Dong Qipeng led the Special Operations operatives into the fray alongside Wu Kexiao's conventional forces in the small county town near Tianjing City, launching a devastating counter-offensive against the retreating Allied divisions.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The operatives who had secured overwatch positions immediately prioritized suppressing the enemy heavy machine guns. They relentlessly targeted the gunners and the weapons themselves, ensuring the Allied forces couldn't establish sustained suppressive fire to cover their advance.
"Push forward! Go, go, go! Their heavy guns are down! Bring our machine guns up and suppress them! Cover the infantry advance!" an Eastern Spirit Company Commander bellowed, realizing the enemy's heavy firepower had been miraculously silenced.
He watched in awe as Allied soldiers attempting to man their heavy machine guns were dropped before they even reached the weapons.
The operatives also kept a lethal watch on Allied mortar teams, infantry guns, and RPG gunners. The moment an Allied soldier attempted to ready a heavy weapon, an operative dropped them.
This systematic dismantling of the enemy's heavy firepower instantly relieved the pressure on the Eastern Spirit infantry. Realizing they were no longer facing heavy suppression, the Eastern Spirit forces immediately unleashed their own heavy weapons and surged forward.
"Damn it! Retreat! Fall back! Hurry!" the surviving Allied frontline officers screamed in panic.
Moments earlier, they had been spearheading a desperate breakout assault. They never imagined the Eastern Spirit defenders would not only halt their charge but launch an immediate, ferocious counter-offensive!
The Eastern Spirit counter-attack was terrifyingly efficient. The Allied frontline troops found themselves utterly incapable of mounting a cohesive defense. Whenever Allied soldiers attempted to establish firing positions in the upper floors of the town's buildings, they rarely got the chance to pull the trigger.
Even taking cover behind solid walls proved fatal; the Special Operations heavy snipers possessed an uncanny ability to pinpoint their locations and simply shoot straight through the masonry. The massive holes blown through the concrete by the 12.7mm rounds terrified the surviving Allied soldiers, making them realize that no cover was truly safe against this invisible enemy.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Allied soldiers screamed, abandoning their positions and fleeing back the way they came.
"What's happening?! Why are the frontline units routing?! Get the Regimental Commanders on the radio! What the hell is going on?!" an Allied Division Commander, situated in the rear echelon, roared at his staff as he watched his men pouring back in a panicked stampede.
"Report! We've lost contact! We cannot reach any of the frontline Regimental Commanders!" a staff officer shouted in a panic.
"What do you mean, lost contact?! Keep trying! Hurry! I need to know what's happening up there!" the Division Commander bellowed, his face red with fury.
"Yes, sir!" the staff officer scrambled to re-establish the link.
Rat-tat-tat!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Division Commander stared in horror as the fleeing Allied soldiers were cut down in droves by concentrated, devastating fire pouring from the town.
"Damn it! What did they run into?! Why hasn't anyone reported back?!" The two Division Commanders managing the breakout were frantic. They had absolutely no situational awareness; they only knew their vanguard was routing.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Sensing the Allied collapse, Liu Yichuan ordered his armored reserves into the fight. The two tank regiments, supported closely by two mechanized infantry regiments in APCs, roared out from behind the Eastern Spirit barricades and surged into the open, pursuing the fleeing Allied infantry.
"Report! We still cannot establish contact with the frontline commanders!" the staff officer yelled over the din.
"Damn it all! Prepare defensive lines! It looks like those Eastern Spirit recruits are actually mounting a counter-offensive! Do they really think they can push us?! I'll slaughter every last one of them!" one of the Division Commanders snarled, drawing his sidearm.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The incoming tank fire was growing alarmingly close; high-explosive shells began landing among the rear-echelon troops.
"Damn it! They've deployed armor! Where are our tanks?! Where is our armored regiment?!" the other Division Commander screamed.
"Report! Both of our armored regiments advanced into the town during the initial assault! They haven't retreated yet!" a staff officer reported bleakly.
"DAMN IT!" Both Division Commanders cursed in unison. Their armor was either trapped or destroyed inside the town.
"General retreat! Fall back toward Tianjing City! Move!" one Division Commander yelled, realizing they were exposed in the open against an armored pursuit without their own tanks.
"It's too late! Their armor and mechanized infantry are already closing the distance! We have to stand and fight!" the other Division Commander argued.
"Standing here is suicide!" the first Commander retorted.
"Running is faster suicide! We have to blunt their charge! They're just raw recruits! Even if we die, we bleed them dry!" the second Commander insisted, determined to hold the line.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
More and more Eastern Spirit tanks poured out of the town, their heavy machine guns chattering continuously as they mowed down the retreating Allied infantry.
Without Allied armor to contest them, Liu Yichuan's two tank regiments were virtually invincible on the open field.
