When Hu Hao said he wanted to wipe out the Allied forces on the opposite bank tonight, Xiao Quan felt uneasy. There were simply too many enemy troops. Xiao Quan worried that taking the initiative to attack wouldn’t wipe out the Allied forces, but would instead plunge their own troops into danger.
“I know. But if we keep fighting like this, our troops will be consumed even faster. Don’t worry, we won’t attack right away. I estimate we’ll have to hold on for at least another hour, maybe even longer.
“Once we’re on the verge of being unable to hold out, we must counterattack. We cannot wait any longer. If we wait, we won’t be able to afford the attrition; the veterans we have left will all be consumed!” Hu Hao explained to Xiao Quan.
“But Hao-ge, we don’t have many men left. Even if we counterattack, it’s impossible for us to completely annihilate the Allied forces on the opposite bank!” Xiao Quan still hoped Hu Hao would reconsider.
“Why is it impossible?” Hu Hao turned his head and asked.
“The Allied forces committed no less than 80,000 troops to today’s offensive, and they probably have another 10,000 or so in the rear. Judging from the current battlefield situation, we fought well; they probably suffered around 20,000 casualties.
“Even if our final artillery bombardment inflicts another 10,000 or so casualties, the Allied troop strength will still be over 60,000 or 70,000. Tell me, can we really kill 60,000 to 70,000 of them in a single night?” Xiao Quan stood there, calculating the numbers for Hu Hao.
“My artillery will only cause 10,000 casualties? You underestimate my artillery way too much. Look at the Allied forces over there; their troops are so densely packed. Our artillery can extend its barrage all the way through. And yes, the Allied forces have artillery too, but I don’t give a damn about them. We’ll wipe out their infantry first!” Hu Hao said, looking at Xiao Quan.
“But… sigh. Hao-ge, why the rush? We just need to hold out for tonight! We’ll still have a chance tomorrow night, won’t we?” Xiao Quan urged anxiously.
“Can we even hold out for tonight? How many troops do you think we have left? Once our casualties get too high, our defensive line could be breached at any moment. Even if we hold out tonight, what if the Allied forces attack again tomorrow morning? How do we counterattack then?
“Hmm? Will we still be able to counterattack? If we can’t counterattack and the Allied forces keep attacking, do you honestly think our defensive line will hold? Let me tell you, we must counterattack tonight.
“Furthermore, don’t forget that the Allied forces have another four corps marching our way. One of those corps is highly likely heading in our direction. Even if we can block their attack today, we’ll still be broken through in a couple of days.” Hu Hao said, looking at Xiao Quan.
“Sigh. Motherfucker, why do they keep zeroing in on us?!” Hearing this, Xiao Quan knew Hu Hao was right.
If they didn’t counterattack, if they didn’t take the initiative to strike and relied solely on defense, stopping the Allied forces would be almost impossible. Therefore, to hold this place, he really had to listen to Hu Hao and take the initiative. They had to wipe out these current Allied forces to have any chance of defending against the incoming Allied reinforcements.
“Late City behind us is far too important to the Allied nations. They want to sustain the war through war, gathering as many supplies locally as possible instead of transporting them from their own countries.
“If they can’t manage local procurement and have to rely entirely on domestic transport, they won’t be able to fight this war for long!” Hu Hao stood there, explaining to Xiao Quan.
“Alright, I’ll go contact Li Jingsong!” Xiao Quan nodded and said to Hu Hao.
Hu Hao didn’t speak. He continued observing the situation on the opposite bank. Right now, the Allied engineering units, under the cover of tank and armored units, were building pontoon bridges across the river.
Although heavy machine guns guarded this side, the opportunities to fire were extremely rare. The Allied tanks and armored vehicles continuously provided cover for their engineers, heavily suppressing Hu Hao’s defensive line and leaving the defending soldiers with almost no chance to shoot.
Fortunately, the armored and tank units in the rear inflicted considerable casualties on the Allied tanks. However, Hu Hao’s tank units were ultimately limited and couldn’t cover such a long defensive line comprehensively.
“Brothers, hold the line!” a Battalion Commander roared, the rifle in his hands never stopping. Inside the trenches, there were many soldiers’ bodies, but no one had the time to move them aside. They had no choice; the fight across the entire defensive line was incredibly grueling.
“Fire! Rocket launchers! Take out those tanks on the opposite bank!” a Company Commander shouted loudly.
“Rat-a-tat-tat!” As soon as a heavy machine gun opened fire, it would immediately be suppressed by Allied heavy machine guns and infantry. The highest concentration of bodies was right next to the heavy machine gun emplacements!
“Medic! Medic! We have wounded here!” a soldier yelled.
