Thunder Warrior Saves the World

Page 45

"Retreat! Retreat!" The series of explosions made the company commander realize that the mustard gas shells stored in the warehouse must have been detonated. The thought of the massive amount of shells and unpackaged poison gas cylinders inside sent chills down his spine. "Put on your gas masks!"

Before his orders could be relayed to the entire company, the Belken men at the front saw a ferocious, huge, brownish-gray creature emerge from the warehouse, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at them.

The beast moved with such speed that the expression on the face of the assault soldier at the forefront, carrying a submachine gun, froze in terror before he was swallowed by the monster. High concentrations of dichlorodiethyl sulfide enter the human body through the respiratory tract, enter the bloodstream in the alveoli, and begin to react with various biomolecules in the body to form hydrocarbon products. This process causes DNA to cross-link, inhibiting DNA replication and its precise repair capabilities. Simultaneously, the hydrocarbonated proteins undergo denaturation, complement inactivation, and a decline in immune function.

Within mere seconds, the poisonous gas had already enveloped the entire storage area and was spreading further outwards. Even if they pulled out gas masks and put them on, it wouldn't change the fate of these Belken soldiers—the amount they had inhaled far exceeded the lethal threshold. The Belken soldiers behind the lines weren't entirely safe either; mustard gas could be absorbed not only through the respiratory tract but also through skin contact—unless they could leave the gas-filled environment within 2-3 minutes and wash their contaminated skin with disinfectant, they too would show varying degrees of poisoning symptoms after ten to fifteen minutes.

The Belken people never dreamed that these weapons, originally designed to fight the Elgins, would one day be used against them. The soldiers, gripped by fear, had lost the will to fight. They only wanted to escape this hellish place as quickly as possible, but the spreading brown smoke made it difficult to see. Most dared not advance in the direction of the gas's spread, instead turning and fleeing in what they perceived as their rear. This instinct for self-preservation only pushed them further into the abyss of death.

Team Three was also affected by the obstructed visibility debuff, but this wasn't a major problem for Spetznaz. As the commander of Team Three, "Kapkan" Maxim Basouda, although lacking Grazkov's thermal imaging device that could render smoke invisible, possessed excellent memory and judgment as his best navigation. Under his guidance, Team Three rapidly approached the extraction point, and soon, they could no longer hear the screams of the Belken behind them.

"We're getting ready to come out, don't fire." As they approached the exit, Maxim didn't forget to notify the paratroopers defending the evacuation point. He could hear the deafening noise of the helicopter rotors. The higher they went, the better the visibility became; this was because mustard gas is heavier than air and doesn't easily spread to higher positions. With the view suddenly clearing, Maxim saw a Mi-8 helicopter with its hatch wide open parked in front of them. Around the helicopter, paratroopers, also in protective suits, had formed a ring of defense.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Maxim, who was leading the team, did not board the plane first. He stood by the cabin door to make sure that no one had fallen behind. After everyone had boarded, he was the last to enter the cabin. Only then did the paratroopers leave their defensive positions and board the plane.

"You are the last batch; we have been waiting here for a long time," the pilot called out. "Gentlemen, please be seated. This flight is about to take off, and our destination is 'Shower Room'."

Maxim ignored the pilot's words. He pulled his backpack to his chest, unzipped it, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the two journals inside the sealed bag were intact.

One of these two logs was the personal log of Lieutenant Dietrich, who died at their hands, while the other was the warehouse log of the mustard gas factory. It meticulously recorded the flow of all materials since the factory's construction, covering not only the usage of raw materials and semi-finished products, but also when and how many finished mustard gas shells were allocated and delivered to which units. This data was extremely valuable to the Allied forces, allowing them to clearly determine how much usable mustard gas the Belken frontline troops actually possessed.

It was precisely because they knew that a considerable number of mustard gas shells had already been delivered to the front lines that the people at the operations center were not happy about the destruction of the factory. Although this less-than-successful raid deprived the Belken's southern forces of their ability to continue producing mustard gas, it also made the Belken realize that their plans had been exposed. This would, to some extent, prompt them to launch an offensive earlier than planned, and the Allied forces were far from having time to celebrate.

In response to the new Belken offensive, some adjustments were made to the southern defense line centered on the Alpha base. The 7th Brigade took over a large area previously under the control of the Kingdom of Elgia and made some suggestions for improving the Kingdom's defensive line deployment.

