Chapter 82
Regardless of what bizarre troops the Crown Prince has crammed into another train, they're still stuck there and won't be arriving anytime soon.
The first wave of reinforcements Wang Zhong received that day was tanks from the 23rd Tank Corps-or more precisely, from the remnants of the 23rd Tank Corps.
The fast series of light tanks, named BT as their model, are actually pretty good vehicles in the game, especially with that kind of speed.
But in reality, they're just speeding coffins; even a slightly larger caliber machine gun can penetrate this thing.
That's why the Soviet Union on Earth basically stopped producing them after the war started.
After all, the T34 is also fast, and its overall performance is on a completely different level compared to the BT series.
Wang Zhong looked at these BT7s rolling into the base of the Rokosov Battle Group, sighed, and figured he'd just have to make do with them.
After all, these things still have 45mm cannons and machine guns; they're fine for slaughtering infantry, and with some maneuverability, they can flank and hit Type III and Type IV tanks pretty well.
The lead BT-7, with tactical number 2301, had an antenna behind the turret, clearly marking it as a platoon or company command vehicle.
A Lieutenant Colonel opened the hatch and climbed out, saluting Wang Zhong from the turret: "Brigadier General Alexei Konstantinovich Rokosov! I pay my respects to you."
Wang Zhong glanced at his name from an overhead perspective and responded: "I pay my respects to you as well, Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Feodotovich. The report said you had 20 BT-7s, so why do I only see ten?"
"That's because five broke down due to lack of maintenance and spare parts, and another five were destroyed by enemy air force. The enemy air force is equipped with 13mm machine guns, just a tad thinner than our anti-tank rifles, and from the air, they can take down this paper-thin toy with ease."
The Lieutenant Colonel shook his head: "This is all that's left of my regiment's tanks, General, sir. Let us be of some use, even if it's just as fixed gun emplacements. Stack some sandbags in front of the turret, and we can still trade shots with the Prossenians."
Wang Zhong shook his head and beckoned the Lieutenant Colonel over.
Mikhail looked puzzled but quickly got off the vehicle, stood in front of Wang Zhong, and saluted again.
Wang Zhong placed a hand on his shoulder: "Here's the situation. We're facing an enemy armored division at full strength right in front of us, one of their total 17 armored divisions, and we suspect part of an armored grenadier division is also moving up.
"We just lost our southeastern flank protection, and the enemy will attack us from both the southeast and southwest. Our forces simply can't hold such a large area. Do you understand up to this point?"
Mikhail nodded: "Understood, so we're to reinforce..."
"Don't speak yet, just listen. Right now, the unit responsible for defending the southeast is the Fifth Beshensk Regiment. They're down to just 300 men, and they've lost almost all their technical equipment; they don't even have enough machine guns.
"The anti-tank cannons on their position are actually made of wood, understand?"
"Understood, so we'll go..."
"We don't have anti-tank cannons, so we can't trade shots with them on the open plains. We have to let the enemy in, cut off their infantry, and then use incendiary bottles to destroy their tanks and armored vehicles.
"And I need you to stand by in the eastern part of the city. When the enemy breaches the city, use your speed to encircle them. Your 45mm cannons can penetrate their flanks and rears!"
Mikhail frowned: "There's a fatal flaw in your plan. None of us are locals from Loktov. This city isn't huge, but expecting a bunch of newcomers to navigate the lanes for flanking maneuvers is a bit much, don't you think?"
Wang Zhong: "The Protectorate Army, made up of locals, will guide you and help scout the enemy's positions."
Mikhail frowned even harder: "Isn't the Protectorate Army just a bunch of militia?"
"Yes, and many of them were conscripted just in the last few days."
"This..."
Wang Zhong: "Don't worry, I'll personally command a tank. Even if the rest of you fail to complete the detour mission, I'll get it done. I've got my eye on your command vehicle; it's mine now."
Mikhail: "Huh? What?"
Wang Zhong turned to the soldiers waiting nearby and said: "Paint over this vehicle's tactical number and replace it with my tactical number 422."