“The medic is dead!” another soldier shouted loudly while changing his magazine nearby.
“Motherfucker!” Hearing this, the first soldier immediately pulled back his rifle and dragged the wounded man into an air-raid shelter. Upon dragging him inside, he saw several other wounded men whose hands could still move, though their legs or stomachs had been blasted. They were all leaning against the walls of the shelter.
“I’m leaving him to you guys! Help him!” the soldier yelled to the wounded inside.
“Don’t worry, we got it!” One of the wounded grabbed some nearby gauze to bandage the newly arrived man. The soldier immediately rushed back out. The moment he was out, he raised his rifle and fired at the opposite bank.
“Motherfucker, there are too many! All staff officers, grab your weapons and get out there!” a Regimental Commander roared. His guard units had already been completely deployed. With no other troops left on hand, he could only send his staff officers into the fray.
“Wang Yao! Wang Yao!” In the distance, a First Lieutenant yelled loudly.
“Here!” After firing a shot, Wang Yao immediately ducked and shouted back.
“The Regimental Commander is calling for you! He wants you over there, hurry!” the soldier in the distance yelled.
Hearing this, Wang Yao grabbed his rifle, hunched his back, and sprinted swiftly toward the regimental command center. As soon as he entered, he saw that only a few people were left. All the staff officers were gone. Only the Regimental Commander, Deputy Regimental Commander, Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and a few communications officers remained.
“Regimental Commander!” Wang Yao called out as he approached.
“I am officially ordering you to act as the Commander of the 2nd Battalion! Hold the 2nd Battalion’s defensive line for me!” Wu Kexiao stood there, looking at Wang Yao.
“What? Where is our Battalion Commander? And the other Company Commanders?” Wang Yao asked in shock.
“Either killed in action or severely wounded. You’re the only First Lieutenant left. Moreover, you’re a military academy graduate and have fought well. Now, you are the Acting Battalion Commander. In short, do not let the Allied forces charge over and breach our positions!” Wu Kexiao told him.
“Yes, sir!” Wang Yao nodded.
“Get out there!” Wu Kexiao ordered. Wang Yao immediately rushed out!
“Brothers, kill them!” Mo Qin roared loudly, one arm resting in a sling around his neck while his other hand gripped a pistol!
The casualties on both sides were massive. On the riverbank, the Allied forces had accumulated a staggering number of corpses. A huge number of wrecked armored vehicles and tanks were also stalled there, and some of the bodies were soaking in the water.
Because the craters blasted into the sandy beach immediately filled with water, the corpses inside them quickly floated to the surface. The river water was dyed completely red with blood.
“I have to admit, this unit must be an elite Eastern Spirit force. Our casualties are not light!” Hakes said, looking at the opposite bank.
“Indeed. Their soldiers possess an incredibly tenacious will to fight. Look, even though their firepower has begun to wane, their soldiers are still persistently fighting back. Many of our infantrymen were killed just like that!” Ren Kefu nodded.
“How many casualties do you estimate we’ve suffered on this line of attack?” Hakes asked, looking at them.
He knew his own troops had definitely taken heavy losses. But no matter how high they were, he had to order his men to keep attacking, because the casualties on the opposite bank were surely immense as well. However, the current casualty rate was making Hakes lose some of his confidence, so he asked the other two.
“No less than 20,000!” Abusai replied.
“More than that. It’s probably already exceeded 20,000. If we truly want to break their defensive line, the total casualties could exceed 30,000, perhaps even 40,000. Right now, our engineers are constructing the pontoon bridges.
“From the looks of it, they’ll need about another half an hour to succeed. But look at the opposite bank—their firepower is starting to concentrate toward the pontoon bridges. This means that if our soldiers want to cross the river, the casualties will undoubtedly be catastrophic!” Ren Kefu stated.
“Damn it! The enemy has so few troops, yet they can still inflict such massive casualties on us? Almost halving our numbers?!” Hakes cursed.
“For our Allied forces, completely annihilating this unit is more difficult than wiping out an entire Eastern Spirit corps anywhere else. Unfortunately, Command definitely doesn’t know how formidable this unit is. They’ll just call us useless for taking so many casualties while attacking a single division’s position with three corps!” Ren Kefu remarked.
“Mm. As long as we can enter Late City, it will still be worth it!” Hakes consoled himself. Right now, he just wanted to lead his troops into Late City as quickly as possible.
At the same time, he also hoped that Ren Kefu and Abusai’s forces would suffer heavy casualties in this attack. That way, once they reached Late City, his own troops would have the final say. Of course, he definitely wouldn’t show such thoughts outwardly.
“Regardless, our forces will have no problem breaking through here tonight!” Ren Kefu smiled at Hakes.
(End of Chapter)