Sheryl watched from the rear, utterly shocked to see his tanks and armored vehicles being pulverized. He had no idea the enemy possessed so many rocket launchers; it seemed as if their supply was endless.
His tanks desperately returned fire toward the source of the rocket launches, but as soon as they fired, another rocket would shoot out from a completely different location. It was incredibly exhausting. What's more, the Eastern Spirit infantry guns had completely ceased firing; it was nothing but rocket launchers now! Even stranger, the Eastern Spirit infantry hadn't fired a single rifle shot since the battle began.
"How do they have so many rocket launchers?!" Sheryl bellowed in frustration. He had already lost over two-thirds of his tanks, along with a significant number of armored personnel carriers.
"This is bad. We can't keep fighting like this; we have to retreat! Our tanks can't push through. They've set up too many anti-tank obstacles, and they have far too many rocket launchers. We can't continue this reckless assault!" Bedd, the commander of one of the infantry regiments, urgently advised Sheryl.
"Damn it! We haven't even forced their infantry to reveal themselves yet. If we retreat now, how am I supposed to explain this to the Corps Commander?" Sheryl protested anxiously, unwilling to fall back just yet.
"But our losses are already staggering! You've seen the Eastern Spirit firepower. They are the wealthiest nation in the world; isn't it perfectly normal for them to have this many rocket launchers? Think about how many of these weapons we've captured. Weren't they all abandoned by them?" Bedd argued.
"Retreat! Order the troops to retreat!" Unwilling but left with no choice, Sheryl finally gave the order.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Explosions continued to rock the front lines. The retreating Allied tanks kept firing, desperately trying to eliminate the Eastern Spirit rocket launcher squads. Yet, no matter how much they fired, the barrage of incoming rockets never seemed to lessen. The tank gunners were furious—why wouldn't they run out of ammo?!
"They are fighting very smartly. Look, our rocket launcher squads pre-selected multiple firing positions. They aren't too far apart, but they aren't too close either.
"This ensures that even if one position is bombarded by an Allied tank, it won't affect the next firing spot, preventing the enemy from wiping out our squads! Excellent execution!" Hu Hao analyzed from his seat, while the other officers watched intently.
"The Allied forces are retreating!" an officer shouted upon seeing the enemy pull back.
The entire engagement had lasted less than twenty minutes, yet the results were highly satisfactory to Hu Hao. The three acting commanders had directed the battle well!
"Very good. Excellent fighting!" Hu Hao smiled and nodded.
"Hao-ge, the Allied forces are running! Should we pull out our infantry guns and shell them?" Li Nan's voice crackled over the comms.
"No. They were just testing our firepower. Do not expose all your assets at once. Your tank regiment hasn't even mobilized yet, which is perfect.
"They will send a larger force in the next wave. That's when your tank regiment will deploy. You might just give them a nasty surprise. Also, don't place your infantry guns so far forward next time; they're too easily wiped out by the Allied forces.
"Since you don't have permanent fortifications there, keeping the infantry guns further back will allow them to fire a few more volleys safely!" Hu Hao instructed the three commanders.
"Understood! Thank you, Commander!" Liu Yichuan and Wu Xunqi replied happily.
"Tally the casualties. Also, expect them to attack again tonight. Until that Allied Corps Commander figures out our firepower and troop numbers inside Yonghe City, he won't be able to sleep peacefully.
"Tomorrow, they will only be able to attack before 10:00 AM. After 10:00 AM, they'll likely have to retreat into the forests to escape the heat. Therefore, they won't waste the time they have tonight!" Hu Hao warned the three with a smile.
"Understood. We will go inspect the frontline troops now," Wu Xunqi said.
"Good, go ahead!" Hu Hao nodded with a smile, then turned his attention back to the retreating Allied forces.
"Brothers, the Allied forces have retreated. But as I just said, they are eager to reach Late City, so they won't give up their assault that easily.
"Therefore, do not grow arrogant after winning a single skirmish. In the next wave, they will commit more troops and deploy their artillery to bombard our positions before advancing.
"You must preemptively order your troops into the air raid shelters!" Hu Hao addressed the officers studying in the command center, who nodded in understanding.
"Remember, during the dry season in the Eastern Spirit Empire, night attacks are preferable to day attacks. It's cooler at night, allowing the soldiers to maneuver. During the day, the enemy will only launch a fierce assault if it's an absolute emergency or a critical objective is at stake.