The adjusted defensive fortifications were roughly divided into five areas, almost all of which were built on ridges and highlands.

The outermost first area, which is the first three or four kilometers of the defensive line, mainly consists of forward outposts occupied by infantry squads. This area is still mainly staffed by the Kingdom's army, as these outposts primarily serve the function of observation and early warning. Once enemy sentries are spotted, they can withdraw as needed after issuing an early warning signal.

Area Two, the first line of defense, is 2-3 kilometers deep and consists of company-level trenches and defensive points arranged along key terrain features and high ground. Factories and villages form defensive strongholds here. The 7th Brigade has deployed a brigade reconnaissance company, an airborne battalion, two mechanized infantry companies from the 1st Motorized Infantry Battalion, and a tank company in key areas of Area Two. At the 7th Brigade's request, even in areas under the control of the Royal Army, considerable space was reserved for vehicles, allowing tank reserves deployed in the later areas to reinforce the front lines at any time. Unfortunately, the airborne battalion's shortage of BMD tanks and 2S9 anti-tank vehicles has not yet been replenished; they remain purely light infantry. Otherwise, the Belken forces would have paid an even greater price to advance into Area Two.

The allied forces deployed artillery and reserves in Area 3, a 4-5 kilometer-deep zone. The artillery here primarily consisted of the 7th Brigade's mobile artillery, while the reserves, aside from the remaining two mechanized infantry companies of the 1st Motorized Infantry Battalion and the remaining company of the tank battalion, were mainly composed of troops from the Kingdom of Ergia who had been relieved of service with the 7th Brigade. The Ergia reserves here comprised approximately four battalions. Notably, chemical defense and medical units were also stationed here. They had pre-constructed numerous medical and decontamination centers in the area to counter any chemical weapons offensive by the Belken Empire. Of course, these personnel alone were far from sufficient; Princess Rosa also requested a group of trained medical personnel from the Fabandi command to improve the operational efficiency of the medical centers.

Area Four was the main defensive line of the Allied forces. This was a line they had already painstakingly constructed, featuring extensive multi-layered trenches, large minefields, and even anti-tank ditches and "dragon teeth" obstacles—though they figured these obstacles and ditches would never be used, they figured they might as well play in the mud and get a scolding from the Belken people—a win-win situation. Their meticulously built fortifications formed the main defensive zone along the front line. This line was 3 to 4 kilometers deep, with the Alpha base at its core. The newly formed 2nd Motorized Infantry Battalion was deployed here. The Kingdom of Elgiah also left two infantry regiments and one artillery regiment along this line.

Zone Five is the reserve position and the withdrawal route for the troops stationed in the preceding defense zones. This zone extends nearly 10 kilometers in depth and is mainly managed by a reinforced elite infantry regiment of the Kingdom of Elgiah's Royal Guard. If the Belken are possessed by the Cosmic Mongols "Exiles," the Yuzuriha Madmen comparable to the Magnetic Field Madmen, the unclean warp canned goods, or some other filthy mess, and connect to break through the four layers of the Allied forces' defenses, then this infantry regiment will be prepared to die and hold off the Belken's attack, giving the Allied forces in the preceding four zones time to retreat back to Fabandi.

As for the city of Bafabandi, it was the last line of defense for the allied forces in the entire Bafabandi battlefield, and also the last retreat and reserve position for the four allied forces. The barricades and defensive nodes in the city alone were countless. Judging from the current situation, unless the Belken could orbitally drop their Gilahani warriors or achieve warp warp, Lu Wu and his team simply could not imagine how they could break through so many layers of defense and re-enter Bafabandi.

Because they hadn't yet ascertained how many troops the Belken intended to commit to the southern offensive, the allied forces adopted a conservative approach when devising their new defensive plan. The result was an exaggerated defensive line spanning five zones and nearly 26 kilometers in depth. The allied forces deployed over 15 regiments of regular troops along this five-line defensive line, and the Fabandi command also mobilized three militia battalions from within the city—approximately 3,000 militiamen—to reinforce the southern front in response to the Belken Empire's attack.