Truth be told, Wang Zhong had hesitated between using 422 or 67, but in the end, he decided that the honor of 67 should forever belong to that brave crew.
He should carry on the glorious 422, taking this number and the memory of those fallen tank crew members to fight through the entire battle.
At this moment, Mikhail asked: "But... unlike the T28, the BT-7 doesn't have a separate tank commander. I'm both the commander and gunner in the vehicle. Have you... received gunner training?"
Wang Zhong froze. His entire understanding of tanks was built from the game, where one person could do everything, so he hadn't even considered that the BT-7 lacked a dedicated tank commander.
At that moment, two soldiers climbed onto the tank with buckets, smeared over the original tactical number 2301 with paint, and hand-brushed the new number 422.
Mikhail didn't stop them; instead, he stared at Wang Zhong: "General?"
Wang Zhong: "I can stand behind your turret and act as the anti-air machine gunner."
In this timeline, the BT7 is equipped with an anti-air machine gun.
Mikhail seemed unable to believe his ears: "What did you say?"
"I'll stand behind the turret as the anti-air machine gunner." Wang Zhong said with absolute resolve.
With the enemy outnumbering them, they had to fully utilize the advantage brought by Wang Zhong's external view to have any chance of winning at a smaller cost.
The battle at Upper Peniye Village had already proven how much success Wang Zhong could achieve by personally commanding a tank.
The loader of the former 2301 tank poked his head out: "What's going on? Why are we changing the tactical number? Mikhail, what's happening?"
Mikhail was silent for a few seconds before saying: "You-we will be directly commanded by the General!"
The loader asked in confusion: "So whose job is the General taking over? Can the General fire the cannon?"
Wang Zhong: "No, I'll stand behind your turret."
The loader: "That's too dangerous!"
"No," Mikhail said, "for other tanks, that might be true, but with the BT7, standing behind the turret might actually be safer than being inside, since there's an extra layer of armor plate for protection."
What he meant was that he saw the entire vehicle as a gun shield.
----
Two and a half hours later, in the eastern part of Loktov City, at the hiding spot of the Rokosov tank company.
Wang Zhong emerged from the cellar, leaning against the window to look outside.
The loader, Ivanov, also climbed out of the cellar and stood behind Wang Zhong, saying: "The artillery preparation has ended; I can't hear the cannon fire anymore."
"Mm." Wang Zhong snapped his fingers, "Get in the vehicle! Prepare for combat!"
The enemy had stopped their attack for so long before the artillery preparation, and then prepared for such a long time; they must have already completed their attack formation.
Wang Zhong pushed open the door and came face-to-face with an old warrior, Rezenov, wearing a worn-out Protectorate Army uniform. He was the Regiment Commander of the Fifth Temporary Protectorate Army Regiment.
The old man's beard was white, and his uniform was a style from before the Civil War, only the collar insignia had been replaced with that of the secular faction.
Behind him stood a young man carrying a massive flag.
"General, sir!" Rezenov spoke up, "We're all ready! The guides we've picked for you are the sharpest young men, usually darting around the streets like weasels, checking out which family's girls are pretty! They know this area inside out!"
Wang Zhong thought to himself, so they're just street punks?
Rezenov: "And I've assigned this Kozlov to be the guide for the Lieutenant Colonel. He's strong and sturdy; even if the tank gets destroyed, he can drag the Lieutenant Colonel out and carry him to the medical station! Also, look at this flag; it's the best one we could find, and it'll greatly boost morale!"
Wang Zhong: "No, the Lieutenant Colonel doesn't need a guide. I'll be commanding him personally. Assign Kozlov to someone else."
"Why?" Rezenov looked astonished.
Wang Zhong pointed to his head: "I've already memorized the nearby streets. It's a basic skill for a commander."
Rezenov: "But standing behind a tank turret is very dangerous! There's no need for you to personally..."
Wang Zhong: "I've already made my decision."
Rezenov burst into laughter: "Is that so! You're truly a reliable General! Just like that White Horse General in the newspapers!"
