The Allied forces launched their general offensive against Yonghe City shortly after 6:00 PM. The sun hadn’t fully set, and the silhouettes of the advancing tanks were clearly visible against the twilight sky.
For this initial assault, the Allied forces committed roughly four divisions: two infantry divisions, one tank division, and one mechanized infantry division, with another mechanized division held in reserve, ready to exploit any breakthroughs.
“Get out! Get out! Bring the infantry guns forward!” junior officers shouted across the defensive lines.
Soldiers poured out of their deep bunkers and subterranean shelters, rushing to man the prepared defensive fortifications and low-rise buildings facing the enemy advance. They gripped their weapons, eyes locked on the horizon.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions continued to rock the city as the remaining two Allied artillery regiments pounded the western and northern sectors. The defenders could only hug the walls of their bunkers and wait for the barrage to lift.
“Rocket launchers, prepare to fire! I don’t care if it’s an armored car or a tank, if you see it, shoot it! Infantry guns, same orders! Heavy machine gunners on the upper floors, focus entirely on their infantry!” the junior officers bellowed their final instructions.
The soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, watching the massive Allied tanks rumble toward them, followed closely by waves of armored personnel carriers and dismounted infantry.
BOOM! BOOM!
The advancing tanks fired their main guns continuously, targeting suspected enemy positions and blasting away makeshift roadblocks to clear a path for the armored columns.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
As the tanks closed within 500 meters of the city’s edge, they opened fire with their coaxial machine guns.
Simultaneously, the distinctive thrum of rotor blades echoed from the distance. The Allied air cavalry had arrived.
“Damn it, air cavalry! Rocket launchers, heavy machine guns on the roofs, prioritize the helicopters!” The company commanders immediately recognized the primary threat.
They had to eliminate the gunships first. If the helicopters managed to fly over their defensive lines and attack them from the rear, the entire defense would collapse.
“Hao-ge, it’s the air cavalry!” a staff officer reported, pointing at the main screen.
“I see them,” Hu Hao nodded, his eyes fixed on the display.
“We have to take out those helicopters first. If they get directly above our positions, we’re screwed. A single hit from their heavy machine guns or autocannons will rip a man in half!” the junior officers in the command center murmured anxiously.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) streaked toward the approaching helicopters.
Many pilots managed to take evasive action, dodging the incoming rockets. However, those targeted by multiple RPGs simultaneously found themselves trapped. Several helicopters were struck, erupting in fireballs before spiraling down to crash into the ruined streets.
“Fire!” the officers on the defensive lines roared. The Allied forces were now within effective range; it was time to unleash hell.
Rat-tat-tat!
Heavy machine guns, assault rifles, and infantry guns erupted in a deafening chorus, pouring fire into the advancing Allied ranks.
Rat-tat-tat!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Despite taking casualties, the Allied infantry and armor continued their relentless charge toward the defensive lines.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
The surviving Allied helicopters retaliated, unleashing their autocannons on the defending infantry and targeting any exposed infantry guns they could spot.
BOOM! BOOM!
The Allied gunships exerted immense pressure on Hu Hao’s troops, but the RPG gunners remained focused on their primary objective: eliminate the helicopters. Hitting a helicopter out in the open was difficult, but as they closed in on the city, their maneuverability was restricted, making them easier targets. RPG rockets traveled incredibly fast; once a gunner locked onto a helicopter at close range, it was almost impossible for the pilot to evade.
Furthermore, many of the RPG teams were positioned inside buildings, firing through windows or from rooftops with overhead cover. The Allied pilots found it nearly impossible to spot these concealed positions before the rockets were already in the air.
BOOM! BOOM!
Allied helicopters continued to fall from the sky. Meanwhile, the Allied tanks were forced to either navigate around the established anti-tank positions or attempt to blast through them, trying to forge a path into the city.
The defending heavy machine guns provided covering fire for the infantry guns repositioning near the front, while the heavy machine guns mounted on the Allied armored vehicles tried to suppress the defenders and cover their own advancing infantry. As long as the Allied infantry could breach the first line, the tanks would follow and secure the breakthrough.
“Order the troops on the first defensive line to fall back! Let them into the city!” Hu Hao commanded suddenly.
“Ah? Just retreat?” a staff officer asked, stunned by the order.
“Retreat!” Hu Hao confirmed with a nod.
The staff officer immediately relayed the order to the frontline regimental commanders. The junior officers in the command center stared at Hu Hao in bewilderment. They couldn’t fathom why he would order a retreat so early in the battle.
“Understood! Retreat!” The regimental commanders on the front lines received the order and immediately commanded their vanguard units to pull back. The soldiers instantly abandoned the first defensive line.
“Hao-ge, we’re just giving up the first line like that? Is that wise?” Mo Qin asked, standing beside Hu Hao.
“Wise? Why wouldn’t it be? We cannot hold the first line. They have air cavalry, tanks, and armored vehicles, all with clear lines of sight from the open ground.
