While Hu Hao's massive convoy continued its slog toward Nanli City, Dong Qipeng and his ten companies of operatives had arrived at the front lines outside Tianjing City.
The battle was raging in a small county town where Wu Kexiao's forces were desperately holding the line.
"Commander Dong, my men are taking heavy casualties. We can hold the line for now, but the Allied forces are fighting like cornered rats! They know they're trapped, and they're throwing themselves at us with absolute desperation. We've already had to cede a portion of the town to prevent a total collapse," Liu Yichuan reported grimly to Dong Qipeng.
Liu Yichuan had previously commanded a regiment during the defense of Yonghe City. Due to his exceptional performance there, he had been officially promoted to full Colonel and subsequently assigned as the Acting Commander of the newly formed 430th Division. He was currently a Brigadier General; whether he secured his star permanently depended entirely on his performance in this campaign.
"How heavy are the casualties?" Dong Qipeng asked, surveying the chaotic command center.
"At least 5,000 dead and wounded already. The Allied casualties are certainly higher, but... Hao-ge explicitly ordered us to prioritize training and minimizing our own losses. We aren't supposed to fight a grinding war of attrition!
"If we just hold the line and try to bleed them out in a frontal engagement, we can eventually annihilate them. But it will cost us at least 15,000 men. That effectively destroys an entire division!" Liu Yichuan explained his tactical dilemma.
"Understood. We'll take it from here. Order the men to deploy in squad elements. Secure overwatch positions, prioritize high-value targets, and establish absolute battlefield control!" Dong Qipeng nodded, turning to Zhao Yang.
"Yes, sir!" Zhao Yang immediately began relaying the deployment orders over the regimental net.
Shortly after, the frontline Eastern Spirit infantrymen noticed a strange influx of soldiers. They wore the standard Eastern Spirit uniform cut, but the fabric was entirely black. They also wore black tactical masks that obscured their faces entirely.
However, their shoulder boards and arm patches clearly identified them as friendly forces. Furthermore, the Division Command had just broadcast a notification that a specialized reinforcement unit wearing black uniforms was entering the sector.
"Who the hell are these guys? Why are they hiding their faces?" a young private asked, watching the black-clad soldiers silently infiltrate the tallest buildings along the front line.
"Look at their arm patches. It says 'Special Operations.' What does that even mean? What kind of unit is this?" another soldier muttered in confusion.
"Stow the chatter! Keep your eyes front! Those Allied bastards are gearing up for another push!" a nearby Captain barked.
As a recent graduate of the Officer Training Academy, he knew exactly who these black-clad soldiers were. However, the true capabilities of the Special Operations Regiment were highly classified; he wasn't allowed to discuss them with his men.
"Stand by! Here they come!" officers shouted up and down the line as the Allied armored column, flanked by infantry, began rumbling down the main avenue toward the Eastern Spirit barricades.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Suddenly, deafening gunfire erupted from the rooftops and upper-floor windows above the Eastern Spirit lines.
"Are they insane?! The enemy is still 500 meters out! What are they shooting at?! Are they just showing off?!" a Regimental Commander roared furiously, hearing the premature gunfire.
Standard infantry doctrine dictated waiting until the enemy armor was well within 200 meters before engaging, maximizing the effectiveness of their own RPGs and small arms. Opening fire at 500 meters merely gave away their positions. The Regimental Commander was livid.
BANG! BANG! BANG! The deafening, rhythmic firing from the high ground continued unabated.
"Whose men are those?! I ordered everyone to hold their fire! Find out who is shooting and rip them a new one!" another Regimental Commander screamed into his radio.
"Commander! Commander, look! The Allied tanks and APCs... they've stopped!" a staff officer suddenly shouted, pointing excitedly toward the advancing enemy column.
"What? They stopped?" The Regimental Commander blinked, confused.
"Look through your binoculars! The tank main guns... they've been blown apart! And the driver viewports on the APCs are shattered! I think they shot the treads off the tanks too!" the staff officer yelled in disbelief.
"How is that even possible?!" The Regimental Commander quickly raised his binoculars.
"Holy shit... it's true!" he muttered, stunned by the sight of the crippled Allied armor.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The heavy snipers hadn't stopped. Having neutralized the armor, they shifted their focus to the Allied command structure. In the daylight, identifying the officers frantically trying to rally their stalled columns was trivial.
"They're dropping the officers! Look, the entire Allied advance has stalled! They're actually falling back!" the staff officer cheered.
The Regimental Commander watched the chaos unfold. The Allied infantry, seeing their armor disabled and their officers violently executed by invisible snipers, panicked and scrambled for cover. The once-coordinated assault had completely disintegrated.
