Munitions Empire-Chapter 757 - 716 a sack for carrying liquor and a bag for carrying food

The sun shone down on the earth, and the dense clouds had dissipated, leaving only patches of white clouds in the sky, with the fragrance of moist soil permeating the air everywhere.

The bad weather had ended abruptly in the central and northern parts of the Tang Kingdom, where the rain had ceased, and a pleasant breeze made the climate delightful, temporarily making everyone forget the gloomy skies that had prevailed just a few days ago.

Such weather was simply perfect for the Tang Army—it was like a moonless night for murder or a high wind for arson—this weather suited the Tang Army’s combat operations, where their efficiency in killing would be extraordinarily high.

The 1st Armored Division, which had just been re-equipped with new tanks for a little over a week, could no longer hold back and, under the cover of the Air Force, launched another attack on the Dahua Empire’s border defense line.

For reasons of secrecy, the Panther Tanks did not appear at the front line, and the assault mission was still initiated by troops equipped with Type 4 tanks.

However, this time, the Tang Army’s tactics were completely different from the previous month, instantly shattering the Dahua Empire’s defense army’s basic understanding of the Tang Army.

Initially, the Dahua military had grown accustomed to the Tang Army’s counterattacks through bombardments during good weather, so when they saw the Tang Army’s bombers, the Dahua soldiers did not panic.

But as the number of bombers began to increase, everyone realized that this attack might be far more fierce than they had anticipated.

Five hundred Stuka Dive Bombers took off simultaneously, joining the frenzied bombardment of the Dahua Empire’s border defense line—a rarity in the history of the Great Tang Kingdom’s Air Force command.

Such a massive number of Stukas, escorted by more than 200 Butcher Fighters, covered the sky, frightening the Dahua Empire’s Air Force so much that they dared not send planes to intercept.

In fact, they even took off planes in a hurry, relocating those precious Shireck Type 1 fighters to second-line airfields to preserve their strength.

The bombing could be described as cruel—every target visible from the air was greeted by the Stuka Dive Bombers.

That unique, frightening howl echoed in the air continuously, with no respite all morning.

To support Redman’s offensive, Ibrahim assembled 800 Stuka Dive Bombers, nearly committing over half of his assets in one place.

These planes took off nearly 3,000 sorties that day, destroying every ground target they could find.

At the same time, a dense formation of Flying Fortress Bombers once again took to the skies, continuing the bombardment of Fengjiang, destroying the Fengjiang train station and cutting off Fengjiang’s transportation lines once more.

At noon, along the vast border line, the Tang Army assembled more than 200 rocket launchers and fired over 3,000 rockets at the Dahua Empire’s defense army positions in one breath!

These rockets almost simultaneously landed on the Dahua defense army’s positions within a few minutes, the dense barrage almost instantly crippling the Dahua Empire’s defenses.

The Dahua defense army, who had just entered their positions to prevent the Tang Army’s assault, was caught off guard and immediately overwhelmed by the rocket fire, losing their lives.

The Dahua border defense line, already enveloped in thick smoke from the Stuka Dive Bombers’ attacks, was once again smothered in billowing smoke that blotted out the sky.

Before the dust raised by the explosions had a chance to settle completely, the Tang Army, under the cover of more than a hundred Type 4 assault guns and more than a hundred Type 113 armored vehicles, launched an attack on the Dahua Empire’s border defense line.

Different from before, this time the Tang Army’s attack could be described as an overwhelming force that met with no resistance—the first offensive had breached the first layer of the Dahua Empire’s border defense line.

Although they lacked heavy artillery, the Tang Army fully utilized the strength of its Armored Corps, firing at close range and destroying the Dahua Empire’s defense line’s reinforced concrete bunkers.

The Type 113 mortar carrier vehicles were also deployed in combat, helping the infantry clear the way forward and compensating for the small caliber of the Type 4 assault guns.

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The well-coordinated Tang Army then expanded the breach, tearing a gap more than 3 kilometers wide before the Dahua military’s artillery could react.

The following Tang forces poured into this gap like a tidal wave, echoing the breakthrough of the Qi Country’s border defense line, with even the duration of the engagement being nearly the same.

By evening of the same day, the Tang Army had expanded the breach to over 10 kilometers, and the spearhead of the vanguard armored units had appeared on the flank of the Dahua Empire’s General Han Zhiyuan’s troops—which was in fact the flank of the main Dahua Empire forces attacking Xicong!

That night, upon learning that the defense line had been breached by the Tang Army, Han Zhiyuan immediately organized a counterattack, but the well-prepared Tang Army did not give the Dahua forces any opportunity, and both sides fought fiercely through the night, with the breakthrough point still controlled by the Tang Army.

By the next morning, the Dahua military found that their prayers had not been answered by the heavens: the sky was still clear, with barely a cloud to be seen.

This time, the Dahua Empire’s Air Force no longer had any excuses to protect themselves, they had to deploy, cover the ground troops in launching a counter-attack, close the breach, and push back the Tang Army that had broken through the defense line.

