Munitions Empire

Chapter 612: Long live the 571 Tank

Near Donghe Bridge, the paratrooper 2nd company’s troops were inexplicably spectating. They truly didn’t understand why two forces of the Qi Army were fighting each other.

By the time these Qi Country troops finally figured out what was going on and realized they had targeted the wrong enemy, the Tang Army already had their guns pointed at their foreheads.

In the bridgehead bunker where the Qi Country’s company commander was located, lacking in automatic weapons and without grenades, the Qi Army quickly lost the outer positions and even lost the first floor of the bridgehead bunker in the process.

The Qi soldiers still holed up on the second floor tried to struggle, but their efforts turned to naught with the explosion of a grenade.

The Qi soldiers, who were knocked about by the blast, hadn’t reorganized their defenses when the charging Tang soldiers riddled them with bullets.

Soon they lost the second floor, then the third.

With nowhere left to hide, the Qi Country’s company commander was indeed a tough nut to crack. He glanced at his own men guarding the stairwell, but in the end, he took off his feathered cap.

"Stop fighting! We surrender! Don’t shoot! As long as you guarantee not to kill us, we surrender!” he shouted downward.

Quickly, the voice of the Tang Army came from below: “Throw down your arms; no killing! Our company commander has said, as long as you surrender, your lives will be guaranteed!”

Hearing this, the Qi Country company commander immediately agreed: “We surrender! Come on up!”

After shouting this, he ordered his subordinates, “Put down your weapons! Continuing to fight is just delivering ourselves to death, there’s no need.”

Upon hearing their commander speak thus, those Qi soldiers hidden in the bridgehead bunker cooperated and laid down their weapons.

They were already in disarray; having someone lead the way in surrendering matched their hopes.

With almost no opposition, the Qi soldiers one by one handed over their rifles, then discarded their bayonets hung at their waists, and walked down the stairs one after the other.

Below the stairs, the Tang soldiers holding submachine guns also avoided the danger of storming the building. Their grenades were limited and they were worried about the bridgehead bunker being destroyed by grenades, so they too were happy to see the Qi Army surrender.

When the Qi Army chose to surrender, the Tang paratroopers did not opt for a ruthless slaughter but instead let the disarmed Qi people roll out of their defenses.

On the other side of the railway, the Qi Country troops that had just brutally killed their own did not show weakness this time; they continued firing, trying to stop the Tang Army from crossing the railway.

Unfortunately, their Maxim machine gun deployed outside soon fell silent. The Tang snipers, like invisible demons to these Qi soldiers, devoured the lives of each one.

The Qi soldiers, unaware of who was attacking them, dared not go operate that Maxim machine gun any longer, feeling as if a devil was lurking next to it.

Without the support of that machine gun, the firepower of the Qi troops visibly dropped a notch. The sporadic rifle shots were drowned out by the crisp sound of typewriters, almost inaudible.

Originally, on the battlefield, the Qi Army always overwhelmed the Tang forces with numbers, sometimes even reaching a ratio of ten or even fifteen to one.

Even so, the Qi Army often suffered losses, suppressed by the firepower. Now, the Tang force of over 400 soldiers from a single battalion was fighting less than 300 men from two Qi companies, with the Tang Army surprisingly becoming the side with numerical superiority.

With the advantage in troop numbers, the Tang attack was fierce. At the cost of losing seven or eight men, they managed to cross the railway and penetrate the Qi Army’s defenses.

The battle once again became a one-sided slaughter, with the Qi troops retreating steadily, and some soldiers even started to flee toward the railway bridge. Ɍå𐌽ŐʙĘś

The Tang Army didn’t give them a chance, blocking them from the other side with firepower and forcing them back. Those determined to flee fell on the bridge, some corpses even lying across the railway tracks.

Seeing no hope of escape, the remaining Qi forces began to surrender as well. They dropped their weapons, waiting for the Tang Army to arrive.

True enough, the Tang gunfire ceased, and the battle seemed to end just as dramatically as that. Over 250 Qi soldiers from two companies, after losing more than 70 men, chose to surrender.

They were but Qi Country’s second-line troops, with little combat power; in their ranks were many who had just been recruited as fresh troops.

These individuals hadn’t undergone rigorous military training, had barely handled modern weapons for a few days, and expecting them to fight against the elite Tang paratroopers was a bit too optimistic.

So, after sustaining about a third in casualties, it was only natural for them to hand over their weapons and give up the bridge they had to defend.

In truth, they had done their best because before this battle erupted, no one could have guessed that the enemy would descend from the sky and launch a surprise attack on a critical facility in the hinterland. Such combat wasn’t just something they hadn’t experienced in person; it was unheard of.

Under normal circumstances, isn’t it common sense to station second-line troops on the second line? Even the most inept military commander wouldn’t see a problem with that setup.

