Bai Ye stood there, watching the massive Allied marching column approach from the distance. The seemingly endless procession of vehicles was speeding toward Muqiao City.
“Start your engines! The moment they start, attack! Give them hell!” Bai Ye roared.
“Start your engines!” The staff officers below began shouting the order over the communication channels.
“Rumble!” In an instant, countless tanks roared to life, their headlights illuminating the forest simultaneously.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The Allied forces spotted the headlights, but before they could even react, muzzle flashes erupted from the forest. A moment later, numerous tanks in their column exploded.
“Damn it, it’s an ambush!” Countless officers screamed upon seeing this.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Many of the lead tanks were struck and destroyed, immediately blocking the road ahead.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” At that moment, the Eastern Spirit tanks began surging out of the forest, effortlessly crushing the trees in their path.
As they charged, their main guns were aimed squarely at the enemy tanks on their flanks. They had to prioritize eliminating the tanks before turning their fire onto the armored vehicles ahead of them. Armored vehicles posed virtually no threat to a tank force.
Their armor-piercing shells would easily tear the armored vehicles apart, while the vehicles’ own weapons couldn’t inflict any substantial damage on the tanks.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
“Rat-a-tat-tat!”
“Rat-a-tat-tat!”
The distant Allied vehicles, particularly the armored vehicles, scrambled to adjust their directions, attempting to fire back at the Eastern Spirit forces emerging from the forest. However, once they realized they were facing a massive tank formation, panic set in among the Allied soldiers.
“It’s tanks! Eastern Spirit tanks! How are we supposed to fight that?!” The squad leaders inside the armored vehicles were terrified. Pitting armored vehicles against tanks was sheer suicide.
“Hurry! Dismount! Everyone dismount! If we get hit by those tanks, we’re all finished!” The squad leaders roared frantically. They knew full well that if an armor-piercing shell struck their vehicle, everyone inside would be vaporized instantly.
“Dismount!” Countless soldiers screamed as they scrambled out of their vehicles.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Bai Ye’s tanks continued their rapid advance toward the highway. A distance of 300 meters was nothing for a charging tank; they would cross it in minutes!
“Hurry! Retreat! Rear units, retreat! It’s an Eastern Spirit tank force!” Countless officers roared at the top of their lungs. They knew that when ambushed by a massive tank force, their only option was to run. Trying to fight tanks head-on without proper anti-tank weaponry was impossible.
“Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…” Just then, they noticed flashing lights approaching from the east, accompanied by the distinct roar of helicopter rotors.
“Air Cavalry!” Many officers looked east and immediately realized the Eastern Spirit Air Cavalry had arrived!
“Thump-thump-thump-thump~”
“Thump-thump-thump-thump~”
Before they could react further, the Air Cavalry helicopters unleashed a relentless barrage of armor-piercing autocannon rounds upon the armored vehicles below.
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!” Explosions rippled down the entire length of the highway. The Allied forces were taking catastrophic losses before they even fully grasped what was happening.
“Infantry, dismount! Annihilate them! Tanks, armored vehicles—open fire with your heavy machine guns! Wipe them out!” Seeing that the vast majority of the Allied tanks had been destroyed, Bai Ye knew the enemy force was effectively broken.
“Dismount! Annihilate them!” The infantrymen attached to the tank units roared as they scrambled out of their transport vehicles. Gripping their rifles tightly, they charged forward. By now, the tanks had almost reached the edge of the highway.
“Rat-a-tat-tat!”
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
For over 20 kilometers along the highway, the sounds of fierce combat echoed into the night. The muzzle flashes and exploding vehicles lit up the sky, visible from miles away!
“What’s happening?!” Hearing the massive explosions from behind them, the Allied Armored Regiment Commander currently stalled in Muqiao City scrambled out of his tank.
Initially, Hu Hao had considered having the Air Cavalry wipe out this vanguard unit first. But he ultimately decided against it, choosing to leave them for the return trip. His primary target was the Allied main force.
If the vanguard discovered the presence of the Air Cavalry, they would report it, and the approaching main force might halt their advance and retreat. That would completely ruin the ambush.
Therefore, Hu Hao had ordered Li Jingsong’s forces to simply hold their ground. As long as the Allied vanguard didn’t attack, they shouldn’t attack either; they would wait for the rear units to finish them off later. And the Air Cavalry was incredibly efficient at destroying armored vehicles, especially those trapped on a highway!
“Motherfuckers! Are you trying to steal our kills?! What do we even need you for?!” Seeing the Allied vehicles ahead of him being blown to pieces and the enemy soldiers being mowed down by the helicopters’ heavy machine guns, an Eastern Spirit tank battalion commander cursed in dissatisfaction. Those Allied forces were their targets! Having their prey snatched right from under their noses by the Air Cavalry was infuriating!