Wang Zhong felt awkward; he hadn't expected someone to not know that he was, in fact, the White Horse General.
But he didn't clarify, as it would seem like he was boasting about his achievements, and now wasn't the time for that.
He said to the old man: "Please instruct everyone to report the positions of enemy tanks to the nearest friendly tank, and let the tanks handle the tanks.
"Even if you must engage enemy tanks at close range, eliminate their accompanying infantry first!"
Rezenov: "Don't worry!"
Wang Zhong nodded and climbed onto the newly painted Vehicle 422 with its updated tactical number.
Mikhail also climbed into the turret, then took out the headset and microphone, handing them to Wang Zhong: "General, sir, you take command!"
Wang Zhong took the headset and microphone while asking: "What about you?"
"There's a spare set."
Although this new ride had a radio, the Ante Empire's radio technology was abysmal. It might be because the tank's generator wasn't good enough, with most of the power going to the turret's motor.
As soon as the radio was connected, the headset was filled with static, as if someone was frying sand right next to Wang Zhong's ear.
But for the sake of command communication, he had to endure it.
Wang Zhong picked up the microphone: "This is the command vehicle. Second platoon leader, can you hear me?"
"I can hear you, please go ahead, General."
Actually, Wang Zhong was just calling to see if he could access the second platoon leader's visibility, and the answer was yes. The moment the second platoon leader responded, the area around the second platoon command vehicle 2306 lit up in the overhead perspective.
But the areas around other vehicles without radios remained dark, even though they were now under Wang Zhong's "direct command," they didn't provide him with visibility.
Could it be because they couldn't hear Wang Zhong's voice from inside the tank?
After all, even with a BT7, the noise during operation was tremendous-the Ante Empire's tanks were notorious for ignoring ergonomics, and their crude manufacturing process made their tanks incredibly noisy.
Was it unrealistic to command tanks by shouting, and that's why he didn't have visibility of the other tanks?
While Wang Zhong was pondering this, a Protectorate Army soldier poked his head out from the roof of a nearby house and shouted: "The enemy is attacking!"
So Wang Zhong immediately called Vasily: "Vasily! Can you hear me?"
He waited a few seconds, and through the radio static, Vasily's voice came through: "I hear you, General! Are you sure you want to communicate in clear language?"
"Yes, in an emergency, using clear language is unavoidable."
Wang Zhong thought to himself, the important thing isn't the content of the communication; I just want to light up the visibility.
After connecting with Vasily, who was guarding the Prossenian walkie-talkie, the visibility of the 31st Guards Infantry Regiment lit up, along with the visibility from the artillery theodolite that Dimitri was responsible for.
Thus, Wang Zhong saw that the enemy had deployed at least 80 tanks and armored vehicles along an arc of nearly 120 degrees from southwest to southeast of Loktov.
This was just the first wave; the Second Wave behind them had about another hundred tanks and half-tracks.
Wang Zhong was stunned. He knew the enemy numbers were huge, but he didn't expect them to be this massive.
And the main force of the enemy's attack was in the southeast direction, with a full 20 short-barreled Type IV tanks, six Type III tanks, and a bunch of half-tracks.
Did he really have to take out this many enemies with just 10 BT-7s?
Even 10 T34s would have to think twice about this!
Only 10 KV1s could handle this many enemies.
No, I can't be intimidated by the enemy's numbers. They're unfamiliar with the terrain, and once they enter the streets for close-quarters combat, no matter how many there are, won't they all just be achievements for us?
At this moment, a messenger from the Fifth Beshensk Regiment rode up on horseback in front of Wang Zhong's Vehicle 422, shouting loudly: "Our regiment is ready to follow your orders and let the enemy into the village to fight!"
Wang Zhong: "Very good. Tell your Regiment Commander that the armored units I personally command will encircle the enemy and deal them a massive blow!"
The messenger saluted, turned his horse around, and galloped off.
At this time, Mikhail's voice came through the internal line: "General, we're about to move into ambush position!"
"Alright, let's go."
As soon as the words were spoken, the engine of this new Vehicle 422 roared to life, mixed with the sound of the gearbox grinding.