These militiamen had all received training and tactical instruction from the Kyrgyz regular army, and many were retired soldiers serving as commanders. It could be said that, aside from lacking junior officers, artillery, and relying entirely on machine guns for fire support, these militia battalions were not significantly different from some of the Kingdom's regular forces. Compared to a territorial defense brigade cobbled together by conscripts in a certain Eastern European country, these militia battalions even had superior morale and personnel quality (when compared to their own regular army units). After discussion, the Allied command decided to deploy most of these militiamen to Area 4 to assist the 7th Brigade, while the remaining battalion would be assigned to Area 5 for support.

In addition, the city defense command of Fabandi collected nearly five thousand gas masks from troops with less demanding combat duties within the city and handed them all over to the garrison on the southern front. Lu Wu also activated the stockpiled chemical defense equipment from the mother base in Svorbella, but even so, the garrison on the southern front was still severely lacking in chemical defense equipment; the Kingdom's troops on the first line of defense couldn't even provide one gas mask per person. Lacking personal protective equipment, the Ergians began to use readily available materials such as charcoal, empty cans, and raincoats to make simple, makeshift protective gear. While these rudimentary items had extremely limited effectiveness, they at least gave them a chance to escape in the event of a chemical weapons attack, increasing their chances of survival by a few percentage points.

Indeed, these Irish troops, lacking chemical defense equipment, could simply abandon their positions and retreat after encountering a Belken gas attack. Documents brought back by Maxim show that while the amount of mustard gas delivered to the front lines was considerable, it was insufficient to achieve "mustard gas freedom." The Allied command speculated that this mustard gas was more likely to be used after the offensive faltered. Abandoning part of the positions in Area 2 to deplete the Belken's chemical weapons stockpile wasn't entirely unacceptable to them, given that they had three lines of defense behind them. Furthermore, the three companies left by the 7th Brigade in Area 3 were capable of operating in a mustard gas environment. Even if the Belken acted swiftly and immediately seized the positions after the Kingdom's retreat, these three companies could quickly retake them with artillery support from Area 3.

Q……

A long chapter of 4,000 words, brothers, let's vote!

Volume 1: Chapter 245 (Code Name: "West Wind")

Just as Lu Wu and his team had originally guessed, after destroying the Belken's mustard gas factory, the enemy forces on the southern front became more active and less secretive than before, with many troop movements appearing to be entirely at your disposal.

In just two days, the allied forces' reconnaissance discovered that the Belken had at least twenty regiments of fresh troops operating in the area, and more troops were on their way. The intelligence department of the Kingdom of Elgia judged that the Belken might deploy more than thirty regiments of troops to the southern battlefield.

Despite facing an enemy twice their size, neither Lu Wu nor the Elgeans showed any fear. Generally, when weaponry is comparable and combat capabilities are roughly equal, the attacking force needs to be three times the size of the defending force to achieve victory. However, the Belken and Amelia are several generations apart, and numerical superiority cannot compensate for this disadvantage. In particular, the 7th Brigade's enhanced battlefield awareness allows the Allied forces to easily achieve "detect and destroy" results.

1. The Belken people's mobilization and march were mostly carried out in battalion and company-level formations. Lu Wu speculated that this was probably because they had been numb by the bombing. Without many anti-aircraft vehicles, they could only disperse their troops to dilute the intensity of their own air strikes. "I can't dodge or defend against it, so I'll just give up. If you want to bomb, then come on. You can choose any of these signs. Let's just wait it out."

The method of targeting targets does have some use—yes, the 7th Brigade does have strong perception and reconnaissance capabilities, and can easily achieve "detection and destruction." From the time the drone detects the target to the time the artillery fires to destroy the target, the interval will not exceed twenty minutes. Their artillery units also have 9 self-propelled mortars, 15 self-propelled howitzers, and 9 self-propelled rocket launchers. They gritted their teeth and insisted on using one vehicle to deal with one target. Theoretically, they could launch attacks on 33 targets at the same time, but the reconnaissance found far more than 33 targets!

9. From target acquisition to artillery firing, they also need to maintain surveillance of these targets. Otherwise, by the time the shells are fired, the targets will no longer be at the point you aimed at, which is a pure waste of ammunition. So how does the 7th Brigade currently conduct battlefield surveillance? With almost all the infantry already deployed on the ground, they can only rely on a limited number of drones and a small number of helicopters to monitor some of the larger targets. The number of targets that can be monitored simultaneously will not exceed 20.

