Thunder Warrior Saves the World

Page 46

"Only four artillery units were found? That's only 12 cannons in total?"

The Ergia found it very strange. The bombardment that had just hit them so hard that it was hard to imagine the impact of 12 cannons firing. But after receiving intelligence from the 7th Brigade, they realized that the enemy forces they were fighting against had clearly adjusted their tactics against the Allied forces and had come prepared. They could not be judged by ordinary standards.

But regardless, now that we've caught these Belken people by the skin of their teeth, we have no intention of letting these rats go—they've offended the abbot and think they can escape? Bring on my Elgia 105 grenade!

With drones providing real-time monitoring and firing correction, these four Belken artillery squads had absolutely no chance of escape. The 105mm grenades ensured ample destructive power, blowing both people and equipment to smithereens, leaving them completely destroyed—more thoroughly damaged than any "unreliable" item on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace), the kind that's impossible to repair.

Well, the reason for using the 105mm howitzer was twofold: firstly, to ensure destructive power, and secondly, because the range of the 75mm field gun was simply too limited...

While the artillery of the Kingdom of Elgia was playing whack-a-mole, the 31st Infantry Division of the Belken Empire was also secretly sending troops to the front lines. The 2nd Battalion of the 366th Regiment replaced the 1st Battalion, becoming the spearhead of the next offensive. This offensive was not a probing attack to find firing positions, but a full-scale attack. The 2nd Battalion was only the first wave of this offensive. The remaining two infantry battalions of the 366th Regiment, as well as the 105mm howitzers that were still kept concealed, would also be committed to this offensive. In addition, Major General Abbott also temporarily reinforced the 366th Regiment with two machine gun companies from another regiment, in order to break the deadlock.

However, the Elgin artillery counterattack came sooner than he had anticipated. After learning that some of the retreating artillery was being bombarded by the enemy, Major General Abbott felt a tightness in his chest and almost couldn't catch his breath. Fortunately, he had rejected the idea of ​​using 105mm howitzers at that time; otherwise, he probably wouldn't even be able to gather a few 105mm howitzers to cover the 366th Regiment's attack.

"Can you find where the Elgins' artillery is positioned?"

The Ergia wanted to find their artillery, and they wanted to find the Ergia's artillery; in a sense, it was a two-way street.

"It's impossible. Their position is higher than ours, and the terrain obstructs our view. We only know that the artillery is definitely behind the defensive line."

"Then hurry up and send the troops up while they are attacking our artillery." The troops being shelled cannot be saved, so their sacrifice must be worthwhile. He instructed: "We don't need to wait for all the planned troops to be deployed. We can launch the attack as soon as a certain number of men are in place."

The 366th Regiment's attack was much smoother than the 1st Battalion's probing attack—at least in the early stages.

When they set off again, they only encountered bombardment from 75mm field guns. Although these field guns were equally deadly to the light infantry hit, their power and kill radius were much smaller than those of 105mm howitzers, which made the 366th Regiment's capture of Area 2 quite easy.

But as they continued to advance into Zone Two, this ease and comfort soon became difficult.

The saying "new recruits fear artillery, veterans fear machine guns" is somewhat biased, but it does reflect a part of the reality of the battlefield. The dense, overtaking fire of machine guns to some extent compensated for the shortcomings of insufficient artillery quantity and power. After entering the final kilometer, their casualties began to rise sharply.

The heavily armored assault troops once again took the lead. This time, there were no barbed wire or explosives in their way. Not long after the 1st Battalion of the 366th Regiment retreated, the 31st Division began shelling, giving the Erzgeese no time or opportunity to repair the barbed wire or replant the explosives. In half the time it took before, leaving behind more than three hundred corpses, they finally advanced to the last hundred meters, only to be met with dozens of hand grenades.

It's unrealistic to expect to eliminate all three assault soldiers with grenades as decisively as the explosives we planted last time. However, using grenades to blow up the ordinary light infantry following behind the assault soldiers is no problem at all. After separating the assault soldiers and the accompanying light infantry with superior firepower, these isolated and helpless assault soldiers will become fish on a chopping board, at our mercy.

Even cattle and sheep resist when they are slaughtered, let alone a soldier. The light infantrymen knew that without the assault troops in front, they would suffer far more casualties to reach the Ergia's trenches; the assault troops also knew that, with their limited mobility and obstructed vision, they needed the light infantry's cover. They were one, together they would live, separated they would die. Faced with the pressure of death, the assault troops chose to wait for the light infantry to follow, while the light infantry ignored the threats of machine guns, rifles, and grenades and bravely advanced.