The tank jolted and began to move forward.
Wang Zhong grabbed the anti-air machine gun to steady himself, standing with his legs apart behind the turret.
Behind the turrets of the other tanks stood a machine gunner as well, each accompanied by local guides responsible for directing the tanks.
Once the enemy attacking from the southeast entered the village, Wang Zhong would personally lead these tanks to inflict heavy casualties on them, then quickly disengage from cover to maneuver and flank.
----
Rezenov watched the tank column drive off and exclaimed in admiration: "What an extraordinary General! Just like Bagration, personally leading the Guardsmen into a charge!"
He turned to shout at the Protectorate Army soldiers: "The General is leading by example! We can't be afraid to die!"
The Protectorate Army soldiers shouted in unison: "We're not afraid to die!"
Rezenov: "All troops, Protectorate Army Provisional Fifth Regiment, march in step!"
A few days ago, these soldiers were still civilians, and their steps weren't as uniform as those of real soldiers, but the forest of bayonets they formed still commanded respect from everyone!
----
At this moment, Wang Zhong lost visibility of the 31st Regiment. He hurriedly called out again: "Vasily?"
"General, you're not giving orders, yet you keep communicating with me. I still need to monitor the Prossenians' conversations!" Vasily's complaint pierced through the static noise into Wang Zhong's ears.
For a brief moment, Wang Zhong considered ordering the machine gun to be shifted five centimeters to the left.
Five centimeters wouldn't affect the construction of the firepower point, but it would still be an order, making his insistence on maintaining radio communication seem less strange.
But in the end, he held back.
Yegorov is a good man, and he and the veterans of the 31st Regiment have accumulated a wealth of experience in the infantry-tank meat grinder at Upper Peniye. I can trust them.
In truth, Wang Zhong wasn't confident he could do better than Yegorov and his men.
At this moment, Wang Zhong suddenly noticed Grigori driving a jeep not far from the tank.
So he switched perspectives and called out: "Grigori! What are you doing here? Go back to the 31st Regiment! The troops need an experienced Sergeant Major like you! I'm in a tank; I don't need a guard at a time like this!"
Grigori hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately saluted and drove off in the jeep.
After seeing Grigori leave, Wang Zhong was about to continue observing the battlefield when Mikhail, who had been demoted from troop leader to gunner, asked: "General, sir, is it true that in Upper Peniye Village, you commanded a single tank to destroy 100 enemy tanks?"
Wang Zhong: "No, that's an exaggeration from the newspapers."
The driver muttered: "I knew those newspaper folks were full of nonsense!"
The loader: "So how many was it really?"
"Eight. Before our T28 was destroyed, we took out a total of eight enemy tanks."
This number elicited a chorus of admiration from the others.
Mikhail: "That's still pretty impressive! After all, that was a T28! We all know that vehicle is absolute garbage! It's just a showpiece created because the marshals and the emperor liked tall, imposing multi-turret tanks!"
Wang Zhong nodded: "I know."
He was well aware that at the beginning, taking out four Type IV tanks in one go with that lousy T28 was thanks to an external view. Later, when trading shots head-on with the enemy and the effect of the external view was diminished, they immediately suffered losses.
Whoever came up with that thing and sent it to the battlefield should really be shot.
Finally, Vehicle 422 reached the preset ambush position.
It was a row of houses destroyed by enemy artillery fire. The remaining broken walls made excellent cover, allowing the tanks to hide inside and strike the enemy hard.
As long as the enemy entered the village and kept advancing along Suvorov Street, they would enter the field of fire of the BT7s hidden in the ruins.
Even the outdated 45mm cannon could pop open enemy tanks one after another like cans!
Wang Zhong stood behind the tank turret, feeling a bit hot- the tank's heat dissipation system was right under his feet, so it'd be strange if he didn't feel hot.
At this moment, Wang Zhong heard the sound of a B4 firing.
Mikhail was shocked: "How is there heavy artillery? We heard you didn't have any heavy artillery here!"
Wang Zhong: "A gift from the Crown Prince."