Furthermore, considering that they need effective hits and effective damage, as well as the size and protection level of the enemy, this cannot be accomplished by simply firing randomly in the general direction of the target. Artillery must be used in groups; 33 self-propelled guns can only effectively attack a maximum of 13 different targets simultaneously.

In the words of the Air Force, they can “track 20 targets simultaneously and strike 13 of them.”

However, during these two days, the allied forces did not deploy this artillery unit with its exceptional accuracy; they continued to use the artillery of the Kingdom of Elgia. The reason was simple: their artillery shells were not interchangeable. The Kingdom's shells could be directly transported from Fabandi behind their borders, while the 7th Brigade's shells had to be sent all the way from Svorbella—the cost was simply too damn high…

Even so, in just two days, the Elgeans, aided by the 7th Brigade's "X-ray vision" technology, successfully destroyed nearly thirty company-sized targets, essentially wiping out two of Belken's infantry regiments before the battle even began.

Of course, the Belkens weren't just passively taking bombs. While they lacked drones and dared not send in more air force, they still had men! Sending scouts to gather intelligence and capture prisoners was a viable option! Isn't human reconnaissance reconnaissance?

It's said that the enemy is the best teacher, and after being bombarded by artillery shells for so long, the Belken were eager to retaliate. Therefore, when Belken scouts discovered the Allied observation posts on the front lines, they were often met with extremely fierce artillery barrages. These artillerymen weren't greedy; they only fired one volley, regardless of the effect or whether they hit anything. These artillerymen, towed around by trucks, had also figured out ways to evade aerial reconnaissance, disappearing into the woods after firing and no longer firing at night. Unless these artillerymen happened to be operating within the 7th Brigade's surveillance range, the Allied forces found it very difficult to capture these agile and cunning small groups of artillery.

Although this approach was laborious and not very cost-effective, often resulting in only the destruction of a few outposts—a negligible impact on the entire allied defense line—it at least created a sense of momentum. The soldiers knew they had artillery and weren't just sitting idly by, which boosted the morale of the Imperial army to some extent. Morale was a crucial factor that the Belken Empire had to consider if it wanted to launch its next offensive.

The repeated defeats and setbacks on the battlefield of Fabandi were making their hopes of ending the war before winter arrived and supplies ran out increasingly slim. The Belken Imperial Army in Fabandi had pinned their last hope of breaking the deadlock on this operation. Just then, reinforcements from the west arrived, and the Imperial generals hoped these fresh troops could reverse the Imperial Army's previous fatigue and sweep away all obstacles to their advance on Fabandi like a westerly wind sweeping away fallen leaves. Therefore, they named this operation "Operation West Wind"!

The Allied Command headquarters was in a state of high alert! (Sulfur) → [Unclear text - possibly a typo or incomplete sentence]: Although they didn't know the Belken people placed such high hopes on this operation, their actions revealed the significant importance of the offensive, leading to a more cautious approach. This manifested in the frontline troops: outposts recently destroyed by heavy fire would be replaced by new infantry teams arriving within half an hour. After clearing some of the rubble and creating enough space, they would hide inside to continue monitoring. The reason for not repairing the outposts was that it would be tantamount to telling the Belken they were going to reactivate them, and sooner or later they would be bombarded again; it was better to hide in the ruins for better concealment.

On the morning of the third day after the mustard gas factory was destroyed, the Allied forces discovered that the Belkens had begun to build trenches 600 meters away from the outermost outpost area of ​​the defensive line. At the same time, this area and the first line of defense further behind it were subjected to large-scale artillery bombardment by the Belkens for the first time.

Volume 1: Chapter 246 (Chapter 229) The Attack Begins

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

The breech of the Belken 105mm heavy gun was opened, and the scorching spent cartridge case slid out of the barrel under gravity, falling to the ground. A long pole picked up the case and tossed it into a small hill of dark bronze-colored cartridge cases. A stiff bristle brush made of pig bristles was inserted into the breech and then pulled out, cleaning away any remaining gunpowder residue. Next, the heavy, integrated shell was pushed back into the breech by the long pole, the breech was sealed, and the gunner yanked the lanyard, igniting the fuse and propelling the heavy projectile away from the barrel, across the snake-like, man-high trench dug by the 1st Battalion of the 366th Infantry Regiment.