"Who is doing this?!" The Regimental Commander lowered his binoculars and stared at his staff officers.
"It has to be the 'Special Operations' reinforcements! Division Command just notified us they were deploying into our sector! It must be them!" the staff officer reasoned.
"It has to be. Damn it, get the Division Commander on the line! We need to counter-attack immediately while they're disorganized!" the Regimental Commander ordered.
"Yes, sir!" the communications officer scrambled to establish the link.
"Commander Liu! This is Zhang Liming, 2nd Regiment! Sir, the Allied armor has been crippled and their advance is completely stalled! Can we launch a counter-offensive?!" Colonel Zhang Liming shouted the moment the connection was made.
"What do you mean, crippled?" Liu Yichuan asked, surprised.
"Literally shot to pieces, sir! The reinforcements did it! By the way, Commander, what exactly is this reinforcement unit?! They are terrifyingly precise! They've also assassinated a massive number of Allied officers; the enemy command structure is collapsing!" Zhang Liming reported excitedly.
"Hold your positions. Wait for my order. I need to verify the situation across the entire front line," Liu Yichuan ordered before hanging up. He turned to Dong Qipeng.
"Commander Dong, my frontline commanders are reporting that your men have successfully disabled the Allied armor and are systematically eliminating their officer corps. Is this accurate?" Liu Yichuan asked, unable to hide his shock.
"That is our standard operating procedure, yes. We neutralize the heavy armor first, then decapitate the command structure," Dong Qipeng nodded casually.
"Given the current situation, do you advise a general counter-offensive?" Liu Yichuan asked, seeking Dong Qipeng's tactical input.
"You are the theater commander. We are here strictly in a support role. How you choose to prosecute the conventional battle is entirely up to you. I wouldn't presume to interfere with your command, nor am I qualified to dictate conventional infantry maneuvers," Dong Qipeng replied diplomatically, spreading his hands.
"Understood. Give me a moment," Liu Yichuan nodded.
He immediately ordered his comms officers to verify the situation with the other Regimental Commanders across both his own 430th Division and the adjacent division, which he was currently managing.
Within minutes, the reports confirmed it: the Allied advance had stalled across the entire front line due to devastating sniper fire.
"Order all units: initiate a general counter-offensive! Push them back now!" Liu Yichuan commanded decisively.
"Yes, sir!" The staff officers immediately began transmitting the orders.
"Hold our armored regiments in reserve for now! Once the infantry pushes the Allied forces out of the immediate urban perimeter, unleash the tanks to shatter their retreat! Move the APCs up to support the infantry advance!" Liu Yichuan refined the tactical plan.
"Understood!"
"ATTACK!" The Regimental Commanders roared the order down the chain of command.
The Battalion Commanders blew their whistles, and tens of thousands of Eastern Spirit infantrymen surged out from behind their barricades, charging the disorganized Allied lines.
"Provide covering fire for the infantry advance! Priority targets remain heavy weapons and command personnel! Heavy snipers, eliminate any remaining heavy machine gun nests!" Zhao Yang ordered his squadron commanders over the tactical net, observing the infantry charge.
BANG! BANG!
The heavy snipers systematically dismantled any Allied strongpoints attempting to suppress the charging Eastern Spirit infantry. The 7.62mm marksmen focused on individual Allied soldiers attempting to return fire or coordinate a defense.
"Moving! Provide cover!" a Special Operations operative barked into his comms unit.
"Covering!" his squadmates acknowledged instantly.
A two-man sniper team—a spotter armed with an assault rifle and a marksman—sprinted out of an apartment building and dashed across the street, bounding forward to keep pace with the advancing frontline.
"Cover them! Keep them safe!" Eastern Spirit infantry officers shouted, seeing the black-clad operatives moving through their lines.
The conventional soldiers now realized that these mysterious operatives were the ones who had shattered the Allied armor and silenced the heavy machine guns. They were desperate to protect their invaluable guardians.
Pew! Pew!
The spotter, providing close-in security for the sniper, fired his suppressed assault rifle on the move. His accuracy was astonishing; nearly every shot dropped an Allied soldier attempting to peek from cover.
"Holy shit!" nearby infantrymen gasped, witnessing the operative's lethal precision in CQB (Close Quarter Battle).
"Over here!" The spotter identified a suitable three-story building, kicked the door in, and secured the stairwell. The sniper followed immediately, and the two operatives bounded up the stairs to establish their next overwatch position.
"Seriously, what kind of unit is this?!" The conventional soldiers could only stare in awe as they pushed forward under the protective umbrella of the Special Operations Regiment.
(End of Chapter)