But after today, after this battle, when stationing second-line troops on the second line, one would have to think carefully about how to deal with enemy paratroopers dropping from the sky.

Just a few minutes after the battle here ended, the second battalion commander was still contemplating how to get across the bridge to deal with the Qi Country troops defending the other side when the first battalion’s troops arrived.

Although they looked somewhat disheveled and had suffered considerable losses, the news the first battalion brought invigorated everyone.

"We’ve crushed the Qi Army near the manor; our rear should be temporarily safe,” the first battalion commander, exhausted from the march, sat down at a position to rest.

Looking at the group of Qi Country soldiers being held captive on the other side, he said with some emotion, “You’ve captured prisoners on this side too?”

"We had no choice; they surrendered. It did less damage to the bridgehead, at least leaving us some cover.” The second battalion commander pointed to the bridgehead and said, “We couldn’t reach the other side of the bridge, and we need this bridgehead as a position to hold this side.”

"Shall we give it a try? Together, we have at least 800 men; it shouldn’t be a problem to fight our way across,” the first battalion commander said to the second battalion commander, looking at the numerous bodies still lying on the bridge.

"The casualties will be huge. Just getting there would cost at least 20 lives—that’s too painful a loss,” the second battalion commander sighed.

"It doesn’t matter, since we’ve already eliminated the King of Qi Country and the Qi Country’s Prime Minister. Even if we lose another 20 men, it’s worth it,” the first battalion commander said with a smile, proudly.

"Really?” The second battalion commander was stunned, then suddenly became ecstatic, “Then this time, our paratroopers hit the jackpot!”

"What do you mean ‘our paratroopers’? That was my first battalion, okay?” The first battalion commander teased his old friend.

"Get lost! Aren’t you a paratrooper? Aren’t you a paratrooper?” The second battalion commander, clearly annoyed and embarrassed, retorted, “If I hadn’t been so good-natured and let you take the opportunity, killing the King of Qi Country would have been our second battalion’s doing, got it?”

"Your face is really thick,” the first battalion commander, who had expected such a response, laughed and punched his friend, then looked again towards the other end of the bridge.

"Stop looking; I’ve had the explosives planted. If the enemy tries to force their way across with a train, we’ll blow up the bridge. If they try to cross with men, we’ll turn this place into a river of blood!” the second battalion commander pointed to the paratroopers who had planted the explosives between the two bridgeheads.

"That’s one way to do it,” the first battalion commander considered the idea for a moment and felt that the second battalion commander’s plan was sound. They might as well leave the bridgehead on that side alone, as they couldn’t come across anyway.

Although the enemy would occasionally fire a shot or two to intimidate, with snipers watching through scoped rifles on this side, the shooters on the other side of the bridge didn’t dare show their faces after several were killed.

The Tang Army used paratroopers to capture this strategic point so that the subsequent troops could quickly utilize this railway bridge.

Otherwise, they could have just bombed and destroyed it; it wasn’t worth the cost in human lives. The paratroopers’ mission was to hold the bridge until the following troops arrived.

However, if it came to a dire situation where the Qi Army’s main force reached the bridge before the Tang Army’s reinforcements, then the paratroopers would have to consider blowing up the bridge.

At the same moment, aboard the turret of a No. 4 tank, the commander of the first unit of the 4th Armored Division of Tang Country put down his binoculars.

He had seen the towering walls of King City of Qi Country and the industrial zone of King City, still billowing thick smoke.

There, hundreds of towering chimneys, some of which were still emitting thick smoke: many factories were still working, striving non-stop to support the Qi Country’s war machinery.

"Those unrepentant bastards!” he re-entered the tank turret, exposing only half his upper body, and said, “Forward! Let General Redman spend the night in King City of Qi Country tonight!”

"Isn’t first battalion quicker than us? Can we still make it to King City now?” The gunner, picking his nose, said in the shaking tank.

"Hahaha! They advanced too quickly and got redirected to support the madmen on the right flank,” the commander said with pride, “Rest assured, this time, the honor of being the first into King City will be ours; no one can snatch it away!”

"Long live Great Tang!” Shouts of excitement came from other tank commanders over the radio, and soon, even more followed with their own cheers, “Long live Your Majesty!”

"Long live Tanks!” Unconsciously, someone suddenly shouted out, “Long live the Tank Crews!”

Through the forest, tank after tank of No. 4 Tanks emerged, followed by self-propelled guns converted from No. 2 Tanks.

"Hahaha!” Many commanders laughed along, and then more joined in the cheering, “Long live Tanks! Long live the Tank Crews!”

These tanks broke through branches, crushed shrubs, and with their bodies marred by mottled shell marks and stains of blood that couldn’t be completely wiped off, charged toward the distant city shrouded in dust and smoke.

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