"What the heck?" Mikhail looked at Wang Zhong with disbelief.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the right time to show off, so Wang Zhong could only say: "I'll introduce you after the war is over. Focus for now."
After saying that, Wang Zhong switched to an overhead perspective, but the troops he could directly command were too few. The battlefield was mostly dark, with only his own visibility and that of another platoon command tank (equipped with a radio) being illuminated.
So Wang Zhong couldn't clearly see the impact of the B4 heavy artillery bombardment.
The next moment, he saw the enemy tanks begin shelling various high points in the village, blasting the water tower, church bell tower, and everything else into flying rubble.
Wang Zhong broke out in a cold sweat, thankful that the enemy hadn't fired at the water tower in Upper Peniye, or he'd already be dead.
He wasn't worried about Dimitri, though, because the observation window at the forward command wasn't at the highest point. It sacrificed some field of view for better concealment.
With the enemy firing bursts at high points like this, they definitely wouldn't hit the forward command or Dimitri.
Wang Zhong took a deep breath, patiently waiting for the enemy to enter the ambush zone.
At this moment, a sharp whistling sound came from the sky. Without even looking up, he knew the Stukas had arrived.
The smoke columns from the half-ton bombs looked like clusters of coral suddenly sprouting from the ground when seen with normal vision.
Wang Zhong reassured the crew in his tank: "Stay calm, don't worry!"
Mikhail laughed: "We've heard this sound so much our ears are numb. Do you know how many tanks from our entire 23rd Corps have been taken out by these things?"
Wang Zhong: "How many?"
"At least two hundred, and we lost a huge number of GAZ trucks too. Our corps had a higher allocation of GAZ trucks, and as a result, we were completely immobilized. Since we're nominally a mechanized corps, we didn't have mules or horses, and we couldn't even find replacements for them."
Mikhail shook his head repeatedly: "During training, we didn't notice any issues. During exercises, everything was done according to the directorate's arrangements, and no problems were found. But once the war started, we discovered the issues, and by then, people were already dead."
Mikhail finished speaking, and the driver chimed in: "The higher-ups are too rigid. They read a bit of military theory from the United Kingdom and Prossen and just made assumptions! Look at the roads in our country-every year during the thaw, vehicles get stuck. Without mules and horses, it's simply impossible!"
Wang Zhong's expression turned serious, thinking to himself that indeed, those in power often fail to plan ahead.
At this moment, the enemy's scouts entered visibility.
Wang Zhong immediately warned: "The enemy is coming! Prepare for combat!"
Directly south of the ruins, the soldiers of the Fifth Beshensk Regiment had already opened fire, the rapid bursts of machine guns sounding like firecrackers going off continuously.
Meanwhile, the enemy advancing into the ambush zone seemed not to have noticed the danger yet, moving forward in a loose marching formation with relatively tight spacing between tanks.
Wang Zhong switched to an overhead perspective, waiting until this wave of enemies fully entered the ambush zone before shouting: "Open fire!"
Mikhail fired immediately, the armor-piercing shell directly hitting the side of a Type IV tank at the rear of the enemy column.
The tank immediately lost power and stopped on the road.
Wang Zhong personally operated the anti-air machine gun, sweeping the enemy infantry column while ordering: "Load high-explosive shell! The enemy tanks are done for!"
In the entire ambush zone, there were two platoons totaling eight Type IV tanks. Wang Zhong's side, with ten BT7s, essentially knocked out all the Type IVs in one volley.
But the others didn't have Wang Zhong's visibility and couldn't highlight targets, so they couldn't tell if the stopped tanks were destroyed or if the crew inside was just stunned.
On the battlefield, it's common for tanks that have stopped moving to suddenly start up again-the crew inside might just be stunned, and once they wake up, they'll resume operating the tank.
That's why both the Soviet and German forces on the Eastern Front have a habit of firing additional shots at wreckage.
But Wang Zhong didn't have this concern. He immediately ordered a switch to high-explosive shells to maximize casualties among the enemy infantry.
