Hu Hao and the main force had just arrived at the small county town when they saw their troops already securing vantage points. Gunfire and explosions echoed from ahead, but Hu Hao still didn’t know what was happening.
“Hao-ge, our soldiers saw Allied troops harassing civilian women and couldn’t hold back, so they killed them. But right after they finished, another group of Allied soldiers came over, which triggered this firefight. Originally, we planned to surround them before attacking. Now, they’ve deployed a battalion to hunt for our men. Seeing that we were already exposed, we just started fighting!” the Team Leader who had led the reconnaissance unit ran over and reported to Hu Hao.
“Hmm, then fight. But after this is over, you all need to write a self-criticism. Why was there no covering fire when taking out those Allied soldiers?! Why were other Allied soldiers able to discover it?! You need to reflect on all of this!” Hu Hao nodded and stated.
He then readied his assault rifle and began advancing, with Dong Qipeng following close behind.
Bang, bang, bang! Bang! Boom!
The sounds of gunfire from the small county town grew increasingly intense. By now, the Allied forces had realized they had likely encountered an Eastern Spirit Empire reconnaissance unit!
“Mobilize our troops! Secure those vantage points immediately! We cannot let them just push in like this!” the defending division commander shouted.
He hadn’t taken the battle outside very seriously yet. It was pouring rain, and he hadn’t received any intelligence from his corps headquarters regarding large-scale Eastern Spirit troop movements. Therefore, he assumed the attackers were merely a small unit!
However, as he listened to the gunfire outside, the division commander began to feel doubtful!
“This isn’t right. Why is there so much gunfire? Contact the battalion commander at the front and see what’s going on! Also, have the troops in our camp mobilized yet?” the division commander asked his Chief of Staff.
“Report! They have mobilized. However, we cannot contact the battalion commander at the front!” a staff officer reported before the Chief of Staff could answer.
“Cannot contact him? What do you mean?” The division commander turned to the staff officer.
“We tried to contact him to ask about the situation, but we called several times and no one answered!” the staff officer explained. Hearing this, the division commander immediately looked at his Chief of Staff.
“Report! A call from the 2nd Regiment Commander!” another staff officer stood up and shouted!
“Give it to me!” The division commander took the phone!
“Division Commander, requesting reinforcements! Our troops have been out for less than five minutes, and we’ve suffered massive casualties! The Eastern Spirit forces out there are not a reconnaissance unit; they are a main force! Hurry up and send troops to secure the vantage points! Also, order our troops to enter the defensive lines quickly!” the regimental commander yelled frantically.
“What? It’s a main force?!” The division commander was deeply shocked.
“Hurry! Order the troops to enter their positions! Additionally, send reinforcements to the 2nd Regiment immediately! They are suffering catastrophic losses!” The division commander slammed the phone down and barked orders at his staff officers.
“Yes, sir!” The staff officers in the command center immediately began contacting the various units, ordering them into position or to reinforce the 2nd Regiment.
“How could it be a main force?! If a main force was mobilizing, our corps headquarters definitely would have sent us intelligence!” the Chief of Staff asked, equally bewildered.
“Hmm, it’s strange!” the division commander agreed with a nod.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hu Hao was currently advancing down a street leading toward the Allied military camp. Several armored vehicles had driven out, but they had all been crippled by the heavy snipers positioned in the buildings above. The heavy machine gunners fared even worse.
The snipers were experienced now: take out the heavy firepower first, then the officers, and finally any soldiers posing an immediate threat.
Therefore, whenever they saw an Allied armored vehicle emerge, they would immediately take out the heavy machine gunner on top, followed by a shot to kill the driver. The vast majority of the remaining infantry inside would then choose to disembark.
If they didn’t disembark and instead tried to move the dead driver to continue driving, the snipers would simply keep firing into the driver’s seat until the Allied soldiers finally abandoned the vehicle.
Bang, bang, bang! Hu Hao continued firing forward. It wasn’t just Hu Hao; many soldiers armed with assault rifles were charging forward alongside him!
“Reporting to the Division Commander! The frontline is requesting reinforcements! Our troops have suffered massive casualties, and we’ve lost contact with the 2nd Regiment Commander! Furthermore, our defensive positions have also been attacked! The attackers are behind our lines!” a senior staff officer rushed over to report.
“What?! Behind our lines?! How is that possible?!” the division commander yelled.
“It’s true! Our troops were attacked from behind the moment they entered their positions! The attacking forces are in the buildings behind our lines! Our heavy machine gunners have been taken out. It seems… it seems we are the ones being suppressed!” the senior staff officer explained.
“Damn it! Exactly how many troops did the Eastern Spirit Empire send?! Why did a massive force arrive without us receiving a single piece of intelligence?!” the division commander roared furiously, then proceeded to dial his Corps Commander’s number!