Infantrymen of the 1st Battalion of the 366th Infantry Regiment, dressed in khaki uniforms and carrying backpacks and rifles, are entering the trenches one after another under the guidance of their officers.

"Remember, stay with your platoon leader! Spread out and wait for his instructions!"

A sergeant stood in the middle of the trench, repeating instructions to the soldiers passing by.

"Once you break through the enemy's lines, raise the signal flag or fire the signal flare! Two grenades each! Sergeant, collect your signal flares and signal flags!"

One by one, the ammunition boxes were pried open, and the wooden-handled grenades inside were distributed to the soldiers.

"The first whistle is our signal to charge! We are the first wave, so we will face the most enemies! Kill all the Elgians in your path and quickly take their positions, understand?"

Qi: "Understood, sir!"

After the final tactical arrangements were made, the soldiers moved into their starting positions for the attack. Here, the trenches on the side closer to the Elgins were built into a slope of nearly 40 degrees, with sandbags at intervals along the slope, forming a makeshift staircase. The soldiers of the 1st Company, following tactical regulations, lay prone on these slopes, waiting for the signal to attack.

As the second wave of soldiers, the 2nd Company followed the 1st Company into the starting position. Unlike the 1st Company, the soldiers of the 2nd Company did not lie prone on the side closest to the Elgins, but crouched down on the other side. The platoon leaders of the 2nd Company walked around in the trenches, tirelessly repeating their company's mission: "The first whistle is the signal for the 1st Company to attack. After they leave, we must immediately take our positions and wait for the second whistle! When the second whistle sounds, we will immediately charge!"

The Sanlian Army's counterattack finally began. The first few shells landed only a dozen meters away from the trenches, but after two rounds of corrections, the shells became more accurate. The 105mm shrapnel shells that landed in the trenches created gaps, but the gaps were quickly filled.

The company commander of the 1st Company stared intently at his wristwatch and shouted, "One minute to prepare!"

Upon hearing the order, the Belken soldier looked down to check his rifle, confirming that the safety was off and the bullet was chambered.

Finally, sharp whistles rang out throughout the trenches: "Charge!"

Despite the shrapnel exploding less than a meter away, the Belken soldiers continued their charge, rifles in hand, towards the Ergia position 600 meters away. Although wave after wave of their comrades fell, not one slowed their pace. Every Belken soldier understood one thing—once the charge began, capturing the enemy-held position was their best chance of survival.

"2nd Company, ready! One minute to go!"

The soldiers of the 2nd Company silently filled the vacancies left by the 1st Company, lying prone on the still-warm slope, waiting for the second whistle. Their original positions were taken by the soldiers of the 3rd Company who were entering—"3rd Company, check weapons, 3 minutes to prepare!"

The second whistle blew as expected, and just like a minute ago, the 2nd Company followed the 1st Company and launched an attack on the Ergia.

"They're coming up!"

Inside the outpost, seeing the Belken infantrymen arrayed in skirmish lines, whose advance was unstoppable even by 105mm howitzers, it would be a lie to say the Kingdom soldiers on duty weren't nervous.

"To the rear defensive line!" The outpost commander made the correct judgment. Their original mission wasn't to stay and fight the Belken to the death; the warning signal had been issued, and their task here was complete. They left the outpost and headed towards the first line of defense along the rear trenches. A question arose in their minds—why had the Belken chosen their section of the battle line as their breakthrough point? Had they already realized that this area was under the control of the Kingdom of Elgia's army?

Not only them, but also the officers in the Allied Command noticed this oddity. It was as if the Belkens had known their plans in advance, avoiding most of the areas controlled by the 7th Brigade and choosing the areas controlled by the Kingdom's army as their point of attack.

“It’s an outpost.” Lu Wu studied the frontline defense map several times and finally got the answer: “We have built too few outposts.”

Yelena immediately understood Lu Wu's meaning: the 7th Brigade possessed various reconnaissance methods to promptly detect Belken movements, so traditional observation methods like outposts served only as a supplement and backup to other reconnaissance methods, and naturally, they didn't invest much effort in their development. However, the Kingdom of Elgia was different. Outpost observation was a crucial early warning method for them. To ensure they didn't miss any Belken movements from any direction, they constructed numerous outposts in their assigned areas. Although many of these outposts were concealed, a considerable number were still discovered by Belken scouts. It was precisely these differences that allowed the Belken to deduce the approximate locations of the 7th Brigade's and the Kingdom's army's respective areas of responsibility.

