where the 7th Brigade's "little green men" are the highest-tier "Elite" level 5 cards, then this line-filling battalion only needed to reach the level 3 "tough guy" rank. Considering size and cost, this force could also utilize some relatively outdated stockpiled equipment, such as the numerous AK-74 assault rifles, RPG-7 rocket launchers, and older carrying gear remaining in the mother base.
按照他的构想，这支填线营应该是一个摩托化步兵营。它拥有一个13人的营部、两个无线电班组组成的通信排、装备6门82毫米迫击炮的迫击炮连、3个129人编制的摩托化步兵连，以及为步兵连提供直瞄火力支援的3辆坦克。
According to regulations, this type of motorized infantry battalion should be equipped with an 18-man anti-tank platoon, not a 12-man tank platoon. However, the Army Forces made some adjustments to this organization based on local conditions—even an old RPG-7 could destroy Belken tanks, so there was no need to specifically configure an anti-tank platoon. On the contrary, a tank platoon could play a greater role, giving this motorized infantry battalion a stronger ability to attack fortified positions.
If nothing unexpected happens, the heavy equipment of this motorized infantry battalion should be BTR-152 armored vehicles and T-34-85/D-5T medium tanks.
However, while the ideal is beautiful, the reality is quite harsh.
如果要落地这个473人编制的摩步营，除了需要24辆BTR－152装甲车、3辆T－34－85、6门82毫米迫击炮、29具RPG－7外，还需要准备至少52部电台、5辆吉普车、28辆诸如工作车、加油车、拖车等特殊车辆。
The warehouse at the 7th Brigade's mother base did indeed store a batch of decommissioned equipment. However, since it was decommissioned, not much effort was put into its maintenance. After all, maintaining active-duty equipment was already a huge undertaking, and there simply weren't enough manpower available for the much larger quantity of decommissioned equipment in varying conditions. Scavenging 52 operational radios, 5 jeeps, and 28 special vehicles from such a massive amount of decommissioned equipment was indeed a complex and time-consuming task.
The preparation of 24 armored vehicles and 3 tanks is no simple task. The production of these items requires resource investment, and the amount of steel needed for 27 armored vehicles is not insignificant. At least the mother base's warehouses do not have enough steel to meet this demand. Fortunately, these resources are not needed immediately. Even if the cost of customized Tier 3 personnel is only 60% of the previous cost, multiplying by 473 will still require a large amount of Golden Eagles. The Army cannot afford that much money at the moment. At most, it can only produce a full-strength motorized infantry company. The mother base cannot produce 27 armored vehicles, but 7 BTR-152 tanks are still possible.
While Katarina was busy preparing for the next round of equipment, some unexpected situations arose on the battlefield in Fabandi that the 7th Brigade had not anticipated.
Perhaps due to days of forced marches and combat, the crew of vehicle number 2 in platoon 2 was too exhausted and rear-ended the platoon leader's green advanced main battle tank... The platoon leader had no choice but to send the only intact vehicle, number 3, to continue to the mission location, while he and vehicle number 2 stayed behind to repair it. While busy repairing the vehicle, platoon 2 didn't forget to send out reconnaissance personnel to the front lines; however, they were facing a well-trained and stealthy Belken reconnaissance unit...
Seeing the two open hatches of the vehicles, with four crew members bent over and barely able to keep up with repairs, the reconnaissance team was intrigued. If they could bring these two strange tanks back with them, it would be a tremendous achievement! They might even be able to return home to receive commendations, go on a nationwide speaking tour to raise funds for the country, and escape the hardship of working on the front lines!
Fortunately, reason prevailed in their minds, and they abandoned the idea—mainly because of the thick, long clubs on the two tanks and the imposing heavy machine guns. The treeline on both sides of the road was at least a hundred meters away from the tanks, a distance from which they would receive no cover and face the power of machine guns and artillery head-on. With clubs that thick coming at them, it wasn't a question of whether they would break, but whether they would be reduced to dust or charred pulp—something they didn't want!
So these guys cleverly contacted the command post behind them via the vehicle's radio and transmitted the intelligence back.
However, unlike the scouts, Colonel Schmidt of the 97th Infantry Regiment, who was ordered to join the 210th Infantry Regiment, had little interest in the two broken-down tanks.
On the one hand, he had never actually seen the tank that was rumored to be able to easily defeat his own tanks. On the other hand, even if he really wanted it, he couldn't bring back a tank that was so far from the front line. If he wanted to get to this position before the tank was repaired, he would have to make a rapid movement by road. But if you know that the enemy wants to ambush you, why would you still send yourself in? Only a fool or a traitor would do such a thing.