However, the enemy reacted quickly. The infantry had already determined the direction of the incoming fire and taken cover, and they even deployed smoke shells!
Smoke shells again!
Wang Zhong: "Reverse quickly, get out of cover! We're going around to take out more enemies!"
The Fifth Beshensk Regiment hadn't received any reinforcements. No matter how brave and skilled they were, they couldn't handle this many enemies. Even more critically, this regiment had almost no anti-tank capabilities. They needed to destroy the enemy's armored vehicles as quickly as possible!
When the BT7 truly started sprinting, Wang Zhong realized that the driver had been holding back when they were heading to the position earlier.
When this thing really got going, the tracks practically lifted off the ground!
Wang Zhong could only cling tightly to the anti-air machine gun. If he let go even slightly, he'd be thrown off.
Vehicle 422 maneuvered to the enemy's flank at an astonishing speed.
Wang Zhong: "Stop! First shot high-explosive shell, second shot armor-piercing shell!"
"High-explosive shell, ready!" the loader shouted.
After all, with a 45mm cannon, the ammunition was relatively light, so loading was quite fast.
Before Wang Zhong could even designate a target, Mikhail fired. The shell directly hit a half-track moving alongside the tanks.
The tank noticed the issue behind it and began turning its turret. At this moment, the loader shouted: "Armor-piercing shell, ready!"
Still without Wang Zhong designating a target, Mikhail fired a shot that hit the Type IV as it was turning its turret.
Wang Zhong operated the anti-air machine gun, sweeping the enemies on the street while urging: "Move, move! Don't stop; stopping makes us an easy target for the enemy!"
So Vehicle 422 began its mad dash once again.
Before reaching the next intersection, Wang Zhong ordered the tank turret to be turned in advance and loaded a high-explosive shell.
The enemy's half-track turned into a rising fireball once again, while Wang Zhong also used the anti-air machine gun to hit a flamethrower soldier by the roadside. The high-pressure gas spewed out, causing the flamethrower soldier to fall forward to the ground.
Wang Zhong had thought this would trigger a massive explosion, but it turned out the enemy's compressed gas canister was filled with high-pressure nitrogen! This stuff surprisingly wouldn't explode!
Wang Zhong couldn't worry about that too much. The enemy had already reacted and started turning their guns. The tank might not fear the enemy's squad machine guns, but Wang Zhong, standing behind the turret, did.
"Move, move! Never stop maneuvering!"
As Vehicle 422 sped along, Mikhail couldn't hold back his laughter: "Hahaha! I've been waiting for this! After being pent up for so many days and seeing so many casualties, I can finally give these invaders a proper thrashing!"
Mikhail laughed heartily, and the loader and driver were infected by his mood, joining in with loud laughter.
----
At this moment, besides the enemy, there were also a large number of locals and Ant Army soldiers paying attention to this BT-7 unit speeding through the city, engaging in guerrilla warfare against the enemy.
Those who, out of fear of the enemy, had not chosen to join the cause of defending their homeland, were watching the armored units dashing freely from within their homes-homes that had either already become ruins or were soon to be.
A thought gradually emerged in everyone's mind: perhaps-perhaps the enemy wasn't such a big deal after all?
----
And this thought directly transformed into certainty among the Protectorate Army soldiers.
Rezenov waved his outdated old rifle, shouting: "Follow the General's pace! The enemy is nothing to be afraid of! While they're dazed, charge!"
The Protectorate Army shouted "Ura" loudly, striving to keep up with the speeding BT series tanks.
----
Wang Zhong had lost track of how long the battle had been going on; he only knew that, with Mikhail's help, he had already changed the magazine of the anti-air machine gun for the third time.
A report came through the headset from the loader: "High-explosive shells are out!"
At that moment, Vehicle 422 happened to maneuver to the side of a Type III tank.
As usual, Wang Zhong called out the position of the Type III, and Mikhail fired across an entire cross street, hitting the target directly, causing long flames to spout from the top of the Type III.
Literally "fuming with rage."
