Chapter 37
Wang Zhong was trying to get a clear view of the enemy's attack formation when he suddenly noticed tire tracks on the ground heading off to the side.
Just one vehicle passing through couldn't possibly leave such distinct tracks on the grassland; it had to be multiple half-tracks driving down the highway from the same spot.
Wang Zhong immediately followed the tracks to locate this enemy unit, but after heading north for a distance, the tracks disappeared from his field of vision.
What did these Prossenians mean by heading due north?
Wang Zhong thought about it but couldn't figure out their purpose, so just to be safe, he began checking along the edges of his field of view.
Since his Overhead Perspective depended on the direction he was facing, he had no vision behind him, so he had to switch back to normal vision and turn to face north.
Su Fang had followed him up the water tower, and seeing him looking north, she asked with a puzzled expression: "Aren't the enemies to the west?"
Wang Zhong didn't have time to respond and switched back to Overhead Perspective.
Sure enough, he found the tire tracks directly north of Upper Peniye Village.
Good grief, these guys took a detour, and they moved in a perfect square! Wang Zhong's vision was circular, so he couldn't see the corners of a square path.
There were three roads converging at Upper Peniye, forming an inverted Y-shape.
Previously, the enemy's attacks had all come from the west, entering the village via the two western roads, so Yegorov had set up defensive positions primarily facing west.
On the only road heading east, non-combat units like the field hospital were stationed, with very scarce combat personnel, only a few lightly wounded soldiers armed for defense.
It seemed this enemy detachment circling behind intended to enter the village from that sole eastern road, creating a pincer attack from both sides!
If they succeeded, it would be disastrous!
Wang Zhong skillfully switched perspectives, turning around, only to come face-to-face with Su Fang.
Su Fang: "?"
Wang Zhong stepped to the side, gained a view of the east, and switched perspectives again.
At the edge of his eastern view, he saw the enemy's half-tracks driving onto the main road!
The enemy had already maneuvered into position!
Each vehicle was carrying over a dozen soldiers, packed in like sardines in a can.
The enemy even moved in a square pattern for their detour, so rigid and by-the-book; theoretically, they shouldn't be overloading their vehicles, right? They're not Indians, after all.
The only explanation was that some half-tracks broke down during the detour, so they crammed the passengers from the broken vehicles into the others.
Honestly, if the enemy decided to pull off an armored cavalry assault right now, charging over in their half-tracks, they might actually catch Wang Zhong off guard.
But they stopped and started deploying their troops!
So, Prossenians can't fight without deploying their troops first, huh?
Wang Zhong quickly thought of a plan; his first idea was to find Yegorov and pull a unit to set up a defensive line at the rear.
Then he considered pretending not to notice the detour and setting up an ambush.
Just as he was about to settle on this plan, a flash of inspiration struck him.
He carefully examined the enemy's equipment.
Eight half-tracks-these vehicles were also iconic equipment of a certain army from another timeline; mention armored grenadiers, and this style of half-track always comes to mind.
The Germans typically named these half-tracks with the German abbreviation sdkfz plus a number, which earned them the nickname "SD Confucius" in Chinese circles.
Some versions of these half-tracks were equipped with cannons, ranging from 20mm to 45mm, and Wang Zhong enjoyed using them for fun in War Thunder.
But the eight half-tracks in this detour group were all equipped with only machine guns.
Wang Zhong observed the enemy infantry's gear more closely.
Thanks to the cheat-like Overhead Perspective, Wang Zhong could even see how many magazines each enemy Submachine Gunner was carrying.
After careful observation, he confirmed the enemy wasn't equipped with bazookas or similar single-soldier anti-tank rockets, at most having only anti-tank grenades.
The enemy had no anti-tank firepower!
Moreover, the rear was a vast plain, and to avoid detection, the enemy had deployed at least 1,500 meters away from the village!
1,500 meters of open plain! At least! Maybe even 2,000 meters!
A single tank guarding the village entrance could send all the enemies to meet their maker! Though he wasn't sure if this world was under God's jurisdiction.