Adhering to the principle of picking on the weak and targeting the enemy's vulnerabilities, the first wave of Operation Zephyr finally struck the army of the Kingdom of Elgia.

Six hundred meters is not a long distance for infantry charging at full speed. Despite the suppression of shrapnel and heavy machine gun fire, the Belken, after suffering some casualties, finally advanced successfully to the outer area dotted with outposts. Contrary to the Belken's initial expectations, there were no interconnected, long trenches; the sparse trenches were completely empty—not a single living Elgin. Before the Belken could even understand what was happening, the heavy machine guns that had been raining bullets on them ceased firing, replaced by a series of shrill screams.

Shells exploded at their feet, and thick smoke and dust almost covered the entire outpost area. Seeing this, the commander of the 366th Regiment knew that two companies of the 1st Battalion had been completely wiped out, but he was unmoved and issued the order to send out a second wave.

Volume 1: Chapter 247 (Second Hundred and Thirty) - A Test

Even after losing two companies of advance troops, the Belken continued to add more men without hesitation. They used these cannon fodder's lives to probe the true situation of the Allied forces in Area One and laid the foundation for attacking and capturing Area Two.

On the first line of defense, the infantrymen of the Kingdom of Elgia in the trenches had already raised their rifles, aiming them roughly at the Belken soldiers attacking from about a kilometer away. Gleaming bayonets were already fixed to the muzzles, and beside them lay wooden-handled grenades with their caps unscrewed and fuses straightened.

To be honest, at this distance, with their rifles and their skills, they simply couldn't inflict any effective damage. The heavy machine gun, which had been firing overruns, stopped and moved to a new firing position without immediately opening fire.

"Hold your positions and await the order to fire. Do not fire without authorization!" The Kingdom's officer, observing the Belken people through binoculars, did not forget to remind his soldiers.

Behind the front lines, howitzers once again played a red orchestral melody, with members of the 366th Infantry Regiment of the Belken Empire Army providing the harmony. Their life-and-death singing of the harmony pushed the concert to a small peak.

"Six hundred meters away, machine gun fire!"

If the howitzer played the role of percussion instruments like drums and cymbals in this performance, its massive and stimulating volume guiding the direction and rhythm of the show, then the machine gun was the indispensable wind instrument. Their sounds were equally continuous and captivating. Even more coincidentally, the volume of a single woodwind or French horn could rival that of ten violins in a string section, while a single trumpet or trombone could rival two string sections—a stark contrast to the suppressive firepower of a light or heavy machine gun versus a traditional bolt-action rifle.

"400 meters, riflemen, open fire!"

As the conductor lowered his baton, the string instruments finally began to play. The rifles, as the foundation of this orchestra and the instruments closest to the audience, produced a sound familiar to the participants of this concert. The addition of the string section brought the atmosphere of the performance to its peak.

At a distance of four hundred meters, the Belken soldiers could already return fire with their rifles at the exposed heads of the Irish soldiers. The infantry at the forefront immediately dropped to the ground. Even with high heart rates and unsteady breathing, these rigorously trained professional soldiers could still execute tactical maneuvers of aiming, firing, and reloading. While disordered breathing would certainly interfere with the accuracy of their shots, this amount of retaliatory fire was enough to force some of the less mentally resilient Irish soldiers to duck and take cover, creating a slight opportunity for their advance.

"Don't be afraid! We're on high ground, and protected by the trench breastworks. The Belkens won't be able to hit you so easily!"

Sensing a hint of panic among their men, the officers quickly spoke up, nipping any nascent fear in the bud. The officers who led by example and continued firing effectively stabilized morale, and with the aid of the barbed wire, they successfully pinned the enemy down to within 300 meters of the trenches.

"The enemy's reinforcements are coming up!" This Belken unit did indeed draw a lot of the defenders' attention, and when they spotted the enemy's reinforcements, the two sides were only 600 meters apart.