In the blink of an eye, Wang Zhong suddenly noticed, at the base of a wall on the left side of the cross street, a Prossenian squad leader holding a captured PTRD-41 anti-tank rifle.
The moment their eyes met, the squad leader threw the rifle to the ground and dropped flat, aiming at Wang Zhong with lightning speed!
Wang Zhong immediately turned the anti-air machine gun, intending to riddle the man with bullets, but as soon as he pulled the trigger, the gun jammed! It must have been because he rushed the magazine change earlier and didn't align the ammo belt properly!
Wang Zhong had no idea how to clear the machine gun jam and could only shout: "Turret, turn left fifteen degrees! Base of the wall, anti-tank rifle!"
The BT7 had no mechanic, so there was no hull machine gun installed on the tank body-since the driver had no time to operate a machine gun, they could only rely on the coaxial machine gun on the turret now!
Just as the turret began to turn, the enemy fired!
From Wang Zhong's perspective, through the open turret hatch, he could see Mikhail's body jerk before slumping to one side.
The front of the BT7's turret had actually been penetrated by the anti-tank rifle!
But at a distance of less than fifty meters from the anti-tank rifle, being penetrated was not surprising, especially since the fast series tanks were known for their thin armor and big target profile.
While shouting "Reverse!" Wang Zhong drew his pistol and fired at the enemy, only to miss every shot since he had never received even a single day of pistol shooting training.
In the blink of an eye, the loader took over the gunner's role and pressed the firing button.
The coaxial machine gun immediately turned the enemy holding the anti-tank rifle into a sieve.
Wang Zhong made a split-second decision, removed his headset and microphone, lifted the hatch on the loader's side, and climbed in-he couldn't operate as a gunner, but he could still load shells!
This way, the crew would still have fighting capability!
As he climbed into the tank, the loader continued firing, ensuring no one else could take over the anti-tank rifle.
The loader (now the gunner) shouted while firing: "Reverse quickly, get out of this trouble spot!"
For some reason, the driver didn't move.
At that moment, the coaxial machine gun's magazine ran out.
The loader, in a frantic hurry, tried to change the magazine, only to realize that nearly all the magazines on the floor were empty.
Yes, over 2,000 rounds of coaxial machine gun ammo had actually been used up!
In the blink of an eye, Wang Zhong heard a "thud," and looking up, he saw the loader, now at the gunner's position, slump backward onto the lifeless Mikhail.
There was a small hole in the front armor, with light streaming through it.
Wang Zhong: "Driver! Move now!"
But there was no response.
Wang Zhong hurriedly grabbed the driver's shoulder, only to discover that the driver was also dead.
It was then that he noticed a hole in the driver's observation window; the enemy's first shot hadn't hit the turret but had struck the driver's observation window, penetrating the cover and killing the driver before ricocheting into Mikhail.
Wang Zhong suddenly realized that staying inside the tank would get him killed too. Just as he was about to climb out through the hatch he had entered, a burst of submachine gun fire forced him back inside.
Outside, enemies were shouting something, and though Wang Zhong couldn't understand it, he had a feeling it was about him.
Perhaps the enemy wanted to capture me alive!
Wang Zhong fumbled to reload his empty pistol, which was still in a cocked state.
Just then, a Prossenian soldier appeared outside the hatch, and upon seeing Wang Zhong, started shouting incoherently.
Wang Zhong fired three shots in succession; at this range, even an inexperienced novice could ensure a certain hit rate.
The enemy disappeared, and blood sprayed all over Wang Zhong's face.
The metallic smell of blood assaulted his nostrils.
Wang Zhong thought he had to escape quickly.
He remembered from many movies that tanks had a hatch at the bottom, specifically for tankers to escape in situations like this.
He immediately crawled to the bottom of the tank.
At that moment, the bottom of the tank was littered with empty shell casings, and blood had pooled into small lakes on the iron plates, with more blood continuously dripping from the dead bodies.
Wang Zhong didn't have much trouble finding the bottom hatch-whether the BT series always had this hatch or it was unique to this timeline, he didn't know.
To get into the hatch, he bumped his head multiple times, ending up with several lumps on his scalp.