Realizing this, Wang Zhong was thrilled; he switched back to normal vision, turned, and leaned on the water tower's railing, about to shout to the tank crew in the yard below when something caught his peripheral vision.
He immediately looked up and saw smoke rising from the western hilltop.
Right after, the sound of incoming shells tore through his eardrums.
Enemy artillery fire!
While Wang Zhong was tracking the detour unit, the enemy had pushed their infantry guns up the hill!
The first shell landed in the wheat field on the western side of the village, blasting dirt as high as a two-story building!
The explosive charge in these infantry gun shells was quite substantial!
Wang Zhong shouted: "Incoming artillery! Take cover!"
Before his voice faded, a second whistling sound came, and Wang Zhong distinctly felt something pass over his head-it seemed to overshoot.
He turned back and saw a house on the easternmost side of the village take a hit, a large chunk of its roof collapsing.
Wait a second, one shot landed too close, another too far-the enemy was adjusting their aim!
If the third shot landed in the village, a rapid barrage would begin!
The third whistling sound came, and before Wang Zhong could react, the roof of the mechanical mill was hit.
The blast's shockwave nearly knocked Wang Zhong off his feet.
Fortunately, the distance was far enough that shrapnel and the shockwave didn't reach him.
At that moment, Su Fang rushed over and pushed Wang Zhong to the ground.
The girl pressed her entire body over Wang Zhong's back.
Wang Zhong heard her say urgently: "You can't die!"
The next moment, more whistling sounds came.
Explosions tore at Wang Zhong's eardrums one after another.
Could a single infantry gun company produce such an effect?
Wang Zhong vaguely understood why artillery was called the king of war.
But Wang Zhong couldn't just lie there.
He was facing west while lying down, so he couldn't see the east, but he could imagine the detour enemy advancing toward the village.
He had to act immediately!
He rolled over, throwing Su Fang off his back, scrambled to his feet, and shouted "Tank crew, get ready!" while rushing down the stairs.
The tank crew were all lying flat around the tank, only getting up when they heard Wang Zhong's voice.
Wang Zhong reached down and pulled the loader out from under the tank, then climbed onto the tank himself.
The gunner had already reached the turret, opened the side hatch for the gunner and loader, and upon seeing Wang Zhong climb up, asked: "Count, what's happening?"
Wang Zhong: "I saw the enemy's detour unit from up there, to the east. They have no anti-tank firepower; we need to block them at the eastern village entrance."
"Got it!" The gunner nodded and slipped through the side hatch. The loader followed close behind.
Wang Zhong climbed onto the turret, entered the tank commander's hatch, and put on the headset and internal microphone.
By then, the driver and mechanic had also boarded the tank.
Wang Zhong: "How many high-explosive shells do we have left?"
"Don't worry, we barely used any high-explosive shells earlier; we've still got 42 rounds!" The gunner's voice came through the headset.
Before Wang Zhong could respond, a shell landed in the yard, collapsing a section of the wall.
A few pieces of shrapnel struck the tank's armor, making a clanging sound.
Wang Zhong thought to himself, for safety, I'd better get inside the tank-
At that moment, Su Fang climbed onto the tank, standing behind the main turret on the radiator grille of the engine.
Wang Zhong: "Get down!"
Su Fang: "I'm here to use this anti-aircraft machine gun!"
As she spoke, she skillfully operated the machine gun on top of the tank turret, aiming it forward.
Wang Zhong: "I'll handle this machine gun! Get down."
"You've got a fever; you might not aim straight!"
Wang Zhong wanted to say more, but realizing the enemy could sneak into the village from the east at any moment, he didn't have time to argue and let her be.
Wang Zhong: "Driver, forward gear, go! Turn left out the gate, head east straight to the intersection."
Driver: "Same route as this morning, I know!"
The tank charged out of the distillery gate, making a sharp turn.
Just then, the building across from the distillery took a hit, and broken tiles came crashing down. Wang Zhong ducked, feeling debris pelting him.
Su Fang was struck by a tile, cutting the corner of her right eye, blood streaming down.
Wang Zhong: "You're bleeding, get down!"
"I won't!"
(End of chapter)