This unit had also been bombarded by shrapnel, but the dented bulletproof armor on these soldiers clearly spoke volumes. These tin cans, advancing through the hail of bullets, quickly reached a position 300 meters away, blocking the light infantry and giving them a chance to break through the troublesome barbed wire, clearing a path for reinforcements. Occasionally, tin cans hit by unprotected parts would fall. Those trapped in the barbed wire were almost impossible to escape on their own, and the Kingdom's fierce firepower made it extremely difficult for nearby allies to rescue them; more often than not, they could only watch their comrades inside the barbed wire grow smaller and smaller.

"More Belkens!" The losses at the front seemed to have no effect on the Belken commanders' determination to attack. Another wave of Belkens marched from below the high ground to the outposts they had already captured, and from there launched an attack on the Allied positions. (Seven)

The artillery pieces positioned at the rear had been firing continuously, but now they seemed somewhat powerless. Watching the Belken soldiers, who had almost completely breached the barbed wire and were resuming their advance under the leadership of the "Iron Cans," the commander of the defensive line remained unperturbed. They had laid a ring of explosives about a hundred meters in front of their position, originally intended to counter any Belken tanks that might appear. However, since even the 7th Brigade hadn't detected any Belken tanks after so long, they figured their section of the line wouldn't encounter those large vehicles either, making it a good opportunity to deal with these "Iron Cans."

These assault troops, each weighing over 200 pounds, were British strongmen clad in the thickest, hardest armor. Yet, the arduous climb from the outpost to here had taken a heavy toll on their stamina. The kinetic energy of full-powered rifle rounds was no joke; while they still couldn't penetrate the specially treated armor plates that arched across their chests, the impact was immense. The assault troops, enduring the targeted fire of the Elgin Kingdom's army, had to advance, causing their exhaustion to increase rapidly. Every now and then, exhausted assault soldiers would be hit and unable to stand again.

After suffering heavy casualties, the assault team finally closed the distance between the two sides to 100 meters. Then, the commander of the defense line detonated the explosives beneath their feet.

Clumps of dirt, personnel, and weapons were hurled into the air by the explosion beneath their feet. The assault soldiers, thanks to their armor, were mostly left with intact corpses, but the light infantry nearby weren't so lucky. Those near the blast point were instantly blown to pieces, while those further away suffered dozens of cuts from flying debris. Combined with their broken limbs from the impact, their corpses looked like poorly modeled game graphics.

"Prepare grenades!" The dust kicked up momentarily obscured the officers' vision, but that didn't matter. The explosions would result in only two outcomes—the Belken would abandon their attack, or they would continue. At this command, some soldiers lowered their rifles, grabbed the grenades beside them, hooked the pins, and assumed throwing positions.

Just then, he heard a change in the distant whistle—it was the signal to "retreat." He squinted, staring intently at the descending dust, but not a single Belken soldier emerged from the smoke.

...Pu

I forgot to upload it, rua〇

Volume 1: Chapter 248 (Chapter 231) First Round of Encounters (1)

Major General Barry Abbott, who was in charge of the offensive, had only committed an infantry battalion to this probing attack. His remaining forces were dwindling, and it was clearly impossible for him to capture even a single meter of ground from the lightly wounded and well-prepared enemy. Now that he had ascertained the enemy's location, continuing the attack would only demoralize his men, so he ordered a retreat.

"Sir, the troops at the front have all withdrawn." Someone brought Major General Abbott the latest update.

"Including the area around the outpost?" Major General Abbott asked.

"Including the area around the outpost, sir."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Major General Abbott nodded and said to a colonel beside him, "Let's begin."

"Understood, sir!"

Major General Barry Abbott was the brigade commander of the 31st Infantry Division of the Belken Imperial Army. The 31st Infantry Division was inconspicuous in the Belken Imperial Army's order of battle, even an understrength unit. Before the outbreak of war, his 31st Infantry Division consisted of only two infantry brigades, and these four infantry regiments were still the traditional configuration of three infantry battalions and one machine gun company. It wasn't until the second month after the outbreak of war that they finally established their divisional artillery brigade, but this brigade was still severely understaffed and lacked equipment, possessing only half the equipment and personnel—six 105mm howitzers and 27 75mm field guns. It wasn't until just before Operation Zephyr that they finally replenished the missing equipment—this was only by temporarily borrowing from other units, and they had to return it after the war.