"Unless faced with such a situation, you must ensure your soldiers find a place to rest properly. The climate here during the dry season is simply too hot!" Hu Hao instructed. The officers nodded, absorbing the lesson and recording his words.
"Alright, keep watching. I don't need to instruct them on this part; they will handle it well. After watching this engagement, I want everyone to write down their thoughts. Write whatever comes to mind.
"This isn't an assignment. If you want to grow, you must constantly summarize your battlefield experiences. Once you're finished writing, you can discuss and exchange your notes. Learn from each other's perspectives to enrich your own!" Hu Hao told them.
He then needed to return to the inner command room to continue writing his training manual. If he didn't finish the manual soon, he would only become busier later. Once completed, he could use the manual, combined with actual combat examples, to accelerate the officers' growth.
Returning to his desk, Hu Hao resumed writing. Meanwhile, the officers sat outside, reflecting on the recent battle. In just twenty minutes of combat, their forces had clearly come out on top.
There was much to summarize. Many officers went up to the upper levels of the air raid shelter to smoke, pondering the recent events while the large screens continued to replay the battle footage for their review.
…
Meanwhile, on Sheryl's end, the three Allied commanders were incredibly frustrated. They had initially assumed the enemy didn't know how to fight because they fired their artillery prematurely. They never expected to be hit with such a ferocious counter-attack the moment they advanced, leaving them completely overwhelmed.
"I have to admit, the enemy's strength is formidable. Otherwise, they couldn't have wiped out so many of our corps. Their equipment is no worse than ours—it might even be better.
"Our probing attack just now failed to even force their infantry out. How humiliating!" Olaca sighed heavily.
"Mm. They fight with a clear rhythm: infantry guns followed by rocket launchers, with occasional heavy machine gun fire to suppress our own machine guns and cover their rocket launcher squads. Their coordination is excellent!" Bedd agreed, nodding.
"Report! Call from the Corps Commander!" A staff officer approached Sheryl with a phone.
"Sigh." Sheryl sighed heavily, but took the receiver anyway.
"Greetings, Corps Commander. This is Sheryl!" Sheryl stood at attention.
"Did your troops launch the attack? How did it go? Did you test the Eastern Spirit forces' firepower?" Kelly fired off several questions the moment the line connected.
"Report: we attacked, and we have just retreated!" Sheryl answered.
"Retreated? Already? You only fought for twenty or thirty minutes, didn't you? And you've already fallen back?" Kelly asked, clearly surprised.
"Yes. It lasted less than twenty minutes. The Eastern Spirit forces are extremely well-equipped. The moment we advanced, we were hit by their infantry guns, followed immediately by a barrage of rockets targeting our tanks and armored vehicles. We suffered heavy casualties.
"However, we failed to determine the enemy's full firepower and troop numbers!" Sheryl admitted, bracing himself.
"Is that so? Does this mean our opponent has prepared a substantial force within Yonghe City to deal with us? Mm. Hold your position for now. Our main force will halt about ten miles northwest of Yonghe City.
"Our tank division will arrive shortly, along with an infantry division. Tonight, we must ascertain the Eastern Spirit firepower and troop strength. We cannot afford to delay here for long!" Kelly declared.
"Yes, sir!" Sheryl stood at attention and shouted. After he hung up, the other two commanders looked at him expectantly.
"The Corps Commander didn't reprimand us. The rest of our forces will arrive shortly to continue the assault. We must continue testing the Eastern Spirit troop numbers and firepower tonight!" Sheryl relayed to them.
"I don't think this will be an easy fight. Setting aside how many troops are inside, with firepower like that, we're bound to suffer heavy casualties. Yonghe City is huge; who knows how many troops they have hidden in there?
"Either way, I reckon we'll be fighting here for a few days!" Bedd predicted after a moment's thought.
"Mm, I have the same feeling. Earlier, we saw many vehicles entering the city from the southeast. That force definitely includes tanks and armored vehicles; the Eastern Spirit Empire certainly isn't short on those. They didn't even move them during the skirmish just now. That means if we really want to take this city, we'll need a much larger force!" Olaca added.
Meanwhile, Kelly had just stepped out of his vehicle. His Chief of Staff, Jasman, quickly approached.
"Our vanguard just suffered a setback attacking Yonghe City. It seems this won't be an easy battle!" Kelly told Jasman.
(End of Chapter)