"Dismount! All infantry, dismount and screen the tanks! Hurry!" Eastern Spirit officers yelled from the hatches of the APCs.
The rear doors of the APCs dropped open, and thousands of Eastern Spirit infantrymen poured out, fanning out around the advancing armor to protect them from anti-tank ambushes.
"Moving! Cover us!" Special Operations operatives relayed over their tactical net.
The operatives bounded forward in pairs, pushing out into the open fields alongside the conventional infantry. They threw themselves into the mud, stabilized their sniper rifles, and ruthlessly engaged any Allied soldiers attempting to form a cohesive defensive line.
"All units, maximum speed! Crush them! We must break them here and now!" Liu Yichuan roared into his radio from a forward observation post on the edge of the town.
He knew this was a golden tactical opportunity. If they could maintain the momentum and shatter the Allied defensive formations before they could consolidate, these two Allied divisions would be permanently destroyed.
"Maximum speed! Infantry, keep pace! Do not fall behind!" the Eastern Spirit tank commanders relayed the orders.
"All Special Operations units: full offensive support! Screen the conventional advance!" Dong Qipeng commanded over the regimental net.
"Commander Dong, your men... they fight like true veterans. That marksmanship, that flawless coordination... even our most seasoned pre-war units couldn't match that!" Liu Yichuan said, watching the operatives operate with lethal efficiency, deeply envious of such combat power.
"Are you kidding? They were the best veterans of the 87th Division before they joined my regiment! And now Hao-ge has personally trained them! A conventional engagement like this is a walk in the park for them!" Dong Qipeng boasted proudly.
He knew that deploying the Special Operations Regiment into a conventional battle practically guaranteed victory; they dictated the flow of the entire engagement.
"I agree. We need as many units like yours as possible!" Liu Yichuan nodded earnestly.
Meanwhile, Hu Hao's massive convoy finally reached the outskirts of Nanli City. Wu Kexiao's conventional forces had already established a fortified perimeter utilizing the surrounding suburban towns. The Allied garrison in Nanli City had launched several probing attacks but had failed to breach the Eastern Spirit lines. They were currently holed up inside the city, refusing to sally forth.
"Hao-ge!" The two Division Commanders assigned to this sector were waiting at the entrance of the forward command post as Hu Hao arrived.
"Mm. They've stopped attacking?" Hu Hao asked, walking straight to the strategic map inside.
"Yes, sir. They launched two probing assaults earlier, but we repelled both. They initially tried to soften us up with an artillery bombardment, but we initiated counter-battery fire and neutralized their guns. Without artillery support, and knowing our armor is waiting for them, they don't dare step outside the city limits!" reported Lu Qing, the newly appointed Commander of the 431st Division.
Just a few weeks ago, he had been a Battalion Commander under Wu Kexiao.
"Mm. If they won't attack, we can't bleed them in the open," Hu Hao muttered, studying the map.
"Hao-ge, should we launch our own probing attacks to test their defenses?" asked Wang Yunlong, Commander of the 432nd Division.
"Mm. Are the men exhausted?" Hu Hao asked, looking at the two commanders.
"Not physically exhausted from combat, but... standing out in this torrential rain all day takes a toll. They're soaked to the bone. The frontline sentries have to remain exposed, but we've rotated the majority of the men into the buildings to stay dry," Wang Yunlong replied.
"Are they capable of launching a full-scale offensive tonight? You are the Division Commanders; you know your men best," Hu Hao pressed.
"They have the stamina, sir. But a frontal assault on an entrenched urban position... our casualties will be horrific," Lu Qing admitted honestly.
"Mm. So, tell me: do you believe the Allied garrison will attempt another breakout today?" Hu Hao asked.
"Highly unlikely, sir. They know we have two full divisions waiting for them. They likely realize a breakout is suicidal at this point. They know they are safest behind their urban fortifications. If we attack them, we suffer the highest casualties. They're just going to sit tight and wait for us to bleed ourselves against their walls," Wang Yunlong analyzed.
"Sound logic. Excellent analysis. You're right, they won't come out. Order the men to rest and stay dry! Tonight, we liberate Nanli City!" Hu Hao declared, nodding approvingly at Wang Yunlong.
"Yes, sir!" Wang Yunlong beamed, thrilled by the praise.
"Hao-ge, we actually have quite a few tactical questions we'd like to ask you regarding the urban assault tonight," Lu Qing smiled eagerly.
"Of course. Ask away," Hu Hao chuckled, gesturing to the map.
Meanwhile, far away in Hu Hao's hometown, the Hu family compound was bustling with activity. Neighbors and relatives were helping move tables and chairs. Tomorrow was Hu Hao's younger brother's engagement party, and preparations were in full swing.
(End of Chapter)