Of course, to enable the 31st Infantry Division to better undertake more combat missions, the Army Group Headquarters also issued them 48 machine guns, bringing the total number of regimental machine gun companies to three per regiment. One of these machine gun companies was further divided and evenly distributed among the infantry battalions, giving each battalion 14-16 usable machine guns. More importantly, the Army Group Headquarters also provided them with some "special ammunition" and a 100-strong Gilahani commando unit. It was these reinforcements that gave Major General Barry Abbott the confidence to launch a frontal attack on the Allied lines.

4. Following Major General Abbott's orders, the artillery began adjusting its parameters, extending its target area from the previously suppressed outposts back to the Allied first line of defense. Of the infantry battalion Major General Abbott sent up, only about a hundred men returned. These men did not die in vain; they sacrificed their lives to pinpoint the exact location of the Elginian lines, laying the groundwork for subsequent artillery bombardment.

More than twenty 75mm field guns, scattered behind the front lines and concealed, roared simultaneously. Fortunately, the Kingdom of Ergia's army had received dedicated instruction from the 7th Brigade, and at least in the southern front, the simple and easy-to-build anti-artillery fortifications like foxholes had been widely adopted. Shells fired from low ground often only hit the thick layer of soil above the foxholes, making it quite difficult for 75mm shells to destroy them. Apart from those unlucky ones who hadn't had time to hide in the foxholes and were still in the trenches, the 31st Infantry Division's artillery bombardment did not actually achieve very good results.

However, the actions of these Belken field gunners were also strange. After firing five rounds, the artillerymen began to release the guns from their fixed positions, and the trucks that had been hiding in concealed locations also came out and began to connect these field guns that could be towed by trucks.

"Send a message to the 7th Brigade and ask if they can help us locate the enemy artillery." In the forward command post, the commander, unaware that the Belken artillerymen had already accomplished their mission and left without a trace, brushed away a layer of sand that had settled on the map due to the shelling and gave the order. Although his men were on higher ground with a better view, the Belken artillery was well concealed, and they were unable to determine the enemy's position for a long time. His subordinates also lacked the skill to deduce the enemy's location from the impact points. Not wanting to be passively bombed, the commander could only ask nearby friendly forces for help.

This is a new function opened to the Kingdom of Erdogan forces after the Allied Forces established a joint command. Whether it's air support, artillery support, or any other miscellaneous needs, if the Kingdom of Erdogan forces determine that they cannot handle it on their own, they can submit the request to the command via radio or messenger. After evaluation, the command will forward the request to the 7th Brigade's staff, which will then decide whether to respond to the Kingdom of Erdogan's request and how to achieve their tactical objectives. After all, the equipment differences between the two armies are significant. A target that the Erdogan might need 152mm heavy artillery to eliminate could be easily handled by the 7th Brigade with a few drone bombs. If the 7th Brigade simply does whatever others tell them to do, they might end up paying for BVVD ammunition after the battle.

"We don't need their artillery to fire. As long as we can provide the approximate location of the enemy artillery, we can take them out." He also knew that friendly forces' ammunition was precious, so he added.

8. Due to the involvement of high-value targets such as artillery, the report was quickly placed on the desk of the 7th Brigade's staff and approved. The nearest drone to the brigade responded to their request and began to fly towards the reconnaissance area designated by the Kingdom Army, attempting to locate the Belken artillery through optical search. After all, Belken artillery produces quite noticeable flashes and smoke when firing, which are quite visible from the sky.

However, this time, when the drone operator flew to the mission area and completed a circle, he was somewhat confused because he didn't see any signs of artillery fire at all—Belken artillery, you're not here at all, where are you hiding? At this moment, the report that Belken artillery had stopped shelling ten minutes earlier was finally relayed to the drone operator.

These bastards are trying to run away after showing off! The drone operator realized this almost immediately. So without hesitation, he activated the drone's infrared module and further lowered its altitude to re-survey the target area. The drone was small and agile; even at a lower altitude, and even with the Belken bringing their anti-aircraft vehicles, shooting it down was still extremely difficult.

This time, he indeed made a new discovery. A convoy towing artillery pieces quickly came into view, and the infrared signals from the cannons were still clearly visible. The operator quickly recorded the location, speed, and direction of travel of the three trucks, and the relevant information was sent to the Kingdom's artillery.

……

Some readers have provided analysis on modification plans for the SU-122; those interested can join the group to take a look.

Volume 1: Chapter 249 Chapter 232 First Round of Encounters (2)