“If we try to hold the first line, we’re just throwing lives away. The second and third defensive lines, nestled deeper within the city, are where we make our true stand!” Hu Hao explained, looking at Mo Qin.
“Retreat! Retreat!” The frontline commanders led their men in an organized withdrawal, abandoning their fighting positions and moving through pre-prepared rat-runs and blasted holes in the interior walls of buildings to reach the second line.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Once the retreat was complete, the rearguard detonated pre-planted explosives, collapsing sections of the buildings behind them to prevent the Allied forces from using those same pathways to pursue them.
“Hurry! Second line, prepare for contact! RPGs, get ready to swat those helicopters out of the sky! Damn it!” Li Nan cursed from his regimental command post, watching the Allied forces swarm over the abandoned first line.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
The moment the Allied soldiers pushed past the first line, they unleashed suppressive fire toward the deeper city blocks. However, the defenders on the second line held their fire, waiting.
“They’re coming in! The air cavalry has breached the perimeter!” a soldier shouted as he spotted several helicopters flying low between the buildings, advancing along the streets alongside the tanks and armored vehicles below them.
“Take out those helicopters!” an officer roared.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Instantly, dozens of RPGs streaked from the windows of the surrounding buildings!
“Damn it! Evasive maneuvers! Evasive maneuvers!” an Allied pilot screamed into his radio.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
In that single street alone, three helicopters were blown out of the sky.
The scene repeated itself across the contested sectors. The moment the Allied gunships flew into the narrow confines of the city streets, they were targeted by a massive, coordinated barrage of RPGs. With buildings on either side, they had nowhere to maneuver and nowhere to hide.
“Yes!” The junior officers in Hu Hao’s command center cheered wildly as they watched the Allied air cavalry get decimated.
“Hao-ge, they barely have any helicopters left!” Mo Qin reported excitedly.
“Fools. Flying gunships into an unsecured urban environment… they were asking to die,” Hu Hao sneered.
“Ah!” Mo Qin finally understood the brilliance of Hu Hao’s retreat order. He had drawn the Allied forces—specifically the helicopters—into the dense urban terrain where their maneuverability was negated and they were isolated from mutual support, making them easy prey for concealed RPG teams.
“Excellent shooting! Brothers, focus on their tanks now! Damn it, take out the armor! Infantry guns, open fire!” The frontline officers, relieved that the immediate threat from the air cavalry had been neutralized, shifted their focus.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Infantry guns hidden within buildings and fortified bunkers, along with countless RPG teams firing from windows, unleashed a devastating volley against the advancing Allied tanks and armored vehicles. The Allied infantry desperately tried to return fire and cover their armor, but the defenders’ heavy machine guns on the second line finally opened up, cutting them down.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
The western and northern sectors of Yonghe City were consumed by a cacophony of explosions and relentless gunfire.
“Damn it! Infantry, cover us! Suppress those RPG teams!” a tank commander screamed over the radio.
“Damn it, how?! They’re firing from the upper floors! We don’t know which windows they’re shooting from until it’s too late!” an infantry commander yelled back.
“Cover the tanks! Elevate your main guns! If you see an open window facing us, blow it to hell!” the tank commander ordered his gunner.
“We can’t just focus on the buildings! They have infantry guns at ground level! We have to eliminate those guns; they’re tearing our armor apart!” another tank commander argued frantically over the chaotic comms channel.
Rat-tat-tat!
Bang! Bang!
“Infantry, push forward! Assault those buildings and establish heavy machine gun positions!” the commander of the mechanized infantry division ordered desperately.
The Allied forces had charged into the city, only to be ambushed and brutalized. Within ten minutes, their entire air cavalry vanguard had been annihilated, and their armored columns were suffering horrific losses.
To make matters worse, the narrow streets were quickly becoming choked with the burning wrecks of destroyed tanks, blocking the path for the armored vehicles behind them. The APCs lacked the power to push the massive tank hulks out of the way. Without armored support, the infantry found themselves pinned down, unable to advance against the withering defensive fire.
“Long Yagu!” Hu Hao called out in the command center.
“Here, sir!” Long Yagu snapped to attention.
“Come here,” Hu Hao beckoned him over.
“Yes, sir!” Long Yagu jogged over to the main screen.
“Look at this. How exactly are they supposed to ‘divide and conquer’ us now?” Hu Hao asked, pointing at the chaotic scene unfolding on the monitors.
“Hehe…” Long Yagu offered a sheepish, embarrassed smile.
“I am not criticizing you. I want you to remember this: wars are not won by relying on a single branch of the military. Yes, they have more tanks. Yes, they have more armored vehicles.
“But look at the reality. We hold the superior terrain. Their initial assault was doomed to fail. They charged into a dense urban environment without even basic intelligence on the layout. How could they possibly divide our forces? Keep watching. Reflect deeply on this. Why did reality diverge so drastically from your simulation?” Hu Hao instructed, his tone firm but educational.
(End of Chapter)