No surprise there, typical of Russian designs-ergonomics so bad that even in a stationary state, you'd still bump your head.
Wang Zhong opened the hatch, poked his upper body out, made direct contact with the ground, and used his hands to crawl, struggling to pull his body out-
Just at that moment, there was the sound of something heavy being thrown into the tank.
The next moment, a grenade exploded inside the tank, and the shockwave blasted out from the bottom hatch.
Wang Zhong looked around and saw several pairs of Prossenian military boots.
He hurriedly checked his pistol, then switched to an overhead perspective, trying to see if there was any chance of escaping alive.
Then, to his despair, he discovered that at least a platoon of Prossenians was gathered around.
It's over, it's over. Just moments ago, I was slaughtering the enemy, and now the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse! Is this what the battlefield is like?
Wang Zhong didn't want to surrender, nor did he want to give up; he was desperately searching for a way to break through-but after thinking it over, there was only despair.
----
At that very moment, the Protectorate Army soldiers, who had been struggling to keep up with Vehicle 422, finally reached a position where they could see it.
Across an entire street, everyone could clearly see that the tank with tactical number 422 was paralyzed by the roadside, swarming with Prossenians on top of it.
Everyone was stunned, unable to accept the fact that Vehicle 422, which had just been slaughtering the enemy like a war god, was now finished.
At that moment, Rezenov said: "The General has sacrificed himself! At the very least, we can retrieve his body and prevent the enemy from desecrating it!"
He raised his old antique rifle with the bayonet attached high: "Ura!"
The others also started shouting.
Perhaps the General's death had enraged them.
Perhaps the fury of losing the General drove them; in any case, they began to shout.
Kozlov held high the Saint Andrew's Cross double-headed eagle flag, charging at the forefront of the group.
An enemy sergeant half-knelt and fired at Kozlov; the bullet struck the burly man's neck, and a large amount of blood sprayed from his artery, splattering onto the military banner.
Kozlov fell forward to his knees, but the flag was caught by Rezenov.
The old man held the old-fashioned rifle in one hand and wielded the flag with immense strength in the other.
Enemy bullets pierced the old man's chest, but he didn't stop running, charging forward several more steps before collapsing to his knees on the ground.
Unfamiliar hands took the flag from the fallen old man.
More and more people rushed out from the streets and alleys, wielding whatever objects they could grab, charging toward the enemy on the street.
Benches, umbrellas, even doorframes!
Women threw flower vases and stones from the second and third floors, supporting the "offensive" on the street below!
The invaders, who had been strutting arrogantly, were like small boats in a vast ocean, swallowed up in an instant.
----
Wang Zhong watched this scene in shock, not even noticing that at the train station, which had been idle for two days, a train was pulling in!
After the last Prossenian soldier had his skull cracked open by a blacksmith's hammer, Wang Zhong crawled out from under the tank.
He had only crawled halfway when countless hands reached out to grab him.
"The General is still alive!"
"The General is still alive!"
The people dragged him out from under the tank, then helped him up with a flurry of hands!
Wang Zhong looked at the excited crowd, his mouth unable to close.
-"Those who never abandoned me destroyed the heavily armed enemy with overwhelming force, pulling me out from the abyss of despair."
The immense shock left Wang Zhong momentarily unable to think about things like "What happened to the enemy?" or "Has the offensive ended?" He simply watched the ordinary people before him displaying surging, powerful strength, feeling this force.
At that moment, he saw a flag.
He vaguely remembered that this was the flag Rezenov had brought.
Now, this flag was stained with so much blood that it looked dirty and tattered.
But in Wang Zhong's eyes, this flag exuded a reassuring aura.
He recalled a line from that song: On the flag of the republic, there is the glory of my blood-stained valor-
And so, Wang Zhong took hold of this flag.
In some inexplicable way, he had already decided that this flag would follow him until the day the invaders were completely crushed.
The setting sun was like blood, and the red flag was like a painting.
At this moment, he heard the roar of engine sounds coming from the direction of the train station.
(End of Chapter)