“Hello, Corps Commander? This is the Commander of the 2nd Division! Corps Commander, why has a massive Eastern Spirit force appeared here without us receiving any prior intelligence?! What exactly is going on?!” the division commander demanded loudly.
“Yes, a main force! What do you mean ‘impossible’?! My troops are currently engaged in fierce combat, and we were completely unprepared! The Eastern Spirit troops have already fought their way into the city; they are everywhere!” the division commander yelled upon hearing his superior deny the possibility!
“Yes, yes, I will drive them out! Fine! Corps Commander, you need to investigate why our reconnaissance units failed to send back any intelligence!” the division commander shouted before hanging up.
“Order our troops to secure a portion of the area first! Don’t panic! We still don’t know how many Eastern Spirit troops are out there. Prioritize stability; we need to clarify their situation first!” the division commander instructed his Chief of Staff.
“Yes, sir!” the Chief of Staff replied!
Meanwhile, the gunfire outside was growing louder and closer, causing the division commander’s face to pale.
The fact that the gunfire was getting closer meant his troops were losing ground. He had just sent out a significant number of troops; how could they be losing so quickly?
“Division Commander?” the Chief of Staff looked at him after issuing the orders.
“Have we figured out exactly how many Eastern Spirit troops there are yet?!” the division commander demanded.
“Not yet. However, I suspect these are the Eastern Spirit Empire’s vanguard forces, with a main force likely following behind!” the Chief of Staff suggested.
“Stop guessing! You need to show me proof! Listen to the gunfire outside—it’s all rifle fire! And there’s another, very muffled type of gunfire. What kind of weapon is that?! Furthermore, why are our heavy machine guns and vehicle-mounted heavy machine guns completely silent?! It’s like they’re constipated—they fire a few shots and then nothing!” the division commander yelled at his Chief of Staff.
“Yes, sir! We are currently waiting for reports from the frontline! If the frontline doesn’t report back, we won’t know what’s happening!” the Chief of Staff nodded.
“I have an ominous premonition. We might be in deep trouble tonight!” the division commander said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
Bang! Bang!
Just then, they heard gunfire erupting near the entrance to the military camp!
“Report! The Eastern Spirit Empire’s troops have reached our military camp! Division Commander, you need to relocate!” A Major ran in—the commander of the division headquarters’ guard battalion—and shouted to the division commander.
“How many men are there?!” the division commander asked the guard battalion commander.
“I don’t know! They are still quite a distance from us, but their marksmanship is incredibly accurate! We’ve suffered heavy casualties!” the battalion commander reported.
“Report! The frontline troops are requesting support! Their forces have been severed, and they cannot establish contact with each other! Furthermore, the Eastern Spirit troops’ marksmanship is incredibly accurate; we are suffering catastrophic casualties!” A staff officer nearby stood up and shouted.
The division commander and the Chief of Staff exchanged a grim look.
“Send a telegram to the Corps Commander! I need reinforcements! Dispatch reinforcements immediately! This is the enemy’s vanguard force; their target might be our county town! Our troops have suffered massive casualties! Requesting immediate deployment of reinforcements!” the division commander yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Yes, sir!” The staff officer quickly drafted the telegram and ran out toward the telegraph room!
“Under normal circumstances, our reinforcements should be able to reach us in 30 minutes! As long as they move fast, it shouldn’t be a problem!” the Chief of Staff reassured the division commander.
“Hmm!” the division commander grunted, saying no more.
…
“Order our troops not to advance too quickly! Focus on eliminating the enemies currently engaged! Do not assault the Allied military camp! We are too close to Dingze City here; Allied reinforcements could arrive at any moment! We cannot allow ourselves to be counter-encircled! Everyone, focus on eliminating the Allied forces behind us and within our encirclement! Consolidate the areas we control!” After advancing for a while, Hu Hao ducked into a building, checked his watch, and immediately issued orders through his headset.
“Understood!” “Understood!” Several Squadron Leaders responded promptly.
“Hao-ge, isn’t it a bit of a waste to use our Special Operations Regiment against regular Allied infantry like this?” Dong Qipeng, following closely behind Hu Hao, was currently occupied doing the same thing Hu Hao was: rapidly using both hands to reload empty magazines.
“Since the fighting has already started, we fight. What other choice do we have? Wipe them out first, then we’ll see!” Hu Hao replied. After filling his magazines, he grabbed his weapon and headed back out to continue the assault.
…
“Report! We just received a report from Dingze City stating that combat has broken out in Liangcheng, west of Dingze City! They have already dispatched reinforcements!” a staff officer ran over to report to Vostok.
(End of Chapter)