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The helicopters continued their relentless sweep westward along the highway, where massive numbers of armored vehicles were still clustered.
“We’re finished! We’re finished! They actually deployed Air Cavalry! Didn’t they say there were no Eastern Spirit forces left here?! Didn’t they say they had all retreated?! Why are there still Eastern Spirit forces here?!”
Sitting inside a command vehicle desperately fleeing westward, an Allied Lieutenant General watched the Air Cavalry pursuing them in the rearview mirror and knew his corps was doomed.
None of them had ever expected the Eastern Spirit Empire to still have such massive forces stationed here, let alone an entire Air Cavalry division! They had been ambushed while in a marching formation, completely unprepared. Their anti-aircraft weapons were still hitched to the back of their armored vehicles; they hadn’t fired a single shot before their vehicles were blown to pieces.
“Corps Commander, dismount! Hurry, dismount! The Air Cavalry is here!” a staff officer urged the Lieutenant General frantically.
“Dismount? Ha! What good will dismounting do? Do you honestly think we can outrun their tanks and armored vehicles on foot? Our forces walked right into a trap… a massive trap!” The Lieutenant General laughed bitterly.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” A series of explosions erupted from the vehicles just behind them!
“Corps Commander, dismount!”
“Boom! Boom!” The next moment, a barrage of armor-piercing rounds from a helicopter tore through their command vehicle, detonating it instantly. Everyone inside was engulfed in flames.
…
“Report! Hao-ge, Bai Ye has successfully ambushed the Allied forces! The battle is currently raging!” a staff officer reported to Hu Hao.
“Good! As long as the ambush is sprung, the Allied forces are dead meat! With so many tanks bearing down on them, how could they possibly defend themselves?
“Oh, right! Remind Zheng Longjiang: on his way back, wipe out the vanguard forces stalled in front of Li Jingsong! Leave no survivors! Also, once the Air Cavalry finishes their sweep, order Li Jingsong to deploy his armored units to clean up the remnants!” Hu Hao instructed another staff officer!
“Yes, sir!” The staff officer nodded and immediately went to relay the orders.
“Check on Jukou Town! After crossing the river, have the Allied forces shown any signs of marching toward our position?” Hu Hao asked another staff officer.
“Report! According to intelligence from our reconnaissance units, their current objective remains pursuing the 27th Corps. They are continuously marching north!” the staff officer replied.
“Good. Let them march north. They’ll likely turn around and head south later anyway,” Hu Hao nodded thoughtfully.
Right now, the two greatest threats to Hu Hao were the Allied corps he was currently ambushing and the Limaguo 11th Corps. The 11th Corps’ previous opponent had been the Eastern Spirit 27th Corps.
Now that the 27th Corps had retreated, the Limaguo 11th Corps had crossed the river and was in hot pursuit. They intended to push north with maximum speed, hoping to prevent the retreating Eastern Spirit forces from establishing a new defensive line, allowing them to thrust deep into the Empire’s territory!
…
“Report! We just received a telegram from Allied Headquarters! They have discovered traces of Eastern Spirit forces near Muqiao City! Headquarters wants us to divert our advance and eliminate this enemy force!” Over at the Limaguo 11th Corps, a staff officer reported to the Corps Commander, who was resting nearby.
“What? Eastern Spirit forces in Muqiao City? How is that possible? The 27th Corps has already retreated, and they are right in front of us! Where did the troops in Muqiao City come from?!” the Corps Commander asked, baffled.
“That’s what the orders say. Look here. However… there shouldn’t be any large enemy formations over there. If there are troops, they’re likely just scattered remnants retreating from the Western line. They definitely can’t pose a significant threat. Furthermore, don’t we have Allied forces operating in that sector already?” the staff officer reasoned.
“Keep inquiring! Find out exactly what kind of troops are over there! How could there possibly be a large force present?! Right now, we’re hot on the heels of the 27th Corps! Ordering us to detour all the way to Muqiao City… we wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow morning!
“If we continue pursuing the 27th Corps, we might be able to smash through the new defensive line they’re trying to build in Zhongzhou Province!” The 11th Corps Commander had no desire to head to Muqiao City.
He actually wanted to secure Late City, but his troops had already marched a considerable distance forward; turning back now was simply unfeasible. Moreover, Late City had already been claimed by the Mara Empire forces—the very corps currently pursuing from the west.
Mara Empire was the dominant power within the Allied coalition. Their military strength ranked first in the Southern Region and second globally on Planet Yuanling. Therefore, no one dared to contest a prize Mara Empire had set its eyes on.
Consequently, Limaguo was deeply dissatisfied with Mara Empire claiming Late City. Logically, the Limaguo 11th Corps was the closest, and there was no need to divert an entire corps from the Western line. However, the higher-ups had refused to listen. Now they wanted him to divert to Muqiao City? He refused.
(End of Chapter)