The army of the Kingdom of Elgia understood that once these two groups reunited and charged into their trenches, many of them would lose their lives in close combat. The dead could be their enemies, their friends, or even themselves! Driven by the desire to return home alive and see those familiar faces, they moved faster than ever before.

Two armies with different beliefs and allegiance to different peoples fought desperately in this desolate wilderness, all for the sake of survival.

Fifty meters is almost the limit for the Belken to throw grenades, especially in combat situations where they lack sufficient space and time to achieve their best throw. But the Belken, who were being suppressed, couldn't care less about that. Even in the prone position, which is the closest throwing distance, they threw the grenades with the pins pulled forward.

Most of these grenades landed a dozen meters in front of the trenches, but that was enough to pose a threat to the army of the Kingdom of Elgia. The shrapnel of the Belken standard grenade has a kill radius of 18 meters. Even with the breastwork blocking the way, no one dared to gamble that the shrapnel would hit their exposed face.

This was exactly the effect the Belkens wanted to achieve: taking advantage of the brief pauses in enemy fire to advance, then repeating the previous actions, gradually closing the distance between them.

"Sir, they're about to charge," a staff officer in the forward command post cautiously warned, witnessing the scene. The 31st Infantry Division had committed a regiment to this offensive. They could see that a large number of enemy troops had already gathered in the outpost area while their 105mm heavy artillery was firing at enemy artillery, and were beginning to fill the front line. If the enemy were allowed to break into the trenches, and if they could not annihilate them before reinforcements arrived, they would have to suffer even greater casualties to retake the position.

Volume 1: Chapter 250 Chapter 233 First Round of Encounters (3)

"Have our friends brought back new coordinates?" the commander asked.

"No." The staff officer naturally knew what the commander was asking. During this time, the 7th Brigade's drones had been patrolling over the Belken, trying to locate more artillery. Unfortunately, they only found two more convoys, which, too, were destroyed by the Kingdom of Elgia's long-range fire, guided by the drones.

It seems there won't be any new discoveries. Based on his understanding of the Belken Empire's army, the 75mm howitzers they've destroyed so far are enough to equip half an artillery regiment. This might indicate that the enemy's size is at least a hastily reinforced infantry brigade with an artillery regiment. Considering they've already lost an infantry battalion yet remain so stubborn, they're more likely a more heavily fortified infantry division… So much time has passed; those Belken artillerymen must have already strayed far from their initial firing positions, and who knows where they've gone. Indeed, our artillery response was a bit slow. If they could have been a little faster, we could have achieved even more results…

The commander let out a breath, stopping thinking about these things. After all, this was the brigade's directly subordinate artillery regiment. Although they were both colonels, the other officer held a higher position in the brigade commander's heart than he did. Moreover, they would need the other officer's support in the upcoming battles!

"Notify the artillery to adjust their target to the outpost area. We need to cut off the Belken's reinforcements." The battle at the front had entered a critical moment. Some Belken soldiers had almost made it into the trenches, but were fiercely killed by the defenders inside, their bodies thrown out of the trenches. He issued new battle orders.

The commander deployed only two infantry battalions along this defensive line, with the rest as reserves in the next area. If the defenders on the line could withstand the Belken's offensive, he would order the reserves to launch a brilliant counterattack and completely annihilate the remaining troops who had been cut off from support and were unable to advance or retreat.

He is very confident about this.

After all, the enemy's most threatening heavy assault troops have now been eliminated.

"It's not that easy after all." Through his binoculars, Major General Abbott could see that the outpost area, which had already been bombarded several times yesterday, was once again covered by the Elginian artillery fire. After several rounds of bombardment, the landscape here had been drastically changed, with craters everywhere emitting heat, and intact or mangled corpses lying nearby.

Because the enemy had already calculated the parameters, the Kingdom's artillery switched targets back very quickly, causing heavy losses to the 366th Regiment advancing from the outpost area. The 75mm howitzers, which had been firing at close range, increased their elevation, working in conjunction with the 105mm howitzers to suppress the troops in the outpost area. The heavy firepower available to their attacking forces came from a hastily assigned machine gun company. Major General Abbott dared not expose his 105mm heavy artillery, as the previous encounter with the 75mm field guns had shown him that the artillery was being targeted, and the more cumbersome 105mm howitzers might become disposable. He had to carefully decide when to use them. The consequence of this was that the 366th Regiment was placed in an extremely passive position.