At this point, some clever folks might ask: "Hey, why don't I just avoid the highway and bypass these potential ambush sites?" Theoretically, that seems fine, but the key issue is that these two tanks aren't always parked in that spot. They'll repair them and leave. By the time you've gone around in circles, avoiding all the possible ambush points, and finally arrived at the coordinates provided by the scouts, the scouts might have even sucked up all the exhaust fumes from the tanks.
Therefore, the greatest value of the intelligence relayed back by these scouts wasn't just providing the location and direction of the dozens of tanks, but rather that it made Schmidt realize something fishy—someone knew they were coming and had laid an ambush along the way. The ambush force was likely small; otherwise, they wouldn't have only encountered three tanks so far. What was the enemy's purpose in sending such a small force to ambush them? Where was their main force, and what were they planning to do?
'The 210th Regiment is in trouble!' Colonel Schmidt had a thought that flashed through his mind and immediately gasped.
……
Hey hey, I've updated again!
Volume 1: Chapter 192 (Chapter 177) Those Who Know When to Adversity
Colonel Schmidt's intuition proved remarkably accurate. Telegrams were sent one after another to the 210th Infantry Regiment, but not a single reply was received, seemingly confirming Colonel Schmidt's suspicions.
At this point, the 210th Infantry Regiment was in its most critical situation.
Nine tanks had completely torn open the 210th Regiment's front line like a package, and every shot from the 120mm cannon made the remaining Belken soldiers on the position shudder.
"Go and bring the 75mm guns on the flank over!" a major, a battalion commander, roared, clutching his abdomen. Dark red blood was seeping from where he was covering his hand, staining his khaki uniform brown.
However, none of the soldiers around him paid him any attention. Most of them panicked and abandoned their positions, retreating to the rear. These soldiers were far from being easily defeated; they had fought bravely before. But even the most fervent patriotism can be extinguished by the cold reality. When they saw comrades falling one after another while the enemy remained almost unscathed, and their usually proud marksmanship proved utterly useless, how long could their courage last? They witnessed firsthand the immense cost of successfully "destroying" a tank. They tried to replicate this success, but the enemy had already heightened their defenses. After suffering over ten casualties once more, they finally realized the truth—that success was merely an isolated incident.
"If we don't destroy those tanks, we'll all die!" Major Lin grabbed a soldier who was running past him with his body low to the ground, his face contorted with rage.
The soldier who had been conscripted bobbed his Adam's apple. After hesitating for a moment, he looked at the rank insignia on the major's collar and then at the pleading look in the major's eyes. Finally, he nodded.
The major breathed a sigh of relief and casually released the soldier's hand, barely raising his hand to indicate, "Over there, the 75mm gun is over there! You go first, I'll follow behind."
This time, the soldier nodded quickly without hesitation and started running. For the first time in his life, he felt he could run so fast, even faster than the scorching wind blowing past his face! After covering only a few hundred meters, he saw the 75mm cannon crew on his flank turning the guns around.
"Enemy tanks are coming from the front! Take your artillery, we're going to stop them!" He took a deep breath, his words flowing almost without pause.
"Okay, come over and lend a hand, that'll speed things up." The only artilleryman not wearing a helmet called out, "We can't hit the enemy here, we need to go that way."
Like other military products, the 75mm cannons used by the Imperial Army were made with high-quality materials, but the trade-off was their astonishing weight; even three burly men had a difficult time moving them. The soldier who came to deliver the orders carried a box of shells, following alongside the artillery team that was moving against the flow of people.
"What's wrong?" The sergeant asked when he saw the soldier suddenly stop.
“…It’s nothing.” The soldier shook his head, turning his gaze away from the lifeless colonel lying on the ground, and continued forward, a strange emotion making him grip the ammunition box in his hand tightly.
"Stop! Fire right here!" The sergeant and his men could already see the enemy tanks rampaging and wreaking havoc everywhere. "Hurry up, take down as many as you can." He grabbed his chest binoculars, and through the lens, he could almost count the bullets in the machine gun belts of that tank. He quickly calculated the distance and wind direction in his mind and called out a series of numbers. The artillerymen, meanwhile, skillfully adjusted the elevation and horizontal direction of their gun barrels.
"Load ammunition!"
"Loading complete!"
"fire!"