More than 200 Camel Fighters and over 100 Shireck Type-1 Fighters took off in formation, heading magnificently toward the skies above the battlefield.

The Tang Army, having busily deployed a radar unit at the gap overnight, soon detected the incoming enemy aircraft, and their fighters took off to join the battle shortly afterward.

Over 100 Butcher Fighters divided up these kills that had been delivered to their doorsteps, the air battle could be described as nothing short of a massacre.

After an embarrassing loss of over 100 fighters, the Air Force of the Dahua Empire fled in complete disarray, while the Tang Army lost only one fighter due to mechanical failure.

The ground battle was also fierce, the Dahua military sought to block off the Tang Army, attacking the controlled breakthrough point desperately, but the Tang Army would not budge and even committed an Armored Division to launch a counter-charge.

The battle lasted until late into the night, by which time the Tang Army had expanded the breach to over 20 kilometers, and the Dahua Empire’s counter-attack had utterly failed.

The attacking 2nd Armored Regiment of the 1st Armored Division of the Tang Army did not stop there, they pierced through toward the southwest, advancing 50 kilometers in one breath, destroying several artillery positions set up deep within the Dahua Empire’s defense line.

The next day, Han Zhiyuan realized he could no longer hold off the Tang Army’s advance and had no choice but to send this news to Qian Jinhang, who was fiercely attacking Xicong.

Upon learning this news, Qian Jinhang immediately sensed that the situation was grim, and sent a telegram to Feng Kezhi and Shen Chuan, hoping they would issue a retreat order.

After all, the over 500,000-strong army led by Qian Jinhang, attacking Xicong, along with the backup troops, saw nearly 750,000 soldiers of the Dahua Empire with their heads under the enemy’s guillotine.

If they could retreat in time and hold off the Tang Army’s advance, although inevitably at a disadvantage, there was at least hope of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.

By the time Shen Chuan received Qian Jinhang’s telegram, he was already at his wit’s end, having learned two days earlier of the Tang Army breaking through the defense lines in the Central Region.

For the past two days, he had been trying to plug this gap, but neither he nor Feng Kezhi could reverse the tide of battle.

They had issued countless desperate orders, gathering the most battle-ready elites of Dahua, yet they still could not repel the Tang Army or seal the gap in the defense line.

Feng Kezhi had not rested for three days and was constantly at the command center, amassing all the troops nearby the breach once again, mustering 30,000 soldiers in another attempt to recapture the lost positions.

Because Feng Kezhi was preoccupied with front-line matters, Shen Chuan was the only one reporting the situation when it came time to report.

He presented Qian Jinhang’s telegram to Emperor Zhao Kai and then asked, "Your Majesty! Qian Jinhang’s main forces are in peril, may we allow them to retreat first and stabilize the supply line before considering our next move?"

"Retreat?" As expected, upon hearing this, Zhao Kai’s anger flared. He slammed the table furiously and stood up swiftly, looking down at Shen Chuan like a tiger eyeing its prey.

The atmosphere instantly grew extremely tense, and the meeting room fell into a prolonged silence before Chief of Staff Chu Muzhou spoke to ease the tension, "Chief Shen! Such words should not be spoken lightly! If the troops in Xicong retreat, what would the emperors of other nations think? How can we stabilize morale if it collapses?"

"Prime Minister Chu, Your Majesty... General Qian is at the front line and knows more than we do. If he suggests a retreat, he must have his reasons." Shen Chuan thought it over and decided to pass the buck to Qian Jinhang, hoping that it would make it easier for him to speak in front of Zhao Kai.

"That’s the sign of cowardice! Afraid of death and too scared to fight!" Zhao Kai’s voice suddenly rose sharply, as if his tail had been stepped on.

"Tell Qian Jinhang! If he dares to retreat, I will definitely behead him!" Zhao Kai roared, his voice echoing throughout the room.

The siege of Xicong was a victory that he, Zhao Kai, had firmly in his grasp - a victory no one could snatch away! He wanted to conquer Tang Country, destroy Tang Country! He wanted the world to know who the true Emperor was!

Shen Chuan remained silent; Chu Muzhou waited a while for Zhao Kai’s sense to return to some level of calm before he spoke, "Your Majesty! It’s alright for General Qian to continue attacking Xicong, but securing his rear is also a necessary action."

"Han Zhiyuan is just a rice bucket!" Zhao Kai blurted out without any regard for the fact that just one month earlier, he had praised Han Zhiyuan as the pillar of the military for having stopped a probing attack by the Tang Army.

"Send an order to Han Zhiyuan! No! Shen Chuan! You go tell Feng Kezhi! He must retake the position within three days and plug the gap in the defense line!" Zhao Kai looked at Shen Chuan with a stern gaze.

Shen Chuan immediately stood up and bowed, promising, "Your Majesty! I shall carry out your command at once and convey it to Great General Feng."

"Hurry! This is a matter of utmost urgency! No delay can be afforded!" Zhao Kai waved his hand dismissively, looking impatient. After Shen Chuan left the room, he snorted coldly, "These military people are all useless! A bunch of rice bags that will bring ruin to the country!"