The Elgeans' counterattack was imminent. This was a very clear signal—their own troops, wedged into the Elgean King's defenses, had become too densely packed due to the stalled assault; and the advancing reserves had been cut off by concentrated artillery fire. The assault troops and reserves were isolated from each other, presenting an excellent opportunity to launch a counterattack.

Taking advantage of the Elgeyan counterattack, the Hedgehog used 105mm howitzers to retaliate, or even went further by using "special ammunition".

This was a very tempting idea. Major General Abbott was very interested in it. This move would significantly weaken the enemy forces on the defensive line, and since the Ergia would inevitably commit a reserve force during the counterattack, it would also reduce some of the pressure on them in subsequent operations.

However, this doesn't rule out the possibility of a trap. Just as he could use 75mm howitzers as bait, the Ergjans might also dress some elderly, frail men and women in uniforms, give them rifles, and push them out to continue luring the artillery. After all, at this distance, they all look pretty much the same through binoculars. What if he thinks he's wiped out the enemy's reserves and sends his troops charging forward under constant artillery fire? Even if they eventually capture the position, could their severely weakened troops hold out against the counterattack from the real reserves?

Ultimately, he decided to play it safe. After all, doing so would severely damage morale—there was a battalion of soldiers fighting up there, and not only did they not go to their aid, but they also threw shells at them. If he dared to do such a thing, he might be saluted by someone when he went to inspect the front lines one day.

The Kingdom of Elgia's army didn't let him dwell on it any longer. The time he'd spent contemplating was enough for the Kingdom's reserve forces to move from Area 3 to the rear of the trenches, preparing for a counter-attack. This reserve mainly consisted of an infantry battalion, reinforced with a heavy assault detachment. In this world, any professional army with even a modicum of strength would build its own heavy assault troops. They were the hammer of the infantry; before the advent of machine guns and rapid-fire field artillery, heavy assault troops were practically kings of the battlefield, and only the elite of the infantry could wear that glorious plate armor.

The first whistle of a soldier rang out on the Elginian defensive line. Suddenly, a dark mass of soldiers appeared on both flanks of the line. Led by heavily armored assault troops and supported by firepower from their comrades on the front line, they launched a counterattack against the Belken forces on both flanks.

The Belken soldiers, already showing signs of fatigue, could not withstand such a fierce counterattack, retreating step by step with nowhere to go. Their rifle magazines were soon empty, and the enemy was already at their feet. The infantrymen had no choice but to abandon taking out the magazines stored in their ammunition pouches and instead use the bayonets on their rifles or simply take shovels from their packs to fight back.

Even if the heavy iron shovel struck the fully protective steel helmet visor, it would be difficult to directly cause any physical impact on the person behind the steel armor. However, the enclosed space greatly increased the lethality of the sound waves. Even a strong man with a robust physique would be in danger of losing his mind after hearing this "clang".

Volume 1: Chapter 251 (Chapter 234) First Round of Encounters (4)

Bayonet fighting, a combat method that has existed since the birth of cold weapons, has not completely disappeared from the stage even after fully automatic weapons became standard issue for soldiers. The bayonet, this ancient weapon, still played a role in the Ergia-Belken War.

Caught off guard and with nowhere to retreat, the Belken soldiers, as they had demonstrated in previous training, quickly moved towards their allies, forming defensive groups of three to five men, each responsible for a defensive direction to counter the overwhelming Royal Army soldiers. These defensive groups were cut apart, unable to provide mutual cover, and could only struggle to hold on against the overwhelming force.

But they faced heavily armored assault troops. While the Elgeian armor wasn't as specially crafted as the Belken's and wasn't as defensively robust, it was still extremely difficult for a bayonet to penetrate it. To use a somewhat imperfect analogy, it was like an unarmored samurai wielding a Japanese sword trying to kill a Western plate-armored knight. The only feasible method was to attack areas not covered by armor. In this situation, blunt weapons would actually be more effective.

However, the assault troops never acted alone; they were always surrounded by regular infantry for cover, making it difficult for the Belken to find any openings in the assault troops' defenses.

In addition to their standard revolvers, the assault troops of Leuergia also carried non-standard, handcrafted close-combat weapons—such as hand axes and wooden clubs covered with long nails. These weapons may not be able to be used for long-range thrusts like rifles with bayonets, but they are more intimidating, and being hit by these weapons often results in more serious injuries.

The hesitant Belken soldiers dared not launch an attack, but the heavily armored, recklessly aggressive Elgin assault troops were not so easily faltered. They sidestepped the Belken's defensive thrust, raising their clubs high, ready to bring them down. The Belken private, shrouded in shadow, gritted his teeth. He knew he couldn't dodge; if he broke formation to avoid this attack, he would soon be surrounded and killed by the kingdom's soldiers without support. His only option was to raise his rifle to block the devastating blow.

Before the private, his hands numb from the shock, could even catch his breath, two gleaming bayonets were thrust into his wide-open chest and abdomen from either side. Unable to free his hands, he only managed to call out the name of his comrade beside him. However, his defensive squad was a three-man team, and the two behind him couldn't see him or provide any support. The private watched helplessly as the bayonets easily sliced ​​through his outer garment and pierced his abdomen. He knew he could feel the cold blade twisting counter-clockwise 90 degrees after entering his body.

The bayonet not only pulled out some shattered intestinal tissue, but also took away the private's strength. He could no longer support the rifle he had raised, and the falling rifle made him almost kneel down like a limp shrimp. Only then did he realize that the homemade spiked club that he had been holding back had been withdrawn when the bayonet was handed over, and it was now smashing down on his head again.

The collision of the nails and the helmet produced a sound that was physically unsettling. Although the nails could not penetrate the helmet's defenses and even bent in the attack, blunt force was not a type of impact that the helmet was good at dealing with. With the added weight and speed, the top of the helmet was dented and even cracked by the nail-studded wooden stick. The force was so great that even the skull, which was cushioned, was affected. When the assault soldier withdrew his stick, the twisted nails were stained with a trace of an unidentified pink liquid.

Before the remaining two Belken men could even comprehend what was happening, the other Elgeans seized the opportunity and launched an attack from their blind spot. Three or four bayonets pierced their sides, hitting either their kidneys or livers. When the bayonets were withdrawn, they even left a trail of blood.

After eliminating this defensive group, the Kingdom's soldiers quickly moved on to the next target, continuing to defend their homeland using this most primitive method of combat.

The hand-to-hand combat lasted less than half an hour, and the exhausted Belken men were all dead. At the sound of the whistle, the reserve force quickly disappeared from the battlefield. Although Major General Abbott could no longer see these battle-hardened enemies, he knew they had simply returned to the rear, waiting for the next opportunity to launch a counter-offensive.

Major General Abbott's men still couldn't pinpoint the enemy artillery's exact location, and the attack had indeed failed. However, it had at least forced the Ergia to reveal a card, and Abbott had a countermeasure in hand. The existence of "Special Ammunition" was an all-powerful trump card; whether it was assault troops, riflemen, or machine gunners, no one could hold their ground under the attack of "Special Ammunition."

"Send a telegram to headquarters, requesting the use of air force aircraft for reconnaissance." But he was a greedy man, and Major General Abbott still wanted to save his 105mm howitzers. After all, it would be a real waste if these precious heavy artillery pieces really became expendable. So he set his sights on the air force.

After all, this is the defense zone of the Kingdom of Elgia, and its air defense capabilities are far inferior to those of the 7th Brigade. In addition, given the Kingdom's reporting procedures, the Belken Air Force can still operate to some extent in these areas if it can plan its flight routes well.

Following the humiliating defeats suffered by the air force at Fabandi, many generals of traditional branches of the military are questioning whether the empire's spending of large sums of money on air force development is worthwhile. The air force urgently needs to prove its worth—if it can't handle intercepting enemy aircraft, that's fine, given the generational gap, but it can at least do reconnaissance, right?

To demonstrate its superiority in reconnaissance, the Air Force made targeted modifications to some of its remaining aircraft, including for the first time cramming small radios into two-seat aircraft. This drastic modification significantly increased the weight of the aircraft. Even with the weapons removed, the speed and maneuverability of the reconnaissance aircraft were still negatively affected. However, the intelligence gathered by the reconnaissance aircraft could finally be transmitted back to the command headquarters in real time, providing instructions and corrections for artillery fire.

Just as Belken Air Force completed the modification of its experimental aircraft, Major General Abbott raised the need for reconnaissance, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

……

First update~

First